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Employee of the Month — Society & Culture
Employee of the Month

We spend most of our time working, so what does it take to (mainly) love what you do? How do even the most gifted, talented, intelligent, ambitious, disciplined, imaginative, inventive, and lucky people develop their point of view, find meaning, serve a greater good, deal with work place politics, rejection, finances, boredom, red tape, logistics, and creative roadblocks? What are the perks or enjoyable about forging your own path? Catie Lazarus and her guests delve into beauty, banality and absurdity of work, jobs, and labor.

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Copyright: © Catie Lazarus

Latest Episodes:

JOSH GONDELMAN on stand up & writing for John Oliver to The New Yorker Apr 27, 2016

Show notes

Josh Gondelman is a writer for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on HBO and has contributed to Billy Eichner’s show Billy on the Street, The New Yorker, and McSweeney’s. His second stand up special Physical Whisper is currently out and he made his stand up debut on Conan. After writing and doing stand up in small rooms in Boston, he became best known for Tweeting under the name @Seinfeld Today, aka Modern Seinfeld, with a friend Jack Moore. We spoke one-on-one about the disgusting bathrooms in comedy rooms to Gondelman’s sunny disposition and how performing in New York is simply the most challenging and cathartic.

Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to Employee of the Month and the rest of your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Employee of the Month show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or visit slate.com/employeeplus to get access wherever you listen.

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

ARTHUR LEWIS on teaching Lin-Manuel Miranda & music collectives Apr 16, 2016

Show notes

How do we nurture our art when we’ve got bills to pay and neurosis to slay? I spoke with singer, songwriter and composer Arthur Lewis about potential, success, baggage, inherited dreams, talent, and his career in music. Arthur Lewis is one of New York’s finest original musicians, which is why famed poet Sarah Kay and Pulitzer, Grammy, Tony, and MacArthur “Genius” winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, of Hamilton Fame, are fans. The two were two of the founding members of FreeStyle Love Supreme.

Originally from Queens, Arthur Lewis went on to study at Yale, and then returned to New York, where he has spent over a decade playing piano, guitar, percussion, as well as composing, singing, directing, and engineering for fellow musicians, comedians, and theatrical performances. A musician’s musician, Lewis became a go-to player in musical collectives, including the Melting Pot Crew, This Is Not the Radio, and Freestyle Love Supreme, a hip hop improv group.

Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to Employee of the Month and the rest of your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Employee of the Month show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or visit slate.com/employeeplus to get access wherever you listen.

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

JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND on Renee Fleming, Kiki & Herb, & church camp Apr 13, 2016

Show notes

Justin Vivian Bond is a Tony nominated, Obie, GLAAD and Essie winning cabaret star and trans-genre artist. Vocal about being transgender, Justin uses V as a preferred pronoun.

The first time Bond took the stage was as a wee babe in a Christmas show at V.'s family’s local Church of the Brethren in sleepy Hagerstown, Maryland, but the rest of the word would have to wait decades before hearing from the sumptuous voice and acerbic wit which made Bond a legend.

After high school and a stint as a counselor at church camp, Bond knocked around New York and studied theater, but didn’t find a niche until moving to San Francisco in 1989. Out West, Bond took a day job at A Different Light bookstore and performed in plays, most notably in Hidden A: Gender by Kate Bornstein, the renowned performance artist and gender theorist. Like Bornstein, Bond spoke shattered simplistic theories, like the idea that everyone who transgender feels trapped in the wrong body.

Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to Employee of the Month and the rest of your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Employee of the Month show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or visit slate.com/employeeplus to get access wherever you listen.

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DAVID SIMON on Edward Snowden, porn, & more. Apr 06, 2016

Show notes

David Simon revolutionized television when he created THE WIRE. A veteran crime reporter for The Baltimore Sun, Simon offered audiences a rare and searing portrait of the underground drug market, while simultaneously transforming how television series are devised. Each season focused on the inner workings of the various players, be it the politicians or police or education system. Throughout the five seasons, Simon deftly revealed the interplay between government, police enforcement, addicts, dealers, politicians, prisons, media, press, religious institutions, lobbyists, public school system, gangs, business, entrepreneurs, race, class, and technology. In addition to using a cadre of fine actors, including Omar Epps, Michael B. Jordan and Idris Elba, he also offered cameos and sometimes ongoing roles to real people, be it a Health Commissioner, journalist, or former convict. The result was a gripping drama, that mesmerized everyone from President Barack Obama to drug dealers to the media.

Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to Employee of the Month and the rest of your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Employee of the Month show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or visit slate.com/employeeplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Actor TONY ROBERTS on being Woody Allen's sidekick to Brett Gelman's dad Mar 23, 2016

Show notes

Growing up, I binge watched ANNIE HALL, and ate up the fraternal, Statler and Waldorf like chiding between Alvy Singer, played by Woody Allen, and Rob, played by Tony Roberts. So when Tony Robert’s publicist asked if I’d interview the two time Tony nominated actor as he was promoting his new memoir “DO YOU KNOW ME?” I, of course, said yes. You may recognize Tony Roberts from STARDUST MEMORIES, PLAY IT AGAIN SAM, or SERPICO, with Al Pacino. In addition to being in tons of films, Tony Roberts did a ton of theater, including PLAY IT AGAIN SAM and DOW JONES, and had an enviable voice acting career. He spoke about how it’s impossible to break in if you’re not already famous, being swindled by managers, befriending a shy Woody Allen, and teaming up with Patty Lupone on comedian Brett Gelman’s Sundance film, which you can see on Adult Swim. Our interview was recorded live at the Writers Guild (WGA-East).

Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to Employee of the Month and the rest of your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Employee of the Month show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or visit slate.com/employeeplus to get access wherever you listen.

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EMEL MATHLOUTHI sings live and reveals if Paris or NYC is better for artists Mar 16, 2016

Show notes

Emel Mathlouthi is a brilliant singer and songwriter with an intoxicating, ethereal voice, who became an international sensation as her music inspired fellow Tunisians fighting for their freedom during the Arab Spring.

Tunisian govern banned her music from the country’s radio as her lyrics criticized the regime of then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. So in 2008, she fled for Paris and continued to sing defiant songs and post them on social media. A video of her singing her song Kelmti Horra (my word is free) in front of 10,000 Parisians went viral. She lived between France and Tunisia, and in 2012, returned to Tunis and sang "Kelmti Horra," and, a couple hours later it was (former) President Ben Ali who would flee the country. Her album also titled Kelmti Horra made its debut in 2012 and received critical acclaim. She has performed all over the world, including a solo performance at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony.

Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to Employee of the Month and the rest of your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Employee of the Month show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or visit slate.com/employeeplus to get access wherever you listen.

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GRETA GERWIG on Lena Dunham, Yale (NSFW) and Scott Rudin Mar 09, 2016

Show notes

Despite getting rejected from Yale grad school, Golden Globe nominee Greta Gerwig has never wanted for work. As an actor and writer, Gerwig frequently collaborates with her boyfriend and filmmaker Noah Baumbach, and become known doing films with Joe Swanberg. This summer she will make her directorial debut and talks about the joy of having Scott Rudin as a producer. On Employee of the Month Show, Greta Gerwig tells Catie Lazarus what she really thinks of Yale rejecting her, tax breaks in California versus New York for filming, and loving her own work.

Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to Employee of the Month and the rest of your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Employee of the Month show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or visit slate.com/employeeplus to get access wherever you listen.

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

MICHAEL McKEAN sings live and talks Better Call Saul, Spinal Tap & Laverne & Shirley Mar 02, 2016

Show notes

MICHAEL McKEAN may be best known as Lenny, Squiggy's best friend, played by David Lander, on the beloved sitcom LAVERNE & SHIRLEY, but he has acted in over 225 roles and, once you hear our interview, you’ll know why everyone from Christopher Guest to Vince Gilligan clamors to work with him.

Most actors get so good and comfortable at reprising their shtick or are pushed to do so by agents and network executives, but McKean shrewdly and bravely keeps expanding his repertoire. He said no to Saturday Night Live when the timing wasn’t right. He also takes risks, which is no easy feat when your paycheck rests on you delivering. It could be nerve wracking to build on brilliant performances, from THIS IS SPINAL TAP to the X-FILES, but McKean clearly enjoys the thrill of trying to do so. He makes it seem effortless. Today, you can catch him on the cult favorite AMC’s BETTER CALL SAUL, where he quietly steals scenes.

Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to Employee of the Month and the rest of your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Employee of the Month show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or visit slate.com/employeeplus to get access wherever you listen.

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

SAMANTHA POWER on the GOP, Hillary Clinton, and diplomatic immunity Feb 28, 2016

Show notes

Ambition is a trait most politicians share, regardless of what they aspire to do with it. Luckily, Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power, a consummate politician, also possesses a moral compass. While at Harvard Law, the Irish born, American raised scholar decided her academic research on America’s role in genocide, from the Holocaust to Armenian genocide to Darfur, merited a book. In 2002, she published A PROBLEM FROM HELL, which promptly became a Pulitzer Prize Winner and caught the attention of human rights advocates to politicians, including a then young Senator, named Barack Obama. The two policy wonks formed a friendship. Soon after, Power went from working outside of the belly of the beast to becoming a key member of President Barack Obama’s cabinet. Today, she holds three jobs. She is part of President Obama’s staff and, eventually, Ambassador to the UN and part of the UN Security Council.

Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to Employee of the Month and the rest of your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Employee of the Month show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or visit slate.com/employeeplus to get access wherever you listen.

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

SHARON VAN ETTEN sings live and talks about Kyp Malone, McDonalds, and Wine. Feb 17, 2016

Show notes

Before fans and critics knew Sharon Van Etten’s wry, whip-smart lyrics and enchanting harmonies, the singer/songwriter worked the fryer at McDonalds. Despite constant promotions, she moved on. She baked donuts at a donut shop, worked at wine stores, built Subway sandwiches, and revealed in our interview that Chipotle isn’t the only bad apple.

As she started considering making a go of singing and songwriting, she connected with Kyp Malone, of TV on the Radio. Malone helped her make music her main gig. He wasn’t alone in recognizing her innate talent. Etten found a following fast. She started touring non-stop and churned out exquisite albums, including Because I Was in Love (2009), epic (2010), Tramp (2012), Are We There (2014), and her latest EP is I Don’t Want To Let You Down (2015).

Even as she is now beloved internationally, Etten hasn’t lost her voice, physically or metaphorically, thoughtful gaze, or sly humor.

Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to Employee of the Month and the rest of your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Employee of the Month show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or visit slate.com/employeeplus to get access wherever you listen.

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

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