When a virtuoso violinist realizes he has yet to develop his own artistic voice, nor any idea of how to accomplish that task, he is face with a choice: continue a lonely descent into angst, or learn to say “yes”. Here’s the story of how he chose the latter and developed a powerful friendship in the process. You can find Vijay’s album “When the Violin” here . You can find out more about “Street Symphony” here . You can find Steve Lopez’s book “The Soloist” here ....
May 30, 2022•37 min
In this episode Branan and Anson discuss: An evil & drugged cat, The STAR TREK: SNW premiere, SEVERANCE, TOP GUN 2, PAM & TOMMY, Robert Egger’s THE NORTHMAN, Cixin Liu’s The Poetry Cloud (can be read here) And Euphemisms That Get on My You-Know-Whats by Adam Sharp. Cat illustration by Louis Wain...
May 16, 2022•42 min
When actor Kenneth Mitchell was given a life altering medical diagnosis, it forced him to change his relationship to the concept of time itself. Join us for our first LIVE episode recording. Additional music provided by Kevin McLeod under a Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution license .
Apr 25, 2022•42 min
Tom McElroy has found the road less traveled to be full of unexpected turns, from the absurdities of reality TV to the perils of traveling in remote wildernesses. Along this sometimes tangled path one thing remains clear, we were not meant to go it alone. And if you haven’t checked it out yet, our Island Survival Exit Interview is now on YouTube where Anson Mount interviews Branan Edgens about his time in St. Croix learning primitive survival skills from Tom McElory of wildsurvivalskills.com. ht...
Apr 11, 2022•49 min
Who amongst us has not dreamed of a simpler life more connected to nature, of escaping the rat race and living a singular existence full of adventure? It’s easier dreamed than done but primitive survival expert Tom McElroy of wildsurvivalskills.com sat down with us to tell us how he did it and share the unexpected twists and turns of his adventure thus far.
Mar 29, 2022•43 min
This episode finds Branan tired and new father Anson unexpectedly well-rested. Discussed in this episode: SEVERANCE, GIRLS Vs. GANGSTERS AND MIKE TYSON (!), Joel Coen’s THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH as reviewed by Ethan Coen, Octavia Butler’s WILD SEED, THE SPARROW by Mary Doria Russell, A delinquent dancing cactus, wisdom from Sterling Hayden, Anson’s worst moment as an actor, and a giant and expensive rebar chicken, and more!...
Mar 21, 2022•36 min
In this episode we discuss impending Fatherhood! Plus Bo Burnham’s INSIDE, Burt Reynolds’ HEAT , Branan’s experience Cabin living , camping with the gang, John Fahey , Mr. Rogers discusses silence, Never Ending Story , Fellini’s Toby Dammit excerpt from SPIRITS OF THE DEAD, Vivaldi’s Stabat Mater in F minor, RV 621: VI Eja Mater, fons amoris and how is it compares to BB King and Shakespeare, MIDNIGHT MASS (Netflix), Mark Twain, I am One of You Forever by Fred chapel, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelh...
Jan 15, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Another installment of the segment in which we share all the things we’ve been watching, reading and hearing. AND… The amazing story of how Uncle Philip became a guitar!!! You won’t wanna miss this one. This episode is dedicated in loving memory to Kao Ly Ilene Her.
Oct 11, 2021•50 min
Early in the pandemic, the medical community struggled with ways to help people avoid getting sick through physical contact, particularly when it came to our strange habit of constantly touching our faces. That’s when Astrophysicist Daniel Reardon got an idea. What follows is the strange and funny tale of a highly intelligent man falling down the rabbit hole of stupidity and then using his story to make people smile during a very dark time. Extra music for this episode provided by Krestovsky und...
Aug 21, 2021•29 min
Anson and Branan chat with Tzi about his time on “Hell on Wheels”, his incredible career trajectory, his ongoing fight against anti-AAPI hate, and that time he was busted for selling powdered sugar at Andy Warhol’s house. For more information about the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund you can visit their website here . Additional music provided by Bored With Four under a Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 3.0 International license . Their track “Kung Fu”...
Jun 09, 2021•47 min
Anson and Branan decide to turn the microphone over to friends and family who have been affected by the rise of anti AAPI violence and hatred in the country.
May 16, 2021•54 min
Anson & Branan take time between seasons to discuss all the things they’ve been reading, hearing and seeing. In Episode number 9 of THE DROP we discuss: QUEEN’S GAMBIT and Anya Taylor-Joy’s eyeballs , Bryan Fogel’s THE DISSIDENT, Netflix’ series of lockdown shorts, HOMEMADE , Darius Marder’s SOUND OF METAL , HBO’s The Lady and the Dale , The educational streaming platform Curiosity Stream , The Afrofuturism collection on the Criterion channel featuring John’s Coney’s whacked-out Space is the...
Mar 21, 2021•57 min
Discussed in this Drop: PEN15 (hulu), THE SOCIAL DELIMA (Netflix), the looming danger of deep fakes, HUMAN NATURE (Netflix), LOVE ON THE SPECTRUM (Netflix), THE DEMON IN THE MACHINE (book), TO HOLD UP THE SKY (book), HARPER’S magazine essay “MAKING MEANING”, BECOMING YOU (Apple TV), WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS (Netflix), The spiritual rootedness of LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO (music) versus the spiritual distance of GEORGIAN FUNERAL CHANTS (music), NORMAL PEOPLE (Hulu), THE SECRET MUSEUM OF MANKIND series ...
Dec 07, 2020•47 min
Join us for part 2 of our conversation with the Martini Samurai Leon Ingulsrud. Topics include: consciousness, learning to “be” through art, how unmarked time slips away into the future, and the eternal question of “Where’s Waldo?”
Nov 13, 2020•43 min
Back in March, when Anson & Branan founds themselves sheltering with their wives, friends, 6 chickens and 3 dogs, they decided they were missing a very important thing: a new drink recipe. So they phoned up the Martini Samurai himself Leon Ingulsrud of “Hell on Wheels” to help them out with their predicament.
Nov 02, 2020•46 min
When she found out that her twenty-three year old son Amadou had been shot to death by four plain-clothes NYPD officers (in what they claimed was a case of mistaken identity), Kadiatou immediately boarded a flight for New York City. When she arrived, she suddenly found herself the centerpiece of a political and cultural maelstrom which she had not asked for. Further incensed that the media had dismissed her son as “an unarmed, West African street vendor”, Kadiatou decided to write the memoir “My...
Oct 08, 2020•50 min
Branan & Anson bring you more fun stuff to discover and experience during the lockdown… Can we even call it a “lockdown” anymore? Whatever. You’re bored and we know it. You can find the trailer for TENET here . You can find the trailer for “Mind Game” here . You can find the trailer fro “The Vow” here . You can find “The Monster of Florence” by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi here . You can find the trailer for “My Octopus Teacher” here . You can find the trailer for PEN15 here . You can fin...
Sep 28, 2020•49 min
Major David Hughes serves as Chief of Professional Standards at the Newport News Sheriff’s Office in Virginia. After nearly falling victim to his own local police culture, and then spending years considering its systemic issues, Major Hughes simply was not willing to keep silent after the killing of George Floyd. He sat down and penned a stunning op-ed for the New York Times entitled, “I’m a Black Police Officer. Here’s How to Change the System.” After we read it, we knew we had to speak to him....
Aug 03, 2020•49 min
LeVar Burton is an actor, producer, director, writer, podcaster, and education advocate. In this segment of WHATRYADOIN’, LeVar shares with us his thoughts on representation in fiction, his memories of his friend and fellow advocate Fred Rogers, and why the Holodeck will one day be realized. For more information about LeVar and everything he’s doing, check out his website here . Links to all the authors LeVar mentions in this segment: Octavia Butler Samuel R. Delaney Nnedi Okorafor – Her Binti S...
Jul 14, 2020•52 min
In the wake of murder of George Floyd, and the national outcry that has followed, Branan and Anson discuss the importance of listening and taking accountability. Yes, this is two white guys trying, very clumsily, to talk about racial justice in our nation. We ask for your patience because this is, embarrassingly, a little new for us. The documentary about James Baldwin entitled “I Am Not Your Negro” is currently streaming on Netflix and Youtube. Here is the official trailer . You can stream the ...
Jul 01, 2020•1 hr
American author and journalist Jack Hitt returns for part 2 to speculate upon a post-corona world. Topics include how what we hoard says about us, how nature is enjoying a quiet respite from us noisy humans, what is an essential worker, the end of cruising and the return of outdoor theater.
May 08, 2020•43 min
Jack Hitt is an American author. He is a contributing editor to Harper’s , The New York Times Magazine , and This American Life . In this episode Jack sits down with Anson and Branan to look into their crystal balls and speculate upon what a post-corona world may look like, Jack suggests a John Prine song as our new national anthem and Branan is attacked by an animal on air! Mentioned in this episode: – A tale of a theatrical production gone horribly wrong, FIASCO!: https://www.thisamericanlife....
Apr 30, 2020•40 min
David Waddell is CEO and Chief Investment Strategist for Waddell & Associates. He also plays a mean guitar and has a knack for distilling the complex maze that is our national economy down to an easily digestible form. Which is a good thing given that Anson was a theater major and Branan studied “Fine Arts”. Dave also explains what he learned about the Chinese economy while spending a year living in Hong Kong, and how robots are now controlling a surprising amount of trade. Yes. Robots....
Apr 23, 2020•43 min
Jonathan Meiburg (from TWP004 and TWP005) returns as our first ever return guest. We check in with Jonathan who is staying very productive under lockdown producing two albums for his two bands SHEARWATER and LOMA while editing his first book about the evolution of his favorite South American raptor – the striated caracara . Among other topics discussed: The unsung role of the Antarctic in evolution, working with a legend in modern music, the comfort and nostalgia of a ring tone, and what Texas p...
Apr 18, 2020•1 hr
Actor Ryan Robbins tells us what it’s like to battle COVID-19 and why we need to take this seriously.
Apr 13, 2020•28 min
We’ve all probably heard one or two good country music stories. Well, Brad Paisley is about to raise the bar. For more information on Brad’s music, charities and everything else, check out his website . For more information on Lou Barlow’s music and adventures, make sure to check out his highly entertaining website .
Apr 09, 2020•26 min
In our new segment, we’re calling folks to see what they’re doing to stay creative during the coronavirus lockdown. Brad Paisley kicks us off by telling us about how his charitable, free grocery THE STORE was open only two days when the virus took hold in the US. Now he’s figuring out how to get the food TO the people who need it. You can find out more about Brad’s music and charitable work at his website .
Apr 04, 2020•29 min
Anson and Branan come to you straight from Anson’s Connecticut property where they are literally quarantined from one another. Join us for a deep dive into the history of pandemics and the mystery of viruses. You can find out more about Carl Zimmer and his book “A Planet of Viruses” here . You can see the preview for the film “The One I Love” (2014) here . It is available on Netflix, iTunes, Amazon and many other platforms. Addition music for this episode provided by Greivous Angels under a Crea...
Mar 31, 2020•44 min
Branan opens class in the School of Hardcore with the help of author Michael Azerrad, and Anson shares his adventures in Vietnam. You can find Michael Azerrad’s book “Our Band Could Be Your Life” here . You can find Emily St. John Mandel’s “Station Eleven” here ....
Jan 30, 2020•54 min
Anson shares stories from his trip to Portugal. Branan and Anson share what’s making them excited in the worlds of film, TV, books and podcasts. Anson pours some port and Branan tells the amazing story of “The Port Loophole”. NOTE: Listen and find out how you can become a co-producer of an upcoming episode (which involves helping him to not die on a deserted island).
Dec 12, 2019•59 min
