Beginnings

On today's episode I talk to Emmy-award winning writer and performer Zhubin Parang. Before coming to comedy, Zhubin graduated from Georgetown University Law Center and was a practicing lawyer in New York City. During this time, he studied at and eventually became a performer at UCB. In 2011, he joined The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as a writer, and eventually Zhubin became the head writer when the show transitioned to Trevor Noah. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to Peabody Award–winning writer-director-producer Miles Kahn. Miles got his start in entertainment as a writer and director, and in 2008 joined The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He worked his way up to Senior Producer, and during his time there, also produced a number of specials for stand-ups like Wyatt Cenac and D.L. Hughley. In 2015, Miles left the Daily Show to serve as executive producer for Full Frontal With Samantha Bee, where he's been since. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to Queens-based cartoonist and illustrator Mattie Lubchansky. Mattie is the Associate Editor of the Nib, a daily political comics site under the First Look Media umbrella, which also houses the brilliant left-wing news site The Intercept. Mattie's work has appeared in VICE, Eater, Mad Magazine, Gothamist, The Toast, The Hairpin, Brooklyn Magazine, as well as their long-running webcomic Please Listen to Me. Additionally, they are the co-author with their wife of the book Dad Magazine, which was published by Quirk last year. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to screenwriter and activist Jeremy Pikser. Originally on his way to be a teacher, Jeremy instead became a screenwriter after a series of events led him to be a "special consultant" and uncredited writer on the film Reds, which was nominated for an Academy Award for screenplay. He's written a number of other films as well, including The Lemon Sisters with Diane Keaton and Elliott Gould, War, Inc. with John Cusack and Bulworth with Warren Beatty. The screenplay for Bulworth was nominated for many awards including the Academy, Golden Globe, and WGA awards and was the winner of the LA Film Critics Best Screenplay award. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to policy analyst and data scientist Sam Sinyangwe. Sam grew up in Orlando, FL, and has been involved in organizing and advocacy since he was in high school. He's worked at PolicyLink helping to support a national network of 61 "Promise Neighborhoods" with the goal of building cradle-to-career systems of support for low-income families. He created the "Mapping Police Violence" project, which collects and uses data as a tool for fighting police violence. And most recently, he founded Campaign Zero with DeRay Mckesson and Brittany Packnett. Campaign Zero is a comprehensive organization dedicated to ending police violence by limiting police interventions, improving community interactions, and ensuring accountability. He's also the co-founder of two other activist organizations StayWoke and OurStates, the latter which is dedicated to connecting communities in order to combat the Trump/GOP agenda. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to award-winning playwright, author, and performer Isaac Oliver. His debut collection of essays, Intimacy Idiot, was named one of NPR's Best Books of 2015. His plays include Electra in a One-Piece, and the ten-minute plays "3, 2, 1," "Film Forum," and "Come Here", which won the New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Original Short Script. Additionally, he's written for The New York Times, W Magazine, Time Out New York, Out, and HBO's High Maintenance. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to Jade Payne and Mars Ganito of the indie rock band Aye Nako. Formed in 2010, Aye Nako is a New York-based queer punk band who make dissonant and melodic punk music. In 2013, they self-released their first album Unleash Yourself, and in 2015, Don Giovanni Records released their EP THe Blackest Eye. The album saw the band explore personal themes such as abuse and racism, and it garnered a great deal of critical acclaim, ending up on several "best of" lists including both the New York Times and NPR. They were even voted "Best Garage Band in New York" in the Village Voice that year. Their latest album Silver Haze was also released on Don Giovanni earlier this year. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

I'm moving to LA this week, so I wanted to take a break from producing an episode to settle into the new digs and recover from having to take two cats on a cross-country flight. And while I was getting ready for the move, I was cleaning up my hard drive and found some of the music from when Beginnings was a monthly live show at UCB East (every month we'd have a musical guest perform and then be interviewed). These performances are really fantastic, and I don't know how many people have heard them, so this week, I thought I'd put out a mixtape of Beginnings live show performances (and a couple of in-studio ones too). Enjoy! Hayden - Rainy Saturday A.C. Newman - I'm Not Talking Xenia Rubinos Swearin' - What a Dump ARMS - Comfort Dan Friel - Ulysses Savoir Adore - Loveliest Creature Islands - Christmas Tree Dump - New York City Tonight Brother JT - Warm's the New Cool Mike Pace and the Child Actors - McKinley Xenia Rubinos A.C. Newman - Drink to Me Babe Then Swearin' - Crashing Dan Friel - Thumper Brother JT - Gliding Islands - Right to Be Misbegotten ARMS - Heat & Hot Water Savoir Adore - Sara's Secret Dump featuring Delocated's Jon Glaser - Night Moves This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Jen Goma. Based in New York City, Jen writes and produces music, comedy and videos. She is a member of the bands A Sunny Day in Glasgow and Roman à Clef and has collaborated with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Jherek Bischoff. Her first solo album Smiley Face, recorded under the name Showtime Goma was just released, and it's great! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to writer Joseph Kertes. Joe was born in Hungary but escaped with his family to Canada after the revolution of 1956. He studied English at York University and the University of Toronto and founded Humber College's distinguished creative writing and comedy programs. As an author, he's written a number of books including Winter Tulips and Boardwalk. His third book Gratitude won the Canadian National Jewish Book Award and the U.S. National Jewish Book Award for Fiction, and his latest book The Afterlife of Stars, based on his childhood in Hungary, is a New York Times Editor's Choice. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to novelist, columnist, and Emmy-nominated television writer Bill Scheft. Bill started his career as a sportswriter and as a stand-up. After twelve years touring, he was hired as a monologue writer for Late Night with David Letterman where he remained for 24 years until the show's conclusion in 2015. In addition to writing for Letterman, Bill also wrote for the Oscars, ESPYs and almost every other major awards show, and he also contributed a popular weekly humor column to Sports Illustrated for a number of years. Bill is also an author, having penned four books: The Ringer, the Thurber Prize for American Humor finalist Time Won't Let Me, Everything Hurts, and his most recent Shrink Thyself, which was published by Rare Bird Books a few years ago. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to writer and showrunner Stephen Falk. Born in Berkeley, CA, Stephen has been working in television for a number of years, starting off on the Showtime series Weeds. He then created the NBC show Next Caller, and went on to write for Orange is the New Black. In 2014, he created the wonderful FX series You're the Worst, whose 4th season will air sometime later this year. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to writer and showrunner Joel Church-Cooper. Born in Sacramento, Joel grew up in Santa Cruz, and eventually made his way down to LA where he started taking classes and performing at UCB and IO West. As a TV writer, he started on shows like The Onion SportsDome, as well as Up All Night, Ground Floor and Undateable, among many others. Most recently, he created and showruns Brockmire on IFC, which is based on a Funny or Die webseries he made. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to writer and showrunner Damon Lindelof. Originally from Teaneck, NJ, Damon has been a successful television and screenwriter for almost two decades. He started on shows like MTV's Undressed and Nash Bridges, and in 2004 co-created Lost, the show that revitalized the possibility that network TV could be weird and labyrinthine. He's written many of the best studio sci-fi films of the last decade including World War Z, Prometheus and Star Trek Into Darkness, and most recently co-created and showruns one of the best shows on TV hands down, The Leftovers, whose final season is currently airing on HBO. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to songwriter, arranger and record producer Patrick Adams. Originally from Harlem, Patrick has applied his magic touch to more than four decades of music, earning thousands of credits for contributions to disco, boogie, soul and hip-hop releases both genre-defining and criminally underrated. In addition to mentoring Leroy Burgess and his seminal soul group Black Ivory, Patrick was a key contributor to innumerable disco LPs and hits like Musique's "In The Bush," and Inner Life's "I'm Caught Up (In A One Night Love Affair)." Nicknamed the "Prince of Soft Soul", Patrick has earned 32 gold and platinum records and worked with or wrote for countless R&B, disco and hip hop groups including Eric B. & Rakim, R. Kelly, Sister Sledge, Keith Sweat, Salt-N-Pepa, Teddy Riley, Herbie Mann, Gladys Knight, Rick James, and many, many more. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Chris Leo. Originally from New Jersey, Chris started playing music in the early 1990s with his brother Danny in the groundbreaking hardcore band Native Nod. When they broke up, Chris formed the post-rock band The Van Pelt, whose two albums - Stealing From Our Favorite Thieves and Sultans Of Sentiment - were released by NJ indie record label Gern Blandsten. Chris then formed The Lapse with Van Pelt member Toko Yasuda (also of Enon and Blonde Redhead) and then the Vague Angels. A few years ago, La Castanya released a Van Pelt rarities album called Imaginary Third. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to comedian Ronny Chieng. Born in Malaysia, Ronny was raised in New Hampshire and Singapore and graduated from the University of Melbourne in Australia with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce. That same year, he started performing stand-up, and since then he has toured four sold out global stand up comedy theater tours in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, India, Canada and London and recorded four award winning comedy specials. In Australia, Ronny has written and acted in multiple television shows which include Problems, Legally Brown, It's a Date and more. He also co-created and starred in his own pilot International Student. Ronny is currently a correspondent on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on Comedy Central and was recently named one of Variety's 10 Comics to Watch. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to Grammy Award winning cabaret artist and actor Nathan Lee Graham. Originally from St. Louis, Nathan's notable film roles include Todd in Zoolander and Zoolander 2, Frederick Montana in Sweet Home Alabama and Geoff in Hitch and on TV has appeared as Peter in The Comeback, and had guest starring roles on Scrubs, Absolutely Fabulous and Law & Order SVU. His stage appearances include Phil D'Armano in the original Broadway cast of the Tony and Grammy Award nominated The Wild Party and as Miss Understanding in the original Broadway cast of the Tony nominated Priscilla Queen of the Desert. He received a Drama League Award nomination for the role of Rey Rey in the off-Broadway production of Wig Out! and won an Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Feature Performer in a Musical in The Wild Party LA Premiere in 2006. More recently, he has appeared in the role of Carson in Hit the Wall at the Barrow Street Theatre. He earned a 2005 Best Classical Album Grammy Award for Songs of Innocence and of Experience as a soloist and was just nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for "Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical." This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to writer, comedian and podcast host Negin Farsad. Originally from Palm Springs by-way-of Virginia, Negin is highly accomplished in many domains. She's the director, writer and star of the romantic comedy 3rd Street Blackout, which starred Janeane Garofalo, Ed Weeks, and John Hodgman, as well as the director and producer of the feature film The Muslims Are Coming! which starred Jon Stewart and David Cross. Negin is also the host of a political comedy round-table podcast called Fake the Nation, which is on the Earwolf Network, and most recently is the author of author of a memoir-meets-social-justice-comedy manifesto entitled How to Make White People Laugh, which was published by Grand Central/Hachette. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to Emmy nominated comedy writer Caissie St. Onge. Originally from Fitchberg, MA, Caissie is a prolific comedy writer. She's worked for The Late Show with David Letterman, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, VH1's Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins, The Grammy Awards, The Tony Awards, and regularly wrote material for Joan Rivers. She's also a YA author having penned the novel Jane Jones: Worst. Vampire. Ever. and is currently a Supervising Producer on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to actor and comedian Amy Hoggart. Amy grew up in the suburbs of London, and though she received an advanced degree in clinical psychology, she ended up pursuing a career in comedy. She started in the famous Cambridge sketch group The Footlights and the London stand-up scene, and in 2014 was cast in the BBC America show Almost Royal. And in 2016, Amy became a correspondent on the weekly late night show Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

Every so often I do these "bonus episodes" where I talk to a showbiz professional about the actual nuts and bolts of different topics in the Entertainment Industry in an attempt to demystify these things. And on today's episode, I talk to the love of my life Naomi Ekperigin (former writer for Broad City, you may have heard her on 2 Dope Queens or on her own Comedy Central Half Hour), and we talk today about a topic that's been bothering me for a while: The Myth of the Meritocracy. I pose the question: Is Showbiz merit-based?, and we using that as a launching point to get in deep about this profession that we're in. Non-cynical networking, social connections and more on this week's episode! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Tim Kasher. Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Tim has been playing music since he was young. One of Tim's first bands, Slowdown Virginia was shortlived though they inspired other bands to form like The Faint and Bright Eyes, and Lumberjack Records, the record label that put out their one album, became Saddle Creek, one of the biggest indie labels around. In 1995, Tim formed Cursive, which in their 20 years together have released numerous EPs and seven albums, including their 2003 breakthrough LP The Ugly Organ. In 2000, Tim started a solo project called The Good Life, though this quickly grew into a full fledged band, leaving Tim to record albums on his own. Those solo works include The Game of Monogamy in 2010 and his latest No Resolutions, which was released earlier this year on 15 Passenger Records, a label Tim formed with some of his Cursive bandmates. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to Jason Balla and Mikey Wells of the indie rock band NE-HI. Based in Chicago, NE-HI originally formed in 2013 to score a friend's film. But when the four of them realized they had a lot of chemistry together, they decided to make the band official. Their first self-titled album was released on Manic Static in 2014 and their latest album Offers was released earlier this year on Grand Jury Music. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Jason Narducy. Jason began his rock career at the age of ten when he co-founded the band Verböten – one of the seminal acts in the Chicago punk scene. He then went on to become frontman/songwriter/guitarist for Verbow, another beloved Windy City outfit who signed a major-label deal with Epic/Sony during the '90s alt-rock bubble and followed that up with an ongoing, nearly decade-long run as indie-rock's secret weapon – serving as bassist and backing vocalist for indie-underground icons like Bob Mould, Robert Pollard of Guided by Voices, Telekinesis and Superchunk. In 2011, Jason started writing his own music again as Split Single, with Spoon's Britt Daniel and Superchunk's Jon Wurster as his backing band. He's released two albums as Split Single, Fragmented World in 2014 and his latest Metal Frames, which is just lovely. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to violinist David Harrington. Originally from Seattle, David is the founder of the renowned contemporary classical group Kronos Quartet. The group was established in 1973, and since then, Kronos has become one of the most celebrated and influential groups of our time, performing thousands of concerts worldwide, releasing more than 50 recordings of extraordinary breadth and creativity, collaborating with many of the world's most intriguing and accomplished composers and performers - which include people like Terry Riley and Steve Reich - and commissioning more than 850 works and arrangements for string quartet. In 2011, Kronos became the only recipients of both the Polar Music Prize and the Avery Fisher Prize, two of the most prestigious awards given to musicians. The group's numerous awards also include a Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance in 2004. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to writer and actor Mara Wilson. Mara started off in showbiz as a child actor in such films as Mrs. Doubtfire, Miracle on 34th Street and Matilda. After her mother passed away when she was 8 though, she lost some of her passion for acting, and eventually left that side of the business. While she infrequently acts now, appearing on shows like Broad City or BoJack Horseman, Mara is much more of a writer and storyteller. Her first book, Where Am I Now?, was just published last year by Penguin Books. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

Every so often I do these "bonus episodes" where I talk to a showbiz professional about the actual nuts and bolts of different topics in the Entertainment Industry in an attempt to demystify these things. And on today's episode, I have a wide-ranging and frank talk about comedy journalism with Vulture.com Senior Editor and host of the new Good One Podcast Jesse David Fox. The conversation starts out with how his new podcast is really about the phenomenology of stand-up, and from there we get into the tangled friend/business relationships that make up showbiz, how they're difficult to navigate for neurotics like us, and how comedy journalism fits in to the "business" part of showbiz. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Tim Kinsella. Originally from Chicago, Tim has been part of some of the best indie rock bands of the last quarter-century. In 1989, he formed Cap'n Jazz along with his brother Mike, who would go on to become a frequent collaborator with Tim and a well-know artist in his own right in bands like American Football and Owen. Even though Cap'n Jazz only put out one album - and later an anthology on Jade Tree Records - they became a cult band and helped define a kind of post-hardcore art-rock. After Cap'n Jazz broke up, Tim formed the even-more-experimental band Joan of Arc, which has been his main project since 1995. Since their first album A Portable Model of..., they've put out over 30 albums and 7"es. Tim's also played in many other memorable bands including Owls, Friend/Enemy and Make Believe, and that's just naming a few. Joan of Arc's latest He's Got The Whole This Land Is Your Land In His Hands was just released by Joyful Noise. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to violist Nadia Sirota. Based in New York, Nadia is a Juilliard-trained violist best known for her singular sound and expressive execution and she's worked with a number of amazing contemporary composers like Nico Muhly, Judd Greenstein, and Missy Mazzoli. Her debut album First Things First was released in 2009 on New Amsterdam Records and was cited as a record of the year by The New York Times. In addition to her work as a soloist, Nadia is a member of yMusic, ACME (the American Contemporary Music Ensemble) and Alarm Will Sound, and has lent her viola to recording and concert projects by artists such as Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors, Anohni and Arcade Fire. In 2015, she won a Peabody Award for her podcast Meet the Composer. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to rapper and academic Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo AKA Sammus. Originally from upstate New York, Enongo currently lives in Ithaca where she is attending Cornell to pursue her PhD in Science and Technology Studies. Parallel to her academic work, Enongo is a rising star in the indie hip hop scene. She released her first EP Fly Nerd in 2010, and since then has released numerous albums and EPs, some on her own, some through the NuBlack Music Group and her latest Pieces in Space was released last year by Don Giovanni records. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to writer Chris Claremont. Born in London, Chris' family moved to the States when he was a child, and though he originally studied acting and political theory, he eventually started writing comics after taking a job as a gofer/editorial assistant at Marvel while in college. Chris was originally given the low-selling series X-Men to write, which he did for the next 16 years, turning it into both a groundbreaking and best-selling series and revolutionizing the ways stories in comics were told. Not only did he create many beloved characters including Rogue, Psylocke, Kitty Pryde, Mystique, Emma Frost, Sabretooth, Strong Guy, Mister Sinister, Captain Britain, and Gambit, but he also scripted some of the most iconic stories of the X-Men's entire existence including "The Dark Phoenix Saga" and "Days of Future Past". Besides his work on the X-Men, Chris wrote the spin-offs The New Mutants and Excalibur, and has written for almost every character in the Marvel Universe. His relaunch of X-Men in 1991 is still the best-selling comic ever, and in 2015, Claremont and his X-Men collaborator John Byrne were entered into the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame. And everything I've just said barely even scratches the surface of his career. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to stand-up and writer Joel Kim Booster. Originally from South Korea, Joel was adopted at a young age and moved to the southwest suburbs of Chicago. He's written for Billy on the Street and Moshe Kasher's new Comedy Central show, and was one of the New Faces at the Just for Laughs Festival last year. He's also performed on Comedy Knockout, The Meltdown, and Conan, and recently sold a show to Fox based on his life called Birthright! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Matt Pond. Originally from New Hampshire, Matt began writing and releasing music in 1998 as Matt Pond PA. Debuting with the album Deer Apartments, the band quickly gained momentum after claiming top honors in an unsigned bands competition sponsored by CDNOW. Since then, Matt - along with a rotating cast of musical collaborators - has released almost two dozen albums and EPs on labels like Polyvinyl and BMG. His latest, Winter Lives, was just released late last year on Matt's new indie label 131 Records. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to writer and performer Amber Ruffin. Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Amber began her comedy career studying at iO in Chicago. From there she moved to Amsterdam, where she performed with Boom Chicago all over Europe, eventually ending up at the Second City Mainstage back in the States. In 2014, she became a writer on Late Night with Seth Meyers - the first black, female writer in late night history - and she often performs on the show, most notably in the recurring segment "Jokes Seth Can't Tell". This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to comedian Josie Long. Josie's originally from Sidcup, but grew up in Orpington, London. She began stand-up when she was 14, and since then has created or been part of an innumerable amount of cool projects. This includes numerous performances at the Edinburgh Fringe - where she was nominated for "Best Show" scads of times and won "Best Newcomer" in 2006 - as well as the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Just for Laughs and more. Josie wrote for the awesome Channel 4 teen dramedy Skins, she's appeared on a number of panel shows like 8 out of 10 Cats, and her 2009 BBC Radio series All of the Planet's Wonders is absolutely wonderful, as is her literary podcast Book Shambles, which she co-hosts with The Infinite Monkey Cage's Robin Ince. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to comedian Roy Wood Jr. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Roy began his comedy career in 1998 at the age of 19 while attending Florida A&M University. In 2006, he was named one of the New Faces at the Just for Laughs Festival and made his television debut that year on The Late Show with David Letterman. Roy's also performed on Conan, Def Comedy Jam, Craig Ferguson, and he finished third in the 2010 season of Last Comic Standing. Even with all this success, 2016 might be called his breakout year. He was named one of Variety's "10 Comics to Watch" and has been a correspondent on The Daily Show since Trevor Noah took over. Stay tuned for future episodes with Josie Long, Amber Ruffin, Joel Kim Booster and a special 300th episode coming up soon! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to actor and comedian Baron Vaughn. As a stand-up, Baron's performed on Conan (twice), Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and he has his own Comedy Central Half Hour. As well, AST Records released his album Blaxistential Crisis earlier this year. As an actor, he's been featured in movies like Black Dynamite and Cloverfield, and is currently a series regular on the Netflix show Grace and Frankie. Baron will also be part of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 reboot, playing the part of Tom Servo! Stay tuned for future episodes with Roy Wood Jr., Josie Long, Amber Ruffin and a special 300th episode coming up soon! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Mitski Miyawaki. Originally from Japan, Mitski grew up all over the world, eventually settling in New York. While studying at the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music, Mitski self-released her first and second albums, Lush and Retired from Sad, New Career in Business. Her third album Bury Me at Makeout Creek was released by Double Double Whammy in 2014, and it caught the eye of everyone from Pitchfork to Rolling Stone to The New York Times. Mitski's latest, Puberty 2, was released by Dead Oceans earlier this year. Stay tuned for future episodes with Roy Wood Jr., Josie Long, Baron Vaughn, Amber Ruffin and a special 300th episode coming up soon! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to writer and actor Azie Dungey. Azie grew up in Philly and the DC area. After graduating as a drama major from the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, she performed the role of a slave as part of an ongoing historical reenactment of life at George Washington's Mount Vernon plantation in Virginia. This was the basis for her acclaimed webseries Ask a Slave. In 2015, Azie was hired as a writer on the Tina Fey Netflix show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Stay tuned for future episodes with Mitski, Roy Wood Jr., Josie Long, Baron Vaughn and a special 300th episode coming up soon! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

Hey y'all! Happy Thanksgiving! With everything going on in the news lately (ahem, neo-nazis, ahem), I thought I'd take the chance to re-post a conversation I had with Andrew Ti of the Yo, Is This Racist? podcast. This was part of an episode I had to take down from a couple years ago, and it seems like an apt time to repost the Andrew Ti part of that episode because we talk a lot about irony and privilege - and since the alt-right nazi shitbags are so into irony, I thought it was a timely discussion to revisit. Enjoy, and stay tuned for future episodes with Mitski, Roy Wood Jr., Josie Long, Baron Vaughn and a special 300th episode coming up soon! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to free jazz pianist Matthew Shipp. Originally from Delaware, Matt moved to New York in 1984 and quickly became one of the leading lights in the New York jazz scene. He was a sideman in the David S. Ware quartet and also for Roscoe Mitchell's Note Factory before making the decision to concentrate on his own music. Since then, dozens of his albums have been released, mostly on the labels Hatology and Thirsty Ear. His latest album Cactus, recorded with drummer Bobby Kapp, is available now from Northern Spy. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

Well. If you're anything like me and my almost-wife Naomi Ekperigin (Broad City, 2 Dope Queens, Comedy Central Half Hour), you spent Tuesday the 8th into the 9th depressed, nauseous, crying, in a fitful and restless sleep, and generally trying to come to terms with the phrase "President Trump" and with the nightmare that was just unleashed. I was not in the mood to return to business as usual, so I thought maybe Naomi and I could - in the spirit of beginnings - record a bonus episode talking about the origins of the shit soup from which President Trump has emerged from. It felt good to talk out some of this stuff - hopefully it'll feel good to listen to it. Back to regular episodes next week. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to writer and director Chioke Nassor. Chioke's previous work includes writing and directing short films for NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers, the feature film How to Follow Strangers, the TV on the Radio documentary Minor/Major, and his web series Storytime. Most recently, Chioke wrote and directed episodes of the MTV show Loosely Exactly Nicole starring Nicole Byer, and currently, he is producing a pilot for Comedy Central. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to Peabody-award winning writer and animator Tom Snyder. Tom is a writer and director well known in the world of animation for creating the animation technique known as Squigglevision. His first Squigglevision success came with the Emmy winning show, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, which aired on Comedy Central. Tom later founded Soup 2 Nuts, an award-winning animation studio that produced a series of critically acclaimed shows, including Home Movies and Science Court. Tom continued his collaboration with Jonathan Katz with their show Explosion Bus, and currently, Tom has written the book, music and lyrics for an audio musical called Is Anyone All Right?, which was released by Audible. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to author Affinity Konar. Affinity studied writing at SFSU and received her MFA from Columbia, and is the author of two books, The Illustrated Version of Things, which was published by Fiction Collective 2 in 2009, and her latest Mischling, which was published by the Hachette imprint Lee Boudreaux Books earlier this year. Mischling is the story of twins, Dr. Mengele, and the ravages of WWII and has been lauded by everyone from Buzzfeed to the Wall Street Journal. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to comedian and actor Anthony Atamanuik. Over the last year, Tony has received a great deal of deserved acclaim for his accurately debauched Donald Trump impression, travelling the world with James Adomian in the Trump vs. Bernie Debate Tour. The two appeared on a special @Midnight episode and had two specials on Fusion. But before that, Tony was a house performer at UCB on the legendary improv team Death by Roo Roo and as a co-host of the theatre's flagship show ASSSSCAT 3000. You might also know Tony as one of the silent 30 Rock writers or from his appearances on Broad City, DIfficult People and Brett Gelman's Adult Swim specials. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to actor and comedian Sasheer Zamata. Originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, Sasheer moved to New York after college and began taking classes at UCB, eventually becoming a house sketch actor and improviser at the theatre. She was a cast-member of the short-lived MTV sketch show Hey Girl, and she created the webseries Pursuit of Sexiness with Nicole Byer. In 2014, Sasheer joined Saturday Night Live as a featured player, and two years later was promoted to repertory cast-member. She also serves as ACLU's Celebrity Ambassador for Women's Rights. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Paul Hammer. Paul is main singer/songwriter of the indie pop band Savoir Adore. Originally a duo with Deidre Muro - who left the band in 2014 - Savoir Adore began playing sometime in the mid-2000s. They released their first EP The Adventures of Mr. Pumpernickel and the Girl with Animals in her Throat in 2008, and since then have released three other albums: In the Wooded Forest, Our Nature, and their latest, which was released by Nettwerk Music Group earlier this summer, The Love That Remains. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to comedy writer Jen Spyra. Originally from Pittsburgh, Jen was a senior writer for The Onion for many years. There she also headed the editorial video department as a writer, director and producer. Beyond The Onion, her humor writing has appeared in numerous places including The New Yorker and McSweeney's, and currently, she is a staff writer on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.