Bryan and Jason discuss takeaways from Bryan's chat with writer, producer, and food critic Bill Oakley. They also talk about the overwhelmingly positive response to the Mark Lanegan tribute episode. Finally, Bryan and Jason talk about taking a break from podcasting so they can focus on family and other creative endeavors.…

Bill Oakley is a Portland-based writer and producer known for his work on The Simpsons (where, with partner Josh Weinstein, he was executive producer and showrunner for the 7th and 8th seasons), Futurama, Regular Show, and Mission Hill. He most recently served as a writer and producer on Portlandia, Disenchantment, Chicago Party Aunt, and Close Eno…

Bryan and Jason discuss takeaways from Bryan's chat with Rayka Zehtabchi and Shaandiin Tome, who co-directed the documentary short Long Line of Ladies, which premiered at Sundance and is now showing at SXSW. Bryan and Jason also talk about the situation in Ukraine and Jason talks about the music he has been writing and recording, which will be avai…

Rayka Zehtabchi is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker who won the Academy Award for her film Period. End of Sentence in 2019. Shaandiin Tome is an Albuquerque-based filmmaker whose breakout, award-winning short film Mud (Hashtł’ishnii) premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2018. Rayka and Shaandiin co-directed the documentary short Long Line of Ladies,…

Bryan and Jason talk about the loss of Pacific Northwest indie rock legend Mark Lanegan, paying tribute to him and playing clips from interviews with musicians Moby, Mark Pickerel (formerly of the Screaming Trees), and Jeff Fielder, all of whom worked closely with Lanegan at various points in his career.…

Bryan and Jason discuss takeaways from Bryan's chat with Josef Kubota Wladyka, who wrote and directed Catch The Fair One (now on VOD), as well as takeaways from Bryan's chat with film producer Sunil Perkash, who produced Last Survivors (now on VOD). Bryan also talks about a recent illness which humbled him and made him grateful to be alive, Bryan t…

Film producer Sunil Perkash developed major studios hits like BLAST FROM THE PAST starring Brendon Frasier, Alicia Silverstone, Sissy Spacek and Christopher Walken, PREMONITION , starring Sandra Bullock, and Disney’s blockbuster hit ENCHANTED, starring Amy Adams, which grossed $340 million, and received multiple oscar and golden globe nominations. …

Josef Kubota Wladyka is a screenwriter, director, and producer. His episodic television credits as a director include the netflix series Narcos, Narcos: Mexico, and Animal Kingdom, among others. Josef’s most recent feature film, Catch The Fair One, which he wrote, directed, and produced, was released in select theaters and on VOD on February 11 by …

Bryan and Jason discuss takeaways with from Bryan's chat with artist manager/concert promoter Ken Kinnear and screenwriter Zack Ford. Bryan talks about his experience covering the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, recapping some films he saw at the festival. Bryan and Jason dive into the Joe Rogan/Spotify controversy. And Bryan previews his upcoming int…

Zack Ford is a New York-based screenwriter who sold his first screenplay right out of New York University’s Tisch School of Arts. The screenplay, originally entitled Scribbleface, would become Scar 3D, the first stereoscopic 3D horror film. Zack’s film, Watcher, premiered at Sundance 2022 and was recently purchased by IFC Films for theatrical and V…

Ken Kinnear is an artist manager, concert promoter and author. He managed the band Heart for more than a decade and is the creator/developer of The Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington, considered by many to be the most iconic outdoor music venue in the world. Ken is featured in the documentary Enormous: The Gorge Story (now streaming on Amazon…

Bryan and Jason discuss takeaways from Bryan's chat with Michael Price, who co-created F Is For Family with Bill Burr for Netflix, and has written and co-executive produced on The Simpsons for over 20 years. Bryan and Jason also discuss Peter Jackson's new documentary on The Beatles, talk about plans for Sundance 2022, and preview next week's inter…

Michael Price has been writing and producing for the beloved and iconic television show The Simpsons for the past 20 years. In 2014 he co-created F is For Family, a serialized, animated series for Netflix, with comedian Bill Burr. Starring Bill Burr, Laura Dern, Justin Long, and Sam Rockwell, the series just concluded its fifth and final season. Mi…

ENCORE EPISODE (Replay of Episode 3, April 9, 2019): We are replaying this interview as a tribute to Rayka, whose film Long Line of Ladies is premiering at Sundance 2022. We want to contratulate Rayka and her co-director Shaandiin Tome on this achievement and wish them all the best in Park City. -----------------------------------------------------…

Bryan and Jason discuss highlights from 2021 and recap Bryan's interviews with Naomi Grossman, Justin Connor, Keith Thomas, Niki Pilkington, Sue Ennis, Moby, Mark Pickerel, Tommy Chong, Al Di, Jeff Fielder, Onur Tukel, and Justine Bateman. Throughout the interview Bryan and Jason play clips from these interviews, reflect on lessons learned from eac…

Bryan and Jason discuss takeaways from Bryan's interview with director and screenwriter Tim Sutton, whose most recent film, The Last Son, starring Heather Graham, Sam Worthington, Machine Gun Kelly, and Thomas Jane, premiered on December 10. They also talk about the upcoming end-of-the-year recap, and preview Bryan's upcoming coverage of the Sundan…

Tim Sutton is the screenwriter and director behind five critically acclaimed films, including Funny Face, Donnybrook, Dark Night, Memphis, and Pavilion. His most recent film, The Last Son, which premiered on December 10, stars Sam Worthington, Heather Graham, and Machine Gun Kelly. What you will learn: How the screenplay for The Last Son came to hi…

Bryan and Jason discuss takeaways from Bryan's interview with film composer Roman Molino Dunn, reminisce about Stephen Sondheim, who passed away last week, talk about Bryan's return to the upcoming 2022 Sundance Film Festival as a member of the press, and preview Bryan's upcoming interview with film director Tim Sutton, whose western starring Sam W…

Roman Molino Dunn is a Billboard-charting music producer and an award-winning film and television composer. His film and television work includes scoring HBO Max’s Huracán, Ru Paul’s Drag Race, Snakehead, and music producing The Card Counter, starring Oscar Isaac, directed by Paul Schrader, and executive produced by Martin Scorsese. Roman has also …

Bryan talks about postponing (until January of 2022, due to some cool upcoming promotional events) the launch of his interview with artist manager, concert promoter Ken Kinnear, who is also the creator and developer of the iconic Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington. Happy Thanksgiving folks!By Bryan Smith

Bryan and Jason discuss takeaways from Bryan's chat with TV writer and producer Kourtney Kang, who was executive producer on How I Met Your Mother and Fresh Off the Boat. She is also the creator/showrunner of the new Disney Plus series Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. Bryan and Jason reflect on 90s television, discuss how well Friends and Seinfeld have held …

Kourtney Kang is a writer, producer, and the creator/showrunner of the new hit Disney+ show Doogie Kamealoha, M.D., a reimagining of the beloved 90s show, Doogie Howser, M.D. Kourtney was also an executive producer on How I Met Your Mother, co-executive producer of Fresh Off the Boat, and supervising producer of Netflix’s Pretty Smart. What you wil…

Bryan and Jason discuss takeaways from Bryan's chat with screenwriter and director Justine Bateman, who made her directorial debut with Violet, starring Olivia Munn, Luke Bracey, and Justin Theroux. Bryan and Jason play a new song (Overcome By You) from Chris Kinkade's band Elsewaves. Jason talks about some new jazz songs he's been writing and reco…

Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Justine Bateman is an author, screenwriter, producer, and director. After decades as a successful actor, with roles on Family Ties, Satisfaction, Men Behaving Badly, and Californication, Justine made her feature film directorial debut with Violet, starring Olivia Munn, Luke Bracey, and Justin Theroux, which opens in th…

Bryan and Jason discuss key takeaways from Bryan's epic chat with artist, musician, painter, author, and filmmaker Onur Tukel. Jason shares his thoughts on Seattle's recent decision to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms. Bryan talks about a book on songwriting he just read called How To Write One Song, by Jeff Tweedy. Bryan talks about his intervi…

Onur Tukel is an actor, screenwriter, producer, director, musician, painter, graphic novelist, and children’s book author. His previous films include Catfight, starring Sandra Oh and Anne Heache, Applesauce, and Black Magic for White Boys. His most recent film is Scenes From an Empty Church, starring Kevin Corrigan and Thomas Jay Ryan, Max Casella,…

Bryan and Jason recap Bryan's interviews with guitarist Jeff Fielder and director and screenwriter Rebecca Eskreis. Bryan talks about his recent "solo-cast," shares why recording it was so difficult, and expresses gratitude for the positive feedback from listeners on that episode. Jason talks about a recent harrowing experience in his recording stu…

Writer, Director, and producer Rebecca Eskreis is a familiar face on the international film festival circuit, screening at SXSW, SIFF, Munich, and Stockholm, among others. Rebecca’s directorial debut, What Breaks the Ice (starring Madelyn Cline, Sofia Hublitz, and Lukas Gage) was selected for the Austin Film Society’s Artist Intensive, hosted by Ri…

Bryan talks about formative events in his life that made him realize the importance of living the life you want to live now.By Bryan Smith

Guitarist, songwriter, and producer Jeff Fielder has worked with notable artists such as Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age), Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam), Duff McKagan (Guns N Roses), Sera Cahoone, and most recently landed a touring gig with the Indigo Girls. He also writes and creates music with his wif…

Bryan and Jason discuss takeaways from Bryan's interviews with film directors Amber Sealey and Michele Civetta, wax philosophic about the fragility of life and our gratitude for being alive, and Jason tries to make amends for a joke he made about Keith Richards, but Bryan isn't letting him off the hook so easily. To be clear, Jason is still going t…

Michele Civetta is a writer, producer, Emmy nominated director, and founder of the production company Quintessence Films. Michele’s feature film, Agony, starring Asia Argento, was released in 2020. His most recent film is The Gateway, starring Shea Whigham, Olivia Munn, Bruce Dern, Frank Grillo, Mark Boone Junior, and Taryn Manning. The Gateway is …

Actor and award-winning filmmaker Amber Sealey has directed film festival favorites such as How Does it Start, No Light and No Land Anywhere, and How to Cheat. Her most recent film, No Man of God starring Elijah Wood, Luke Kirby, and Robert Patrick, follows the real life friendship that developed between FBI Special Agent Bill Hagmaier (played by W…

Bryan and Jason recap Bryan's interviews with Carson Mell, Olivia Taylor Dudley, and Al Di. Carson wrote, directed, and acted in the film Some of Our Stallions, which is now available on VOD. Olivia and Al co-starred in the film (which Al also produced). Jason talks about his experience watching Some of Our Stallions. Bryan and Jason also talk abou…

Writer, producer, animator, and actor Carson Mell was a writer on HBO’s Silicon Valley (created by Mike Judge), and wrote on Eastbound & Down, starring Danny McBride. Carson also created the animated series Tarantula (executive produced by Danny McBride), and wrote road trip comedy The Long Dumb Road, directed by Hannah Fidell and starring Jason Ma…

Musician, film producer, and actor Al Di began his career in music before connections in the music world gave him the opportunity to produce movies. Al has produced Dreamland with Jason Schwartzman, Brigsby Bear with Kyle Mooney, Greg Kinnear and Claire Danes, and Lost Transmissions with Simon Pegg, among others. His most recent film, Some of Our S…

Olivia Taylor Dudley is an actress, producer, and writer known for playing the beloved character Alice Quinn on SyFy’s The Magicians. Early in her career she appeared in sitcoms such as Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Mindy Project, but made a splash on the big screen with Chernobyl Diaries, Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimensi…

Bryan and Jason discuss takeaways from Bryan's chat with comedy icon Tommy Chong, give their respects to recently departed ZZ Top bass player Dusty Hill, and marvel at the the longevity of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts. Finally, Bryan airs a grievance over a bass guitar he loaned to Jason.By Bryan Smith

Tommy Chong began his comedy career in the iconic comedy duo Cheech and Chong. Together they recorded numerous comedy albums and made multiple films throughout the 70s and early 80s, including Up In Smoke. After Cheech and Chong broke up, Tommy performed standup and booked more than 60 film and television roles, playing Leo for five seasons on That…

Bryan and Jason discuss takeaways from Bryan's interviews of Mark Pickerel and Jeffrey Paul King, review the new Paul McCartney/Rick Rubin documentary on Hulu (McCARTNEY 3, 2, 1), and preview next week's launch of Bryan's interview with Tommy Chong.By Bryan Smith

Jeffrey Paul King is the creator and showrunner of the CW’s The Republic of Sarah, and was a writer and producer for all seven seasons of the acclaimed TV series Elementary starring Johnny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu. What you will learn: How Jeffrey’s work on Elementary led to the creation of his show The Republic of Sarah. He also shares about the in…

Singer, songwriter, and musician Mark Pickerel was a founding member of the Screaming Trees, a PNW band that shaped the course of grunge history in the 80s and 90s. After recording five studio albums with the Screaming Trees and recording with Nirvana as well, Mark started the bands Truly, The Dark Fantastic, and Mark Pickerel and His Praying Hands…

Bryan and Jason recap last week's interview with David Magidoff, try to contain their excitement about the revival of Dexter which will be released this fall (co-starring David Magidoff, and talk about the benefits and challenges associated with starting face-to-face interviews against after more than a year of doing interviews exclusively by zoom …

Actor and comedian David Magidoff is the host of game shows such as Broke A$$ Gameshow on MTV and HQ Trivia, co-host of the podcast Fanaddicts, and will be appearing as a series regular in the revival of the modern TV cult classic Dexter coming out this year. He can also been seen playing Nicky Brooks on Season One of the Apple TV series The Mornin…

Bryan and Jason discuss takeaways from Bryan's chat with Moby and stand-up comic Monica Nevi. Bryan brings out a Senegalese, goat-skin drum to play for Jason. Bryan and Jason wax nostalgic about the 50th Anniversary of Joni Mitchell's Blue album. And Bryan and Jason preview the upcoming interviews with David Magidoff who is a series regular on the …

Seattle-based comedian Monica Nevi began stand-up comedy in college and now performs nationally and internationally, headlining at Bumbershoot and opening for talents like Michael Ian Black, Sarah Colonna, Ari Shaffir, and Nick Swardson. She’s also the co-host of the podcast HugLife, host of the 80 for 80 documentary series, host of the Dumb Pitche…

Moby is a musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. With more than 20 million albums sold worldwide, Moby is responsible for bringing dance music into the mainstream in the United States, United Kingdom, and beyond. His documentary Moby Doc covers his life and career, his many musical collaborations with artists like David…

Bryan and Jason discuss takeaways from the interview with Aspen Film Executive + Artistic Director Susan Wrubel, marvel at all of the love on YouTube for B.J. Thomas and his chat with Bryan in September of last year, and talk about an edge of your seat moment during Bryan's interview with Moby, which launches next week.…

Susan Wrubel is an executive producer on films such as Maggie’s Plan (starring Julianne Moore, Greta Gerwig, Ethan Hawk, Bill Hader, and Maya Rudolph) and Still Alice (also starring Julianne Moore, who took home the Oscar® that year for the role, and Alec Baldwin). Susan is currently the Executive + Artistic Director of Aspen Film, which organizes …

B.J. Thomas passed away after a battle with lung cancer last week. In this special bonus episode we are replaying his interview in its entirety, as it aired in September of 2020, as a tribute to B.J. and the 50 years of hits he gave to the world. RIP B.J. Below are the show notes from the episode. ---------------------------------------------------…