On today's episode, I talk to theater and TV director Sheldon Epps. Originally from Compton, CA, Sheldon's decades-long career in entertainment has spanned both the stage and television. He was a co-founder & the associate artistic director of the off-Broadway theater The Production Company, conceived and directed the Duke Ellington musical Play On!, which received three Tony Award nominations, and was the artistic director at the Pasadena Playhouse for two decades. For television, Sheldon h...
Dec 30, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 565
On today's episode, I talk to comics creator Cliff Chiang. Originally from New Jersey, Cliff wasn't sure of his direction in life, but wanted to give his dream of making comics a try and got an editorial job at DC/Vertigo after college. This led to drawing anthology stories and single issues which led to higher profile gigs on books like Human Target and Wonder Woman. In 2015, Cliff co-created the Eisner Award-winning series Paper Girls with Brian K. Vaughan, which was turned into a canceled-way...
Dec 16, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 564
On today's episode, I talk to actor Breeda Wool. Originally from Urbana, Illinois, Breeda moved to New York City after college to pursue acting, where she did everything from sketch comedy to guerilla theater to acting in indie films. This all led to roles in more mainstream work like Vice Principals, The Affair, GLOW, and The Walking Dead, as well as regular roles on shows like Mr. Mercedes and UnREAL. Breeda is also one of the stars of the new Disney+ show National Treasure: Edge of History, w...
Dec 09, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 563
On today's episode, I talk to musician Kurt Wagner. Originally from Nashville, TN, Kurt was an artist and musician working a day job. But through the late '80s into the '90s, his band Lambchop began to become popular, assisted in some part by Vic Chesnutt enthusiastically talking about them in the press. Since 1990, Lambchop has released almost 20 albums, most of them on Merge Records, and their latest The Bible, came out at the end of September, and like everything else Kurt makes, it's wonderf...
Dec 02, 2022•1 hr 5 min
On today's episode, I talk to writer Jerry Stahl. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jerry won a Pushcart Prize early in his writing career before taking a detour into writing erotica and for magazines like Hustler. This led to another detour writing for TV and movies, although "detour" here might be incorrect, considering this has been a large chunk of his professional career. Jerry penned scripts for ALF, Thirtysomething, Moonlighting, Twin Peaks, CSI, Maron, Escape at Dannemora as well...
Nov 18, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 561
On today's episode, I talk to rapper Homeboy Sandman. Originally from Elmhurst, Queens, Angel Del Villar II AKA Homeboy Sandman started making albums while he was in law school. This led him to leave the judicial path he was on to focus on music, and since 2007, he has recorded over two dozen albums, EPs and mixtapes, including a number of incredible EPs with Aesop Rock. His latest, Still Champion, was just released today - Deca produced it, and it is wonderful! This is the website for Beginning...
Nov 11, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 560
On today's episode, I talk to musician Bill Orcutt. Originally from Miami, Florida, Bill made films and played music in various groups before co-founding the noise rock group Harry Pussy in the early '90s with his then-wife Adris Hoyos. After releasing a number of albums and EPs on labels like Siltbreeze, the group broke up and Bill moved to San Francisco to focus on filmmaking and other endeavors. In 2009, he began making music publicly again, and in the last 13 years, has produced a number of ...
Nov 04, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 559
On today's episode, I talk to musician Robin Holcomb. Originally from Savannah, Georgia, Robin grew up in the Bay Area and began playing piano when she was six. In 1977, she moved with her partner, composer Wayne Horvitz, to New York City and was one of the foundational members of the NY downtown art scene. Since then, she has composed works for orchestras from Portland to Philly, has been awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts to the League of American Orchestras, and recorded ...
Oct 28, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 558
On today's episode, I talk to artist and musician Tara Jane O'Neil. Tara cut her teeth in the 1990s Louisville music scene as the bassist of the influential post-punk group Rodan. After their breakup in 1994, she moved to New York, where she performed in a number of fantastic bands including Retsin, Ida Retsin Family, The Sonora Pine, and The Naysayer. She's also released over a dozen albums and EPs under her own name on labels like Kranky and K, and as a visual artist, she's been exhibited all ...
Oct 21, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 557
On today's episode, I talk to Dave Kuzy and John Roman of the prolific Pittsburgh band Microwaves. Growing up in and around Pittsburgh, Dave and John formed Microwaves with Zombi's Steve Moore, after John left the brilliant noise rock band The 1985. In the last 20-odd-years, the group has released 10 fantastic albums and EPs and undergone a number of line-up changes, though they are always grounded by John and Dave's presence. Their latest album Discomfiture Atlas invites former vocalists/bassis...
Oct 14, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 556
On today's episode, I talk to musician Tony Molina. Constantly juggling hardcore and pop projects, veteran Bay Area musician Tony Molina has won over fans in both camps. Since 2002, Tony has played in several bands including Dystrophy, Ovens, Lifetime Problems, Caged Animal, Violent Change, as well as his own solo work which lives somewhere between early Weezer and Guided by Voices. These albums have been released on labels like Matador and Slumberland, and his most recent In the Fade came out i...
Oct 07, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 555
On today's episode, I talk to musician Katy Davidson AKA Dear Nora. Originally from Arizona, Katy has been making music for decades now under the name Dear Nora, starting with the Make You Smile 7" in 2000 on Magic Marker Records. They took a long break from the moniker after 2008's Three States, but picked it up again with 2018's Skulls Example which is one of the best albums Katy's ever recorded. Their new album, Human Features, will be released on Orindal Records at the end of October, and it...
Sep 30, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 554
On today's episode, I talk to Eisner Award-nominated comics writer Kieron Gillen. Originally from Stafford in the West Midlands of England, Kieron began his writing career as a games journalist, writing for publications like PC Gamer UK, Wired, The Guardian among others. HIs early comics work included a comic strip with Jamie McKelvie, which started their long and celebrated working partnership that led to incredible comics like Phonogram, Young Avengers and The Wicked + The Divine. While Kieron...
Sep 23, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 553
On today's episode, I talk to musician Laura Veirs. Originally from Colorado Springs, Laura first thought she was going to follow her family into the sciences. However, an artistic life called to her, and in 1999, she released her first, self-titled album. Since then, she has released almost a dozen more albums, become an international success, and recorded with Neko Case and K.D. Lang as case/lang/veirs. Her latest album Found Light was just released this summer on Raven Marching Band! This is ...
Sep 16, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 552
On today's episode, I talk to musician Emilie Rex and musician/filmmaker Rick Alverson AKA Lean Year. As a musical duo, Emilie and Rick have been making music together for a number of years, and their first self-titled album was released in 2017 to acclaim from publications like Pitchfork and NPR Music. In addition to their musical work, Rick is also a lauded indie film director, whose movies include The Comedy starring Tim Heidecker and The Mountain starring Jeff Goldblum. Lean Year's latest al...
Sep 09, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 551
On today's episode, I talk to author Lincoln Michel. Originally from Virginia, Lincoln's fiction has appeared in The Paris Review, Pushcart Prize anthology and his essays and criticism have appeared in The New York Times, The Believer, The Guardian and many other places. His debut story collection, Upright Beasts, was published by Coffee House Press in 2015, and his debut novel, The Body Scout, was published by Orbit just last year! This is the website for Beginnings , subscribe on Apple Podcast...
Sep 02, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 550
On today's episode, I talk to musician Attia Taylor. Originally from Philadelphia, Attia is a writer and musician based in New York City. She is the founder of Womanly Magazine, a publication dedicated to providing accessible health information to women and non-binary people through visual and literary art. She is also half of the psych-pop band Strange Parts, and has been writing and releasing music under her own name since 2009. Her first full album, Space Ghost, was just released this summer ...
Aug 26, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 549
On today's episode, I talk to musician Karl Blau. Originally from Samish Island, WA, Karl grew up in a family of amatuer musicians and at first thought he was going to be a fine artist. But by the end of high school, Karl was all in on music, and his band Captain Fathom began playing in Anacortes. It was there he met Beat Happening's Bret Lunsford and a pre-Microphones/Mount Eerie Phil Elvrum and they formed the band D+. Being part of the Anacortes music scene eventually led Karl to joining Laur...
Aug 19, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 548
On today's episode, I talk to musician Tim McIlrath of Rise Against. Originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, Tim grew up about an hour outside Chicago in the suburbs where he started playing in punk bands. In 1999, Joe Principe and Dan Wieklinski formed Rise Against out of the break-up of their former band 88 Fingers Louie, and invited Tim to join. Though the early days were tumultuous, they persevered and released the Transistor Revolt EP a year later. And since those early days, the band has ri...
Aug 12, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 547
On today's episode, I talk to musician Kevin Barnes of Of Montreal. Originally from Ohio, Kevin eventually ended up in Athens, GA where he became part of the Elephant 6 collective, a group that included Apples in Stereo, Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control and many others. Kevin's music has transformed over time, as his own aesthetic beliefs have changed. Starting off as a Kinks/Paul McCartney-esque surreal indie pop group with albums on Bar/None and Kindercore, morphing from there into el...
Aug 05, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 546
On today's episode, I talk to musician John Ringhofer AKA Half-handed Cloud. Based now in Helsinki, Finland, Half-handed Cloud started as a home-recording project in Chattanooga, TN in 1999. Since then, John has released almost two dozen albums and EPs, many of them on Asthmatic Kitty and Sounds Familyre. He's also been a member of Sufjan Stevens' touring band, and his latest album Flutterama is out now! This is the website for Beginnings , subscribe on Apple Podcasts , follow me on Twitter ....
Jul 29, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 545
On today's episode, I talk to actor Britt Lower. Originally from Heyworth, Illinois, Britt's first big role was on the short-lived 2010 Comedy Central show Big Lake. This launched her into the world of being a working actor, which included a regular role on Man Seeking Woman, as well as recurring roles on shows like Casual, Ghosted, and High Maintenance. Currently, Britt stars in the Emmy-nominated Apple TV+ series Severance, which is easily one of the best things on TV! This is the website for ...
Jul 22, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 544
On today's episode, I talk to Eisner and Harvey Award-winning comics creator Mike "Spike" Allred. Originally from Oregon, Mike began his career in comics while working as a journalist. He created his well-known character Madman in the early '90s, and since then has drawn on books like Sandman, Fables, Silver Surfer and numerous others. He co-created two wonderful series: iZombie and X-Statix, and is currently drawing Superman: Space Age and a new X-Statix series. This is the website for Beginnin...
Jul 15, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 543
On today's episode, I talk to TV writer Casper Kelly. Originally from Burlington, North Carolina, Casper started working at Adult Swim in the early 2000s, writing for shows like Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and Squidbillies, as well as non-Adult Swim shows like Archer. He's co-created two series, Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell and Stroker and Hoop, as well as the incredible Adult Swim infomercial Too Many Cooks. In addition to his TV work, Casper is a wonderful sho...
Jul 08, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 542
On today's episode, I talk to musician Victoria Park AKA Pictoria Vark. Originally from Cresskill, NJ, Victoria started playing in bands in high school and then college, eventually becoming the touring bassist for indie rock bands like Squirrel Flower and Pinkshift. A few months ago, her first album The Parts I Dread was released on Get Better Records, and it's great! This is the website for Beginnings , subscribe on Apple Podcasts , follow me on Twitter ....
Jul 01, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 541
On today's episode, I talk to artist Steve Keene. Originally from the DC metro area, Steve wanted to be an artist from an early age, taking off on a path that eventually led him to Yale art school. But it wasn't until his early 30s that he realized what he actually wanted to do as an artist, and since then Steve has become the most prolific American painter of all time, producing more than 300,000 hand-painted works via his studio/chainlink fence cage where he paints more than 50 paintings at a ...
Jun 24, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 540
On today's episode, I talk to musician Kasie Shahbaz AKA Kisskadee. Originally from San Diego, Kasie first started playing music under the name Coyote Run. As Kisskadee though, her first release was just last year, a short EP entitled Ambient Music For Bedrooms. And her first full album Black Hole Era just came out in May on Anxiety Blanket Records, and it's great! This is the website for Beginnings , subscribe on Apple Podcasts , follow me on Twitter ....
Jun 17, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 539
On today's episode, I talk to musician Joe Rainey. Originally from South Minneapolis, Joe is A member of the Red Lake Nation of Ojibwe people and began attending and singing at pow wows from an early age, as well as becoming a pow wow singing archivist. Eventually ending up in Wisconsin, Joe began guesting with different musicians, working with people like Alan Sparhawk of Low, Bon Iver, Chance the Rapper, among many others. This eventually led to his debut album Niineta, which he composed with ...
Jun 10, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 538
On today's episode, I talk to musician Shaun Fleming. Originally from Agoura Hills, CA, Shaun started out their creative life as a child voice actor on shows like Fillmore!, Kim Possible and Lilo & Stitch. As a musician though, they first started playing professionally as the touring drummer for the indie rock band Foxygen. Soon after, Shaun formed Diane Coffee as an outlet for their own music, and since then have recorded five albums and EPs, the latest of which, With People, was just relea...
Jun 03, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 537
On today's episode, I talk to comics writer Ryan North. Originally from Osgoode, Ontario, Ryan was on a path to a career in computational linguistics before a small webcomic he started, Dinosaur Comics, launched him in a somewhat different direction. Since then, he's become a New York Times-bestselling and Eisner Award-winning writer whose work includes the non-fiction book How To Invent Everything, the semi-fictional graphic novel adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, and the so-fa...
May 27, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 536
