The MC Lars Podcast

This week, I sit down with Zachary DesRocher (Z.) of Hipster, Please!, a man who has been documenting the movement from its inception. We talk about his favorite artists, his time reporting on the genre for Wired, and the evolution of the movement. We also talk about what it's like being a nerd in the American south, and how writing is like playing Dungeons & Dragons. In this dense interview, you will hear about all the main movers and shakers in nerd rap, and a shout out to the "rising stars". An awesome interview with a great dude!

Special Guest: Z..

Luke Ski has been creating parody songs and cartoons for many decades. On this week's episode, we talk about the FuMP (which he helped start), his friendship with Dr. Demento, and his animation work for Cartoon Network. We also talk about "Joker", Luke's life in LA and why comedy is such an important art form to him. An awesome interview! Thanks Luke!

Special Guest: Luke Ski.

I met Erin Tonkon through my wife before learning that Erin was a prolific and talented producer and engineer. Having worked as Tony Visconti's head engineer for many projects, Tonkon was heavily involved in the production and mixing of David Bowie's final album, "Blackstar". On this episode, we talk about how Tonkon has built her business, what it's like being a woman in the music industry, and her future projects. We also talk about how the role of sobriety has helped us both, and we muse on the next steps for her career. Thanks Erin!

http://littleundergroundmanagement.com/erin-tonkon

Special Guest: Erin Tonkon.

I discovered Suzanne McDermott's music when I heard her song "the Roswell Incident" in the 1999 documentary, "Six Days in Roswell", a look at the 50th anniversary of the supposed UFO crash in Roswell. I woudld later cover this song on "Indie Rocket Science", adding a twist to McDermott's version of the events. On this week's episode, McDermott and I talk about her early years playing with punk legends the Fibonaccis in Los Angeles and how her songs found a wide and surprising audience. We also talk about form and inspiration. Thank you Suzanne! A great interview.

http://suzannemcdermott.com/

Special Guest: Suzanne McDermott.

This week on the podcast, I talk to Blake J. Harris, screenwriter, journalist, producer and all around great dude. We talk about his first two books ("the Console Wars" and "the History of the Future"), and how he and Seth Rogan linked to create the upcoming "Console Wars" documentary and TV series. We also talk about why he wears sandals every day, the benefits of being self-employed, and his upcoming projects. Harris is a prolific and inspiring guy, and a really awesome person to have on the podcast. Thanks man!

Special Guest: Blake J. Harris.

I have known Chason Matthams for over twenty years, and on this episode, we talk about some of our favorite teachers form middle and high school, his experience with graduate school, his creative process, the Simpsons and post-internet art. My first painter guest, Chason provides some insight on how he has worked to build his "brand" in the art world (while also putting time and attention into his work and teaching), and how he uses Instagram to help promote his paintings. I apologize for telling on him in middle school for "reinterpreting" a Nine Inch Nails song for a creative writing project, and we talk about conscious and unconscious influences, including his work on Comedy Central's "Jeff and Some Aliens" . A great discussion about the New York art world... thanks again Chason!

Special Guest: Chason Matthams.

Insane Ian bridges the “nerdcore” and “Dementia” artist scenes effortlessly. The Baltimore transplant has found a home in Chicago hosting the annual FuMP Fest (Funny Music Project Festival) and regularly releases hilarious original and parody music as Insane Ian. One of MC Frontalot’s favorite artists of all time, Ian sat down with me to talk about his creative process, his business model, and the differences between the YouTube and old-school nerdcore artists. A great interview with a passionate, talented young man, it was awesome having Ian Bonds on the podcast! Thanks dude!

Special Guest: Insane Ian.

An interview with Brooklyn’s Alec A. Head, frontman of Ghostbound. We talk about how growing up on the central Californian coast inspired him as an artist and how his music and acting were greatly influenced by his time working at Monster Video in Carmel. We also talk about his future plans, his love of the new Tool album and how playing in different projects has helped with the songwriting for Ghostbound. An awesome interview with an intelligent guy, thanks to Alec for being on the podcast!

Special Guest: Alec A. Head.

This week, I sat down with Seattle's Kyle Stevens (Kirby Krackle) to talk about his love of Pearl Jam, Dr. Strange and the time he opened for “Weird Al” Yankovic. Kyle and I have played many shows together over the years, and I am always blown away by his positivity and catchy, fun, “nerd rock” music. We talk about the changing comic book con scene over the past decade and what artists like he and I can do to help build our fanbases and stay creative. Thanks Kyle! A very special episode.

Special Guest: Kirby Krackle.

This week's episode revists my "first every podcast." I was very fortunate to go to a high school with a radio station, KSPB 91.9, and on March 17th 2000, my interview with the late, great Ric Masten aired. I went to Masten's house in Big Sur, and we talked about his approach to writing, how he made his living as a poet, and how he had built a community of fans in the early years of the internet. Recorded after his recent diagnosis with prostate cancer, Masten lived for eight years after this inteview, passing away at the age of 78 on 5/9/08. He inspired us to live every day authentically. An interview with a very inspiring and awesome guy, I wanted you all to hear this. His books can be found on Amazon and his music can be found on Discogs.

Special Guest: Ric Masten.