Beginnings
We all know the stories of how creative people get into the business of creating for a living, but how did they start using their imaginations in the first place? On the Beginnings podcast, writer and performer Andy Beckerman asks well-known and on-their-way-up comedians, musicians, writers, artists and thinkers about their earliest creative acts, their formative childhood experiences, and how they've developed both creatively and emotionally over the years. Beginnings is part therapy, part philosophy and almost all fascinating (95% according to FDA studies).
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Episode 686: Mark Russell
08/01/2025
Episode 686: Mark Russell
On today's episode, I talk to Eisner and GLAAD Award-winning comics writer Mark Russell. Born in Springfield, OR, Mark broke into professional writing with his book God Is Disappointed in You, a modern retelling of the Bible. This led to comics work writing Prez for DC in 2015 and a number of other comics in the last decade including The Flintstones, Exit, Stage Left!: The Snagglepuss Chronicles, Fantastic Four: Life Story, Superman: Space Age, Batman: Dark Age and many others. Most recently, Mark finished a run writing X-Factor for the first wave of post-Krakoa X-Men books and has a number of books on the horizon for publishers like Ahoy and Mad Cave! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 686: Rory Blank
07/25/2025
Episode 686: Rory Blank
On today's episode, I talk to cartoonist Rory Blank. Originally from Carrollton, Georgia, Rory eventually ended up in Austin for college, where he began making cartoons for the student newspaper. In the early 20-teens, Rory began posting his comics online on places like Tumblr and Twitter and began to gain a following. Most recently, Rory was voted the Best Cartoonist in Austin in the 2025 Austin Chronicle "Best of Austin" readers poll for the second year in a row! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 685: Selwyn Seyfu Hinds
07/18/2025
Episode 685: Selwyn Seyfu Hinds
On today's episode, I talk to writer and showrunner Selwyn Seyfu Hinds. Originally from Georgetown, Guyana, Selwyn and his family moved to Brooklyn in the 1980s, when he was 14-years-old. After graduating from Princeton, he began writing for The Village Voice. Then in the late 1990s, he became a hip-hop critic and then editor-in-chief at The Source magazine. As a TV writer, Selwyn wrote for Jordan Peele's Twilight Zone reboot and most recently created and showran the new Hulu show Washington Black, based on Esi Edugyan's novel of the same name, and all episodes drop next Wednesday! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 684: Daniel Littleton of Ida and The Hated
07/11/2025
Episode 684: Daniel Littleton of Ida and The Hated
On today's episode, I talk to musician Daniel Littleton. Originally from Annapolis, MD, Daniel's first band The Hated was part of the first wave of hardcore/post-punk/emo in the 1980s. In 1991, Daniel and Elizabeth Mitchell began recording together as Ida. They released their first three albums on the formative indie label Simple Machines, and as the '90s progressed they became loosely associated with a wave of chamber pop bands. Their next five albums were released on labels like Polyvinyl and Tiger Style Records, and in the late aughts, the band went on hiatus. Recently though, they began performing again in support of Numero Group's 4-LP reissue of their fourth album Will You find Me. This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 683: Kelly Sue DeConnick
06/27/2025
Episode 683: Kelly Sue DeConnick
On today's episode, I talk to Eisner Award-winning comics writer Kelly Sue DeConnick. Born in Columbus, OH, Kelly Sue moved around a lot as a child and eventually got into comics professionally through adapting translations of manga. Since the mid-aughts, she has jumped between creator-owned work for publishers like Image such as Pretty Deadly and Bitch Planet, and work-for-hire at Marvel and DC, including a defining run on Captain Marvel. Most recently, she created FML for Dark Horse. It returns this July, and is easily one of the best comics in the last year! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 682: Michael DeForge
06/20/2025
Episode 682: Michael DeForge
On today's episode, I talk to comics creator Michael DeForge. Originally from Ottawa, Michael had been making mini- and webcomics for years before he created his first "real" comic Lose, which was published by Koyama Press in 2009. Since then, he's published over a dozen books and collections through publishers like Koyama and Drawn & Quarterly, and also worked as a designer on Adventure Time for six seasons. His latest book Holy Lacrimony was published through Drawn & Quarterly just a few months ago, and it is fantastic! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 681: David Bazan of Pedro the Lion and Headphones
06/13/2025
Episode 681: David Bazan of Pedro the Lion and Headphones
On today's episode, I talk to musician David Bazan. Originally from Phoenix, AZ, David started Pedro the Lion in 1995, and his first full-length album It's Hard to Find a Friend was released three years later on Jade Tree. In 2005, David recorded a more synthesizer-focused album as Headphones, and then a year later, Pedro the Lion broke up. David continued to record music under his own name, releasing albums on labels like Barsuk and Polyvinyl, and then in 2017, Pedro the Lion got back together and began a five-album cycle, with each album focusing on a city that David grew up in. The most recent was last year's Santa Cruz, which came out on Polyvinyl/Big Scary Monsters. 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of Headphones' lone album, and to commemorate the occasion, Suicide Squeeze just released a remastered edition at the end of May, and folks, it's just as fantastic as it was back in 2005! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 680: Tune-Yards
06/06/2025
Episode 680: Tune-Yards
On today's episode, I talk to Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner of the band Tune-Yards. Started by Merrill in the mid-aughts, Tune-Yards first official release Bird-Brains came out in 2009 on 4AD. Almost immediately, the band began to garner acclaim from Pitchfork, the Village Voice and many other publications. After the release of Bird-Brains, Merrill moved to Oakland where Nate lived, and since then, the two have recorded five more albums, a number of singles, as well as the score to the Boots Riley film Sorry to Bother You. Their latest, Better Dreaming, just came out a few weeks ago on 4AD, and it's wonderful! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 679: M(h)aol
05/30/2025
Episode 679: M(h)aol
On today's episode, I talk to Constance Keane, Jamie Hyland and Sean Nolan of the band Dublin and London-based band M(h)aol. Formed in 2014, the band released a few EPs and singles in their early days, but it wasn't until 2023 that they released their first, full-length album Attachment Styles. A mere two years later, they've put out their second album Something Soft on Merge Records, and it's a delight! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 678: Maia Friedman of Coco and Dirty Projectors
05/23/2025
Episode 678: Maia Friedman of Coco and Dirty Projectors
On today's episode, I talk to musician Maia Friedman. Originally from Los Angeles, Maia's family moved around to different California locales, and eventually after college Maia ended up in New York. She formed the band Uni Ika Ai in 2016, joined Dirty Projectors in 2018 and began the band Coco around 2020. As a solo performer, she's released two albums, her first Under the New Light in 2022 and her latest, Goodbye Long Winter Shadow just came out on Last Gang Records, and it's great! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 677: Mr. Fish
05/16/2025
Episode 677: Mr. Fish
On today's episode, I talk to political cartoonist Dwayne Booth AKA Mr. Fish. For over 20 years, Dwayne has been creating political cartoons for publications like Harper’s Magazine, Truthdig.com, the Los Angeles Times, the Village Voice, Vanity Fair, Mother Jones, The Advocate, and many, many others. In addition, he was an animated character designer for Bento Box Entertainment and is the subject of a 2017 award-winning documentary by Pablo Bryant called Mr. Fish: Cartooning from the Deep End. HIs books and collections include Go Fish: How to Win Contempt and Influence People, WARNING! Graphic Content, And Then the World Blew Up, Long Story Short: Turning Famous Books into Cartoons, and his most recent Nobody Left, which was published by Fantagraphics. This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 676: David Longstreth of Dirty Projectors
05/09/2025
Episode 676: David Longstreth of Dirty Projectors
On today's episode, I talk to musician David Longstreth. Originally from Southbury, CT, David recorded his first album The Graceful Fallen Mango after dropping out of college. After returning to finish his degree, he began recording under the name Dirty Projectors, and in 2003, Western Vinyl released their first album The Glad Fact. They continued to record albums and slowly built a name for themselves in the thrumming Brooklyn music scene of the aughts. In 2009, Domino released their album Bitte Orca to a great deal of acclaim, and in all, the band has released 20 albums and EPs; their latest, Song of the Earth, is a collaboration with the German orchestral group s t a r g a z e, and it's fantastic! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 675: Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave
05/02/2025
Episode 675: Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave
On today's episode, I talk to musician Krisitin Hersh. Originally from Atlanta, Kristin's family moved to Newport, RI when she was six. Here she met Tanya Donelly, and they formed Throwing Muses when they were teenagers. After moving to Boston years later, they quickly became part of the burgeoning scene that produced everyone from the Pixies to the Lemonheads, and the band similarly found success. Since 1986, they've released eleven albums on labels like 4AD, Rykodisc and Fire Records. In addition, Kristin has also recorded a dozen albums under her own name and as 50 Foot Wave, she has recorded two wonderful albums as well. And as always with guests who have had prolific careers, this is just the tip of the iceberg! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 674: Tina Halladay of Sheer Mag
04/25/2025
Episode 674: Tina Halladay of Sheer Mag
On today's episode, I talk to musician Tina Halladay. Originally from Long Island, Tina met Matt Palmer, and Kyle and Hart Seely in college, and formed Sheer Mag in 2014 after they had all moved to Philly. From 2015 to 2016, the band released three EPs - titled I, II and III - and then performed at Coachella and on Seth Meyers, and since then, they've steadily built a following. Their next two albums were released on Wilsuns Recording Company, and their latest, Playing Favorites, just came out last year on Third Man, and it's incredible! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 673: John Davis of The Folk Implosion
04/18/2025
Episode 673: John Davis of The Folk Implosion
On today's episode, I talk to musician John Davis. Growing up in Cambridge, MA, John formed The Folk Implosion with Sebadoh and Dinosaur Jr.'s Lou Barlow in the early 1990s. Their first album 1994's Take a Look Inside was a brilliant lo-fi pop record, and then a year later, a song of theirs on the Kids soundtrack blew up, and in the diverse atmosphere that had been created in Nirvana's wake, the band was noticed by a number of larger labels. Their third album would be released by Interscope, after which John left the band. As a solo artist, John has released many albums under different names on labels like Shrimper, and just last year, Lou and he got back together to make a new Folk Implosion album. Walk Thru Me was released on Joyful Noise last June, and it is quite wonderful! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 672: Anders Nilsen
04/11/2025
Episode 672: Anders Nilsen
On today's episode, I talk to cartoonist Anders Nilsen. Growing up between Minneapolis and the mountains of Northern New Hampshire, Anders is the artist and author of ten books including Big Questions, The End, and Poetry is Useless. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Poetry Magazine, Kramer's Ergot, Pitchfork, The New Yorker and elsewhere. His comics have been translated widely overseas and his painting and drawing have been exhibited internationally. Anders' work has received three Ignatz awards as well as the Lynd Ward Prize for the Graphic Novel and Big Questions was listed as a New York Times Notable Book in 2011. His most recent work Tongues vol. 1 was just published by Pantheon and like everything else he does, it is wonderful! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 671: Daniel Warren Johnson
04/04/2025
Episode 671: Daniel Warren Johnson
On today's episode, I talk to comics creator Daniel Warren Johnson. Originally from Massachusetts, Daniel started in the world of cartooning with his web-comic Space Mullet, which ran from 2012 to 2017. This led to work at Dark Horse, and eventually Image published his comic Extremity, which netted him an Eisner Award nomination (he would go on to win four for other things). Since then, he's created a number of other series for Image including Murder Falcon, Do a Powerbomb and his latest The Moon is Following Us. In addition, Daniel is writing (and doing some of the art for) the new Transformers series for Skybound, and it's a delight! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 670: Jeffrey Lewis
03/28/2025
Episode 670: Jeffrey Lewis
On today's episode, I talk to musician and cartoonist Jeffrey Lewis. Originally from the Lower East Side, Jeffrey has bounced back and forth between his two loves comics and music for most of his professional life. As a cartoonist, Jeffrey's longest project was Fuff, which he wrote and drew from 2004 to 2020. He also created Revelations in the Wink of an Eye (My Insane Musings on Watchmen, from Conspiracies to Stupidities), and his most recent project is called Statics, which he started writing and drawing in 2022. As a musician, Jeffrey began as part of the New York antifolk scene that would play at the SideWalk Cafe in the 1990s. He released his first album When Madman Was Good - Version One in 1997, and four years later he was signed to Rough Trade, who released his first "official" album The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane. Since then, he's released over two dozen albums and EPs, and his latest The Even More Freewheelin' Jeffrey Lewis just came out on Blang Records, and it's a banger! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 669: Jack Pendarvis
03/21/2025
Episode 669: Jack Pendarvis
On today's episode, I talk to Emmy Award-winning writer Jack Pendarvis. Originally from Mobile, Alabama, Jack has been writing books, articles and TV for decades. HIs first book of short stories The Mysterious Secret of the Valuable Treasure was published in 2005 by MacAdam/Cage, and since then he's written eight other collections, novels and books of poetry including Awesome, Your Body is Changing, and Shut Up, Ugly. As a TV writer, he's written for Adventure Time, SpongeBob SquarePants, Summer Camp Island, the Steven Universe movie and many other shows. Most recently, he created a pilot for Adult Swim with Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward called Mystery Cuddlers, which can be seen on YouTube. This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 668: Bob Mould
03/14/2025
Episode 668: Bob Mould
On today's episode, I talk to musician Bob Mould. Originally from Malone, New York, Bob attended college in Saint Paul, Minnesota where he formed Hüsker Dü in 1979 with Grant Hart and Greg Norton. One of the most well-known bands of the hardcore punk era, Hüsker Dü released six albums, mostly on SST and then on Warner Bros. before breaking up in 1988. After this, Bob began performing under his own name, and then formed Sugar in 1992. While Sugar was only together for three short years, they released two albums, an EP and a B-sides collection, and their first album Copper Blue, was a big hit. Since Sugar's dissolution, Bob has kept quite busy, releasing over a dozen albums on labels like Anti- and Merge, and his latest album Here We Go Crazy was just released on Granary Music/BMG Records, and folks, it's a delight! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 667: Jamie McKelvie
03/07/2025
Episode 667: Jamie McKelvie
On today's episode, I talk to artist Jamie McKelvie. Born in London, Jamie came to prominence in the world of comics through his collaborations with Kieron Gillen. In 2003, the two started a comic strip in PlayStation Magazine that lasted for three years. This led to their book Phonogram in 2006, and its subsequent sequels, as well as Young Avengers and The Wicked + The Divine. He's also illustrated stories and designed characters for Marvel on books like Cable, The Defenders, X-Men, Captain Marvel and Ms Marvel among others and created art for bands such as CHVRCHES, Art Brut and Tegan & Sara. Most recently, Jamie has been writing and drawing his own series One for Sorrow, which is being published by DSTLRY! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 666: Josh Zetumer
02/28/2025
Episode 666: Josh Zetumer
On today's episode, I talk to TV writer Josh Zetumer. Originally from San Diego, Josh broke into screenwriting on the back of a script that got on the Black List. This led to working on Quantum of Solace, which led to the 2014 RoboCop reboot and the Peter Berg-directed Patriots Day in 2016. Most recently, Josh adapted and showran the FX show about the Irish Troubles, Say Nothing, which was easily one of the best shows of 2024! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 665: Tim Midyett of Silkworm, Bottomless Pit and Mint Mile
02/21/2025
Episode 665: Tim Midyett of Silkworm, Bottomless Pit and Mint Mile
On today's episode, I talk to musician Tim Midyett. Originally from Havre, Montana, Tim started the band Ein Heit in 1985 with his friends, and two years later, they changed their name to Silkworm. In the 20 years the band was together, they released over two dozen albums, EPs and singles on a variety of labels including C/Z, Matador and Touch and Go. In 2005, Silkworm stopped performing after their drummer Michael Dahlquist was killed in a car accident. Tim and Silkworm's guitarist Andy Cohen would go on to form Bottomless Pit, who released four albums and EPs on the wonderful record label Comedy Minus One, and most recently, Tim has been writing and performing with his latest group Mint Mile! (FYI this was taped back in late December; I meant to put it out earlier and then the city caught on fire for a couple weeks - anyway, I only note this because we're a lil' flippant about the current political atmosphere in a way that I don't think we'd be if this was taped today!) This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 664: Dave Holmes
02/14/2025
Episode 664: Dave Holmes
On today's episode, I talk to writer and podcaster Dave Holmes. Born in New Jersey, but raised in St. Louis, Dave came to national prominence when he lost the inaugural MTV Wanna Be a VJ contest in 1998. Although very soon after, he was hired by the video channel to host a number of shows including 120 Minutes and TRL. Since then, Dave has led an incredibly varied career, acting in things like the first Fantastic Four film and Reno 911!, hosting podcasts like Homophilia and Troubled Waters, writing the book Party of One: A Memoir in 21 Songs, as well as creating and producing the wonderful limited podcast series Waiting for Impact: A Dave Holmes Passion Project. Just last year, Dave hosted another limited podcast series Who Killed the Video Star: The Story of MTV and currently, continues to be an editor at large for Esquire Magazine! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 663: Guy Maddin
02/07/2025
Episode 663: Guy Maddin
On today's episode, I talk to director Guy Maddin. Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Guy did not set out to be a filmmaker, but after working odd job after odd job, he eventually started taking film classes in his later 20s and became part of the Winnipeg Film Group. After making some short films and a surreal cable access show, he wrote and directed his debut feature, Tales from the Gimli Hospital, in 1988. It became a cult success and established Guy's reputation in independent film circles. Since then, he has written and directed over a dozen other films including The Saddest Music in the World, My Winnipeg, Keyhole and his latest Rumours starring Cate Blanchett, which had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Festival! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 662: David Cross
01/31/2025
Episode 662: David Cross
On today's episode, I talk to comedian and actor David Cross. Originally from Roswell, GA, David started as a stand-up at the age of seventeen, first in Boston and then in New York in the '90s. David's television career began with a writing job on the The Ben Stiller Show. It was around this time that he met Bob Odenkirk, and they started performing together, eventually creating the brilliant sketch show Mr. Show, which ran on HBO for four seasons. Since then, David has done a million awesome things including Arrested Development, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, as well as smaller parts in everything from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to What We Do in the Shadows. He's also performed eight stand-up albums and specials; his latest Worst Daddy in the World just came out last year on 800 Pound Gorilla, and it's a delight! And of course, you can see him touring this spring, if you live in Canada or Europe. This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 661: Seth Gordon
01/24/2025
Episode 661: Seth Gordon
On today's episode, I talk to director Seth Gordon. Originally on the path to be an architect, Seth's life took a detour into documentary filmmaking when he picked up a camera while teaching abroad in Kenya. After working in different positions in filming and editing, he eventually made his acclaimed doc The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, about rivals in the world of competitive Donkey Kong playing. From there, Seth became a comedy director, directing some of the best sitcoms of the 21st century including Parks and Rec, Community, The Office, The Goldbergs and more, as well as films such as Four Christmases, Horrible Bosses, Baywatch and, his most recent film, which just debuted on Netflix last week, Back In Action starring Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 660: Sunroof
01/17/2025
Episode 660: Sunroof
On today's episode, I talk to Daniel Miller and Gareth Jones of Sunroof. Daniel and Gareth have had long, varied careers for decades - as musicians, music producers and more. Daniel is the founder of Mute Records, which has released albums from numerous groups including Depeche Mode, New Order, Wire, Nick Cave and many others. And as a producer, Gareth has worked with many of those same bands and more including Interpol, Grizzly Bear, Madness and that's just a small sampling. The two began collaborating together in 1982 when Daniel asked Gareth to work with him on what became Depeche Mode’s Construction Time Again. After Depeche Mode had gone home for the day, the two would stay on to work on their own sessions. This became Sunroof, and they worked mostly as a remix project. However, in 2019, they started improvising together with modular systems as a lark and enjoyed the results. They've recorded three fantastic albums, and their latest, Electronic Music Improvisation Vol.3, came out at the end of November, and it's wonderful! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 659: Brian Blomerth
01/03/2025
Episode 659: Brian Blomerth
On today's episode, I talk to illustrator and comics creator Brian Blomerth. Brian grew up in Newport News, Virginia, and in college started to move towards making art for a living. Some of his early work was for Vice, as well as making tour posters for bands like Phish or album artwork for musicians like Ryley Walker. Since 2019, he's been working on a series of books about 20th century psychonauts starting with Bicycle Day, about the discovery of LSD, and the follow-up, Mycelium Wassonii, about the scientist couple responsible for popularizing the use of psychedelic mushrooms in the US. His most recent book, Lilly Wave, about the life of scientist and psychedelic dolphin tormentor John C. Lilly, came out in October, and it's a delight! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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Episode 658: Jason Aaron
12/20/2024
Episode 658: Jason Aaron
On today's episode, I talk to comics writer Jason Aaron. Originally from Piney Woods, Alabama, Jason started writing comics professionally after winning a Marvel Comics talent search contest in 2001. This opened the door for him, and soon after in 2006, Vertigo published his first major work The Other Side, which netted him an Eisner Award. Since then, Jason has written acclaimed runs on both mainstream and his own creator-owned comics, some of which include Wolverine and the X-Men, The Punisher, The Avengers, Thor, Scalped, Once Upon a Time at the End of the World, Southern Bastards and many, many more. Currently, Jason is writing the fantastic Superman reboot Absolute Superman, as well as a brilliant Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series for IDW! This is for Beginnings, , follow me on . Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months and my old casiopop band's lost album ! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found ! Theme song by the fantastic ! Second theme by the brilliant ! Closing theme by the delightful ! Podcast art by the inimitable !
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