Dying of Exposure with Dan Mangan

Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Madison is an otherworldly talent. She'd still be a megastar if she were only known for her voice or her guitar playing - thankfully, we get to enjoy both.

I've come to know and love her music over the past few years. I'm blown away by her ability to marry thoughtful songwriting with deeply innovative and spontaneous-sounding arrangements.

Among other things, we chat about leaving the church with a final mic-drop, creative amnesia, tricking your brain into believing you're not a total loser, and Judy Sill.

This episode features a surprise needle drop of "These Days" by Aidan Knight.

Winnipeger Jacob Brodovsky is a celebrated songwriter, community builder & radio host who found himself at the centre of a sh*tstorm after liking some Instagram posts related to a fundraiser for the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund.

Jacob spent a great deal of his life at an inclusive Jewish sleep-away camp. He was a camper, then a counsellor, and eventually the camp's Executive Director. He not only met his wife at the camp, but also proposed and married her there. Shortly after a blog post surfaced about his perceived views on Israel, he was ostracized from the community.

It's a lot to unpack, and without centring his own heartache in the matter, he superbly articulates a depth of empathy and understanding from all angles of the tempest.

This episode features a surprise needle drop of "Lisière" by Laurie Torres.

Grammy nominated genre-defiers Tegan and Sara have survived scene after scene, reinventing themselves musically throughout decades of worldwide success.

Among other things, Dan, Tegan & Sara chat about Neil Young's soft hands, how queerness has consumed their narrative for most of their careers, how you don't know how to do something until you do it, and how young people should buy a pack of cigarettes (but not smoke them).

This episode features a surprise needle drop of "Dinner For Breakfast" by Heavy Gus.

Claudia Dey is an internationally acclaimed author ("Daughter", "Heartbreaker", "Stunt") and fashion designer (HORSES Atelier) from Toronto, Canada. Her novels are insightful, wondrous worlds where form dissolves and visceral incantations emerge.

Among other things, Dan and Claudia chat about "farm breasts", being in the moment vs. capturing the moment, the "monkish" discipline required to create great work, how being on the internet is like eating microwaved bacon, and putting your ass in the chair.

This episode features a surprise needle drop of "Animal Poem" by Anna Tivel.

You know her from Yellow Jackets and Tron: Ares, it's Vancouver's own Sarah Desjardins!

Among other things, Dan and Sarah chat about overthinking the creative process, accidentally exposing kids to R rated movies over your shoulder on a plane, panic attacks, tarot card readings, and how in order to be happy, you have to be willing to be a bit cringey.

This episode features a surprise needle drop of "Unsolicited Advice" by Charles Spearin.

Dan discusses crappy bosses, privilege, the music industry and "aboutism" with Kevin Drew, frontman to the iconic genre-busting indie rock ensemble Broken Social Scene.

Among other things, they chat about Ennio Morricone's film scores, how naivety can be a superpower in creative settings, how social media has removed mystery from music discovery, the origins and popular rise of Broken Social Scene, and how Dan got signed to Kevin's label Arts & Crafts despite Kevin not liking his music.

This episode features a surprise needle drop of "You Don't Wanna Leave It Alone" by J.E. Sunde.

Dan discusses basketball trick shots, auditioning from home, AI art, and the healing power of laughing with improv dynamo Lauren Lapkus (Orange Is The New Black, Big Bang Theory, & The Wrong Missy).

Among other things, they chat about her first real acting gig in an improv sketch with Ryan Reynolds, how actors can never know which of their projects might blow up, allowing your current self the same grace you might give your younger self in retrospect, how pointing out fascism in society doesn't matter to the half of us who welcome it, how AI ubiquitousness might bring a new premium to live performances, and how awkward it is when you have something to say in a conversation but the moment passes you by.

This episode features a surprise needle drop of "Select All Delete" by John K Samson.

Dan discusses contentment, anxiety, careers and faith with dramatic/comedic genius Tony Hale (Arrested Development, Veep, Toy Story 4).

Among other things, they chat about Tony moving to New York not knowing a single New Yorker, the miracle that 2.5 seasons of Arrested Development got made, using faith as a crutch, how regular people can be more "known" than celebrities, the invention of the "stoncert", aging gracefully in Hollywood, how seeing your own emotions articulated in art is akin to cultural representation, and how if you can't practice contentment now, you won't be content when you get what you want.

This episode features a surprise needle drop of "Change My Shape" by Sam Tudor.

Dan discusses mental health, creative yearning and ski-jumping with Hollywood madman Steven Ogg (The Walking Dead, Better Call Saul, Grand Theft Auto V).

Among other things, they chat about the tendency to dislike other artists purely out of jealousy, managing ones inner demons, endlessly craving work, the pros and cons of Instagram, the 7/4 time signature, and how being pissed off during a bit part audition early in his career landed Steven a much larger role on Law & Order.

This episode features a surprise needle drop of "Silver Civic" by Charlotte Cornfield.

Dan discusses family, art, and the music business with esteemed rapper & host Shad (Hip-Hop Evolution).

Among other things, they chat about Shad's family's displacement throughout Africa before settling in Canada, his scary realization that music mattered to him, supporting Common in his early days, sidestepping the word "artist" and focusing on whatever sounds fun, the fortuitous timing of "Hip Hop Evolution", the shifting sands of the music industry, and how your kids don't give a crap about your career.

This episode features a surprise needle drop of "Morgana" by Hank May.