This week’s Talkhouse Podcast features a conversation between two ridiculously talented young songwriter/guitarists in the early days of what will surely be interesting careers: Mei Semones and John Roseboro.

Semones famously found her passion for guitar by watching the “Johnny B. Goode” scene in Back to the Future, which led her to music school and the kind of genre-spanning passion that feels refreshingly unfiltered. Sometimes she’ll play delicate, jazz-inflected acoustic songs while singing in Japanese; the next minute it’s more familiar indie-pop that adds a bit of bossa nova or some shredding. The fact that it doesn’t make sense is what makes it make sense, if you get what I mean. Semones was a big hit at this year’s experimental-leaning Big Ears Festival, and she’s also got a big social media following—that’s an odd crossover, or at least I think it is. Next week she’ll open a string of shows for American Football on the west coast before heading down to charm Australia. Her first full-length was last year’s <a href="https://meisemones.bandcamp.com/album/animaru">Animaru</a>, and she followed it recently with an EP called <a href="https://meisemones.bandcamp.com/album/kurage">Kurage</a>, which includes a song made with today’s other guest, John Roseboro.

Roseboro has called his music “post-Bossa Nova” or sometimes just “post-Bossa,” but that only tells part of the story. He’s a thoughtful, observant lyricist who’s great at building a vibe and then taking it to unexpected places. Like Semones, he lives in Brooklyn, though he ended up there via a strange route that took him to mortuary school and some time among the Amish. His latest full-length is 2024’s <a href="https://johnroseboro.bandcamp.com/album/fools">Fools</a>, but since then he’s released a charming cover of the classic “Close To You” that removes a lot of the cheese associated with various other versions over the years. He also collaborated with Semones on a track from her EP that recounts a story of his lost tooth and a meeting on a subway platform. Check out that song, “Tooth Fairy,” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hh1WhFpib8">right here</a>.

In this charming, relentlessly laid-back conversation, Semones and Roseboro—who are good friends, as you’ll be able to tell—hit each other with questions that lead everywhere from what food they like on the road to the magic of music. Succumb to their rhythm and enjoy the conversation.

0:00 — Intro 
2:28 — Start of conversation 
2:50 — If you could be an animal, what would you be? 
4:19 — On traveling and finding a home base 
5:50 — What do you think about while performing? 
8:15 — On noticing the audience at shows, and hecklers 
10:10 — On favorite types of food, and go-to deli orders 
12:46 — On what makes a good song &amp; lyrics 
16:29 — On underrated songs they’ve made 
18:40 — On dreams and dream imagery 
20:38 — On Nerd Clusters, snacks, and drinks on rider requests 
22:03 — On favorite sports 
22:40 — Have you ever been in a fight? 
24:49 — On favorite seasons and months 
25:13 — On the differences between touring and recording 
27:56 — On sleeping 
28:55 — On subtlety 

Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Mei Semones and John Roseboro for chatting. If you like what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform and check out all the great stuff at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan and the Talkhouse theme was composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!

Find more illuminating podcasts on the <a href="https://www.talkhouse.com/talkhouse-podcast-network/">⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠</a>.
Visit <a href="https://www.talkhouse.com/">⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠</a> to read essays, reviews, and more.
Follow @talkhouse on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/talkhouse">⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/talkhouse.bsky.social">⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://x.com/Talkhouse">⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://www.threads.net/@talkhouse">⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠</a>, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/talkhouse">⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠</a>.

<description>This week’s Talkhouse Podcast features a conversation between two ridiculously talented young songwriter/guitarists in the early days of what will surely be interesting careers: Mei Semones and John Roseboro.

Semones famously found her passion for guitar by watching the “Johnny B. Goode” scene in Back to the Future, which led her to music school and the kind of genre-spanning passion that feels refreshingly unfiltered. Sometimes she’ll play delicate, jazz-inflected acoustic songs while singing in Japanese; the next minute it’s more familiar indie-pop that adds a bit of bossa nova or some shredding. The fact that it doesn’t make sense is what makes it make sense, if you get what I mean. Semones was a big hit at this year’s experimental-leaning Big Ears Festival, and she’s also got a big social media following—that’s an odd crossover, or at least I think it is. Next week she’ll open a string of shows for American Football on the west coast before heading down to charm Australia. Her first full-length was last year’s Animaru, and she followed it recently with an EP called Kurage, which includes a song made with today’s other guest, John Roseboro.

Roseboro has called his music “post-Bossa Nova” or sometimes just “post-Bossa,” but that only tells part of the story. He’s a thoughtful, observant lyricist who’s great at building a vibe and then taking it to unexpected places. Like Semones, he lives in Brooklyn, though he ended up there via a strange route that took him to mortuary school and some time among the Amish. His latest full-length is 2024’s Fools, but since then he’s released a charming cover of the classic “Close To You” that removes a lot of the cheese associated with various other versions over the years. He also collaborated with Semones on a track from her EP that recounts a story of his lost tooth and a meeting on a subway platform. Check out that song, “Tooth Fairy,” right here.

In this charming, relentlessly laid-back conversation, Semones and Roseboro—who are good friends, as you’ll be able to tell—hit each other with questions that lead everywhere from what food they like on the road to the magic of music. Succumb to their rhythm and enjoy the conversation.

0:00 — Intro 
2:28 — Start of conversation 
2:50 — If you could be an animal, what would you be? 
4:19 — On traveling and finding a home base 
5:50 — What do you think about while performing? 
8:15 — On noticing the audience at shows, and hecklers 
10:10 — On favorite types of food, and go-to deli orders 
12:46 — On what makes a good song &amp; lyrics 
16:29 — On underrated songs they’ve made 
18:40 — On dreams and dream imagery 
20:38 — On Nerd Clusters, snacks, and drinks on rider requests 
22:03 — On favorite sports 
22:40 — Have you ever been in a fight? 
24:49 — On favorite seasons and months 
25:13 — On the differences between touring and recording 
27:56 — On sleeping 
28:55 — On subtlety 

Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Mei Semones and John Roseboro for chatting. If you like what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform and check out all the great stuff at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan and the Talkhouse theme was composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!

Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠.
Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more.
Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠.</description>

"This is the closest thing we have to magic outside of, like, Bluetooth."

This week’s Talkhouse Podcast features a conversation between two ridiculously talented young songwriter/guitarists in the early days of what will surely be interesting careers: Mei Semones and John Roseboro.

Semones famously found her passion for guitar by watching the “Johnny B. Goode” scene in Back to the Future, which led her to music school and the kind of genre-spanning passion that feels refreshingly unfiltered. Sometimes she’ll play delicate, jazz-inflected acoustic songs while singing in Japanese; the next minute it’s more familiar indie-pop that adds a bit of bossa nova or some shredding. The fact that it doesn’t make sense is what makes it make sense, if you get what I mean. Semones was a big hit at this year’s experimental-leaning Big Ears Festival, and she’s also got a big social media following—that’s an odd crossover, or at least I think it is. Next week she’ll open a string of shows for American Football on the west coast before heading down to charm Australia. Her first full-length was last year’s Animaru, and she followed it recently with an EP called Kurage, which includes a song made with today’s other guest, John Roseboro.

Roseboro has called his music “post-Bossa Nova” or sometimes just “post-Bossa,” but that only tells part of the story. He’s a thoughtful, observant lyricist who’s great at building a vibe and then taking it to unexpected places. Like Semones, he lives in Brooklyn, though he ended up there via a strange route that took him to mortuary school and some time among the Amish. His latest full-length is 2024’s Fools, but since then he’s released a charming cover of the classic “Close To You” that removes a lot of the cheese associated with various other versions over the years. He also collaborated with Semones on a track from her EP that recounts a story of his lost tooth and a meeting on a subway platform. Check out that song, “Tooth Fairy,” right here.

In this charming, relentlessly laid-back conversation, Semones and Roseboro—who are good friends, as you’ll be able to tell—hit each other with questions that lead everywhere from what food they like on the road to the magic of music. Succumb to their rhythm and enjoy the conversation.

0:00 — Intro 
2:28 — Start of conversation 
2:50 — If you could be an animal, what would you be? 
4:19 — On traveling and finding a home base 
5:50 — What do you think about while performing? 
8:15 — On noticing the audience at shows, and hecklers 
10:10 — On favorite types of food, and go-to deli orders 
12:46 — On what makes a good song & lyrics 
16:29 — On underrated songs they’ve made 
18:40 — On dreams and dream imagery 
20:38 — On Nerd Clusters, snacks, and drinks on rider requests 
22:03 — On favorite sports 
22:40 — Have you ever been in a fight? 
24:49 — On favorite seasons and months 
25:13 — On the differences between touring and recording 
27:56 — On sleeping 
28:55 — On subtlety 

Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Mei Semones and John Roseboro for chatting. If you like what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform and check out all the great stuff at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan and the Talkhouse theme was composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!

Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠.
Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more.
Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠.

Mei Semones with John Roseboro

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast, we’ve got an interesting pairing—two guys that hadn’t met before, and who come from different parts of the arts world, and who are both pretty damn great at their jobs. It’s Bill Callahan and Michael Imperioli.
Bill Callahan made music under the name Smog for about 15 years, releasing an incredible catalog of gorgeous, mostly minimal, often wandering songs delivered in his unmistakable baritone. He’s one of the most profound lyricists of the past 30 years, crafting careful little worlds that are often funny and heartbreaking at the same time. In 2005, he dropped the Smog moniker and started releasing records under his own name, but there’s no obvious break in the continuity. It’s a fantastic body of work and you can start almost anywhere: I’d recommend 1999’s <a href="https://smog.bandcamp.com/album/knock-knock">Knock Knock</a> as an entry point, or maybe 2007’s <a href="https://smog.bandcamp.com/album/a-river-aint-too-much-to-love">A River Ain’t Too Much Too Love</a>, which comes up in this chat. But you could just as easily jump in with Callahan’s fantastic new one, <a href="https://billcallahan.bandcamp.com/album/my-days-of-58">My Days of 58</a>, which was finished after a scary cancer battle. In spite of that—or maybe because of it—it’s one of Callahan’s most relaxed and charming ever. Check out “Why Do Men Sing” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AwzLb8jdhg">right here</a>.
Today’s other guest is instantly recognizable to fans of The Sopranos as Christopher Moltisanti, the tragic character that surely wouldn’t have been nearly as indelible without Michael Imperioli’s genius-level portrayal. You’ve seen him in a million other things, too, from Goodfellas to Summer of Sam—which he also co-wrote—to The White Lotus. What perhaps you didn’t know about Imperioli is that he’s also a musician. He’s the singer/guitarist in a band called ZOPA, which plays catchy, straight-ahead rock that sounds deeply rooted in New York City, which Imperioli still calls home. He also wrote a novel, which comes up in this chat with Callahan, and he’s a practicing Buddhist, another topic of conversation.
Even though Callahan and Imperioli didn’t know each other, they were clearly fans of each other’s work. In this chill chat, Michael tells Bill about the exact moment he first heard one of his songs. They also get into Bill’s health scare and how it inspired his new record, Michael’s kids and what they’re up to, and there’s a lot of talk about Lou Reed—a guy that inspired them both. Enjoy.

0:00 — Intro 
2:35 — Living in Austin &amp; New York 
3:34 — On Bill’s new record and discovering Smog’s past work 
5:03 — On birthdays and the Chinese Zodiac 
6:34 — On cancer and writing the new album, My Days of 58 
8:33 — On Michael’s novel, fiction, and inspiration 
10:47 — On practicing Buddhism, reincarnation, and monks 
16:03 — On raising kids and their musical talents 
19:07 — On AI and why human emotion matters in art and work 
25:10 — On playing instruments and recording musicians 
29:08 — On knowing Lou Reed, and his inspirations 
34:35 — On Bill’s upcoming tour, and favorite guitars 

Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast and thanks to Bill Callahan and Michael Imperioli for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please <a href="https://pod.link/Talkhouse">follow Talkhouse</a> on your favorite podcasting platform and check out all the great stuff we’ve got going at <a href="http://talkhouse.com">Talkhouse.com</a>. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!
Find more illuminating podcasts on the <a href="https://www.talkhouse.com/talkhouse-podcast-network/">⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠</a>.
Visit <a href="https://www.talkhouse.com/">⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠</a> to read essays, reviews, and more.
Follow @talkhouse on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/talkhouse">⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/talkhouse.bsky.social">⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://x.com/Talkhouse">⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://www.threads.net/@talkhouse">⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠</a>, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/talkhouse">⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠</a>.

<description>On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast, we’ve got an interesting pairing—two guys that hadn’t met before, and who come from different parts of the arts world, and who are both pretty damn great at their jobs. It’s Bill Callahan and Michael Imperioli.

Bill Callahan made music under the name Smog for about 15 years, releasing an incredible catalog of gorgeous, mostly minimal, often wandering songs delivered in his unmistakable baritone. He’s one of the most profound lyricists of the past 30 years, crafting careful little worlds that are often funny and heartbreaking at the same time. In 2005, he dropped the Smog moniker and started releasing records under his own name, but there’s no obvious break in the continuity. It’s a fantastic body of work and you can start almost anywhere: I’d recommend 1999’s Knock Knock as an entry point, or maybe 2007’s A River Ain’t Too Much Too Love, which comes up in this chat. But you could just as easily jump in with Callahan’s fantastic new one, My Days of 58, which was finished after a scary cancer battle. In spite of that—or maybe because of it—it’s one of Callahan’s most relaxed and charming ever. Check out “Why Do Men Sing” right here.

Today’s other guest is instantly recognizable to fans of The Sopranos as Christopher Moltisanti, the tragic character that surely wouldn’t have been nearly as indelible without Michael Imperioli’s genius-level portrayal. You’ve seen him in a million other things, too, from Goodfellas to Summer of Sam—which he also co-wrote—to The White Lotus. What perhaps you didn’t know about Imperioli is that he’s also a musician. He’s the singer/guitarist in a band called ZOPA, which plays catchy, straight-ahead rock that sounds deeply rooted in New York City, which Imperioli still calls home. He also wrote a novel, which comes up in this chat with Callahan, and he’s a practicing Buddhist, another topic of conversation.

Even though Callahan and Imperioli didn’t know each other, they were clearly fans of each other’s work. In this chill chat, Michael tells Bill about the exact moment he first heard one of his songs. They also get into Bill’s health scare and how it inspired his new record, Michael’s kids and what they’re up to, and there’s a lot of talk about Lou Reed—a guy that inspired them both. Enjoy.


0:00 — Intro 
2:35 — Living in Austin &amp; New York 
3:34 — On Bill’s new record and discovering Smog’s past work 
5:03 — On birthdays and the Chinese Zodiac 
6:34 — On cancer and writing the new album, My Days of 58 
8:33 — On Michael’s novel, fiction, and inspiration 
10:47 — On practicing Buddhism, reincarnation, and monks 
16:03 — On raising kids and their musical talents 
19:07 — On AI and why human emotion matters in art and work 
25:10 — On playing instruments and recording musicians 
29:08 — On knowing Lou Reed, and his inspirations 
34:35 — On Bill’s upcoming tour, and favorite guitars 


Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast and thanks to Bill Callahan and Michael Imperioli for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform and check out all the great stuff we’ve got going at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!

Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠.
Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more.
Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠.</description>

A famous Soprano meets an indie-darling baritone

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast, we’ve got an interesting pairing—two guys that hadn’t met before, and who come from different parts of the arts world, and who are both pretty damn great at their jobs. It’s Bill Callahan and Michael Imperioli.

Bill Callahan made music under the name Smog for about 15 years, releasing an incredible catalog of gorgeous, mostly minimal, often wandering songs delivered in his unmistakable baritone. He’s one of the most profound lyricists of the past 30 years, crafting careful little worlds that are often funny and heartbreaking at the same time. In 2005, he dropped the Smog moniker and started releasing records under his own name, but there’s no obvious break in the continuity. It’s a fantastic body of work and you can start almost anywhere: I’d recommend 1999’s Knock Knock as an entry point, or maybe 2007’s A River Ain’t Too Much Too Love, which comes up in this chat. But you could just as easily jump in with Callahan’s fantastic new one, My Days of 58, which was finished after a scary cancer battle. In spite of that—or maybe because of it—it’s one of Callahan’s most relaxed and charming ever. Check out “Why Do Men Sing” right here.

Today’s other guest is instantly recognizable to fans of The Sopranos as Christopher Moltisanti, the tragic character that surely wouldn’t have been nearly as indelible without Michael Imperioli’s genius-level portrayal. You’ve seen him in a million other things, too, from Goodfellas to Summer of Sam—which he also co-wrote—to The White Lotus. What perhaps you didn’t know about Imperioli is that he’s also a musician. He’s the singer/guitarist in a band called ZOPA, which plays catchy, straight-ahead rock that sounds deeply rooted in New York City, which Imperioli still calls home. He also wrote a novel, which comes up in this chat with Callahan, and he’s a practicing Buddhist, another topic of conversation.

Even though Callahan and Imperioli didn’t know each other, they were clearly fans of each other’s work. In this chill chat, Michael tells Bill about the exact moment he first heard one of his songs. They also get into Bill’s health scare and how it inspired his new record, Michael’s kids and what they’re up to, and there’s a lot of talk about Lou Reed—a guy that inspired them both. Enjoy.


0:00 — Intro 
2:35 — Living in Austin & New York 
3:34 — On Bill’s new record and discovering Smog’s past work 
5:03 — On birthdays and the Chinese Zodiac 
6:34 — On cancer and writing the new album, My Days of 58 
8:33 — On Michael’s novel, fiction, and inspiration 
10:47 — On practicing Buddhism, reincarnation, and monks 
16:03 — On raising kids and their musical talents 
19:07 — On AI and why human emotion matters in art and work 
25:10 — On playing instruments and recording musicians 
29:08 — On knowing Lou Reed, and his inspirations 
34:35 — On Bill’s upcoming tour, and favorite guitars 


Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast and thanks to Bill Callahan and Michael Imperioli for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform and check out all the great stuff we’ve got going at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!

Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠.
Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more.
Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠.

Bill Callahan with Michael Imperioli

On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Podcast’s spin-off series, host Nick Dawson sits down with actor, writer and all-around fascinating human David Dastmalchian, whose beautiful debut graphic novel Through was just published. In an engrossing and often very profound conversation, the two discuss David’s fascinating (and impressively genre-tinged) recurring nightmares, his mother’s emotional supernatural encounter with her first love, his childhood fear of hell, how “doing the work” led him to write Through … and much more, including why David insisted this episode be titled “Pedal to the Metal”! For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse at <a href="http://talkhouse.com/film">talkhouse.com/film</a>. <a href="https://pod.link/Talkhouse">Subscribe now</a> to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast.

0:00 — Intro 
3:06 — Do you remember your dreams and/or nightmares? 
6:01 — Recurring horror dreams, stress dreams, and lucid dreaming 
12:47 — Do you believe in ghosts and the supernatural? 
16:50 — Living “in the gray” between ideas and spiritual interconnectivity 
20:19 — Concepts of religious hell and fearing hell as a child 
22:55 — Favorite films about religion, and exploring religion in creative communities 
25:35 — Titling podcast episodes - “Put the pedal to the metal” 
26:51 — “Can you think of a time when you nearly gave up?” and addiction 
30:08 — Attempting to take his own life 
31:46 — Sobriety, relapsing, and managing his anxiety and depression 
34:37 — Mining your own experiences in writing, and David’s new book, Through 
38:58 — “How comfortable are you with discomfort?," coping mechanisms, and consumerism 
44:49 — “What kind of a life would you want to live?” 

Find more illuminating podcasts on the <a href="https://www.talkhouse.com/talkhouse-podcast-network/">⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠</a>.
Visit <a href="https://www.talkhouse.com/">⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠</a> to read essays, reviews, and more.
Follow @talkhouse on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/talkhouse">⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/talkhouse.bsky.social">⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://x.com/Talkhouse">⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://www.threads.net/@talkhouse">⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠</a>, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/talkhouse">⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠</a>.

<description>On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Podcast’s spin-off series, host Nick Dawson sits down with actor, writer and all-around fascinating human David Dastmalchian, whose beautiful debut graphic novel Through was just published. In an engrossing and often very profound conversation, the two discuss David’s fascinating (and impressively genre-tinged) recurring nightmares, his mother’s emotional supernatural encounter with her first love, his childhood fear of hell, how “doing the work” led him to write Through … and much more, including why David insisted this episode be titled “Pedal to the Metal”! For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse at talkhouse.com/film. Subscribe now to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast.

0:00 — Intro 
3:06 — Do you remember your dreams and/or nightmares? 
6:01 — Recurring horror dreams, stress dreams, and lucid dreaming 
12:47 — Do you believe in ghosts and the supernatural? 
16:50 — Living “in the gray” between ideas and spiritual interconnectivity 
20:19 — Concepts of religious hell and fearing hell as a child 
22:55 — Favorite films about religion, and exploring religion in creative communities 
25:35 — Titling podcast episodes - “Put the pedal to the metal” 
26:51 — “Can you think of a time when you nearly gave up?” and addiction 
30:08 — Attempting to take his own life 
31:46 — Sobriety, relapsing, and managing his anxiety and depression 
34:37 — Mining your own experiences in writing, and David’s new book, Through 
38:58 — “How comfortable are you with discomfort?," coping mechanisms, and consumerism 
44:49 — “What kind of a life would you want to live?” 

Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠.
Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more.
Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠.</description>

On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Podcast’s spin-off series, host Nick Dawson sits down with actor, writer and all-around fascinating human David Dastmalchian, whose beautiful debut graphic novel Through was just published. In an engrossing and often very profound conversation, the two discuss David’s fascinating (and impressively genre-tinged) recurring nightmares, his mother’s emotional supernatural encounter with her first love, his childhood fear of hell, how “doing the work” led him to write Through … and much more, including why David insisted this episode be titled “Pedal to the Metal”! For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse at talkhouse.com/film. Subscribe now to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast.

0:00 — Intro 
3:06 — Do you remember your dreams and/or nightmares? 
6:01 — Recurring horror dreams, stress dreams, and lucid dreaming 
12:47 — Do you believe in ghosts and the supernatural? 
16:50 — Living “in the gray” between ideas and spiritual interconnectivity 
20:19 — Concepts of religious hell and fearing hell as a child 
22:55 — Favorite films about religion, and exploring religion in creative communities 
25:35 — Titling podcast episodes - “Put the pedal to the metal” 
26:51 — “Can you think of a time when you nearly gave up?” and addiction 
30:08 — Attempting to take his own life 
31:46 — Sobriety, relapsing, and managing his anxiety and depression 
34:37 — Mining your own experiences in writing, and David’s new book, Through 
38:58 — “How comfortable are you with discomfort?," coping mechanisms, and consumerism 
44:49 — “What kind of a life would you want to live?” 

Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠.
Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more.
Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠.

Nobody's Ever Asked Me That: David Dastmalchian

On this week's Talkhouse Podcast, we've got an intense conversation between two friends about loss, mental health, and more: It's James Graham and Rachel Goswell.
Graham is the singer and lyricist of the Scottish band the Twilight Sad, whose first full-length came out back in 2007, and who were part of a scene that included their friends in Frightened Rabbit and We Were Promised Jetpacks—the common thread being intense, emotional, heart-on-the-sleeve rock songs. They chugged along for a while there, making great records, and were eventually kind of taken under the wing of the Cure's Robert Smith, who loved their music so much that the Twilight Sad has become the Cure's default opening band. But life hit Graham pretty hard over the past decade, with a seven-year stretch that included losing his mother to dementia and a bout of his own with mental illness. Graham eventually began writing songs about it, and the result is the first Twilight Sad record in seven years, called <a href="https://thetwilightsad.bandcamp.com/album/its-the-long-goodbye">It's The Long Goodbye</a>. It's not necessarily an easy listen, but it's worth it. Check out "Chest Wound to the Chest" <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmLePO7-FGA">right here</a>.
The other half of today's conversation is Rachel Goswell, best known as the singer of '90s shoegazers Slowdive. Slowdive had a pretty weird trajectory, coming up in the same scene that birthed My Bloody Valentine, Ride, and other big players, but never really getting their due back then. But history was justifiably kind to Slowdive, and they re-formed about 10 years ago, picking up a much younger fanbase in the process—theoretically thanks to TikTok and other social platforms. But Slowdive isn't just playing the nostalgia game: They've released vital new music in recent years, and their latest is 2023's <a href="https://slowdive.bandcamp.com/album/everything-is-alive">Everything is Alive</a>.
In this immediately intense conversation, Graham and Goswell talk at length about how they first got to know each other, about how they become different people on stage, and about their common bond, having both lost their mothers to dementia in recent years. Like I said, it can be intense, but I appreciate their sincerity and openness, and I hope you do too.
0:00 – Intro
2:19 – Start of the chat
3:40 – On how Rachel &amp; James met
4:55 – Staying healthy &amp; finding connection on tour
11:18 – On daily routines to cope with mental health challenges
14:06 – On musician personas &amp; enjoying tour prep
19:54 – On supporting each other while both their mothers had dementia, and the types of dementia
26:42 – On processing difficult memories &amp; mourning for the future
29:57 – On coping with their mothers' dementia during the pandemic
31:18 – On saying goodbye to their moms
33:17 – On living and working with grief
35:24 – On anxiety &amp; working on mental health
36:25 – On "active grieving"
38:42 – On realizing what matters about art after tragedy
40:21 – On finding hope through connecting with new audiences
Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to James Graham and Rachel Goswell for talking. If you liked what you heard, please <a href="https://pod.link/Talkhouse">follow Talkhouse</a> on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out all the great stuff at <a href="http://talkhouse.com">Talkhouse.com</a>. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!
Find more illuminating podcasts on the <a href="https://www.talkhouse.com/talkhouse-podcast-network/">⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠</a>.
Visit <a href="https://www.talkhouse.com/">⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠</a> to read essays, reviews, and more.
Follow @talkhouse on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/talkhouse">⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/talkhouse.bsky.social">⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://x.com/Talkhouse">⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://www.threads.net/@talkhouse">⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠</a>, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/talkhouse">⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠</a>.

<description>On this week's Talkhouse Podcast, we've got an intense conversation between two friends about loss, mental health, and more: It's James Graham and Rachel Goswell.

Graham is the singer and lyricist of the Scottish band the Twilight Sad, whose first full-length came out back in 2007, and who were part of a scene that included their friends in Frightened Rabbit and We Were Promised Jetpacks—the common thread being intense, emotional, heart-on-the-sleeve rock songs. They chugged along for a while there, making great records, and were eventually kind of taken under the wing of the Cure's Robert Smith, who loved their music so much that the Twilight Sad has become the Cure's default opening band. But life hit Graham pretty hard over the past decade, with a seven-year stretch that included losing his mother to dementia and a bout of his own with mental illness. Graham eventually began writing songs about it, and the result is the first Twilight Sad record in seven years, called It's The Long Goodbye. It's not necessarily an easy listen, but it's worth it. Check out "Chest Wound to the Chest" right here.

The other half of today's conversation is Rachel Goswell, best known as the singer of '90s shoegazers Slowdive. Slowdive had a pretty weird trajectory, coming up in the same scene that birthed My Bloody Valentine, Ride, and other big players, but never really getting their due back then. But history was justifiably kind to Slowdive, and they re-formed about 10 years ago, picking up a much younger fanbase in the process—theoretically thanks to TikTok and other social platforms. But Slowdive isn't just playing the nostalgia game: They've released vital new music in recent years, and their latest is 2023's Everything is Alive.

In this immediately intense conversation, Graham and Goswell talk at length about how they first got to know each other, about how they become different people on stage, and about their common bond, having both lost their mothers to dementia in recent years. Like I said, it can be intense, but I appreciate their sincerity and openness, and I hope you do too.

0:00 – Intro

2:19 – Start of the chat

3:40 – On how Rachel &amp; James met

4:55 – Staying healthy &amp; finding connection on tour

11:18 – On daily routines to cope with mental health challenges

14:06 – On musician personas &amp; enjoying tour prep

19:54 – On supporting each other while both their mothers had dementia, and the types of dementia

26:42 – On processing difficult memories &amp; mourning for the future

29:57 – On coping with their mothers' dementia during the pandemic

31:18 – On saying goodbye to their moms

33:17 – On living and working with grief

35:24 – On anxiety &amp; working on mental health

36:25 – On "active grieving"

38:42 – On realizing what matters about art after tragedy

40:21 – On finding hope through connecting with new audiences

Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to James Graham and Rachel Goswell for talking. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out all the great stuff at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!

Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠.
Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more.
Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠.</description>

 "If I was gonna write anything about this, it had to be 100% the truth and honest."

On this week's Talkhouse Podcast, we've got an intense conversation between two friends about loss, mental health, and more: It's James Graham and Rachel Goswell.

Graham is the singer and lyricist of the Scottish band the Twilight Sad, whose first full-length came out back in 2007, and who were part of a scene that included their friends in Frightened Rabbit and We Were Promised Jetpacks—the common thread being intense, emotional, heart-on-the-sleeve rock songs. They chugged along for a while there, making great records, and were eventually kind of taken under the wing of the Cure's Robert Smith, who loved their music so much that the Twilight Sad has become the Cure's default opening band. But life hit Graham pretty hard over the past decade, with a seven-year stretch that included losing his mother to dementia and a bout of his own with mental illness. Graham eventually began writing songs about it, and the result is the first Twilight Sad record in seven years, called It's The Long Goodbye. It's not necessarily an easy listen, but it's worth it. Check out "Chest Wound to the Chest" right here.

The other half of today's conversation is Rachel Goswell, best known as the singer of '90s shoegazers Slowdive. Slowdive had a pretty weird trajectory, coming up in the same scene that birthed My Bloody Valentine, Ride, and other big players, but never really getting their due back then. But history was justifiably kind to Slowdive, and they re-formed about 10 years ago, picking up a much younger fanbase in the process—theoretically thanks to TikTok and other social platforms. But Slowdive isn't just playing the nostalgia game: They've released vital new music in recent years, and their latest is 2023's Everything is Alive.

In this immediately intense conversation, Graham and Goswell talk at length about how they first got to know each other, about how they become different people on stage, and about their common bond, having both lost their mothers to dementia in recent years. Like I said, it can be intense, but I appreciate their sincerity and openness, and I hope you do too.

0:00 – Intro

2:19 – Start of the chat

3:40 – On how Rachel & James met

4:55 – Staying healthy & finding connection on tour

11:18 – On daily routines to cope with mental health challenges

14:06 – On musician personas & enjoying tour prep

19:54 – On supporting each other while both their mothers had dementia, and the types of dementia

26:42 – On processing difficult memories & mourning for the future

29:57 – On coping with their mothers' dementia during the pandemic

31:18 – On saying goodbye to their moms

33:17 – On living and working with grief

35:24 – On anxiety & working on mental health

36:25 – On "active grieving"

38:42 – On realizing what matters about art after tragedy

40:21 – On finding hope through connecting with new audiences

Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to James Graham and Rachel Goswell for talking. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out all the great stuff at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!

Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠.
Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more.
Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠.

James Graham (The Twilight Sad) with Rachel Goswell (Slowdive)

On this week’s excellent Talkhouse Podcast episode, we’ve got one of my favorite film directors in conversation with the vocalist of one of the last two decades most engaging bands—who also happened to appear in her latest movie. It’s Andrea Arnold and Jason Williamson.
Andrea Arnold is a visionary British filmmaker who doesn’t make movies very frequently, but she sure makes them count. Her first to really make a splash was 2009’s Fish Tank, a coming-of-age story—that’s a recurring theme—that was the first place I remember seeing Michael Fassbender. She’s since directed three more features: an adaptation of Wuthering Heights (though not the gaudy new one), the visceral American Honey, and last year’s magical <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y0iJkT97Jc">Bird</a>, which stars Barry Keoghan as the deadbeat working-class dad to newcomer Nykia Adams. It’s flown under the radar for sure, but please seek it out and let me know what you think. I loved it, and it’s got one of the greatest soundtracks you’ll hear all year, with Fontaines DC, Blur, and Sleaford Mods, which leads me to the other half of today’s conversation, Jason Williamson.
Williamson is the lyricist and vocalist—he doesn’t exactly sing—for Sleaford Mods, which has created an unforgettable, fully individual kind of post-punk for the past two decades, characterized by Williamson’s witty, confrontational words. Like Arnold, Williamson has roots in the working class, and his music offers an unvarnished reflection of those roots. When she got in touch with him about playing a small but important role in Bird, he admitted that he wasn’t familiar with her movies—but quickly became a fan. So he was in her movie, and she in return directed a video for the song “No Touch” from the latest Sleaford Mods album, <a href="https://sleafordmods.bandcamp.com/album/the-demise-of-planet-x">The Demise of Planet X</a>, which came out earlier this year. Check out that song <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1aeyshn5Z0">right here</a>.
In this open and generous chat, Arnold and Williamson talk about their shared backgrounds, about shooting Williamson's pivotal scene in Bird, and about Arnold’s career as a dancer and TV presenter for various BBC shows. I’m a fan of her work and I had no idea about this entirely different part of her career. Jason also reveals his unique post-show ritual, and laments—sort of—the fact that you can’t just simply get drunk anymore and hit people. Enjoy.
Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Jason Williamson and Andrea Arnold for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please <a href="https://pod.link/Talkhouse">follow Talkhouse</a> on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out <a href="http://talkhouse.com">Talkhouse.com</a> for all kinds of great written pieces and other podcasts in our network. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme was composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!
Find more illuminating podcasts on the <a href="https://www.talkhouse.com/talkhouse-podcast-network/">⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠</a>.
Visit <a href="https://www.talkhouse.com/">⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠</a> to read essays, reviews, and more.
Follow @talkhouse on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/talkhouse">⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/talkhouse.bsky.social">⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://x.com/Talkhouse">⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠</a>, <a href="https://www.threads.net/@talkhouse">⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠</a>, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/talkhouse">⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠</a>.

<description>On this week’s excellent Talkhouse Podcast episode, we’ve got one of my favorite film directors in conversation with the vocalist of one of the last two decades most engaging bands—who also happened to appear in her latest movie. It’s Andrea Arnold and Jason Williamson.

Andrea Arnold is a visionary British filmmaker who doesn’t make movies very frequently, but she sure makes them count. Her first to really make a splash was 2009’s Fish Tank, a coming-of-age story—that’s a recurring theme—that was the first place I remember seeing Michael Fassbender. She’s since directed three more features: an adaptation of Wuthering Heights (though not the gaudy new one), the visceral American Honey, and last year’s magical Bird, which stars Barry Keoghan as the deadbeat working-class dad to newcomer Nykia Adams. It’s flown under the radar for sure, but please seek it out and let me know what you think. I loved it, and it’s got one of the greatest soundtracks you’ll hear all year, with Fontaines DC, Blur, and Sleaford Mods, which leads me to the other half of today’s conversation, Jason Williamson.

Williamson is the lyricist and vocalist—he doesn’t exactly sing—for Sleaford Mods, which has created an unforgettable, fully individual kind of post-punk for the past two decades, characterized by Williamson’s witty, confrontational words. Like Arnold, Williamson has roots in the working class, and his music offers an unvarnished reflection of those roots. When she got in touch with him about playing a small but important role in Bird, he admitted that he wasn’t familiar with her movies—but quickly became a fan. So he was in her movie, and she in return directed a video for the song “No Touch” from the latest Sleaford Mods album, The Demise of Planet X, which came out earlier this year. Check out that song right here.

In this open and generous chat, Arnold and Williamson talk about their shared backgrounds, about shooting Williamson's pivotal scene in Bird, and about Arnold’s career as a dancer and TV presenter for various BBC shows. I’m a fan of her work and I had no idea about this entirely different part of her career. Jason also reveals his unique post-show ritual, and laments—sort of—the fact that you can’t just simply get drunk anymore and hit people. Enjoy.

Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Jason Williamson and Andrea Arnold for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out Talkhouse.com for all kinds of great written pieces and other podcasts in our network. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme was composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!

Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠.
Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more.
Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠.</description>

"I treat music like I used to treat substances or alcohol..."

On this week’s excellent Talkhouse Podcast episode, we’ve got one of my favorite film directors in conversation with the vocalist of one of the last two decades most engaging bands—who also happened to appear in her latest movie. It’s Andrea Arnold and Jason Williamson.

Andrea Arnold is a visionary British filmmaker who doesn’t make movies very frequently, but she sure makes them count. Her first to really make a splash was 2009’s Fish Tank, a coming-of-age story—that’s a recurring theme—that was the first place I remember seeing Michael Fassbender. She’s since directed three more features: an adaptation of Wuthering Heights (though not the gaudy new one), the visceral American Honey, and last year’s magical Bird, which stars Barry Keoghan as the deadbeat working-class dad to newcomer Nykia Adams. It’s flown under the radar for sure, but please seek it out and let me know what you think. I loved it, and it’s got one of the greatest soundtracks you’ll hear all year, with Fontaines DC, Blur, and Sleaford Mods, which leads me to the other half of today’s conversation, Jason Williamson.

Williamson is the lyricist and vocalist—he doesn’t exactly sing—for Sleaford Mods, which has created an unforgettable, fully individual kind of post-punk for the past two decades, characterized by Williamson’s witty, confrontational words. Like Arnold, Williamson has roots in the working class, and his music offers an unvarnished reflection of those roots. When she got in touch with him about playing a small but important role in Bird, he admitted that he wasn’t familiar with her movies—but quickly became a fan. So he was in her movie, and she in return directed a video for the song “No Touch” from the latest Sleaford Mods album, The Demise of Planet X, which came out earlier this year. Check out that song right here.

In this open and generous chat, Arnold and Williamson talk about their shared backgrounds, about shooting Williamson's pivotal scene in Bird, and about Arnold’s career as a dancer and TV presenter for various BBC shows. I’m a fan of her work and I had no idea about this entirely different part of her career. Jason also reveals his unique post-show ritual, and laments—sort of—the fact that you can’t just simply get drunk anymore and hit people. Enjoy.

Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Jason Williamson and Andrea Arnold for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out Talkhouse.com for all kinds of great written pieces and other podcasts in our network. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme was composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!

Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠.
Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more.
Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠.

Jason Williamson (Sleaford Mods) with Andrea Arnold

Your favorite musicians, filmmakers, and other creative minds one-on-one. No moderator, no script, no typical questions. The Talkhouse Podcast offers unique insights into creative work from all genres and generations. Explore more illuminating shows on the Talkhouse Podcast Network.

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