Beginnings

On today's episode, I talk to actress Elina Löwensohn. Originally from Bucharest, Romania, Elina emigrated to the US as a child under somewhat harrowing circumstances. She studied acting and started performing in theater productions in New York and was hired by Hal Hartley after he saw her in play. She starred in a number of his films including Simple Men, Amateur and Flirt, and in the last 30 years, has acted in everything from Schindler's List to Seinfeld to Basquiat to A Very Long Engagement, and this is just a small sampling of her work! Most recently, Elina starred in the excellent experimental sci-fi film After Blue (Dirty Paradise)! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here!  

On today's episode, I talk to musician Damian Abraham. Originally from Toronto, Damian has been playing in punk bands since he was a tween. In 2001, he formed Fucked Up with Mike Haliechuk and has been the lead singer ever since. They've recorded six albums and dozens and dozens of EPs and other recordings on labels like Arts & Crafts, Merge and Matador. Damian is also the host of the interview podcast Turned Out a Punk, which has featured many of the same wonderful guests you've heard on Beginnings. Fucked Up's latest album One Day was just released last week on Merge, and like everything else they do, it's great! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here!

On today's 13th anniversary episode, I talk to Academy Award nominated and Emmy Award winning TV and film writer Terence Winter. Originally from Brooklyn, Terry became a lawyer before giving it all up to move to LA to pursue a career in screenwriting. Starting on shows like Xena: Warrior Princess and sitcoms like Sister, Sister, Terry eventually became a writer for The Sopranos, which he wrote on for most of its run. Since then, he created the wonderful HBO show Boardwalk Empire, wrote the screenplay for The Wolf of Wall Street, and co-created both Vinyl and the new Taylor Sheridan/Sylvester Stallone show Tulsa King, which just wrapped up its first season on Paramount+. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here!

On today's episode, I talk to Eisner and Harvey Award-nominated comics creator Jim Zub. Jim began his comics career making webcomics starting in the early aughts, but it was with his Image book Skullkickers, which allowed him to break through to a wider audience. Since then he's written other creator-owned work for Image like Wayward and Glitterbomb, as well as numerous books for DC and Marvel including most notably The Avengers and Thunderbolts. Speaking of Thunderbolts, Jim is currently writing the latest series of that, as well as a Murderworld miniseries, a Conan series for Titan Comics and much, much more! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode, I talk to musicians Alba Torremocha, Melissa Carter, and Lillie McDonough AKA the band ALMA. Hailing from all over the world, the New York-based trio officially formed in 2019 out of a shared delight in harmonizing and experimentation. Later that year, they were named an NYFA Fellow for their genre-pushing work and the following year, were awarded an Awesome Foundation Grant. Then in 2021, they released their first album MOSAIC to acclaim! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here!

On today's episode I talk to musician and scholar Daniel Wyche. Daniel is a visiting assistant professor in Albion College's religious studies department and a brilliant guitarist - his album Earthwork was one of my favorites in 2021, and after his first appearance on the show back in episode 514, we've become friendly. As a former philosophy professor and current philosophy dilettante, I thought it might be fun to go off-topic-ish for an episode and have an actual PhD on to bounce my well-thought out yet unresearched ideas off of, but mostly to ask: is there a way out of our society's current irrational tailspin??? This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode, I talk to theater and TV director Sheldon Epps. Originally from Compton, CA, Sheldon's decades-long career in entertainment has spanned both the stage and television. He was a co-founder & the associate artistic director of the off-Broadway theater The Production Company, conceived and directed the Duke Ellington musical Play On!, which received three Tony Award nominations, and was the artistic director at the Pasadena Playhouse for two decades. For television, Sheldon has directed episodes of Frasier, Everybody Loves Raymond, Friends, Hannah Montana, Sister, Sister, and many, many more, and he was a producer/director for the hit UPN/CW show Girlfriends. Most recently, just this fall, Sheldon's memoir My Own Directions: A Black Man's Journey in the American Theatre was published - check it out! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode, I talk to comics creator Cliff Chiang. Originally from New Jersey, Cliff wasn't sure of his direction in life, but wanted to give his dream of making comics a try and got an editorial job at DC/Vertigo after college. This led to drawing anthology stories and single issues which led to higher profile gigs on books like Human Target and Wonder Woman. In 2015, Cliff co-created the Eisner Award-winning series Paper Girls with Brian K. Vaughan, which was turned into a canceled-way-too-soon series on Amazon this year, and most recently, he wrote and drew the fantastic miniseries Catwoman: Lonely City, which just wrapped up at the end of October. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode, I talk to actor Breeda Wool. Originally from Urbana, Illinois, Breeda moved to New York City after college to pursue acting, where she did everything from sketch comedy to guerilla theater to acting in indie films. This all led to roles in more mainstream work like Vice Principals, The Affair, GLOW, and The Walking Dead, as well as regular roles on shows like Mr. Mercedes and UnREAL. Breeda is also one of the stars of the new Disney+ show National Treasure: Edge of History, which debuts next Wednesday! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode, I talk to musician Kurt Wagner. Originally from Nashville, TN, Kurt was an artist and musician working a day job. But through the late '80s into the '90s, his band Lambchop began to become popular, assisted in some part by Vic Chesnutt enthusiastically talking about them in the press. Since 1990, Lambchop has released almost 20 albums, most of them on Merge Records, and their latest The Bible, came out at the end of September, and like everything else Kurt makes, it's wonderful! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode, I talk to writer Jerry Stahl. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jerry won a Pushcart Prize early in his writing career before taking a detour into writing erotica and for magazines like Hustler. This led to another detour writing for TV and movies, although "detour" here might be incorrect, considering this has been a large chunk of his professional career. Jerry penned scripts for ALF, Thirtysomething, Moonlighting, Twin Peaks, CSI, Maron, Escape at Dannemora as well as films like Bad Boys II. As an author, Jerry has written a number of incredible books and memoirs including Perv: A Love Story, I, Fatty, Permanent Midnight and his latest Nein, Nein, Nein!: One Man's Tale of Depression, Psychic Torment, and a Bus Tour of the Holocaust. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode, I talk to rapper Homeboy Sandman. Originally from Elmhurst, Queens, Angel Del Villar II AKA Homeboy Sandman started making albums while he was in law school. This led him to leave the judicial path he was on to focus on music, and since 2007, he has recorded over two dozen albums, EPs and mixtapes, including a number of incredible EPs with Aesop Rock. His latest, Still Champion, was just released today - Deca produced it, and it is wonderful! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode, I talk to musician Bill Orcutt. Originally from Miami, Florida, Bill made films and played music in various groups before co-founding the noise rock group Harry Pussy in the early '90s with his then-wife Adris Hoyos. After releasing a number of albums and EPs on labels like Siltbreeze, the group broke up and Bill moved to San Francisco to focus on filmmaking and other endeavors. In 2009, he began making music publicly again, and in the last 13 years, has produced a number of incredible experimental albums. His latest, Music for Four Guitars, was just released back in September, and it's wonderful! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode, I talk to musician Robin Holcomb. Originally from Savannah, Georgia, Robin grew up in the Bay Area and began playing piano when she was six. In 1977, she moved with her partner, composer Wayne Horvitz, to New York City and was one of the foundational members of the NY downtown art scene. Since then, she has composed works for orchestras from Portland to Philly, has been awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts to the League of American Orchestras, and recorded albums for labels from Tzadik to Nonesuch. Her latest album, One Way or Another, vol. 1, was just released on Westerlies Records, and it's great! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode, I talk to artist and musician Tara Jane O'Neil. Tara cut her teeth in the 1990s Louisville music scene as the bassist of the influential post-punk group Rodan. After their breakup in 1994, she moved to New York, where she performed in a number of fantastic bands including Retsin, Ida Retsin Family, The Sonora Pine, and The Naysayer. She's also released over a dozen albums and EPs under her own name on labels like Kranky and K, and as a visual artist, she's been exhibited all over the world. In early November, The Sonora Pine's second album II will be reissued on Ryley Walker's label Husky Pants Records, and I can't recommend it enough! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode, I talk to Dave Kuzy and John Roman of the prolific Pittsburgh band Microwaves. Growing up in and around Pittsburgh, Dave and John formed Microwaves with Zombi's Steve Moore, after John left the brilliant noise rock band The 1985. In the last 20-odd-years, the group has released 10 fantastic albums and EPs and undergone a number of line-up changes, though they are always grounded by John and Dave's presence. Their latest album Discomfiture Atlas invites former vocalists/bassists Steve Moore and Adam MacGregor back, and it's wonderful! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode, I talk to musician Tony Molina. Constantly juggling hardcore and pop projects, veteran Bay Area musician Tony Molina has won over fans in both camps. Since 2002, Tony has played in several bands including Dystrophy, Ovens, Lifetime Problems, Caged Animal, Violent Change, as well as his own solo work which lives somewhere between early Weezer and Guided by Voices. These albums have been released on labels like Matador and Slumberland, and his most recent In the Fade came out in early August on Run for Cover, and it's great! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode, I talk to musician Katy Davidson AKA Dear Nora. Originally from Arizona, Katy has been making music for decades now under the name Dear Nora, starting with the Make You Smile 7" in 2000 on Magic Marker Records. They took a long break from the moniker after 2008's Three States, but picked it up again with 2018's Skulls Example which is one of the best albums Katy's ever recorded. Their new album, Human Features, will be released on Orindal Records at the end of October, and it's fantastic!  This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode, I talk to Eisner Award-winning comics writer Kieron Gillen. Originally from Stafford in the West Midlands of England, Kieron began his writing career as a games journalist, writing for publications like PC Gamer UK, Wired, The Guardian among others. HIs early comics work included a comic strip with Jamie McKelvie, which started their long and celebrated working partnership that led to incredible comics like Phonogram, Young Avengers and The Wicked + The Divine. While Kieron's works are too numerous to name, some of his best knows comics include his Uncanny X-Men run, Die, Star Wars: Darth Vader, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, Loki: Journey Into Mystery, and most currently Eternals, Immortal X-Men and the massive crossover Judgment Day! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode, I talk to musician Laura Veirs. Originally from Colorado Springs, Laura first thought she was going to follow her family into the sciences. However, an artistic life called to her, and in 1999, she released her first, self-titled album. Since then, she has released almost a dozen more albums, become an international success, and recorded with Neko Case and K.D. Lang as case/lang/veirs. Her latest album Found Light was just released this summer on Raven Marching Band! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.