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Episode 666: Richard Metzger

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Magick Show bills itself as a “masterclass in modern occultism.” It’s hard to argue with the tagline. Richard Metzger is in his element interviewing dozens of experts on different aspects of the occult, in a bid to contextualize the centuries-old phenomenon for the modern moment. Metzger is the man for the job. At the turn of the century, he served as the host of UK interview show, Disinformation. The series gave rise to his first book, Disinformation: The Interviews, followed soon after by The Book of Lies: The Disinformation Guide to Magick and the Occult. For the past decade-and-a-half, Metzger has served as the cofounder and editor-in-chief of culture blog, Dangerous Minds. Transcript available here.

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  • Episode 671: Sean "Grasshopper" Mackowiak (Mercury Rev)

    37:15|
    Jet lag is a drag, leaving Sean "Grasshopper" Mackowiak at a decided disadvantage during our conversation. Mercury Rev just got back from Australia, but the veteran guitarist happily powers through. It's just one of those annoying things that one grapples with, being one of two consistent members of a globe trotting band for the last 35 years. Grasshopper's answers are thoughtful and engaged, as we wade through Mercury Rev's celebrated history.

  • Episode 670: Maria Bamford and Scott Marvel Cassidy

    41:30|
    Her coauthor and husband, Scott Marvel Cassidy, is at the dentist for an emergency root canal, so Maria Bamford and I push ahead. Decades after establishing herself as one of standup's sharpest -- and funniest minds -- she's trying her hand at yet another medium. In June, Fantagraphics released Hogbook and Laser Eyes, a collaboration between Bamford and Marvel Cassidy that recounts their meeting, marriage and lives through the eyes of their beloved elderly rescue pugs. Transcript available here.

  • Episode 669: Jack Grisham (TSOL)

    55:48|
    A-Side Graffiti includes, among other things, a surprisingly faithful cover of Dr. Frank N. Furter's "Sweet Transvestite." The song finds Jack Grisham dueting with fellow So. Cal. punk legend, Keith Morris. TSOL's career has been surprising, above all. Ever the consummate showman and raconteur, Grisham presided over the group's initial shift from hardcore to gothic rock, before exiting the band in 1983. By the turn of the millennium, he had returned to the fold. Outside the band, Grisham has maintained several other fascinating careers, as a writer, filmmaker and 2003 California gubernatorial candidate. Transcript available here.

  • Episode 668: Buddy Bradley Returns (with Peter Bagge)

    42:30|
    [Apologies for poor audio quality on my end. Technical difficulties suck]Hate returns. So, too, does Peter Bagge. The cartoonist has joined us several times over the years. This time he's back to talk Hate Revisited, a return to form that reunites him with Buddy Bradley, Lisa and the rest of the crew in the modern day -- save for Stinky, that is. Poor, poor Stinky. Transcript available here.

  • Episode 667: Yoni Wolf (of Why)

    39:34|
    A new album on a new label, The Well I Fell Into is a chance to consider and process the old and – hopefully – move on. A breakup album of sorts, Why’s eighth finds frontman Yoni Wolf processing the end of a years-long relationship. As relationships go, however, Why has been remarkably long lived and fruitful. After beginning life as a solo act in the mid-90s, Why became a full-fledged group in 2004, whose core remains 20 years later. Transcript available here.

  • Episode 665: Duglas Stewart (BMX Bandits)

    48:16|
    Dreamers On The Run marks BMX Bandits' 12th LP since the group was founded in the mid-80s. The record finds Duglas Stewart expanding his musical ambitions a 10 years after he began work on the project. The intervening decade was difficult on both Stewart and the world at large, making this latest release a true triumph for one of Scotland's most enduring indie pop acts.

  • Episode 664: Brendan Canty (Messthetics, Fugazi)

    52:23|
    During our conversation, Brendan Canty makes it clear that he has no interest in revisiting the past. It's not bad blood. If anything, it's his continued relationship with his former Fugazi bandmates that keeps the band from doing the reunion thing. They simply like each other too much. Case in point, the The Messthetics, which reunites the drummer with bassist Joe Lally. The group's latest finds the trio joining forces with saxophonist James Brandon Lewis for a fantastic new LP that wholly embraces jazz.

  • Episode 663: Brent Rademaker (of Beachwood Sparks)

    01:00:56|
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