Talkhouse Podcast

Talkhouse Podcast Network
  • 4.3 (143)
  • Music Interviews
  • Updated Weekly

Your favorite musicians, filmmakers, and other creative minds one-on-one. No moderator, no script, no typical questions. The Talkhouse Podcast offers unique insights into creative work from all genres and generations. Explore more illuminating shows on the Talkhouse Podcast Network.

  1. Sook-Yin Lee with John Cameron Mitchell

    1h ago

    Sook-Yin Lee with John Cameron Mitchell

    On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast we’ve got a couple of old friends who are both multi-hyphenates: film directors, actors, writers, musicians, and perhaps most importantly, opinionated rabble-rousers who’ve spent decades pushing at the edges of culture—especially sexual politics—and gleefully widening its scope. It’s John Cameron Mitchell and Sook-Yin Lee. Mitchell is perhaps best known for co-writing and starring in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the late-'90s stage musical that became a cult-classic movie. It was the beginning of a career that has championed queerness and otherness, pushing those things into a mainstream that has sometimes been welcoming, but most times not so much. He followed Hedwig with Shortbus, whose frank depictions of sexuality were probably a little too intense for wider audiences. Mitchell has also done really interesting work as an actor in other people’s projects, including playing Tiger King Joe Exotic in a miniseries not too long ago. As you’ll hear in this chat, he’s working on a project about Alan Ginsberg in 1968, a time that should be more distant than it feels like at the moment. Mitchell is heading out on a Hedwig anniversary tour that will include screenings of the film plus live performance and conversation; check out hedwig25.com for info. The other half of today’s chat, Sook-Yin Lee, met Mitchell way back when, as you’ll hear, when she auditioned for him—sort of. She had roles in both Hedwig and Shortbus, but has also lived other lives as a TV presenter in Canada and a prolific film director. For the past couple of years she’s taken her latest film, Paying For It, straight to audiences along with her friend Chester Brown, whose graphic novel is the film’s basis. It’s a comedy about a couple that opens their relationship, and one of them decides to experiment by paying for sex. You can stream it most anywhere now, but that’s not all Lee has been up to: She just released a new album of catchy, skewed electro-pop called 72RHR. Check out the song “A Hollow” right here. In this funny, fiery conversation, Mitchell and Lee talk about their early days together, about Alan Ginsberg and how the times he lived through don’t seem to be over, about Mitchell’s adopted New Orleans home, the power of art and lots more. Enjoy. 0:00 — Intro 2:39 — Start of Conversation 3:13 — On celebrating Pride, and Allen Ginsberg 5:34 — On their first collaborations, why their earlier projects couldn’t be made in today’s climate and industry, and branching out with new projects 10:43 — On promoting their latest film collaboration, "Paying For It" 13:11 — On their musical backgrounds and finding inspiration from different styles and genres of art 14:10 — On up-and-coming cities and scenes for artists, marginalized communities, and progressive and punk cultures 16:57 — Comparing and contrasting modern times and today’s art to 1968 18:42 — On making a living as an artist, funding for the arts, and affordability 20:23 — On art movements in small regions, and protecting DIY art spaces, and regional culture in New Orleans 22:03 — On promoting “Paying For It” in the US 23:36 — On the frustrations of a digital world, and building connection and attention spans 25:27 — On doing screenings and gigs for the 25th anniversary of “Hedvig,” and screening “Short Bus” 26:13 — On using art to bring people together again to re-connect to reality 28:58 — On fighting ICE and data centers, and uniting over shared issues 31:46 — On using technology to connect, and young peoples’ changing identities 34:23 — On how young people are creating DIY art, and the tools that make art more accessible for creators 38:13 — On the connections between punk culture, art distribution, and resistance 42:29 — On AIDS activism and “applied punk” within the queer community 44:03 — Where you can find their work Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast and thanks to Sook-Yin Lee and John Cameron Mitchell for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out all the other great shows in our network. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time! Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠. Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more. Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠.

    47 min

  2. 2d ago

    Nobody's Ever Asked Me That: Zia Anger

    On the latest episode Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That, Nick Dawson sits down with the brilliant and innovative filmmaker Zia Anger, the creative force behind the 2024 feature My First Film and the legendary live multimedia show of the same name. Over the course of their conversation, Nick and Zia touch on such topics as the problems of being ahead of your time, how Justin Bieber’s recent Coachella show followed in Zia’s footsteps, the remarkable series of “Take It to the Limit” parties she attended as a college student, the dreams she has that Jung would have a field day with, what she would do during a nuclear holocaust, and much more. Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That now has a Substack, so head there to check out all of our past episodes, plus subscribe to get access to exclusive audio and video content!

    48 min
  3. Barry Johnson (Joyce Manor) with Greg Mendez

    May 28

    Barry Johnson (Joyce Manor) with Greg Mendez

    On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast, we’ve got a couple of friends who swim in the same punk-inspired scenes but whose musics are pretty different: Barry Johnson and Greg Mendez. Johnson is the singer and guitarist for Joyce Manor, the pop-punk/emo/indie-rock/something-something band that’s been blasting out short, to-the-point songs for nearly two decades. There’s something perfectly economical about everything the band does: Their records often clock in at under 20 minutes, so there’s no fat or filler to be found. The latest is being hailed as their best, which is saying something for a band whose chosen genre rarely seems to age well—something Johnson laughs about in this chat. The album is called I Used to Go to This Bar, and it was produced by Bad Religion’s Brett Gurewitz. Check out the song “I Know Where Mark Chen Lives” right here. The other half of today’s conversation, Greg Mendez, takes a Spartan approach to songwriting as well, but his songs are much more quiet and reflective—you’ll definitely hear Elliott Smith vibes on his new album, Beauty Land. Mendez has actually been making music nearly as long as Joyce Manor, but their shyness didn’t really push through into wider view until a self-titled album in 2023. Now he’s ready to take the next leap—this new record is on the Dead Oceans label, which has released records by like-minded souls Phoebe Bridgers, Japanese Breakfast, and Bright Eyes. Check out the song “Gentle Love” from Beauty Land right here. In this conversation, Mendez and Johnson talk about how they first met, about the ups and downs of sequencing an album, and about doing the stream-of-consciousness creative practice called “morning pages,” where you just write whatever pops into your head. Johnson doesn’t want you to see his pages, and you’ll find out why. Enjoy. 0:00 — Intro 2:47 — Start of Conversation 5:16 — On sequencing records 7:58 — On releasing new music and planning modern album rollouts 9:20 — On the benefits of slower rollouts and appreciating singles 10:58 — On how they became friends 13:52 — On living in New York, and midlife crises 15:42 — On surfing, skating, and Long Beach 19:50 — On discovering punk through skating culture 20:28 — On touring’s impact on creativity, and finding inspiration from other musicians 23:08 — On overcoming writer’s block, exercising your creativity with age, “morning pages,” and Kurt Cobain’s diary 32:21 — On upcoming tour plans and keeping audiences’ attention while playing solo 34:14 — On seeing musicians transfix an audience, getting emotional at concerts, and live versions of songs Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Barry Johnson and Greg Mendez for a great chat. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out all the great stuff at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time! Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠. Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more. Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠.

    40 min

  4. May 26

    Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That: Tatiana Maslany

    On the first episode of the new season of Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That, host Nick Dawson sits down with Emmy-winning actor Tatiana Maslany, whose new thriller series Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed is now streaming on Apple TV. In wide-ranging conversation, the two talk about how she fell in love her husband over FaceTime, her very unconventional way of turning up for auditions, why she falls asleep thinking about coffee, the hardest time she’s ever had on a movie set, her love of taking COVID tests, and much more. Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That now has a Substack, so head there to check out all of our past episodes, plus subscribe to get access to exclusive audio and video content!

    50 min
  5. Revisited: Steve Albini with Jerry Casale (Devo)

    May 21

    Revisited: Steve Albini with Jerry Casale (Devo)

    Hey Talkhouse listeners, this week, I'm throwing you a rerun from a while back, but whose wisdom hasn't dimmed since 2018 when it was recorded. It's a great conversation between Steve Albini and Devo's Jerry Casale that was captured backstage at the Desert Days Festival. I grabbed this one from the archive because we recently passed the 2nd anniversary of Albini's untimely death, and there was a great Rolling Stone piece about his legacy that got me thinking. He was a very smart, sometimes controversial guy, always opinionated, but always thoughtful. Check it out and we'll see you with a new episode next week. —Josh Modell, Host of the Talkhouse Podcast  The Talkhouse Podcast recently headed out to the fantastic Desert Daze festival at Moreno Beach at Lake Perris in Southern California. When we weren't catching sets by Tame Impala, King Gizzard, and My Bloody Valentine, we recorded a trio of great talks; this week, we present the first. When I saw that both Steve Albini and Devo's Jerry Casale were going to be at Desert Daze giving talks, I knew we had to pair these two icons of alternative music. They're big fans of each other's work, and halfway through their conversation, Steve said, “This is the sort of stuff no one ever talks about. These are the questions I’ve had for 30 years.” Their fascinating talk takes in the beginning years of Devo’s existence; their complex relationship with Neil Young; Brian Eno’s proclivity for ménage à trois; the differences between poker and making records; and how the name Devo became a category alongside jocks, squares and nerds. Subscribe now to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast. —Elia Einhorn, Talkhouse Podcast host and producer 0:00 — Intro 1:01 — Start of the chat  1:14 — Introductions, names, and local sports  3:50 — On Devo straddling genres, their connection to Neil Young, and punk rock  8:14 — On the orthodoxy of punk rock culture, and reactions to politics and power structures  15:17 — On Devo’s connection to the experimental and underground scene 17:58 — On lying to club owners to book shows in the '70s  19:13 — On promoting Devo’s first albums, and Stiff Records  22:44 — On working with Brian Eno, their first major record deal, and meeting David Bowie  27:41 — On Devo controlling and developing their own sound  29:04 — On making “non-functional” experimental music versus dance music, and the role of taste in producing and creating  31:58 — On studio musicians working across genres  35:56 — On being compelled to create original art, regrets, and the paradox of the mainstream record industry  39:17 — On playing poker, and the psychological relationship between poker and creative personas  45:55 — On being an outsider, and Devo becoming “a badge of courage”  This episode was recorded by Keenan Kush at Desert Daze. It was co-produced by Mark Yoshizumi. The Talkhouse Podcast’s theme song was composed and performed by The Range. Big thanks to Desert Daze for hosting the Talkhouse Podcast. Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠. Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more. Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠.

    50 min
  6. Lido Pimienta with Ora Cogan

    May 14

    Lido Pimienta with Ora Cogan

    On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast we’ve got a pair of songwriters who currently call Canada home, but whose music and backgrounds come from intriguingly different places: Lido Pimienta and Ora Cogan. Lido Pimienta is an incredibly thoughtful, thoroughly outspoken musician/artist who was born in Colombia and whose music takes inspiration from there and a dozen other places. She released her first record in 2010, but it was 2016’s experimental-leaning La Papessa that won her both the prestigious Polaris Music Prize and a bigger batch of listeners inspired by her activism and genre-jumping. The laziest comparison might be Björk, so take that for what it’s worth. Pimienta’s latest album is last year’s stirring, strange, and gorgeous La Belleza. Check out the minimal song “Mango” right here. The music made by the other person in today’s conversation, Ora Cogan, comes from a different sonic place but I think a similar emotional one. Cogan’s new album Hard Hearted Woman takes old-school West Coast singer-songwriter vibes and adds a bit of modern indie-psych edge. I hear influences like Joni Mitchell and Sharon van Etten bubbling under, but there’s something a little darker happening in Cogan’s songs that’s hard to put a finger on but a pleasure to hear. She’s finishing up a West Coast US tour at the moment that will end back home in British Columbia, so check her out if you can, and in the meantime, check out the song “The Smoke” from Hard Hearted Woman right here. In this lively conversation, Pimienta and Cogan talk about coffee, Canada, and Pimienta’s recent career reset. They also talk about the increasing difficulties of making art in the modern economy, something we’ve heard from other guests recently as well. But they don’t let it get them down—enjoy this chat and their positive energy. 0:00 — Intro 2:46 — Start of conversation 3:29 — On coffee, productivity, fast food, and sugar 6:40 — On “road snacks” and favorite foods while touring abroad 8:00 — On fiddling and Irish and Scottish folk music 10:04 — On safety while crossing borders and making tour travel plans 10:53 — On the importance of music, creativity, and connection today 14:18 — On the contrast between spirituality and the music business 17:23 — On fame and realistic expectations for musicians 21:36 — On Lida’s music and how her culture influenced her style 26:13 — On finding connection through art, beauty, and sharing culture 28:20 — On authenticity and gatekeeping in art 29:43 — On the connections between wealth, commercialization, and the importance of real art and experience 31:46 — On raising children in a consumerist world, and introducing them to art and culture Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Lido Pimienta and Ora Cogan for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out all the great chats and writing and Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time! Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠. Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more. Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠.

    37 min
  7. Mei Semones with John Roseboro

    May 7

    Mei Semones with John Roseboro

    This week’s Talkhouse Podcast features a conversation between two ridiculously talented young songwriter/guitarists in the early days of what will surely be interesting careers: Mei Semones and John Roseboro. Semones famously found her passion for guitar by watching the “Johnny B. Goode” scene in Back to the Future, which led her to music school and the kind of genre-spanning passion that feels refreshingly unfiltered. Sometimes she’ll play delicate, jazz-inflected acoustic songs while singing in Japanese; the next minute it’s more familiar indie-pop that adds a bit of bossa nova or some shredding. The fact that it doesn’t make sense is what makes it make sense, if you get what I mean. Semones was a big hit at this year’s experimental-leaning Big Ears Festival, and she’s also got a big social media following—that’s an odd crossover, or at least I think it is. Next week she’ll open a string of shows for American Football on the west coast before heading down to charm Australia. Her first full-length was last year’s Animaru, and she followed it recently with an EP called Kurage, which includes a song made with today’s other guest, John Roseboro. Roseboro has called his music “post-Bossa Nova” or sometimes just “post-Bossa,” but that only tells part of the story. He’s a thoughtful, observant lyricist who’s great at building a vibe and then taking it to unexpected places. Like Semones, he lives in Brooklyn, though he ended up there via a strange route that took him to mortuary school and some time among the Amish. His latest full-length is 2024’s Fools, but since then he’s released a charming cover of the classic “Close To You” that removes a lot of the cheese associated with various other versions over the years. He also collaborated with Semones on a track from her EP that recounts a story of his lost tooth and a meeting on a subway platform. Check out that song, “Tooth Fairy,” right here. In this charming, relentlessly laid-back conversation, Semones and Roseboro—who are good friends, as you’ll be able to tell—hit each other with questions that lead everywhere from what food they like on the road to the magic of music. Succumb to their rhythm and enjoy the conversation. 0:00 — Intro 2:28 — Start of conversation 2:50 — If you could be an animal, what would you be? 4:19 — On traveling and finding a home base 5:50 — What do you think about while performing? 8:15 — On noticing the audience at shows, and hecklers 10:10 — On favorite types of food, and go-to deli orders 12:46 — On what makes a good song & lyrics 16:29 — On underrated songs they’ve made 18:40 — On dreams and dream imagery 20:38 — On Nerd Clusters, snacks, and drinks on rider requests 22:03 — On favorite sports 22:40 — Have you ever been in a fight? 24:49 — On favorite seasons and months 25:13 — On the differences between touring and recording 27:56 — On sleeping 28:55 — On subtlety Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Mei Semones and John Roseboro for chatting. If you like what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform and check out all the great stuff at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan and the Talkhouse theme was composed and performed by the Range. See you next time! Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠. Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more. Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠.

    34 min
  8. Bill Callahan with Michael Imperioli

    Apr 30

    Bill Callahan with Michael Imperioli

    On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast, we’ve got an interesting pairing—two guys that hadn’t met before, and who come from different parts of the arts world, and who are both pretty damn great at their jobs. It’s Bill Callahan and Michael Imperioli. Bill Callahan made music under the name Smog for about 15 years, releasing an incredible catalog of gorgeous, mostly minimal, often wandering songs delivered in his unmistakable baritone. He’s one of the most profound lyricists of the past 30 years, crafting careful little worlds that are often funny and heartbreaking at the same time. In 2005, he dropped the Smog moniker and started releasing records under his own name, but there’s no obvious break in the continuity. It’s a fantastic body of work and you can start almost anywhere: I’d recommend 1999’s Knock Knock as an entry point, or maybe 2007’s A River Ain’t Too Much Too Love, which comes up in this chat. But you could just as easily jump in with Callahan’s fantastic new one, My Days of 58, which was finished after a scary cancer battle. In spite of that—or maybe because of it—it’s one of Callahan’s most relaxed and charming ever. Check out “Why Do Men Sing” right here. Today’s other guest is instantly recognizable to fans of The Sopranos as Christopher Moltisanti, the tragic character that surely wouldn’t have been nearly as indelible without Michael Imperioli’s genius-level portrayal. You’ve seen him in a million other things, too, from Goodfellas to Summer of Sam—which he also co-wrote—to The White Lotus. What perhaps you didn’t know about Imperioli is that he’s also a musician. He’s the singer/guitarist in a band called ZOPA, which plays catchy, straight-ahead rock that sounds deeply rooted in New York City, which Imperioli still calls home. He also wrote a novel, which comes up in this chat with Callahan, and he’s a practicing Buddhist, another topic of conversation. Even though Callahan and Imperioli didn’t know each other, they were clearly fans of each other’s work. In this chill chat, Michael tells Bill about the exact moment he first heard one of his songs. They also get into Bill’s health scare and how it inspired his new record, Michael’s kids and what they’re up to, and there’s a lot of talk about Lou Reed—a guy that inspired them both. Enjoy. 0:00 — Intro 2:35 — Living in Austin & New York 3:34 — On Bill’s new record and discovering Smog’s past work 5:03 — On birthdays and the Chinese Zodiac 6:34 — On cancer and writing the new album, My Days of 58 8:33 — On Michael’s novel, fiction, and inspiration 10:47 — On practicing Buddhism, reincarnation, and monks 16:03 — On raising kids and their musical talents 19:07 — On AI and why human emotion matters in art and work 25:10 — On playing instruments and recording musicians 29:08 — On knowing Lou Reed, and his inspirations 34:35 — On Bill’s upcoming tour, and favorite guitars Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast and thanks to Bill Callahan and Michael Imperioli for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform and check out all the great stuff we’ve got going at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time! Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠. Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more. Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠.

    42 min
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Your favorite musicians, filmmakers, and other creative minds one-on-one. No moderator, no script, no typical questions. The Talkhouse Podcast offers unique insights into creative work from all genres and generations. Explore more illuminating shows on the Talkhouse Podcast Network.

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