Talkhouse Podcast

On this latest episode of the Talkhouse Film podcast, to mark the release of Nicolas Winding Refn's dark, stylish thriller The Neon Demon, filmmaker and Talkhouse Film contributor Aaron Stewart-Ahn sits down with the Danish director. In a highly entertaining conversation, Refn opens up about such diverse subjects as embracing narcism, how overcoming dyslexia taught him to turn his weaknesses into strengths, the filmmaking advice he received from Elia Kazan, the near-spiritual experiences he had communing with master auteurs Alejandro Jodorowsky and Dario Argento, his time as a club kid in New York City in the 1980s, his surprising home-viewing habits, and much more. For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse Film at talkhouse.com/film.

Sean Lennon (The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger) and Les Claypool (Primus) have formed the proggy psych supergroup the Claypool Lennon Delirium. The two recently recorded a Talkhouse Music Podcast live at Samsung 837 in New York City, where they discussed their new record, The Monolith Of Phobos, Les’ musical beginnings playing in Hells Angels bars, and the origin of Sean’s surname. Their conversation also covers Trump, Noel Fielding, Sean’s beliefs about body odors, how indie musicians will rule the planet and spirochetes. The Monolith Of Phobos came out June 3 on ATO Records, and the band is currently touring America.

On this latest episode of the Talkhouse Film podcast, musician, actor, writer and broadcaster Henry Rollins sits down with longtime friend and collaborator Alex Winter, the acclaimed documentary filmmaker also known for playing Bill in the Bill and Ted movies. In an inspiring, wide-ranging discussion touching on their many creative pursuits, the two talk about numerous subjects, including: how Crispin Glover encouraged Rollins to pursue acting, Winter's classic response to MTV's request for him to VJ in character as Bill, Rollins' story about taking a bus to a catastrophic audition for The Lion King, his planned documentary which was nixed in record time by National Geographic. For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse Film at talkhouse.com/film.

Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard and Chvrches’ Lauren Mayberry have a mutual appreciation society, and in today’s episode of The Talkhouse Music Podcast, they meet for the very first time. The two discuss songwriting, the Glasgow and Seattle music scenes, life on the road, and the co-headlining tour they were about to embark on (which is underway now).

On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Film podcast, Tim and Eric's Tim Heidecker sits down in the Samsung 837 studio for a chat with Chris Gethard, of Broad City and The Chris Gethard Show. The two comedians discuss Heidecker's new record, In Glendale, their unusual career paths, Andy Kaufman, the SNL theme music, and more – before chaos (and even greater hilarity) ensues when they invite wave after wave of audience members to join them in the studio. For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse Film at talkhouse.com/film.

Two of experimental music's most important figures — Ian Williams of Battles and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth — talk lyrics, writing for bands versus scoring orchestral music, and the profound musical influence of the cheerleading movie Bring It On in this edition of the Talkhouse Music Podcast, recorded live at Samsung 837.

Two of the Talkhouse Music Podcast’s most beloved guests — the Roots’ Questlove and Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney and Portlandia — reunited onstage recently to celebrate Questlove’s new book, Something To Food About: Exploring Creativity with Innovative Chefs. Joined by celebrated Chef Dominique Crenn at Urban Outfitters’ Space Ninety 8 in Brooklyn, they discussed Madonna, soul food and how eating on tour gets a lot better once you get some real success… unless you’re Eminem. Many thanks to Urban Outfitters and Space Ninety 8 for allowing The Talkhouse to record and release this conversation.

On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Film podcast, Jason Reitman talks with fellow director Karyn Kusama, whose fine new film, The Invitation, is out now. Over the course of their fascinating and intimate conversation, Kusama and Reitman discuss misleading trailers, the impact of TV's golden age on cinema, the pros and cons of test screening, how parenthood affects their approach to filmmaking, the end of the world, and much more. For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse Film at talkhouse.com/film.

On the new episode of the Talkhouse Film podcast, as she winds up the Kickstarter campaign for Axis, her debut feature as director, the multi-talented Aisha Tyler talks with fellow actress-turned-director Amber Tamblyn, whose Paint It Black premieres in June at the LA Film Festival. In their very entertaining and funny conversation, the two discuss their respective paths to the director's chair, great L.A. movies (and Keeping Up with the Kardashians), why Amber is Aisha's "Oreo tit," how Aisha is a “machine,” and much more. For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse Film at talkhouse.com/film.

On a very special new episode of the Talkhouse Film podcast, to coincide with the release of Pee-wee's Big Holiday, hip-hop star, actor and longtime Pee-wee Herman fan Kid Cudi is in conversation with Pee-wee himself, Paul Reubens. The topics they talk about include how they first met, Reubens' journey to bring Pee-wee Herman back to the big screen, Cudi's strong dislike of skunks (and recent encounter with a mountain lion), plus a discussion by both of planned creative projects that they've never talked about before. For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse Film at talkhouse.com/film.

When Brandi Carlile was an up-and-coming songwriter, she waited outside the Indigo Girls’ tour bus to meet her heroes. Fast forward a few years, and the Indigo Girls appeared on her 2007 album, The Story. By 2010, young musicians were waiting outside Carlile’s tour bus to meet her — including Mackenzie Scott, a.k.a. Torres. These two women are songwriters with a deep country influence who write lyrics that explore dark feelings — and deliver them like Armageddon is at their heels. They’re also huge fans of each other’s music. Hear Scott and Carlile discuss meeting their heroes, attempting to lead balanced lives while living on the road, and what it’s like being “gay Christ followers” on this episode of the Talkhouse Music Podcast.

The latest episode of the Talkhouse Film podcast is a conversation between Ari Shaffir, stand-up comedian and host of Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening, and one of the most recent guests on that show, Artie Lange, best known for The Howard Stern Show and MADtv. In a funny, provocative talk, the two share war stories about their lives as comics, such as Shaffir eating "tarnished" baked goods and receiving death threats for his videos, and Artie doing time in L.A. County Jail, working as a Santa in a strip club, and having a very memorable encounter with Dave Navarro and Carmen Electra. For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse Film at talkhouse.com/film.

This episode of the Talkhouse Music Podcast — our first in a series of live recordings at New York’s Samsung 837 space — is a Broadway takeover. It features Hedwig and the Angry Inch co-creator and star John Cameron Mitchell in conversation with Javier Muñoz, who starred in In the Heights and is currently Lin-Manuel Miranda’s alternate in the runaway smash hit hip-hop musical, Hamilton. These two truly believe musical theater can change lives and push society forward; their lives, and this talk, echo that sentiment. Muñoz and Mitchell cover a lot in this conversation: rock & roll and hip-hop on Broadway, sure, but also Pussy Riot, New York City’s constant evolution, Glee, the way social media can inhibit artistic development, and David Bowie. Oh, they also discuss figuratively — and literally — peeing yourself on stage. You don’t want to miss this chat. — Elia Einhorn, Talkhouse Podcast producer and engineer

On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Film podcast, stand-up comedy hero and Silicon Valley star Kumail Nanjiani talks with Michael Showalter about his new movie, Hello, My Name is Doris (in which Nanjiani has a small role). As well as that film, the two longtime friends discuss their first collaboration, the differing paths their careers have taken, Showalter's tremendous love of money, the practical joke that former colleague Jessi Klein is still mad about, their upcoming movie together, and much more. For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse Film at talkhouse.com/film.

On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Film podcast, filmmaker, prolific screenwriter Max Landis — whose first film as director, Me Him Her, is out now — talks with one of his favorite filmmakers, Joe Dante. In a wide-ranging, rapid-fire conversation, Landis and the Gremlins director discuss Max's corny '80s movie-style altruism, the ultimate screenwriter tattoo, fake film announcements, the death of big movies with personality, and much more, including Landis' awesome pitch for a reboot of Gremlins. For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse Film at talkhouse.com/film.

On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Film podcast, filmmaker, actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead marks the release of her new movie, 10 Cloverfield Lane, by sitting down with Togetherness star Melanie Lynskey. Over the course of a frank and entertaining conversation, the two discuss everything from the inevitable insecurities that come from watching yourself on screen, to improvisation, their beginnings in the film business, the perils of making audition tapes, and their differing approaches to timekeeping. For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse Film at talkhouse.com/film.

The latest episode is the first in a series of podcasts brought to you by Talkhouse Film and Soho House, with whom we are teaming up to curate a regular series of special advance screenings followed by a conversation between the director and another filmmaker. Here, Re-Animator director (and regular Talkhouse Film contributor) Stuart Gordon talks with Robert Eggers, director of the horror phenomenon The Witch, with the two touching on such topics as the influence of Kubrick and silent cinema, the experience of casting witches and the need for a "Ken Loach time machine to the 17th Century." For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse Film at talkhouse.com/film.

On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Film podcast, filmmaker, photographer and author Alix Lambert talks with her friend of almost 30 years, Fred Armisen. In a lively, wide-ranging conversation, the two touch upon such subjects as their mutual love of Bitmoji and airport texting, why Fred insisted The Wizard of Oz was a documentary to Alix's CalArts class, the incredible story surrounding Fred's half-brother's mother and the Stasi, and, of course, Portlandia, Documentary Now and his upcoming Spanish-language comedy show for Más Mejor. For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse Film at talkhouse.com/film.

On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Film podcast, in a special conversation recorded after a screening of Laurie Anderson's documentary Heart of a Dog, the acclaimed musician, artist and filmmaker talks onstage with fellow New York director Darren Aronofsky, best known for his films Pi, Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan. The pair discuss Anderson's new film, which ponders questions of love, death and language, and touch on such other diverse subjects as Herman Melville's discussions with his editor about Moby Dick and the problems that can come from putting batteries in one's mouth. For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse Film at talkhouse.com/film.

In 2000, Tunde Adebimpe and Dave Sitek formed TV on the Radio, one of the most creative, inspired and influential bands of their era. Fifteen years, five albums and a whole lot of ups and downs later, they've still managed to preserve that energy and vision. Which is pretty remarkable. Unknown Mortal Orchestra's Ruban Nielson has also sustained a very long creative streak. He'd played guitar in a hard-edged New Zealand post-hardcore band called the Mint Chicks, and when that ended, he found himself in Portland, Oregon, around 2010. He began messing around with music again — making highly wrought, idiosyncratic basement recordings with an odd psychedelic feel. This new project — Unknown Mortal Orchestra — got a record deal, and Nielson began touring and gathering crowds and critical praise. The UMO sound has broadened and morphed over the course of three albums, right through this year's release, the acclaimed and addictively strange Multi-Love. In retrospect, it's no surprise that Adebimpe and Nielson are hug