On today's show I talk to actor Lola Kirke. Lola comes from a family of artists and musicians - her father is Simon Kirke of the bands Bad Company and Free, her mother is Lorraine Kirke, a fashion designer and interior decorator, and her sister is Jemima, who plays Jessa on Girls. But at the age 24, Lola is no slouch herself. She's acted in films like Gone Girl and shows like The Leftovers, she plays the lead in the Amazon series Mozart in the Jungle, and she's one of the stars of Noah Baumbach's latest film Mistress America.This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show I talk to stand-up David Smithyman. David hails from Sydney, Australia and moved to the US to attend college. Since starting stand-up, he's become a finalist in NBC's Stand-Up for Diversity and last year was named one of Comedy Central's Comics to Watch. Currently, he writes on the ABC show Fresh Off the Boat.This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show I talk to comics writer Charles Soule. After getting his JD from Columbia Law School, Charles became a lawyer focusing on corporate law and immigration. Simultaneously, he also started his comics career. His first work Strongman was published on Slave Labor Graphics, and subsequently Oni Press began publishing his ongoing series Letter 44. Since then, he's written Swamp Thing, Red Lanterns and Superman/Wonder Woman for DC and Thuderbolts, She-Hulk, Inhuman and The Death of Wolverine for Marvel.This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show I talk to comedian Jake Fogelnest. Jake's career in entertainment started at the age of 14 when his public access show Squirt TV became a phenomenon, eventually making the leap to MTV. While Jake has regularly worked since then - doing things like writing for Best Week Ever and contributing jokes to SNL's Weekend Update - it's only recently that his career has truly bloomed: writing for places and shows like Funny or Die and Billy on the Street, as well as the new Hulu series Difficult People and the new Netflix series Wet Hot American Summer.This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show, I talk to comedian Mike Drucker. In Mike's short time existing on Earth, he has been a part of some of the greatest comedy establishments in American history. He's contributed to The Onion and SNL and has written for Nintendo. He also wrote for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and currently writes for The Tonight Show! Besides being funny, he's also a nice dude!This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's special 200th episode, I talk to one of my favorite cartoonists Michael Kupperman. Michael has been creating surreal and hilarious comics for decades - most recently in the amazing Fantagraphics series Tales Designed to Thrizzle. Other books of his include Snake 'n' Bacon's Cartoon Cabaret and Mark Twain’s Autobiography 1910-2010. In addition to his comics work, Michael also made a Snake 'n' Bacon pilot for Adult Swim and has contributed to The Peter Serafinowicz Show.

Plus Naomi Ekperigin from Broad City and the Julie Klausner/Billy Eichner joint Difficult People! (also my fiancee!)This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show I talk to comedian Nore Davis. Originally from Yonkers, Norestarted doing comedy after giving up street racing. He's performed on shows on MTV and Comedy Central, acted in in shows Boardwalk Empire, and was a New Face at Just for Laughs last year. Nore also has a new stand-up album out called Home Game that's very funny!This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

It's the fifth anniversary of Beginnings, and to celebrate, I have a wonderful episode for you with writer Chuck Klosterman. Originally from Minnesota, Chuck is the author of numerous fiction and non-fiction books, including his quasi-memoir Fargo Rock City, his acclaimed essay collection Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs and novels like Downtown Owl. Chuck has also written for GQ, Esquire, Spin, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Grantland, The Believer and also writes the weekly The Ethicist column in the New York Times. His most recent collection is I Wear the Black Hat.This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

I hope y'all are ready for an awesome episode with author Helen DeWitt. While born in America, Helen's father was in the foreign service. She grew up all over Latin America and later attended the University of Oxford, which is where she earned her PhD. Helen has written two amazing books, The Last Samuri (which has nothing to do with that Tom Cruise film) and Lightning Rods, which was recently named to the Slate/Whiting Second Novel List. She is currently working on her third.This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

One today's episode I talk to writer and performer Ben Sinclair. Ben's name may not be instantly recognizable but for fans of High Maintenance, which is one of the best webseries out there - and would certainly be among the best TV shows if it were on TV - you'll instantly know him as the series anonymous weed dealer The Guy. Not only does Ben star in the show, but along with his wife (and former Beginnings guest) Katja Blichfeld, he's also the co-creator and co-writer of the show, as well as the editor, one of the directors...and heck, I'm sure he's even taken care of craft services at some point.This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.