‘funny,’ not funny

Lionel and Jim dive into two of the more recent Wim Wender's films "Perfect Days" and "Anselm" and discuss the common themes of his style of filmmaking. This also brings up Chuck Ramiriez, a photographer Lionel likes from San Antonio. This episode is pieced together from two shorter ones we recorded on consecutive days. What the Riverside AI says:“The conversation delves into the themes...

In this conversation, Jim discusses the upcoming release of his album ' Assemble Yourself ', reflecting on the challenges of the music industry, including the transition from CDs to streaming. The discussion also critiques a book on Buddhism, explores the concept of filk music , and delves into production techniques used in music. Additionally, they touch on the legacy of Glenn Gould and...

This episode was recorded on September 17, 2025 and is being released late, because of an oversight. Jim starts with an inane idea for a rewrite of the song Closer by Trent Reznor, and we move on to talk about album and book titles, Money Ball, and the Red Sox. Jim mentions his time lurking on TikTok, noting the new atheist and deconstruction movements in the "live" forums on that platform. Lionel...

Jim starts by explaining his micro-yoga routine, if it can be called a routine. Once we dispose of this ridiculousness, we return to Donald S. Lopez's book Buddhism: A Journey Through History , having read a little further. We decide that it lacks a lot of what we want in a history of anything, which is an perspective on how the practice effected the lives of people under it's sway. We f...

Phil returns to talk about the latest public release from his A Day In Music Project which is available on bandcamp under the project name. Lionel and I once again sit in awe of the scope and breadth of Phil’s creativity, ability, and vision. We cannot overstate the depth of this material. We encourage you all to buy the albums and dig in to the early morning of this 24 hour project in proce...

Lionel and I read part of the book Buddhism: A Journey Through History by Donald S. Lopez Jr. This ended up being the first of two discussions we would have about this challenging and exhaustive, though not entirely complete accounting of one of the world's major religions. The following summary was generated by AI automatically on Riverside. I did not ask for it, but included it here anyway....

In this, the 4th episode of our 6th season, Lionel, Jim, and Tom discuss various themes in music, focusing on Tom Burris’ songwriting process. We talk about the upbeat sounds of Jabbering Trout in contrast to its sometimes dark themes. Tom shares insights into his creative process, revealing how he crafts danceable tunes with deep meanings, while also reflecting on the importance of storytel...

Lionel talks about his visit to the New York State Fair and bringing his Big Brother companion. Jim admits that he misunderstood the direction to read the book Dominion, a book about the history of Christianity, which Lionel has started and discusses. Jim talks about the TV show and video game Fallout and recommends the TV show to Lionel. Jim then launches on a monologue about his experience liste...

In this episode of Funny Not Funny, hosts Jim and Lionel welcome mastering engineer Jonathan Wyner to discuss the evolving landscape of music in the age of generative AI. They explore the challenges and opportunities presented by AI in music production, the importance of authenticity, and the impact of technology on music education. Wyner shares insights from his extensive career and teaching at B...

We have begun Season 6 of ‘Funny,’ Not Funny with Jim & Lionel. Jim talks about his recent major life upheaval, watching the new Star Trek shows on Paramount, including The Lower Decks, Discovery, Picard, and Strange New Worlds. Lionel discusses the podcast "The History of the Twentieth Century" the one with the XX in the icon. Jim relays his experience going down the rabbit hole o...

This week, photographer and creative visionary Liz Linder joins the podcast. Liz’s work has appeared in dozens of leading publications, including Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and Fast Company. She’s been heard on NPR’s On Point; and seen on ABC World News Tonight. Her photographs have appeared on set in film and TV — including the award-winning series, House of Cards,...

This week we talk with IT security expert and avid cycler Leigh Weber. We talk about his epic ride across the country, mostly. Next time he joins us, perhaps we will talk about data security. Leigh Weber, an industrial cybersecurity specialist and management consultant, helps identify and understand the measurable impact of operational (OT) cybersecurity risks to an organization. Leigh brings a ra...

We start by talking about Newbury Comics on Newbury Street in Boston, and then a bit about Jim's adventures bringing a teenage crowd to see Black Flag when he was an RA at Bennington College. We talk about Jim's attempt to read St. Augustine, and actually find something interesting to talk about regarding that religious work. We talk about a public lecture given by a Yale Professor as pa...

Catherine Pilfrey returns to the podcast to talk about her new creation: The I Ching Oracle card deck : a 64-card illustrated deck and guidebook. Catherine Pilfrey is a designer, and meditation teacher who has been consulting the I Ching Oracle for 25 years. We start talking about the death of Norman Lear and increasingly long life spans for some people. Catherine talks about the process of creati...

Jim touts the fun of assembling furniture from Ikea. His coat stand was BONDSKÄRET and the lamp was VIDJA. Lionel scores a victory in pinpointing the very first Ikea store in the USA from memory. Jim talks about an audio documentary he's been listening to in audiobook format called Light On: How understanding consciousness helps us understand the universe by Annika Harris. Lionel interru...

Scott Hall paid us a visit to talk about the Northampton, MA band Lonesome Brothers (no the!) He has been working on a songbook based on his own charts, created for the purposes of standing in with them. Scott Hall is a member of the band Drunk Stuntmen, and has 2 solo albums out and one on the way as well. We had a great time talking with him, and listening to some of the songs from the collectio...

David Partikian rejoins the pod to talk about his new Substack under the moniker "Bartleby The Sailor." We start with a bit of Melville, and then discuss his essays in more detail before musing on life growing up in Peter Cooper Village, and our differing experiences in the school system in New York City.

This week we talk about the Hugo Awards with Sarah Elkins, who is a judge, and Julia Tenney, who is a reader and viewer of Science Fiction. We talk about Jim's new sport coat, nominees for best novel, novella, novelette, video, and even game. That's the synopsis. You have to listen to know more.

Jennifer Kimball , songwriter, performer, singer, horticulturalist and landscape designer joins the pod. One upon a time, she was in a legendary band called The Story with Jonatha Brooke and now she lives on an island, making music, and designing lawn free (or almost free) gardens of local flora and fauna. We also talk about her wintery songs project which is just outstanding, and growing up in NY...

There are some politics in this episode, but we manage to get that under control. Jim starts by comparing Severance to the Labyrinth of Greek mythology. Lionel tells Jim about the Darkman comics. The Dungeons and Dragons movie was brought up again, as well as some critique of the newer Star Trek films with Chris Pine. We move into the MCU with Doctor Strange and Guardians of the Galaxy. We go from...

We start by talking about Ketamine, Signal, and the protest in Somerville over the seizing of the Tufts student: Rumeysa Ozturk. At the time of this recording, it had just happened. Lionel breaks political talk silence by relating a personal story to the Signal fiasco. Julia says she was using Signal and Signal type apps when communicating with people at orbs.spheres. Julia then schools Lionel and...

Dr. Bill Hanage is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Co-Director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. His research and teaching focus on the epidemiology of infectious disease and the evolution of infectious agents. Jim begins by talking about the animated sci-fi tv show Pantheon, which he's enjoying. Then he introduces Bill w...

Jim starts by sharing his excitement about his new super minimal reading glasses, wallet, and bank account. Lionel talks about how music gear reviewers are almost always biased toward the gear they are sent for free. Jim recommends the tv series Dopesick, recommended by our guest Nyadenya from a few weeks ago. Dopesick is a fictionalized drama about the Sackler family and their role in the oxycont...

Lionel and Jim discuss email woes, Bitcoins and Blockchains by Antony Lewis, Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson, more Neal Stephenson, The Cloud, Jim’s reading of Chromaspace Conscript by Megan Alnico, the nature of money, and Jeff Bezos’ yacht (again.)Photo credit: Fred Romero from Paris, France , CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons. References: https://funnynotfunny.bigego.com/links/...

We welcome Jim's friend Nyadenya Inyagwa to the podcast to talk about his interests and ventures. We touch on a bunch of video stories at first, following some discussion about the homeless situation in Boston and Cambridge. This leads us to talk about the Hulu show Dopesick & Snowfall. Then Lionel talks about how much he's enjoying the series Elementary with Lucy Liu, Johnny Lee Mil...