The Creative Asylum Podcast

Joe Lally is one of those bassists whose playing has largely defined ideas of what punk and post-punk can be. Best known as a founding member of Fugazi , Lally’s deeply, sometimes dub-inflected feel and tight rhythm-forward approach have influenced an entire generation as a critical component of Fugazi’s fiercely independent and uncompromising approach to being in a band. In more recent years, he’...

For this kick-off to the second season of The Creative Asylum, I have a conversation that was an honor and a delight. From growing up inside one of the most unconventional, creative, and publicly scrutinized families in American pop-culture, Moon Zappa has lived a life defined by both extraordinary visibility and deeply personal exploration. In her memoir, Earth to Moon , she offers a vivid, emoti...

In this episode—the final episode of the first season—a conversation with a very old friend, the endlessly creative Roderick Wolgamott — founder and front-facing soul of the Seattle-based psychedelic dream-pop collective Sky Cries Mary. Outside of music, he’s also a visionary designer behind dozens of hand-built treehouses in locations all over the world. Roderick takes us on a journey through his...

Just in time for Christmas, in this episode, I sit down with legendary DIY filmmaker David Markey for a broad-ranging conversation about his life behind the camera. Markey, known for his raw, uncompromising and irreverent approach to documenting underground culture, opens up about the creative journey that led to his upcoming film 'The Secret Lives of Bill Bartell,' a project that I think is perha...

Sluggo Cawley has been in bands most of his life. From Hullaballoo and Aint to The Grannies and REQ'D, Sluggo has spent over four decades creating guitar-based mayhem.  A longtime friend, we have an in-depth conversation that digs into the stories behind the music: the chaos, the creativity, the hard-won wisdom and the pure joy of staying creative and making noise. With an art degree in hand...

In this episode, a conversation with Bootsy Holler — the lens-and-light maestro who captured the raw energy, the DIY grit, and the creative perseverance of Seattle's indie, rock and punk music. With her new book MAKiNG iT: An Intimate Documentary of the Seattle Indie, Rock & Punk Scene, 1992‑2008 , Bootsy talks about her journey — from a young photographer showing up at clubs with a camera and...

From her early days as a founding member of the Riot Grrrl band, Bratmobile to an impressive career as a music executive, Molly Neuman has lived a life steeped in creativity, community, and change. As a musician at the forefront of a burgeoning musical subculture, she helped shape a movement that gave voice to a new generation of feminist artists; as President of CD Baby, she continues to champion...

In this episode, an in-depth conversation with acclaimed documentary filmmaker Doug Pray, whose work over the past three decades has captured the raw spirit of several American subcultures. Doug’s films — including Hype! , Scratch , Surfwise , Art & Copy , Levitated Mass , and Love, Lizzo — have explored everything from the explosion of Seattle’s grunge scene to the pioneers of hip-hop DJ cult...

Conan Neutron is a singular force in the world of indie music — a songwriter, performer, and overachiever whose creative restlessness has fueled his Protonic Reversal podcast which has been running strong for an impressive 11 years! We talk about his current band, Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends as well as his previous groups, Replicator and Victory and Associates . In this energetic conver...

In this episode, I sit down with an old friend, Nabil Ayers — music executive, host of The Identified podcast and author of an acclaimed memoir ' My Life in the Sunshine ,' which explores his experiences growing up as the son of legendary jazz musician Roy Ayers, a father that he never knew as a kid. The book AND the podcast explore questions of identity, race, and what constitutes family in envir...

In this episode, a rare and unfiltered conversation with Laurie Lipton, the Los Angeles–based artist whose painstaking black-and-white pencil drawings have captivated collectors, critics, and art lovers around the world. Over decades, she’s built a reputation for works that blend obsessive detail, a wicked gravitas and dark wit — forceful visual meditations on mortality, consumerism, politics, and...

Stuart Gray , better known as Stu Spasm , is the manic mind behind the legendary Aussie noise-rock band Lubricated Goat and his latest, the explosive Art Gray Noizz Quintet . A true underground icon, Stu’s career spans decades of confrontational performance, genre-defying experimentation, and raw sonic intensity. From the gritty stages of 1980s Australia to New York's avant-garde scene, his work b...

Jack Endino is a man of many hats. He was the guitarist and co-founder (with your host, Daniel House) of the Seattle-based band Skin Yard. He's a recording engineer, and has recorded hundreds of records including all the early stuff for Sub Pop, including Nirvana, Soundgarden, L7, Mudhoney, TAD, The Fluid, the Afghan Whigs and SO MANY more! We talk about the early days, and what it's like living o...

Jason Blackmore, one of the founders of the '90s Kansas City legends Molly McGuire, has been in another dozen or so bands since then and since he moved to the west coast some 25 years ago. His new project is the second record by SISTERS, 'Wings of Deliverance' and as we discuss in this episode, he's literally right in the middle of recording a FOURTH Molly McGuire album! * * * * PLEASE FOLLOW US O...

Best known as the drummer for Minneapolis band, Babes in Toyland, Lori Barbero is the queen of Rock 'n' Roll. She's managed bands, she's been a booker, she had a small indie record label for a time and she was a disco queen in NYC in the 1970s! * * * * PLEASE FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Website: https://www. TheCApod.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCApod/ Instagram: https://www.instagram....

Larry Schemel has had a LONG career as a guitar player in a plethora of bands including Flesheaters, The Death Valley Girls, Roky Erickson and Midnight Movies. Larry also played on Courtney Love's only solo record with his sister, Hole drummer Patty Patty Schemel. We talk about all that and also about horror movies, the struggle that is drug addiction, punk rock in general, and the need to always...

Scott Crane is an old friend and an creative force with the kinds of perspectives that always surprise, engage and make you think about things in new ways. He's Bob Crane's youngest kid (that's Hogan for TV fans our there), one of Seattle's music producers, and has many stories from the early days. He's responsible for designing and building Soundhouse Studios, Jack Endino's home for over a decade...