1000 w/ Ron Placone

Dave Chawner is a speaker, comedian, and anorexia survivor. I first met Dave at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival because we had a similar timeslot and our venues were near each other. I think most people don’t understand how anorexia works, or even what it actually is. I include myself in this. Well, I wanted to learn more...

Hank Thompson is a video editor, writer, and comedian. Hank and I both worked at The Jimmy Dore Show, and overlapped a little bit. Hank also worked at The Young Turks, and was heavily involved in the Union efforts there. Hank was laid off. The TYT Union effort was a national story. For the past 2 years and counting, Hank’s been fighting to get his side of the story out there. This one’s a deep div...

Christian Reilly is a musical comedian and self-proclaimed "MMT lover." Are you familiar with Modern Monetary Theory? Honestly, I don’t even know if it’s accurate to call it a 'theory' because it’s basically just the actual way money works. Christian breaks it down, and shares what got him into MMT in the first place. More MMT Stuff: (5-min read) Explainer: what is Modern Monetar...

Bill Conway is a comedian, writer, and co-founder of The Hard Times. The Hard Times is basically the Onion, but for punk rock. You’ve probably heard of the Hard Times, you’ve definitely seen one of their headlines. Recently, after over a decade, Bill decided it was time for him to step down from The Hard Times. How do we know when it’s time to say goodbye to a creative endeavor? Especially when it...

Betsy Cox is a comedian, writer, and solo performer. Her Fringe show, “Broke B*tch Got Rich”, was among the most popular and talked about shows of the festival. At the award ceremony, she wore a cape that said “ADHD is my Super Power.” At a time when Eugenics is on the rise in the United States, it was powerful and encouraging to see. We talk about what it means, how she got out of a difficult bac...

Chris Smith is a writer and performer. From a small farm in rural California to the movie business in LA, he’s had successes, failures, and has dealt with crushing loss. His Fringe show, Mine For the Tribe , tackles all of this, and takes a one-person deep dive into our search for meaning. I went to his show not really knowing what to expect. What is this tribe, anyway? I guess we’re all still sea...

Before Lady Gaga, before Madonna, there was Johanna Went. Johanna Went is a performance artist. She found her home in the LA punk scene of the 1970s after a run doing experimental theater. The Minutemen opened for her. I got to meet her in Vetura because she was on a panel I was moderating for a screening of the film Desolation Center. I was stoked when she agreed to do the show.

I’ve known Joy Marie Mann awhile now. We’ve collaborated on a ton of shows. We met amidst the Bernie Movement in 2016, which seems like a different life at this point. In many ways it was. In the time I’ve known Joy, among other things, she lost most of her eyesight. Despite that unexpected hurdle, she’s written a few books. Recently, Joy wrote a book about Temujin Kensu. Temujin was convicted of...

Jonathan Berman is producer, director, and academic. His documentaries include Calling All Earthlings, My Friend Paul, and Commune. Commune is coming up on its 20th Anniversary. It’s about a commune in California that started in the 60s, financed by rockstars, and still exists to this day. We dive into his origin story, and what made him want to chase the counterculture.

Kerri Van Auken is an actress, writer, and comedian. For a brief period of time, her, myself, and Joe Moran ran a show together at a punk shop in Pasadena. Then, the Pandemic happened. Kerri and I crossed paths again this past June at the Hollywood Fringe. Her show, Blackout, blew me away. It inspired me to write a solo theater show, and I knew I had to have her on.

Jon Bennett is a comedian and storyteller. He’s a Fringe warrior who does more festivals in a year than anyone I know. He’s hysterical, and he’s one of those guys on the circuit who you see and wonder, “how does he pull that off?” In this interview, he gives some insight into that. Also, due to complications at the border and Jon being Australian, he can’t leave the US right now out of fear he won...

Are you from the US? Have you thought about moving abroad? Many Americans have as of recent. I know I sure have. Jen is the co-founder of Expatsi, an organization that helps Americans move abroad. Several years ago, Jen and her partner found themselves wanting to leave the states, so they made it happen, and decided there was need for an organization that helped other people to do the same. Expats...

Will Wood is a musician, songwriter, and comedian. His show is part storytelling, part comedy, part music, and he can really wail on the piano. Will’s been open about his mental health and incorporates it into his art. We take a deep dive into all of it.

Sage Francis is an underground hip-hop legend. He’s won battles, toured the world, written everything from rhymes to poetry, runs Strange Famous Records, and he’s a dad. Also, he’s in my movie, Left At Wall, and we’re both big cat people, which is a big part of this episode.

Dale Dymkoski is a comedian, personal trainer, and he’s deaf. I saw his Fringe show, Feminist Ass Man, where he shares his story. He talks politics, and we talk politics. We have some different observations strategically, but we definitely want the same things. This was a really fun conversation about Dale’s life and the world at large.

Josh Stolberg is a Screenwriter and Director. The Saw Franchise, Avatar, Piranha 3D, and that’s just barely tipping the iceberg of his extensive resume. He has a new podcast called "Darren and Josh Make A Movie". It’s a must-listen for any writer slash filmmaker slash creative.

Angeline Mirenda is a Sex Educator. I saw her Hollywood Fringe Show, AP Sex Education. Not only was it entertaining, but also incredibly informative. She draws the connection between sex ed in the US and imperialism, racism, and capitalism. Ready to talk about sex?

Jason Freeman is a musician. He plays bass for the hardcore punk band, Zeke. Zeke’s been a legendary Seattle institution since the early 90s, setting their own bar, fitting in nowhere and everywhere all at once. We talk about him joining the band, how he discovered music, and the phenomenon that was the Seattle music scene of the 1990s.

Walker Bragman is a journalist. He covered Electoral Politics, particularly during Bernie’s first run in 2016, and now his main focus is public health. Right now, literal eugenics is on the rise in the United States, and this isn’t limited to some 4Chan space, this is an actual positions of power. We dive deep in this one. 

If you know me, you know Municipal Broadband, also known as Public Broadband, is an important issue to me. Matthew Rantanen is one of the founders of Tribal Broadband Bootcamp. It’s an extensive that teaches the development and maintenance of public broadband systems on tribal lands. I got to attend one. It was life-changing. Matt’s also a crazy interesting guy. He’s a soccer player, a graphic des...

Kelly Spillman is a psychology professor and comedian. She’s also a friend of mine. In 2020, she was diagnosed with stage 4 Colon Cancer. She has a show currently running at the Hollywood Fringe Festival called “I Blame Florida”. The show documents her cancer battle, as well as how she finds meaning and hope in this incredibly difficult struggle. This is an emotional one y’all...

Giovannie Espiritu is an actress, filmmaker, and educator. She’s escaped from a cult, an abusive marriage, she’s overcome extensive loss and grief, all while maintaining a family and a career. To say her story is inspirational is an understatement. 

Robin Waite is an author, mentor, and coach. I came across Robin’s book, “Take Your Shot”, and I absolutely loved it. It used story to teach the principles of turning your passion project into a sustainable living. Robin narrated the audiobook himself. I couldn’t stop listening to it. It used golf as a back drop, best part, I don’t even like golf! I decided I needed to learn more about Robin and h...

Peter Joseph is a filmmaker, author, musician, and activist. Years ago, he released the Zeitgeist documentary for free online. He went viral before there was a term for such a thing. He spawned a movement that had chapters all over the world. He’s released other films and books since. I was fortunate enough to cross paths with him a few times over the years, and we've kept in touch. He’s a fai...

Satori Shakoor is a storyteller, singer, actress, and comedian. She’s lived multiple lives in multiple places but she’s always found her way back to the Motor City. She’s worked with legends in comedy and film, and she toured with Parliament-Funkadelic. Yes, you heard that right.