WORK IN PROGRESS: Conversations with Creators

Albuquerque-based designer Jess Sheeran makes full-body monster and alien costumes, as well as one-of-a-kind stuffed creatures called Cool Critters, which may be purchased at Meow Wolf or through her Etsy shop. Logan recently accompanied Jess on a road trip to Roswell, the UFO capital of New Mexico, where she harvested alien-themed trash for a fashion collection she's putting together for Meow Wol...

Musical theater performer Jackson Murrieta is currently on the road with the touring production of “The Book of Mormon,” his first national tour. Previous credits include “The Sound of Music,” “Into the Woods,” “Mama Mia,” and the lead role of Harold Hill in “The Music Man.”Jackson, an Albuquerque native, talks to Logan about how he got his start in the world of musical theater, what it’s like to...

Ice Cube, a multi-hyphenate international music, film, and sports legend, rose to fame with the rap group N.W.A., then launched a solo career selling tens of millions of albums and co-founded the West Coast supergroup Mount Westmore with Snoop Dogg, E-40, and Too $hort. His latest album, “Man Down,” debuted in the Top 10 on multiple Billboard charts, including Top Rap Albums, and hit #2 on iTunes&...

David Freiberg was a member of the seminal psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane and remained with the group when they reformed as Jefferson Starship, cowriting their hit song "Jane" in 1979. A talented singer and multi-instrumentalist, Freiberg plays guitar, electric bass, keyboards, percussion and viola. In today's episode, he talks about his lifetime in music and the joy of tou...

Legendary “Pope of Trash” John Waters has directed 16 movies, including “Pink Flamingos,” “Female Trouble,” “Polyester,” “Hairspray,” “Cry Baby,” “Serial Mom” and “A Dirty Shame.” Both “Pink Flamingos” and “Hairspray” have been added to the US Library of Congress' National Film Registry. Additionally, Waters has authored 10 books, acted in numerous films and television shows and distinguished hims...

Heidi Kettenring is an award-winning Chicago-based actor and singer who has performed in over 100 productions, including “Wicked,” “Beauty and the Beast” and, most recently, “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical.” In “A Beautiful Noise,” she plays two roles: Diamond’s mother, Rose, as well as the songwriter and music producer Ellie Greenwich, one of Diamond’s most significant collaborators....

Is professional wrestling an art form? Nic Nemeth and Mara Sadé say yes. In today’s episode, these superstar performers from the sports entertainment league TNA (Total Nonstop Action) Wrestling, describe how creative storytelling, emotional expression and masterful choreography are as important to their craft as physical agility and strength. Nemeth, who previously performed as Dolph Ziggler durin...

Santa Fe-based artist Jerry Wellman works in a variety of media, from painting to installation art, to create poetic, open-ended narratives. He is the former head curator at the Los Angeles Institute for Contemporary Art and a co-founder of Axle Contemporary, a mobile art gallery housed in a vintage bread delivery truck. In this episode, Jerry talks with Logan about his extraordinary journey from...

Virgil Ortiz (Cochiti Pueblo) is a contemporary artist who reimagines Pueblo history through the language of science-fiction and Indigenous futurism. Born into the prominent Herrera family of Pueblo potters, he still sources and fires his clay using traditional methods, while simultaneously exploring contemporary fashion design and digital media. This episode begins with a discussion of the hot ai...

Broadway performer Jordan Markus is a triple threat -- exceptionally skilled at singing, acting and dancing alike. He currently plays Michael Jackson in the touring production of "MJ The Musical," a Tony Award-winning bio-musical, which is coming to Albuquerque's Popejoy Hall on Dec. 10. In today's episode, Jordan discusses the more than two-hour-long, dance-heavy show and what he did to prepare f...

New Mexico-based artist John Phillip Abbott makes paintings that operate between reading and seeing. His grids of letters are sometimes interrupted and partly camouflaged by layers of striped patterns and expressive plumes of pigment. In this episode, John talks with Logan about spray paint, mysticism, landscapes, Sun Ra and whether art can heal. If you enjoy our podcasts, please like and subscrib...

Writer, director, stand-up comic and actor Dan Perlman is best known as the co-creator and star of the Showtime comedy series "Flatbush Misdemeanors." In 2025, he directed and starred in the very funny documentary short, "Being Bublé," in which the comedian attempts to become a Michael Bublé impersonator for a wealthy stranger's party, despite having no resemblance to the s...

The multi-talented Adam Nimoy has been an entertainment lawyer, a television director, a teacher, a photographer and a writer. He is also the son of Leonard Nimoy, who played Mr. Spock in the original “Star Trek” television series. In this episode, Adam discusses his 2024 memoir, “The Most Human: Reconciling with My Father, Leonard Nimoy,” which details their often fraught relationship and shared...

Living legend Fred Frith reinvented what a guitar could do. From his early experiments with the band Henry Cow, which he cofounded in 1968, to collaborations with Brian Eno, the Residents, John Zorn, Ikue Mori and countless others, the UK-born musician has produced a wide-ranging catalog of eclectic and influential work, appearing on over 400 recordings. Frith stopped by the studio while in town f...

One of the world’s most celebrated photojournalists, Ed Kashi has dedicated the past 45 years to documenting the social and geopolitical issues that define our era. From capturing life in Northern Ireland during the time of the Troubles to his 30-year project on the Kurdish diaspora to shining a light on Nigeria’s oil workers, Kashi has traveled the world, sometimes at great personal risk, to capt...

Danny Burgos is a Broadway actor who currently stars as Santiago in “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.” Previous roles include Bernardo in “West Side Story” and Gomez Addams in “The Addams Family.” In this episode, Burgos talks about growing up in Hialeah, FL, how he developed his love of musical theater and what his daily life as a touring performer is like. Local audiences can catch him in “Moulin Roug...

Nicolás Lell Benavides is an award-winning classical music composer and 2024-2025 Guggenheim Fellow. His new opera, “Dolores,” which is based on the life of activist Dolores Huerta, will have its New Mexico premiere at the National Hispanic Cultural Center on Sunday, Oct. 26. In this episode, he speaks with Logan about his musical journey, his personal connection to Dolores Huerta and how music ca...

Jon Krieger aka Blackbraid is an acclaimed black metal musician. Born in Mexico with strong Indigenous roots, Krieger talks about bringing an Indigenous perspective to a musical genre most people associate with Scandinavia. He also discusses meeting the controversial Norwegian black metal band Mayhem and teases the possibility of an all-acoustic album. If you enjoy our podcasts, please like and su...

The Library of Congress recently named Arthur Sze as the 25th Poet Laureate of the United States. In this episode, the Santa Fe-based poet discusses his efforts to make poetry accessible through teaching and translation. He also talks about his creative process and influences, including William Carlos Williams, Gary Snyder, Wallace Stevens and the Tang dynasty poets of China. If you enjoy our podc...

Greta Snider is an experimental nonfiction filmmaker who is being honored with a retrospective at No Name Cinema in Santa Fe on Friday, Sept. 26. Snider has used a variety of unconventional techniques over the years, including found footage montage, stereoscopy and hand-painting directly on film negatives. In this episode, she talks to Logan about film as a tool for personal expression, social com...

Michael Gira is the founder of Swans, an influential band that emerged from New York City's No Wave scene in the early 1980s. Michael talks about his early years making music while working as a full-time construction worker and describes how his music has changed over the decades. He also discusses musical influences, from Suicide to Brian Eno to Fela Kuti, and sets the record straight on the orig...

Albuquerque-based photographer Nathaniel Tetsuro Paolinelli is known for his street photographs and portraits that showcase the diverse subcultures that make New Mexico what it is. He says, "Each image I capture reflects my deep connection to the people and places that embody the essence of this extraordinary state." On today's episode, Nathaniel talks to Logan about photographing low-rider enthus...

Emily Trujillo is an eighth-generation Chimayo weaver. She talks to Logan about keeping her ancestral traditions alive while taking the art form in bold, new directions, drawing inspiration from unexpected sources, including K-pop music. She also talks about "Lineage," a contemporary dance piece inspired by her weavings, which was performed at the National Hispanic Cultural Center on Aug...

Tinovimbanashe Sibanda is a London-based choreographer and dancer with a background in musical theater. She recently choreographed the Santa Fe Opera's production of Richard Wagner's "Die Walkure," which was directed by fellow Londoner, Melly Still. In this lively conversation, Tino speaks with Logan about her collaborative creative process and challenges she's overcome in he...

Kate Rusek is an artist based in New York City who transforms discarded materials, such as aluminum blinds, into highly tactile organic forms. She recently completed a monumental public art installation, "Desert Fungal Emergence," at Art City in Tucumcari, NM, where she was an artist in residence. In this episode, she talks to Logan about the ecological ideas that inform her work and wha...