Arts

Talkhouse Podcast

Your favorite musicians, filmmakers, and other creative minds one-on-one. No moderator, no script, no typical questions. The Talkhouse Podcast offers unique insights into creative work from all genres and generations. Explore more illuminating shows on the Talkhouse Podcast Network.

Latest Episodes:

George Saunders with Dana Spiotta Apr 16, 2020

Show notes

Today’s episode is produced in collaboration with Murmrr Ballroom and Community Bookstore.

We are so pleased to, for the first time on the Talkhouse Podcast, present two authors in conversation. And what authors!

To celebrate George Saunders’ new short story in the New Yorker, his appearance on Cheryl Strayed’s new podcast Sugar Calling, and many of us having a little more time to read now, we wanted to share from our digital vault his wonderful 2018 talk with Dana Spiotta.

George and Dana share quite a bit in their conversation, including: why it’s important to read fiction right now; trying to write in the style of '90s chat rooms; Jesus the Temple-trashing tough guy; and… dreaming of goiters.

This show includes great readings by both authors, and kicks off with a live intro from Michael Miller of Bookforum. It closes with an audience q and a. Check it out.

Huge thanks to Brian Kelly and all at Murmrr. Also to Community Bookstore in Park Slope, Brooklyn; they’re one of the greats here in New York, and during this time of social isolation, are still open for deliveries, with free media mail.

Regular listeners might remember we collaborated with these great folks on previous episodes including Jeff Tweedy with Abbi Jacobson and Judd Apatow with David Duchovny.

Today’s show was recorded in Brooklyn by Justin Hrabvosky, Eric Lemke and our co-producer Mark Yoshizumi.

The Talkhouse Podcast theme song was composed and performed by The Range.

Please direct all podcast-related ideas, vitriol and compliments to elia@thetalkhouse.com or @eliaeinhorn on Twitter.

Revisited: Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) with Abbi Jacobson Apr 09, 2020

Show notes

This harrowing virus and quarantine have brought infinite terrible things with them. Still, I want to take a moment to celebrate a ray of sunshine — some truly incredible live-from-their-home sets from brilliant artists. “The Tweedy Show,” the nightly show that Wilco‘s Jeff Tweedy and his family stream on Instagram each weeknight is not to be missed. Jeff, his wife Susie, and their sons Spencer (The Blisters, Tweedy… um, the band, that is) and Sammy broadcast whatever they feel like: impromptu live versions of Wilco songs, Jeff’s from-a-dream lyrics for a song called “Grandma’s A Cyborg Now,” or a chat with Curb Your Enthusiasm‘s Jeff Garlin.

So this week, we’re re-airing a wonderful live talk between Jeff Tweedy and genius comedian Abbi Jacobson (Broad City, Disenchantment).

After you listen, make sure to check out the new Mavis Staples song “All In It Together” that Jeff produced and sang on, as well as Spencer Tweedy‘s past Talkhouse Podcast episodes with NE-HI (RIP) and Whitney.

Until catching this talk live last month, it would never have occurred to me that there could be a deep similarity between Jeff Tweedy’s songs and Abbi Jacobson’s Broad City character, but—there is!

Jeff (Wilco, Tweedy) and Abbi (Broad City, Disenchantment) sat down at the beautiful Murmrr Theater in Brooklyn to celebrate the release of Jeff’s memoir Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back): A Memoir of Recording and Discording with Wilco, Etc. and his new solo album Warm. Their thoughtful and funny conversation took in a lot, including the difficulties they each had writing books after focusing their careers on other types of writing; opening up about mental health and addiction; Jeff breaking into comedy; and so much more.

Check it out, and subscribe now to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast. Feel free to DM me to let me know which artist(s) you’d love to see appear on a future episode.

—Elia Einhorn, Talkhouse Podcast host and producer

This episode was recorded by Mark Yoshizumi with Eric Lemke and Justin Hrabovski at Murmrr Theater, and at Hook and Fade Studios in Brooklyn. It was co-produced by Mark Yoshizumi.

Big thanks to Brian Kelly at Murmrr.

The Talkhouse Podcast’s theme song was composed and performed by The Range.

Please direct all podcast-related ideas, vitriol, and compliments to elia@thetalkhouse.com.

Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee) with Whitmer Thomas Apr 02, 2020

Show notes

Singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield, aka Waxahatchee, and comedian Whitmer Thomas have each released perhaps the best work of their careers thus far in the past month or so: Waxahatchee with her new LP, Saint Cloud, Whitmer with his HBO comedy special The Golden One. The two are huge fans of each other's emotionally vulnerable work; having recently met, they have, as Katie puts it in this talk, “a weird kismet connection."

In their open and honest conversation, Katie and Whitmer take us through their careers, from their beginnings as teenage rockers in Alabama to their current professional successes, and the processes of making their powerful new works. We also hear about the benefits of a slower professional trajectory; pre-album-release shame when you’ve been completely open about your life in your art; and how Katie getting sober changed her music.

Check it out, and subscribe now to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast, including upcoming shows featuring Jarvis Cocker (Pulp) with the Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt; Black Belt Eagle Scout with Sasami; and George Saunders with fellow author Dana Spiotta.

—Elia Einhorn, Talkhouse Podcast host and producer

This week's show was recorded by Claire Morison at Bedrock.la and in Brooklyn by Talkhouse Film's Editor-in-chief Nick Dawson and myself in our respective #stayhome studios. The Talkhouse Podcast's co-producer is Mark Yoshizumi.

Our theme song was composed and performed by The Range.

Please direct all podcast-related ideas, vitriol, and compliments to elia@thetalkhouse.com.

Black Thought (The Roots) with Wyatt Cenac Mar 26, 2020

Show notes

On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Podcast, we feature a very special conversation recorded live at On Air Fest in Brooklyn earlier this month between The Roots’ lead MC Black Thought (aka Tarik Trotter) and comedian Wyatt Cenac. The two friends have a hilarious, highly entertaining talk about everything from beard grooming and the need for adult playgrounds, to their initial forays into showbiz (Tarik went to school with Questlove, Boyz II Men and Beanie Sigel!), to Wyatt’s disastrous gig hosting a CMJ hip-hop show and the awful time Tarik forgot the lyrics to the Jay-Z song he was performing – as part of a tribute to Hov himself! For more filmmakers and musicians in conversation, visit Talkhouse at talkhouse.com and subscribe to the Talkhouse Podcast to stay in the loop about future episodes.

This episode was recorded by Sam Bair at On Air Fest, Elia and Nick recorded themselves in quarantine, and was co-produced Mark Yoshizumi.

Revisited: Chuck D (Public Enemy) with Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) Mar 19, 2020

Show notes

With Public Enemy in the news recently, and Rage Against the Machine active this year, we were immediately reminded of this talk with Tom Morello and Public Enemy's Chuck D. A lot has changed since we recorded the new intro for this episode a week ago. We want to wish all of our listeners good health. Talkhouse will be continuing to publish new and archival conversations with your favorite musicians, actors, and filmmakers at our usual pace. Take care and thanks for listening.

Chuck D (Public Enemy) and Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave, the Nightwatchman) have been sending radical political messages up the pop charts for decades. On the occasion of the debut LP by their new supergroup, Prophets Of Rage, the two musical revolutionaries bum-rush the Talkhouse Podcast to discuss protest music. Their conversation also covers why new groups are afraid to be overtly political, the democratization of music via technology, how Rage Against the Machine fooled MTV and Viacom, and "Puff the Magic Dragon." Check it out, and subscribe now on iTunes or Stitcher to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast.

—Elia Einhorn, Talkhouse Podcast host and producer

Today's episode was recorded by Susan Valot, and mixed and co-produced by Mark Yoshizumi.

A.C. Newman with Post Animal Mar 12, 2020

Show notes

A.C. Newman of The New Pornographers and Wesley Toledo, the drummer for psych/prog rockers Post Animal, are big fans of each other's music. When we paired 'em up for a Talkhouse convo, the guys were thrilled to dive deep on embracing irony and ridiculousness in their songwriting. Their talk also takes in how hip hop and psych are getting closer and closer, what can be learned from Electric Light Orchestra, and the lengths Andrew Bird will go to to get the right take.

Check it out, and subscribe now to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast, including upcoming episodes featuring Jarvis Cocker with The Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt; The Roots' Black Thought with comedian Wyatt Cenac; and George Saunders with Dana Spiotta.

—Elia Einhorn, Talkhouse Podcast host and producer

Wesley Toledo was recorded by Talkhouse's dear pal Alex Hall at Reliable Recorders in Chicago, A.C. Newman recorded himself, and Annie Fell and I were committed to 1s and 0s by our co-producer Mark Yoshizumi at Hook and Fade Studios, Brooklyn.

The Talkhouse Podcast theme song was composed and performed by The Range.

Please direct all podcast-related ideas, vitriol, and compliments to elia@thetalkhouse.com.

Kelly Reichardt with Olivier Assayas Mar 05, 2020

Show notes

On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Podcast, two of the greatest living filmmakers, Kelly Reichardt and Olivier Assayas, sit down for an intimate conversation. Recorded last fall when Reichardt’s First Cow (in theaters March 6 through A24) and Assayas’ Wasp Network were both playing at the New York Film Festival, this talk sees the two comparing notes on the intricacies of their respective creative processes, from writing through to editing. They discuss the ways in which they differ (such as Assayas’ enforced spontaneity and Reichardt’s love of preparation), the personal backstories to Assayas’ films Cold Water and Summer Hours, Reichardt’s past growing up in a law-enforcement family in Miami, the way new technology figures in their work, and much more. For more filmmakers and comedians talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse Film at talkhouse.com/film. Subscribe now to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast.

Maria Bamford with Chris Gethard Feb 27, 2020

Show notes

On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Podcast, there’s a meeting of kindred spirits as Maria Bamford sits down with fellow stand-up Chris Gethard. Bamford and Gethard are both famous for having put their own mental health struggles at the center of their comedy, and Bamford’s new Topic show, What’s Your Ailment?, is a series of in-depth discussions with other comedians about depression, addiction and the like. Unsurprisingly, the two swap stories about meds and therapists, but also share their fantasies of quitting comedy (and what other jobs they dream of doing), debate the relative merits of different hotel franchises, and dish on social media attacks, how to deal with hecklers, and much, much more. For more filmmakers and comedians talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse Film at talkhouse.com/film. Subscribe now to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast.

Robbie Robertson (The Band) with M.C. Taylor (Hiss Golden Messenger) Feb 20, 2020

Show notes

Robbie Robertson is a songwriter and guitarist who redefined American music with The Band, redefined what a concert film could be with The Last Waltz, and redefined movie soundtracks via his scoring of critical Martin Scorsese films like Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, and, most recently, The Irishman. To celebrate the release of the new documentary Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band, Robbie sat down for an incredible Talkhouse conversation with an artist at Americana's vanguard, M.C. Taylor, AKA Hiss Golden Messenger.

The guys chop it up on some truly incredible stories, including (but by no means limited to!) Robbie's touring with Bob Dylan, working with Martin Scorsese, and corresponding with the brilliant classical composer Krzysztof Penderecki. Their talk also takes in the meaning and process of songwriting, Levon Helm absolutely hating country music, and Robbie’s “incredible jukebox in the sky."

Check it out, and subscribe now to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast, including upcoming episodes with authors George Saunders and Dana Spiotta, filmmakers Olivier Assayas and Kelly Reichardt, and musicians A.C. Newman (The New Pornographers) and Post Animal.

—Elia Einhorn, Talkhouse Podcast host and producer

Today's episode is brought to you by Current.com. It was recorded in North Carolina by M.C. Taylor, in Los Angeles at Village Studios by Karl Wingate, and in Brooklyn at Hook and Fade Studios by our co-producer Mark Yoshizumi.

The Talkhouse Podcast theme song was composed and performed by The Range.

Please direct all podcast-related ideas, vitriol and compliments to elia@thetalkhouse.com

Judd Apatow with David Duchovny Feb 13, 2020

Show notes

Today's episode is produced in collaboration with Murmrr Ballroom and Community Bookstore.

Judd Apatow and David Duchovny absolutely adored their friend and collaborator Garry Shandling. Since Garry's death in 2016, Judd has been memorializing the game-changing comedian, first with his HBO documentary The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling, and more recently through the book, It's Garry Shandling's Book, comprised of journal entries, photos, and contributions from peers. To celebrate Garry's life via the book's release late last year, Judd and David sat down at a sold-out Murmrr Ballroom to share some heartfelt and hilarious stories, and to answer audience questions.

In this very special episode, tune in for tales of boxing and meditating with Garry; on-set shenanigans; wild times at his famous Hollywood basketball games with the likes of Adam Sandler, George Clooney, and Brad Pitt; and so much more.

Subscribe now to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast, including upcoming episodes with George Saunders and Dana Spiotta (another Murmrr Lit collaboration), the New Pornographer’s AC Newman and Post Animal, Robbie Robertson of The Band and Hiss Golden Messenger, and filmmakers Olivier Assayas and Kelly Reichardt.

—Elia Einhorn, Talkhouse Podcast host and producer

Huge thanks to Brian Kelly and all at Murmrr, and to Community Bookstore in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Today’s show was recorded in Brooklyn by Justin Hrabvosky and our co-producer Mark Yoshizumi, at Murmrr and Hook and Fade Studios.

The Talkhouse Podcast theme song was composed and performed by The Range.

Please direct all podcast-related ideas, vitriol and compliments to elia@thetalkhouse.com