On today's episode, I talk to TV writer Jane Espenson. Originally from Ames, Iowa, Jane turned to TV writing after going to school to study computer science and linguistics. And if you can namecheck a beloved hourlong dramedy with a sci-fi bend, chances are Jane had a hand in writing it. These include a five year stint on Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, as well as writing for Angel, Gilmore Girls, Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Torchwood, Dollhouse, Firefly, Game of Thrones, as well as Dinosaurs, The O.C., The Batman, and Andy Barker, P.I. She is currently a writer and co-executive producer on the ABC fairy tale drama Once Upon a Time.

This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode, taped live at UCB Sunset on August 3rd, 2015, I'm joined by five of my favorite comedians and musicians: stand-up and actors Ron Funches and Andy Kindler, actor and improvisor John Gemberling, and musicians Open Mike Eagle and Nick Thorburn. Ron can currently be seen on the NBC sitcom Undateable, Andy is on the IFC show Maron, and beyond that, both are some of the best stand-ups out there. John was on the recently canceled NBC show Marry Me, but also plays Abbi's roommate's boyfriend Bevers on the Comedy Central hit Broad City. Mike Eagle is a rapper loosely affiliated with the Hellfyre Club collective/label and his EP A Special Episode Of was released earlier this year. Finally, Nick Thorburn is a member of and the driving force behind the indie rock band Islands, and has also released two solo albums as Nick Diamonds, the second of which City of Quartz was released this year.This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show I talk to comic book writer/artist Dash Shaw. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Dash studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, and is the author of numerous graphic novels. These include Love Eats Brains! published by Odd God Press, GardenHead published by Meathaus, The Mother's Mouth published by Alternative Comics, Bottomless Belly Button and New School published by Fantagraphics, and BodyWorld published by Pantheon Books.This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show I talk to musician Katie Eastburn. Katie grew up mostly in Nashville (with stints in Hawaii and Colorado), before migrating to San Francisco to choreograph dance and produce musicals. There she met guitarist Jeff Rosenberg of the notorious, now-defunct West Coast noise-rock duo Pink and Brown, and they eventually formed the indie rock band Young People, who released albums on 5RC and Dim Mak. Since then, she's been part of the groups Whispering Pines, Dionne Werewolf, Gigi and most recently has been recording under the name KATIEE. In fact, her first single was just released on the Selfish Agenda label, and so was her first album. And they're wonderful!This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show I talk to musician and editor Jon Fine. Currently, Jon is the executive editor of Inc. magazine. But before he turned to journalism, he was a rock guitarist, most famously in the indie rock band Bitch Magnet. Jon also played in Vineland and Coptic Light, and was a touring guitarist with Don Caballero. Recently, Jon's memoirs and thoughts on the underground music scene - Your Band Sucks: What I Saw at Indie Rock's Failed Revolution (But Can No Longer Hear) - were published by Viking. It's super interesting and well worth your time!This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show I talk to cartoonist Pete Toms. Born in New York, Pete works in the comics industry as a colorist and on his own web comics as a writer and artist. Much like Wonder Showzen, Pete's comics are a wonderful mix of surreality, political and social commentary, violence, and above all, humor. Many of his works can be read through his own website or through Study Group Comics, and they include a strip he co-authors called The Short Con, his fantastic graphic novel Paws, and the Ignatz Award-nominated series On Hiatus. All of which are well worth your time.This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show I talk to musician Christian Gibbs. Originally from San Diego, Christian has had a pretty varied musical career. He's played lead guitar in the UK band Modern English (who you might remember for their hit "I Melt With You"), played with J.G. Thirlwell's band Foetus, fronted the rock trio Morning Glories, as well as the chamber-rock group Lucinda Black Bear. While Christian has seen a lot of tragedy in his life, he's never allowed it to conquer him, and his latest album - C. Gibbs Sings Motherwell Johnston - is pretty great.This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show I talk to musician Michael Rault. Michael is a Toronto based singer, guitarist and songwriter who fronts his own eponymously named band and also plays as a member of Slim Twig's group. Originally from Edmonton, Alberta, he's part of the same music scene that spawned Mac DeMarco, and he's got a cassingle "Still Not Sad" b/w "Nothing Means Nothing" along with his album Living Daylight available now on Burger Records. Both of those things are great!This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show I talk to comedians and spouses Betsy Stover and Ari Voukydis. Almost two decades worth of students and performers at UCB owe their education to Betsy and Ari, who have been teaching and performing at the theatre since essentially its beginning. Besides being house performers at UCB, the two are both actors and writers. Betsy toured with the one-woman off-Broadway show Mother Load and had two long-running sketch shows with her writing partner Katty Biscone. Ari writes for BuzzFeed and the pilot he made with his writing partner Mark Sarian was an official selection of the 2014 New York Television Festival.This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show, I talk to musician Samara Lubelski. Samara grew up in an artistic community in SoHo, New York in the 1970s. She began her music career playing in the "dark-rock" band Of a Mesh, and since then has been a member of numerous groups including Pacer, The Sonora Pine, Hall of Fame, The Tower Recordings, Metal Mountains and most recently Chelsea Light Moving. Samara has also released seven great albums on her own. The most recent one is String Cycle, which was released last year on Ultra Eczema Records.This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.