A talk with musician Azita Youssefi about the transition from visual to musical art, the Chicago scene, and more. Listen to Azita’s music here.
Theme music, forever, by Bill MacKay.
Subscribe at Apple or the other usual places.
Max Samarov
A talk with Max Samarov about Israel, California, metal music, and other matters. Learn more about Max here.
Theme music, forever, by Bill MacKay.
Subscribe at Apple or the other usual places.
Alicia Martinez
A talk with forensics student and former mixologist Alicia Martinez. Follow her on Instagram (if she lets you.)
Music today, tomorrow, and the days after that by Bill MacKay.
Subscribe at Apple or the other usual places.
Keefe Jackson
A talk with jazz musician Keefe Jackson. We discuss his youth in an Arkansas college town, the switch from cello to saxophone, his move to Chicago, and more. Catch his gigs or buy a record at his site.
Theme music by Bill MacKay, as ever.
Sam Wagster
A talk with musician Sam Wagster about growing up in Texas, studying film and writing, and playing in bands. Listen to Mute Duo, The Father Costume, Anatomy of Habit, but also enjoy Wagster’s work with The Cairo Gang, Azita, and countless others.
Theme music by Bill MacKay, as ever.
Mick Collins
A talk with musician and aspiring linguist Mick Collins about the Dirtbombs, the Gories, the Wolfmanhattan Project, and inventing his own language. Follow Collins on Twitter and listen to all his music you can find.
Theme music by Bill MacKay.
Brian Case
A talk with musician and graphic designer Brian Case about coming from St. Louis to Chicago, getting into the music scene, and about just keeping going. Check out his current band, FACS, as well as his solo work, and his old band, Disappears.
Theme music—as if you needed to ask—by Bill MacKay.
Scott McClanahan
A talk with writer Scott McClanahan about Robert Mitchum, writing, music, and more. Get his books here and here and read my review of The Sarah Book.
Music now and always by Bill MacKay.
Matt Lux
A talk with bassist extraordinaire Matt Lux. Check out his Communication Arts Quartet, Isotope 217, and KVL.
Theme music forever by Bill MacKay.
A Few Readings
I read excerpts from several books.
00:00 from The Little Prince by Antoine Saint-Exupery
02:37 chapter 57 of Moby Dick by Herman Melville
10:00 from I’m Losing You by Bruce Wagner
14:58 from A Fan’s Notes by Frederick Exley
Tom Shannon
A talk with musician Tom Shannon about Cheater Slicks, about Boston, Columbus, his long career in music, and much more. If you don’t know Cheater Slicks music, start here.
Theme music by Bill MacKay, as ever.
Laura Park
A talk with cartoonist Laura Park about moving to France, living in Chicago, quitting art school, how everyone should love dogs, and a lot more. You can also find her on Instagram.
Theme music by Bill MacKay, as ever.
Leor Galil
A talk with music writer Leor Galil about studying at Brandeis, getting into music, and ending up at the Chicago Reader.
Theme music, now and always, by Bill MacKay.
Three by Denis Johnson
I read three chapters from Denis Johnson’s “The Largesse of the Sea Maiden”.
Marc Fischer
A talk with Marc Fischer about his many varied activities. For more, start here and here.
Theme music, forever, by Bill MacKay.
Tobias Carroll
A talk with the writer Tobias Carroll about the publication of his new novel, Ex-Members (Astrophil Press), New Jersey, punk bands, Vol.1 Brooklyn, et al. Learn more about Carroll here and read my review of his book.
Theme music, as ever, by Bill MacKay.
Lindsay Hunter
A talk with writer Lindsay Hunter about Florida, podcasting, being okay with not becoming Claire Danes, and more.
Get her books and follow her on Twitter.
Music today, tomorrow, and the days after that by Bill MacKay.
Sonia Weiner
A talk with writer and professor Sonia Weiner. We discuss migratory literature, the time she wrote about me, her family’s move from the US to Israel, and more. More about her here.
Theme music today, tomorrow, and all the other tomorrows by Bill MacKay.
Sam Pink
A talk with writer and artist Sam Pink. Before we talk, I read Pink’s story. “Move in With Me”. Follow Pink on Twitter and Instagram.
Episode art by Sam Pink. Theme music forever by Bill MacKay.
Jonathan van Herik
A talk with musician Jonathan van Herik about Wicker Park in the 90s, being in bands like Joan of Arc, Boas, Disappears, and Facs, self-doubt, and a whole lot more. Follow van Herik on Instagram.
Theme music, eternally, by Bill MacKay.
Gint Aras
A talk with writer Gint Aras. Learn more about him at his site and read my review of The Fugue .
Theme music, forever, by Bill MacKay.
Subscribe at Apple or the other usual places.
Kathleen Rooney
A talk with Chicago writer Kathleen Rooney. We discuss teaching, competing generations, and our bizarre cultural moment. Learn more about Rooney at her site, the press she co-runs, and her poetry-typing concern.
Theme music by Bill MacKay, natch.
Rick Rizzo
A talk with Rick Rizzo of Eleventh Dream Day about his music career, teaching, working for AC Nielson, collecting records, and a whole lot more. Buy Eleventh Dream Day albums on Bandcamp and follow them on Instagram.
Theme music by Bill MacKay, of course.
Kat Sachs
A talk with film writer Kat Sachs. We discuss how her love of cinema was born at drive-ins in Ohio, auteur theory, our odd cultural moment, and more. Learn more about Sachs at Cinefile and the Chicago Reader. Read her great essay on Jane Campion too.
Theme music by Bill MacKay, as ever.
Emmett Kelly
A talk with musician Emmett Kelly about Chicago, LA, art, the state of the recording industry, and much more.
Check out Kelly’s cassette label and his old band, the Cairo Gang. Kelly also plays with Will Oldham, Ty Segall, and many others.
Theme music by Bill MacKay.