The Almost Perfect Podcast

Sam Turpin is a musician who mostly makes hip-hop music, but not the hip-hop music you’re used to. Sam makes music out of left field that’s inspired by the greats but doesn’t copy them. In this episode, we get into what it's like growing up in a creative household and how Sam found his purpose in music after the loss of his mom. Sam is a deep cat so the conversation gets pretty real at times. We also get into the importance of broadening your skillset to make your art the best it can be and how not blowing up too soon can be a good thing.

Listen to Sam on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2MtG854GUzPy5GtJoXkzB3

Follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamsamturpin/

Support the cast on Patreon: www.patreon.com/almostperfect

Social Media:

Facebook: web.facebook.com/almostperfectpod/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/almostperfectbob/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/almost_podcast

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Jarcque Henning is the owner of a gaming store in Pretoria called HQ Gaming that specialises in Magic: The Gathering. Regular listeners of the podcast will know that I love playing MTG, and HQ Gaming is one of my favourite stores to play at in SA. Jarcque quit his job in IT to pursue his passion for selling pieces of pretty cardboard to nerds like myself. It's a bold move but it's one that seems to be paying off as Jarcque has attracted a regular customer base through competitive pricing and offering players generous incentives.

We get into the difficulties of selling a relatively obscure luxury product in the current South African economy and we also hear tales of Jarcque's international competitive experiences. Jarcque is one of the few store owners who is also a competitive player which gives him a unique perspective on the wants and needs of his player base. We also get into the future of South African MTG and Jarcque's role in it. HQ Gaming along with Easy Gaming Group will be hosting the first-ever Africa MTG Open Series at Comic-Con Africa with a first-place cash prize of R3000 for each day, so I expect to see the best in the country duking it out to secure the loot. 

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-42-jarcque-henning/

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It's another solo episode. This time I go over the Heat City Comedy Festival and my one-man show The End of the World. Putting both together at the same time was rather challenging and brought with it many lessons. So, this podcast is a look back at those lessons, both for myself and for anyone who is interested in learning from my experiences. It's kinda the whole shtick of this podcast.

Join me as we delve into the highs and lows of putting together a comedy festival in Durban on a tight budget, whilst writing and performing a one-man show for that festival at the same time. 

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-41-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it/

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Sanele Cele is a fashion designer and entrepreneur who has always gone against the grain. His unique hustle has lead to him building a unique career where, along with creating his own highly sought-after label that all your favourite musicians wear, Tepracha, Sanele has worked with brands like New Balance & Markham, and exhibited at SA Fashion Week as well as countless other fashion events. Not bad for a creative kid from Umlazi who was told he'd never make it in fashion by members of his own family. 

I met Sanele in 2011 where we teamed up for a blogging competition of all things. It was for a street culture event in Jozi called STR.CRD where everyone had shoes that cost more than our phones. It was a surreal experience for us but one that laid the seeds for our friendship and also our careers. As you'll hear on the podcast, Sanele found ways to leverage the experience and has continued to build on every opportunity he gets. We reminisce over the early days of our careers and talk through some of the lessons we've learned since. We get into the importance of talking about money as creatives. We also look at some of the weaknesses of the fashion industry in Durban and what changes can be made to improve them. Enjoy.

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-40-sanele-cele/

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Camilla Pontiggia is a multi-media artist who mostly wears the hat of filmmaker these days. Camilla recently took the plunge from the safety of gainful employment to the unbuckled roller coaster that is freelance life. This lead to her attending the Durban Film Mart at this year's Durban International Film Festival where we met at a round table discussion about documentary film making that I was facilitating. I was intrigued by the questions she asked about experimenting with the form of documentaries so I picked her brain a bit after the discussion and quickly realised she'd be a perfect guest for the podcast. 

Camilla has always known her purpose was to create art that has a positive impact on the world, but the who, what, when, where, and how haven't always been as clear. Her artistic journey has been one of insecurity and uncertainty, something many of us can relate to, but with introspection and experience, Camilla is finding her voice and what she wants to say more and more. We get into the intricacies of the spaces between identities, and what people with dual identities have to offer the world. We also get into what Camilla learned at the DFM (and art school), the power of mockumentaries, and what makes The Mighty Boosh and Parks & Rec so great.

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-39-camilla-pontiggia/

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Charl Blignaut is one of the most important people in South African arts and culture but he'll tell you he's just doing his job. Charl is a prolific writer, producer, critic, teacher, mentor, and all-around contributor to making art in South Africa, and someone who engages deeply with that art. Charl has written and produced countless important South African stories and feels it's his duty to pass on the skills he's learned to promising young writers from all backgrounds, with a focus on queer and black writers. 

Charl shares stories of growing up queer in Apartheid South Africa and how it instilled in him his spirit of rebellion that's guided him throughout his life. We venture into deep and dark topics, but I left with a renewed sense of duty and critical curiosity, and a reminder of how young I still am and how little I still know. This one is not for the faint of heart and will have you reconsidering your privileges and role to play in this world. 

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-38-charl-blignaut/

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You've probably been wondering what's happening with the podcast. Don't worry, there are still plenty of cool interviews lined up for you but for now I'm focusing on organising the Heat City Comedy Festival and finishing writing my second one-man show "The End of the World". That means I haven't had the time need to prep up and interview someone else, but that doesn't mean I can't interview myself with questions submitted by you, the listener. 

Thanks so much to everyone who submitted questions, this was a lot of fun to answer if rather personal. I guess that's the point though. I hope you enjoy getting to know me a bit better and this tides you over until the next proper episode of the podcast. Like I said, I have some really interesting guests lined up in the very near future so you won't have to wait too long for some new stories to learn from. 

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-37-qa/

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Ross Charles is a musician who recently made the top 16 of The Voice SA. Ross definitely deserves it as he has a phenomenal voice and has been putting in the grind as a regular feature on the Durban gigging circuit for a few years now with Stone Palace and as a solo act. I still remember the first time I heard him sing and that's probably the highest praise I could give a vocalist. 

This one was actually recorded about 2 months ago when Ross first made it through the audition stages of the competition but we couldn't post it because of contractual obligations. Since Ross has gracefully bowed out of the competition (and I've been hella sick), it seems like a good time to take a look back at Ross looking forward to the competition. We get into what the competition means to him and why he entered, and we also get into his approach to the competition. We learn about the years of work and dedication it's taken to get to this point and we dive deep on the frustrations of trying to make a living as a musician in Durban. Hopefully, it'll be less of a struggle now that more people know Ross's name, but he knows that he has to make the most of the opportunities it's opened up for him. 

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-36-ross-charles/

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Mx Blouse is a musician who took the long road to get there. They started out as a political journalist and then got into fashion journalism, before immersing themselves in the Cape Town music scene and coming out of it as someone who no longer just contributes to the pages of magazines but instead now graces the covers. Mx Blouse is gender non-binary and we get into the positives and negatives of being a non-binary creative in 2019. It's wonderful that there's more and more representation, but there are still many closed doors for queer artists so Mx Blouse has learned to get around the more traditional ways of "making it".

We hear what it's like to go from interviewing artists to creating music with them, and how conversations on nights out can lead to a change in careers. We also hear a funny story about Gwede Mantashe and we get into the early days of blogging and influencer culture. Enjoy.

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-35-mx-blouse/

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Keenan Cerff is a comedian who is on the pursuit of happiness, whether it's providing it for others or just doing the one thing that makes him happy- stand up comedy. That pursuit seems to be working out well for Keenan as he's now travelling the country doing comedy, although he really wants to share his jokes with the world. He's opened for some of the biggest names in the game and even cracked the nod as one of the talented acts selected for Trevor Noah's second Nationwild show. 

Keenan is a sensitive and thoughtful cat. We get an honest perspective on life in Lavender Hill, hating your job,  and pursuing your dreams at all costs. We also get into the importance of making the most out of opportunities and continuing to build momentum. If you're stuck in an office job that you hate, this might just inspire you to quit. Or it'll just help you get through the next hour of your life. Enjoy. 

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-34-keenan-cerff/

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