Matt's Writing DJ Matt Werner

DJ Matt Werner’s exclusive interview with spoken-word artist George Watsky, originally aired on Fresh Air: The Alternative on November 11, 2008.



In this interview, rising hip hop sensation, writer, and performer George Watsky addresses his beef with Michael Cera, and his experiences performing on the Def Poetry Jam, and working with Robert Redford in sustainability. This podcast also features 6 of Watsky's tracks and poems: Lonely Hearts Club, Half Jewish, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Fight! Fight! Fight! (with Dahlak Brathwaite), Run My Mouth, and his Michael Cera diss track.



Also, check out his website http://georgewatsky.com/ for some funny blog entries, like this one: The Whitest, Least Famous person performing at the NAACP Image Awards...

First Rumpus Radio podcast: Interview with K.Flay



What is your pun threshold?



Are you ready for a pun battle between K.Flay and the International Pun Champion, Joe Sabia? Tune in at the 20-minute mark in the interview.

DJ Matt Werner interviews the University of Edinburgh composer about the world premiere of his orchestra piece Love and War on May 25, 2009. Topics discussed in this interview include music theory, Zurawski's battle with ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, the role of illness in art, hill walking in the Scottish Highlands, film music, and his compositions, including Love and War, My Home is in the Mountains, What Life Could Be, and The Journey Towards the Open Sea.

DJ Matt Werner’s interview and feature with post-punk laptop rapper MC Lars was recorded live at The Cathouse in Glasgow on April 15, 2009, and first aired on Fresh Air: The Alternative on May 5, 2009.



In the interview, MC Lars and DJ Matt Werner discuss the songs Guitar Hero Hero, Download This Song, Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock, Hipster Girl, Twenty-Three, Hey There Ophelia, Signing Emo (feat. the Matches), and White Kids Aren't Hyphy (DJ Khaled Remix). Topics also discussed include MC Lars's latest album This Gigantic Robot Kills, Jean Baudrillard's notion of "hyperreality," the rich traditions of punk and hip hop in the Northern California music scene, the suicide of MC Lars's former Stanford roommate, which inspired the song Twenty-Three, and how MC Lars navigates the racial politics of being a white MC. This show features the voice-over talents of Ben Felsing, and also a surprise, but brief, visit from Queen Elizabeth II.



For more on MC Lars, please visit http://www.mclars.com/



You can download this podcast from iTunes by clicking here, or by visiting http://mattswriting.com

DJ Matt Werner’s interview with the hip hop artist and CEO of the Blacksmith Label Talib Kweli was recorded on March 3, 2009, and originally aired on Fresh Air: The Alternative on March 10, 2009.



In the interview, Talib Kweli answers rumors about a future Black Star reunion with Mos Def, and he talks about balancing his role as both an MC and the CEO of the Blacksmith Label, his upcoming second Reflection Eternal album with DJ Hi-Tek, Jean Grae, Strong Arm Steady, his Party Robot album, how he defines himself as an artist, Nina Simone's Four Women, President Barack Obama, the evolution of hip hop, Auto-Tune, and many other exciting topics. The show also features an introduction by Joe Sciarrillo.



A PDF of the transcript of this interview can be downloaded here.



For more on Talib Kweli, please visit http://www.talibkweli.com/and http://www.yearoftheblacksmith.com/

saul-williams



DJ Matt Werner’s award-winning interview with the ground-breaking poet, musician, and actor Saul Williams was recorded on November 21, 2008 and originally aired on Fresh Air: The Alternative on December 9, 2008.



Topics and ideas discussed in the interview include Saul Williams' third album, the Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!, collaborating with Trent Reznor, esoteric religions, William Butler Yeats, poetry as an intuitive artform, what is beyond words, Walt Whitman, how we are so much more than how we are perceived, and Barack Obama. This hour-long phone interview and feature on Saul Williams also features much of his poetry and music, including: Sha Clack Clack, Black Stacey, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Wine, Twice the First Time, Release, Amethyst Rocks, 1987, and Children of the Night.



A PDF transcript by Korin McGinty of this interview can be downloaded here.



For more on Saul Williams, please visit http://saulwilliams.com.