Brooklyn Magazine: The Podcast

Arts & Culture Podcasts

Every week, Brooklyn Magazine: The Podcast highlights prominent (and soon-to-be-prominent) Brooklynites as we explore the vast and diverse borough through the lens of culture, community and commerce. Hosted by Editor-in-Chief Brian Braiker, the show features intimate conversations with cultural luminaries, community leaders and compelling locals. These are the people who move us, entertain us, feed us and inspire us. There are a lot of little Brooklyns, and we are all a little Brooklyn.

Every week, Brooklyn Magazine: The Podcast highlights prominent (and soon-to-be-prominent) Brooklynites as we explore the vast and diverse borough through the lens of culture, community and commerce. Hosted by Editor-in-Chief Brian Braiker, the show features intimate conversations with cultural luminaries, community leaders and compelling locals. These are the people who move us, entertain us, feed us and inspire us. There are a lot of little Brooklyns, and we are all a little Brooklyn.

Location:

United States

Genres:

Arts & Culture Podcasts

Description:

Twitter:

@brooklynmag

Language:

English

Website:

https://www.bkmag.com/

Email:

brian@bkmag.com

Episodes

'Flatbush Misdemeanors'

6/27/2022

Today we sit down with the stars of Showtime’s hit comedy "Flatbush Misdemeanors," which last week kicked off its second season. It’s an ensemble comedy co-created by Dan Perlman and Kevin Iso, who star as a couple of hapless friends living in Flatbush. Dan joined me on stage along with his castmates Hassan Johnson, who plays Drew, a menacing drug dealer and the devoted uncle to Zayna, played by Kristin Dodson. You can absolutely listen to this if you haven’t been watching the show. In fact...

Duration:00:24:51

The state of Brooklyn’s live music scene

6/20/2022

In this live recording from last week’s Brooklyn Magazine Festival, we sit down with three of the more influential people in the independent Brooklyn live music and event space: Crystal Longo at Kings Theatre, Kae Burke from House of Yes and Brooklyn Bowl’s Lucas Sacks. They get candid about what the pandemic has done to their industry — from ticket sales to the booking of guests to connecting with the neighborhoods where they’re based. And we talk about how concert-going behavior has...

Duration:00:32:54

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso

6/13/2022

It’s been just over six months since Antonio Reynoso took over as Brooklyn Borough President. Last month, he released a transition report in which he outlined a “comprehensive plan” for Brooklyn that laid out ideas for alleviating the borough’s housing crisis among many other policy initiatives. But the borough president, while a pretty big pulpit, does not actually possess a ton of statutory power. So, six months into the new gig, we discuss what the borough president can and can’t do and...

Duration:00:40:51

The 'necessary' music of Gabriel Garzón-Montano

6/6/2022

Gabriel Garzón-Montano has had a stunning run for someone who has done virtually no self-promotion: He first caught the ear of singer Meyer Hawthorne, who sent his self-produced debut to Stones Throw Records. That landed Garzón-Montano on tour with Lenny Kravitz in 2014, which is where he was when he learned that Drake wanted to sample his song “6 8." His music has since evolved from spare R&B, influenced by Prince and Stevie and even Radiohead, to include elements of reggaeton, ambient,...

Duration:00:25:43

His life in the sunshine

5/30/2022

Nabil Ayers is a multi-hyphenate musician and executive, record store owner and writer. And now he can add memoirist to the list. His first book, “My Life in the Sunshine: Searching for My Father and Discovering my Family” is out June 7 and tells his remarkable life story. Ayers is the the product of an unorthodox arrangement: His mother, a Jewish suburbanite from Long Island, wanted to become a single mom, unburdened by a man. So, naturally, she asked legendary jazz vibraphonist Roy Ayers...

Duration:00:42:10

The history and mystery of the bicycle

5/23/2022

The bicycle, a simple machine that has remained largely unchanged for 200 years, has served as a tool of both freedom and oppression, ushered in the space age, been sexualized, demonized, mythologized, and is still, to this day, ridden by a huge swath of humanity. Today’s guest is Jody Rosen, a New York Times Magazine contributing writer, Brooklynite, and urban cyclist, who comes fully clipped-in to discuss all of the above: He is the author of the new book “Two Wheels Good,” out this week....

Duration:00:50:23

Classical music is dead—and never looked better

5/16/2022

Death of Classical is a concert series with a point to prove: People may say that classical music is dead, but if you host gorgeous performances in crypts, catacombs, mausoleums and graveyards where the dead have made their permanent homes … the living tend to turn out in droves. Created by Andrew Ousley, the Death of Classical series returns to Green-Wood Cemetery this month with a run of shows that highlight Handel paired with hotdogs and whiskey, and that’s just for starters. Ousely joins...

Duration:00:36:44

Talking BBQ with the guys from Pig Beach

5/9/2022

Barbecue is about as old as mankind itself: All you need is fire and meat. Doesn’t get more primal than that. Just ask Matt Adboo and Shane McBride, the team behind the sprawling Gowanus BBQ eatery Pig Beach. The two join the podcast to discuss the expansion of their meaty empire, their fine dining past (Balthazar, Del Posto), and their new book, “The Pig Beach BBQ Cookbook: Smoked, Grilled, Roasted and Sauced.” Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com‍ Email:...

Duration:00:46:58

Shouting at Wyatt Cenac and Donwill

4/18/2022

Wyatt Cenac is an Emmy-winning writer, comedian, actor, producer and former correspondent for The Daily Show most recently behind the HBO docu-series “Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas.” Donwill, a Brooklyn-based rapper and comedian, is half of the hip hop duo Tanya Morgan. Together they’ve been “Shouting at the Screen” for a decade. They’re bringing their live show to Nitehawk Prospect Park on April 28, where they will provide live commentary over a blaxploitation film of their choice. We discuss...

Duration:00:54:50

Murray Hill is Mr. Showbiz, baby!

4/11/2022

Murray Hill's might be the longest overnight success story in Hollywood history. A staple in comedy clubs, the burlesque scene and New York’s queer underground for nearly 30 years now, he's currently got roles on HBO’s "Somebody Somewhere," Amy Schumer’s "Life and Beth" and Paul Feig's "Welcome to Flatch." The easy shorthand is to call Hill “the RuPaul of drag kings.” But it’s a label he himself avoids, preferring simply “comedian,” or “Murray” if you’re nasty—just your ordinary heavy-set...

Duration:00:39:24

Johnny Thornton: A voice for Gowanus artists

4/4/2022

Arts Gowanus is a not-for-profit organization working to support hundreds of local artists. Last October they hosted the 25th annual Gowanus Open Studios, which invites the public into galleries and studios for a weekend of browsing. This month they are co-presenting “Brooklyn Utopias: Along the Canal” which explores what a “utopia” in Gowanus would look like—not a purely academic exercise considering that the neighborhood is undergoing a massive and not uncontroversial rezoning that along...

Duration:00:38:24

Chan Marshall is Cat Power is Chan Marshall

3/28/2022

Performing as Cat Power, Chan Marshall’s new album, “Covers,” takes an almost audacious approach to covering an almost audaciously eclectic group of songs—something that have come to expect from her by now but still retains an element of surprise. The songs she's chosen come from a list of musicians that ranges from Billie Holiday to Frank Ocean to Bob Seger to Iggy Pop. While not a Brooklynite, she played some early shows here in Williamsburg … and will be playing one of her next shows at...

Duration:00:37:42

Hanif Abdurraqib would like you to have your roses

3/21/2022

A poet, essayist, and cultural critic, Abdurraqib is the author of numerous books, including 2021’s National Book Award finalist “A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance." Abdurraqib, who is also a 2021 recipient of a MacArthur “genius” grant, is the curator of Brooklyn Academy of Music’s diverse and eclectic Spring Music Series. Today we talk about the series and the thinking behind it, and we talk about the role of the curator and critic in 2022. We discuss his...

Duration:00:43:58

'Uncle' Ralph McDaniels and Video Music Box

3/7/2022

Ralph McDaniels has forgotten more about hip hop than most people have ever known. The creator and host of the New York City public access show “Video Music Box,” which debuted in 1983, McDaniels had a decades-long run documenting the evolution of hip hop from the front row and backstage. Now the show and McDaniels himself are the subjects of a new documentary, out on Showtime, called “You’re Watching Video Music Box,” directed by Nas. We discuss his life in hip hop history. Brooklyn news...

Duration:00:44:16

Harvey Fierstein was better last night

2/28/2022

But don’t take our word for it: He’ll be the first to tell you. The actor, playwright and "Torch Street Trilogy" icon’s new memoir, “I Was Better Last Night” is out this week—and it is as wry, smart, sassy and self-aware as its title. Fierstein has had iconic roles in "Mrs. Doubtfire," "Independence Day" and "Mulan," of course. But we don’t talk about his Hollywood years here. Today we focus on the early portion of his life and career, his childhood in Bensonhurst, growing up gay in post war...

Duration:00:46:36

Mauro Refosco, musical director, ‘David Byrne’s American Utopia’

2/21/2022

Pause for a second and reflect upon what it must take to be David Byrne’s musical director. No pressure. For percussionist Mauro Refosco, it’s a gig. A great one, for sure. And he takes it, like he does everything else, in steady rhythm. A Brazilian-born, classically trained drummer, Refosco has been working with Byrne off and on for nearly 30 years. And as “American Utopia” enters the final stage of its Broadway run, we discuss the intricacies of putting on such a dynamic show—wirelessly....

Duration:00:38:01

The Brooklyn Mavens: Influencers in the wild

2/14/2022

There are some 2.6 million people living in Brooklyn right now. But there are only two Brooklyn Mavens: Lauren Riley and Merlyn Oliver comprise the social media outfit dedicated to highlighting the best of the borough, old and new. The two twentysomethings have over 20 thousand followers on Instagram, where they shout out Black-owned small businesses, historical curiosities and explore neighborhoods that are new to them. Today, we talk about gentrification, the things people get wrong about...

Duration:00:43:45

Steve Keene: A painter of prolific proportions

2/7/2022

Steve Keene is the most prolific artist you’ve probably never heard of. By some estimates he’s given away or sold north of 300,000 of his paintings on plywood, which he produces multiple copies of at a time. If you are a fan of the bands Pavement or the Silver Jews or Dave Matthews Band, you may have studied his album art. His paintings are all over the borough: In bars, coffee shops, homes, sometimes left on sidewalks. Now, at 65, he has a book coming out in June, the first to focus solely...

Duration:00:23:46

Shahana Hanif gets accessible

1/31/2022

The first female Muslim city councilmember, Shahana Hanif was politicized early in her life. She was 10 on 9/11 and came of age during a time of discrimination against people who look like her. At 17, a diagnosis of lupus galvanized her to become interested in community infrastructure. Born and bred in Kensington, where she still lives today, Hanif represents a swath of Brooklyn that is both old and new. She takes a high profile seat that was most recently held by her former boss, Brad...

Duration:00:49:54

New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells

1/24/2022

No one is safe when Pete Wells chooses to turn his gaze their way: Not Guy Fieri, not Peter Luger, not even Per Se. The restaurant critic for the New York Times since late 2011, Wells has helped expand the scope of what it is a reviewer does at the paper: He is the first to give starred reviews to restaurants in all five boroughs. And he’s gone out of his way to surface eateries that exist under the radar. We discuss the highs and lows of what can only be called a dream job, and how the...

Duration:00:43:46