"My first encounter with Bruce Schulman was, of course, through his book on The Seventies. 

This would have been in 2003, just a couple of years after September 11th in fact, and I think I first saw the book and was compelled to gaze at its cover on account of its title. I may have bought it at one of those mass market bookstores then in abundance at the time, possibly at a Barnes And No- ble. I bought the book and read it in its entirety in one night, an- nounced to the paper for which I was then writing, Organica (and of which there exist no digitally archived copies whatsoev- er, for all sorts of complicated reasons I won't get into here) that I was determined to find the man behind the box in person and do a story on him. 

This wasn't difficult to do since I was living about a mile away from where he was teaching then at Boston University. I found him to be an unusually warm and open man, utterly without pretensions, and beautifully, more than once during the interview a student and then a student's parent stopped by to say him and tell him how inspirational his class was. I hope that his book continues to be the major text on the sub- ject of that era for the foreseeable future. 

People often ask me why I am so interested in 1970s. 

Part of it is my love for the underrepresented, the orphaned, and the, for lack of a better word, "unloved." 

I am always drawn to that which society considers undramatic, which of course relates to my love of the quotidian. Now we are discussing perception here not facts.

 Often something initially thought of as completely irrelevant or a waste of time emerges in hindsight to be the most important thing in the world: one era's costume/period drama is another era's kitchen sink drama". It continues to be the case that the 70s are sandwiched, like a middle child, hell like out entire "generation X" be- tween these other incredibly dramatic and huge in demo- graphic eras. I believe "the 60s" continues to be more popular an unreflective catch phrase far more than "the 70s". 

I further believe that when you get past the 60s branding as "cool" or "revolutionary" you realize that not everything im- portant happened within its confines. People often say that not everything can be explained by a gen- eration or an era. 

Of course that is true, but neither is it the case that generations or eras are unimportant. Since I look at the present with the eyes of Chuck Klosterman in his, in my view, master- piece of non-fiction, But What If We're Wrong? Thinking about the present as if it were the past, I see contempo- rary things with some critical distance and this makes me keenly at- tuned to how much of the contemporary is in a highly specific style unique to our age, and not ultimately better nor worse than earlier styles, but still a style all the same. 

Style is that which you can't ignore and never shuts up. 

Bruce Schulman is one of those innovative historians who regards popular culture and the arts as central to history, as im- portant if not more decisive than the actions of politicians. gras roots political campaigns or what generally gets counted in the history books. 

Speaking to him was a delight from beginning to end and I hope you share in that enjoyment as you listen. “ 

Links to Bruce’s Published Works: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Bruce-Schulman/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ABruce+Schulman 

For Bruce's extended bio , visit our show Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/journeyofanaesthetepodcast

"Sanifu Hall never does things in a predictable way. 

When last we met him it was in the very beginning stages of our podcast, in 2019, in fact. ( click to listen to that episode).

Since then he has composed a great body of music. Not only that, but he has assembled world class musicians who happen to be in his home base of Jacksonville, Florida , to perform it and, most of all, a gem of a recording studio in which to record it. 

And he has told me he is going to go to California for a reunion of sort with Henry The Skipper Franklin , one of the giants of bass in the West Coast, who will be part of Sanifu's project. Sanifu has had the longest association with Henry Franklin going back at least to the 1970s and their Black Jazz Records label. 

A wonderful NPR segment about the label can be found here: https://www.npr.org/2020/09/22/915323876/rediscovering-the-enormous-social-and-spiritual-legacy-of-black-jazz-records 

Such is the nature of his musical journeys. I will be talking to him about the Los Angeles of the 70s, a personal favorite topic, and he will remark in passing that he was on the same bill as both singers Carmen MaCrae and Dinah Washington at the club Donte's! 

Now these were two of the greatest female vocalists of their generation and Sanifu shared the stage with them. That is the kind of career he has had and the kind of man that he is that he is more than willing to discuss it with vivid detail but sees is it but one stop on the journey. 

Not all musicians or even artists are as articulate as is Sanifu, which of course makes him a perfect guest. He speaks in a way that I think connects even with non-musicians,  and when he does get a little technical it is never off putting and always engaging. 

I always enjoy speaking with him as much as I do his music.” 

Sanifu’s new Promo Video for his upcoming album he speaks about in the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFEbT5hRZ8k

“Although the music is based with a Jazz  foundation, it is also infused with elements of other music genres.” Sanifu Al Hall Jr. 

Additional links to Sanifu Al Hall Jr.’s beautiful body of work: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AMCJax Twitter: https://twitter.com/sanifu 

Link to our previous episode with Al in 2019: https://anchor.fm/mitch-hampton/episodes/Sanifu-Al-Hall-Jr-The-Consummate-Musician-e54c75/a-alpl1o Links to 

Al’s Blogs: https://alhalljr.wordpress.com/author/sanifualhalljr/  https://sanifu.blogspot.com/ 

More links: https://www.discogs.com/artist/480312-Al-Hall-2?page=1 https://www.discogs.com/artist/7222344-Sanifu-Al-Hall-Jr https://www.jamendo.com/artist/360061/sanifu https://cosmosdwellerzarkestra.bandcamp.com/ https://www.reverbnation.com/aljonimusic

For an extended look inside the episode with Sanifu, visit us here: https://www.facebook.com/journeyofanaesthetepodcast

“The decision to approach Elizabeth Williams has a long journey; indeed one connected initially more to prose, rather than drawing or visual art, and going back a couple of decades. In 1984 the writer/journalist and film and t.v. producer Dominck Dunne wrote an extraordinary essay for Vanity Fair magazine that had much influence upon me. 

Titled "Justice: A Father's Account of the Trial of his Daughter's Killer", the piece, including the aesthetic details and judgements of, say, the judge, the jury and the defendant's demeanor, as well as the psychological dimensions of Dunne's experience ranks for me as among the best writing of that decade at least (and of course launched him as a major crime reporter on O.J. Simpson and others). 

The connections between the many episodes on our show is immense. 

Dunne's daughter who was murdered was, of course, Dominque Dunne who at the time of her murder was not only featured in an episode of Hill Street Blues, the plot of which was precisely the subject of domestic violence, but was also prominent in a number of t.v. movies that Amanda Reyes and I discussed. (I had offered on my latest episode with her to do a whole show on The Day The Loving Stopped.)  (Link to listen to the episode with Amanda Reyes mentioned can be found here:https://anchor.fm/mitch-hampton/episodes/INTIMATE-STRANGERS-episode-with-Amanda-Reyes-eoipb4/a-a49a1c5) Dominck Dunne's son, Griffin Dunne, is also quite accomplished. But that one essay had a long lasting effect on me. It made me most conscious of the plight of crime victims and their families and loved ones, and thus, the victim's rights movement. And this was further complicated still by my then anti-death penalty activism, as these two communities, both of which I have great sympathies, often have come into conflict. So the daughter Dominique Dunne was on track to be a major star in Hollywood and you can observe her work on Hill Street Blues as well as other productions. In turn this one essay caused me to be a moderate "true crime" buff. 

I should mention the late Michelle MacNamara in this regard, probably the best or most representative of this kind of interest. And all the while I was haunted not just by Dominck Dunne's written account but all of these high profile criminal cases. They are almost always used not only in televised news reports but in so many prominent documentaries. 

Of course one of the themes of this podcast is calling into question the boundaries around fine art, utilitarian art, and the commercial and obscure and so on. So you could say that this episode is very much in keeping with the spirit of our podcast. I was excited to discuss the things we did on this episode and I should note, not a moment too soon that the nature of our discussion is unconventional given the subject matter. We are discussing the the nature of the worst crimes that have been committed by men in the past forty plus years; you could say the nature of evil comes into play. But we are also discussing them in the terms of public service: Williams' illustrations of these perpetrators or predators are essential for the legal system as well as basic, everyday journalism, yet they also keep alive the tradition of portraiture and illustration, which is fundamental to the history of art. Also, speaking more generally, Williams' story is the story of anybody who endeavors to become good at something; meeting mentors or masters in the chosen field, and all the stops in the journey along the way. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did creating it! “

Links to Elizabeth’s beautiful work: http://www.elizabethwilliamstudio.com

For a deeper look into Elizabeth's work, this episode, visit our show Facebook page, here:  https://www.facebook.com/journeyofanaesthetepodcast

*Please note: Henry's work is so comprehensive and gorgeous, we have only selected a few images to highlight. Visit https://horenstein.com to dig deeper and truly appreciate the scope of his work. From Mitch's Notebook about this episode: "I must immediately mention a film in which I played a role in its kickstarter funding that Henry Horesntein made called Partners , if only because we failed to get to that stage of Henry's career on the show, so prodigious has been his output. The film is an unusual portrait of these couples, whose lifestyles are contrary to the "mainstream" of society, talking about their romantic and sexual lives in a most immersive and direct fashion, using a single backdrop. When I watch it I am reminded above all of Shirley Clarke's masterpiece Portrait Of Jason, though that is black and white and of a single person talking rather than a diverse group of individuals speaking intimately of their lives. All of this of course only confirms why Henry Horenstein is a perfect guest for our podcast. That I wanted to spend some time discussing his study with the great E. P. Thompson - perhaps the premier socialist British historian of his generation (in a way the Howard Zinn of England) as well as our mutual friend and, like Henry, RISD instructor Richard Merkin is all testament to the wide and highly diverse career Henry has had. As for Merkin, he remains a major influence on my own dress and I am fortunate to own a signed painting of his which I proudly hang in my living room. Henry describes his art in terms of history and documentary. One of the things that is most important to me on this show is hearing how a creator talks about their own work. Of course when I look at any of Henry's photographs I am seeing photographs I love to look at and can return to again and again without ever losing interest in them. 

I certainly am not thinking of any of the more pulitosophic terrain that we were fortunate enough to get into in this episode. Still less do I ever really know what was behind or went into making an artwork; only the actual author can know that. And I know that we always want to hear as much about that as the artist is willing to express. I enjoyed the hour we spent in this episode immensely and certainly learned a lot from it.” Henry’s Biography: Henry Horenstein has been a professional photographer, filmmaker, teacher, and author since the 1970s. He studied history at the University of Chicago and earned his BFA and MFA at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he studied with Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind. Henry's work is collected and exhibited internationally and he has published over 30 books, including several monographs of his own work such as Honky Tonk, Shoot What You Love (a memoir), Histories, Show, Animalia, Humans, Racing Days, Close Relations, and many others. He has also authored Black & White Photography, Digital Photography, and Beyond Basic Photography, used by hundreds of thousands of college, university, high-school, and art school students as their introduction to photography. His Shoot What You Love serves both a memoir and a personal history of photography over the past 50 years. In recent years, Henry has been making films: Preacher, Murray, Spoke, Partners, and Blitto Underground, which will premier in 2021. Henry is professor of photography at RISD and lives in Boston. Additional Links to Henry’s beautiful body of work: Henry's Books: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Henry+horenstein&ref=nb_sb_noss Website: https://horenstein.com/partners Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/HorensteinPhotography/ Visit our show Facebook page for a more in depth look at Henry's maginifent body of work: https://www.facebook.com/journeyofanaesthetepodcast

Hello there!

We are SO excited to share that Skillshare is our new show sponsor!!!! Here is more about the new partnership from our show host, Mitch Hampton about this relationship and how Skillshare reflects so beautifully what our podcast is all about. 

This is Mitch Hampton , the host of the podcast Journey Of An Aesthete.

I'm not much for multitasking.

You'll notice I played a little piano - the theme song to our show in fact - and then I started talking. I didn't try to do them together. 

And I never went into that style of music where you sing while you accompany yourself on the piano. 

But just because you decide to do one thing at a time doesn't mean you can't do it at your very best and even improve on what you already have. 

And that's where an organization that has something in common with our podcast, SkillShare comes in.

In Skillshare the sky is the limit, There are thousands of courses on every subject imaginable. Just give you a small examples here. Dani Shapiro teaches personal prose- writing from your own biography, Gia Graham is teaching the art of handcrafted lettering and stationary. If you want to redesign your entire home you could take a course with Emily Henderson. 

If you want to leave your house and do art in the woods - watercolor - you could take a course from Rosalie Hazlitt. And you can photograph from your own home - Sean Dalton will teach you how to do that. 

That's just a handful of the people you will encounter when you get involved with SkillShare. 

I should say that I am a big believer in "lifelong learning" that learning isn't something just for kids; it doesn't end when you get into middle age or older age. It's lifelong. 

And Skillshare is a big part of that. 

These are folks that are good at what they do, that excel at what they do and they try to impart wisdom, and help you realize your potential. And if you do the premium of course, the choices are totally unlimited. 

Unlimited access.

So everyday is important. 

Decide what it is you want to learn and get good. 

So checkout Skillshare to realize that potential. 

And click here is a Free Trial , on us !!!!!!!!

Thank you.

Mitch and the Journey of an Aesthete Podcast Team!

“I never know how I am going to connect with a guest. Some- times the guest comes to me and there was no instance of this more welcome than when Dr. Philander Ratliff introduced himself on the fb. While I was ensconced on a feed from the fb, I received the fol- lowing song: https://www.reverbnation.com/philandervanratliffI knew next to nothing about who was being this music, but I loved what I was hearing, everything about it. I have always been a fan of popular rhythm and blues and soul and this cut was deeply rooted in all of that. It was only later that I learned that one of the people behind the cut also had a career as a nurse and, finally, a doctor. 

Dr. Ratliff has deep roots in the music scene of Chicago. Indeed the choir director of the church he had grown up in was no less than Ramsey Lewis' father. All artistic creation is rooted in various traditions and styles, these can come from literally anywhere and Chicago , of course has always been at the forefront of such contribution. I found my conversation with Dr. Ratliff nothing short of a de- light. As in all of my episodes I learn so much from the guest. In this case I learned that, much like Joey Romer or Kerry Lil- ly, Dr. Ratliff has seemed to have lived more than one lifetime with a single life; I was always learning of many accomplish- ments. Someday, when we turn a corner in this moment we all find ourselves in, I look forward to meeting with him in person, hopefully with a piano alongside us. I hope you enjoy this one as much as we did recording it.” This clip of a news story about Dr. Ratliff’s work, says it all: https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-proud-philan- der-ratliff-guitar-impact-family-center/2111120/ 

Phil’s Bio Dr. Philander Van Ratliff FB: Philander Van Ratliff Tatemusicgroup.- com Philander Van Ratliff/Reverb na- tion Amazon.com, I tunes, Spotify, SoundCloud Dr. Philander Van Ratliff Professional Guitarist/Singer/Writer/RN/Medical School Graduate 2018 from IUHS School of Medicine Raised in Chicago ,Il Projects in The 1960's-1970 Graduated from Proviso East High School, May- wood, Il. 1979. Studied Classical Music at Triton College, River Grove ,Il. Graduated From Triton College in 1990 ADN Nursing (RN) Became a Trauma/ER Nurse at Cook County Hospital in 1992-2017 Sworn State Certified Part-time Police Officer -Bellwood ,Il 2001-2016( Retired) Guitar Instructor/ THE IMPACT FAMILY CENTER ,CHICAGO, IL. -Founder Marsha Eaglan Appearances on Chan- nel 5, 7, Telemundo television on Teen De- pression and Suicide Prevention. Discussed Violence in the Com- munity at large and po- tential solutions with teens and their peers. “Well I was raised in the City of Chicago. In 1972 we moved from the projects to Maywood , Il . I was an avid member of Friendship Baptist Church, on Chicago's Westside. There I sang Soprano in The Angelic Choir! In 1973 I had Cancer, Ewing's Sarcoma! The Docs didn't expect me to live ; but God made the final de- cision. Forty eight years later I'm still here!! I always had my Guitar with me for comfort through my De- pression during Chemotherapy/Radiation and My Celebration of Survival! I've always been a positive individual and reflect that in my Music. It's Amazing to watch those children learn music and poetry at THE IMPACT FAMILY CENTER of Chicago. At THE IM- PACT CENTER of Chicago the Children were able to Dis- miss the Violence in the Streets and relax and focus on Poetry, music, computers and most of all, be- ing them- selves! Lastly, when my Residency in Psychia-try complete, I will Center my focus on PTSD in Children and Violence Prevention in the Community!! I love to save lives and My Heart is in My Music"! Additional links and an expanded view of Dr. Philander Ratliff’s beautiful life, legacy and work can be found on our show Facebook Page here: https://www.facebook.com/journeyofanaesthetepodcast

"Theo Horesh is one of the guests on my show I have known personally, from the all too brief (in my opinion) time he happened to have been living in the Boston area. 

I would run into him at a coffee shop in Cambridge and we would discuss many matters of note. He was very well read, could and would talk about practically anything and everything in a fearless manner, and I don't need to tell you that these are not traits to be found on every corner. He usually stands out in any room because of his tall height, his rock star hair, and bodybuilder physique.

But you would never necessarily want to bring any of this up to him because Theo is one of those old souls who truly wants to change the world for the better, and that is pretty much his raison d'être. 

What I didn't know at that time when we were just being casual interlocutors was how deeply he has been a political activist for practically his entire adult life, and in many respects a successful one.

Interestingly for somebody as young as him he is, (he is an Xer and not a Boomer), he is like the archetypal 1960s activist who never compromised or gave up. I certainly can't see him burning out! 

A great part of this could be his work not only in massage therapy for many years but also his serious devotion to spirituality, meditation practice in particular. 

His goal is nothing short of the fullest development and improvement of the world over time, and he has a skill in working with others that is exceedingly strong. 

While he has enormous integrity and ethical conscientiousness, he also understands how to work with the widest variety of other people, knowing what will bring the most possible outcome and he is certainly more good natured than a lot of politicos. 

What I didn't know at that time was how deeply he has been a political activist, for practically his entire life. Since this would have been 2010 or '11 this was the time in my life when i had started my abandonment of most of politics and political life, (my only concession is that I do continue to vote, and when I say vote I mean viable candidates who are front runners) but all of this is a topic for another day) a project upon which I embarked around the Y2K. (Remember the Y2K?) But before then I had been an activist for who seemed to me the longest time, in the 80s and 90s. (It felt to me like fifty years which is one indication it was time to change course). I realized that art was much more important to me that politics and I had to make certain choices. 

All of our journeys are very different which I believe our guest Theo would be the first to note.

Theo is also an author, and a prolific one who is on mission to write highly readable and accessible political prose on things that matter to everyday people. 

His latest book, a combination of polemic and sober analysis called The Fascism This Time And The Global Future Of Democracy is to my mind a must read. Theo and I have disagreed sharply over the years, a fact which makes this episode sure to not be a boring one but on the main issue at hand he and I are decidedly united. 

I decided to call this The Politics Show, ever mindful that there is an art to politics too, though whether the art is good or bad might be more important than is usual."

For am extended look at Theo's bio and works, list our show Facebook Page, here: https://www.facebook.com/journeyofanaesthetepodcast

“Back in the day, in an era that now seems ever more remote, the early 00s, there was this phrase in popular culture that got started about the virtues of being the kind of guy (I think it was the gender specific "guy", but maybe not, let's say person in the current interests of 2021) that you "could have a beer with."

It was never really specified what this meant, yet everyone just seemed to know what this was and that it was a good thing, indeed the very best thing.

It usually applied to people that had some kind of flaw in their job performance, especially politicians, (I think a certain U.S president then, but don't quote me) but were just so damned likable that it made whatever flaw the person had sort of evaporate under the power of likability.

Perhaps "someone you wanna have a beer with" meant someone relatable; perhaps, even more intensely, somebody who "had your back."

In popular cinema Tom Hanks is a figure like this, as was Jimmy Stewart in a much earlier era.

On the surface, Joey Romer and I have little in common in terms of life experience, but that, in essence, is what our podcast is all about.

I want people on my show who have different skills than mine and have seen different things.

I have never been surfing, have never had anything to with law enforcement - on either side of the law - and am not a dog owner. I am also, as far as I can guess, not anybody who would be mistaken for a humanitarian.

Yet Joey is all of these things, and possibly a whole lot more, surely more than can be contained within thirty minutes.

Romer's people skills are genius level in terms of intelligence and that made this half hour among the best I have had the privilege to have on this podcast.

Every guest on my show has something that is totally unique that I love, and these are quite different from guest to guest.

With Romer it is his spirit, his enthusiasm, and, well, his character, not to be too pretentious about it.

He has also seen Point Break twice which tells you a lot already.

I hope this podcast episode is as enjoyable to listen to as it was to create.”

Joey’s Bio

Joey is a retired Saint Johns County Sheriff’s Deputy.

He started training dogs at age 11.

He has trained with the Renowned German Police K9 Dog Trainer, Sascha Bartz, in Germany. He has over 40 years of training experience.

He specializes in behavioral issues, obedience, protection, tracking, odor detection and also an evaluator for Canine Good Citizen with the AKC.

Joey was a member of the K9 unit of the St. Johns County Sheriffs Office for 18 years and served as a K9 Sergeant.

Prior to his retirement, he was the head of training for the department’s K9 unit.

These K9s were trained for bomb, weapon or drug detection, human tracking, search and rescue, criminal apprehension, handler protection or a mixture of any of the above.

Joey has trained and certified Police K9 units with both American K9 Detection Services LLC and Southern Coast K9.

He as worked with K9’s in multiple countries such as Germany, Panama, and Indonesia.

As a certified AKC trainer, he will assist you with all training needs.

Links to Joey’s beautiful work and organizations dear to him:

https://www.smartpaws.us

https://www.facebook.com/smartpawsk9/

https://www.sjso.org

"One of the earliest film critics I ever read was Pauline Kael , who was an enormous influence on so many of us in the 70s. I would literally read all of her reviews for films as I watched them in theaters, comparing notes. I Lost It At The Movies was a late 70s favorite and I could recite whole passages of her prose from memory at that time.  Yet this was only a prelude to further developments, even changes of heart. In the beginning of the early 80s I had not yet discovered the great Manny Farber, nor our guest Jonathan Rosenbaum . 

I think my first encounter with Rosenbaum was through a now classic book on Jacques Rivette from the 1970s but that I was to read only later, in the 1980s. (I was not that precocious as child - Kael was about my limit.) I was so hungry to read anything about Rivette that it was inevitable I would discover Rivette: Texts and Interviews (BFI, 1977). This in turn led me to realize what an unusually diverse thinker Rosenbaum truly was.   Like Farber, Rosenbaum is adamant that criticism is an art form and he treats it as such, in attitude as well as in the prose style that is reflective of his whole attitude. In this sense he also follows Henry James. One of the hallmarks of a great critic, and not merely a good or competent one is if you can tolerate reading them when their opinions or verdicts are contrary to your own. For example, I certainly don't agree with Rosenbaum about Tarantino just as I strongly disagreed with Kael about Tarkovsky and Cassavetes. I think there is room, and room should be made, for both Quentin Tarantino and Kelly Reichardt.  I might be unusual in this sense.  I told Rosenbaum at the outset of this episode that "he really gets inside of the movie".   If any of us "gets inside" of an artwork, really inside of it, we will grow and expand as people. One of the blocks to doing this is too much extraneous stuff that gets in the way. I appreciate that Rosenbaum can talk as freely and knowledgeable about McCoy Tyner and Billie Holiday as much as Jerry Lewis, Pedro Costa, or Anna Biller and Guy Maddin. He is good friends with filmmaker Mark Rappaport who was also friends of my late father, Rosenbaum has always championed the underrated or unknown, like our very first guest on this podcast, Jon Jost .  Sometimes the personal and artistic commingle and this is where a culture can really develop. It was heartening to hear him say cinephilia is living and living well. As he continues to teach into the future I hope others, too, become cinephiles.” 

Jonathan’s Bio: Jonathan Rosenbaum was film critic for the Chicago Reader from 1987 to 2008. His books include CINEMATIC ENCOUNTERS 2 (2019), CINEMATIC ENCOUNTERS (2018), GOODBYE CINEMA, HELLO CINEPHILIA (2010), THE UNQUIET AMERICAN (2009), DISCOVERING ORSON WELLES (2007), ESSENTIAL CINEMA (2004), MOVIE MUTATIONS (coedited with Adrian Martin, 2003), ABBAS KIAROSTAMI (with Mehrnaz Saeed-Vafa, 2003, 2018), MOVIE WARS (2000), DEAD MAN (2000), MOVIES AS POLITICS (1997), PLACING MOVIES (1995), THIS IS ORSON WELLES by Orson Welles and Peter Bogdanovich (edited, 1992), GREED (1991), MIDNIGHT MOVIES (with J. Hoberman, 1983), and MOVING PLACES (1980). He has taught at State University of New York at Stony Brook, New York University, the School of Visual Arts (in New York), the University of California branches at Berkeley, San Diego, and Santa Barbara, the University of Chicago, the University of St. Andrews (in Scotland), the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, KinoKlub Split (in Croatia), and FilmFactory (in Sarajevo). He maintains a web site archiving most of his work at jonathanrosenbaum.net . Visit our show Facebook page for more extensive links to Jonathan’s beautiful work.

“I often have the reconfirmation of the dictum that each individual life is so vast, mysterious and, in part, a process rather than any final thing, that we would all do better to take a step back and be more cautious in what we are prone to say about others, and this quite apart from whether the assertion is positive or negative. Robert Riskin , the socialist screenwriter of It's A Wonderful Life, 1946) has his angel Clarence say that "each mans life touches so many others' lives. When he isn't around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?" 

One of the things our podcast is about is preventing any additional holes, mainly though what goes by the term connection. Among all the guests on my show, Stephanie occupies a piston in between those I know quite well and those whom I have never even met. 

Talking with, for the first time after close to a decade brought back memories of my life in Boston, especially the world of vintage clothing and fashion more generally (and come to think of it all thrift stores!) 

Thus in a way this episode links in my mind two periods of time that appear to at once be most far and most near and connect to our episode with Amanda Maciel Antunes. I really discovered a whole different part of our guest through her facebook page, neurospace, which is a sort of community for people, like, your podcast host, identify as neurodivergent in one way or another. Stephanie is most gifted visually, as well as many other endeavors (like so many of our guests), and as is clear from this episode, her artistic output dates back to her youngest years. I really loved speaking with her for many reasons; of course I enjoyed hearing her story as well as her interpretations of things. 

Of course none of us ever knows the connections between individual people. Back in 2008 I knew her as an expert on clothing, and would see her dating pieces with great accuracy and conscientiousness. I could never have known we would be speaking again, and about autism no less, during a pandemic, with me in little town in North Carolina, and her in the grand city of Los Angeles. 

Accordingly I do consider the technology that enabled us to speak across such great geographical distance nothing short t of a miracle. If I am often the severest critic of the internet, age, and I will continue to be so long as I am alive and we are still in such an age, I am also aware of the many pluses alongside the minuses. Looked at in this way you can consider this episode one of our most important as well as a symbol or emblem of our podcast. I have managed to overcome some of my (originally, considerable) trepidation at every discussing what I would call my private life. 

Thus, this episode marks a continuation of that decision as well. 

Near the end of our episode I express a wish that she come back and we continue our discussion: the passage of time these days reveals that many more changes are bound to occur in any interim, however small, or so it appears. My hope is that our listeners enjoyed this episode as much as did we and are not averse to a return engagement. The journey of our podcast continues. 

Stephanie’s Bio : Stephanie Persephone is an autistic poly- synesthete who has been creating art since they were able to use a crayon, without any formal training or education. Their current works are inspired by the seen and unseen elements of nature and reality. They are a multimedia artist exploring the multidimensional universe in Los Angeles, where they currently reside.

Links to Stephanie’s Beautiful Work: Website: https://stephaniepersephone.com Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/ stephaniepersephone / Twitter:https://twitter.com/polysynesthete RedBubble: https://www.redbubble.com/people/ persephone777/shop? artistUserName=persephone777&asc=u