Every year, there is this thing that goes on in the online film-critic community known as the Muriel Awards. (This year's winners are being announced over here.) One of the guys who started this loose and wacky alternative to the Oscars (which I've been a voting member of for several years) is Paui Clark, aka today's Crizzlecast guest. Of course, we discuss how the Muriels came to be, but we also discuss Clark's love of movies and his unorthodox method of rating them. We also delve into how life...
Feb 19, 2013•1 hr 4 min
Oh yes -- it's another Crizzlecast where I talk to one of my old spoken-word colleagues from H-Town. Today, I talk to Marie Brown, perhaps one of the most dramatic spoken-word artists I know. We discuss our history as H-Town poets, as well as the poetry scene in Houston, of course. We also get into how Marie found the inspirations for her most powerful poems. She also discusses how one poem I used to do reminds her of this heifer that she works for. Check it!
Feb 15, 2013•1 hr 25 min
Since Valentine's Day is coming up, I thought it would be nice if I talked to a couple of lovebirds for a pre-VD show. I found the perfect couple. On today's Crizzlecast, I talk to Amber Nimocks (one of my former editors at the N & O) and her husband, Josh Shaffer (a star columnist over at the N & O). We talk about what has made their marriage persevere for so damn long. We also bring up their careers in journalism, and the head-butting me and Amber used to get into back when we worked t...
Feb 12, 2013•1 hr 13 min
William Holden, Tommy Lee Jones, Gerard Butler, Sir Ben Kingsley, Al Pacino -- what do these men all have in common (apart from being movie stars, of course)? They were all interviewed by today's guest on the Crizzlecast, Lewis Beale. Over a few drinks, I talk to the veteran entertainment journalist about all the good and bad experiences he's had chopping it up with celebrities. We also talk about how he still continues to talk to the stars, as well as persevere as a freelance journalist, while ...
Feb 08, 2013•1 hr 19 min
So, this happened. Somehow, someway, I got film and TV actress (and object of many men's desires) Adrienne Barbeau to be a guest on the Crizzlecast. (Yeah, it baffles me too.) We go through all the bullet points of her career: her time as a Broadway stage actress, her time on the sitcom Maude, her period where she was married to John Carpenter and she was his on-screen muse. We also talk about her life as a mom and her new career as a novelist. And, for those of you who follow me on Twitter, yes...
Feb 05, 2013•1 hr 5 min
Today, Kenji Week on Muhf***as I Know comes to a close with this convo I had with film writer Kenji Fujishima. An avid arts and culture junkie, I talk to him about Lena Dunham (which seems to be a constant topic on this podcast), his days growing up in New Jersey, his job at the Wall Street Journal and his new gig as editor-in-chief for In Review Online. We also seem to bond over two things only film nerds can bond over: Werner Herzog and the movie Spaceballs. Don't ask me how we got to that poi...
Feb 01, 2013•1 hr 8 min
It's Kenji Week here at Muhf***as I Know, where basically I talk to muhf***as I know named Kenji. The first Kenji up is Kenji Jasper, an accomplished author whose books I've sadly have not read. We talk about how that's a common thing, as well as the current state of book publishing. We also talk about his days writing for Vibe, getting to be the first guy to put groups like OutKast on the map. He also mentions that he's thinking about getting in brunch-making business. Didn't know that was a bu...
Jan 29, 2013•1 hr 3 min
Here's another lovely Crizzlecast that actually left me floating on a cloud. I go back to my Houston hometown to talk to an old friend, Jeffrey Thames, better known as "the king of grief." A pop music connoisseur, he hosts the Sound Awake program over at KPFT. Of course, we talk about music -- specifically pop music, the Beach Boys, his old days playing in a stage band, his love of karaoke and the spots in H-Town where he bought records in his younger days. Believe it or not, I also try to convi...
Jan 25, 2013•1 hr 19 min
For today's Crizzlecast, I went to a friend's house to talk to the guests for this particular episode, Indy Week staff writers Vernal Coleman and Will Huntsberry. As we all gathered around a table, drinking Maxwell House vanilla caramel international coffee with some Evan Williams bourbon in it, we pretty much lost our gotdamn minds. Just here are some of things we discussed: journalism, women, raccoons, smoking crack, cross-dressing, the meaning of the term "caking," Keith Carradine, Dallas, Ne...
Jan 22, 2013•2 hr
I'll admit this Crizzlecast isn't one of the better-recorded ones I've done. First off, I did it at the Dunkin' Donuts next to the strip club again. Secondly, there were some loud-ass old people who apparently wanted to make it known this is THEIR Dunkin' Donuts and felt the need to talk as loud as they possibly could. (Unfortunately, I wasn't drunk, so I didn't tell them to shut their asses up!) Nevertheless, I managed to have a nice convo with Corbie Hill, contributing writer to the Independen...
Jan 18, 2013•1 hr 24 min
This week on the Crizzlecast, I'll be talking to two journalists who have covered the music scene, but are also accomplished musicians in their own right. First up is Tony Green, a veteran music writer whose work I mostly got acquainted with in the pages of Vibe back in the day. We talk about his history as a music journalist, as well as his brief stint as a radio DJ and his current gig as member of the funk band JeZ Grew. We also ask the Sunshine State-based Green what the hell is up with Flori...
Jan 15, 2013•1 hr 17 min
As crazy as this sounds, I have fans. And, sometimes, they get really excited to meet me. For today's Crizzlecast, I talk to one such person. Today's guest is Sheetal Maheshwary, a bubbly lady who's been a fan of mine since my days reviewing movies for the News & Observer. Before you think this is me hollering at this poor woman because I needed some ego-stroking, we talk about things other than her apparent, undying love and devotion for me. We discuss Bollywood movies, her intense love of ...
Jan 11, 2013•1 hr 25 min
Yes, friends, a familiar favorite returns to the Crizzlecast. Today's episode has me going back-and-forth once again with former high-school chum Kayla Marie Williams. Some of you may remember the last Crizzlecast she did, which was also one of the more popular convos I've done. We were supposed to start riffing about the highs and lows of 2012, but we started talking about her radio show, Radio Alchemy. From then on, we went into the holidays, documentaries about hookers, the differences betwee...
Jan 08, 2013•1 hr 24 min
For today's Crizzlecast, I hang out outside the patio of a bar (you'll find I do that a lot for this podcast) and spend an hour or so discussing music with today's guest, James "DJ Pangean" Leake. A local DJ here in Raleigh, Leake has been spinning house grooves and other music around North Carolina for years. In this episode, we basically geek each other out as we discuss our individual histories with house music. We also hit on why the DJ scene in the Triangle is so on the hush-hush. I believe...
Jan 04, 2013•1 hr 8 min
Happy new year, kids! 2013 is officially here, which only means one thing: I gotta talk to some previous Crizzlecast guests about what the hell was up with 2012. This week, I'll be conversing with a couple of my favorite muhf***as about their favorite (and not-so-favorite) things about the past year. Today, I holla at my always-entertaining buddy (and JusFlippin.com editor) Bari Kindle, as we discuss rap music, Katt Williams, Frank Ocean, Django Unchained, Taylor Swift and that Beverly Hills Cop...
Jan 01, 2013•1 hr 8 min
The first time I tried to interview New York-based film critic Vadim Rizov for the Crizzlecast, it was the night before Hurricane Sandy hit. Like a dumbass, I thought it wouldn't be a big deal and I could talk to him amidst all the madness that was going on. Ten minutes into the interview, his phone crapped out. So much for that. However, I got him on the line a few weeks later, and we managed to pick up right where we left off. I talked to him about what was it like being in the middle of that ...
Dec 28, 2012•1 hr 17 min
As Gumby once said, Merry Christmas, dammit! I hope you and yours are having a wonderful Christmas. Don't ask me what I'm doing, because it might make you very sad. But I digress. I said I would have a very special treat to give you on this blessed of days, and here it is: A DVD commentary to The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood. That's right, folks! I recorded a full-length commentary to one of the shittiest sex comedies ever made, starring a Bond Girl, Batman, Sgt. Bilko and Mel Cooley. Why? For on...
Dec 25, 2012•1 hr 35 min
I once again venture out to La La Land -- that's Los Angeles, to you and me -- to talk to somebody for the Crizzlecast. Today, the guest is West Coast cinephile Dennis Cozzalio. The man behind the beloved Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule blog, Cozzalio knows his movies. We discuss what films he has recently dug, how he goes about reviewing films on his blog and the LA moviegoing scene. We also compare our greatest -- and not-so-greatest -- moments in sneaking into theaters to see movies for...
Dec 21, 2012•1 hr 8 min
I interview a bona fide rock star on the Crizzlecast today! I make a call to the West Coast to talk to Maria Mckee, the former frontlady for the country rock band Lone Justice. It turns out she's also a big movie nerd. We talk about all of that, along with working with Quentin Tarantino, hooking up with Robbie Robertson and collaborating with her husband on their latest project, the movie After thr Triumph of Your Birth. I gotta say this one went shockingly well. So, for all you fans of her and ...
Dec 18, 2012•1 hr 1 min
A couple of Fridays ago, I interviewed friend and Houston spoken-word poet Marcell Murphy. During this time, he told me about his awesome new bride, Makeda. Well, I was so impressed with the Mrs., I asked if I could interview her for the Crizzlecast too. Well, today's the day! I talk to the fellow spoken-word poet (also known as Sassafrass Cypress Indigo) about her poetry, the spoken-word scene in H-Town, how important it is to read anything, her various websites and what she's learned while rai...
Dec 14, 2012•1 hr 12 min
There are times when I feel like talking to well-known people I know, and there are times when I feel like talking to people I know that aren't so well-known. Today's Crizzlecast guest falls in the latter category. For the hell of it, I interviewed Simone Erica Noz, a Raleigh resident who's also a server over at local, legendary hangout Sadlack's Heroes. During one noisy, occasionally interrupted dinner over at Piebird, I talked to her about her life, how she deals with drunk, obnoxious folk at ...
Dec 11, 2012•1 hr 3 min
On Tuesday, I spoke to Boston film critic Sean Burns. (Thanks tp all of you who listened, by the way.) Today, we'll be talking to an old college buddy of his, Nashville's very own Jason Shawhan. Also a fellow film critic (we both serve as contributing critics over at Nashville Scene), he and I touch on a number of film-related subjects. We discuss how me backing out of reviewing a certain film cemented his status at the Scene. We spend quite a bit of time discussing on-screen nudity (as well as ...
Dec 07, 2012•1 hr 27 min
I've known Boston film critic Sean Burns for years. Along with being a close, dear friend, he's one of my favorite film critics. I'm both a devoted pal and a diehard fan of his -- and this makes me feel weird and a little worried that I might be obsessed with the muhfucka! Sean spends the first half of this two-hour episode (yeah, you heard me!) trying to convince me it's not a big deal, since he's a fan of mine too. (Although the word is never mentioned -- we are men after all -- we both go int...
Dec 04, 2012•1 hr 58 min
Back in the day, I used to be known as quite the, shall we say, eccentric spoken-word performer in my Houston hometown. A fellow H-Town poet who I looked up to is today's guest on the Crizzlecast. Marcell Murphy has seen a lot of things in the H-Town poetry scene, and he shares them in very entertaining detail on this episode. He talks about being integral in launching the city's first poetry slam team as well as what's driving him up the wall (and there's a lot!) about the scene today. He also ...
Nov 30, 2012•1 hr 26 min
With her birthday fast approaching on Saturday, I thought it would be a good time to have my friend, Raleigh author, poet and teacher Alice Osborn, on the Crizzlecast. (She better accept this as a present!) We start off things on a surprising note, where she reveals that Star Wars was a major influence on her life. Then, we discuss what got her into writing poetry, her family upbringing, her toned arms and how good she's gotten at being a liar. We also talk about the "crush" she has on me. Oh ye...
Nov 27, 2012•1 hr 27 min
They call him "Filmbrain." And, after today's Crizzlecast, you'll know why. I venture out to Berlin (via Skype, as always) to talk to today's guest, Andrew Grant. Another well-known, online cinephile, we discuss what brought him to Germany, his brief foray into distributing independent films, his new career as a film producer and how difficult it is to get films he truly wants to see down there. We also get into his rather undying love for Anna Karina. I mean, the man has really got it bad for t...
Nov 23, 2012•1 hr 3 min
This week, I travel overseas (via Skype, that is) and talk to a couple of American-born mofos I know who decided to live abroad. For today's Crizzlecast, I head over to New Zealand to talk to Doug Dillaman, a filmmaker, editor and well-known cinephile who also did some living time over in my hometown of Houston. We discuss his early days as an aspiring film geek in H-Town, how he ended up living in New Zealand and the egos he had to deal with when editing a project. He also educates me on the De...
Nov 20, 2012•1 hr 13 min
Here we go with the second installment of my two-part Crizzlecast with Houston Press writer (and former employer) John Nova Lomax. I caught him one late, boozy Wednesday evening and we talked about several things: how Apple has screwed up listening to music, Internet trolls, his pride in the city of Houston. We also get into his quite harrowing, childhood experiences growing up in Nashville. We definitely get into some deep, dark shit for this installment. Proceed with caution.
Nov 16, 2012•53 min
This is going to be an interesting week for the Crizzlecast. Today's (and Friday's) guest is John Nova Lomax, better known to you as a member of the folk music-saving Lomax family and better known to me as my old music editor at the Houston Press. I didn't mean for this to be a two-parter, but certain hiccups happened at the end of this recording that forced us to have another convo much later. Today's episode will be known as "the light side," as we discuss his experiences being the music edito...
Nov 13, 2012•45 min
It's another one of those Crizzlecasts where I talk to someone I've never spoken to before -- and end up having one of the best times of my natural existence! I had a very fascinating time talking to Nick Schager, one of the chief critics over at Slant Magazine and quite the in-demand freelancer. I'm sure a major reason I had a good time is because we mostly kvetched about how hard it is to be a gotdamn freelancer in this day and age. We just talk about how hard it is to get gigs, how difficult ...
Nov 09, 2012•1 hr 22 min
