Episode 320 Composer and Musician Paul Cantelon
The Lydian Spin
Paul Cantelon grew up with music in his blood—his mother played trumpet in the Philadelphia Symphony, his father was a preacher. A prodigy on violin, he debuted at UCLA’s Royce Hall at 13, then studied piano across Geneva, Juilliard, and Paris. At 17, a bike accident left him in a coma and wiped out his memory; he had to relearn music from scratch. He went on to co-found the band , release solo piano albums, and score films like , The Other Boleyn Girl, and W.. He’s also written for silent film classics like Battleship Potemkin.
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Episode 319 Yowie Drummer Shawn O'Connor
The Lydian Spin
Shawn “The Defenestrator” O’Connor is a founding member and drummer of the St. Louis band . Outside of music, he works as a clinical psychologist. Shawn is also something of a luddite, aiming to be the last adult in America without a cell phone.
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Episode 318 Pamela Des Barres
The Lydian Spin
, born in California, emerged from the 1960s Los Angeles rock scene as both participant and witness. Introduced to Captain Beefheart in high school, she soon immersed herself in the vast Los Angeles demimonde, befriending and dating musicians from to . With , she co-founded the performance collective the , documenting her experiences in diaries that became the foundation of her seminal memoir . She later married —also known to television audiences for his role as the assassin on MacGyver. Pamela herself went on to publish multiple books and establish a career as an author,...
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Episode 317 Comedian Eddie Pepitone
The Lydian Spin
Comedian , dubbed “The Bitter Buddha,” blends caustic humor with existential musings, delivering performances that ricochet between volcanic rants and self-effacing confessionals. A veteran of New York’s improv scene and a familiar face on television—from to —Eddie’s work straddles the line between working-class outrage and oddly serene insight. Offstage, he channels his restless wit into podcasts, social media, and quirky web series, carving out a singular space in comedy that is equal parts fury and philosophy.
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Episode 316 Poet Shannon Sky
The Lydian Spin
Shannon Sky is a poet, author, photographer, publisher, and activist born in Chicago. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University. Shannon is an off the radar, gender queer, underground poet. She previously worked in electoral politics, successfully advocated for juvenile justice reform laws in Chicago, lobbied Congress to fund public health care, and currently consults on green environmental projects. She is the founder of Latter-day Beat Books. A world traveler, Shannon has explored all 50 states and 35...
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Episode 315 Star Route Farm's Tianna Kennedy
The Lydian Spin
is co-owner and operator of . She has lived in Tucson, the Bay Area, Nottingham, and Brooklyn. For over a decade, she has been farming in the Catskills, which now serves as her home base. Tianna is also part of the crew of , a 64-foot steel-hulled schooner retrofitted for sail freight on the Hudson River. She contributes to cargo operations and deck work as the vessel transports goods between upriver farms and downriver markets using wind and recycled vegetable oil.
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Episode 314 Producer, Composer & Musician Dougie Bowne
The Lydian Spin
is a producer, drummer, guitarist, and composer who entered New York’s avant-garde scene in his early twenties after a chance street encounter with a member of John Cale’s circle, who invited him to jam simply because he was carrying a bag of drum sticks and “looked cool”. Unfamiliar with Cale at the time, Dougie nonetheless accepted—and that serendipitous moment launched him into the heart of the Downtown scene. Since then, he has collaborated with an eclectic roster of artists, including , , , , , , as well as filmmakers and .
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Episode 313 Tuba Player, Composer & Improviser Dan Peck
The Lydian Spin
Dan Peck is a tuba player, improviser, and composer. He performs with ensembles such as (not that ICE) , and has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, and . He has toured internationally with his doom jazz trio and collaborated with artists such as Ingrid Laubrock and Anthony Braxton. Dan teaches at New Jersey City University and runs , which focuses on experimental media from the NY area and beyond.
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Episode 312 Artist Philip Zimmerma
The Lydian Spin
San Francisco-based artist has exhibited in San Francisco, Portland, and New York City over the past thirty years. Known for his sculptural work, Philip's pieces explore themes of death, beauty, and symbolism through intricate assemblage. His craftsmanship has been compared to that of Renaissance painters, noted for its exceptional detail and technical skill. Philip also made a about check it out!
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Episode 311 Musician & Artist Kilynn Lunsford
The Lydian Spin
Lydia and Tim are on tour, which means no intro this week. Here is a message from Lydia on the eve of Independence Day: "There has never been a better time for a People's Revolution than this July 4th, when the fireworks you'll be watching will mirror the explosion in our heads after Diaper Donnie and his band of criminal Republicunts have severed every safety net that has semi-protected veterans, children, women, working families, and nature herself. Total fuckery. Have a good weekend, and blow something up." This week’s guest is . Her , released in June, is a sharp, shape-shifting...
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Ali Smith, a portrait and documentary photographer, moved to the UK from NYC, where she built a career shooting for The Guardian, The New York Times, and more. She’s shot campaigns for Rimmel, Disney, and Johnson & Johnson and published two acclaimed photography books—Momma Love earned praise from The NY Times and Gloria Steinem. Her work, rooted in gender equality and environmentalism, includes a grant-funded project on incarcerated mothers. She’s exhibited and taught internationally, mentoring young women in photography. Also a writer and former touring musician, her memoir The Ballad of Speedball Baby dropped back in January 2024 via Blackstone Publishing.