The Almost Perfect Podcast

Mitch Harper is straight-up one of the most interesting people I know. He’s a multifaceted dude who has had a big impact behind the scenes in Durban. You might know him as the vocalist for hardcore band Life Below, or you might have known him when he was a journalist for IOL, but the work that Mitch made the most impact with was helping put together the Durban International Film Festival, Poetry Africa, Jomba and Time of the Writer with the Center for Creative Arts. He’s currently freelancing and has found himself working on film festivals around the country, which gives him a unique perspective on the South African film scene. Few people have spent as much time behind the scenes of SA film festivals as Mitch has over the last few years. 

That being said, we spent most of this podcast talking about punching Nazis, the early days of Durban HxC, and Sunday nights at Joe Kools.

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-13-mitch-harper/

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ByLwansta is straight-up one of my favourite artists in the country. This rapper, producer, designer, video editor, and now promoter is a kindred spirit in DIY and is an example of (relatively) successful self-sufficiency, although it's starting to weigh on him a bit. We get into the struggles of freelancing and being a DIY musician, whilst also looking at the potential value in letting others in on your projects. We also find out how ByLwansta started rapping, and we get the philosophy behind NORMVL- ByLwansta's umbrella brand for all his projects. It's a super honest discussion and I think a lot of artists will relate to the insecurities and struggles shared. 

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-12-bylwansta/

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Jamie de Bruin is a model and sports presenter on DYR 105.1. Ok, that's underselling her by quite a large amount. Jamie is Miss Junior South Africa 2016, Miss Africa South 2017, and Miss Africa Tourism World 2017- and she didn't even want to be a model in the first place. Growing up, Jamie was a tomboy who had a promising sporting career until life threw her a major curveball that changed her trajectory forever. I'll let Jamie tell the story on the cast, but she's had to overcome quite a lot of pain, both physical and mental, to get to where she's at today. And while where she's at today is rather impressive, Jamie has BIG plans for the future, which we get a few exclusives on in this chat. Jamie is only 21 yet she's super motivated and is constantly putting in work to develop herself further. It's pretty inspiring, especially since I was a shiftless layabout who was always caught up in the jol when I was 21. We get into the horrors and joys of being a model and learn about the differences between pageantry and the less competitive forms of modelling. We also discuss what it's like mentally to constantly be judged on your looks and the pressures to conform to the norms of the modelling world. Plus we dig into what it's like being a sports presenter in what's seen as a typically male-dominated industry. It's an enlightening chat. 

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-11-jamie-de-bruine/

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Get to know one of the most exciting musicians to be making music in Durban at the moment in today's podcast. Jaedon Daniel is a phenomenal young musician who literally just released his debut album, Hold The Game. You might know him from his band of prodigies, Blvck Crystals, or you might have seen him sessioning for other dope artists, but now it's time for Jaedon to take everything he's learned over the last few years and use it to elevate his own career to that next level. I have no doubt Jaedon is going to become a prominent name in the SA music scene, but for now, we get the story of a talented, young musician on the come up. It's a story you're going to want to hear. 

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-10-jaedon-daniel/

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You’re getting a 2-for-1 special with today’s episode of The Almost Perfect Podcast. I sat down with comedians Richelieu Beaunoir and Yaaseen Barnes when I was in Cape Town for the first multi-person TAP pod, and it’s as chaotic and hilarious as you’d expect. Richelieu is a Comedy Central Roast Battle Champion and one of the true OGs of the Durban comedy scene, although he mostly applies his trade elsewhere these days. Yaaseen is one of the most popular names of the SA comedy circuit at the moment with a whole host of big gigs and accolades under his belt, as well as a tweet with 26K retweets. This isn’t really an in-depth look into what made them who they are but rather a candid discussion about comedy in South Africa. We get the lowdown on what it takes to win a Roast Battle, we discuss the nuances of language around the country, and we get into all the idiosyncrasies of the SA comedy circuit. 

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-9-richelieu-beaunoir-yaaseen-barnes/

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Today’s episode is with the artist formerly known as Skullboy, Louis de Villiers. Louis is an artist and graphic designer born in Richard’s Bay, bred in Durban, and currently living in New York. Well, he’s currently in Durban for a few days, which is how I got to sit down and speak to him, but you know what I mean. Louis has been back in SA for a few months to exhibit and do a few commissioned pieces around the country after kicking it to New York 3 years ago. Before leaving, Louis was one of the most prominent artists in Durban and was hugely instrumental in making art in Durban cool for a while. We have an open and candid conversation over a few blunts and beers about life since he’s left. It’s an honest look into the struggles of trying to make it in New York and South Africa at the same time, the differences between living and jolling here and there, and the kind of attitude that’s needed to continually take bold leaps. We find out how this delinquent went from tagging bathrooms to being asked to decorate heritage sites, and how he still has a mischievous spirit even if Skullboy has grown into Skullman. This is probably the loosest episode to date and there are some issues with outside noise, but I hope you still enjoy the conversation as I think there’s a lot to learn from Louis de Villiers. 

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-8-louis-de-villiers/

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I'm going to assume you've at least heard of Lindy Johnson if you haven't yet seen her face on a billboard near you. Lindy is a rising comedy star who is currently on your TV screens (if you have Showmax) thanks to Trevor Noah's Nationwild, but she's been rapidly making a name for herself in the 2 years she's been doing comedy. Yes, just 2 years! Lindy is a naturally funny person who takes the time to put thought and effort into her material, and it's paying off for her.  In this episode, we learn about how she got started in comedy and her journey since. It's definitely a unique path that's hard to replicate without a lot of talent and a little bit of luck. We get into her joke writing process and the difference between writing for Twitter and writing for the stage, we talk about sleeping on couches in the city after gigs, and we discuss dying on a stage that most comedians never die on. We also discuss the issues she faces as a coloured woman, some of the issues the coloured community faces in Cape Town, and how her identity has shaped her and provided some of the opportunities she has today.  It's an in-depth and hilarious look into the early years of someone who will no doubt be a household name in a few years. Enjoy.  

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-7-lindy-johnson/

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In today's episode, we learn that it's not what you say but how you say it with Altaaf Sayed. Altaaf is a comedian, strategy consultant, and promoter who is a straight-up addict for stage time. The guy is literally ALWAYS trying to get spots, so much so that he's set up his own rooms and even started busking on the streets of Cape Town. I appreciate his hustle and love of the craft of stand up comedy, which is why we sat down and had a chat at The Lab in Muizenberg during the Muizenberg Festival which we both performed at. We get into the intricacies of the Cape Town comedy scene, the painful process of working out new material on stage, and what it's like living with a rare neurological degenerative disease. 

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-6-altaaf-sayed/

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Thor Rixon is one of South Africa's musical treasures. He's an ever-evolving and truly unique character who creates impressive art that often resonates with me deeply and almost always leaves me moved in some way or another. I've written about him and his music a few times over the years but I'm really stoked we got to have this longer, more in-depth chat than we've had on the record before. I think we managed to cover enough for you to get a decent peek into Thor's brain and what makes him tick, and I think there's a lot of value in learning how he's managed to carve out a rather successful career making music that's adventurous and honest. In this episode, we learn about how instrumental his mom has been in his career, which is why he's named his latest album after her. We also find out all about the embarrassing early days of being in ska bands and being inspired by Jack Johnson, before finding his love of synths and electronic music.

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-5-thor-rixon/

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That's right, today I sit down with the man, the myth, the legend, Fuego Heat. If you're a Durban musician, you no doubt know Fuego Heat aka Ryan van Rooyen aka Right Hand Ryan (for those who have been around for a while). He's either been front row at your show, sold you a record or sold your record for you, or he's put you on stage so you can let your talent shine. He's a man who has been an integral part of the Durban music scene for a while now, but it's the work he's been putting in in the last 2 years or so that's really had a noticeably positive impact on the industry. We go all the way back to his early days of driving down to Durban from Maritzburg for Burn's Punk nights, to taking over a distro, to becoming a wedding DJ, to working at Khaya Records, and now to his latest and most important venture to date- starting an events, artist management, and booking agency with Meshack Newman called Roots Up. There's a lot to take away from this one, enjoy.

https://almostperfect.co.za/ep-4-ryan-van-rooyen/

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