Beginnings

In 2023, they recorded their first full-length album Revival of a Friend at Tiny Telephone, and it will be released on Exploding In Sound Records at the end of the month! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!

On today's episode, I talk to Julia Steiner of the band Ratboys. Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Julia started Ratboys in college at Notre Dame with Dave Sagan. In 2015, they relocated to Chicago and released their first album AOID on Topshelf Records. And since then, the band has accomplished everything you want to happen to a good band: international tours, critical and commercial success and releasing numerous albums and EPs of great music. Their latest, Singin' to an Empty Chair, was just released in early February, and folks, it's fantastic! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!

On today's episode, I talk to Amelia Fletcher of the band Heavenly. Raised in Oxford, Amelia started playing in bands in the mid-1980s. Her first major group was Talulah Gosh, which she formed with Elizabeth Price, and they released a number of singles before Amelia left and formed Heavenly in 1989. Heavenly released four albums on Sarah and K Records, but after a tragic event, retired the name, and since then, Amelia has performed in a number of notable groups including Marine Research, Tender Trap and The Catenary Wires. Alongside her musical career, Amelia became a respected economist and academic, whose accolades are too numerous to mention in a short biography, though one major point is that her work has been used to curb Tech power in the UK, and due to her decades of service, she was appointed OBE in 2014 and CBE in 2020. Most recently, Heavenly has returned after their 30 year hiatus with Highway to Heavenly, which was just released last week on Skep Wax, and regardless of the intervening decades, is as good as anything they've ever done! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!

On today's episode, I talk to comedian and actor Mort Burke. Originally from St. Louis, Mort came up in the Chicago comedy scene before moving to Los Angeles. He's acted on everything from Bunheads to Workaholics to Mythic Quest, recurred on The Mindy Project, wrote and acted in W/Bob and David, and was a regular on both Enlisted and Drunk History. He also hosts the podcast Rebrand with his brilliant wife Ashly Burch and is writing a novel in installments on his Substack, which I can call Dickensian in the only positive use of that word. As a comedian, Mort has released two specials, his first Spiritually Filthy in 2023, and his latest, There's Beauty In It All, which just came out last week, and much like everything Mort does, it's a delight! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!

On today's episode, I talk to Lisa Marr and Lisa Gertrud, two-thirds of the band cub. Hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, Lisa Marr and Robynn Iwata formed cub in 1992 and while they were only together for five short years, were incredibly prolific, releasing a dozen albums, EPs and 7"es in their half-a-decade as a band. After their break-up, Robin started the band I Am Spoonbender, while Lisa M and Lisa G, who joined in 1994, moved to California where they started the band Buck. Since the '90s, both Lisas have had extensive careers in film and visual art; Lisa M co-founded the Echo Park Film Center, and Lisa G is a founding member of Vancouver's Iris Film Collective. Back in mid-January, Mint Records released the 30th anniversary reissue of cub's second album Come Out Come Out, and even three decades later, it is still fantastic! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!

On today's episode, I talk to harpist Mary Lattimore. Originally from Asheville, North Carolina, Mary began playing the harp as a tween and eventually attended the Eastman School of Music to study it more seriously. In 2012, Mary released her first album, a self-titled cassette, on Fred Thomas' Life Like imprint. This was re-released a year later on Desire Path Recordings with a new title, The Withdrawing Room. Since then, she's released almost a dozen more albums and collaborations on labels like Ghostly International, Three Lobed and Thrill Jockey, and her latest, Tragic Magic, an album she made with Julianna Barwick, was just released in the middle of January, and it's fantastic! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!

On today's episode, I talk to musician Julianna Barwick. Originally from Louisiana, Julianna ended up in New York in the early aughts and self-released her debut EP, Sanguine, in 2006. Her first album The Magic Place came out on Asthmatic Kitty in 2011, and since then, she has released a dozen more albums, EPs and collaborations on labels like Dead Oceans and Ninja Tune. Her latest, Tragic Magic, a collaboration with harpist Mary Lattimore, just came out in the middle of January on InFiné, and it is just wonderful! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!

On today's 16th anniversary episode, I talk to Emmy Award-winning TV and comic writer and podcaster Elliott Kalan. Originally from Millburn, NJ, Elliott started as a PA at The Daily Show in 2003 and eventually worked his way up to head writer. In addition to The Daily Show, he's written for the Academy Awards, MST3K, Netflix's upcoming Ghostbusters cartoon and many other shows. As a comic writer, he's written Spider-Man and the X-Men, Harley Quinn and his own Maniac of New York, and as a podcaster, Elliot has been one of the three hosts of the wonderful Flop House, which has been running since 2007. This is just a small sampling of Elliott's CV, and the latest addition is his new book Joke Farming: How to Write Comedy and Other Nonsense, which was just published by University of Chicago Press at the end of last year! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!

On today's episode, I talk to Jen Bender of Cusp. Originally from Long Island, Jen and her bandmates formed Cusp a little over five years ago in Rochester, before moving to Chicago in 2022. A year later, they released their first album You Can Do It All, followed by the Thanks So Much EP in 2024, and their latest, What I Want Doesn't Want Me Back, which came out in October last year and was one of my favorite albums of 2025! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!

On today's episode, I talk to musician Steven Brown. Originally from Chicago, IL, Steven moved to San Francisco in the 1970s, where he eventually joined the artist collective and commune The Angels of Light. It was though this group that he would meet his collaborators in the brilliant post-punk band Tuxedomoon. In 1980, they released their first album Half-Moon on Ralph Records, and eventually relocated to Brussels, where they began to release albums on the influential label Crammed Discs. In 1983, Steven began recording albums on his own, and his first record Music for Solo Piano, was released by Crépuscule the following year. Since then Steven has recorded numerous albums and soundtracks on his own and with Tuxedomoon, and his latest In This Very World will be released February 20th on Crammed Discs, and folks, it's great! (Plus if you live in LA, go see Steven at Zebulon on January 25th!) This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!

On today's episode, I talk to musician Kassie Carlson. Originally from Cape Cod, Kassie began performing in an early incarnation of Guerilla Toss after her hardcore band Western Syndrome played a show with them in 2012. They released their first EP Jeffrey Johnson later that year on Feeding Tube Records, and since then, they've released over a dozen more albums and EPs on labels like Tzadik, DFA and Sub Pop. Just last September, they released their sixth album, You're Weird Now, on Sub Pop, and folks, it's a delight! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!

On today's episode, I talk to musician Amy Oelsner AKA Amy O. Originally from Fayetteville, Arkansas, Amy has been recording and releasing albums since 2004. In 2017, she began releasing albums on Winspear with the wonderful Elastic, which was followed up two years later by Shell and then 2024's brilliant Mirror, Reflect. Alongside her musical career, in 2019 Amy founded Girls Rock Bloomington, a music and mentorship nonprofit for girls, trans and non-binary youth that teaches positive self-esteem and self-expression through many events as well as an annual rock n' roll summer camp. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!

On today's episode, I talk to experimental musician and composer Claire Rousay. Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Claire grew up in San Antonio, Texas and began playing piano at the ripe age of 4-years-old. Dropping out of high school in her mid-teens, Claire began playing music professionally, and in 2017, released her first album Blip on Mended Dreams. Since then, she's released over two dozen other albums and EPs on Mended Dreams, as well as Orange Milk, Shelter Press and her latest, A Little Death, just came out in October on Thrill Jockey, and it's great! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!

On today's episode, I talk to comics writer Brian Michael Bendis. Originally from Cleveland, OH, Brian knew from an early age he wanted to make comics. His late teens and twenties were spent making his own comics, some of them published by Caliber Press, and in 1996, a lot of this work was collected together at Image. This led to working on the Spawn spin-off Sam and Twitch, and in 1998, he began releasing Powers, which would go on to garner both critical and commercial success, as well as Harvey and Eisner Awards. In 2000, Brian co-created Miles Morales when he began writing Ultimate Spider-Man. The next year, Brian began a defining run on Daredevil and co-created Jessica Jones with the start of Alias. And this is essentially just the first decade of his career! Since then, he went on to write defining runs on comics like Avengers and New Avengers, events like House of M, books like Superman and Action Comics for DC, and most recently, for the 25th anniversary of Powers, Brian and artist Michael Avon Oeming are creating a new 12-issue series at Dark Horse, and it's great! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!

On today's episode, I talk to musician Marc Hollander. Born in Geneva, Switzerland right after WWII, Marc was raised in Brussels and started the band Aksak Maboul in 1977 when producer Marc Moulin commissioned him to write and record an album for his label Kamikaze. Aksak Maboul was one of the handful of bands that was part of the exclusive Rock In Opposition movement, and they produced two brilliant albums before going on hiatus in the early 1980s. In 1980, Marc founded Crammed Discs, which over the last 45 years has been one of the most interesting and eclectic independent labels in the world, releasing music from bands and musicians like Tuxedomoon, John Lurie, Fred Frith, Konono Nº1 and many, many more. In 2014, Marc ended the long Aksak Maboul hiatus by releasing the "lost" third album from the early '80s, and since then has made two further albums. Their latest, Before Aksak Maboul (documents & experiments 1969-1977), a collection that traces Marc's musical evolution from his first band at 19, Here and Now, up through the formation of Aksak Maboul, is out now, and it's a blast! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!

On today's episode, I talk to journalist and writer David J. Roth. Raised in Ridgewood, New Jersey, David started out his writing career writing and editing content for the backs of Topps trading cards. This led to writing for The Wall Street Journal's sports blog, co-founding and editing his own sports blog The Classical, and contributing to Vice and The Baffler, as well as many other publications. In 2017, David became an editor-at-large at Deadspin, and two years later, he and the entire writing and editorial staff resigned, protesting major editorial interference from the private equity holding company that had bought the publication. The following year, David and a number of the other former Deadspin writers formed Defector Media, one of the exciting new worker-owned journalism companies, and in the last five years, it has become one of the most well-regarded sites online. In addition to all of this, David also hosts the wonderful Defector podcast The Distraction. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!

On today's episode, I talk to musician Thalia Zedek. Originally from Washington DC, Thalia attended college at Boston University for one semester before dropping out to pursue a musical career instead. Each band she formed saw a little more success than the last, and her breakthrough was the group Uzi in 1984. They only stayed together for a short time though, and she next joined the New York no wave band Live Skull, who stayed together until 1990. From their break-up until 2001, Thalia was in the band Come, which she formed with Codeine's Chris Brokaw; in their time together, they released four acclaimed records on Matador, and since then, she's been performing as Thalia Zedek Band. They've released nine albums, mostly on Thrill Jockey, and her latest The Boat Outside Your Window was just released in May of this year. On November 14th, Dromedary Records will release the lost EP of Via, Thalia's other Live Skull-era band, and it's a delight! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!

On today's episode, I talk to musician Gina Birch. Originally from Nottingham in the UK, Gina formed the seminal art-punk band The Raincoats with Ana da Silva in 1977. They released three incredible records on Rough Trade - self-titled, Odyshape and Moving - and then broke up in 1984. But this was merely the start of Gina's artistic career. She worked with Red Crayola, formed the band Dorothy, became a filmmaker and music video director, reunited with Ana to support Nirvana on tour and subsequently make another album as The Raincoats, and of course, record music under her own name. Her first solo album I Play My Bass Loud came out in 2021, and her latest Trouble was just released on Third Man Records, and it's great! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!

On today's episode, I talk to musician Joelton Mayfield. Originally from the Marble Falls/Granite Shoals area of Texas, Joelton grew up in a family where music was intertwined with religion. As a teenager, he was even the music director of his church and led Wednesday night worship services. As he gradually moved away from the church, both geographically and spiritually, he began to write music for himself, and released the I Hope You Make It EP in 2019. His debut album Crowd Pleaser comes out next week on Bloodshot Records, and it's fantastic! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!

On today's episode, I talk to musician Julia Kugel. Originally from Belarus, Julia and her family immigrated to Atlanta, GA when she was a child. In 2006, she formed The Coathangers along with Meredith Franco and Stephanie Luke. In the last 19 years, they've released over a dozen albums, EPs and singles, mostly on Suicide Squeeze Records. In addition to The Coathangers, Julia records with her husband as Soft Palms, and on her own, both as White Woods and Julia, Julia. The latest Julia, Julia album, Sugaring a Strawberry, just came out at the start of September, and it is wonderful! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!