The MC Lars Podcast

This week on the podcast, I sit down with a very special person... my big sister Sarah! We talk about childhood memories, Disney and the time I pooped in the yard. We also discuss adoption and how online DNA tests have revealed some surprising things about Sarah's origin story! A great conversation with my favorite tutor and mentor, thanks for being on the show Sarah! Special Guest: Sarah Nielsen.

An interview with Carl Caprioglio, whose label Oglio Entertainment has released albums by Dan Castellaneta, Wesley Willis, Kool Keith, Parry Gripp, Rappy McRapperson, George Lopez, and myself! This week, we talk about how Caprioglio got started in the music business, vinyl distribution, and his day-to-day schedule. He also offers advice for your record label CEOs and his new television ventues. A...

An interview with an O.G. nerdcore star, MAJA (now MAJATRON) got his start rapping about Transformers, and was featured in the 2008 "Nerdcore for Life" documentary. After a decade-long hiatus, the Phoenix, AZ native is back with "HYRUL", a song about his love of Zelda. This week, we talk about mental health, Japanese culture and Breath of the Wild, and premier our collaboration, a remix of "HYRUL"...

Karl Olson (Ultraklystron) has been making music of the "nerdcore"-adjacent type for a very long time, and his discography size exceeds most of our other peers. On this episode, we talk about why he moved to Canada, Japanese culture, his work ethic, and the time he almost toured with Beefy and MC Router. We also talk about how the anime-inspired raps he started doing in the 90s have become mainstr...

An interview with I Fight Dragons frontman Brian Mazzaferri, in which we discuss the tours we’ve done together, his years with Atlantic Records and how his band used Nintendo’s proprietary 3DS technology as a platform to promote his and his band’s music. We also talk about the attention economy, fatherhood, and the time he did the entire Warped Tour in a van, the Dragon Wagon. A great conversation...

An interview with Orlando, Florida’s Marc with a C, who is celebrating his twenty-year anniversary with the release of a fan-picked discography and an autobiography. We talk about Jonathan Richmond, Black Sabbath and what it’s like existing as an analogue artist in a digital world. We also dive into the writing process, why it’s good to ignore advice on being “topical”, and of course, Ned Flanders...

An interview with my friend and collaborator Jordan Katz, producer of the Grammy-nominated De La Soul “And the Anonymous Nobody…” album, as well as bandleader for Big Daddy Kane, Brother Ali and more. We talk about how we met, the world he did on “the Zombie Dinosaur LP’, and what it was like performing with the Muppets on Drop the Mic, the show on which he serves as music director. Thanks Jordan!...

This week, I talk to North Carolina's Mikal kHill about SXSW, Juggalos, Earthbound and Firefly. We also talk about the conspicuous absence of Adam WarRock in today's nerdcore scene, kHill's recovery from testicular cancer, and YTCracker's interpretation of Pascal's wager. We wager that you will enjoy our conversations, our sharing of memories of shows together, and kHill's new EP, "Terminal", prod...

Joshua A. Katz (a.k.a. Rappy McRapperson) has been creating music for many decades, beginning with his viral hit "I'm A Gangster" in the late 90s. On this week's episode, we talk about the places he's lived, his approach to production, how he finds meaning in his work, and his tomato soup business. We also talk about his experiences with labels, the new YouTube metrics, and how Russian folk songs...

This week, I sit down with Zachary DesRocher (Z.) of Hipster, Please!, a man who has been documenting the movement from its inception. We talk about his favorite artists, his time reporting on the genre for Wired, and the evolution of the movement. We also talk about what it's like being a nerd in the American south, and how writing is like playing Dungeons & Dragons. In this dense interview,...

Luke Ski has been creating parody songs and cartoons for many decades. On this week's episode, we talk about the FuMP (which he helped start), his friendship with Dr. Demento, and his animation work for Cartoon Network. We also talk about "Joker", Luke's life in LA and why comedy is such an important art form to him. An awesome interview! Thanks Luke! Special Guest: Luke Ski.

I met Erin Tonkon through my wife before learning that Erin was a prolific and talented producer and engineer. Having worked as Tony Visconti's head engineer for many projects, Tonkon was heavily involved in the production and mixing of David Bowie's final album, "Blackstar". On this episode, we talk about how Tonkon has built her business, what it's like being a woman in the music industry, and h...

I discovered Suzanne McDermott's music when I heard her song "the Roswell Incident" in the 1999 documentary, "Six Days in Roswell", a look at the 50th anniversary of the supposed UFO crash in Roswell. I woudld later cover this song on "Indie Rocket Science", adding a twist to McDermott's version of the events. On this week's episode, McDermott and I talk about her early years playing with punk leg...

This week on the podcast, I talk to Blake J. Harris, screenwriter, journalist, producer and all around great dude. We talk about his first two books ("the Console Wars" and "the History of the Future"), and how he and Seth Rogan linked to create the upcoming "Console Wars" documentary and TV series. We also talk about why he wears sandals every day, the benefits of being self-employed, and his upc...

I have known Chason Matthams for over twenty years, and on this episode, we talk about some of our favorite teachers form middle and high school, his experience with graduate school, his creative process, the Simpsons and post-internet art. My first painter guest, Chason provides some insight on how he has worked to build his "brand" in the art world (while also putting time and attention into his...

Insane Ian bridges the “nerdcore” and “Dementia” artist scenes effortlessly. The Baltimore transplant has found a home in Chicago hosting the annual FuMP Fest (Funny Music Project Festival) and regularly releases hilarious original and parody music as Insane Ian. One of MC Frontalot’s favorite artists of all time, Ian sat down with me to talk about his creative process, his business model, and the...

An interview with Brooklyn’s Alec A. Head, frontman of Ghostbound. We talk about how growing up on the central Californian coast inspired him as an artist and how his music and acting were greatly influenced by his time working at Monster Video in Carmel. We also talk about his future plans, his love of the new Tool album and how playing in different projects has helped with the songwriting for Gh...

This week, I sat down with Seattle's Kyle Stevens (Kirby Krackle) to talk about his love of Pearl Jam, Dr. Strange and the time he opened for “Weird Al” Yankovic. Kyle and I have played many shows together over the years, and I am always blown away by his positivity and catchy, fun, “nerd rock” music. We talk about the changing comic book con scene over the past decade and what artists like he and...

This week's episode revists my "first every podcast." I was very fortunate to go to a high school with a radio station, KSPB 91.9, and on March 17th 2000, my interview with the late, great Ric Masten aired. I went to Masten's house in Big Sur, and we talked about his approach to writing, how he made his living as a poet, and how he had built a community of fans in the early years of the internet....

Beefy and I have been friends since 2007, when he performed with us in Seattle. Since then, he and I have collaborated on over a dozen songs and played many shows together, including a hilarious one in Amsterdam. We reminsce on the early days of nerdcore, talk about his new album, and speculate on where the genre is going. A breath of fresh air in the hip-hop music scene, Beefy is as humble as he...

After playing in punk bands and writing for the SF Weekly, SFSU graduate and entrepreneur Matt Saincome started the Hard Times. Focusing on indie and DIY culture, the Hard Times making fun of everything from vegans to Juggalos, while it's technology-based offshoot the Hard Drive lampoons gamer culture. We talk about his early years, Matt's philosophy on being straight edge and his new venture, Out...

Dan Bull and I first collaborated a few years ago on his Fortnite song, where I was one of 100 rappers rapping about the iconic game. Since then, we have written a song together with Mega Ran and made a music video. When I was in Birmingham, England, I stopped by Dan's studio to learn about his work ethic, his YouTube channel, and how he has balanced fatherhood with being an artist. We also talk a...

I met Dr. Will Tattersdill in the autumn of 2006 when my band and I played a show in Oxford. While he was currently working towards his master's degree, he was performing as FaceOmeter, a solo DIY folk project. He gave me a CD after the show; I listened to his music and became a big fan of his clever lyrics and original instrumentations... so much so, that Tattersdill and I eventually collaborated...

This week on the podcast, I catch up with my guitarist Mike Russo, who has co-written many of my favorite songs with me, including “Do the Bruce Campbell”, “1984” and “Mike Russo Cut Your Hair” (surprise!). Mike and I reminisce on our thirteen years of friendship, our tour with mc chris, how Napster created a new wave of musicians, and the world of college music booking. Recorded on the eve of our...

Jon Thatcher Longley auditioned to play drums with me shortly after "the Graduate" dropped. He had played in a band with my bassist Rob, and not only did Longley quickly learn the songs, he also had a van in which we could tour and a house at which we crashed between shows in New Jersey. On this episode, we talk about Warped Tour, opening for mc chris, and the true story behind "35 Laurel Drive"....