Six Questions With Matty C

This week, I welcome Seth Werkheiser into the Sheddio for a half dozen musical queries. Seth is a sort of cultural ninja, who first appeared on the What Am I Making podcast back in March of 2025. With vast experience in the music industry, the blogosphere, and the early days of Twitter, Werkheiser is a guy who has seen the ups and downs of cultural shifts and passing technological fads. In recent years, Seth has used his extensive experience and unique perspective to helm Social Media Escape Club, a site where independent creatives can learn how to focus on their work and not on chasing the next social media trend.

Diving into the questions, Seth starts things off with an urgent 60s jangle pop hit that he first heard while sitting and listening intently in the family’s music room. We then head out to the west coast to explore the early years of an act led by a bass playing wizard who was so self-effacing that his band became known jokingly for how much they sucked.

Seth shares his love for an often maligned metal album that awakened his ideas about racism, ignorance, and the importance of politics in art and music. There is talk of a brilliant, but underappreciated bass player and the New York metal act that should have been much more widely known.

We climb through a fire escape to a Brooklyn apartment for one of the wildest and most unsafe house concerts staged in the history of the five boroughs. And, we travel back in time to the 1990’s for a trio of beastly alternative albums that would be the last records Seth would willingly give up from his record collection.

Here now are me and Seth Werkhesier with Six Questions. Let’s get into it.

Cheers,

Matty C

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End Credits

Thank you so much to Seth for joining me. You can find out all about his work at https://socialmediaescapeclub.substack.com/

Six Questions With Matty C is a production of What Am I Making. The show is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C. 

Our theme music was written by the great Pete Coe.

You can subscribe to all of our work today at whatamimaking.substack.com. 

Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com. 

You can email the show us at [email protected]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking

This week, Patrick Foster, the the host of the terrific rock and roll podcast, Rockin The Suburbs stops by the Sheddio for a half dozen cinematic queries

Patrick starts things off with a coming of age film that hits him right in the heart. We talk about the impermanence of life and even take a look at what it must be like feeling stuck in the past.

Next, we explore the dirty underbelly of America with one of America’s most notorious directors, as we explore a cinematic classic that opened up the mind and the imagination of a young Patrick Foster.

Hopping to overseas locales, we dive into a trio of films that evoke the power and beauty of a love that endures. So many of our “romantic” pictures are of whirlwind affairs filled with brief periods of infatuation, and kinetic sexual energy. This choice focuses on the unseen emotional connections between people, and how those feelings can blossom into a lifelong love.

Patrick dusts off an underground 80’s film made by a renowned French photographer and artist. The result is part road movie, part existential quest, and part rock and roll tone poem. It is, at least in Patrick’s eyes, an underseen gem of a lost era.

As Patrick looks to find a cinematic doppelganger, we enter the restaurant world of the 1950s to take a look at a pair of brothers with competing motivations and desires.

For our last pick, Patrick takes his kids into the city for a very special day at the movies. There will be lunch, snacks, a cinematic classic, and some quality time with Dad. The perfect sort of day.

Cheers,

Matty C

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End Credits

Thank you so much to Patrick for joining me. You can get the Rockin' The Suburbs podcast wherever you get your pods or by visiting https://www.suburbspod.com

Six Questions With Matty C is a production of What Am I Making. The show is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C. 

Our theme music was written by the great Pete Coe.

You can subscribe to all of our work today at whatamimaking.substack.com. 

Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com. 

You can email the show us at [email protected]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking

This week, I welcome Maura Quint into the Sheddio for a half dozen musical conundrums.

Maura kicks things off with tales of singing along to Top 40 Radio in the car with her family. Road trips were filled with singing, as was Sunday morning breakfast when Maura’s dad would serenade the family with his twangy, pitchy voice.

Despite her Dad’s love for country, Maura was slow to love the twangier side of the dial. But, as she matured, Maura began to realize the weight and power of those seemingly simple country classics.

We nerd out on a band famous for its geeky approach to indie rock as Maura shares the act that shaped her political outlook. As Maura fell in love with this outfit in Middle School, she was immersed in songs brimming with ideas about income inequality, racism, immigration, and more.

Maura also shines a light on a relatively unknown Aussie band and shares her experiences in and around the Australian music scene. In addition to heading Down Under, Maura and I also take a visit to one of the world’s most famed amphitheaters to relive a magical, musical evening under the stars.

In our final query, Maura waxes poetically about a long beloved record that she just scored on vinyl over the holidays. We also touch on a great Detroit band that now serves as an ersatz alarm clock for Maura’s two sons.

Come join me and the thoughtful and hilarious Maura Quint for six musical questions.

Cheers,Matty C

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Thank you so much to Maura for joining me. You can read some of her hilarious work at McSweeney’s.

Six Questions With Matty C is a production of What Am I Making. The show is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C. 

Our theme music was written by the great Pete Coe.

You can subscribe to all of our work today at whatamimaking.substack.com. 

Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com. 

You can email the show us at [email protected]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking

This week, I welcome Scott Vieth into the Sheddio for a half dozen musical conundrums. Scott was a recent guest on the WAIM podcast where we chatted at length about the great house concert venue he has created in his own Baltimore home. In a given year, Scott and his wife, Jean are likely to host 18 or 20 shows a year, featuring some of the most admired names in indie rock circles.

During our Six Questions chat, Scott and I cover the seminal band that awakened his political viewpoint. That same band also came to play at Carnegie Mellon University, in part due to Scott’s participation in the organization that booked the band.

That night, and the experience of meeting heroes in the flesh for the first time was a seminal moment in the life of a man who has gone on to create a litany of musical close encounters within the confines of his own living room.

We cover a Texas band with a vast, but woefully underappreciated catalog that has long pulled at Scott’s heartstrings for decades. In recent years, he has even had the chance to befriend the band after hosting them at Club 603. Despite that personal connection, the band’s records have remained a key component of Scott’s listening.

Scott pines to go back in time to catch one of the most ferocious acts in rock history live with their original lineup, knowing that the version of the band he would see years later with a revised list of players would never live up to the power of the original lineup.

Bubble gum pop takes center stage in one of Scott’s answers as we plumb the depths of AM gold and some of the sugary sweet hit records of the sixties. There is also some discussion of whether or not stage banter is a requirement for a show to be great.

So, come join me and Scott Vieth for six musical questions.

Cheers,Matty C

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Thank you so much to Scott for joining me. Be sure to check out all of the great work he is doing at https://www.club603.com/

Six Questions With Matty C is a production of What Am I Making. The show is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C. 

Our theme music was written by the great Pete Coe.

You can subscribe to all of our work today at whatamimaking.substack.com. 

Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com. 

You can email the show us at [email protected]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking

This week, I welcome Larry Crane into the Sheddio for a half dozen musical conundrums. We explore the folk records of his youth and even learn the parts of the orchestra from a host of woodland creatures.

Our second question finds Larry jetting us off to England to see a pair of trailblazing acts in their most inventive moments. Although the two bands we discuss are just ten years apart from one another, they seem to be from very different worlds, yet they connect together almost perfectly in this instance.

Larry shares his path to political awakening by way of the Falklands War and the overreach of Margaret Thatcher’s administration. There is talk about the lasting effects of World War Two in Britain and we even explore some of the parallels happening today in America.

With thirty years of recording underground and indie bands under his belt, it’s almost unfair to ask Larry to share his favorite unknown act, but he handles the query with aplomb. He shares the story of a singer/songwriter/bandleader that has made a series of tremendous, but woefully underheard albums.

One of the most amazing nights of live music Larry ever witnessed happened when a now famous band opened up for his band at the time by simply showing up and asking for a slot. The young band had just released their first single, and they proceeded to tear up the stage. Not long after, they would become a household name.

Larry also shares his love for an artist who has not only created a catalog of very impressive recorded work, but someone that has also profoundly shaped the way we think about music and art.

So, come join me and the legendary Larry Crane for six questions.

Cheers,

Matty C

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Thank you so much to Larry Crane for joining me. You can read his work at Tape Op Magazine at https://tapeop.com.

Six Questions With Matty C is a production of What Am I Making. The show is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C. 

Our theme music was written by the great Pete Coe.

You can subscribe to all of our work today at whatamimaking.substack.com. 

Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com. 

You can email the show us at [email protected]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking

Howdy friends. This week’s guest is comedian, Substacker, and cultural commentator, Christian Finnegan.

Before we get to the actual questions in our episode, Christian and I spend some time catching up, covering everything from the recent Riyadh Comedy Festival held by the Saudi Government to Christian’s unhealthy obsession with the New York Knicks that culminated in a rather wild gift.

As always, Christian is hilarious, self-effacing and astute as we tackle the whitewashing of tyranny and the surprising appeal of body pillows.

Once the questions begin, Christian theorizes that animated characters are perhaps better able to tell us deeper and more difficult truths than human actors can. We talk about the myriad representations of mental health in what is often seen as “children’s entertainment”. Whether we are plumbing the depths of depression with Eeyore and Charlie Brown or exploring the concepts of grief in a film like Up, animated works can often distill tougher themes down to digestible elements.

As we move our discussion on to the film that most informed his world view, Christian looks intently at the class hierarchy within the neighborhood of one film that changed his outlook on the idea of monolithic communities. As a high schooler, he was enlightened by the nuance and diversity of this seemingly connected neighborhood.

Christian and I explore the differences of love and infatuation, allowing Christian to describe love as a daily or devotional act, as opposed to a mere feeling. We talk about the openness and willingness to be truly hurt that love requires. And Christian breaks down the misogynist myth of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl.

We learn about a fairly recent cinematic treasure that Christian feels is underseen. There is also a look at the similarities between a famous failed artist and the way that Christian and I often see ourselves in that sad, frustrated character. Christian shares the story of seeing a movie that he was sure would be terrible, and we happen upon a film that I deeply dislike, but may have misjudged.

Come get all of that and more with me and Christian Finnegan. This one runs a bit longer than a normal Six Questions installment, but I am pretty sure you’ll enjoy that extra time just as much as Christian and I did.

Let’s get into it.

Cheers,

Matty C

Show Notes

Thank you so much to Christian for joining me. Be sure to subscribe to his Substack, New Music For Olds, you’ll find a link in the show notes. 

Six Questions With Matty C is a production of What Am I Making. The show is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C. 

Our theme music was written by the great Pete Coe.

You can subscribe to all of our work today at whatamimaking.substack.com. 

Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com. 

You can email the show us at [email protected]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking

Hey kids. Let’s see how this thing feels on a weekday. We’re bringing Six Questions with Matty C for a Friday test run. Please let us know what you think of the new scheduling?

Hey friends. This week’s guest is music journalist, author, and Substacker, Chris Dalla Riva. Chris gets things rolling with faded memories of the songs that he first heard growing up, assuming that his mother was crafting those tunes as she was singing to him as a child. Little did he know that they were world famous songs.

We take a ride in the Six Questions Time Machine and travel back to a spot on the east coast in the late 1970s to witness Chris’s favorite artist of all time at the height of his powers.

There is talk of an amazing album from an underground band from Charleston, SC that Chris learned about from his college roommate. It is another story of a brilliant record that only a few people heard at the moment it was made, but it changed the lives of those that found it.

We talk about the amazing show opportunitites that Chris had access to as a member of the staff at the Boston College radio station. On one magical night, Chris witnessed a powerhouse soul act that changed the way he viewed the power of live music.

We’ve got nods to the Fab Four, the most integrated band in rock history, a discussion about the ways in which we have shared music going back millennia, and loads more.

Come join me and Chris Dalla Riva for six musical questions.

Cheers,Matty C

Thank you so much to Chris for joining me. Be sure to subscribe to his Substack, Can’t Get Much Higher, you’ll find a link in the show notes. Also be sure to pre-order a copy of Chris’ brand new book, Uncharted Territory, that link is also in the show notes.

Howdy friends. This week’s guest is music journalist and Substack author, Steve Bradley.

Steve and I got talking so quickly that I didn’t even get a chance to hit the record button until we had already galloped ahead with our chat. The conversation begins in mid-stream with talk of San Francisco and Chicago, and the view of America through the lens of a Brit.

As we jump into our half dozen musical questions, Steve shares the story of his study towards the priesthood, and we delve into the massive cultural influence of the hit British TV show Top Of The Pops.

We wax poetic about what is probably the greatest rhythm section in the history of rock and roll, and Steve talks about the profound impact of a legendary protest song that helped shape his outlook on life.

Steve also shares his deep love for an English act that he believes should have had much larger success, and the magical bill that featured three of his five favorite bands of all time.

There is a pile of adoration for a lost songwriting giant who never got his due, and a look at the wildly theatrical nature of our earliest musical loves.

Come join me and Steve Bradley for six musical questions.

Cheers,

Matty C

Howdy friends. This week’s guest is author and film producer, Matt Berenson.

On this installment of Six Questions, we kick things off with the debut single from a band that would go on to be one of the biggest acts in rock and roll history.

From there, Matt hops into the Six Questions Time Machine™ to travel back to witness a legendary show at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go in Los Angeles in 1966. That show featured a trailblazing headliner that would sadly go under-appreciated in their own time, while also featuring the coming out moment from one of LA’s most famous musical exports.

We talk about the rambunctious band and punk poet that first motivated the political mind of a young Matt Berenson, and how the messages of that band are still so vital to our struggles today.

In the second half of our discussion, Matt centers his love on a little band from Dayton, Ohio for more than one answer. We talk intensely about the genius of the Bobs; both Dylan and Pollard. There is talk of sublime vocal melodies, motorcycle accidents, and 100 song setlists.

Matt also shares the story of his very first concert; an intimidating experience that features a legendary west coast punk outfit, an iconic LA venue, and Matt’s hair catching on fire.

Come join me and Matt Berenson for six musical questions. Here we go.

Cheers,Matty C

Welcome back to Six Questions With Matty C. It’s a simple short-form interview show from the fine folks at What Am I Making. 

In each episode I’ll use the same half dozen questions about film or music, each with a five minute discussion limit to learn more from each guest about how the culture we consume shapes the people that we turn into. 

This week’s guest is Hannah Carlson, my youngest daughter and podcast partner over at Go See Yerself A Star War.

In this installment of the Six Questions series, Hannah and I jump into the war film that makes her cry at a surprising moment on multiple occasions. She also shares an emotional moment about the transition from childhood to the adult world, a theme that comes up more than once during our chat. 

We cover the myriad lessons Hannah learned from one of the greatest adaptations in cinema history,many of which helped to shape her progressivism and tolerance. Hannah selects a film about a failed marriage to tell the story of how real love might actually work, and she regales us with a quartet of under-seen gems.

Hannah talks about the late 90s film that helped her to better understand her own struggles with mental illness. There is a discussion of going to the movies alone, and a longing for the lost art of waiting in line for a midnight premier. 

You’ll even find a bit of bonus action as Hannah shares her Letterboxd Top 4, and we close with a bit of discussion centered on a made for Netflix gem that Hannah and I discovered together.

Come join me and Hannah Carlsonl for six cinematic questions.

Cheers,

Matty C