Talkhouse Podcast

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.