DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley

Dennis Hensley
  • 4.8 (97)
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"A podcast about making things up and making things happen." L.A.-based writer-performer Dennis Hensley believes that art and creativity make the world go around and make life worth living. Each week, he interviews a different creative person each about what they do, why they do it, and how they manage the ups and downs of a creative life. Some guests are famous, some are less so...all are what Dennis describes as "beautiful strugglers." Past guests have included authors, actors, photographers, musicians, screenwriters, acrobats and one visual artist who makes cartoons centered around dead houseflies.

  1. 6D AGO

    Author Jon Imparato (The Good Inside the Grief): "You Gotta Let Things Fall Away"

    Dennis is joined via Zoom by author Jon Imparato to talk about his new memoir The Good Inside the Grief, in which he writes about everything from his Catholic childhood to his challenging relationship with his father to volunteering to man the shaving cart and shaving AIDS patients at the height of the pandemic. Jon also talks about the moving and surprising reactions he's gotten to it so far and what it was like to write about such difficult topics as losing three lovers to AIDS, having two difficult heart-to-hearts with his father 45 years apart and getting sexually assaulted by a guy he met in acting class at 19. He also writes about working with gay youth at the LA LGBT Center, teaching writing to queer seniors at Triangle Square in LA and discovering the magic of being in "vagina world" when he booked Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues as his first big show as Director of the Cultural Arts Department of the Center in the late 90's. Other topics include: why he used to call people for two rings and then hang up, the pleasure of Sunday Sauce, befriending a Canadian soldier while traveling in Bali and having it change his life forever, the wisdom of Betty White and a psychic Stevie Nicks story that will blow your mind. https://www.jonimparatowriter.com/

    1h 14m

  2. JAN 8

    Writer Bob Merrick (Magnificent Obsession on Substack): "Madonna Was My Mother & Debbie Gibson Was My Older Sister"

    In this episode, Dennis is joined via Zoom by his friend Bob Merrick who pens the Substack newsletter Magnificent Obsession where shares sweet, sassy and occasional sad stories about everything from his tumultuous childhood and family life, his wide circle of friends and his star-studded misadventures in Hollywood. Bob talks about why he started writing the newsletter, how people have been reacting to it and how it's helped him process some of the more thorny parts of his life. He also shares lots of fun celeb stories, from working in the production office of the Tom Hanks film Cast Away to meeting NSync at the height of their fame and becoming close friends with Lance Bass to appearing in one of exercise icon Richard Simmons' Sweating to the Oldies workout videos...and maybe getting paid for it. Other topics include: how pop culture gave Bob an escape growing up, the importance of forgiveness, Dennis and Bob's first meeting in 2000 and that time Bob got to play foosball on Joey and Chandler's foosball table on the Friends set after hours.

    1h 14m

  3. 12/31/2025

    Dennis Hensley In Conversation with Anna David on the Behind the Book Cover Podcast

    For this final episode of the year, Dennis flips the script and appears as a guest on the Behind the Book Cover podcast hosted by his friend and past Dennis Anyone guest Anna David. He also weighs in on the miracle that is Heated Rivalry during the So This Happened segment at the end of the episode. Here are the official show notes Anna wrote about the episode: Dennis Hensley was the very first real writer I ever knew—back when getting a book published felt like spotting a unicorn in 1990s LA.His debut novel Misadventures in the (213) came out in 1998, and I thought it was the coolest thing imaginable. Years later, we'd find ourselves sweating through Ben Allen's dance classes together, proving that creative people really do wear all the hats. Dennis has written for everyone from Joan Rivers to Wondery podcasts, created party games and somehow made more money dancing in commercials than writing this year. Our conversation (recorded the day before his 61st birthday) goes deep on resilience, disappointment and figuring out how to keep creating when the scoreboard stops making sense. Topics Discussed: The 1990s writing gold rush: When Gen X believed you could actually make a living as a writer, gift bags overflowed at parties. and  magazines paid $1 per word Breaking in: How an audition rejection for Madonna's Blonde Ambition tour became Dennis's first published article, leading to gigs at Movieline, Detour and beyond Writing for free (for three years): The unglamorous hustle behind Misadventures in the (213), including interviewing Carrie Fisher in her bed and scoring a gym membership through barter  The 2013 Fashion Police strike: How standing up for freelance writers' pay during the Writers Guild organizing effort traumatized Dennis, cost him his best friend/roommate and triggered a health crisis that changed everything Rehab for disappointment: Dennis's raw account of hospitalization, thinking he'd "die of disappointment" and the long road through somatic therapy, meditation and redefining success Changing how you keep score: Why tracking wins vs. losses will destroy you, and how Dennis learned to measure creative life by "who I'm being" rather than what he's getting The game that almost was: Pitching "You Don't Know My Life!" to Jason Bateman's production company, feeling good about the pitches, getting rejected—and being sad for only five seconds "Everything is impossible, so anything is possible": Life lessons from artist Stephanie Elizondo Griest and why trying matters more than outcomes Dancing pays better than writing: How Dennis made more money this year from Vegas commercials than his writing career, and why he's okay with that Mentioned: Misadventures in the (213) and Screening Party books Rob Weisbach, Detour, Movieline, Fashion Police "You Don't Know My Life!" party game Podcasts: Dennis, Anyone? and Dennis Hensley's Happy and Gay Ben Allen's Group Three dance class (RIP the Thriller flash mob)

    55 min

  4. 12/25/2025

    Visual Artist Nino Alicea (Got Framed, Atabey's Treasure): "My Favorite Part Is When You See People Enjoying It"

    In this episode, Dennis is joined via Zoom by visual artist & production designer Nino Alicea whose larger-than-life installations Got Framed and Atebay's Treasure are currently on display in San Francisco's Embarcadero as part of the city's year-long Big Art Loop initiative. Nino talks about the inspiration for both pieces. Got Framed, with it's 91 roses, is inspired by his grandmother Rosamelia and Atabey's Treasure is a tribute to Nino's homeland of Puerto Rico and the challenges it face after Hurricane Maria. Both pieces, as well as several others, were initially created for Burning Man, where Nino has mounted several pieces over the last decade. Nino talks about the moment over ten years ago where, after a week at Burning Man, he pledged to himself that he would have an installation at next year's festival, even though he had little idea how he would pull that off. With the help of a small army of fellow artisans and at least on engineer, he did it...and he's been going back every year. Nino also talks about getting to create props for Ricky Martin's "All In" Las Vegas residency and world tour and how that opportunity came because he was in the right place at the right time and "just said yes" when the possibility was suggested to him. Other topics include: that time he spent a month making over a hurricane-damaged basketball court in Puerto Rico, the steps one must take to get a piece into Burning Man, why the best part of his work is all the people he gets to work with, that "Oh shit" moment at Burning Man when he realized he didn't have enough screws, how he used recycled pizza tins for the fish gills on Atabey's Treasure and that time Nino went viral with a comedic video sketch in a stage show Dennis co-hostened that would probably get them both cancelled today. www.leaveittonino.com

    1h 16m
  5. 2025 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Part 2 w/ Scott Williams & Cam Clarke

    12/11/2025

    2025 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Part 2 w/ Scott Williams & Cam Clarke

    In Part 2 of his annual Holiday Gift Guide, Dennis talks to creative entrepreneurs Scott Willams and Cam Clarke. Scott discovered a passion for ceramics during the pandemic and has since launched a side business called SEW Ceramics, based in Cambria, California. His Strata line of clay lamps are his most popular items to date. Each is one-of-a-kind because, as Scott quips, "I couldn't duplicate them if I tried." Scott talks about how getting his hands dirty has served as an escape from the stresses of modern life, the crafty grandmother who inspired his artistic side and how he comes up with cool names for his lamps, like Astra, Flint and Lumen. https://www.sewceramics.com/ Next up is Cam Clarke, the man behind the gorgeous new coffee table book Now They're All Here about The King Family of entertainers, which Cam is a member of. Cam reveals the slightly petty reason he took on the project, the discoveries he made along the way and what having the family's life and career documented in this way has meant to his relatives. He also talks about his career as a performer and voice-over artist (he was the OG voice of Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!) and recalls the moment when he was 6 years-old and demonstrated a flair for the fabulous on live TV. https://camclarke.com/

    1h 9m

  6. 12/06/2025

    2025 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Part 1 w/ Jackie Beat & Brian Gryphon

    In Part 1 of his annual Holiday Gift Guide, Dennis talks to creative entrepreneurs Jackie Beat and Brian Gryphon. First up, is drop dead gorgeous, larger than life, world famous drag superstar Jackie Beat who, earlier this year, happened upon an artistic side-hustle in the most unlikely of places: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market. The discount store was selling 12" by 12" art prints featuring an oddly-hued rainbow over the word "Together." Jackie found the image both tacky and earnest so she bought a bunch of them and turned them into subversive, one-of-kind art pieces that say things like Let's spitroast a twink together, Let's have anonymous sex together, Let's be super gay together, Let's like dogs more than people together and many more. She also takes commissions where she'll put whatever you want on there. E-mail her directly to buy and inquire at MissJackieBeat@gmail.com And to learn about where you can catch her Christmas show, visit: www.missjackiebeat.com Dennis's second guest, Brian Gryphon, is a graphic designer who, among his many creations, has designed a fabulous deck of oracle cards inspired by the pioneering queer musical duo Romanovsky and Phillips. Each hexagon-shaped card features a different R&P lyric, chosen to help you along your way. Brian talks about how he first became a fan of the duo, getting to know them in real life and why their music speaks to him. He also talks about his need to express himself and does so in a way that resonates with Dennis and so many past Dennis Anyone guests. Brian's need to create is something he can't deny, so he often asks himself the question: "I have to create it. Can I be happy with not sharing it?"  To learn more about Brian and order his oracle decks and other offerings, visit www.DigitalGryphon.com

    55 min

  7. 12/03/2025

    Director Maria Friedman (Merrily We Roll Along): It's a Reminder To Call Your Best Friends

    Dennis is joined via Zoom by Maria Friedman director of the Broadway musical Merrily We Roll Along as well as the new filmed version of that Tony-winning stage production (which hits theaters on December 5th). Maria talks about her long history with the Stephen Sondheim musical as both actor and director, the themes that were on her mind as she approached this new version and what it was like to bring out the dark side of the ever-sunny Jonathan Groff. She also responds to the way Dennis experienced the show as a tragedy with Franklin Shepherd as its tragic hero. Other topics include: Daniel Radcliffe's Chaplin-esque appeal, the trouble with the uber rich, as depicted in the play and in modern day America, the idea that it's not too late to reach out to the old friends we've lost touch with and what her friend Stephen Sondheim would think of the show's success and new filmed version.

    37 min

  8. 11/26/2025

    Boots Writer & Producer Greg Cope White: "Believe In The Story You Want To Tell"

    Dennis is joined via Zoom by Greg Cope White to talk about the Netflix series Boots, which is based on Greg's memoir about joining the marines as a young gay man The Pink Marine. Greg talks about the long journey of getting the show on the air, working with his mentor Norman Lear on the project, the thrill of finally having it out in the world and the amazing reactions he's gotten from viewers all over the world. He also talks about working in Hollywood at 65, how wonderful it is to have out gay actors playing the gay characters on Boots, what the show has to say about modern masculinity and how it felt to walk onto the sets, which were painstakingly created to match the real places. Other topics include: ongoing giant poo contests, what his mom thinks of the show and Vera Farmiga's portrayal of her, and the reason he decided to leave the marines after six years and the current status of Season 2.

    1h 15m
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4.8
out of 5
97 Ratings

About

"A podcast about making things up and making things happen." L.A.-based writer-performer Dennis Hensley believes that art and creativity make the world go around and make life worth living. Each week, he interviews a different creative person each about what they do, why they do it, and how they manage the ups and downs of a creative life. Some guests are famous, some are less so...all are what Dennis describes as "beautiful strugglers." Past guests have included authors, actors, photographers, musicians, screenwriters, acrobats and one visual artist who makes cartoons centered around dead houseflies.

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