Categories
News Podcast

Ep. #174: Andy Kindler

Andy Kindler is a stand-up comedian from New York City who is currently based in Los Angeles. Best known for frequent appearances as himself on the Late Show with David Letterman and recurring acting roles on Everybody Loves Raymond, Maron, and Bob’s Burgers, Kindler is a hard-working road comic who fearlessly assesses and critiques the comedy industry, both in his act and in his annual ‘State of the Industry” address at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal. Kindler will be performing at the Park Theatre in Winnipeg on Friday March 27 and here, we discuss my amazing guest introductions, milk and green apples and voice over auditions, Bob Dylan doesn’t drink water on-stage, Marco Rubio was thirsty and terrible, the red button is over, Jimmy Fallon’s viral videos, Ricky Gervais really is that David Brent character, fundamental atheism, interacting with Gervais once on Letterman, thinking about Robin Williams, Dane Cook and Hitler, how David Letterman has kept it real and Jimmy Fallon might be a phony, the pretentiousness of Louis C.K., the sanctimony of Jon Stewart, defending and enhancing the art of comedy, wanting to be loved and laughed at, satisfaction, the ‘I’ve-gotta-make-it’ phase of being in show business, bumping into each other once at SXSW, his connection to music and the Hold Steady, some of Andy’s hit singles, Adam Levine and Coldplay, loving the National, Steve Earle, Elvis Costello, and some other white people, liking soul music, contemplating David Letterman’s retirement, Dave’s demeanour before and after the heart surgery, Dave probably doesn’t really want to retire, Stephen Colbert will be amazing, being a true curmudgeon, what’s happening on the third season of Maron, appearing with Dave Anthony and Marc in Maron scenes, voicing Mort on Bob’s Burgers, Andy’s new special Hence, the Humour, Innerspace and All of Me, Marc Maron should return my calls, and that was that.

Related links: andykindler.com vishkhanna.com

Andy Kindler

Listen, subscribe, rate/review on iTunes. Now available via AudioBoom.

Categories
News Podcast

Ep. #173: Will Butler

Will Butler is an American musician whom many people assume is Canadian because he’s a member of the Montreal band Arcade Fire. On his first solo album, the multi-instrumentalist delves deep into American songwriting traditions, crafting these rousing pop and rock blasts that are incisive and more revealing with each listen. They are joyous and angry and inspire listeners to question what they’re hearing, both on this record and anywhere else. The new album is called Policy, it’s out now via Merge Records, and Butler and his band have been hitting the road hard, including stops at the Horseshoe Tavern on March 27, and two nights at Montreal’s Bar le Ritz PDB on March 28 and 29. Here, Will and I discuss the ocean near Biloxi, Mississippi, how long these songs have existed, whether any of them might have made it onto an Arcade Fire record, bouncing these song ideas off of other people, the American tone of Policy, political music, John Lennon and Plastic Ono Band and the Breeders, his plans, Arcade Fire plans, and then we finish what we started.

Related links: butlerwills.com vishkhanna.com

willbutler

Listen, subscribe, rate/review on iTunes. Now available via AudioBoom.

Categories
News Podcast

Ep. #172: Long Night with Scott Thompson, Damian Rogers, Don Pyle, and Overnight

This episode of Long Night with Vish Khanna was recorded at the Great Hall in Toronto during the Long Winter multi-disciplinary arts festival on Friday March 13, 2015. Aside from Long Night sidekick James Keast and house band the Bicycles, Vish’s guests were Don Pyle, Damian Rogers, Scott Thompson, and Overnight. Don Pyle is a punk rock historian whose photo book, Trouble in the Camera Club, documents the rise of underground music in Toronto in the 1970s. He’s also a busy musician and producer who has overseen records by Flesh World and TV Freaks and scored shows like Queer as Folk and films like the forthcoming Portrait of a Serial Monogamist. His band Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet is one of the most significant to ever call Canada home and, at some point in the future, the American label Yep Roc will be reissuing their three albums individually and in a box set. Damian Rogers is the poetry editor at both House of Anansi Press and The Walrus. She’s also a published poet herself and her new collection, Dear Leader, is celebrating its release on Coach House Books with a star-studded book launch at the Drake Underground at 7 PM on Tuesday March 24. Scott Thompson is an Emmy nominated actor, writer, and comedian who appears on the groundbreaking NBC hit, Hannibal, and was also a featured performer in my favourite television comedy program of all time, HBO’s The Larry Sanders Show. He is a member of the iconic comedy troupe, the Kids in the Hall, who are touring this spring, including shows at the Danforth Music Hall on April 23, 25, and 26. Overnight is a band from Toronto featuring two members of the influential and no longer functioning Halifax pop band Plumtree. Sisters Carla and Lynette Gillis have kept themselves busy since the end of Plumtree and here, they played a song called “It Gets You Down” from their brand new album, Carry Me Home.

Related links: torontolongwinter.com vishkhanna.com

Screen Shot 2015-03-16 at 7.53.22 PM

Listen, subscribe, rate/review on iTunes. Now available via AudioBoom.