Clever with Amy Devers

Latest Episodes:

Clever Confidential Ep. 2: The Supernatural Beginnings of The Bradbury Building [encore] Feb 04, 2025

Show notes

In the heart of downtown Los Angeles sits Hollywood’s undisputed architectural superstar — the Bradbury Building. The imposing structure’s character is definitive. Its origin story, however, is much murkier…

How did a young draftsman design one of the most remarkable buildings in the world? Why did he never again do anything of note? Or did he? Was all his creativity spent on this one masterpiece? Was this a case of stolen intellectual property? Or could this have even been a brush with the supernatural?

Clever Confidential is Clever’s offshoot series, where we dig into the darker side of design - the shadowy, sometimes sordid tales hiding under a glossy topcoat of respectable legacy.

Many thanks to this episode’s guest experts Kim Cooper and Richard Schave of Esotouric!

Images and more about the Bradbury Building at cleverpodcast.com

SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!

VISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodes

SAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers

Please help us out by completing a short LISTENER SURVEY

If you enjoy Clever Confidential we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!

Credits:

Hosts: Amy Devers & Andrew Wagner

Writing and research: Amy Devers & Andrew Wagner

Guests: Kim Cooper & Richard Schave of Esotouric

Production: Devers Endeavors

Editing and Sound Design: Camille Stennis

Theme Music: “Astronomy” by Thin White Rope courtesy of Frontier Records

Logo design: Laura Jaramillo remixed by Graham Hauser

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clever Confidential Ep. 5: Eileen Gray and the Aura of E-1027 [encore] Jan 28, 2025

Show notes

Clever Confidential is Clever’s offshoot series, where we dig into the darker side of design - the shadowy, sometimes sordid tales hiding under a glossy topcoat of respectable legacy.

In Ep. 5 we explore the haunting tale of E-1027, an architectural masterpiece born of love but marred by betrayal, obsession, and tragedy. From its creation by Eileen Gray to its desecration by Le Corbusier, and its descent into decadence during World War II, this house has borne witness to some of humanity’s darkest and most beautiful moments. Hosts Amy Devers and Andrew Wagner uncover the secrets etched into its walls and the spirits that linger within.

Many thanks to this episode’s guest expert Anthony Flint, author of Modern Man: The Life of Le Corbusier, Architect of Tomorrow and host of the Land Matters podcast.

See images and read the transcript!

SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!

VISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodes

SAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers

Please help us out by completing a short LISTENER SURVEY

If you enjoy Clever Confidential we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!

Credits:

Hosts: Amy Devers & Andrew Wagner

Writing and research: Amy Devers, Andrew Wagner, Ilana Nevins

Guests: Anthony Flint

Editing and Sound Design: Mark Zurawinski

Theme Music: “Astronomy” by Thin White Rope courtesy of Frontier Records

Logo design: Laura Jaramillo remixed by Graham Hauser

Production: Devers Endeavors

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clever Confidential Ep. 4: Olivetti and the Race to Create the First Personal Computer [encore] Jan 21, 2025

Show notes

Clever Confidential is Clever’s offshoot series, where we dig into the darker side of design - the shadowy, sometimes sordid tales hiding under a glossy topcoat of respectable legacy.

Before Silicon Valley, there was Olivetti—an Italian design powerhouse on the brink of changing the world. But just as their revolutionary computer neared completion, tragedy struck.

Visionary leader Adriano Olivetti and brilliant engineer Mario Tchou both died suddenly, their deaths cloaked in secrecy and Cold War paranoia. What really happened to them—and who stood to gain?

Host Amy Devers and writer Andrew Wagner follow the trail of innovation, betrayal, and buried history to uncover how a company destined to shape the digital age was silenced... and why its story was nearly erased.

Images, links, and more about Olivetti!

Many thanks to our guest expert Barry Katz.

Audio clips courtesy of Luca Cottini - Italian Innovators youtube video - CAMILLO & ADRIANO OLIVETTI. At the Origins of the Computer Age. Linkedin and instagram @italianinnovators

SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!

VISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodes

SAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers

If you enjoy Clever Confidential please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!

Writing and research: Amy Devers, Andrew Wagner, Ilana Nevins

Editing and Sound Design: Camille Stennis and Mark Zurawinski

Theme Music: “Astronomy” by Thin White Rope courtesy of Frontier Records

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clever Confidential Ep. 3: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Murders at Taliesin [encore] Jan 14, 2025

Show notes

Clever Confidential is Clever’s offshoot series, where we dig into the darker side of design - the shadowy, sometimes sordid tales hiding under a glossy topcoat of respectable legacy.

On the afternoon of August 14th, 1915, fire ripped through Taliesin, the Spring Green, Wisconsin home of the world’s most famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. When the smoke cleared seven people would be dead, murdered with an axe at the hands of Julian Carlton, a servant of Wright’s. But why? The motive remains a mystery to this day. But there are so many other questions. Why does seemingly everyone know Frank Lloyd Wright but strangely, very few seem to know this much darker side of his story? In this episode we’ll investigate all of that as well as the great state of Wisconsin, Wright’s never-ending battle with societal norms, and the interplay between critics and creative professionals.

Images, links and more about Frank Lloyd Wright and the Murders at Taliesin!

Thank you to Brad Lynch of Brininstool & Lynch Architects for lending his expertise, insight and colorful commentary and to "The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas for audio clips from the historic Frank Lloyd Wright interview.

SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!

VISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodes

SAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers

Please help us out by completing a short LISTENER SURVEY

If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!

Clever Confidential is hosted by Amy Devers and Andrew Wagner, with editing and sound design by Camille Stennis, production assistance from Ilana Nevins and Anouchka Stephan. Our theme music is “Astronomy” by Thin White Rope.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clever Confidential Ep. 1: The Strange Disappearance of Norman Jaffe [encore] Jan 07, 2025

Show notes

On the morning of August 19th, 1993, mid-century architect, Norman Jaffe, parked his car in his client’s driveway, walked to Ocean Beach in Bridgehampton, New York, stripped down, folded his clothes, and dove into the Atlantic. He never returned and his body was never recovered. Was it murder? Was it suicide? Did he fake his own death? What happened to Norman Jaffe?

Clever Confidential is Clever’s offshoot series, where we dig into the darker side of design - the shadowy, sometimes sordid tales hiding under a glossy topcoat of respectable legacy.

Images and more about Norman Jaffe HERE

Credits:

Hosts: Amy Devers & Andrew Wagner

Guest: Alastair Gordon

Writing and research: Amy Devers & Andrew Wagner

Editing: Rich Stroffolino

All Sound Bites: from Alastair Gordon's documentary film "Beyond the Beach: The life and Death of Norman Jaffe, Architect"

Theme Music: “Astronomy” by Thin White Rope courtesy of Frontier Records.

Cover Art: Laura Jaramillo remixed by Graham Hauser

For more on Norman Jaffe please grab a copy of Alastair Gordon’s Romantic Modernist, The Life and Work of Norman Jaffe, Architect, published by Monacelli Press in 2005. It is fantastic :)

Please help us out by completing a short LISTENER SURVEY

If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!

SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!

VISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodes

SAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. 212: HODINKEE’s Ben Clymer on Agency, Permanence, and the Talismans of Life [rebroadcast] Dec 17, 2024

Show notes

Ben Clymer grew up in a New York suburb, raised by middle-class public school teachers and enamored by his grandfather’s swagger and style. An Omega Speedmaster, a gift from said grandfather, is the piece that captured his heart and sets his story in motion. A painstakingly shy student, he began to gain self-confidence in high-school and a need to differentiate in college. In 2008 he started a tiny blog, HODINKEE, a passion-project about watches that gained traction and sent him on a mission to get a Master’s in Journalism. Since then, HODINKEE has led to creative collaborations with the most prestigious watch brands and famous rockstars, and grown into a multi-channel platform that has transformed the world of luxury watches.

Images & Links from Ben + a transcript HERE

SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!

VISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodes

SAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers

Please complete our Listen Survey, it really helps us out! cleverpodcast.com/survey

If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!

Clever is hosted & produced by Amy Devers, with editing by Mark Zurawinski, production assistance from Ilana Nevins and Anouchka Stephan, and music by El Ten Eleven.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clever Confidential Ep. 5: Eileen Gray and the Aura of E-1027 Nov 26, 2024

Show notes

Clever Confidential is Clever’s offshoot series, where we dig into the darker side of design - the shadowy, sometimes sordid tales hiding under a glossy topcoat of respectable legacy.

Many thanks to this episode’s guest expert Anthony Flint, author of Modern Man: The Life of Le Corbusier, Architect of Tomorrow and host of the Land Matters podcast.

See images and read the transcript!

SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!

VISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodes

SAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers

Please help us out by completing a short LISTENER SURVEY

If you enjoy Clever Confidential we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. 219: Federico Negro on Making Tools to Empower and Scale Sustainable Design Nov 12, 2024

Show notes

Founder and CEO of Canoa, Federico Negro, was born in Uruguay during a time of political turmoil and lived in four countries by age 14. As a teenager in Chicago, he used music as a means of learning English, and during college became fascinated by forensic architecture, which informed his fixation with “how we build with what we build.” An Architect, designer, toolmaker, and entrepreneur, his first company, CASE, was acquired by WeWork. From there he served as the Global Head of Design for Wework during the company’s rapid expansion, and witnessed first-hand the pain points and environmental challenges that could be mitigated with better tools. So in 2019, he founded Canoa, an AI-driven, collaborative software aimed at revolutionizing the interior design and furniture industries by addressing environmental issues and becoming a tool to help us build a better future.

Head to cleverpodcast.com for images, a transcript and more!

SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!

VISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodes

SAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers

If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!

Please help us out by completing a short LISTENER SURVEY

Clever is hosted & produced by Amy Devers, with editing by Mark Zurawinski, production assistance from Ilana Nevins and Anouchka Stephan, and music by El Ten Eleven.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clever Confidential Ep. 4: Olivetti and the Race to Create the First Personal Computer Oct 29, 2024

Show notes

Clever Confidential is Clever’s offshoot series, where we dig into the darker side of design - the shadowy, sometimes sordid tales hiding under a glossy topcoat of respectable legacy.

Before Silicon Valley, there was Olivetti—an Italian design powerhouse on the brink of changing the world. But just as their revolutionary computer neared completion, tragedy struck.

Visionary leader Adriano Olivetti and brilliant engineer Mario Tchou both died suddenly, their deaths cloaked in secrecy and Cold War paranoia. What really happened to them—and who stood to gain?

Images of Programma 101 and more about Olivetti on cleverpodcast.com

Many thanks to this episode’s guest expert Barry Katz.

Audio clips courtesy of Luca Cottini from his Italian Innovators youtube video - CAMILLO & ADRIANO OLIVETTI. At the Origins of the Computer Age. You can find him on Linkedin and instagram @italianinnovators

Writing and research: Amy Devers, Andrew Wagner, Ilana Nevins

Editing and Sound Design: Camille Stennis and Mark Zurawinski

Theme Music: “Astronomy” by Thin White Rope courtesy of Frontier Records

Production: Devers Endeavors

SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!

VISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodes

SAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. 218: The Exquisite Love, Magic and Maximalism of Londubh Studio Oct 16, 2024

Show notes

Custom surface artists Lisa Donohoe and Brynn Gelbard met and fell in love in the queer underbelly scene of San Francisco in 2002, a time before bi-national same-sex marriage was legal. Their diverse community was built on love, curiosity and celebrating each other's differences. In an evolution that was equal parts organic maturity and cosmic intervention, Brynn and Lisa moved to Los Angeles and founded Londubh Studio, specializing in elaborate and maximalist hand-applied surface designs. Now the duo, oft considered the design world’s secret weapon, are translating their wildness, love, magic, and the sacred, through exquisite artistry and pristine craft, into visual celebrations that vibrate with love and emanate joy.

Head to cleverpodcast.com for images, a transcript and more!

Clever is hosted & produced by Amy Devers, with editing by Mark Zurawinski, production assistance from Ilana Nevins and Anouchka Stephan, and music by El Ten Eleven.

If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!

SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!

VISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodes

SAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected