The Quarantine Tapes 250: Maurice Harris
I often say that why I love working with fresh flowers is because they are not forever, and to enjoy their full potential and their full beauty, you have to be present.
Apr 13, 2022•35 min
The Quarantine Tapes
“All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.“ - Blaise Pascal.
The Quarantine Tapes: A week-day program from Onassis LA and dublab. Hosted by Paul Holdengräber, the series chronicles shifting paradigms in the age of social distancing. Each day, Paul calls a guest for a brief discussion about how they are experiencing the global pandemic.
Last refreshed: ⓘ
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more
Episodes
The Quarantine Tapes 249: EJ Hill
On this very special live episode of The Quarantine Tapes, Paul Holdengräber speaks with artist EJ Hill. This episode is part of a partnership with OXY ARTS. EJ and Paul are in conversation about EJ’s latest exhibition, Wherever we will to root, on view through April 22nd at OXY ARTS. This episode was recorded live on March 3rd, 2022. EJ and Paul have an incredible, deeply reflective conversation about EJ’s art practice. They discuss his reluctance to speak about his work, how his demanding perf...
Apr 06, 2022•59 min
The Quarantine Tapes 243: Jason Moran
“The music that [my teachers] would make would always amplify the struggle, but it would also amplify the joy. My teachers did not shy away from these kinds of tough conversations and they laid it into their music. I’ve only been taught by musicians who did that.”
Mar 16, 2022•43 min
The Quarantine Tapes 239: Jason Pierce
“Suddenly, I couldn’t hear my work. I couldn’t hear all the tiny moves I made or the tiny pushes or reductions in volume. It suddenly became something else.”
Mar 02, 2022•40 min
The Quarantine Tapes 237: Jonathan Hepfer and Sunita Puri
“I’ve realized recently that unexpected tears are maybe the highest response that I can hope to elicit from an audience member, because it means that it doesn’t come in a predictable way, it comes in a way that kind of levels you from a side you perhaps haven’t touched in a while or didn’t even know you had.”
Feb 23, 2022•44 min
The Quarantine Tapes 233: Simon Critchley, Andrew Zuckerman, Spencer Bailey
"There’s a kind of archaic quality to us, for as much as we might think that we’re these brights new things with these new toys and off we go into the future to sort things out, no. We’re riveted to a past that we do not really even begin to understand."
Jan 31, 2022•1 hr 18 min
The Quarantine Tapes 231: Ann Magnuson
“How can you be nostalgic when you know too much about the world? It’s not moral, really, to be nostalgic for a time when so many people were not given certain privileges and certain comforts.”
Jan 26, 2022•35 min
The Quarantine Tapes 228: Suzanne Ciani
“When I went to New York, I did feel that there might be something wrong with me, that I was in love with a machine.”
Jan 12, 2022•40 min
The Quarantine Tapes 222: Michelle Lhooq
"Gonzo reporting is really interesting because it’s allowing you to tell stories that are kind of outside of the mainstream, that fall into the cracks. That are maybe undocumented or under-documented, misunderstood, stories about the freaks and the margins and liminality, which ends up actually not being liminal at all but often the first places where important ideas and discussions hit before they kind of enter the mainstream."
Dec 01, 2021•38 min
The Quarantine Tapes 219: D.A Powell
“Bad writing can often make us think that the words themselves are the problem, and it’s not. I think that any word, if used at the right time and in the right context, can create a moment of intense illumination.”
Nov 15, 2021•44 min
The Quarantine Tapes 218: Catherine Lacey
“I was giving a talk digitally to MFA students and at the end of it one of them asked, “How do you… How can you write…How is it possible even to write fiction now?”
Nov 12, 2021•24 min
The Quarantine Tapes 215: Oliver Stone
On episode 215 of The Quarantine Tapes, guest host Lena Herzog is joined by Oliver Stone. In this special episode, Lena and Oliver talk about Oliver’s experience of the return to the movies at Cannes Film Festival, where Oliver showed his newest documentary, JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass. Lena and Oliver go on to discuss Oliver’s incredible book, Chasing the Light, published last year in July 2020. They dig deep into Oliver’s personal history, from his first job to his experiences in ...
Nov 02, 2021•59 min
The Quarantine Tapes 213: Maria Popova
On episode 213 of The Quarantine Tapes, guest host Jacqueline Novogratz is joined by Maria Popova. A writer and the creator of The Marginalian, formerly Brain Pickings, Maria talks with Jacqueline about her perspective on this moment and how we move through the world in both ordinary and extraordinary times. Maria and Jacqueline spend this special episode digging into poetry, the importance of beauty, the meaning of hope, and much more. Maria tells Jacqueline about her childhood memories growing...
Oct 26, 2021•46 min
The Quarantine Tapes 212: Hari Kunzru
On episode 212 of The Quarantine Tapes, Paul Holdengräber is joined by writer Hari Kunzru. Hari’s most recent novel is the fascinating Red Pill. Paul and Hari dig deep into the inspirations for this novel, talking philosophy, Hari’s time in Germany, and much more in their thoughtful and engaging conversation. Hari unpacks the striking cover of Red Pill and talks to Paul about the themes of identity and the self that permeate the novel. Paul and Hari discuss how Hari had to try to hold back his f...
Oct 25, 2021•37 min
The Quarantine Tapes 210: Derecka Purnell
On episode 210 of The Quarantine Tapes, guest host Alex Vitale is joined by the brilliant Derecka Purnell. Derecka is the author of the newly-released Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom. Derecka and Alex have an incredible conversation about abolition and organizing. Derecka talks about her own background and how she came to the abolition movement. She celebrates the many incredible campaigns working for abolition and justice in her hometown of St. Louis. Dereck...
Oct 20, 2021•31 min
The Quarantine Tapes 209: Forrest Gander
On episode 209 of The Quarantine Tapes, Paul Holdengräber is joined by Forrest Gander. A poet with an incredible body of work, Forrest talks with Paul about grief, translation, and the challenge and importance of being able to share joy in times of suffering. Paul and Forrest have a beautiful discussion on poetry, the environment, and much more, touching on the work of Barry Lopez, Jack Gilbert, and Bertolt Brecht. Forrest reads poems from his recent books, Be With and Twice Alive and explains h...
Oct 18, 2021•34 min
The Quarantine Tapes 207: Chris Hedges
On episode 207 of The Quarantine Tapes, guest host Lena Herzog is joined by journalist Chris Hedges. Author of War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning and America: The Farewell Tour, Chris joins Lena to discuss the pandemic and the other challenges of this moment in history. Chris and Lena break down the ultimatum given to us by the pandemic. They dig deep into the history of war, the current state of the media, and the threats facing us from a collapsing environment. Their conversation is steeped ...
Oct 13, 2021•38 min
The Quarantine Tapes 206: Melvin Gibbs
Paul Holdengräber is joined by the brilliant Melvin Gibbs on this episode of The Quarantine Tapes.
Oct 11, 2021•49 min
The Quarantine Tapes 205: Lisa Fancher
Paul Holdengräber is joined by Lisa Fancher on episode 205 of The Quarantine Tapes
Oct 08, 2021•28 min
The Quarantine Tapes 203: Tim Brown
On episode 203 of The Quarantine Tapes, guest host Jacqueline Novogratz is joined by Tim Brown. Tim is the chair of the design company IDEO.
Oct 05, 2021•52 min
The Quarantine Tapes 202: Nato Thompson
On episode 202 of The Quarantine Tapes, Paul Holdengräber is joined by Nato Thompson. Nato’s most recent project is The Alternative Art School , an online arts program launched in 2020. Paul and Nato talk in depth about Nato’s history in the art world and this thrilling new endeavor. Nato explains what excites him about the possibilities this online-only school creates and discusses their mission to approach art as a life project. They discuss some of the artists Nato has worked with, from Trevo...
Oct 04, 2021•32 min
The Quarantine Tapes 201: Victoria Chang
Paul Holdengräber is joined by Victoria Chang on episode 201 of The Quarantine Tapes.
Oct 01, 2021•29 min
The Quarantine Tapes 199: Rebecca Mead
“Normally my life as a reporter involves a lot of getting on planes, getting on trains, talking to people, going to see things, going to watch people do things in different places, and none of that was possible. There was a necessity to find new ways of reporting and writing and finding something to say.”
Jul 08, 2021•31 min
The Quarantine Tapes 198: Sasha Frere-Jones
“Now that I’m at this new zero--not a new normal, but new zero--what am I going to do from here? Am I really going to tour the country for a net total of $600 every two months? I don’t think I’m going to do that, and I am going to look at different ways to put my art together and to work on it and not feel like I’m completely on the knife’s edge because we’ve been living on the knife’s edge for the last fourteen months.”
Jun 30, 2021•31 min
The Quarantine Tapes 197: Amanda Alexander
“I think about justice in terms of how can we make it possible for people we’ve lost to gun violence and other types of violence to be among their loved ones today?”
Jun 29, 2021•28 min
The Quarantine Tapes 196: Arman Naféei
“The idea of Are We On Air?...being the Director of Ambience at the Chateau, I meet all these wonderful and great creative minds from all different fields and generations. Being fortunate enough to have the access, to have meaningful conversations with these people...why not record these conversations and share that access and that knowledge with a wider audience?
Jun 23, 2021•29 min
The Quarantine Tapes 195: Ron Hanson
“We trust the reader. I really feel like we try to meet the reader on an equal footing. We’re exploring the world, we’re exploring material that we’ve only just become familiar with ourselves. And through that adventure, we’re hoping for adventurous readers to join us.”
Jun 16, 2021•32 min
The Quarantine Tapes 194: Max Levine
Paul Holdengräber is joined by Max Levine on episode 194 of The Quarantine Tapes. Max is the co-founder of Nico, the Neighborhood Investment Company in Los Angeles. Paul and Max talk about the work that Nico does to change the dynamics of property ownership and local investment within neighborhoods. They discuss Nico’s model of investment and how it differs from traditional investment models. Max emphasizes the relationship to the community in Nico’s work and their desire for the people in a nei...
Jun 09, 2021•28 min
The Quarantine Tapes 193: Wallace Shawn
On episode 193 of The Quarantine Tapes, Paul Holdengräber is joined by Wallace Shawn. They talk about socialism, podcasting, and much more in their fascinating and wide-reaching conversation. They discuss Wallace’s essay, “Why I Call Myself a Socialist,” from his book, Essays. Wallace tells Paul about his upcoming endeavors into podcasting and they discuss the joys of podcasts and the human voice. Wallace shares from some of his recent projects, including a streaming production of Waiting for Go...
Jun 03, 2021•42 min
The Quarantine Tapes 192: Kevin Young
“History is meant to combat silence, but I think being a poet, you sometimes need to work with silence. You sometimes need to represent it.”
May 27, 2021•30 min
Hosted on Spotify for Creators (Anchor)
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android