Beginnings

On today's episode I talk to musicians Lætitia Tamko AKA Vagabon. Originally from Yaoundé, Cameroon, Lætitia and her family immigrated to the US when she was 13. While she graduated from CUNY with a degree in engineering, a chance event led her to playing music full time. Her first album Infinite Worlds was released in 2017 to general acclaim, and her latest album, the self-titled Vagabon, will be released on October 18 on Nonesuch Records! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musicians Jeff and Steve McDonald of the band Redd Kross. Originally from Hawthorne, CA, brothers Jeff and Steve started playing music together in 1978, in a band called The Tourists while both were in middle school. A few years later, they changed the name to Red Cross (and eventually Redd Kross), and since then have released seven albums and a number of EPs. In addition to Redd Kross, the brothers perform in a number of other groups, including Ze Malibu Kids with Anna Waronker of that dog and Steve himself is a member of The Melvins. Redd Kross' most recent album Beyond the Door was released at the end of August this year on Merge. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to actor Punam Patel. Originally from Florida, Punam took a circuitous route to the world of acting that eventually led her to performing with Second City in Chicago. After moving to Los Angeles, she booked her first major role in 2015 in the ABC Family sitcom Kevin From Work. And since then, she's acted in Adam Ruins Everything, Alone Together, I Feel Bad, as well as many other shows, and next season will be playing opposite Kenan Thompson on NBC's The Kenan Show. Currently, Punam is one of the star's of Netflix's Special, a role which garnered her an Emmy Nomination earlier this summer. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Alexander Noice. Based in Los Angeles, Alex is a composer, guitarist, producer and bandleader who has toured the world performing with many notable artists from Charlie Haden to Art Ensembles of Chicago's Famoudou Don Moye. From 2008-2013, he led the highly revered art rock/punk trio Falsetto Teeth, and in 2016, he released his first solo electronic album called Music Made With Voices. His newest project is simply called NOICE, and their self-titled debut album was just released last week on Orenda Records! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to author and TV writer Jim Gavin. Based in Los Angeles, Jim's fiction has appeared in numerous publications including The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Zoetrope and many others. His book of short stories Middle Men was published in 2013 by Simon & Schuster, and the TV show he created, Lodge 49, just debuted its second season on AMC. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Dre Babinski of Steady Holiday. Originally from the Los Angeles area, Dre is a singer, songwriter, violinist, and guitarist. From the mid-2000s on, she played in a number of bands including Dusty Rhodes and the River Band, Miracle Days, Hunter Hunted, The Elected, and more. In 2015 though, she started her own project Steady Holiday, and since then, has released two albums, 2016's Under The Influence on Infinite Best Recordings, and her latest Nobody's Watching on Barsuk, which came out last summer. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to Sasami Ashworth. Raised mostly in Los Angeles in a religious household, Sasami has been making music in the LA area for over a decade. This includes playing French horn in orchestras and studios; playing keys, bass, and guitar in local rock bands like Dirt Dress and Cherry Glazerr; and contributing vocals/string/horn arrangements to studio albums from artists like Vagabon and Wild Nothing. But only recently has she started to record music on her own, and her debut self-titled album was released earlier this year on Domino. It's fantastic! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to Jennifer and Jessica Clavin of the indie rock band Bleached. Born in California and based in Los Angeles, Jessica and Jennifer began playing music as teenagers, and eventually formed the punk band Mika Miko in 2003. The band released a number of albums and EPs on labels like Sub Pop and Kill Rock Stars, but broke up in 2009 due to band members' wishes to return to school and work on other projects. Two years later, Jessica and Jennifer formed Bleached, and since then have released three albums on Dead Oceans, including their latest Don't You Think You've Had Enough?, which is out tomorrow! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Ellen Kempner. Originally from Westport, Connecticut, Ellen began playing music as a pre-teen, and even formed a band in high school. However, it's when she moved to New York for college that she really began making music in earnest, and in 2013 debuted as Palehound with the Bent Nail EP. Since then, she's made three albums: 2015's Dry Food, 2017's A Place I'll Always Go, and her latest Black Friday, which was released by Polyvinyl earlier this month. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to Andy Hull and Kevin Devine of the indie rock band Bad Books. While both Andy and Kevin have successful careers with other bands - Andy with Manchester Orchestra and Kevin as a New York-based singer-songwriter, Bad Books is their decade-long collaboration that formed after Kevin began touring with Manchester Orchestra in 2007. Together they've written three albums, a self-titled LP in 2010, 2012's II and III, which will be released this Friday. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to comedian Nick Turner. Originally from Virginia, Nick has been performing stand-up for 15 years, and you can see him on Late Night w/ Seth Meyers as well as Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show, and his own Comedy Central Half Hour special. He was a regular cast member on VH1's Best Week Ever and I Love the 2000's and is an undefeated champion on TruTV's Comedy Knockout. In addition to all this, his debut album Yelling was released in 2016 on Comedy Central Records, and you can hear his weekly podcast Recently Added, which reviews everything released on Netflix that week. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Will Fox. Born in Houston, TX, and raised in London, Paris, and the American South, Will spent his adolescence moving from country to country with his family. Back stateside, destined to operate a historic gristmill in the Shenandoah Valley, he instead moved to Los Angeles to become a troubadour. After his stint as a member of the now-defunct LA indie rock band Los Angeles Police Department, Will turned his attention to his own pursuits. His first solo work was the Cosmic Dusting EP in 2018, and his latest Which Way is out July 12 on Twosyllable Records. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Chris Cohen. Originally from Los Angeles, Chris has been playing in bands since the early 2000s. He played with Deerhoof from Apple O' to The Runners Four, as well as in bands like The Curtains and Cryptacize, as well as on a number of Cass McCombs albums. As a solo artist, Chris has recorded three albums, 2012's Overgrown Path, 2016's As If Apart and his latest self-titled album, which was just released at the end of March on Captured Tracks. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to writer and comedian H. Alan Scott. Based in Los Angeles, H. Alan has been writing and performing for over a decade. He's appeared on The Jimmy Kimmel Show, Ellen, CNN, Fusion and MTV and written for TV Land, VICE, Fusion, Out Magazine, Newsweek and Nerdist. He's the subject of the forthcoming documentary Latter Day Jew, and he also co-hosts two wonderful podcasts: Out on the Lanai: A Golden Girls Podcast and You're Making It Worse Starburns network. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Anna Connolly. Originally from Los Angeles, Anna grew up going to punk shows as a young teenager, and when her family moved to DC in the 1980s, she and her sister Cynthia became part of a small, nascent punk scene, which later became what everyone knows as "DC punk rock." Anna spent many of her high school years working at a record store, buying records, and going to shows. Though many of her friends were in bands (Minor Threat practiced in the basement of her mom's house), she didn't feel a compulsion to play until much later in life, after she had kids and got divorced. Her first album After Thoughts is out now! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to Michael Collins AKA Drugdealer. Originally from Boston, Michael much more identifies an an artist rather than a musician, even though his music is quite wonderful. He moved to Los Angeles in 2013 and began making music under different drug pun monikers including Run DMT and Salvia Plath, and eventually formed Drugdealer, which he thinks of as more of a collective than a band and includes folks like Ariel Pink and members of Weyes Blood. Their first album The End of Comedy was released in 2016, and his latest Raw Honey will be released by Mexican Summer on April 19th. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to comedian Natalie Palamides. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Natalie's path to comedy started with clowning and devised theater with the Obie-Award-Winning Pig Iron Theatre Company. After moving to Los Angeles, she became an official performer at UCB, and since then, has garnered a number of accolades including being named a Just for Laughs New Face in 2016 and Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in 2017. Natalie is also a voice actor working on a number of cartoons like Bob's Burgers, Star vs. the Forces of Evil, and most notably voices Buttercup on the reboot of The Powerpuff Girls. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Ben Cooper AKA Radical Face. Hailing from Jacksonville, FL, Ben has been making music since he was a teenager, originally as a way to escape his difficult upbringing. Since 2003, he's released six albums and eight EPs. His latest EP Therapy is out on April 26 via Bear Machine Records, and it's great! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to comedian and writer Megan Neuringer. Originally from New York, Megan got her comedy start at UCB, where she was an official performer for over a decade. As an actor, she was a panelist on Best Week Ever and a number of other VH1 shows, and has appeared on Flight Of The Conchords, Fringe, Strangers With Candy, @Midnight, Kroll Show, Comedy Bang! Bang! and much more. And as a writer, she written for numerous shows including Portlandia and Netflix's new show The Fix with Jimmy Carr. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

I am trying to finish one of the biggest projects of my career so far this week, so I thought I'd put out an episode from the archives! Andy Daly is one of my favorite comedians, and he stopped by the Harlem studio in 2014 while promoting Review. We discuss The Monkees, the fragility of existence, fatherhood, "Cookies On a Shelf", neighborhood games, living in your imagination, the character of Ridgewood, NJ, trouble with school, and more! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Mike Deni AKA Geographer. Originally from New Jersey, Los Angeles-based musician Mike Deni has been writing music for most of his life, and for over a decade as Geographer. In that time, he's released a number of EPs and albums including Innocent Ghosts in 2008, Myth in 2012, and Ghost Modern in 2015. His latest EP New Jersey will be out March 22nd, and it is wonderful! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to comedian and TV writer Solomon Georgio. Born in a refugee camp in Sudan, Solomon immigrated to the US at a young age, and his family eventually ended up in Seattle. As a stand-up he performed on Conan, This Is Not Happening, Viceland's show Flophouse, The Meltdown, 2 Dope Queens on HBO and his own Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents special. As a TV writer, he's written for a ton of shows including Spongebob Squarepants, Adam Ruins Everything, Crashing and the upcoming reboot of High Fidelity. Solomon's first stand-up album Homonégro Superior was released in 2017 on Comedy Central Records. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to actor and comedian Scott Thompson. Originally from Brampton, Ontario, Scott is 1/5 of the iconic sketch group The Kids in the Hall, whose show ran for five seasons. They also made the film Brain Candy, the series Death Comes to Town, and continue to tour. In addition to this, Scott has also acted on dozens and dozens of shows including The Simpsons and Tim and Eric. He also played his character Buddy Cole on the Colbert Report and was a regular on two of the best shows of the last couple decades, The Larry Sanders Show and Hannibal. Scott's comedy album Not a Fan was released last year on Comedy Dynamics, and he also wrote a book as Buddy Cole called Buddy Babylon. His latest live show Après le Déluge: The Buddy Cole Monologues is running from March 19th to the end of April here in Los Angeles at the Lyric Hyperion. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

To celebrate the upcoming 400th episode of the show, I thought I'd drop a bonus episode this week! What's a "bonus episode" of Beginnings? These are episodes that deviate from "let's talk to a creator I admire about their childhoods" and instead take a peek behind the curtain of showbiz. As I get deeper into the business part of this industry, I learn so much more about the real structures underpinning why certain TV shows get made or why certain actors become household names, and I think it's worth talking about those things. So on today's episode, I talk to my old friend and TV writer Aaron Burdette. Aaron and I have been friends for almost a decade, and he was on the very first episode of Beginnings. Not only this, but our careers have been following somewhat parallel paths, and we both went through the development process this last year. What does "the development process" mean? Find out on today's episode! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Bridie Monds-Watson AKA SOAK. Originally from Derry in Northern Ireland, Bridie began making music when she was 13, and quickly found acclaim. Her first album, Before We Forgot How to Dream was released in 2015 on Rough Trade. It won the Irish Choice Music Prize Album of the Year and was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize as well. Her latest album, Grim Town, which is also on Rough Trade, will be out this April. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Rosie Tucker. Originally from the San Fernando valley, Rosie is now based in Los Angeles proper. She is 1/4 of the post-rock band Gypsum, and though only in her early 20s, she's written two albums under her own name. Lowlight was released in 2015, and her latest Never Not Never Not Never Not will be released this March on New Professor Music. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to Khaela Maricich and Melissa Dyne of the band The Blow. Originally from Queen Anne Hill, Seattle, Khaela is an artist, writer and musician, and has been part of the Olympia/K Records music scene for a long time, as a solo artist, as a member of The Microphones, and for a number of years with YACHT's Jona Bechtolt as The Blow. However, since the mid-aughts, The Blow has been Khaela and artist/musician Melissa Dyne. Melissa classically trained on the cello as a child, and went on to study physics and fine arts at The College of Santa Fe, NM. Since the band's inception, they've released ten albums and EPs, and their latest Brand New Abyss, was released in 2017. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Andrew Choi AKA St. Lenox. Originally from Ames, Iowa, Andy has lived many lives. In the mid '90s, he was a Juilliard-trained violinist. He then quit music to get a degree in Philosophy and went on to receive his PhD from Ohio State. And after this, he moved to New York City, where he now works as a singer-songwriter and a lawyer in Manhattan. As St. Lenox, Andy has released three albums: Ten Songs About Memory and Hope, Ten Hymns From My American Gothic, and his latest Ten Fables of Young Ambition and Passionate Love which was released last fall on Anyway Records. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to TV writer Alison Tatlock. Originally from Brookline, MA, Alison has taken a circuitous route to television from actor to non-profits to playwright. And while Alison only started her TV career less than a decade ago, she's written for a number of the best dramas of the 21st century. This includes shows like In Treatment, Stranger Things, Halt and Catch Fire, and Better Call Saul, the latter of which has been nominated for a 2019 Writer's Guild Award in Drama. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

I'm taking a break for the holidays, so I thought I'd put up this pilot I did for Earwolf late last year called Let's Get Metaphysical. LGM is a hybrid philosophy discussion/sketch show (maybe from that combo you can see why it didn't get picked up), but besides some of the usual awkwardness in a pilot, it's pretty fun and interesting - I got to talk to some funny people, plus a philosopher that was a real inspiration to me, and the sketch actors are some of my favorite performers, and I got to have my good friend and UCB sketch writer extraordinaire Geoff Garlock contribute a sketch in the middle. Kind of a dream! Hope you enjoy it, and see you in 2019! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to singer, bass player, model and actress Adeline Michèle. Born and raised in Paris to a French mother and a father hailing from the Caribbean island of Martinique, Adeline started singing at the ripe age of five and was accepted in a professional choir and grew up performing live around Europe and on T.V. In 2006, Adeline moved to New York City to more actively pursue her music career. She joined legendary acid jazz/hip-hop band Us3 and her self-written single, "Say You Belong to Me", received rave reviews. Currently, Adeline performs as the lead vocalist and bass player of the 17-piece nu-disco phenomenon, Escort. Earlier this fall, her first eponymous solo album was released, and it's wonderful! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to Katherine Paul of Black Belt Eagle Scout. KP grew up in a small Indian reservation, the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. From an early age, she was singing and dancing at powwows including her family's own powwow, called the All My Relations Powwow. In 2007, KP moved to Portland, OR, to attend college and get involved with the Rock'n'Roll Camp for Girls. Inspired by the Riot Grrrl movement, KP dove deep into the Portland music scene, playing guitar and drums in a bunch of bands while evolving her artistry into what would later be Black Belt Eagle Scout. She released a self-titled EP in 2014, and her first full-length album Mother of My Children was just released by Saddle Creek earlier this fall. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to actress Kether Donohue. Originally from New York, Kether has been a working actress for over twenty years. She began doing voiceover for anime like Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! as a teenager, and since then has been in a number of great shows and movies including Pitch Perfect, High Maintenance and unsung sitcom LA to Vegas. Currently, Kether stars on one of the best shows on TV You're the Worst, which returns for its fifth and final season on January 9th on FXX. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to filmmakers and musicians Brocker and Chapman Way. Originally from Thousand Oaks, CA, Brocker and Chapman, along with their third brother MacLain, are responsible for the wonderful documentary The Battered Bastards of Baseball, as well as the six part Emmy Award-winning documentary Wild Wild Country about the controversial Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his community of followers that emigrated to a small town in Oregon. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician and rapper Nnamdi Ogbonnaya. The child of Nigerian immigrants, Nnamdi mostly grew up in Chicago, where he has been a member of the DIY music underground for many years. This includes drumming in bands like Monobody and Ittō, playing bass in groups like Nervous Passenger and Teen Cult, and rapping under his own name as well as Nnamdi's Sooper Dooper Secret Side Project. His most recent album DROOL was released last year on Father/Daughter Records, and it's fantastic! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to actress Becky Thyre. Originally from Louisiana, Becky got her real start in theater in Chicago. Eventually moving to Los Angeles, she's acted and lent her vocal talents to a number of amazing shows and films including PCU, The Oblongs, Six Feet Under, The Sarah Silverman Program, Parks and Rec, Weeds, Arrested Development, Transparent, and nearest and dearest to my own heart Mr. Show. Most recently, Becky has performed roles on shows like New Girl and Modern Family. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Maria Taylor. Originally from Birmingham, AL, Maria's been playing music for a majority of her life. Her first band, Little Red Rocket, which she formed with Orenda Fink as a teenager, was signed to Geffen in the mid-'90s and eventually morphed into Azure Ray. As Azure Ray, Maria and Orenda released four albums and numerous EPs, mostly on Saddle Creek Records. On her own, Maria has released seven solo albums, both on Saddle Creek and her own label Flower Moon Records, she's contributed music to numerous television soundtracks, and she's collaborated with everyone from Bright Eyes to Moby to Michael Stipe to Daniel Johnston. At the end of October, Azure Ray released Waves, their first new music in over half-a-decade. And it's great! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to stand-up and actress Amber Nelson. Born in Saudi Arabia and raised mostly in Louisiana, Amber has been performing comedy for many years, as both a stand-up and a sketch performer on numerous house teams at UCB as well as as a member of one of the best sketch groups of the last decade Murderfist. In addition to all this, Amber's appeared on Netflix's The Characters, Guy Code as well as Almost Genius on TruTV, and she co-hosts the wonderful podcast The Brighter Side on the Last Podcast Network. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to cartoonist, illustrator and author Tony Millionaire. Originally from Gloucester, MA, Tony's been drawing for most of his life, but it was his early-1990s comic strip Maakies that really put him in the public eye. Starting in the New York Press, Maakies was soon syndicated and became one of the most popular weekly comic strips in America, running in many of the largest U.S. weekly newspapers, including the Village Voice, the L.A. Weekly, the Chicago Reader and Seattle's The Stranger. He has won numerous Eisner and Harvey Awards, including "Best Syndicated Strip" in 2004 and "Best Writer/Artist — Humor" in 2007. Maakies was even turned into a wonderful show on Adult Swim called The Drinky Crow Show. In addition to all of this, Tony created the Sock Monkey books, illustrates for The Believer, and Fantagraphics has published a number of his collections. And this is but a small sampling of his credits and accomplishments! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to Howard Feibusch of the band Howard. Howie is a composer, producer and engineer and has produced, mixed, and engineered records for many artists as well as composing for film and television, where his work has been featured on networks like CBS, MTV, A&E, and more! As the band Howard, Howie's recorded three albums and his latest Together Alone was released earlier this fall, and it is just lovely! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart of the band Ohmme. Based in Chicago - where they've been hailed as "the heart of Chicago's music community" - Sima and Macie are both classically trained musicians and established players within the Chicago music scene who have collaborated with everyone from Richard Thompson to Jeff Tweedy to Chance the Rapper to Ken Vandermark. Though they have collaborated together for many years, Ohmme is their first rock band, and their debut album Parts was just released this summer by Joyful Noise Recordings, and it's wonderful! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to writer and performer Cirocco Dunlap. Originally from San Francisco, Cirocco was a child actor for a short time, most notably in the movie James and the Giant Peach. As a writer, she's written a number of humor essays for places like the New Yorker, as well as a children's book and also for a number of TV shows including Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Tick, and Man Seeking Woman. Currently she writes for Netflix's Big Mouth and TBS's upcoming show Miracle Workers. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Allison Crutchfield. Originally from Birmingham, AL, Allison first started playing music with her sister Katie in the bands The Ackleys and then later P.S. Eliot. Eventually, the two felt the need to work on their own personal musical projects. Katie created Waxahatchee and Allison co-founded the wonderful indie rock band Swearin'. Allison has also recorded a self-released solo EP Lean In To It and her debut full-length Tourist in this Town was released on Merge last year. Recently, Allison's been part of the Waxahatchee live band, and Swearin's new album Fall into the Sun will be released by Merge in October. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

I am traveling this week and weak from my Yom Kippur fast, so I thought I'd put up an old episode that people periodically ask about, my talk with musician Mitski Miyawaki from 2016. Originally from Japan, Mitski grew up all over the world, eventually settling in New York. Mitski has recorded five albums: Lush, Retired from Sad, New Career in Business, Bury Me at Makeout Creek, Puberty 2 and her latest Be the Cowboy, which was released by Dead Oceans in mid-August to great acclaim! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to actor Johnathan Fernandez. Originally from the Poconos, Johnathan eventually moved to New York where he performed for many years at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre on numerous sketch and digital teams. As an actor, he's appeared on a number of shows including Adam Ruins Everything, @midnight, GIRLS, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Younger and many more, and currently, Johnathan is a series regular playing the character Scorsese on Fox's Lethal Weapon, which is now entering its third season! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to actress and musician Aleksa Palladino. Originally form New York, Aleksa got her start acting as a teenager, performing opposite Scarlett Johansson in the movie Manny and Lo. Since then, she's acted in numerous films, most notably Storytelling, Mona Lisa Smile, and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Sidney Lumet's last film, as well as a ton of TV shows, which includes regular roles in Boardwalk Empire, Rogue, and Halt and Catch Fire, as well as the new CBS All Access show One Dollar which just premiered. Aleksa is also one-half of the band Exitmusic, and their latest album The Recognitions was released earlier this year on Secretly Canadian. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to actor and author Keiko Agena. Keiko is best known for the TV show Gilmore Girls, where she played Lane Kim for seven seasons and reprised the role in 2016 for the Netflix series. As a guest star, she has appeared on such shows as Bajillion Dollar Propertie$, Shameless, Scandal, House, ER, Better Call Saul and many others, and recently she has been recurring on Sweet/Vicious, Colony, the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why and the upcoming Hulu series The First. Keiko is also a improviser, having studied at UCB, iO and the Groundlings, and she performs in and produces the UCB show Asian AF. In addition to all this, she recently wrote an artists workbook entitled No Mistakes, which was published by the Penguin/Random House imprint TarcherPerigee earlier this month! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to actor, writer and filmmaker Todd Berger. Originally from New Orleans, Todd has been making movies since he was a teenager. Professionally, he's acted in numerous TV shows and films including Parks and Rec, Maron, and Southland Tales, and has written and/or directed dozens of shorts, shows and films including the wonderful 2012 film It's a Disaster and his latest film, the puppet noir The Happytime Murders, which stars Melissa McCarthy, was directed by Brian Henson and which opens this Friday! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to author Brian Evenson. Based in Los Angels, Brian teaches in the Critical Studies Program at CalArts and is the author of a dozen books of fiction, most recently the story collection A Collapse of Horses and the novella The Warren. Brian's work has garnered many nominations and awards. Two of his recent books, Windeye and Immobility, were both finalists for a Shirley Jackson Award. His novel Last Days won the American Library Association's award for Best Horror Novel of 2009, and his novel The Open Curtain was a finalist for an Edgar Award and an International Horror Guild Award. Other books of his include The Wavering Knife (which won the IHG Award for best story collection), Dark Property, and Altmann's Tongue. Additionally, Brian is the recipient of three O. Henry Prizes as well as an NEA fellowship. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to comedian Jon Gabrus. Originally from Long Island, Jon has been acting and podcasting for over a decade. He's been featured on MTV2's hit shows Guy Code, Girl Code, and Wild N Out, and recurs as Gabe on TVLand's Younger. He has also appeared on 30 Rock and one of the silent writers and has guest starred on numerous shows including Happy Endings, Workaholics, NewsReaders, and Comedy Bang Bang. Jon also hosted MTV's The Substitute for two seasons, TruTV's Hairjacked, and his own show, Gabrus on Rugby for BBC-America. In addition to all this, Jon also plays the popular character Gino Lambardo on the Comedy Bang Bang podcast, and hosts or co-hosts three podcasts of his own: High and Mighty, Action Boyz and Raised by TV. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.