Beginnings

On today's episode I talk to playwright and TV writer Sofia Alvarez . Originally from Baltimore, Sofia graduated from Juilliard for playwriting. She is a member of the Ars Nova Playgroup and Primary Stages Dorothy Streslin New American Writer's Group, and her work has been seen everywhere from Primary Stages to Ars Nova to The Rattlestick. As a TV writer, Sofia has written for USA's Sirens, and cu...

On today's episode I talk to Suki Kim , a novelist, investigative journalist and the only writer ever to go live undercover in North Korea to investigate and write a book from the inside. In 2002, she travelled to North Korea, where she witnessed both Kim Jong-il's 60th Birthday celebrations as well as his death, and she later wrote a number of pieces for Harper's about the country. Suki is a reci...

On today's episode I talk to musician Barbara Manning . Barbara is prolific songwriter originally from California, where she spent part of her childhood on a commune. While attending Chico State University in 1983, Manning played bass with the seminal jangle-pop band 28th Day, and since then she's recorded a number of albums under her own name and has played with and fronted a number of amazing ba...

On today's episode I talk to Cole Escola . Cole is a comedian, actor, and writer; one of the 2014 OUT 100; as well as one of Time Out New York 's Top Ten Downtown Cabaret Performers. He was the co-creator, writer, and star of the lo-fi cult-hit TV show Jeffery & Cole Casserole , which ran on Logo for two seasons, and also originated the role of Bridget Everett's fetus in Rock Bottom . Cole current...

On today's episode I talk to storyteller Adam Wade . For the past thirteen years, Adam has been a fixture in both the New York City storytelling and comedy scenes. He is the winner of 20 SLAMS at The Moth, including two GrandSLAM Championships, and has toured across North America with The Moth Main Stage. In addition, Adam's Time Out Critic's pick solo show The Adam Wade from NH Show has been runn...

On today's episode I talk to writer/directors Charles Rogers and Sarah-Violet Bliss . Charles and SV broke out with their film Fort Tilden , a satire of Millennial Brooklyn, which won the Grand Jury Award at SXSW 2014. Since then, they've written on the first season of Netflix's Wet Hot American Summer revival, and are the co-creators of the forthcoming TBS series Search Party starring Alia Shawka...

I used to do bonus episodes of the show somewhat regularly called "Field Guides" where I'd talk to people about the actual steps they took to create a project or about a specific topic around the theme of creating things for a living. Like, I talked to Abbi and Ilana about how they actually made the Broad City webseries (back before it was even a TV show!) - and the idea is to try and demystify ma...

On today's episode I talk to Wes Miles of the indie rock band Ra Ra Riot . Originally from New Jersey, Wes has been playing music for most of his life. Ra Ra Riot formed in January 2006, playing at houses and venues around the Syracuse University campus. After recording a demo, they started to attract attention, eventually getting signed to Barsuk Records, who's released all four of their albums T...

On today's episode I talk to avant-garde violin duo String Noise . For over half a decade, Conrad Harris and Pauline Kim, the husband/wife violin duo comprising String Noise, have built a reputation as relentless contemporary music advocates with a punk sensibility. They've done this through their covers of bands like Deerhoof, Bad Brains, Black Flag and Minutemen and through their classical perfo...

On today's episode I talk to musician Oli Chang. Originally from Australia, Oli is one-half, along with Jack Milas, of the celebrated ambient dream-pop band High Highs . Since 2011, they've released a self-titled EP and two albums Open Season and Cascades . All of them are wonderful. In addition, Oli also has his own solo project called Animal Feelings! This is  the website  for  Beginnings ,  sub...

On today's episode I talk to comic and TV writer Christopher McCullough AKA Jackson Publick. Chris began his comics career after a superhero spoof of his caught the eye of The Tick creator Ben Edlund, who asked Chris to write a spin-off, which then led to writing for the animated and live-action series. In 2003, Chris and his writing partner created the fantastic animated series The Venture Bros....

On today's episode I talk to actor and writer Will Sharpe . Will grew up in Tokyo and London and went to university at Cambridge, where he was president of the Footlights Revue. After graduating, he began his acting career, first with the Royal Shakespeare Company and later on a number of TV shows including Casualty , Sherlock and Dirk Gently . As a writer, Will's written for Never Mind the Buzzco...

On today's episode I talk to rapper and podcaster Open Mike Eagle . Originally from Chicago, Mike moved to LA where his hip hop career began, first as part of the collective Project Blowed and the trio Thirsty Fish, and later as a solo artist. He's released five albums: Unapologetic Art Rap ,  Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes ,  4NML HSPTL ,  Dark Comedy , and his latest Hella Personal Film Fest...

On today's episode I talk to musician Ohal Grietzer . Born and raised in Ashkelon, Israel, Ohal moved to New York in 2001, where she began collaborating on a number of musical projects with people like Tunde Adebimpe of TV On The Radio, Tyondai Braxton, and Kyp Malone's Rain Machine. Her latest album Acid Park is out this month on Styles Upon Styles Records. Separate from her work as a musician, O...

On today's episode I talk to musician Todd Goldstein . Originally from Boston, Todd started ARMS as a musical outlet for himself when he first moved to Brooklyn. ARMS was put on the backburner though when in 2006 he joined the indie rock band Harlem Shakes. They released one album on Gigantic Music before disbanding three years later, at which time, ARMS became Todd's primary musical focus. He's r...

I used to do bonus episodes of the show somewhat regularly called "Field Guides" where I'd talk to people about the actual steps they took to create a project or about a specific topic around the theme of creating things for a living. Like, I talked to Abbi and Ilana about how they actually made the Broad City webseries (back before it was even a TV show!) - and the idea is to try and demystify ma...

On today's episode, I talk to stand-up and writer Bonnie McFarlane . Bonnie hails from Canada, where she grew up on a small farm in Alberta. An accomplished stand-up, she's appeared on everything from The Tonight Show to Letterman to Last Comic Standing and has her own HBO One Night Stand and Comedy Central Presents . In addition to being the director of the wonderful documentary Women Aren't Funn...

On today's episode, I talk to Peabody Award-winning and Emmy nominated stand-up and writer Josh Gondelman . Originally from Boston, Josh is currently based in New York where he previously wrote for Billy on the Street and currently writes for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver . In addition, Josh is the co-author (along with Joe Berkowitz) of the book You Blew It , and his latest comedy album Phys...

On today's episode, I talk to writer and actor Dylan Marron . Dylan is a Drama Desk-nominated writer & performer based in New York City. He is the voice of Carlos on the hit podcast Welcome to Night Vale and the co-creator and performer of Ridgefield Middle School Talent Nite , a 17-character middle school talent show, in which he and Jo Firestone play every role. Dylan's also an ensemble member o...

On today's episode, I talk to musician  Larkin Grimm . A descendent of the Brothers Grimm themselves, Larkin grew up in a monastic order called The Holy Order of MANS. Spending her childhood in rural Georgia, Larkin eventually earned a scholarship to Yale, which she attended on and off for many years, using the intervening sabbaticals to travel all over the world. At Yale, she met Dave Longstreth...

On today's episode, I talk to musician Scott "Spiral Stairs" Kannberg . Scott grew up in Stockton, California where he met his childhood friend and future bandmate Stephen Malkmus. Along with drummer Gary Young, the two formed Pavement in 1989, and went on to release five albums and a number of EPs, eventually becoming one of the biggest indie rock bands of the time. After the band broke up in 199...

On today's episode, I talk to TV writer Curtis Gwinn . Originally from Chicago, Curtis grew up in the suburbs outside of New York City, eventually finding his way to UCB. There he became a teacher and performer, and co-founded the team Death by Roo Roo, one of the best improv groups to come out of the theatre. His first professional jobs included writing for The Man Show and Human Giant , and from...

On today's episode, I talk to comedian Gareth Reynolds . Gareth's parents originally hail from the UK, but Gareth was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He's co-created The Travel Channel show Mancations and the MTV show Failosophy , he's written for the Comedy Central show Idiotsitter , and nearest and dearest to my heart, he's the co-host of one of the best podcasts around The Dollop , an American...

On today's episode, I talk to stand-up and writer Jacqueline Novak . Easily one of the best and most creative stand-ups in New York, Jacqueline has been performing for over a decade. She has her own comedy album Quality Notions , she's appeared on  The Late Late Show with James Corden , and recently Three Rivers Press published her first book How to Weep In Public , a part-memoir/part-comedic guid...

On today's episode, I talk to the creators of the new HBO show Animals Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano . Phil and Mike are from New Jersey and Long Island respectively, and while working at an advertising agency together, the two created the webseries Animals , which was then shown at Channel 101 and garnered the "Best Comedy Pilot" award at the 2013 New York Television Festival. After a manager in...