The Trace

This is a special edition episode of The Trace where I analyze the career of Nicolas Cage.  Here I challenge the idea that Cage is a bad actor.  I contend that he plays his characters truthfully in terms of emotional experience.  We are the actors in the way that we repress and deny our inner life.  This whole episode is a provocation to all of us to be more honest about our emotions and experience.

My guest this week is Melody Parks  Melody was born in 1973 and she has a history of work in television, as an actress, and currently as a therapist here in Seattle.  We discuss her birth year and the films “The Exorcist”, “Mean Streets”, and “Badlands”.  These movies open up conversations on what it means to be American plus topics of race, parenthood, and hope.  

My guest this weak is Sean Jewel.  Sean writes for American Standard Time which is associated with Greg Vandy who hosts The Roadhouse on KEXP here in Seattle.  

Sean and I discuss our mutual birth year of 1978 with films like “Blue Collar”, “Days of Heaven”, plus Bruce Springsteens cinematic record “Darkness on the Edge of Town”.  These works get us into themes of class in America, progressive politics, gender expectations, religion, and many other excellent topics.

Does romantic love complete us?  Can we be completed at all?  On this episode I look at Michel Gondry's "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" how it is a genuinely powerful film on romantic love.  I also reference "Jerry Maguire", Slavoj Zizek, GK Chesterton, and "Moonstruck".  Join me as we explore what real love is in a world of lack, limitation, and loss.

I was so happy to have my friend Vicco Gonzalez on the show this week!  Vicco is a musician and graphic designer from Guadalajara, Mexico.  We talked about a few of his favorite films like "The Shining", "Los Olvidados", and "Persona".  This led us to talk about identity, Mexico, immigration, Seattle, Hannah Arendt, fatalism in art, and forgiveness.

My guest this week is Chris Estey.  Chris and I share a connection to a very specific music scene that Seattle was a center of in the latter half of the 90’s.  I was so, so excited to have this conversation with him.  It did not disappoint.  Many bands will be referenced here plus lots of talk about politics, religion, and the musical traditions of Seattle.

Chris has had connections to Light in the Attic, Tooth & Nail Records, Bandoppler Magazine, and many more music-associated works.  He is currently with XO Publicity and working on a book that I am very excited about.

Today I am speaking with novelist, film critic, and teacher Jeffrey Overstreet.  We discuss the kind of films that we consider Medicine for Ailing America.  Jeffrey and I agree that healing starts with acknowledging the reality of the problem.  To become better we must acknowledge the truth of the past and become open to new possibilities in the present and future.  The main movies we discuss are Terrence Malick’s “The New World”, Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing”, and Wim Wenders “Wings of Desire”.

Today we are going to look at Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” and how the film opens up possibilities for forgiveness as opposed to vengeance.  Forgiveness is not the first thing one thinks of when Tarantino comes to mind but I believe this is one of the aspects that has made “Pulp Fiction” relevant to viewers of all-ages.  

This week I break down Donald Trump's and the GOP's recent denial of facts.  I look at postmodernism, multiculturalism, and their threat to white supremacy and why conservatives have become "truth relativists" in recent times.  I use samples from "A Few Good Men", Newt Gingrich, and "1984" to illustrate my points.  

Brian “Bernee Luv” Bernazard is a DJ, musician, skater, and fellow Ballard dad.  He was born in 1982 and we discuss E.T., parenting, skating, Pink Floyd: The Wall, Radiohead, and growing up with 80’s music.