The intersection of art, culture and politics. Hosted by Torquil Campbell and Ali Momen. Each week Torquil and Ali get together with fellow musicians, actors, and artists to discuss the latest in the world of art, society, culture, and politics. The conversation is lively, free of crap, and with a unique perspective that only these two guys can bring. Send your comments to softrevcast@gmail.com! Join us on Patreon and get BONUS EPISODES, EXTENDED INTERVIEWS, and MORE! www.patreon.com/softrev ...
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SongWriter turns stories into songs, ft. Questlove, Joyce Carol Oates, David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), George Saunders, Steve Earle, Susan Orlean & Neil Gaiman
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Holly Hazelwood, Eric Mellor, and Spectrum Culture’s editor-in-chief David Harris gather ‘round the mics twice a month to talk about music, movies, books, and TV but mostly just end up talking about music.
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At a live performance at KQED in San Francisco, bestselling author and New Yorker staff writer Susan Orlean tells a story about homing pigeons, and the heartbreaking implications of their extraordinary intelligence. Researcher Dr. Laura Simone Lewis shares her work with bonobos and chimpanzees, and the ways that their intelligence guides their unde…
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Episode 93: “Ask Zale: 10 More Years!” (featuring Zale Schoenborn)
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In this episode, David Harris, Holly Hazelwood and Eric Mellor are joined by special guest, Pickathon founder Zale Schoenborn, to discuss this year's acts, the future of the fest and how some musicians this year can't even drink legally. Support the Show.By Spectrum Culture
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Season 6 is here, with the return of friends like Joyce Carol Oates and Susan Orlean, and new ones like W. Kamau Bell, Imbolo Mbue, Crys Matthews, and Ali Sethi! Episode 1 is out July 2ndBy Ben Arthur
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Episode 92: “Bad Monkey Cramp Club” (featuring Kid Congo Powers)
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In this episode, David Harris, Holly Hazelwood and Eric Mellor are joined by special guest, Kid Congo Powers, to discuss the musician's assorted bands, the Ramones and how Lux Interior is still scandalizing young people. Support the Show.By Spectrum Culture
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Episode 91: “Weed Diss Track” (featuring billy woods and Cavalier)
1:45:56
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In this episode, David Harris, Holly Hazelwood and Eric Mellor are joined by special guests, billy woods and Cavalier, to discuss marijuana, diss tracks and "indie" rap. Support the Show.By Spectrum Culture
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Bonus episode! News of the mildly delayed season six, as well as some upcoming live shows, including: 5/11 Joyce Carol Oates + Ali Sethi with special guests Tony Trischka and Dr. Allison Applebaum at LeFrak Concert Hall in Queens, NY 6/13 Susan Orlean + Diana Gameros with special guest Laura Simone Lewis at KQED in San Francisco 7/10 W. Kamau Bell …
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Episode 90: “Podcasting with John” (featuring John Lurie)
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In this episode, David Harris, Holly Hazelwood and Eric Mellor are joined by special guest, John Lurie, to discuss his television shows, voiceovers and happiness. Support the Show.By Spectrum Culture
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Episode 89: “Omiyage” (featuring Kishi Bashi)
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In this episode, David Harris, Holly Hazelwood and Eric Mellor are joined by special guest, Kishi Bashi, to discuss how musicians are portrayed in the movies. Support the Show.By Spectrum Culture
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Episode 88: “no fun/party” (featuring Laura Veirs)
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In this episode, David Harris, Holly Hazelwood and Eric Mellor are joined by special guest, Laura Veirs, to discuss Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? by Kara Jackson. Support the Show.By Spectrum Culture
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Episode 87: “Gates of Heaven” (featuring Zac Pennington and Prudence Rees-Lee from Popular Music)
1:27:55
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In this episode, David Harris, Holly Hazelwood and Eric Mellor are joined by special guests, Zac Pennington and Prudence Rees-Lee, to discuss a documentary about the Heaven's Gate cult. And some music. Support the Show.By Spectrum Culture
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David Sedaris + Jacob Ewald (Slaughter Beach, Dog)
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Bestselling author David Sedaris reads an excerpt from Theft By Finding, a collection of his diaries from when he was a young artist. Jacob Ewald of the pop indie band Slaughter Beach, Dog (and formerly Modern Baseball) recounts how reading the book backstage at a college show had the effect of giving him permission to call himself a songwriter, an…
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Bestselling author Raven Leilani reads an excerpt of her short story “Breathing Exercise,” and talks about art, racism, and carnality in her work. Raven shares how her brother – who died of ALS – introduced her to art, as well as her favorite bands. Jennifer Charles of Elysian Fields explains that she has been a Raven Leilani fan since her debut no…
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Episode 86: “An Okay F**k ” (featuring Tim Kinsella and Jenny Pulse)
1:36:46
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In this episode, David Harris, Holly Hazelwood and Eric Mellor are joined by special guests, Tim Kinsella and Jenny Pulse, to discuss how reading influences creativity. Support the Show.By Spectrum Culture
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This is part one of a two-part episode featuring "Sea Oak" by George Saunders. Part one contains a song written by Ben Arthur, Vienna Teng, and George Saunders; Part two contains a new song written by Craig Finn. Bestselling author and MacArthur genius George Saunders reads a comic-but-serious zombie story called “Sea Oak” – which was made into an …
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This is part one of a two-part episode featuring "Sea Oak" by George Saunders. Part one contains a song written by Ben Arthur, Vienna Teng, and George Saunders; Part two contains the song written by Craig Finn. Bestselling author and MacArthur genius George Saunders reads a comic-but-serious zombie story called “Sea Oak” – which was made into an Am…
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Ali and Torq haven't spoken in months so we figured why not just let people hear unfiltered what a catch-up between these two would sound like.
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Bestselling author, screenwriter, and founder of McSweeney’s, Dave Eggers reads an excerpt from his short story, “The Museum of Rain,” and talks about the way music informs his creative process. Dave says the song Vienna wrote for the episode, “hit him like a truck,” and expresses his delight that Vienna decided to make the song a fundraiser for th…
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Andrew Sean Greer + Torquil Campbell & Daniel Handler
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Andrew Sean Greer won the Pulitzer Prize for his comic novel, Less. For this episode he reads an excerpt from the follow up book, Less is Lost, and describes how he thinks of the book as more serious than many readers. For the songwriter in this episode, Andrew requested Torquil Campbell of the band Stars, and Torq secretly invited Andrew’s close f…
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Sally Rooney’s bestselling novel, Beautiful World, Where Are You? is a follow-up to her wildly successful novel Normal People, which was made into a popular series on Hulu. The newest novel is about falling in love in the digital age – her exquisitely-drawn characters struggle to connect with each other, and slowly expose their vulnerabilities to e…
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Episode 85: “Cappuccino and Ketamine” (featuring Torquil Campbell from Stars)
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In this episode, David Harris, Holly Hazelwood and Eric Mellor are joined by special guest, Torquil Campbell from Stars, to discuss the convicted murderer and impostor, Clark Rockefeller. Support the Show.By Spectrum Culture
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Kevin Allison is a storyteller, the host of the wildly popular RISK! podcast, and a former member of MTV’s The State. He tells a story about meeting his future husband in the days after 9/11, and talks about how late he came to dating and self-acceptance, and wrestles with a recently broken heart. Carolyn Kendrick is herself a star in the podcast w…
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Author and illustrator Dolan Morgan reads an excerpt from his story, “The Quartering Act,” which combines fantasy and emotional realism to explore self-loathing and trauma. Melissa Faliveno and John Walsh from the band Self Help talk about their reactions to the story, and share their new song, “3A.” https://SongWriterPodcast.com Twitter.com/SnogWr…
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Episode 84: “Definitely Not Folk” (featuring Vashti Bunyan)
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In this episode, David Harris, Holly Hazelwood and Eric Mellor are joined by special guest, Vashti Bunyan, to discuss her new book and how her music is definitely not folk. Support the Show.By Spectrum Culture
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Charlie Gilmour reads an excerpt from his bestselling memoir, Featherhood, which connects the story of raising an abandoned magpie with explorations around his father, noted actor and poet Heathcoate Williams, and his stepfather, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. British musician and podcaster Matshidiso shares the story of coming to grips with her own …
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Bestselling author Jean Hanff Korelitz reads an excerpt from her recent novel, The Latecomer, and talks about the connections and disconnections she feels between her job and the movies and tv shows that are made from her work (Hugh Grant, Nicole Kidman, Tina Fey). Jean reads from The Latecomers – a rambling multi-generational picture of a family d…
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Episode 83: “Ask Zale: The Final Chapter?” (featuring Zale Schoenborn)
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In this episode, David Harris, Holly Hazelwood and Eric Mellor are joined by special guest, Pickathon founder Zale Schoenborn, to discuss this year's acts, the future of the fest and his own podcast. Support the Show.By Spectrum Culture
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New Yorker staff writer, Russian dissident journalist, and author Masha Gessen (@MashaGessen) tells the story of being called in for a death-defying meeting with Putin, and how it confirmed the dark conclusions in their bestselling biography of him, Man Without a Face. Ukrainian American musician and scholar Maria Sonevytsky (@MarusiaSays) talks ab…
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New York Times writer Dan Bergner reads an excerpt from The Mind and the Moon, which explores the lives of three people coping with serious mental illness and the pharmaceutical and medical systems brought to bear on their treatment. Dan’s brother Bob is one of those featured in the book, and he describes his journey and the very inspiring way that…
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Episode 82: “The Life” (featuring Tonie Joy from Moss Icon)
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In this episode, David Harris, Holly Hazelwood and Eric Mellor are joined by special guest, Tonie Joy from Moss Icon, to discuss emo, the DIY aesthetic and Annapolis. Support the Show.By Spectrum Culture
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Bestselling author and storyteller Neil Gaiman (@NeilHimself) talks about his long collaborations with the FourPlay String Quartet (@FourPlaySQ), and their new album, Signs of Life. Neil describes how he first wrote a letter to a friend who was suffering a series of miscarriages, and how that became the song "The Wreckers," and discloses his own pa…
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Episode 81: “The Dweller on the Threshold” (featuring Michael Horse)
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In this episode, David Harris, Holly Hazelwood and Eric Mellor are joined by special guest, Michael Horse, to discuss music, Westerns and Twin Peaks. Support the Show.By Spectrum Culture
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Cheryl Strayed (@CherylStrayed) returns to SongWriter to read another letter from "Tiny, Beautiful Things" (which is now a series on Hulu!), a lovely and very personal meditation on the subject of self-forgiveness. Dr. Suzanne Freedman of the International Forgiveness Institute talks about the scientific mechanics behind the often misunderstood pra…
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https://SongWriterPodcast.com Twitter.com/SnogWriter Facebook.com/SongWriterPodcast Instagram.com/SongWriterPodcastBy Neil Gaiman, Masha Gessen, Ben Arthur, Cheryl Strayed
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Episode 80: “You Talkin’ to Me?” (featuring Satomi Matsuzaki and Greg Saunier of Deerhoof)
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In this episode, David Harris, Holly Hazelwood and Eric Mellor are joined by special guests, Satomi Matsuzaki and Greg Saunier of Deerhoof, to comment on the director's commentary on the Taxi Driver laserdisc. Support the Show.By Spectrum Culture
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Strikes everywhere. There's one job AI can replace and that's a politician. Speaking of "politicians", Trump is indicted...now what? Thanks, as always, to EFFIN' BIRDSBy Torquil Campbell and Ali Momen
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Episode 79: “A Sick World” (featuring Trevor Dunn from Mr. Bungle)
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In this episode, David Harris, Holly Hazelwood and Eric Mellor are joined by special guest, Trevor Dunn, for a freewheeling discussion that spans five different topics. Support the Show.By Spectrum Culture
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The Jennifer C. Lena joins the pod to discuss her insights of the last five years, how AI is like spell check on steroids, how nationalization might be the key to solving our woes, and Ali wonders, "where was our hazard pay?"By Torquil Campbell, Jennifer Lena, Ali Momen
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Episode 78: “First Wave TV” (featuring Richard Blade)
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In this episode, David Harris, Holly Hazelwood and Eric Mellor are joined by special guest, Richard Blade, to discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of streaming television. Support the Show.By Spectrum Culture
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Episode 77: “The Wizard” (featuring Steve Kilbey from the Church)
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In this episode, David Harris, Holly Hazelwood and Eric Mellor are joined by special guest, Steve Kilbey from the Church, to discuss the work of Marc Bolan (aka T. Rex). Support the Show.By Spectrum Culture
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Just Gotta Riff feat. Chilly Gonzales
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Last week we received an email from our European correspondent Chilly Gonzales demanding to address Torquil's insane desire to kill all the robots. Well, here he is in all his glory.By Torquil Campbell and Ali Momen
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I'm a Racist Against Robots feat. David Maggs
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In this episode, we sit down with David Maggs of the Metcalf Foundation to discuss his recent report, "Art and the World After This." David delves into the ways in which the pandemic has affected the art world, both in terms of the financial struggles of artists and institutions, as well as the shift towards digital and online mediums. He also touc…
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Episode 76: “Look Like a Wind-up Bird” (featuring Amanda Shires)
1:09:10
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In this episode, David Harris, Holly Hazelwood and Eric Mellor are joined by special guest, Amanda Shires, to discuss the work of author Haruki Murakami. Support the Show.By Spectrum Culture
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Into The Metaverse feat. Michael Wheeler
1:31:12
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Michael Wheeler of the SpiderWebShow joins to discuss how technology and theatre intersect. But first: Swifties battle the Ticketmaster monopoly, the mid-terms were not as expected, and Elon is up to something at Twitter headquarters.By Michael Wheeler, Ali Momen, Torquil Campbell
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Episode 75: “Wings of Desire” (featuring Michelle Ruiz Keil)
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In this episode, David Harris, Holly Hazelwood and Eric Mellor are joined by special guest, author Michelle Ruiz Keil, to discuss Wim Wenders' greatest film. Support the Show.By Spectrum Culture
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Compass Artist Management has stopped paying their clients to the tune of over $500k and it's time we step up and change the system. Please help these affected artists at www.compassactorsfund.comOther topics : Torq thinks throwing oil on Van Gogh is amazing while Ali thinks it's merely a first draft, and what to do when we get so caught up in iden…
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Brush Up Your Farsi feat. Tara Grammy
1:31:19
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Actor, writer, producer, and activist Tara Grammy joins the pod to discuss the ongoing major protests in Iran. But first - Ali has an idea to massively increase voter turnout, Torq thinks it's time to Cancel Kanye, and Bros. flops!By Tara Grammy, Ali Momen, Torquil Campbell
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The Queen is dead. Trudeau is a little pitchy. Apple has a maybe-Oscar winner with Will Smith and they don't know what to do about it.By Torquil Campbell, Ali Momen
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Episode 74: “Full Keith Moon Fever” (featuring Janet Weiss from Quasi)
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In this episode, David Harris, Holly Hazelwood and Eric Mellor are joined by special guest, Janet Weiss, to discuss drummers who make or break songs. Support the Show.By Spectrum Culture
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- Torq visits England and as usual, has thoughts. - Audiences won't go to your show if you make it kinda a bummer.- Arcade Fire's Win Butler is accused of multiple instances of sexual misconduct, and Feist leaves the tour. - WTF is tipping?By Stars, Ali Momen, Torq Campbell, Torquil Campbell
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Former Google engineer Blake Lemoine (@cajundiscordian) describes how he came to the conclusion that LaMDA, an AI developed by Google, is sentient. Blake details what LaMDA is, how he tested its capabilities and limitations, and what LaMDA fears most. Songwriter Jonathan Mann (@SongaDayMann) talks about writing a song every day for 14 years, some o…
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