Eighteen year old Indian American rapper, singer, songwriter and producer KOAD is a Brockhampton superfan, so it's no surprise that his inspirational spark is Brockhampton's magnum opus, the Saturation trilogy. KOAD talks about the influence this enormous body of work has had on his own music, how it helped him through some of the lowest points in his life and the sense of community he found in being a Brockhampton fan.

KOAD

Saturation Trilogy

Girls5eva

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Lone Star Plate

Stranger Than Christian

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Comedian and writer Max Silvestri joins me to geek out over the classic Oscar winning romantic comedy Moonstruck. We talked about the tremendous performances from Cher and the late, great Olympia Dukakis and also discussed the film's perfect balance between sweetly sincere drama and broad comedy.  As an added bonus, we contrasted our Moonstruck chat with a little discussion on another of Max's favorites, Wes Anderson's The Royal Tennenbaums.

Links:

Max Silvestri

Moonstruck

The Royal Tennenbaums

Tales Of The City

This episode is supported by Before The Chorus and Factual America

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Singer/songwriter/producer Roosevelt joins me to talk about his spark of inspiration, Norwegian/German band The Whitest Boy Alive's second album Rules. We talk about the thrill of making dance music with live instruments, the intense bond between musicians and the crowds they perform to and our mutual excitement about the hope of returning to live events.

Links:

Roosevelt

Rules

Hell Hath No Fury

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This week, I'm joined by three time Tony nominee, singer and actor Joshua Henry to chat about our shared love for D'Angelo's genre bending classic debut album Brown Sugar. Joshua talks about Brown Sugar's impact on his life and career, and also deconstructs his favorite tracks. Best of all, he gave me a few quick tastes of his incredible singing voice.

Links:

Joshua Henry

Brown Sugar

Mare Of Easttown

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This week, I'm joined by FLYTE frontman Will Taylor to talk about his spark of inspiration, the Oscar winning Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman film Kramer Vs Kramer. Will speaks about how the film's events mirrored aspects of his own parents' divorce, we dive into some of the weighty issues covered in it (child custody battles, work life balance, feminism) and take a look at the real life drama that Dustin Hoffman created on set.  

Links:

FLYTE

Kramer Vs Kramer

All I Need

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This week, I spoke with musician Skullcrusher (Helen Balentine) about the inspiration she's drawn from Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar winning animated feature Spirited Away. We talk about powerful female protagonists being underestimated in films, the wildly imaginative style of Studio Ghibli and we marvel at the intense emotional response evoked by hand drawn animation.

Links:

Skullcrusher

Spirited Away

Leave The World Behind

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Musician and filmmaker Amiture joins me to talk about the profound and immediate effect Stom Sogo's experimental short film Guided By Voices had on him as a college student. We talk about the power of abstraction in film, our mutual affection for the artform of music videos and the way that a single exposure to a piece of art can change the course of your life.  

Amiture

Guided By Voices

Tina

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Rapper, singer/songwriter and producer Pell joins me to talk about Kanye West's legendary second album, Late Registration. We talk about it's lyrical and musical complexity, the dramatic effect it had on hip hop, r'n'b and pop production and the deliciousness of the albums many featured guest appearances.  

Links:

Pell

Late Registration

Mama's Gun

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Singer/songwriter and musician Evan Stephens Hall joins me to talk about the inspiration he's drawn from Kazuo Ishiguro's Booker Prize winning novel The Remains Of The Day. We touch on English repression, unrequited love and the pressures of duty and loyalty under the looming shadow of fascism.

Links:

Evan Stephens Hall/Pinegrove

The Remains Of The Day

In And Of Itself

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Tineka Smith and Alex Court, authors of Mixed Up: Confessions Of An Interracial Couple, join me to chat about Brit Bennett's sensational novel The Vanishing Half. We dive into the book's complex themes (including colorism, the concept of passing and trans identities) and how some of them reflect Tineka and Alex real life experiences as an interracial couple.

Links:

Mixed Up: Confessions Of An Interracial Couple

The Vanishing Half

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