Sayonara Cupcake

EP44 → World renowned Chef Gaggan Anand joins Sayonara Cupcake for a conversation that moves well beyond the kitchen. WARNING: Gaggan swears a lot, and I'm not bleeping it. If you are offended by language, please be advised. We talk about growing up in India, discovering music through cassettes, pirated tapes, radio recordings, and vinyl, and the artists that left a lasting mark—from Michael Jacks...

EP43 → dr. guy mankowski, psychologist, senior lecturer in creative writing at the university of lincoln, author of several books including how i left the national grid, albion’s secret history, and former lead singer of the band alba nova. he joins me to discuss his eye-opening and at times controversial biography of former hole bassist kristen pfaff…and the remarkable woman behind the music.when...

EP42 → Mitch Wilson & The Art of Leaving Breadcrumbsthis week, mitch wilson returns to the podcast… guitarist, filmmaker, radio host, former no knife member, current mrs. magician touring musician, and one of my favorite people to talk music with…we talk about rediscovering the joy of playing live after years away… joining mrs. magician on tour… learning keyboards under pressure… using a whamm...

EP41 → Brian Holwerda, Blackout Party, Dark Winged Bird & The Weird Roads That Lead Us Back To Art this week, i’m joined by singer-songwriter Brian Holwerda… former Blackout Party frontman, Montana wilderness dweller, fellow music obsessive, and one of the genuinely kind humans to come out of the San Diego music scene…we talk about the old Casbah days… hauling gear through alleyways… “bro-adie...

EP40 → The Nancy Guthrie Case — A Former Detective’s Perspective, Surveillance & Modern Investigations this week, i’m joined by my brother — a former police sergeant and detective with 29 years in law enforcement — and we take a closer look at the nancy guthrie case… this isn’t a news breakdown or play-by-play… it came up because i had a feeling people in this community might have questions, a...

EP39 → LV & Marty: AI, Truth, War, Algorithms & The Illusion of Reality this week, it’s me and marty… and this one goes everywhere… it starts simple… health, routines, getting older… trying to hold onto discipline while the world feels like it’s speeding up… and then pretty quickly… it turns into something bigger…we get into AI… not just what it can do… but how fast it’s moving… making mus...

EP38 → Surveillance, AI, Culture & The Nancy Guthrie Case this week, it’s me and desmond again… and this one starts with the nancy guthrie case — a high-profile disappearance with some real gaps… limited surveillance, missing footage, and a lot that doesn’t quite add up… but that’s really just the entry point… because pretty quickly, it turns into a bigger conversation… about surveillance, pri...

EP37 → AI, Authenticity & Trying to Stay Human This week, it’s me and Desmond — and this one moves between AI, music, culture… and the general weirdness of being human right now… we start with AI… music production, vocal manipulation… what it can do… what it can’t… and the bigger question underneath it all — what even counts as “real” anymore? from there, it expands… AI in everyday life — smar...

EP36 →Travel, Neutrinos, Dreams & Staying (Somewhat) Sane this week it’s me and Desmond — audio engineer / producer / intern / full-time chaos co-pilot — and we go everywhere… wellness, water therapy, time travel paradoxes, neutrinos just casually passing through your body like they pay rent here… dreams that may or may not be exposing us… and how to stay emotionally intact when the news feels...

EP35 →Christopher Cipollini In this episode, I sit down with author and poet Christopher Cipollini for his second appearance on the podcast, as we mark the release of his third book, Pantheon: A Cathedral of the Mind — available November 30 (details on the site). Our conversation moves through the inner architecture of creativity — the quiet alchemy behind making something meaningful, the way our...

EP34 → Music, Memory & the Chaos of Growing Up (and Listening Closely) In this episode, I welcome back Anuj Rajkumar of The Legends of Music — at this point, he’s basically a regular — where he’s built a following of 1.6 million people sharing the music he loves. This conversation was originally recorded in two parts… not for artistic reasons, but because I spent a solid half hour talking into...

EP33 → Curiosity, Memory & the Stories We Carry In this episode, I sit down with a dear friend and archaeologist, Sara Dowds — and we go everywhere… from high school reunions to cranial deformation… yes, seriously… we talk about growing up, the strange pull of nostalgia, and how something as simple as driving with the windows down can still feel like freedom… from there, we drift into nature —...

EP32 → Finding Your Voice in the Noise (with Christopher Cipollini) I discovered poet Christopher Cipollini the way a lot of good things happen now — he left a comment, I got curious, and I clicked… what I found wasn’t just someone writing beautiful words… he was speaking them — consistently, honestly, with heart, grit, and rhythm… so of course, I had to invite him on… what started as a conversati...

EP31 → Science, Spirit & the Space In Between (with Diana Dagaz) In this episode, I sit down with Diana Dagaz — cultural anthropologist and astrologer — someone who comfortably exists in both worlds… science and what many still label as mysticism… we ended up recording for over three hours… and honestly, we could’ve kept going… just two goth girls talking about… everything… we get into astrolo...

EP30 → LV & Damien: Punk Roots, Americana Roads & a Visit from the Secret Service ⚠️ ADVISORY: This episode contains strong language. Not safe for work… or sensitive ears. You’ve been warned. This one’s a ride… Damien @chiodosupply and I go way back — Model Citizen days when I managed his punk rock band , sweaty venues, long nights, shared history… the kind that doesn’t really fade, even w...

EP29 → Music, Community & Bridging Worlds (with Justin Corwin) In this episode, I sit down with Justin Corwin of The Deep Dive — and like most good conversations… we go everywhere… music, storytelling, parenting… and how this whole podcast even came to life in the first place… we talk about building community — especially during the pandemic, when everything felt like it was falling apart… and...

EP28 → Deep Cuts, Tone Chasing & Pumpkins Lore (with BJ Russell) This week, I sit down with BJ Russell — the creator behind @spgeararchive on Instagram and @spguitar on YouTube — best known for his deep-dive guitar breakdowns and tutorials, mostly centered around Smashing Pumpkins tracks… the tones, the gear, the tiny details most people miss… he’s built a serious following of tone sleuths, mu...

EP27 → Nostalgia, Noise & the Way We Experience the World Now This week, it’s me and Desmond — and like most of our conversations… we start somewhere and end up everywhere… we get into public transportation stories (because somehow those are always chaotic)… and from there, it opens into something bigger — nostalgia, music, and how the world used to feel versus how it feels now… we talk about...

EP26 → Parenting, Pressure & Growing Up in a Very Online World This week, it’s me and Desmond — and we cover a lot… because apparently once you start talking about life, it all connects… we get into podcasting first — what it actually takes, the learning curve, and the weird reality of figuring things out as you go… from there, it opens into something bigger — personal growth, shifting perspec...

EP25 → Full Circle: Music, Memory & Reconnection (with Cecilia Nordlund) In this episode, I sit down with Cecilia Nordlund — celebrated Swedish singer, songwriter, and artist — for a conversation that feels… full circle… you may recognize her voice from Fever Ray’s “Keep the Streets Empty for Me,” where she’s credited as a co-writer… but her story runs deep — across multiple projects including...

EP24 → Perspective, Friendship & Making Sense of a Changing World (with Marty & Desmond) In this episode, I’m joined by Desmond — producer / audio engineer / intern — and my longtime best friend, Marty… and one of the things I’ve always valued about Marty is this — we don’t always agree… we see things differently… and that difference gives me perspective… honestly, a lot of the people I ke...

EP23 → Family, Music & the Moments That Bring Us Together (with James Allan of Glasvegas) This one was never supposed to be an episode… it started as a quick 10–15 minute chat so Anuj from The Legends of Music could ask James a couple of questions… and somehow… it turned into a two-hour conversation… and honestly… I’m glad it did… because James isn’t just a guest — he, his wife Molly, his cous...

EP22 → Books, Bite Marks & the Way We Argue About Everything This week, it’s me and Desmond — and somehow we go from skate culture to censorship to dog laws… like a completely normal conversation… we start with skateboarding — the culture, the inclusivity, and how it’s always been this space where people just… show up as they are… then it shifts into books — how kids read now versus how we gre...

EP21 → Vintage Tees, Strange Encounters & the Chaos of Connection This week, it’s me and Desmond — and this one really goes everywhere… we start in Thailand — the little cultural nuances, the things that feel unfamiliar until they don’t… colors, customs, everyday details that say more about a place than any guidebook ever could… then somehow we end up talking about second-hand clothes — where...

EP20 → Animals, Energy & the Bonds We Don’t Fully Understand (…with a small detour into Star Wars… obviously…) This week, it’s me and Desmond — and this one leans heavy into animals… and the connection we have with them that we don’t fully understand… we start with the idea of frequency — energy, vibration… how it shows up in music, in astrology… and whether it’s possible that what we put out...