Meaning What

This week Mason, Sean, and Chris discuss the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards . They happened last Sunday and none of us actually watched the broadcast, but Sean really wanted to talk about them and they're "music's biggest night" so here we are. What follows is a conversation about who won what of course, but more importantly about what sinking so much attention and money into an inherently undemocratic...

Welcome to Listen Now! , a monthly mini-podcast from it's no sam studios hosted by Meaning What producer and cohost Sean Ang. Sean is joined by Alan Dill to discuss the life and legacy of the late, groundbreaking trans musician SOPHIE, whose avant-garde sound helped redefine contemporary pop and dance music.    Follow us on  Instagram , Twitter , and sign up for the  newsletter . ——— Listen Now! i...

This week Mason, Chris, and Sean consider the work of posthumously-celebrated photographer Francesca Woodman and discuss our culture's toxic habits of deifying tragic figures, romanticizing struggling artists, and replacing basic human empathy with academic jargon. It's a heavy one. Content warning: this episode contains strong language, adult themes, and frank discussion of the subject of suicide...

This week, Mason and Sean speak to chalk artist and muralist Naomi Haverland about her practice, the influences of social media on her projects, and how public art has changed over the past year. See more of Naomi's art on Instagram . Follow us on  Instagram , Twitter , and sign up for the  newsletter . ——— Meaning What  is a product of it's no sam studios. Created by Mason Hershenow. Produced by...

Welcome back to the Meaning What Movie Club! This month's film is Barry Jenkins' 2016 Academy Award winning film Moonlight . Mason, Sean, and Chris discuss the film's masterful use of visual storytelling to critique and complicate themes of masculinity, race, and sexuality—all with far more heart than Best Picture winners generally have. Some additional things we mention in the episode:  The role...

On today's episode we discuss the rise and fall of disco, its relationship to race and sexuality in America, and what its reemergence in pop music means for culture at large. Further reading/listening: Disco Demolition Night Dua Lipa - Physical Jessie Ware - Remember Where You Are   Follow us on  Instagram , Twitter , and sign up for the  newsletter . ——— Meaning What  is a product of it's no sam...

Welcome to Listen Now! , a monthly mini-podcast from it's no sam studios hosted by Meaning What producer and cohost Sean Ang. As you know, February is the month where multinational corporations order us to buy heart-shaped pink stuff, so this episode is about love songs! Cuddle up with your partner/pet/favorite pillow/teddy bear as Sean takes you through a sampling of the many ways pop music celeb...

This week Mason, Sean, and Chris discuss the legendary photography collective Magnum, the effects that recent reporting on sexual misconduct allegations against one of its members is having on the organization, and what we can learn from all of this about how we consume art in general and photography in particular. The article which inspired this episode can be found here . It's an important story...

On today's episode, Mason and Sean talk to violinist, educator, and arranger Zak Grafilo about his group The Alexander String Quartet, the unique challenges of arranging for such a group, and how teaching classical music has changed in our tech-focused era. Learn more about The Alexander String Quartet here . Follow us on  Instagram , Twitter , and sign up for the  newsletter . ——— Meaning What  i...

Welcome to the first episode of the Meaning What Movie Club! This year Mason, Sean, and Chris will be ending each month by discussing a movie of particular note. This month, we discuss Wong Kar-Wai's seminal 1994 romantic-comedy-drama Chungking Express . Quentin Tarantino loved this movie so much that he personally petitioned to bring it to U.S. cinemas. It gathered critical acclaim, and now enjoy...

Mason, Sean, and Chris celebrate our nation's new leaders with a discussion about presidential inaugurations and the people chosen to perform at them. This episode is full of big opinions, but that's what you're here for anyway so stop reading this and listen already. Follow us on  Instagram , Twitter , and sign up for the  newsletter . ——— Meaning What  is a product of it's no sam studios  Create...

This week Sean and Mason are joined by the band Post Sixty Five  to talk about their latest single " Middle Child ", as well as how personal vulnerability shapes their songwriting and how the pandemic has finally slowed the creative world to their pace—for better or worse. You can purchase Post Sixty Five's music on Bandcamp , as well as stream it on all major platforms. Follow us on  Instagram ,...

Welcome to season two! Sean and I begin the new year with a discussion about abstract art, the roles we play as viewers and consumers, and how sometimes the best answer to a broken system is not to abandon it—but to change how we choose to interact with it. The Mark Rothko painting we reference in this episode is No. 14, 1960 . Follow us on  Instagram , Twitter , and sign up for the  newsletter ....

Today's episode is our last for 2020, and with a new year approaching we thought we'd try something different. Join us for a discussion of the 1997 film The Devil's Advocate and all the things it was trying so desperately to be. ——— Meaning What  is a product of it's no sam studios Created, mixed, and edited by Mason Hershenow Produced by Sean Ang Theme music "January: Brief" by Mason Hershenow Co...

On today's episode—our final interview of 2020—Mason talks to fine art photographer JP Ryan about pursuing photography at a state school, making art where you grew up, and what it's like being trained at the end of the film photography era. Check out JP's work and give him a follow. ——— Meaning What  is a product of it's no sam studios Created, produced, and edited by Mason Hershenow Additional pr...

This week, we talk to writer and journalist Christopher Scott McNeill about growing up and teaching Literature in the American South, working in  the independent  coffee scene in Sacramento, and how those experiences — along with a brief detour via the FBI — brought him to journalism. Chris can be found at  csmcneill.com . Follow us on  Instagram , Twitter , and sign up for the  newsletter ! Edito...

On today's episode, we talk to drag performer A La Mode about how she got her start in drag, how the popularity of a certain show has changed the scene, and why this podcast will never take a sponsorship from Supreme. See more from A La Mode on Instagram . Follow us on  Instagram , Twitter , and sign up for the  newsletter ! This episode contains some language and references to bodily functions th...

This week, Sean and I talk to visual artist Megan Moriarty about what grad school does to an art practice, what starting your career alongside a pandemic is like, and the challenges of dating an artist — as understood by artists. See more of Megan's work at https://www.meganmoriartyart.com . Follow us on  Instagram , Twitter , and sign up for the  newsletter ! ——— Meaning What  is a product of it'...

On today's episode, we talk to photographer Alana Rios about how the California landscape has shaped her art practice, the history and politics of women in the medium, and why it's time to stop celebrating the work of Ansel Adams. See more of Alana's work at https://www.alanarios.com  or on her Instagram . Follow us on  Instagram , Twitter , and sign up for the  newsletter ! ——— Meaning What  is a...

This week, we talk to visual artist Daniel Alejandro Trejo about how his hometown and identity shape his art, reconsidering what graduate school means in the time of COVID, and our shared issues with 1960s minimalist sculpture. See more of Daniel's work at  https://trejodaniel.com Follow us on  Instagram , Twitter , and sign up for the  newsletter ! ——— Meaning What  is a product of it's no sam st...

On this week's episode, we speak to vocalist and educator Lee Hoffman about her very personal journey in discovering her medium and what her medium has helped her discover about herself. Along the way we also discuss the social effects of a deeply religious upbringing, how learning about communism can expand one's worldview, and why it's important for an educator to never stop being a student. All...

In one of the first episodes ever recorded for this show, Mason Hershenow talks to artist and model Diana Oliphant about the institutions that rule the art world, the educations we're expected to have, and who decides what does and does not qualify as fine art. Follow our Instagram and sign up for the  newsletter ! ——— Meaning What  is a product of it's no sam studios Hosted, produced, and edited...

On today's episode, the tables are turned as our co-host Sean Ang interviews your host Mason Hershenow — a classically-trained photographer  — about his own art practice, his thoughts on art education, and the over-baked debate of film vs digital. Sign up for the newsletter here ! ——— Meaning What  is a product of it's no sam studios Hosted, produced, and edited by Mason Hershenow Additional produ...

This week your hosts Mason Hershenow and Sean Ang speak to vocalist Angela Yam about her experience discovering her medium in college, the state of opera during COVID, and what makes her hopeful about the genre's future. She also shares her thoughts on why she avoids idolization of individual performers, and how she knows for a fact that her mother is her biggest fan. If you or someone you know is...

Welcome to our first episode! As an introduction, this week your host Mason Hershenow will be talking to co-host Sean Ang about Sean's experiences as a classical musician and how COVID has made them reconsider their career path. If you or someone you know is an artist or creative and have a topic you'd like to bring to the show, you can email us at meaningwhatpod@gmail.com  or find us on Twitter:...