Brooklyn Magazine: The Podcast

Love it or hate it, reality TV isn’t going anywhere. It’s also probably not going to stop being divisive any time soon, either. So maybe it’s time we take seriously a genre so many people dismiss as silly. That’s the central argument of Emily Nussbaum’s deeply reported warts-and-all history “Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV,” which she succeeds at making in the most compelling and engaging prose. From Candid Camera to the Apprentice — from “The Real World” to the Kardashians — it’s a “dirty documentary” world and we can’t stop watching. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

For about 40 years now, the husband-and-wife team of Constance Hansen and Russell Peacock has created an indelible body of photography produced under the name Guzman. Now they have a new book out, called “Family Values,” a series of incredibly intimate photos taken in one day at the home of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, five weeks after their daughter Frances Bean was born in 1992. Here we talk about that day, what they remember about the young family, their process and highlights of their career — like hanging out with Iggy Pop. They also talk about one of their more challenging shoots … Soundgarden, we’re looking at you. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

If you live in Brooklyn and have ever had a desire to renovate or restore your place — a total overhaul or a new kitchen, some shelving, maybe, or a rethinking of your lighting — chances are you’ve come across the Brownstone Boys online. Or if you live in Brooklyn and just have a kink for historic home restoration, you’ve probably followed the Brownstone Boys on Instagram or YouTube. The Brownstone Boys are Jordan Slocum and Barry Bordelon. They are a couple who live in Bed-Stuy and gained a following when they started blogging their own journey of restoring the house they bought in 2018. From there, a simple online diary of their progress morphed into a full-fledged online brand, and then an interior design and renovation firm, and TV appearances and, now, a book: ”For the Love of Renovating: Tips, Tricks and Inspiration for Creating your Dream Home.” Is out now. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Since its founding as an impromptu celebration of Black joy and community in response to the murder of George Floyd in May of 2020, the Lay Out has grown into a sprawling community platform that hosts year-round parties and offshoots like the BuyBLK. ByBLK. marketplace. This week, the Lay Out’s founder Emily Anadu joimed us on the podcast as she was in the final stages of prepping for the Lay Out’s annual Juneteenth party in Fort Greene Park. We discuss the origins of the Lay Out and her own background as someone who was born in Texas and raised in Nigeria before returning to Houston for middle school. We talk about building community and we talk about what’s next for the Lay Out. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Eli Sussman is a meme lord, cookbook writer, a very funny guy and restaurateur with a few big hits under his belt — notably the contemporary Middle Eastern Samesa and Gertrude’s, a Jew-ish style diner in Prospect Heights. We first became aware of Sussman before he opened Gertrude’s with partners Nate Adler and Rachel Jackson a year ago. His Instagram account is chock-a-block with hilarious if-you-know-you-know service industry in-jokes, satire and original memes that skewer more famous restaurateurs. More recently, he has also now launched a video interview show called “Talkin’ in the Walk-In,” where he interviews his contemporaries inside restaurant coolers. Here, we discuss the first year of Gertrude’s, his viral micro-fame and growing up in the Midwest. We talk about culinary trends and his pet peeves about customers. And he gives us his personalized food tour of Brooklyn and beyond. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

A new book, called “Brooklynites: The Remarkable Story of the Free Black Communities that Shaped a Borough,” out in September, tells the story of Brooklyn’s free Black population between 1790 and 1870, 80 years of unfathomable change in the borough and the country at large. The book, by Prithi Kanakamedala, is a cultural and social history, told through four extraordinary families from Brooklyn’s 19th-century free Black community. Theirs are stories of activism, support, struggle, community, education and entrepreneurship. And their stories continue to resonate today, some 200 years later. This week we discuss the book, what it meant to be a free Black Brooklynite and how Kanakamedala uncovered their stories. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Molly Roden Winter never set out to be the face of Park Slope polyamory, but here we are. Her book “More: A Memoir of Open Marriage” came out earlier this year and instantly hit the best seller lists. It became the subject of think pieces and trend stories, landed her on talk shows and podcasts and essentially went viral in a way that clearly underscores how thoroughly she has tapped into some kind of zeitgeist. Today we dig into her book, which is a brutally honest warts-and-all story of her years-long foray into polyamory, sexual liberation, self-discovery, love and heartbreak. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Born and raised in New York City, Cey Adams emerged from the vibrant graffiti scene of the 1970s while still in his teens, tagging “Cey City” on subway cars and painting murals — and was one of the first wave of street artists to obtain gallery representation. He met the Beastie Boys before they were the Beastie Boys, and designed their first logo, t-shirts and singles. He linked up with Russell Simmons at RUSH Artist Management where he designed logos and merch for an artist roster that included Run DMC, Big Daddy Kane, Kurtis Blow, Whodini. When Simmons and Rick Rubin launched a little label called Def Jam Records he joined on as creative director. If there’s an album from hip-hop’s golden era that you love, it probably has Adams' fingerprints all over it. We discuss his career from its earliest days to today, which also includes work with iconic brands and fine art and collage. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

The Good Liars are comedians Davram Stiefler and Jason Selvig, and for nearly a decade they have been doggedly traveling the country — most notably to presidential campaign rallies for both political parties — trolling attendees and politicians in fearless interviews that often go viral. All with an eye towards exposing hypocrisy, hubris, absurdity and just plain stupidity. The two have launched a new podcast, “The Good Liars Tell the Truth,” where they replay and re-examine some of their more viral moments — like being on the scene during the January 6 insurrection, or, more recently, attending a Trump rally and trying to sell their own satirical version of Donald Trump’s bible to his supporters. They’ve also taken their live act, “The Good Liars Fix America,” first performed in Brooklyn, on the road. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Dan Perlman is a comedian, writer and director in Brooklyn He co-created, wrote and starred in Showtime's critically acclaimed comedy series, “Flatbush Misdemeanors” which was sadly not renewed after its much lauded and pitch-perfect two season run. Don’t count Dan out though. He just keeps making things — short things for now. Much as Flatbush Misdemeanors got its start as a web series he made with fellow comedian Kevin Iso, Perlman has made two short films — one in 2020 and one at the end of 2023 — both starring the same two New York kids, non-actors playing versions of themselves. The first one, “Cramming,” has just been announced as the recipient of a grant from Rooftop Films so it can be made into a feature film. The second, “Practice Space,” will have its world premiere at the Lower East Side Film Festival this year. That announcement just dropped … today. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Rapper, singer, artist, producer and, since 2010, one third of the Brooklyn hip-hop group the Flatbush Zombies, Erick the Architect has dropped his first full-length solo album, "I've Never Been Here Before.” The title is a sly allusion to where he's at in life — emotionally, physically, professionally, musically — and the 16 tracks within feature collaborations with a range of artists from Lalah Hathaway to James Blake to Joey Bada$$ to George Clinton and more. The result is a kaleidoscopic mix of psychedelic hip-hop, Jamaican dancehall, classic boom-bap rap and neo-soul that reflects an omnivorous musical palate. Today, we discuss his so-called “villain era,” loss and growth, what he hates about contemporary hip-hop, Brooklyn and more. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Robert Simonson writes about cocktails, food and travel for the New York Times, where he’s been a contributor since 2000. He is the author of seven books about cocktails — he literally wrote the book on the old-fashioned and one on the martini. His latest tome, out now, widens the lens — by a lot. “The Encyclopedia of Cocktails: The People, Bars and Drinks, With More Than 100 recipes” is a delightful omnibus, an alphabetical compendium of the most notable drinks, influential bartenders (living and dead), and important bars that have shaped the cocktail world — all in shot glass-sized entries from absinthe to the zombie. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

For 17 years Maria Popova has kept an online literary journal of sorts, a catalogue of what she’s been reading, contemplating and grappling with across multiple disciplines — literature, science, art, philosophy, poetry and what she has called “various other tentacles of human thought and feeling.” She started her site, the Marginalian, under a different name — you may remember it as Brain Pickings — as an email to a few friends and colleagues, a personal record of reckoning with her own search for meaning. Today it consists of hundreds of thousands of entries, cross linking ideas and connecting metaphysical dots. It is fundamentally a personal project, a map of one woman’s quest to understand this weird experience called life. And yet over the years it has proven to have a universal appeal, attracting millions of readers from all over the world who take comfort or pick up wisdom from her lyrical close readings. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

What makes a story a New York story? Maybe it’s seeing a drag queen emerge from a manhole cover on Canal Street in a full look at 6:30 a.m. Or it could be a woman carrying a bag of live eels on the subway to the shock of no one. The thing is, you know a New York Story when you’ve got one, and Dan Saltzstein has collected a whole book’s worth of little vignettes — short stories and curated tweets that perfectly distill that New York moment to a second or two. Saltzstein joins us today to discuss his book, “That’s So New York: Short and Very Short Stories About the Greatest City on Earth," and the makings of a great New York story. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Not only is Dr. Uché Blackstock a second-generation Black woman physician, she is the first Black mother-daughter legacy to have graduated from Harvard Medical School. Today she is the founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity, a consultancy that helps its clients in the healthcare and corporate space to provide racially equitable care. She is also the the author of a new book, “Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons With Racism In Medicine,” in which she explores systemic inequity in the American healthcare system, clearly tracing its origins from slavery and after the Civil War to today — even in her own experiences as a medical student and a doctor. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Most New Yorkers don’t need an introduction to Veselka. One of the last of many Slavic restaurants that once proliferated in the East Village, Veselka is turning 70 this year, it’s more robust, vital and relevant as a cultural hub that it’s ever been. It’s expanding into Williamsburg later this year and it’s the subject of a new documentary, out now, called “Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World.” Filmmaker Michael Fiore started filming his documentary 11 days into the Russian war on Ukraine. Over the course of a year he documented its effects here at home in real time. In this episode, third-generation owner Jason Birchard discusses the past, present and future of the iconic eatery. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Lee Fields is a funk and soul legend who has been recording for 55 years and performing for longer than that. From his roots in hardscrabble Wilson, North Carolina — where his parents ran a speakeasy on Saturday nights and took him to church on Sundays — through the funky 1970s, Fields honed an explosive live act frequently compared to James Brown. After a decade-long setback in the ‘80s, Lee signed with Desco Records (an early version of Daptone) and sparked a comeback that continues unabated to this day. Now he is the subject of a documentary, “Lee Fields: Faithful Man,” available to stream everywhere on demand this week. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Second City is the legendary Chicago improv comedy company that opened in 1969 and launched the careers of everyone from Bill Murray and Gilda Radner to Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to Keegan-Michael Key to Stephen Colbert and Steve Carrell and Mike Meyers and Tim Meadows and so on. This month they’ve opened their first ever New York campus — in Williamsburg. And this week we're speaking with two of the new ensemble members of the new Second City company in New York. Ben Rameaka and Yazmin Ramos are veteran comics, improv actors and comedy teachers. And today we’re going to be talking about what Brooklyn can expect from the new Second City outpost, the legacy of Second City, their own careers and more. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Bensonhurst-born Anthony Mongiello is the unheralded inventor, he claims to this day, of the stuffed crust pizza. Mongiello, who holds a 1987 patent for the method of making pizzas with cheese baked into the crust, sued Pizza Hut when they rolled out their own product with the same name in 1995 — for $1 billion. That lawsuit — which was rejected in a summary judgment — is the subject of a new short docu-drama called "Stolen Dough." Silly? Maybe. But the facts are the facts: Mongiello had a patent for stuffed crust pizza before Pizza Hut came out with the same product with the same name. Let's discuss! Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

The hit Amazon series “Reacher" just wrapped its second season and has been re-upped for a third — and coming back with it is the character Frances Neagley, played by Maria Sten. Neagley is Jack Reacher’s colleague, a retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant, his confidante and in many ways his equal. Sten herself is just as fascinating as Reacher, and has the added benefit of not being a fictional character. She was born in Copenhagen to Danish and Congolese parents. She’s a writer, dancer, gymnast, a kick-boxing horseback-riding beauty pageant-winner who lives here in Brooklyn. So today Sten joins us to talk about “Reacher,” what we know about season three, her own background and … revenge stories. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope