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VINTAGE ANNALS ARCHIVE OUTSIDER PODCAST
VINTAGE ANNALS ARCHIVE PODCAST
We focus here on people and histories considered to be the other or Outsider. Our focus is to explore the uniqueness and individuality of folks and topics thinking and working in non-traditional ways. We also present histories of the past as a roadmap in how to navigate the present. We present a unique form of interview, conversation, and storytelling in an organic manner and focus on art, culture, music, film, comedy, and more.
APPLE PODCAST LINK
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vintage-annals-archive/id1645791721
ANCHOR LINK
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/vaapod
Hosted by:
1) Rich Wexler, photographer and curator of the @vintageannalsarchive Instagram feed.
Based in beautiful West Philadelphia.
https://open.spotify.com/show/03Uw2VBTBPhdSJspGfMjoO
We focus here on people and histories considered to be the other or Outsider. Our focus is to explore the uniqueness and individuality of folks and topics thinking and working in non-traditional ways. We also present histories of the past as a roadmap in how to navigate the present. We present a unique form of interview, conversation, and storytelling in an organic manner and focus on art, culture, music, film, comedy, and more.
APPLE PODCAST LINK
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vintage-annals-archive/id1645791721
ANCHOR LINK
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/vaapod
Hosted by:
1) Rich Wexler, photographer and curator of the @vintageannalsarchive Instagram feed.
Based in beautiful West Philadelphia.
https://open.spotify.com/show/03Uw2VBTBPhdSJspGfMjoO
PODCAST EPISODES
Episodes recorded and released 1-17-23
*Kevin Allison (Risk Podcast/MTV's THE STATE)
Episode 1 and 2
First Episode! Part one of our hilarious, honest and heartfelt conversation with the talented Kevin Allison, host of the popular live show and podcast Risk! where people share uncensored true stories they never thought they'd dare to share. He also talks about his legendary sketch group The State, who made one of my favorite TV shows of all time. Since we talked, Kevin has become a sponsor, advisor and booster of our podcast! Our first ad in this episode is one Kevin made about both his podcast and ours. To say we're honored is a wild understatement. Hosted by photographer Rich Wexler and MC/costumed karaoke host Dr Thunder.
Bio
Kevin Allison is the creator and host of the hit podcast, RISK!, where people tell true stories they never thought they’d dare to share. Since Kevin started the podcast as a DIY passion project from his bedroom in 2009, RISK! has grown to have millions of downloads per month and legions of ardent fans around the world. It has featured incredible true stories from famous folks like Janeane Garofalo, Marc Maron, Aisha Tyler, Trevor Noah, Margaret Cho and more, as well as ordinary people from around the USA and beyond. Slate.com called RISK! “Hilarious, jaw-dropping and just plain touching,” and Rolling Stone named it one of its top podcasts. Kevin is also the founder and lead instructor of The Story Studio, a storytelling school which offers classes around the USA and online, and corporate workshops domestically and internationally. Kevin is also the editor of the book adaptation of RISK!, which features many of the best true stories from the podcast, with an introduction from Kevin. The RISK! book was published by Hachette Books in summer of 2018. As an actor, writer and comedian, Kevin began his career as a founding member of the legendary sketch comedy group, The State, whose cult classic show aired on MTV from 1993-96. More recently, Kevin has appeared in shows such as Reno 911!, Flight of the Conchords, @Midnight, High Maintenance and more. Kevin lives in Brooklyn with his cat, Quincy.
https://kevinallison.net/
https://www.risk-show.com
We will be talking about these photos during the podcast episode
* Stephen Tobolowsky (Glee/Goldbergs)
Episode 3
Prolific actor and storyteller Stephen Tobolowsky tells us amazing stories, teaches us ancient wisdom, not to mention vivisection and briefcases full of penises. StephenTobolowsky.com for his podcast, books, documentaries about him, upcoming movies and lots more! Thanks so much Stephen! Hosted by DJ / costumed karaoke host Dr Thunder, and photographer / VAA Creator Rich Wexler.
Bio
Stephen Tobolowsky is one of the leading character actors today. He has appeared in over 200 movies and television shows. Here is the list: Stephen Tobolowsky at IMDB for credits.
He has played everything from Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day to Sandy Ryerson in Glee. He has appeared almost naked as Stu Beggs on Californication and has worn the same suit for seven years as Principal Earl Ball on The Goldbergs. Stephen currently appears as Dr. Leslie Berkowitz in the new generation remake of Norman Lear's One Day at a Time. Seasons 1-3, at present, are still available on Netflix. PopTV and CBS aired Season 4. Hopes are high for more episodes as soon as safe filming practices can be set in the pandemic era!
Please read here for the One Day at a Time journey.
Stephen has always been a storyteller. In sixth grade he won his school’s storytelling contest and over that summer won the award as best storyteller in the City of Dallas (13 years old and under division.) That impulse led him into writing. He wrote the screenplay for True Stories with David Byrne and Beth Henley.
He wrote and performed his storytelling films Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party and The Primary Instinct.
His labor of love has been The Tobolowsky Files, created with producer David Chen. What began as a behind-the-scenes movie podcast has become a sometimes funny, sometimes compelling portrait of a human life - as described by Miles McNutt here. “The Tobolowsky Files” is available at tobolowskyfiles.com and on Apple Podcasts. Early episodes were also previously broadcast on KUOW 94.9 in Seattle, on WFPL in Louisville, KY and many stations through Public Radio International (PRI). He has two books of stories published by Simon & Schuster: The Dangerous Animals Club and My Adventures with God.
https://stephentobolowsky.com
We reference some of the photos below in this episode.
Prolific actor and storyteller Stephen Tobolowsky tells us amazing stories, teaches us ancient wisdom, not to mention vivisection and briefcases full of penises. StephenTobolowsky.com for his podcast, books, documentaries about him, upcoming movies and lots more! Thanks so much Stephen! Hosted by DJ / costumed karaoke host Dr Thunder, and photographer / VAA Creator Rich Wexler.
Bio
Stephen Tobolowsky is one of the leading character actors today. He has appeared in over 200 movies and television shows. Here is the list: Stephen Tobolowsky at IMDB for credits.
He has played everything from Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day to Sandy Ryerson in Glee. He has appeared almost naked as Stu Beggs on Californication and has worn the same suit for seven years as Principal Earl Ball on The Goldbergs. Stephen currently appears as Dr. Leslie Berkowitz in the new generation remake of Norman Lear's One Day at a Time. Seasons 1-3, at present, are still available on Netflix. PopTV and CBS aired Season 4. Hopes are high for more episodes as soon as safe filming practices can be set in the pandemic era!
Please read here for the One Day at a Time journey.
Stephen has always been a storyteller. In sixth grade he won his school’s storytelling contest and over that summer won the award as best storyteller in the City of Dallas (13 years old and under division.) That impulse led him into writing. He wrote the screenplay for True Stories with David Byrne and Beth Henley.
He wrote and performed his storytelling films Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party and The Primary Instinct.
His labor of love has been The Tobolowsky Files, created with producer David Chen. What began as a behind-the-scenes movie podcast has become a sometimes funny, sometimes compelling portrait of a human life - as described by Miles McNutt here. “The Tobolowsky Files” is available at tobolowskyfiles.com and on Apple Podcasts. Early episodes were also previously broadcast on KUOW 94.9 in Seattle, on WFPL in Louisville, KY and many stations through Public Radio International (PRI). He has two books of stories published by Simon & Schuster: The Dangerous Animals Club and My Adventures with God.
https://stephentobolowsky.com
We reference some of the photos below in this episode.
* The Story Behind "Taste the Biscuit"
Episode 4
The catchy song "Taste The Biscuit" by Toasters 'N' Moose has taken over the internet. Remixes, memes, lip syncs and fan clubs have cropped up since the lounge-y, seductive tune about food exploded on TikTok just a month ago. But the deeper you go into the story behind it, the weirder and funnier it gets.
This week's guests are the talented stars and creator of the movie it's from, Chickens In The Shadows: Estelle Piper, Tom Shaw and Vincent Gargiulo. We had a great time talking to them and hope you'll check out the rest of their truly entertaining work:
EstellePiper.vpweb.com
www.TomShawEntertainment.com
www.VincentGargiulo.com
"It's just a sexy food song, probably written under the influence of eating KFC back in 2009," Gargiulo tells me in an Instagram DM. Piper, whose voice you hear on the track, says that "Vincent wrote Seventies genre songs in several of the styles prevalent then, making them catchy as hell, but just off enough that you see why this fictional duo only had one album and one hit." She remembers that "Taste the Biscuit" achieved standalone meme status after the online success of Chickens in the Shadows, and "was picked up by all kinds of fans who did their own versions or duets on YouTube: hip-hop kids, kids from the Midwest and, for some reason, Phish fans."
The catchy song "Taste The Biscuit" by Toasters 'N' Moose has taken over the internet. Remixes, memes, lip syncs and fan clubs have cropped up since the lounge-y, seductive tune about food exploded on TikTok just a month ago. But the deeper you go into the story behind it, the weirder and funnier it gets.
This week's guests are the talented stars and creator of the movie it's from, Chickens In The Shadows: Estelle Piper, Tom Shaw and Vincent Gargiulo. We had a great time talking to them and hope you'll check out the rest of their truly entertaining work:
EstellePiper.vpweb.com
www.TomShawEntertainment.com
www.VincentGargiulo.com
"It's just a sexy food song, probably written under the influence of eating KFC back in 2009," Gargiulo tells me in an Instagram DM. Piper, whose voice you hear on the track, says that "Vincent wrote Seventies genre songs in several of the styles prevalent then, making them catchy as hell, but just off enough that you see why this fictional duo only had one album and one hit." She remembers that "Taste the Biscuit" achieved standalone meme status after the online success of Chickens in the Shadows, and "was picked up by all kinds of fans who did their own versions or duets on YouTube: hip-hop kids, kids from the Midwest and, for some reason, Phish fans."
* Oscar Montoya (HboMax Minx)
EPISODE 5
Oscar Montoya is an actor, comedian, dancer and podcaster. Rich and I are big fans of his role on the HBO show Minx, whose 2nd season is filming now. He's a regular on College Humor and the Dungeons and Dragons-based show Dimension 20, and he hosts the podcasts Inside The Disney Vault, and Podcast Killed The Video Star.
We talk with Oscar about getting dressed up in authentic 70's clothes, which Muppet he and each of his castmates are, and getting over stage fright by discovering improv. By the end of our talk, I come close to officiating a wedding between him and Rich. Find him @OzzyMo on Instagram and elsewhere.
Bio
Oscar Montoya is an actor, comedian, and hip hop dancer living in Los Angeles. He was born in a small town in Colombia and lived in New York for a spell, where he was a performer and a faculty member in both the Magnet Theater and The People’s Improv Theater. Oscar has appeared in several national commercials (Lowe’s, Pizza Hut, Cheerios) and various videos for College Humor, MTVOther and Buzzfeed. Oscar currently performs at UCB with Skyjammer, a freestyle rap improv team, and on Harold night. He is also a performer and director for the arts education and media company Story Pirates. He also currently stars in HboMax Minx as Richie.
Oscar Montoya is an actor, comedian, dancer and podcaster. Rich and I are big fans of his role on the HBO show Minx, whose 2nd season is filming now. He's a regular on College Humor and the Dungeons and Dragons-based show Dimension 20, and he hosts the podcasts Inside The Disney Vault, and Podcast Killed The Video Star.
We talk with Oscar about getting dressed up in authentic 70's clothes, which Muppet he and each of his castmates are, and getting over stage fright by discovering improv. By the end of our talk, I come close to officiating a wedding between him and Rich. Find him @OzzyMo on Instagram and elsewhere.
Bio
Oscar Montoya is an actor, comedian, and hip hop dancer living in Los Angeles. He was born in a small town in Colombia and lived in New York for a spell, where he was a performer and a faculty member in both the Magnet Theater and The People’s Improv Theater. Oscar has appeared in several national commercials (Lowe’s, Pizza Hut, Cheerios) and various videos for College Humor, MTVOther and Buzzfeed. Oscar currently performs at UCB with Skyjammer, a freestyle rap improv team, and on Harold night. He is also a performer and director for the arts education and media company Story Pirates. He also currently stars in HboMax Minx as Richie.
* B.J Snowden (Musician)
About BJ Snowden
B.J. Snowden is a uniquely talented singer, songwriter and performer who, with only one independently released album to her credit and a handful of live appearances limited to the East Coast, has managed to attract great attention and acquire a following all over the world. Ms. Snowden's talent was apparent early on when she began playing the piano and composing songs at the tender age of three. As her interest and talent at the piano blossomed, she decided to study music more intensively at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. Snowden graduated from Berklee with a degree in applied music (performance), and has earned her living as a school teacher teaching music in school systems from Boston to Philadelphia. As nightfall beckons however, she dons a sequined outfit, ascends the stage, and singlehandedly performs all of the original music that she has composed. In a strange but true tale that has taken the status of underground music legend, the staff of a now-defunct East Village record store "discovered" B.J. when they decided to play one of her demo tapes (an item that had been lying around the store for years and was destined for a "bargain bag" of hard-to-move cassettes). The usually jaded staff was mesmerized by what they heard. They convinced the store's owner that this was something so wonderful that the whole world should hear it. Fred Schneider of the B-52's, a frequent shopper at the store, heard B.J.'s music as well, and wholeheartedly endorsed the idea of a proper release. The album BJ Snowden: Life in the USA and Canada debuted in the fall of 1996, garnering mentions in The New York Press, Magnet and other noteworthy publications. B.J.'s music was frequently featured on Irwin Chusid's WFMU show, and she quickly became a listener favorite. Not long after she was a featured guest on MTV's Oddville, and could also be seen on Comedy Central's The Daily Show. As a live performer, BJ has appeared at some of New York's hippest music spots, including Brownie's, The Cooler, and CBGB's Gallery. Based out of Massachusetts, B.J. is always chauffeured to her gigs by her starlet of a mother, and is usually accompanied by her guitar virtuoso son, Andres
https://bjsnowdenmusic.com
B.J. Snowden is a uniquely talented singer, songwriter and performer who, with only one independently released album to her credit and a handful of live appearances limited to the East Coast, has managed to attract great attention and acquire a following all over the world. Ms. Snowden's talent was apparent early on when she began playing the piano and composing songs at the tender age of three. As her interest and talent at the piano blossomed, she decided to study music more intensively at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. Snowden graduated from Berklee with a degree in applied music (performance), and has earned her living as a school teacher teaching music in school systems from Boston to Philadelphia. As nightfall beckons however, she dons a sequined outfit, ascends the stage, and singlehandedly performs all of the original music that she has composed. In a strange but true tale that has taken the status of underground music legend, the staff of a now-defunct East Village record store "discovered" B.J. when they decided to play one of her demo tapes (an item that had been lying around the store for years and was destined for a "bargain bag" of hard-to-move cassettes). The usually jaded staff was mesmerized by what they heard. They convinced the store's owner that this was something so wonderful that the whole world should hear it. Fred Schneider of the B-52's, a frequent shopper at the store, heard B.J.'s music as well, and wholeheartedly endorsed the idea of a proper release. The album BJ Snowden: Life in the USA and Canada debuted in the fall of 1996, garnering mentions in The New York Press, Magnet and other noteworthy publications. B.J.'s music was frequently featured on Irwin Chusid's WFMU show, and she quickly became a listener favorite. Not long after she was a featured guest on MTV's Oddville, and could also be seen on Comedy Central's The Daily Show. As a live performer, BJ has appeared at some of New York's hippest music spots, including Brownie's, The Cooler, and CBGB's Gallery. Based out of Massachusetts, B.J. is always chauffeured to her gigs by her starlet of a mother, and is usually accompanied by her guitar virtuoso son, Andres
https://bjsnowdenmusic.com
Meryl Meisler (Photographer)
Meryl Meisler was born in 1951 in the South Bronx and raised in North Massapequa, Long Island, NY. Inspired by Diane Arbus, Jacques Henri Lartigue, and her dad Jack and grandfather Murray Meisler, Meryl began photographing herself, family, and friends while enrolled in a photography class taught by Cavalliere Ketchum at The University of Wisconsin, Madison. In 1975, Meryl returned to New York City and studied with Lisette Model, photographing her hometown and the city around her. After working as a freelance illustrator by day, Meryl frequented and photographed the infamous New York Discos. As a 1978 CETA Artist grant recipient, Meryl created a portfolio of photographs that explored Jewish Identity for the American Jewish Congress. After CETA, Meryl began a 3-decade career as an N.Y.C. Public School Art Teacher. Meryl was honored with the 2021 Center for Photography at Woodstock Affinity Award. She is included among The Hundred Heroines – a celebration of Women in Photography. TIME includes her in their selection of women trailblazers in photography: The Unsung American Female Photographers of the Past Century. Meryl has received fellowships, grants, and residencies from the New York Foundation for the Arts, Light Work, Y.A.D.D.O., V.C.C.A., Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, The Leonian Foundation, The Puffin Foundation, Time Warner, Artists Space, C.E.T.A., the China Institute, and the Japan Society. Her work has been exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Historical Society, Dia Art Foundation, MASS MoCA, Islip Art Museum, Griffin Museum, Annenberg Space for Photography, the New Museum for Contemporary Art, New-York Historical Society, Steven Kasher Gallery, The Whitney Museum of American Art and in public spaces including Grand Central Terminal, South Street Seaport, Photoville and throughout the N.Y.C. subway system. Her work is in the permanent collections of the American Jewish Congress, ARTPPOOL Budapest, AT&T, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, the Brooklyn Historical Society, Book Art Museum- Poland, Columbia University, Emory University, Islip Art Museum, LaGrange Art Museum, Library of Congress, Musée de la Poste Paris, New York Transit Museum, Pfizer, Reuters, Smith College Museum of Art, Smithsonian Institute, University of Iowa, The Waskomium and can be found in the artist book collections of Carnegie Melon, the Centre Georges Pompidou, the Chrysler Museum, the Museum of Modern Art N.Y.C., Metronome Library, and Whitney Museum of American Art.
Upon retiring from the N.Y.C. public schools, she began releasing large bodies of previously unseen work. Meryl’s first monograph, A Tale of Two Cities: Disco Era Bushwick (Bizarre, 2014), received international acclaim. The book juxtaposes her zenith of disco photos with images of the burned-out yet beautiful neighborhood of Bushwick, Brooklyn in the 1980s. Her second book, Purgatory & Paradise SASSY ‘70s Suburbia & The City (Bizarre, 2015), contrasts intimate images of home life on Long Island alongside N.Y.C. street and nightlife. Her latest monograph, New York PARADISE LOST Bushwick Era Disco (Parallel Pictures Press 2021) makes her first books seem like fairytales. She has returned to her analog roots in the darkroom, making gelatin silver prints of contemporary images and never seen photos from her enormous archive. Meryl lives and works in New York City and Woodstock, NY, continuing the photographic memoir she began in 1973 – a uniquely American story, sweet and sassy with a pinch of mystery. ClampArt represents her work.
www.merylmeisler.com
We will be referencing the images below in her episode.
Upon retiring from the N.Y.C. public schools, she began releasing large bodies of previously unseen work. Meryl’s first monograph, A Tale of Two Cities: Disco Era Bushwick (Bizarre, 2014), received international acclaim. The book juxtaposes her zenith of disco photos with images of the burned-out yet beautiful neighborhood of Bushwick, Brooklyn in the 1980s. Her second book, Purgatory & Paradise SASSY ‘70s Suburbia & The City (Bizarre, 2015), contrasts intimate images of home life on Long Island alongside N.Y.C. street and nightlife. Her latest monograph, New York PARADISE LOST Bushwick Era Disco (Parallel Pictures Press 2021) makes her first books seem like fairytales. She has returned to her analog roots in the darkroom, making gelatin silver prints of contemporary images and never seen photos from her enormous archive. Meryl lives and works in New York City and Woodstock, NY, continuing the photographic memoir she began in 1973 – a uniquely American story, sweet and sassy with a pinch of mystery. ClampArt represents her work.
www.merylmeisler.com
We will be referencing the images below in her episode.
Paul Willams (Singer, Songwriter, Actor, Author and Recovery Advocate)
Paul Hamilton Williams Jr. (born September 19, 1940) is an American composer, singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for writing and co-writing popular songs performed by a number of acts in the 1970s, including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song" and "Out in the Country", Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World", Tiny Tim's "Fill Your Heart" and the Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun" and "Rainy Days and Mondays". Williams is also known for writing the score and lyrics for Bugsy Malone (1976) and his musical contributions to other films, including the Oscar-nominated song "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie, and writing the lyrics to the #1 chart-topping song "Evergreen", the love theme from the Barbra Streisand film A Star Is Born, for which he won a Grammy for Song of the Year and an Academy Award for Best Original Song. He wrote the lyrics to the opening theme for the television show The Love Boat, with music previously composed by Charles Fox, which was sung by Jack Jones and, later, by Dionne Warwick.
Williams had a variety of high-profile acting roles, such as "Little Enos Burdette" in the action-comedy Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and the villainous Swan in Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise (1974), which Williams also co-scored, receiving an Oscar nomination in the process. Since 2009, Williams has been the president and chairman of the American songwriting society ASCAP. Paul also wrote "Gratitude and Trust" with Tracey Williams and dedicates his time in helping others with their recovery and sharing his story.
Williams had a variety of high-profile acting roles, such as "Little Enos Burdette" in the action-comedy Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and the villainous Swan in Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise (1974), which Williams also co-scored, receiving an Oscar nomination in the process. Since 2009, Williams has been the president and chairman of the American songwriting society ASCAP. Paul also wrote "Gratitude and Trust" with Tracey Williams and dedicates his time in helping others with their recovery and sharing his story.
Eddie Davis (Musician)
Bio
Eddie Davis, Vocalist, Recording Artist, Producer and PublishedSongwriter, known for his soulful, dynamic, vocal style & warm, out-going personality, has played the most upscale events & private parties over the years with Eddie Davis Band. Eddie is owner of Eddie Davis Entertainment, which had become one of the premier booking agencies in the tri-state region, booking bands, unique acts and talented artists for special events.
As a songwriter, Eddie is affiliated with ASCAP & The Harry Fox Agency. Eddie wrote & produced "Doin’ The Zombie," a well-known Halloween tune recorded by Chubby Checker and released on K-TEL’s Bare Bones label. Eddie has written, produced & sung many of his own compositions, as well as co-written & recorded a number of songs with songwriter/guitarist, Richard Lee Steacker, the late, great, Grover Washington, Jr.’s guitarist.
Eddie formed the blues band, Blues Anatomy, which Eddie fronts and shares the stage with 5 other world-class musicians and has performed and recorded with the best musicians anywhere, locally & nationally. Some of his acclaimed CD’s include “Blues Diamonds,” “Blues Anatomy,” "Blues Is My Business, "Let's Straighten It Out" and “Rediscovering Lonnie Johnson.” His newest release is "Good News, Still Singin' The Blues."
Still going strong, writing, recording and playing, Eddie is looking forward to putting out more great, soulful music for everyone to enjoy.
eddiedavismusic.com
Eddie Davis, Vocalist, Recording Artist, Producer and PublishedSongwriter, known for his soulful, dynamic, vocal style & warm, out-going personality, has played the most upscale events & private parties over the years with Eddie Davis Band. Eddie is owner of Eddie Davis Entertainment, which had become one of the premier booking agencies in the tri-state region, booking bands, unique acts and talented artists for special events.
As a songwriter, Eddie is affiliated with ASCAP & The Harry Fox Agency. Eddie wrote & produced "Doin’ The Zombie," a well-known Halloween tune recorded by Chubby Checker and released on K-TEL’s Bare Bones label. Eddie has written, produced & sung many of his own compositions, as well as co-written & recorded a number of songs with songwriter/guitarist, Richard Lee Steacker, the late, great, Grover Washington, Jr.’s guitarist.
Eddie formed the blues band, Blues Anatomy, which Eddie fronts and shares the stage with 5 other world-class musicians and has performed and recorded with the best musicians anywhere, locally & nationally. Some of his acclaimed CD’s include “Blues Diamonds,” “Blues Anatomy,” "Blues Is My Business, "Let's Straighten It Out" and “Rediscovering Lonnie Johnson.” His newest release is "Good News, Still Singin' The Blues."
Still going strong, writing, recording and playing, Eddie is looking forward to putting out more great, soulful music for everyone to enjoy.
eddiedavismusic.com
Sara Sherr (Karaoke Host)
Sing Your Life Karaoke host Sara Sherr is a former Tower Records employee, music critic and music promoter who was hanging out in record stores with her musician father by the time she could walk. She is known for her work with women's music series Sugar Town, live independent music events Plain Parade, international women's music festival Ladyfest Philly, and LGBTQ music and arts festival Phreak N Queer.
https://singyourlifekaraoke.com/
https://singyourlifekaraoke.com/
Gabriel Nathan and Herbie
Gabe is an author, editor, actor, playwright, director and a lover of commas. For five years, he worked at Montgomery County Emergency Service, Inc. (MCES), a non-profit crisis psychiatric hospital in the capacity of Allied Therapist and, later, as Development Specialist. At MCES, he created innovative programs such as a psychiatric visiting nurse program, a suicide prevention collaboration with SEPTA, and an Inpatient Concert Series that brought professional performing artists to entertain the patients and enrich their inpatient experience. While at MCES, Gabe also produced and directed a full-scale production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town with the staff of the hospital, as an exercise in teamwork, empathy-building, and creative expression. He lives in a suburb of Philadelphia with his wife, twins and a basset hound named Tennessee. Gabe Nathan, a Wynnewood activist and Herbie the Love Bug enthusiast, brings joy and a serious message with his replica of the famous Volkswagen Beetle. Image via OC87 Recovery Diaries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlQz0KDJJGg&t=4s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlQz0KDJJGg&t=4s
Tracii Guns of L.A. Guns and founding member of Guns and Roses
Tracy Richard Irving Ulrich (born January 20, 1966), known professionally as Tracii Guns, is an American guitarist best known as the co-founder of glam metal group L.A. Guns, as well as the supergroups named Brides of Destruction and Contraband. He was also a founding member of Guns N' Roses, but left shortly afterwards. Ulrich's uncle Ron taught him how to play guitar at a young age. Ulrich attended Fairfax High in Los Angeles. While there, he met future L.A. Gunsmembers Robert Gardner and Michael Jagosz. The three formed a band called Pyrrhus with bassist Dani Tull. Ulrich (now going by Tracii Guns), Gardner, and Jagosz recruited Danish bassist Ole Beich for their new band in 1983, officially starting L.A. Guns after leaving Guns 'N Roses. Ulrich cites Johnny Thunders, Randy Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen, Mick Jagger, Michael Schenker, Tony Iommi, and Jimmy Page as his influences. L.A. Guns was formed by Guns in 1983, initially with singer Mike Jagosz, bassist Ole Beich, and drummer Rob Gardner. This lineup recorded the EP Collector's Edition No. 1 which would be the only release from the band with its original lineup. After Jagosz was arrested in a bar fight, Bill Rose (later known as Axl Rose) joined the band as singer. Rose had previously fronted Hollywood Rose, backed by Izzy Stradlin and Chris Weber. Rose's stint in the band was short-lived, as Jagosz returned weeks later. Guns joined a newly reunited Hollywood Rose (alongside Rose, Stradlin, Gardner, and Steve Darrow) for a 1985 New Years show. Shortly afterwards, L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose merged bands to become Guns N' Roses, with the lineup consisting of Guns, Rose, Stradlin, Gardner, and Beich. Guns, Beich, and Gardner would exit Guns N' Roses just two months into the new band, with Guns leaving after an argument with Rose, claiming "It just wasn't fun anymore." Guns was replaced by Slash, while Gardner and Beich were replaced by Steven Adler and Duff McKagan respectively, forming the "classic lineup" of Guns N' Roses
Jeb Berrier (Actor - Co-op Documentary Now/A Perfect Day For Caribou )
Biography
Jeb has previously appeared as the oft-inebriated Jimmy Farrell in 2014’s Playboy of the Western World. Jeb moved to Portland from beautiful Telluride, CO where he spent many years as a member of the Telluride Repertory Theatre, performing in over 25 productions. In Portland he has worked with Coho, Action Adventure, the Interstate Firehouse, Funhouse Lounge, and the Portland Revels. Other credits: New Rep Theater, Boston, Open Stage, Harrisburg, PA, Prithvi International Theater Festival, Mumbai, India, HERE Theatre, NYC, National Shakespeare Company, NYC. TV: Grimm, Librarians, Portlandia, Everything Sucks, Documentary Now. Film: I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, the documentary on plastic, Bag It, and the soon to be released, Lorelei, Timmy Failure, and First Cow.
artistsrep.org/artists/jeb-berrier/
aperfectdayforcaribou.com
Jeb has previously appeared as the oft-inebriated Jimmy Farrell in 2014’s Playboy of the Western World. Jeb moved to Portland from beautiful Telluride, CO where he spent many years as a member of the Telluride Repertory Theatre, performing in over 25 productions. In Portland he has worked with Coho, Action Adventure, the Interstate Firehouse, Funhouse Lounge, and the Portland Revels. Other credits: New Rep Theater, Boston, Open Stage, Harrisburg, PA, Prithvi International Theater Festival, Mumbai, India, HERE Theatre, NYC, National Shakespeare Company, NYC. TV: Grimm, Librarians, Portlandia, Everything Sucks, Documentary Now. Film: I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, the documentary on plastic, Bag It, and the soon to be released, Lorelei, Timmy Failure, and First Cow.
artistsrep.org/artists/jeb-berrier/
aperfectdayforcaribou.com
Jim Tozzi - Artist (Wonder Showzen/ Bert's Tit)
Biography
Jim Tozzi grew up in Everett, a city to the north of Boston. The most distinctive thing about this town was the smell of freshly roasted peanuts due to the Teddie Peanut Butter factory. The factory's emblem, a grinning cartoon bear with a bucket, would be one of the first influences of advertising on Jim. He went to Everett public school: always an outsider, he preferred drawing weird cartoons and watching monster movies to playing sports.
In his early teens, Jim borrowed a super 8 camera from his Aunt and began experimenting. Lacking a tripod, he would tape the camera down onto the kitchen table and animate various toys, Star Wars figures and clay monsters. He also created a live action series starring his little sister as "Chico" the heavily mustachioed drug dealer who would meet an unlikely demise in every episode. Jim went on to study film and illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design. He continued doing both animated and live action films creating a short film parody of an afterschool special called "Sunday School Girls" which tackled the subject of what Jesus really looked like. Tozzi moved to New York City and started working at Broadcast Arts inking and painting animation cels. He also started directing music videos for obscure alternative bands. One of the first was for Mercury Rev and featured Ron Jeremy as a floating space traveler. Jim approached Nick at Nite with his reel and some promo ideas; he was brought on to TV Land to come up with a new promo campaign. This campaign conceived, written, and directed with his wife Vezna Gottwald, developed into the award-winning "Twip" series[1]. "Twip" was an imaginary product in which its evolution was traced in commercial parodies from the early 1950s through the 1990s. Now as a directing team, the "Tozzi's" signed on to Bob Giraldi's company and began directing spots for Miller Lite, Sprite and Florida's anti-tobacco campaign. The "Tozzi's" split up and Jim went solo; joining M-80 he directed an award-winning campaign for Kellogg's Rice Krispie Treats for Leo Burnett. He went on to direct comedy spots for Sony PlayStation, Nick at Nite and Miller.
https://theaither.com/2020/08/04/art-talk-jim-tozzi/
https://jimtozzi.threadless.com
Jim Tozzi grew up in Everett, a city to the north of Boston. The most distinctive thing about this town was the smell of freshly roasted peanuts due to the Teddie Peanut Butter factory. The factory's emblem, a grinning cartoon bear with a bucket, would be one of the first influences of advertising on Jim. He went to Everett public school: always an outsider, he preferred drawing weird cartoons and watching monster movies to playing sports.
In his early teens, Jim borrowed a super 8 camera from his Aunt and began experimenting. Lacking a tripod, he would tape the camera down onto the kitchen table and animate various toys, Star Wars figures and clay monsters. He also created a live action series starring his little sister as "Chico" the heavily mustachioed drug dealer who would meet an unlikely demise in every episode. Jim went on to study film and illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design. He continued doing both animated and live action films creating a short film parody of an afterschool special called "Sunday School Girls" which tackled the subject of what Jesus really looked like. Tozzi moved to New York City and started working at Broadcast Arts inking and painting animation cels. He also started directing music videos for obscure alternative bands. One of the first was for Mercury Rev and featured Ron Jeremy as a floating space traveler. Jim approached Nick at Nite with his reel and some promo ideas; he was brought on to TV Land to come up with a new promo campaign. This campaign conceived, written, and directed with his wife Vezna Gottwald, developed into the award-winning "Twip" series[1]. "Twip" was an imaginary product in which its evolution was traced in commercial parodies from the early 1950s through the 1990s. Now as a directing team, the "Tozzi's" signed on to Bob Giraldi's company and began directing spots for Miller Lite, Sprite and Florida's anti-tobacco campaign. The "Tozzi's" split up and Jim went solo; joining M-80 he directed an award-winning campaign for Kellogg's Rice Krispie Treats for Leo Burnett. He went on to direct comedy spots for Sony PlayStation, Nick at Nite and Miller.
https://theaither.com/2020/08/04/art-talk-jim-tozzi/
https://jimtozzi.threadless.com
Austin Pendelton (Actor)
Austin Campbell Pendleton (born March 27, 1940) is an American actor, playwright, theatre director, and instructor. He is known as a prolific character actor on the stage and screen who has appeared in various films including Catch 22 (1970), What's Up, Doc? (1972), The Front Page(1974), The Muppet Movie (1979), Short Circuit (1986), Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990), My Cousin Vinny(1992), Amistad (1997), A Beautiful Mind (2001), which earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture nomination, and Finding Nemo (2003). For his work in theatre he has received a Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Play for the Broadway revival of The Little Foxes in 1981. He has received two Drama Desk Award nominations and the recipient of a Special Drama Desk Award in 2007. He also received a Obie Award for Best Director for the Off-Broadway revival of Three Sisters in 2011. Recent Broadway credits include Choir Boy in 2016 and The Minutes in 2022. Pendleton first received critical acclaim in 1964 for his performance as Motel in the original Broadway cast of Fiddler on the Roof. He appeared in The Last Sweet Days of Isaac (for which he won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance and an Obie Award), The Diary of Anne Frank, Goodtime Charley, and Up from Paradise as well as many other plays. In August 2006, Pendleton played the Chaplain in Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children with Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline in the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater production directed by George C. Wolfe at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. In 2007, he appeared as Friar Lawrence in the Public Theater's production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at the Delacorte Theater. Pendleton wrote the plays Uncle Bob, Booth, and Orson's Shadow, all of which were staged off-Broadway. Uncle Bob had its off-Broadway premiere in 2001 at The SoHo Playhouse, starring George Morfogen—for whom the role of Bob was written—and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who made his New York theatre debut in the production. The critically acclaimed production was directed by Courtney Moorehead and produced by Steven Sendor. As a director, Pendleton has worked extensively on and off Broadway. His direction of Elizabeth Taylor and Maureen Stapleton in Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes garnered him a Tony Award nomination in 1981. Additional directing credits include The Runner Stumbles by Milan Stitt(1977), Spoils of War by Michael Weller (1988), and The Size of the World by Charles Evered (1996).
John M Valadez (Muralist/Painter)
Muralist and pastel artist, grew up in the neighborhood of Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. While studying at East Los Angeles Junior College in the early 1970s, Valadez joined a theater group — performing in productions at the Mexican American Center for Creative Arts (MACCA) and immersed himself in the study of art history and painting. He earned a B.F.A. from California State University at Long Beach in 1976. Following graduation, Valadez became involved in numerous mural projects in Los Angeles, where he continues to live and work today.
https://johnvaladezart.com
https://johnvaladezart.com
Bill Yates Photographer and William Boling (Fall Line Press)
Bill Yates is a Southern photographer best known for his body of work documenting a roadside roller rink in Florida. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree in photography from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1975, studying under the likes of Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskand. In 1972, fresh after purchasing a medium-format camera, Yates was driving along and stumbled upon the Sweetheart Roller Skating Rink. He returned to this spot nearly every weekend for over seven months, making more than 800 photographs, resulting in a monograph of the same name—Sweetheart Roller Skating Rink. Highlights of Yates’ career entail inclusion in the 1975 Artists’ Biennial Exhibition at the New Orleans Museum of Art; receiving a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts; acting as a curatorial consultant for the Corcoran Gallery; and serving as the Director of the University Gallery at New Mexico State University. His photographs can be found in the collections of the Corcoran Gallery of Art (Washington, DC); the Ogden Museum of Southern Art (New Orleans); the Davis Museum at Wellesley College (Wellesley, MA); the High Museum of Art (Atlanta), and more. Bill Boling is the man behind the photobook publishing company Fall Line Press. A true Renaissance man, Boling is a full-time attorney, photographer, artist, book lover, and, in his own word, a “picture-holic.” His passion for book collecting and art publishing has led him to develop a diverse line of imprints over a very short period of time. We sat down with him in his law office on Drewry Street, next to the BeltLine, where he plans to reopen his bookstore and reading room in 2017
http://lenscratch.com/2014/01/bill-yates/ https://bittersoutherner.com/bill-yates-down-at-the-sweetheart-rink
https://www.artsatl.org/conversation-bill-boling-fall-line-press/
COMING SOON or JUST RELEASED
Jamel Shabazz (Photographer)
Jamel Shabazz was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. At the age of fifteen, he picked up his first camera and started to document his peers. Inspired by photographers Leonard Freed, James Van Der Zee, and Gordon Parks, he was marveled with their documentation of the African American community. In 1980 as a concerned photographer with a clear vision he embarked on a mission to extensively document various aspects of life in New York City, from youth culture to a wide range of social conditions. Due to its spontaneity and uniqueness, the streets and subway system became backdrops for many of his photographs. Shabazz says his goal is to contribute to the preservation of world history and culture. In the past 10 years he has had over two dozen solo exhibitions; “Men of Honor”, “A Time Before Crack”, “Pieces of a Man”, “Represent”, When Two Worlds Meet”, “Back in the Days,” and “Seconds of my Life,” which have been shown from Argentina to The Netherlands, England, Italy, Germany, France, Japan and throughout the United States. An even longer list of group showings include Art Basel; Miami, the Brooklyn Museum, the Newark Museum, the Contact Photo Festival, the Victoria and Albert Museum, The Studio Museum in Harlem, Duke University, and the Adidas Photo Festival in Ethiopia. Over the years Jamel has volunteered, working with a wide range organizations centered on inspiring young people in the field of photography and social responsibility. In addition, he has been a teaching artist with the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation; the Bronx Museum’s Teen Council youth program, The International Center of Photography, Friends of the Island Academy; and the Studio Museum in Harlem’s Expanding the Walls Project. Adding to his community service he has lectured at the Fashion Institute of Technology, The International Center for Photography, The Brooklyn Historic Foundation, Haverford College and Parsons New School of Design. Shabazz is the author of 5 monographs and has contributed to numerous others. He is presently working on a new book, titled “The Book of Life”.
http://www.jamelshabazz.com/
http://www.jamelshabazz.com/
Mr. Let's Paint aka John Kilduff
Biography
John Kilduff, the show's host, is an artist and longtime Los Angeles resident. He received comedic training at The Groundlings, studied improv at Los Angeles City College, and attended the Otis/Parsons Art Institute. In 2008 he received a Master of Fine Arts degree from UCLA. Kilduff has appeared as a guest on The Tyra Banks Show, where he painted Banks' portrait. He appeared on the red carpet for the VH1 2006 Big Awards, and painted David Hasselhoff's portrait on the second season of America's Got Talent. Kilduff was also filmed painting and jogging for a 2006 USA Network commercial. LA Weekly notes that during most episodes of Let's Paint TV, Kilduff wears "his trademark crumpled and paint-stained Brooks Brothers suit." In order to avoid working a day job, Kilduff sells many of his paintings at art fairs around California. He has appeared at several art shows throughout Southern California, often running on his treadmill, painting, and doing various other activities while museum patrons look on.
Let's Paint TV is an American television show hosted by artist John Kilduff.
The show is best noted for its live episodes, which consist of the host painting while he runs on a treadmill; in addition, he sometimes takes calls from viewers, cooks food, plays ping pong, or makes blended drinks. The show's episode titles typically reflect whatever tasks are being undertaken, for example, Let's Paint, Exercise, and Play Ping Pong. Let's Paint TV was originally broadcast on Los Angeles Public-access televisioncable TV from 2001 through 2008; after the LA public access studios were shut down in early 2008, the show transitioned to being an online-only program. The program began receiving world-wide attention in 2006 when Kilduff began uploading video clips of his show to YouTube. John Kilduff conceived the idea for Let's Paint TV while working on a different comedy Public-access show. He was waiting for a Saddam Hussein impersonator to arrive and began thinking about his "exercise bike in the storage room, and I thought visually painting on an exercise bike could be interesting."[5] He eventually decided that a treadmill would be more feasible for painting than an exercise bike. John Kilduff claims his aim with the series is to make people of all skill levels try their hand at painting or other forms of creative self-expression. Kilduff frequently encourages viewers to use very large brushes in order to cover the canvas as quickly as possible before worrying about details, as he feels an empty canvas can be very intimidating to novices. Although Kilduff says that the show is meant to inspire creativity in others, many of the callers he gets tend not to take him seriously. As the show was once on Public-access TV and is now on the internet, there is little to no censoring. The show also lacks caller screening. Many take advantage of this by expressing prejudice, cursing, accosting members of the show, and making derogatory comments about rival gangs. Despite the overwhelming number of prank callers, John generally continues to take calls. The sight of an artist simultaneously jogging, painting, blending drinks, and chatting to guests and painting live models has led some to speculate that the whole show is an ironic piece of performance art. Kilduff denies this and states that he is completely sincere in trying to encourage people to do something creative.
https://letspainttv.com
https://www.youtube.com/@letspainttv
John Kilduff, the show's host, is an artist and longtime Los Angeles resident. He received comedic training at The Groundlings, studied improv at Los Angeles City College, and attended the Otis/Parsons Art Institute. In 2008 he received a Master of Fine Arts degree from UCLA. Kilduff has appeared as a guest on The Tyra Banks Show, where he painted Banks' portrait. He appeared on the red carpet for the VH1 2006 Big Awards, and painted David Hasselhoff's portrait on the second season of America's Got Talent. Kilduff was also filmed painting and jogging for a 2006 USA Network commercial. LA Weekly notes that during most episodes of Let's Paint TV, Kilduff wears "his trademark crumpled and paint-stained Brooks Brothers suit." In order to avoid working a day job, Kilduff sells many of his paintings at art fairs around California. He has appeared at several art shows throughout Southern California, often running on his treadmill, painting, and doing various other activities while museum patrons look on.
Let's Paint TV is an American television show hosted by artist John Kilduff.
The show is best noted for its live episodes, which consist of the host painting while he runs on a treadmill; in addition, he sometimes takes calls from viewers, cooks food, plays ping pong, or makes blended drinks. The show's episode titles typically reflect whatever tasks are being undertaken, for example, Let's Paint, Exercise, and Play Ping Pong. Let's Paint TV was originally broadcast on Los Angeles Public-access televisioncable TV from 2001 through 2008; after the LA public access studios were shut down in early 2008, the show transitioned to being an online-only program. The program began receiving world-wide attention in 2006 when Kilduff began uploading video clips of his show to YouTube. John Kilduff conceived the idea for Let's Paint TV while working on a different comedy Public-access show. He was waiting for a Saddam Hussein impersonator to arrive and began thinking about his "exercise bike in the storage room, and I thought visually painting on an exercise bike could be interesting."[5] He eventually decided that a treadmill would be more feasible for painting than an exercise bike. John Kilduff claims his aim with the series is to make people of all skill levels try their hand at painting or other forms of creative self-expression. Kilduff frequently encourages viewers to use very large brushes in order to cover the canvas as quickly as possible before worrying about details, as he feels an empty canvas can be very intimidating to novices. Although Kilduff says that the show is meant to inspire creativity in others, many of the callers he gets tend not to take him seriously. As the show was once on Public-access TV and is now on the internet, there is little to no censoring. The show also lacks caller screening. Many take advantage of this by expressing prejudice, cursing, accosting members of the show, and making derogatory comments about rival gangs. Despite the overwhelming number of prank callers, John generally continues to take calls. The sight of an artist simultaneously jogging, painting, blending drinks, and chatting to guests and painting live models has led some to speculate that the whole show is an ironic piece of performance art. Kilduff denies this and states that he is completely sincere in trying to encourage people to do something creative.
https://letspainttv.com
https://www.youtube.com/@letspainttv
Ed Askew (Musician/Artist)
Biography
Ed Askew is a painter and singer-songwriter who lives in New York City. Born in Stamford, Connecticut, he moved to New Haven to study painting at Yale Art School in 1963 and took up, more or less, permanent residence there until leaving for New York in 1987. After graduating from art school in 1966, Askew was called up for the draft. Not feeling particularly enthusiastic about going to war at age 26 (the Navy tried to convince him that he should apply for officer training!), he looked for a teaching job and found work at a private prep school in Connecticut. It was while teaching he started making songs; he also acquired his Martin Tiple at this time. "I must have written 25 songs that semester; all of the material on Unicorn and possibly some stuff on Little Eyes." The singer-songwriter moved to New York for a few months n 1967 where he met Bernard Stolman of ESP Disk', who offered him a contract. Between 1968 and 1986, Ed lived, mostly, in New Haven; doing occasional shows with his band, and later doing solo shows there. Around 1987, Ed moved to New York City, where he continues to write and record songs, and occasionally perform.
edaskew.bandcamp.com
https://www.dragcity.com/artists/ed-askew
Ed Askew is a painter and singer-songwriter who lives in New York City. Born in Stamford, Connecticut, he moved to New Haven to study painting at Yale Art School in 1963 and took up, more or less, permanent residence there until leaving for New York in 1987. After graduating from art school in 1966, Askew was called up for the draft. Not feeling particularly enthusiastic about going to war at age 26 (the Navy tried to convince him that he should apply for officer training!), he looked for a teaching job and found work at a private prep school in Connecticut. It was while teaching he started making songs; he also acquired his Martin Tiple at this time. "I must have written 25 songs that semester; all of the material on Unicorn and possibly some stuff on Little Eyes." The singer-songwriter moved to New York for a few months n 1967 where he met Bernard Stolman of ESP Disk', who offered him a contract. Between 1968 and 1986, Ed lived, mostly, in New Haven; doing occasional shows with his band, and later doing solo shows there. Around 1987, Ed moved to New York City, where he continues to write and record songs, and occasionally perform.
edaskew.bandcamp.com
https://www.dragcity.com/artists/ed-askew
Stuart S. Shapiro and Night Flight (Plus)
Biography
Stuart S. Shapiro is a visionary who has spent his career producing, directing, writing, and creating innovative entertainment and e-communications content and technologies. A pioneer in the field, Mr. Shapiro is responsible for many cutting-edge breakthroughs. He was among the first to use e-mail as a form of mass marketing and communication for government. As an entrepreneur, he founded several successful Internet communication ventures, including, Woodstock.com, ArtistEnt and Patronet with Todd Rundgren, one of the first Internet artist music subscription services, and AskDrMao.com, The Natural Health Search Engine. Mr. Shapiro is also credited with producing the 72-hour live Webcast of Woodstock99, the largest Internet live music event in history at that time. As a film distributor and producer, Shapiro was responsible for such classics as Tunnel Vision, Neil Young’s Rust Never Sleeps, Pink Floyd’s Live at Pompeii, Mondo New York, Comedy’s Dirtiest Dozen, which helped launch the careers of Tim Allen and Chris Rock, and Only The Strong, from which he produced the famous Mazda song, “Zoom Zoom Zoom.” He also created, directed and produced Night Flight (nightflight.com), the award-winning late night TV series on the USA Network. He recently re launched Night Flight as an OTT streaming channel, Night Flight Plus (nightflightplus.com). As an author/producer he published Flash Frames, a book featuring the best of Flash art from the Internet and This is Today, a history of NBC’s Today Show. His new book, iDentifi Yourself, will be published by Dolphin Books in 2017.
https://www.nightflightplus.com
Stuart S. Shapiro is a visionary who has spent his career producing, directing, writing, and creating innovative entertainment and e-communications content and technologies. A pioneer in the field, Mr. Shapiro is responsible for many cutting-edge breakthroughs. He was among the first to use e-mail as a form of mass marketing and communication for government. As an entrepreneur, he founded several successful Internet communication ventures, including, Woodstock.com, ArtistEnt and Patronet with Todd Rundgren, one of the first Internet artist music subscription services, and AskDrMao.com, The Natural Health Search Engine. Mr. Shapiro is also credited with producing the 72-hour live Webcast of Woodstock99, the largest Internet live music event in history at that time. As a film distributor and producer, Shapiro was responsible for such classics as Tunnel Vision, Neil Young’s Rust Never Sleeps, Pink Floyd’s Live at Pompeii, Mondo New York, Comedy’s Dirtiest Dozen, which helped launch the careers of Tim Allen and Chris Rock, and Only The Strong, from which he produced the famous Mazda song, “Zoom Zoom Zoom.” He also created, directed and produced Night Flight (nightflight.com), the award-winning late night TV series on the USA Network. He recently re launched Night Flight as an OTT streaming channel, Night Flight Plus (nightflightplus.com). As an author/producer he published Flash Frames, a book featuring the best of Flash art from the Internet and This is Today, a history of NBC’s Today Show. His new book, iDentifi Yourself, will be published by Dolphin Books in 2017.
https://www.nightflightplus.com
Dean Friedman - Musician/ VR Expert/ Author
Biography
Dean Friedman first marked his entry into pop consciousness with the Top 20 chart success of his infectious hit single, Ariel, a quirkily irresistible and uncategorizable pop song about a free spirited, pot-smoking, vegetarian Jewish girl in a peasant blouse who lived, as the lyric goes, "...way on the other side of the Hudson". Friedman scored again with the release of his follow up album, “Well, Well,” Said the Rocking Chair’, and the now classic hit single, Lucky Stars. This magical duet, performed with singer, Denise Marsa, zoomed to the top of the UK singles charts, going instantly gold. Lucky Stars paved the way for a slew of Friedman hits, including familiar radio staples such as Lydia, Rocking Chair, McDonald’s Girland Woman of Mine.
Friedman’s consummate songwriting and performing, have earned him a loyal international following, devoted to the sophisticated, funny and profound work of a master songsmith. “Stunning Musicianship” - Hot Press, "Songsmith Extraordinaire!" - Music Week , "An Amazing Talent" - The Sun, "An American Classic" - Tribune, “The Soundtrack of Our Lives” – NY Times, are just of few of the superlatives used to describe Friedman's powerfully unique and original talent. Friedman’s recent run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival garnered similar critical praise:
“Every song in this Edinburgh show is a classic. You won't see a better show.” – London Theatre Guide. "Sophisticated and humorous work from an old master!" Scotland on Sunday. “With his mix of jaunty ditties, sentimental ballads and bashful charm, Friedman is the pop troubadour of choice.” The Scotsman. “Dean Friedman is entirely unique and utterly brilliant” – ThreeWeeks. Though Friedman’s next single, McDonald's Girl was officially banned by the BBC for mentioning the tradename of the fast food restaurant, the irrepressible pop song has been successfully covered by a number of acclaimed contemporary bands including the Blenders (Universal) and top canadian band, Barenaked Ladies [WEA]. (BNL member, Steve Page, sings background vocals on Dean’s recent double album.) The song has become a viral YouTube video hit, and a staple of high-school and college a capella groups, around the world – including Harvard’s Din & Tonics and Yale’s Mixed Company - spawning more than 40 different video versions on YouTube; and now, three decades after being banned, the song has just been licensed by the McDonald’s corporation to be featured in a national TV/Radio campaign:"McDonald's Girl". Friedman composes and produces music soundtracks for TV and film, including five seasons of Central TV's hit series BOON and the soundtrack to the underground cult horror film classic I Bought A Vampire Motorcycle [Hobo Films/U.K.]. Other credits include Nickelodeon, NBC, BBC and FUJI TV. Despite Friedman's apparent absence from the popular music scene, evidence that his name and music have made a lasting impact on pop music can be found repeatedly in popular media: The British band Half Man Half Biscuit released a best selling EP containing the oddly titled, The Bastard Son of Dean Friedman. (Dean emphatically denies this claim.) Friedman extracts his revenge on his CD, Submarine Races with his song, A Baker's Tale, the hitherto untold story of Nigel Blackwell's dubious origins. With his influence evident in the music of contemporary bands like Barenaked Ladies, the Blenders and Ben Folds Five, Friedman states, ‘It’s nice to see my music has made an impact on a new generation of artists.’ Friedman also produced and presented BBC Radio Scotland’s acclaimed radio series, ‘Real American Folk’, which has featured American Folk icons such as Christine Lavin, David Bromberg, John Prine and Steve Forbert. One of Friedman's recent tours was almost cancelled when it was announced that his tour sponsor www.goldenseeds.co.uk would distribute packets of cannabis seeds to the first ten people that purchased CD's at each of Friedman's gigs. The controversy was only resolved after Friedman promised not to distribute the seeds within 50 yards of the venue premises. (click to see Songwriter's Cannabis Controversy). [note: it is legal to possess cannabis seeds in the UK as long as they don’t get wet and germinate!] Friedman’s latest CD, 'American Lullaby', has been receiving rave reviews from fans and critics, alike. The long awaited, fan-funded, studio album contains 12 brand new original tracks, lyrical soundscapes and story-songs, bursting with life, love and survival in a surreal world. It contains instant classics like, 'American Lullaby', 'Halfway Normal World', 'The Russians Are Coming!', 'Too Much Stuff', 'Welcome to Stupid Town', 'On a Summer's Night', and more. This stunning recording further confirms Friedman’s status as one of the finest songwriters of his generation. Friedman, 66, makes his home in Peekskill, NY where he lives with his wife, Alison, and Lola, the smallest dog in the world.
VR Work
In Video - In 1986, Dean saw a demo of a powerful VR program that put you right inside of a video game using a video camera - no helmet required. It blew me away and he wrote an article about it for Electronic Musician Magazine. Three years later he used the software to design a game called Eat-A-Bug which he licensed to Nickelodeon TV and served as a prototype for the series Nick Arcade, for which he produced a dozen InVideo games. Since then, InVideo has produced state-of-the-art VR games for TV and leading theme parks, family entertainment centers and museums around the world, including Nickelodeon, Disney, Fuji TV, Brooklyn Children's Museum, Science Museum of London, Boston Science Museum, Liberty Science Center.
Dean's The Complete Guide to Synthesizers, Sequencers, and Drum Machines
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Synthesizers-Sequencers-Machines/dp/082562410X
Dean Friedman first marked his entry into pop consciousness with the Top 20 chart success of his infectious hit single, Ariel, a quirkily irresistible and uncategorizable pop song about a free spirited, pot-smoking, vegetarian Jewish girl in a peasant blouse who lived, as the lyric goes, "...way on the other side of the Hudson". Friedman scored again with the release of his follow up album, “Well, Well,” Said the Rocking Chair’, and the now classic hit single, Lucky Stars. This magical duet, performed with singer, Denise Marsa, zoomed to the top of the UK singles charts, going instantly gold. Lucky Stars paved the way for a slew of Friedman hits, including familiar radio staples such as Lydia, Rocking Chair, McDonald’s Girland Woman of Mine.
Friedman’s consummate songwriting and performing, have earned him a loyal international following, devoted to the sophisticated, funny and profound work of a master songsmith. “Stunning Musicianship” - Hot Press, "Songsmith Extraordinaire!" - Music Week , "An Amazing Talent" - The Sun, "An American Classic" - Tribune, “The Soundtrack of Our Lives” – NY Times, are just of few of the superlatives used to describe Friedman's powerfully unique and original talent. Friedman’s recent run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival garnered similar critical praise:
“Every song in this Edinburgh show is a classic. You won't see a better show.” – London Theatre Guide. "Sophisticated and humorous work from an old master!" Scotland on Sunday. “With his mix of jaunty ditties, sentimental ballads and bashful charm, Friedman is the pop troubadour of choice.” The Scotsman. “Dean Friedman is entirely unique and utterly brilliant” – ThreeWeeks. Though Friedman’s next single, McDonald's Girl was officially banned by the BBC for mentioning the tradename of the fast food restaurant, the irrepressible pop song has been successfully covered by a number of acclaimed contemporary bands including the Blenders (Universal) and top canadian band, Barenaked Ladies [WEA]. (BNL member, Steve Page, sings background vocals on Dean’s recent double album.) The song has become a viral YouTube video hit, and a staple of high-school and college a capella groups, around the world – including Harvard’s Din & Tonics and Yale’s Mixed Company - spawning more than 40 different video versions on YouTube; and now, three decades after being banned, the song has just been licensed by the McDonald’s corporation to be featured in a national TV/Radio campaign:"McDonald's Girl". Friedman composes and produces music soundtracks for TV and film, including five seasons of Central TV's hit series BOON and the soundtrack to the underground cult horror film classic I Bought A Vampire Motorcycle [Hobo Films/U.K.]. Other credits include Nickelodeon, NBC, BBC and FUJI TV. Despite Friedman's apparent absence from the popular music scene, evidence that his name and music have made a lasting impact on pop music can be found repeatedly in popular media: The British band Half Man Half Biscuit released a best selling EP containing the oddly titled, The Bastard Son of Dean Friedman. (Dean emphatically denies this claim.) Friedman extracts his revenge on his CD, Submarine Races with his song, A Baker's Tale, the hitherto untold story of Nigel Blackwell's dubious origins. With his influence evident in the music of contemporary bands like Barenaked Ladies, the Blenders and Ben Folds Five, Friedman states, ‘It’s nice to see my music has made an impact on a new generation of artists.’ Friedman also produced and presented BBC Radio Scotland’s acclaimed radio series, ‘Real American Folk’, which has featured American Folk icons such as Christine Lavin, David Bromberg, John Prine and Steve Forbert. One of Friedman's recent tours was almost cancelled when it was announced that his tour sponsor www.goldenseeds.co.uk would distribute packets of cannabis seeds to the first ten people that purchased CD's at each of Friedman's gigs. The controversy was only resolved after Friedman promised not to distribute the seeds within 50 yards of the venue premises. (click to see Songwriter's Cannabis Controversy). [note: it is legal to possess cannabis seeds in the UK as long as they don’t get wet and germinate!] Friedman’s latest CD, 'American Lullaby', has been receiving rave reviews from fans and critics, alike. The long awaited, fan-funded, studio album contains 12 brand new original tracks, lyrical soundscapes and story-songs, bursting with life, love and survival in a surreal world. It contains instant classics like, 'American Lullaby', 'Halfway Normal World', 'The Russians Are Coming!', 'Too Much Stuff', 'Welcome to Stupid Town', 'On a Summer's Night', and more. This stunning recording further confirms Friedman’s status as one of the finest songwriters of his generation. Friedman, 66, makes his home in Peekskill, NY where he lives with his wife, Alison, and Lola, the smallest dog in the world.
VR Work
In Video - In 1986, Dean saw a demo of a powerful VR program that put you right inside of a video game using a video camera - no helmet required. It blew me away and he wrote an article about it for Electronic Musician Magazine. Three years later he used the software to design a game called Eat-A-Bug which he licensed to Nickelodeon TV and served as a prototype for the series Nick Arcade, for which he produced a dozen InVideo games. Since then, InVideo has produced state-of-the-art VR games for TV and leading theme parks, family entertainment centers and museums around the world, including Nickelodeon, Disney, Fuji TV, Brooklyn Children's Museum, Science Museum of London, Boston Science Museum, Liberty Science Center.
Dean's The Complete Guide to Synthesizers, Sequencers, and Drum Machines
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Synthesizers-Sequencers-Machines/dp/082562410X
Box Brown
Philadelphia - In a first, a cannabis-centered comic has been signed for syndication: Legalization Nation by Brian “Box” Brown is now carried by Hearst: King Features. It's now alongside a catalogue of icons like Popeye, Blondie, and Hagar the Horrible.
The weekly comic strip, drawn in Brown’s unique and award-winning style, breaks down dense topics into enjoyable bites. Legalization Nation uses an original format of graphic news commentary to tackle state and federal affairs from the perspective of a registered medical marijuana patient.
“The goal is to educate consumers, patients and the general public about modern cannabis,” said Brown, “Hopefully, readers will have some fun too.”
The strip covers reform and regulation from a ground-level view. It never shies away from issues like the underground market, individual rights, and massive corporate advantages. When cannabis makes local and national headlines, Legalization Nation dives into the details.
Trulieve series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
Brown regularly conducts exclusive interviews with politicians, advocates, and activists who then appear in the strip. This included speaking with the family of Gregory Longenecker, a Pennsylvania man killed by police during a raid on his personal cannabis grow. (Links: Part 1, Part 2)
The digital publication Green State from Hearst Communications was the first to option the strip. Brown explained his approach in a recent interview with GS, “There is so much reporting that gives credence to sigma, focuses on the big business aspects of the sector and serves large corporations. I had to speak up.”
Brian “Box” Brown is an Eisner and Ignatz Award–winning cartoonist, illustrator, and designer from Philadelphia. His books include the New York Times–bestselling Andre the Giant: Life and Legend, Tetris: The Games People Play, Is This Guy For Real?: The Unbelievable Andy Kaufman, Cannabis: The Illegalization of Weed in America, and Child Star.
His work has been published in seven languages and Brown is celebrated for helping popularize the genre of documentary comics. Illegalization of Weed has become a top reference for the history of marijuana in America and understanding the cannabis industry. Andre the Giant is considered one of the best non-required books for high schools.
A native of New Jersey, Brown was arrested for cannabis possession in 1996, and endured probation with regular urine screenings. Today, he’s a registered medical cannabis patient in Pennsylvania. Brown’s books have earned features in The Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer, and the New York Times. Brown has been a guest on Getting High With Doug, regularly appears in the press, and often serves as a panelist or keynote speaker at events. His newest book is due out in November 2022; a complete illustration of Accidental Czar: The Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin written by Andrew Weiss, an expert on U.S.-Russian affairs at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
https://www.boxbrown.com/
The weekly comic strip, drawn in Brown’s unique and award-winning style, breaks down dense topics into enjoyable bites. Legalization Nation uses an original format of graphic news commentary to tackle state and federal affairs from the perspective of a registered medical marijuana patient.
“The goal is to educate consumers, patients and the general public about modern cannabis,” said Brown, “Hopefully, readers will have some fun too.”
The strip covers reform and regulation from a ground-level view. It never shies away from issues like the underground market, individual rights, and massive corporate advantages. When cannabis makes local and national headlines, Legalization Nation dives into the details.
Trulieve series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
Brown regularly conducts exclusive interviews with politicians, advocates, and activists who then appear in the strip. This included speaking with the family of Gregory Longenecker, a Pennsylvania man killed by police during a raid on his personal cannabis grow. (Links: Part 1, Part 2)
The digital publication Green State from Hearst Communications was the first to option the strip. Brown explained his approach in a recent interview with GS, “There is so much reporting that gives credence to sigma, focuses on the big business aspects of the sector and serves large corporations. I had to speak up.”
Brian “Box” Brown is an Eisner and Ignatz Award–winning cartoonist, illustrator, and designer from Philadelphia. His books include the New York Times–bestselling Andre the Giant: Life and Legend, Tetris: The Games People Play, Is This Guy For Real?: The Unbelievable Andy Kaufman, Cannabis: The Illegalization of Weed in America, and Child Star.
His work has been published in seven languages and Brown is celebrated for helping popularize the genre of documentary comics. Illegalization of Weed has become a top reference for the history of marijuana in America and understanding the cannabis industry. Andre the Giant is considered one of the best non-required books for high schools.
A native of New Jersey, Brown was arrested for cannabis possession in 1996, and endured probation with regular urine screenings. Today, he’s a registered medical cannabis patient in Pennsylvania. Brown’s books have earned features in The Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer, and the New York Times. Brown has been a guest on Getting High With Doug, regularly appears in the press, and often serves as a panelist or keynote speaker at events. His newest book is due out in November 2022; a complete illustration of Accidental Czar: The Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin written by Andrew Weiss, an expert on U.S.-Russian affairs at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
https://www.boxbrown.com/
Ann Magnuson
Ann Magnuson is a writer/ actress/ singer/ musician/ performer whose eclectic resume traverses the entertainment landscape like few others. She has acted in Hollywood blockbusters, Off-Broadway plays, TV sitcoms and indie films; fronted various bands; made records; written for numerous publications and has presented her original performance art pieces at art institutions worldwide including the Whitney Museum (performing a 5-hour “Tribute to Muzak” in the museum elevator), The Museum of Modern Art, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, BAM, LACMA, MOCA, The Hammer Museum, REDCAT, The Walker Art Center, The Andy Warhol Museum and in places as far flung as Tokyo’s Sogetsu Hall and The Ice Hotel inside Sweden’s Arctic Circle. Ann was inducted into the West Virginia Hall of Fame (along with Hasil Adkins, Fred “Sonic” Smith) in early 2018 and, in May 2020, West Virginia University will be present her with an honorary doctorate from their College of Arts.
Current projects include a recurring role in Season 3 (and Season 4 – now in production) of the Amazon Prime series “The Man In The High Castle” and a new music single, “The Sun Don’t Care (Who’s President)” with accompanying video that offers a cosmic ray of hope and whimsy amidst the hostility aggravated by our current political climate. Ann was guest curator of the recent Club 57 retrospective at MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in NYC that ran from October 31, 2017-April 8, 2018 and will be curating a show along similar themes for the LA-based gallery Winslow Garage in Spring 2019. She performed “The Bongwater Songbook” at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA) in November 2017, reuniting with her former bandmates who also accompanied her in the 2016 MOMA performance, “Dream Sequencing” (featuring video as well as music and spoken word from her 2016 CD, “Dream Girl.”) Her epic track “Open Letter to an Open Letter: Seriously WTF?!,” (a serio-comic rant about the insanity of the internet) was released in 2017. She is currently finishing a recording project with the LA-based DJ consortium Dub Lab. MOMA recently acquired MADE FOR TV (the 1984 art video she made with artist Tom Rubnitz) as well as Ann’s student films from her time at Denison University (including “One God, One Singer”, a short film about Elvis Presley’s 1976 concert in her hometown of Charleston, West Virginia.) Ann Magnuson currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, architect John Bertram.
http://annmagnuson.com/
Current projects include a recurring role in Season 3 (and Season 4 – now in production) of the Amazon Prime series “The Man In The High Castle” and a new music single, “The Sun Don’t Care (Who’s President)” with accompanying video that offers a cosmic ray of hope and whimsy amidst the hostility aggravated by our current political climate. Ann was guest curator of the recent Club 57 retrospective at MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in NYC that ran from October 31, 2017-April 8, 2018 and will be curating a show along similar themes for the LA-based gallery Winslow Garage in Spring 2019. She performed “The Bongwater Songbook” at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA) in November 2017, reuniting with her former bandmates who also accompanied her in the 2016 MOMA performance, “Dream Sequencing” (featuring video as well as music and spoken word from her 2016 CD, “Dream Girl.”) Her epic track “Open Letter to an Open Letter: Seriously WTF?!,” (a serio-comic rant about the insanity of the internet) was released in 2017. She is currently finishing a recording project with the LA-based DJ consortium Dub Lab. MOMA recently acquired MADE FOR TV (the 1984 art video she made with artist Tom Rubnitz) as well as Ann’s student films from her time at Denison University (including “One God, One Singer”, a short film about Elvis Presley’s 1976 concert in her hometown of Charleston, West Virginia.) Ann Magnuson currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, architect John Bertram.
http://annmagnuson.com/
Fayette Hauser Co-Founder of The Cockettes
Fayette Hauser was born in Troy, New York and raised in Wanamassa, New Jersey, a suburb of the beach town of Asbury Park. At the age of 3 she embarked on a modeling career, which lasted until kindergarten set her in a more scholarly direction.Fayette graduated in 1967 from Boston University, College of Fine Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and sculpture. Fayette lived for a year in Manhattan’s West Village with Lenny Kaye who became the guitarist for Patti Smith. She was involved with the underground scene there with filmmakers such as Jack Smith and Andy Warhol appearing in the Ronald Tavel-Andy Warhol film The Life Story of Juanita Castro. In the summer of 1968 Fayette went to Aspen, Colorado to paint. While there she was picked up hitch-hiking by Nancy Gurley, the wife of James Gurley, the guitarist for Big Brother and the Holding Company. Meeting Nancy was the event that changed the course of her life. Nancy brought Fayette to San Francisco and into the arms of the original counter-culture tribe, The Family Dog. She began to live communely with other artists and in the fall of 1969 she co-founded the avant-garde experimental theatre troupe The Cockettes. (see Cockettes) She performed, designed costumes and extensively photographed the troupe until it's demise in 1972. (see Gallery) n the summer of 1972 Fayette went to Seattle to be with Tomata du Plenty and to perform with his troupe Ze Whiz Kidz. Tomata formed his group after performing with The Cockettes early in 1970 so he successfully brought the Cockette zeitgeist to Seattle. Ze Whiz Kidz were the first spin-off group of The Cockettes. They did shows every weekend at the Smith Tower, in the basement in a club called The Sub Room. It was an intimate location with a small stage so shows were fast and furious, lots of small skits and songs, all original material. In 1975 Fayette moved to Los Angeles to write for CBS Television. However the burgeoning Los Angeles performance scene was too enticing so Fayette along with Tomata du Plenty continued performing in many underground clubs like Al's Bar, The Anti-Club, The Brave Dod and The Whisky. In 1978 Fayette, along with Jeff McGregor and Chuck Ivey formed the band Interpol. The band featured original New Wave music in a Neo-Romantic, Goth style. At the same time Fayette continued her education receiving an Associate Degree in Photography and becoming a professional photographer and graphic artist, photographing and designing album covers for many of the creative artists in the music scene of Los Angeles in the 70's and 80's. Along with her photography Fayette created a small design business called Atelier Fayette which featured Wearable Art, one-of-a-kind clothing. Her clients included The Rolling Stones, New Kids on the Block, Arsenio Hall and Diana Ross.
In the early 90's Fayette studied Method Acting with Susan Peretz, the then head of The Actor's Studio. At this time Fayette also was the Costume Designer on four feature films, The Russian Godfather, The Isle of Lesbos, My Brother Jack and High Cotton (not completed). She received two Dramalogue Awards for the plays Detective Story and A View from the Bridge. Later Fayette became a table-top prop stylist for Bon Appetite magazine simultaneously maintaining her small business, Atelier Fayette, which now focused on Antique French Textiles from the Art Nouveau Era, creating pillows for home decor which were featured in magazines such as House and Gardens. Fayette's photography work has been featured in galleries and museums and is currently a part of the exhibit West of Center: Art and The Counter-Culture Experiment in America, 1965-1977, first curated by the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art. Fayette has presented an artist's talk and slide show as well as performance, travelling with the exhibit to all its various locales; Scottsdale MCA, Jordan Schnitzer Museum, U. of Oregon, Mills College Art Museum, Oakland. She has also presented her artist’s talk to the students at the University of Washington, Counter-Couture class 2 years in a row and to the Barbie design team at Mattel’s Handler Design Studio. http://fayettehauser.com/bio.html
In the early 90's Fayette studied Method Acting with Susan Peretz, the then head of The Actor's Studio. At this time Fayette also was the Costume Designer on four feature films, The Russian Godfather, The Isle of Lesbos, My Brother Jack and High Cotton (not completed). She received two Dramalogue Awards for the plays Detective Story and A View from the Bridge. Later Fayette became a table-top prop stylist for Bon Appetite magazine simultaneously maintaining her small business, Atelier Fayette, which now focused on Antique French Textiles from the Art Nouveau Era, creating pillows for home decor which were featured in magazines such as House and Gardens. Fayette's photography work has been featured in galleries and museums and is currently a part of the exhibit West of Center: Art and The Counter-Culture Experiment in America, 1965-1977, first curated by the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art. Fayette has presented an artist's talk and slide show as well as performance, travelling with the exhibit to all its various locales; Scottsdale MCA, Jordan Schnitzer Museum, U. of Oregon, Mills College Art Museum, Oakland. She has also presented her artist’s talk to the students at the University of Washington, Counter-Couture class 2 years in a row and to the Barbie design team at Mattel’s Handler Design Studio. http://fayettehauser.com/bio.html
John Ross Bowie (Actor/Musician/Playwright/Author)
John Ross Bowie (born May 30, 1971) is an American actor and comedian best known for playing Barry Kripke on The Big Bang Theory and Jimmy DiMeo on Speechless, in addition to over 100 film and TV credits. He appeared in What the Bleep Do We Know!? opposite Marlee Matlin and made guest appearances on shows such as Reno 911!, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Glee, and Good Luck Charlie. In March 2011 he began a run in a series of commercials for the Ford Motor Company. Bowie is a regular sketch comedy performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (UCBT) in New York and Los Angeles. At UCBT he was a member of the sketch troupe "The Naked Babies" with comedians Rob Corddry, Seth Morris, and Brian Huskey. He had a recurring role in Corddry's Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital. A former member of New York pop punk band, Egghead, he worked with Big Bang Theory co-star Kevin Sussman to create two television comedies, The Ever After Part and The Second Coming of Rob. Bowie has written for Go Metric and The New York Press, and has authored a book on the cult movie Heathers. His memoir, No Job For A Man, was published in November 2022 by Pegasus Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. Publishers Weekly called the book a "smart, pithy memoir with an earnest emotional arc." He also created the play "Four Chords and a Gun" about punk sensations, The Ramones. Giving crowds a glimpse into the band's fascinating history, this play divulges into the riveting and tense conception of the Ramones album, End of the Century, produced by the eccentric gun wielding Phil Spector in 1979. John also recently wrote an amazing memoir "No Job For A Man"
Episode About Minx (HBOMax)
Featuring Stephen Tobolowsky, Oscar Montoya, Lennon Parham, and more...
Minx is set in 1970s Los Angeles and centers around Joyce (Lovibond), an earnest young feminist who joins forces with a low-rent publisher (Johnson) to create the first erotic magazine for women.
Peaches Christ (Drag Performer/Actor/Filmmaker)
Peaches Christ is a filmmaker and cult leader living in San Francisco. Her infamous movie events are self-produced at the Castro Theatre and regularly draw over 1,000 attendees to each new production before they tour. Events have featured special guest stars John Waters, Cloris Leachman, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell, Linda Blair, Bruce Campbell, Apollonia, Barry Bostwick, Pam Grier, and more. Peaches is the alter- ego of Joshua Grannell, the writer and director of the feature film All About Evil. The award-winning dark comedy gore film stars Natasha Lyonne, Thomas Dekker, Cassandra Peterson, Mink Stole, and Peaches Christ herself. Peaches Christ has been featured in the films Milk, I Am Divine, Diary Of A Teenage Girl, Mansfield 66/67, Tura!, Scream Queen: My Nightmare On Elm Street, You Don’t Nomi, and more.
Pamela Renee Smith (Singer/Producer)
Pam is a singer, producer, and keeper of the flame of the history of old school Philadelphia through her work on the Facebook Page, The Sound of Philadelphia Legends. She also has an amazing story!
David Pasquesi (Actor/Improviser)
David Pasquesi (born December 22, 1960) is an American actor and comedian. His screen credits include Groundhog Day, Strangers with Candy, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Return to Me, The Ice Harvest, Veep, At Home with Amy Sedaris, Lodge 49, and The Book of Boba Fett.
Pasquesi was born in Chicago and raised in Lake Bluff, Illinois Pasquesi starred in the short film Regrets that premiered An Event Apart, and co-starred in I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With. He wrote for Exit 57 and Strangers with Candy, co-wrote and appeared in the Spike TV series Factory, and co-wrote and co-starred in Cop Show. In 2009, he was in the cast of Angels & Demons, where he played the character Claudio Vincenzi. He co-created and co-wrote the new show Merkin Penal. Similarly to his role of "Meat Man Stew" in Strangers With Candy, Pasquesi plays "Knife Man" in At Home with Amy Sedaris. Pasquesi has performed at The Second City, iO Theater, Improv Institute, and Annoyance Theatre, and studied under Del Close in the early 80s and became part of the first iO Harold team "Baron's Barracudas". He appeared in four mainstage revues at Second City as well as in plays at the Steppenwolf Theatre and the Goodman Theatre.
In 2009, he played a supporting role in the Harold Ramis film Year One as the Prime Minister of Sodom. Pasquesi was a cast member in the Chicago premiere of Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage at the Goodman Theatre.
TJ and Dave - Since 2002, he has been performing with T. J. Jagodowski in the all improvised show "TJ and Dave".In 2006 they began an Off Broadway run, performing monthly at The Barrow Street Theatre in New York City. The Chicago Reader has described the show as "an hour of subtle character development, verbal facility, and pantomimic agility that anticipates and plays off the audience's reactions.” Guests of the show include August: Osage County's Tracy Letts, Academy Award Nominee Michael Shannon, SNL's Mike O'Brien, and Absinthe's Jet Eveleth. The 2009 South by Southwest Film festival included the documentary Trust Us, This is All Made Up directed by Alex Karpovsky, which chronicles a "T.J. and Dave" performance
https://www.davidpasquesi.com/
http://www.tjanddave.com/
Pasquesi was born in Chicago and raised in Lake Bluff, Illinois Pasquesi starred in the short film Regrets that premiered An Event Apart, and co-starred in I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With. He wrote for Exit 57 and Strangers with Candy, co-wrote and appeared in the Spike TV series Factory, and co-wrote and co-starred in Cop Show. In 2009, he was in the cast of Angels & Demons, where he played the character Claudio Vincenzi. He co-created and co-wrote the new show Merkin Penal. Similarly to his role of "Meat Man Stew" in Strangers With Candy, Pasquesi plays "Knife Man" in At Home with Amy Sedaris. Pasquesi has performed at The Second City, iO Theater, Improv Institute, and Annoyance Theatre, and studied under Del Close in the early 80s and became part of the first iO Harold team "Baron's Barracudas". He appeared in four mainstage revues at Second City as well as in plays at the Steppenwolf Theatre and the Goodman Theatre.
In 2009, he played a supporting role in the Harold Ramis film Year One as the Prime Minister of Sodom. Pasquesi was a cast member in the Chicago premiere of Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage at the Goodman Theatre.
TJ and Dave - Since 2002, he has been performing with T. J. Jagodowski in the all improvised show "TJ and Dave".In 2006 they began an Off Broadway run, performing monthly at The Barrow Street Theatre in New York City. The Chicago Reader has described the show as "an hour of subtle character development, verbal facility, and pantomimic agility that anticipates and plays off the audience's reactions.” Guests of the show include August: Osage County's Tracy Letts, Academy Award Nominee Michael Shannon, SNL's Mike O'Brien, and Absinthe's Jet Eveleth. The 2009 South by Southwest Film festival included the documentary Trust Us, This is All Made Up directed by Alex Karpovsky, which chronicles a "T.J. and Dave" performance
https://www.davidpasquesi.com/
http://www.tjanddave.com/
Dan Fishback (Playwright/ Performer/Singer)
DAN FISHBACK is a playwright, songwriter, performer in the band Cheese On Bread, and host of the podcast Sick Day with Dan Fishback. He founded The Helix Queer Performance Network in 2013, and directed its programming through 2020. Fishback’s musical The Material World was called one of the Top Ten Plays of 2012 by Time Out New York. His play You Will Experience Silence was called “sassier and more fun than Angels in America” by the Village Voice. Also a performing songwriter, Fishback has released several albums, both solo and with his band Cheese On Bread, which dropped "The One Who Wanted More" in 2018, along with a video for their song Bad Friend, directed by Stephen Winter and featuring Justin Vivian Bond. With the Helix Queer Performance Network, Fishback created La MaMa Experimental Theater's annual series La MaMa's Squirts: Generations of Queer Performance. He is developing a new musical, Rubble Rubble, which was the focus of public controversy in 2017, when a Zionist institution canceled the play’s first reading in response to Fishback’s support for Palestinian human rights.
Fishback has had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for over a decade, and partially supports himself through his Patreon.
https://www.patreon.com/danfishback
https://www.danfishback.com/
Fishback has had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for over a decade, and partially supports himself through his Patreon.
https://www.patreon.com/danfishback
https://www.danfishback.com/
Crystal Durant (Profesional Muse/DJ/Storyteller)
Crystal Durant/DJ Crystal Clear is a DJ, professional muse/model, singer, visual artist/art educator, and storyteller, who has a great podcast, Original vs Cover with DJ Crystal Clear, that’s on Apple, Anchor, and other platforms. Follow her on Instagram at DJCrystalClear and CrystalTheMuse — and on Medium at DJ Crystal Clear.
https://www.instagram.com/djcrystalclear/
https://www.instagram.com/djcrystalclear/
David Gebroe and Paul Major
Dave Gebroe
Dave Gebroe has written, produced, and directed two feature films to date. The Homeboy, distributed worldwide by Urban Entertainment, marked his debut. His follow-up was the horror hit Zombie Honeymoon. After a successful festival run (Slamdance, Sitges, Hamptons, Torino, San Francisco International, and many others), Zombie Honeymoon was picked up for national distribution by Showtime, and internationally by Fabrication Films. It is enjoying a healthy life in over 45 countries, in addition to having experienced a successful North American theatrical release. In addition, Gebroe has served as manager to such indie music luminaries such as Jessica Pratt and La Sera, and has been a contributing music critic to such publications as the International Review of Music and LiveDaily over the years.
Paul Major
If you’re not into psychedelia or rare records, you might not have heard of Paul before – but the way we understand music today has his hands all over it. He is the original sound scavenger and vinyl collector, having spent the golden decades of rock music with his hands deep in the bargain bins of record stores all across the United States, looking for every odd sound that was yet to be shared with the world back in the 70s. Today he is recognised as an expert in music made on the fringes of culture, from private pressings to one-song bands. When we start talking, Paul lists off names of obscure records and artists like it’s nobody’s business, telling me enough stories to make it clear that we’re not really just conducting an interview, this is a chance for me to hear firsthand about a part of history.
Starting out as a coin collector in rural Kentucky, 12-year-old Paul was oblivious to music as a kid, instead obsessed with UFOs, maths and monster movies. All that changed by the end of 1966, when the fuzzy guitars of Psychotic Reaction by The Count Five first graced his ears. From that moment on, a spark was ignited, Paul sucked into a whole new alternative universe: Rock’n’roll.
From the get-go the records that attracted him were those which offered a gateway to the unusual – sounds that allowed him to escape the humdrum into a world of LSD, psychedelia and hippies. As a teenager, weekends were spent in record shops, carefully flicking through the titles of songs on the back of albums, in search of the surreal. When something seemed interesting enough, he would invest what little money he had. The first album Paul ever owned was Revolver by The Beatles. “I discovered soon that there were some used record shops near my house, which were cheap. I just started buying every record I couldn’t before – every single one that looked psychedelic and was part of this counterculture movement, this underground world of hippies and radical freaks that I, at the age of fifteen, desperately wanted to be a part of.” His record collection started expanding rapidly, but it was still just a personal pursuit at the time – Paul would listen to records with his college friends at parties and embrace his passion. Then in 1977 Paul moved to New York, in search of the newest musical phenomenon of the time: punk rock. He did end up finding punk, but that wasn’t all. In New York, Paul found a scene of record collectors, and that’s when his life’s work truly started coming together. It was while falling deeper and deeper into the world of these musical outsiders that Paul found out about private pressings – long-forgotten albums recorded by everyday people, hidden away from the eyes of the music industry. “There was no watering down, no attempt to be commercial, no one telling these people what to do when they make their records,” Paul tells me, “it wasn’t about making money. The actual music of the artist is coming across without filters. I started noticing that, the less influenced by the music industry, the better chance a record was going to speak to me.”
Although his attraction to the outsiders and the oddities of the music world came from gut instinct, Paul unwittingly came across a way to dodge the mainstream music press, at a time – long before the internet – when that was no mean feat.
Taken from this article
https://www.huckmag.com/art-and-culture/music-2/paul-major-record-collecting/
Amos Poe (filmmaker)
Amos Poe is an American New York City-based director and screenwriter, described by The New York Times as a "pioneering indie filmmaker. Amos Poe is one of the first punkfilmmakers and his film The Blank Generation (1976)—co-directed with Ivan Král— is one of the earliest punk films. The film features performances by Richard Hell, Talking Heads, Television, Patti Smith, and Wayne County. Rolling Stone named it number 6 on its list of 25 Greatest Punk Rock Movies of All Time. He is also associated with the birth of No Wave Cinema due to films such as The Foreigner (1978), featuring Eric Mitchell, Debbie Harry, Anya Phillips; and Subway Riders (1981) starring Susan Tyrrell, Robbie Coltrane, and Cookie Mueller. During this time he was also the director of the Public-access television cable TV show TV Party hosted by Glenn O'Brien and Chris Stein. He is part of the Remodernist film movement, which he described as the next development of Postmodernism and the transformation of existing cultural features, but "using the technology and the sensibility of contemporary rather than nostalgia". "My idea of my work's importance is to see how it moves the culture to where I'd like to see it," Poe said in a 1981 interview. In 2008, he wrote the screenplay for the 2008 Amy Redford film The Guitar. The New York Times reported in 2020 that Poe had lost all ownership of several of his groundbreaking films, including The Blank Generation, to Ivan Kral in a 2012 lawsuit over profits from licensing fees for showings of the film. Thereafter, Kral billed himself as the director of the film, demoting Poe to co-editor; Kral also acquired ownership, for $10 each, of Poe's films Unmade Beds, The Foreigner, Subway Riders, and Empire II. In late 2019, shortly before Kral's death, at a screening of The Blank Generation, it was revealed that Kral, or his wife, Cindy Hudson, had changed the ending of the film, switching out the original ending (depicting Patti Smith Group guitarist Lenny Kaye), for a brief biopic about Kral, followed with the credit "directed by Cindy Hudson." Although the theater screening the film had, apparently unknowingly, marketed it as the iconic 1976 work, it was a considerably different film, and Poe's name was excised entirely.
The Dead Milkmen
Co-interviewed with John Ross Bowie
The Dead Milkmen is an American punk rock band formed in 1983 in Philadelphia. Their original lineup consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Rodney Linderman ("Rodney Anonymous"), guitarist and vocalist Joe Genaro ("Joe Jack Talcum"), bassist Dave Schulthise ("Dave Blood") and drummer Dean Sabatino ("Dean Clean"). The band distinguished itself in the hardcore punk scene of the early 1980s through its jangly punk sound and sardonic humor delivered with thick Philadelphia accents. They attracted college radio attention with their 1985 debut album, Big Lizard in My Backyard, and the song "Bitchin' Camaro". Extensive touring and further releases helped the band garner an underground following. The band enjoyed international success on the strength of "Punk Rock Girl", a single from their 1988 Beelzebubba album which entered into MTV rotation.[1] After an ill-fated stint with major record label Hollywood Records, health problems and industry frustrations in the wake of their success led to the group's 1995 breakup. The group reunited in 2008, with Dan Stevens replacing the deceased Schulthise. In 2011, they released The King in Yellow, their first studio album in 16 years. The band remained active thereafter, touring sporadically and releasing further records
http://www.deadmilkmen.com/
Lennon Parham (Actress)
Lennon Kathleen Parham (born October 26, 1975) is an American actress and improvisational comedian from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. With frequent collaborator Jessica St. Clair, she created and co-starred in NBC's Best Friends Foreverand USA Network's Playing House. She also co-starred in the CBS sitcom Accidentally on Purpose from 2009 to 2010. More recently, she has appeared in the HBO Max series Minx. After her stint as a French teacher, Parham began performing comedy with the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. During this time, she starred in the two-person show The Adventures of Lock & Kay and the one-woman show She Tried to be Normal. In the fall of 2009, Parham began a supporting role in the comedy Accidentally on Purpose. Parham and frequent collaborator Jessica St. Clair created and starred in the NBCcomedy Best Friends Forever, which ran for one season in 2012. Their second sitcom, Playing House, premiered on USA on April 29, 2014, and lasted three seasons. In 2015, Parham and St. Clair spun-off their Comedy Bang! Bang! characters Wompler and Listler for a new Earwolf podcast called WOMP It Up!, with St. Clair as host Marissa Wompler and Parham co-hosting as Marissa's teacher Charlotte Listler. Frequent guests on the podcast include Brian Huskey as Marissa's stepdad "Seth" and Jason Mantzoukas as Marissa's former flame Eric "Gutterballs" Gutterman. Parham has made appearances on television programs such as Veep, Parks and Recreation, Comedy Bang! Bang!, Bad Judge, Arrested Development, Lady Dynamite, Review, and Mad Men. In 2019 and 2020, she was a main cast member of the ABCsitcom, Bless This Mess, starring Lake Bell and Dax Shepard. Her notable work in film includes Confessions of a Shopaholic, Splinterheads, and Horrible Bosses 2. Parham was a guest on The Big Alakens Big Lake marathon fundraiser episode of The George Lucas Talk Show.
Perry Shall (artist/musician/collector)
You might not know Perry Shall by name, but if you’re a music fan in Philadelphia, you’ve almost certainly heard the longhaired rocker in one of his many bands or seen his art gracing the albums and t-shirts of some of your favorite acts. You might have even heard him on WFMU’s The Best Show – he has the show’s slogan WE GET IT / THEY DON’T tattooed on his wrists – or seen the wildly popular SuperDeluxe video about his immense vintage t-shirt collection, 1400 and counting. He is the very definition of a man about town, though these days that town isn’t just Philly: Shall has been doing much of the art and design work for Nashville-based label Easy Eye Sound, run by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. Don’t worry, he’s not leaving us for the Music City. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who loves this city as much as Perry does and I suspect he’ll never live anywhere else.
https://perry-shall.myshopify.com/
https://perry-shall.myshopify.com/
Jayden Libran (puppeteer/voice actor)
Jayden is a very talented puppeteer and voice actor and based in LA puppeteer and has been puppeteering since the age of 6! He was trained by The Jim Henson Company at 16, and the Sesame Workshop at 18, and currently performed in The Henson Company live improv "Puppet Up". He currently does voice work on "Duncanville" and "Beavis and Butthead". He also has a huge collection of Muppet and Henson related items that's he's been collecting since he was four.
https://www.instagram.com/j.libran98/
https://www.instagram.com/j.libran98/
Andy Sweet Photo Legacy
Andrew John Sweet (November 9, 1953 – October 17, 1982) was an American photographer known for his documentary photography and street photography. He photographed the life and residents of South Beach, with a particular focus on the Jewish community, many of them Holocaust survivors. Sweet also captured the carefree young people who made Miami Beach their second home. The Oxford American wrote a story on his vision of capturing a disappearing Jewish Community in Miami Beach.
His violent death and the following trials were covered extensively in the media. The son of a prominent Miami Beach family, the gruesome nature of his death diverted attention from his art just when his work was gaining a following. By mischance, his negatives were lost, leaving only the prints he had made as his legacy, their colors slowly fading away. In 2006, Ellen Sweet Moss' partner, Stan Hughes, found a trove of color ‘work prints’ Sweet made prior to printing full-size prints, Hughes realized that digital technology could be used to restore the fading colors back to the original color that Andy Sweet intended by using color photography instead of the black and white photography that was popular during this era. The discovery of Sweet's test prints in a family storage unit has garnered new interest in his documentary photography. Some of his surviving prints have been restored over the last decade. A documentary on his life and photography was released in 2018. The Andy Sweet Photo Legacy Foundation, founded by his sister and artist Ellen Sweet Moss, is dedicated to increasing awareness of his photography and organizing exhibits of his work.
https://andy-sweet.format.com/
His violent death and the following trials were covered extensively in the media. The son of a prominent Miami Beach family, the gruesome nature of his death diverted attention from his art just when his work was gaining a following. By mischance, his negatives were lost, leaving only the prints he had made as his legacy, their colors slowly fading away. In 2006, Ellen Sweet Moss' partner, Stan Hughes, found a trove of color ‘work prints’ Sweet made prior to printing full-size prints, Hughes realized that digital technology could be used to restore the fading colors back to the original color that Andy Sweet intended by using color photography instead of the black and white photography that was popular during this era. The discovery of Sweet's test prints in a family storage unit has garnered new interest in his documentary photography. Some of his surviving prints have been restored over the last decade. A documentary on his life and photography was released in 2018. The Andy Sweet Photo Legacy Foundation, founded by his sister and artist Ellen Sweet Moss, is dedicated to increasing awareness of his photography and organizing exhibits of his work.
https://andy-sweet.format.com/
Joey Arias (Burlesque / Impressionist / Hostess / MC / Live Singer)
A fixture of New York City’s vibrant downtown performance scene for 30-plus years, Joey Arias is a bona fide NYC icon. In 2012 he appeared in a headlining solo concert at Central Park SummerStage and played the Southbank Centre in London as part of the Antony Hagerty-curated Meltodwn Festival. Then in October Z Chromosome, a short film starring Arias and directed by Manfred (Thierry) Mugler opened the 18th Annual Festival Chéries-Chéris in Paris. Spring 2013 sees Joey Arias in Residence at Joe’s Pub over 4 Sundays and on tour in the Western United States beginning with a Valentines Day concert at the world-famous Castro Theatre. Arias lived and worked with legendary musician Klaus Nomi until Nomi’s death in 1983. However, he has long since stepped out of Nomi’s shadow to gain fame in his own right as a performance artist, cabaret singer and drag artist. From outrageous performances at seminal New York nightclubs Jackie 60 and Squeezebox to the now-legendary nights at Bar d’O where he held court with Raven-O and Sherry Vine, Arias has distinguished himself with scandalous wit, sleek style and an extraordinary voice… evocative of Lady Day yet uniquely his own. It was no surprise when Arias was tapped by Cirque du Soleil to originate the role of the emcee in their Las Vegas spectacular Zumanity, for which he co-wrote 3 songs. After 6 years in that role, Arias returned to New York where he became star and co-creator of Arias With a Twist with master puppeteer Basil Twist. The show was a critical and commercial hit and extended repeatedly for a total of 8 months at HERE Arts Center. The show has been subsequently presented in Los Angeles, Washington DC and Paris and returned to New York for another critically acclaimed, encore 8-week run at Abrons Arts Center in Fall 2011. The “Arias With A Twist” docu-fantasy premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and had it’s US premiere at the 2011 TriBeca Film Festival. In 2010 Arias returned to New York City with his first full-length concerts in over a decade. Joey Arias in Concert – featuring new jazz luminary Ben Allison and a band comprised of some of NYC’s best musicians – played to sold-out houses for two weeks at Abrons Arts Center. A scaled down version of the show opened the Spiegeltent at Bard SummerScape in 2011. Arias has performed worldwide at venues including Carnegie Hall, The Freedom Theatre in London and on a transatlantic world tour into the cabaret clubs of Paris, Tokyo, Moscow, Germany, Finland, Estonia, Canada and England. On film, he has appeared in Mondo New York, Big Top Pee Wee, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, Wigstock – The Movie, Flawless and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. Television credits include the infamous Saturday Night Live episode with David Bowie and Klaus Nomi, Ann Magnuson’s Vandemonium (Cinemax), Elvira’s MTV Halloween Special, HBOs Dragtime, HBO’s Real Sex and Gayer Than Gay on VH1, along with numerous appearances on a wide variety of talk shows and programs. Additionally, Arias has produced several of his own recordings including Arias on Holiday, Strange Fruit, Jazzo Lozo, God Shave the Queen and live recordings of StarLust in Berlin, Arias with a Twist and Bar D’o in New York.
https://monikermgmt.com/talent/joey-arias/
https://monikermgmt.com/talent/joey-arias/
Sara Benincasa (comedian/actress/author)
Sara Benincasa is a comedian, actress, college speaker on mental health awareness, and the author of "Real Artists Have Day Jobs" (William Morrow 2016); "DC Trip" (Adaptive 2015); "Great" (HarperTeen 2014); and "Agorafabulous!: Dispatches From My Bedroom" (William Morrow 2012). She hosts the self-help podcast "Well, This Isn't Normal" and combines interviews with relaxation techniques. Sara wrote for the 13th season of Mystery Science Theater 3000. She adapted "DC Trip" as a screenplay with Bona Fide, Gunpowder & Sky, and Adaptive Studios, and "Agorafabulous" as a pilot for TV with Academy Award-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody. "Great" has been optioned for television twice (so far). Recent roles include criminal defense attorney Timmy Gianpaolo on Law & Order: SVU (2022), a comedic campaign for the NY Times with Art Class Content (2019), "Corporate" on Comedy Central (2018), "Bill Nye Saves The World"" on Netflix (2017), "The Jim Gaffigan Show" on TVLand (2016) and the critically acclaimed short film "The Focus Group" (2016), which she also wrote. A former Sirius XM host and producer, she’s been heard on various programs on BBC World Service and NPR. She's appeared as a talking head on CNBC, CNN, and other networks. She’s guested on Chris Gethard's New Jersey is the World, WTF with Marc Maron, Bad with Money with Gaby Dunn, The Mental Illness Happy Hour, Throwing Shade, and several other podcasts. Sara is a regular columnist for Pipewrench. She's written six cover stories for BUST magazine and one for Women's Health. As an opinion and features writer, she’s contributed to Buzzfeed, Bitch, Bust, Bustle, CNN, Glamour, the Guardian, InStyle, Longreads, the Sunday Longread and more. Sara serves on the Creative Council for Emily’s List, one of the largest financial resources for women seeking elected office. She is also active on behalf of Miry's List, a small nonprofit that provides assistance to newly resettled refugee families in Southern California and beyond. She’s spoken to dozens of colleges, universities, comedy festivals, writers’ conferences and nonprofit groups about creative writing, storytelling, comedy and mental health awareness. Sara attended Emerson College and has a degree in Creative Writing from Warren Wilson College in Asheville, N.C. She has an M.A. in Secondary School Education from Teachers College at Columbia University. She's based in Brooklyn but spends a lot of time in Los Angeles and sunny New Jersey.
https://www.sarabenincasa.com/
https://www.sarabenincasa.com/
Karim Brown (photographer)
Karim Brown is a documentary photographer living and working in North Philadelphia.
Keeping the Black Philadelphia community and its people at the forefront of his mind, Karim uses photography to intimately engage with Black ways of knowing and doing that he has been immersed in his entire life.
Using Black Studies as the foundation of his work, Karim’s photography considers how Black folk understand and tell their own stories through the Black gaze.
https://karimbrown.com/
Keeping the Black Philadelphia community and its people at the forefront of his mind, Karim uses photography to intimately engage with Black ways of knowing and doing that he has been immersed in his entire life.
Using Black Studies as the foundation of his work, Karim’s photography considers how Black folk understand and tell their own stories through the Black gaze.
https://karimbrown.com/
The Steven Arnold Museum and Archives (Photography)
The Steven Arnold Museum and Archives was established in 2014 by artist Stephanie Farago as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, dedicated to the representation, exhibition, and study of the estate of American artist Steven Arnold.
The archives contain works and ephemera spanning from 1943 – 1994, including extensive personal files, calendars, props, sculpture, paintings, sketchbooks, drawings, films, and black and white tableau photography.As the museum does not have its own exhibition space, we are currently working with established institutions, galleries and publishers to ensure that the work remains visible. We maintain and update this website as an easily accessible record for those who can not view the work in person. The archive in Los Angeles, California is available to curators and researchers by appointment.
https://stevenarnoldarchive.com/
The archives contain works and ephemera spanning from 1943 – 1994, including extensive personal files, calendars, props, sculpture, paintings, sketchbooks, drawings, films, and black and white tableau photography.As the museum does not have its own exhibition space, we are currently working with established institutions, galleries and publishers to ensure that the work remains visible. We maintain and update this website as an easily accessible record for those who can not view the work in person. The archive in Los Angeles, California is available to curators and researchers by appointment.
https://stevenarnoldarchive.com/
Reggie Bügmüncher
Reggie is an American entertainer based in Los Angeles, California. She is ½ of Philadelphia’s Olde City Sideshow, and has been performing in sideshow for over a decade. As a solo performer, she travels the country working everything from the midway to nightclubs and variety shows. Reggie is one of the few women in the world performing several unique acts such as the anatomical wonder act and riding a motorcycle in a high wire thrill show. She has appeared on the Gong Show, Americas Got Talent, been featured in stories by news outlets from Fox to NPR and in books and magazines on Tattoos and Sideshow. She has opened up for Primus, suspended for Jane's Addiction, performed for Ripley’s Believe it or Not, and at Tattoo Conventions across the globe. She is committed to community building in the sideshow arts.
Emmi Chen (actress/ musician
Emmi Chen is a musician and actress and just appeared in the film 5-25-77.
Ryan Cassata
Ryan Cassata (he/him) is an award-winning singer-songwriter, actor, performer, published writer, LGBTQ+ activist, and transgender motivational speaker. His work has been featured on/in GRAMMY.com, Rolling Stone, Billboard, The New York Times, Buzzfeed, AltPress, American Songwriter, and The NY Daily News. With over 650 performances nationwide and internationally and seven original and critically-acclaimed musical albums, Ryan is proud to be recognized as the first openly-trans performer at the Vans Warped Tour, in addition to featured performances at Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Green Show, Global Pride and the world’s biggest pride festivals, and SXSW in Austin, Texas. Ryan has been praised by The Advocate Magazine as a “Transgender singing sensation.” Paper Magazine included Ryan on their "50 LGBTQ Musicians You Should Prioritize" list, and LOGO’s New Now Next included Ryan on the “9 Trans Musicians You Need To Get Into” list. Billboard Magazine has referred to Ryan as a “true force in the industry,” honoring him as one of the esteemed "11 Transgender & Non-Binary Musicians You Need to Know" while premiering his award-winning music video "Daughter," garnering over 2M views on Youtube and 2M streams on Spotify. Ryan’s music has been featured on Sirius XM Radio, BBC Radio 4, and other broadcast channels worldwide. Ryan Cassata is the proud recipient of The ASCAP Foundation 2019 Mariana and Paul Williams (President of ASCAP) "Sunlight of the Spirit" songwriting award for his original song, “Jupiter.” Ryan’s self-written and self-produced album, Magic Miracle Mile, released in October 2021, charted on the iTunes Alternative Charts. Both Ovation Guitars and Marvin Guitars endorse Ryan Cassata. Featured in the award-winning documentary film “Songs for Alexis,” Ryan was the focus of the film, which screened at Frameline SF, Raindance in the UK, Toronto Hot Docs, DOC NYC, and many more. Ryan co-starred in the indie film "Collective: Unconscious," which premiered at SXSW and received praise from Rolling Stone Magazine & The New York Times. Ryan was awarded "Best Breakout Performance" award by the Victoria Independent Film Festival in 2016. Ryan has also been featured in several musical theatre productions, including a workshop production at New York Stage & Film's Powerhouse Theatre at Vassar. Cassata has modeled and enjoys work as an influencer for brands such as Lids, Bonobos, Lull, Lyft, HP, and was the official face of TomboyX’s Trans Pride Underwear line in 2019, which he modeled in The Style Section of The New York Times. Ryan Cassata stars as “Jalin” in the award-winning feature film “Two Eyes,” which debuted as the final, premier film Outfest 2020. His song “You and Me Babe” has a central piece in the film as well. Beginning his important work as an activist at age 13 after joining "The Safe Schools Team," Ryan is most proud of being a trans advocate and public speaker in and around his hometown on Long Island, New York. Ryan is the youngest keynote speaker at the Philadelphia Trans Health conference and continues to make appearances and speeches at countless Middle Schools, High Schools, and Universities nationwide. Ryan is passionate about being visible and sharing his story openly to inspire greater inclusivity. Ryan is the first-ever recipient of the Harvey Milk Memorial Award, has been recognized by United States Congress, and has enjoyed many televised appearances on notable news channels such as CNN, The Larry King Live Show, and The Tyra Banks Show.
Committed to educating the global community through music, film, print, TV, and in-person speeches, Ryan most enjoys shedding his optimism, light, positivity, and experience of being a proud transgender man while highlighting the adversity he has faced throughout his journey. Ryan continues to share his inspiring message of hope and acceptance via his social media platforms and at nationwide venues.
http://www.ryancassata.com/
Committed to educating the global community through music, film, print, TV, and in-person speeches, Ryan most enjoys shedding his optimism, light, positivity, and experience of being a proud transgender man while highlighting the adversity he has faced throughout his journey. Ryan continues to share his inspiring message of hope and acceptance via his social media platforms and at nationwide venues.
http://www.ryancassata.com/
Justin Duerr (Artist/Musican/Author)
Justin Duerr was born in 1976, and grew up in rural Pennsylvania. As a child he studied ancient Egyptian mythology and art, oddities of pop-culture, religion, and anything odd he could find hiding in the woods or in the local library.
In the early 1990s, Justin dropped out of high school and moved to Philadelphia, PA. He spent several years living in various squats while continuing to refine his creative vision, and also recording music and sound with hand held tape recorders.
In 1995, an intense vision revealed, all at once, a vast sweeping story-line upon which a lifetime of artistic labor could be hung. This loosely defined story would also serve as a way of illuminating and amplifying an invisible inner-voice that seemed to be able to modify the world for the betterment of all beings. In 1997 Justin left Philadelphia to work in the Bering Sea on fishing boats, and spent over one year of his life in total at sea, working 16 hour days and without a days rest for three months at a time. This intense physical and psychological labor also served to deepen the vistas of inner-vision, and seemed to open avenues of communication with disincarnate entities of an undefined nature. During the seasonal lulls in the work, he would return to Philadelphia, where the work of piecing together these visions consumed his days. Several years later, after many independent visual art and music projects, Justin, together with a friend, founded the CHURCH OF DEVINE ENERGY, an independent religion dedicated to self-awareness through creative expression. The meetings of C.O.D.E. were held in a former gas station, and included many musical performances and below-the-radar art events.
Justin — and his fascination with and research into the mysterious “Toynbee Tiles”, which are embedded in the asphalt of streets across the country — were the subject of a documentary called “Resurrect Dead” which received an award at the 2011 Sundance film festival for best director. The film has gone on to be seen by over a million people across the world. In 2016 Justin completed researching and compiling a biography and art book of obscure cartoonist/set-designer/sculptor/musician Herbert E. Crowley, a project which he began in the summer of 2010. The resulting book, “The Temple of Silence: Forgotten Works and Worlds of Herbert Crowley” was published by Philadelphia’s Beehive Books in November 2019. The book’s publishing was financed via crowdfunding, and exceeded its $50,000 goal, raising over $96,000 from 740 backers in one month. * As of 2021, Justin continues to investigate several ‘art mysteries’, pursue visual art at a fevered pitch, and play in at least three Philly-based music ensembles – Northern Liberties, The Invasive Species, and The Great Cackler, although the pandemic has put live performances on hold. An ongoing artwork of interconnecting panels, began in 2000, now unfurls at over 100 ft. in length and averages 5 ft. in height. This work is ongoing.
https://justinduerr.com/
In the early 1990s, Justin dropped out of high school and moved to Philadelphia, PA. He spent several years living in various squats while continuing to refine his creative vision, and also recording music and sound with hand held tape recorders.
In 1995, an intense vision revealed, all at once, a vast sweeping story-line upon which a lifetime of artistic labor could be hung. This loosely defined story would also serve as a way of illuminating and amplifying an invisible inner-voice that seemed to be able to modify the world for the betterment of all beings. In 1997 Justin left Philadelphia to work in the Bering Sea on fishing boats, and spent over one year of his life in total at sea, working 16 hour days and without a days rest for three months at a time. This intense physical and psychological labor also served to deepen the vistas of inner-vision, and seemed to open avenues of communication with disincarnate entities of an undefined nature. During the seasonal lulls in the work, he would return to Philadelphia, where the work of piecing together these visions consumed his days. Several years later, after many independent visual art and music projects, Justin, together with a friend, founded the CHURCH OF DEVINE ENERGY, an independent religion dedicated to self-awareness through creative expression. The meetings of C.O.D.E. were held in a former gas station, and included many musical performances and below-the-radar art events.
Justin — and his fascination with and research into the mysterious “Toynbee Tiles”, which are embedded in the asphalt of streets across the country — were the subject of a documentary called “Resurrect Dead” which received an award at the 2011 Sundance film festival for best director. The film has gone on to be seen by over a million people across the world. In 2016 Justin completed researching and compiling a biography and art book of obscure cartoonist/set-designer/sculptor/musician Herbert E. Crowley, a project which he began in the summer of 2010. The resulting book, “The Temple of Silence: Forgotten Works and Worlds of Herbert Crowley” was published by Philadelphia’s Beehive Books in November 2019. The book’s publishing was financed via crowdfunding, and exceeded its $50,000 goal, raising over $96,000 from 740 backers in one month. * As of 2021, Justin continues to investigate several ‘art mysteries’, pursue visual art at a fevered pitch, and play in at least three Philly-based music ensembles – Northern Liberties, The Invasive Species, and The Great Cackler, although the pandemic has put live performances on hold. An ongoing artwork of interconnecting panels, began in 2000, now unfurls at over 100 ft. in length and averages 5 ft. in height. This work is ongoing.
https://justinduerr.com/
Found Footage Festival
The Found Footage Festival is a celebration of the videos that time forgot, dredged up in dusty thrift stores and estate sales throughout North America. Childhood friends Joe Pickett (The Onion) and Nick Prueher (Late Show) take audiences on a guided tour of their latest and greatest VHS finds, providing commentary and where-are-they-now updates on the people in these videotaped obscurities in their live tour and their weekly YouTube show, VCR Party Live!
Pickett and Prueher began collecting found videotapes in 1991 after stumbling across a training video entitled, “Inside and Outside Custodial Duties,” at a McDonald’s in their home state of Wisconsin. Since then, they have compiled the world’s largest collection of strange, outrageous and profoundly stupid videos.
The Found Footage Festival live show debuted in New York City in 2004 and has gone on to sell out hundreds of live shows each year across the U.S., Canada and the UK, including the Just For Laughs Festival, Edinburgh Fringe and Bonnaroo. It has been featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and National Public Radio and has been named a critics’ pick in The Guardian and The New York Times. To book a Found Footage Festival live appearance at your venue, university, or corporate event, email info@foundfootagefest.com.
New episodes of VCR Party Live! premiere every Tuesday night at 9pm ET on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch and feature dozens of newly discovered VHS clips, plus special guests like Kyle Mooney, Jon Glaser, Jo Firestone, and David Cross, and regular segments like “This Week In Flying Windows” and “IMGs.” Regular viewers of the show call themselves “Melindas,” after a found VHS clip of Nick Nolte walking into a doctor’s office and saying, “Well, hello, Melinda!” Watch the origin story of Melinda here, and join the Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes each week. Deep cuts and full VHS finds, as well as the entire Found Footage Festival DVD output, is available on the FFF’s streaming service, Rewind-o.
Pickett and Prueher are also the masterminds behind the Kenny “K-Strass” Strasser, Chef Keith, and Chop & Steele pranks that hit local morning TV news shows across and have since racked up millions of hits on YouTube. One appearance as the strongman duo Chop & Steele resulted in a federal lawsuit that Fast Company magazine called “the dumbest First Amendment battle” of the year. A documentary about Pickett and Prueher and their misadventures on local news and on the road, Chop & Steele, will hit theaters and streaming in 2023.
https://www.foundfootagefest.com/
Pickett and Prueher began collecting found videotapes in 1991 after stumbling across a training video entitled, “Inside and Outside Custodial Duties,” at a McDonald’s in their home state of Wisconsin. Since then, they have compiled the world’s largest collection of strange, outrageous and profoundly stupid videos.
The Found Footage Festival live show debuted in New York City in 2004 and has gone on to sell out hundreds of live shows each year across the U.S., Canada and the UK, including the Just For Laughs Festival, Edinburgh Fringe and Bonnaroo. It has been featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and National Public Radio and has been named a critics’ pick in The Guardian and The New York Times. To book a Found Footage Festival live appearance at your venue, university, or corporate event, email info@foundfootagefest.com.
New episodes of VCR Party Live! premiere every Tuesday night at 9pm ET on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch and feature dozens of newly discovered VHS clips, plus special guests like Kyle Mooney, Jon Glaser, Jo Firestone, and David Cross, and regular segments like “This Week In Flying Windows” and “IMGs.” Regular viewers of the show call themselves “Melindas,” after a found VHS clip of Nick Nolte walking into a doctor’s office and saying, “Well, hello, Melinda!” Watch the origin story of Melinda here, and join the Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes each week. Deep cuts and full VHS finds, as well as the entire Found Footage Festival DVD output, is available on the FFF’s streaming service, Rewind-o.
Pickett and Prueher are also the masterminds behind the Kenny “K-Strass” Strasser, Chef Keith, and Chop & Steele pranks that hit local morning TV news shows across and have since racked up millions of hits on YouTube. One appearance as the strongman duo Chop & Steele resulted in a federal lawsuit that Fast Company magazine called “the dumbest First Amendment battle” of the year. A documentary about Pickett and Prueher and their misadventures on local news and on the road, Chop & Steele, will hit theaters and streaming in 2023.
https://www.foundfootagefest.com/
Jodi Wille
Jodi Wille is a filmmaker, curator, and book publisher known for her work exploring subcultures. She directed and produced the documentary on the 70s Los Angeles utopian commune THE SOURCE FAMILY (2013) and is in production on her new feature documentary, WELCOME, SPACE BROTHERS, about the Unarius Academy of Science. She cofounded the book publishing companies Process Media and Dilettante Press and served as editor of several award-winning books. She has curated art exhibitions for The American Visionary Art Museum, Deitch Projects, and The London Photographer’s Gallery. Over the past 12 years, she has specialized in curating rare films and cultural experiences across the US and in Europe related to spiritual subcultures and intentional communities.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Jodi loves to share ideas and her work. She has presented her work and talks at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Columbia University, University of Southern California, Johns Hopkins, Emerson College, Kenyon College, Cal Arts, Otis College of Art and Design, Gregg Museum, Maryland Institute of the Arts, Denison, 72 and Sunny Day, ArtSlant, South By Southwest Film Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival, Seattle Film Festival, Silverdocs, Hot Docs: Doc Soup, True/False Boondawdle, and others.
https://jodiwille.com/
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Jodi loves to share ideas and her work. She has presented her work and talks at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Columbia University, University of Southern California, Johns Hopkins, Emerson College, Kenyon College, Cal Arts, Otis College of Art and Design, Gregg Museum, Maryland Institute of the Arts, Denison, 72 and Sunny Day, ArtSlant, South By Southwest Film Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival, Seattle Film Festival, Silverdocs, Hot Docs: Doc Soup, True/False Boondawdle, and others.
https://jodiwille.com/
Elsie Fisher
Elsie Fisher (born April 3, 2003) is an American actress. She is known for her starring role in Bo Burnham's comedy-drama film Eighth Grade (2018), for which she earned a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. Fisher is also known for voicing animated characters such as Agnes in Despicable Me (2010) and Despicable Me 2 (2013), Masha in Masha and the Bear (2009–2012) and Parker Needler in The Addams Family (2019). Fisher was born in Riverside, California, on April 3, 2003. She began her career at age six, appearing in a 2009 episode of the NBC supernatural drama series Medium. From 2009 to 2012, she voiced Masha for the English dub of the Russian animated children's series Masha and the Bear. Fisher gained further recognition for voicing Agnes in the animated comedy film Despicable Me (2010) and its sequel Despicable Me 2 (2013). However, she did not participate in the third film in the series. Fisher appeared in a supporting role in the sports drama film McFarland, USA, which was released in February 2015. She had appeared in over sixteen national commercials by March 2016. In 2018, Fisher received critical acclaim for her performance as socially-struggling teenage girl Kayla Day in the comedy-drama film Eighth Grade, the directorial debut of comedian Bo Burnham. For her performance, Fisher earned numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. After filming Eighth Grade, she went into high school and didn't get cast in her high school play. She went on to voice Parker Needler in the animated dark comedy film The Addams Family in 2019. That same year, she appeared in the main role of Joy Wilkes, daughter of Annie Wilkes, in the second season of the Hulu anthology horror series Castle Rock.
In 2022, Fisher joined the cast of HBO dark comedy series Barry in its third season.
In 2022, Fisher joined the cast of HBO dark comedy series Barry in its third season.
Longer term Podcast projects - Part 1 released - 2 parts coming soon
Arlene Gottfried and The AG Legacy Project
Arlene Harriet Gottfried (August 26, 1950 - August 8, 2017) was a New York City street photographer who recorded scenes of ordinary daily life in some of the city's less well-to-do neighborhoods. Her work was not widely known until she was in her 50s. Although Jewish by birth, later in her life she embarked on a career as a gospel singer. Gottfried published five books of her work: The Eternal Light (Dewi Lewis Publishing, 1999), Midnight (powerHouse 2003), Sometimes Overwhelming (2008); One of her series, Bacalaitos and Fireworks (powerHouse 2011), focused on Puerto Ricans in the 1970s; Mommie (powerHouse 2015) was a portrait of three generations of women in her family: her immigrant grandmother, her mother, and her sister. Mommie : Three Generations of Women received Time Magazines Best Photobook Award in 2016. Her photographs and archives are in the collections of the European House of Photography (MEP), the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the New York Public Library Gottfried has exhibited at Paris Photo, the Leica Gallery in New York and Tokyo, at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and at Les Douches La Galerie in Paris. Her photographs can be found in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum of Art, The New York Public Library, and the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Berenice Abbott International Competition of Women's Documentary. Born in Brooklyn, she moved with her Jewish immigrant family to the neighborhoods of Alphabet City. Gottfried was the older sister of comedian and actor Gilbert Gottfried. When Arlene was a teenager, her father Max gave her an old 35mm camera, which she eventually took to Woodstock, even though she said, "I had no clue what I was doing. She credited her upbringing for giving her the ability to get intimate photographs of strangers . I had exposure to all kinds of people, so I never had trouble walking up to people and asking them to take their picture. She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology. She worked as a photographer for an advertising agency before freelancing for publications such as The New York Times Magazine, Fortune, Life, the Village Voice, and The Independent (London (UK)). She was an habitue of Nuyorican Poets Café, a friend of Miguel Piñero, and on the Lower East Side sang gospel with the Eternal Light Community Singers. Her photography dealer was the owner of the Daniel Cooney Fine Art Gallery. She died August 8, 2017 from complications of breast cancer at her home in Manhattan at the age of 66 surrounded by friends and family. We will be interviewing many folks that have been close to her and have championed her work.
cover photo by Kevin Downs
cover photo by Kevin Downs
Muppets Muppets Muppets - an in depth exploration of Jim Henson and the Muppets
We have interviewed about 15-20 people associated with the Muppets or influenced by them.
Sponsored by Risk Podcast, and Rich Wexler Photography
https://www.risk-show.com
