The Creative Asylum

Indie filmmakers are a special breed. What happens when a husband and wife and their two young daughters choose to ditch Hollywood and load everything into an RV to make movies entirely on their own terms? You get The Adams Family — no, not the ones that probably first comes to mind. Toby Poser, John Adams and their daughters Zelda and Lulu, have built one of the most fiercely independent filmmaking operations in the history of American cinema. Under their Wonder Wheel Productions banner, they literally handle every aspect of production themselves: writing, directing, acting, cinematography, editing, producing, costume design, practical special effects, drone operation, post-production and even original music. Much of the musical score uses music from their metal band, H6LLB6ND6R. If this doesn't fit under the idea of a Creative Asylum, I don't know what does. Beginning with their 2012 road-trip debut movie, Rumblestrips — shot out of an RV on a 20,000-mile cross-country odyssey with two young kids in tow — Toby and John have built an extensive filmography, one that is deeply revered in the world of DIY horror. Their titles include The Deeper You Dig, Hellbender (Shudder), Where the Devil Roams (a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes), Hell Hole, and their Fantasia Film Festival prize-winner, Mother of Flies, their most recent film at the time that this conversation was recorded.In this episode, Toby and John talk about their life as a self-taught, self-financed, fully DIY filmmaking family — from the organic chemistry of co-directing with your spouse and children, to the discipline of wearing every crew hat on set, to the raw, personal stories (including real-life illness and loss) that drive their work. We go deep on their evolution from indie drama to supernatural horror, the punk ethos that runs through every frame they shoot, and how building their own creative ecosystem — outside Hollywood, outside the rules, deep in the woods of the Catskill Mountains — has earned them a devoted cult following that grows deeper with every new film. If you have a fondness for independent filmmaking, DIY horror, family collaboration, practical special effects, or just stories about creative people who have no interest in waiting for permission from the established industry — this one's for you.

Before he ever put brush to canvas, Chet Zar was building monsters for Hollywood. Over a career spanning more than two decades, Zar worked as a makeup effects artist, sculptor, painter, digital effects artist, and creature designer, racking up credits on some of the most visually iconic films of his era — Hellboy I & II, The Ring I & II, X-Men 3, Planet of the Apes, and Men in Black II. He also served as special makeup effects supervisor for many of Tool's critically acclaimed music videos and created digital 3D visuals for the band's live performances. But Hollywood's endless compromises and creative politics took their toll — as Zar grew tired with the artistic concessions he was forced to make, he walked away from the film industry at age 33 to follow his bliss — and the art world has never been the same. What emerged from that leap of faith was something genuinely singular: empathetic oil paintings of monsters that invite viewers to connect with their own shadow sides — brooding, haunting, darkly beautiful portraits that speak to the fears and anxieties we all carry but rarely confront. His work has been exhibited alongside legends like H.R. Giger, Zdzisław Beksiński, and Clive Barker, and is held in the collections of Guillermo del Toro, Tool guitarist Adam Jones, and Jonathan Davis of Korn. His 2012 retrospective Black Magick: The Art of Chet Zar featured contributions from del Toro himself, cementing Zar's place as a true pillar of the dark art movement. Now, as founder of the Dark Art Society and host of its long-running podcast — a wide-ranging conversation series covering dark art, literature, film, music, philosophy, paranormal experiences, and the occult — Zar has become one of the genre's most vital voices. Don't miss this deep dive into the mind of a man who turned Hollywood's nightmares into his own visual masterpieces. Like, subscribe, and follow us for more conversations with the artists who dare to go to the fantastic new places.

Some artists make music. Some make art. Jon Langford makes history — and then records it and paints it. Born in Newport, Wales, Langford studied Fine Art at Leeds University alongside future members of Gang of Four — and has spent nearly five decades proving that punk, country, folk as a founding member of the legendary Leeds punk band the Mekons.Founded in 1977, the Mekons became one of the last original punk bands to remain continuously active, producing a string of critically acclaimed albums including Fear and Whiskey (1985), The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll (1989), Curse of the Mekons (1991), and I Love Mekons (1993) — records soaked in leftist politics, whiskey-stained wit, and an egalitarian chaos that made them one of the most fiercely beloved cult bands on the planet. Their relentless experimentation brought them a devoted following, as their extensive discography ranges across punk, folk, country, reggae and artful pastiches that combine all of the above. After relocating to Chicago in the early 1990s, Langford co-founded the country-punk Waco Brothers, became a cornerstone of the Bloodshot Records scene, and launched the Pine Valley Cosmonauts — a revolving cast of Chicago musicians who backed Langford and others — cementing his reputation as the godfather of Chicago's alt-country underground. But Jon Langford's story doesn't stop at the edge of the stage. Since moving to Chicago, he has become increasingly celebrated as a visual artist, exhibiting regularly at Yard Dog Folk Art Gallery and in galleries around the world. His paintings — eerie, accomplished works featuring blindfolded cowboys, skeletal country singers, and haunting depictions of Hank Williams as a Saint Sebastian-like martyr — have shown across the city, the country, and internationally, earning him recognition in both the fine art and music worlds that few artists in either sphere can claim. His artwork appears on album covers, book covers, and even Dogfish Head Brewery beer bottle labels. Using the pen name Chuck Death, Jon has also drawn the long-running syndicated comic strip Great Pop Things, a wickedly sharp satire of rock and roll history. Most recently, his collaboration with the Bright Shiners — a project with John Szymanski, Tamineh Gueramy, and Alice Spencer — has produced Where It Really Starts, widely regarded as some of his finest songwriting to date. In this episode, the Welsh rabble-rouser, punk pioneer, and painter extraordinaire pulls back the curtain on a career that has never once played it safe. It's a delightful catching up from one of punk rock's most mindful thinkers.

Are you a fan of comics? When I first discovered Love and Rockets, it was an absolute revelation, so getting to have a conversation with Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez — the legendary Los Angeles-based brothers behind Love and Rockets, one of the most celebrated and enduring comic book series in American literary history, needless to say I was deeply honored and excited to get to speak with both brothers together.Since self-publishing their first issue in 1981 which led to an immediate deal with Fantagraphics Books, the brothers have spent over four decades crafting two richly parallel worlds: Gilbert's mythic, multi-generational tales set in the fictional Latin American village of Palomar, and Jaime's deeply intimate portraits of Chicano punk life in Southern California, centered on the iconic characters Maggie and Hopey. What makes their work truly extraordinary is how it shattered the conventions of the medium — trading superhero spectacle for magic realism, soap opera depth, feminist themes, and honest, groundbreaking portrayals of Latinx, queer, and working-class life at a time when such stories were areas not covered in the comics medium.What has made Love and Rockets timeless is its radical humanity. The characters age in real time across decades of storytelling, accumulating the kind of emotional weight and complexity rarely achieved even in literary fiction. Rooted in the DIY spirit of the California punk scene that shaped them, Gilbert and Jaime have always followed their own instincts — using their remarkable draftsmanship not for mainstream spectacle, but in service of honest, deeply felt human stories.Rolling Stone ranked Love and Rockets the greatest non-superhero graphic novel of all time, and it has influenced generations of cartoonists, writers, and filmmakers worldwide. Whether you're a lifelong fan of L&R or discovering Los Bros Hernandez for the very first time, this conversation is a masterclass in artistic integrity, cultural storytelling, and the enduring power of comics as literature.

There are few things more thrilling than getting to have a conversation with one of your musical heroes from your own musican youth. In this episode, a conversation with David J — bassist, songwriter, producer, poet, and one of the true architects of post-punk and gothic rock. As a co-founder of Bauhaus, David helped create one of the most influential and groundbreaking bands of the late 1970s and early '80s. He later went on with fellow Bauhaus members Daniel Ash and David Haskins in the formation of Love and Rockets, an equally important band that fused psychedelia, alternative rock, pop, and underground cool beyond words. David J has also built a rich solo career, releasing a catalog of music that explores everything from cabaret and spoken word to avant-garde rock, noir balladry, and intimate pop infused songwriting.David J’s creative life extends far beyond the bass however: He's carved out an impressive body of work as a producer, writer, playwright, and director, bringing the same imagination and outsider spirit to every medium he touches. If you’re into post-punk, goth rock, Bauhaus, Love and Rockets, alternative music, music production, artist interviews, and epitome of "cool," this episode is for you.

Have you ever asked yourself what is the purpose of art and creativity in our lives? Dutch artist, novelist, and activist Adriaanse (Bette A.) has spent her career asking exactly that question — and living the answers both in her day-to-day life as well as in the book that she collaborated with Brian Eno on, "What Art Does: An Unfinished Theory." Born in Amsterdam and trained at the Rietveld Art Academy, Bette studied Image and Language before going on to earn a Master's in Creative Writing at Oxford, writing and publishing novels in both English and Dutch. Her work spans fiction, visual art, creative systems and teaching about the poetic possibilities of process itself. Her thinking is united by a idea that creativity belongs to everyone, and that you do not have to be an "artist" to live a creative life. In other words, Bette believes there is no meaningful difference between a grandmother deliberating over which colors of wool to pick for a knitting project and a professional artist showing work in a museum. Her recent short story collection Slow Stories (written and rewritten pieces that were plucked from over two decades of her creativity) were the basis for TWO SLOW STORIES: A Collaboration of Storytelling, Music, and Art, a record featuring the music of Brian Eno and two re-imagined stories from that book narrated by Bette herself.Eno and Adriaanse's shared creative approach is deeply process-oriented rather than goal-oriented — spontaneous, present, and unafraid of not knowing where things are heading. In this episode, Bette reflects on both collaborations, what she and Eno discovered about each other's artistic instincts, and why she believes that attuning yourself to something slow and non-urgent is, in today's world, a radical act.

She screamed "Everything's fine!" through the MTV universe of 1996, and the world screamed it right back. Tracy Bonham is today's guest on the Creative Asylum. A classically trained violinist, a two-time Grammy nominee, and the singular force behind the era-defining alt-rock anthem "Mother Mother," the lead track on her major label debut The Burdens of Being Upright, Bonham is an artist who refused to allow the downsides of major label meat-grinder to define who she would be as an artist."Mother Mother" topped the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart in June 1996, making Bonham the first female solo artist to achieve that feat. She that held that distinction for 17 years until Lorde came along. Bonham's major label success was relatively short-lived however: She was dropped after the release of her sophomore release, but that hardly kept her from maintaining her creative drive, with a solo career spanning six studio albums, from Blink the Brightest to Modern Burdens — her feminist reimagining of The Burdens of Being Upright featuring an all-star lineup of female voices, an album that made Rolling Stone's Top 50 Albums of 2017.In this episode, Tracy talks about her prolific solo career after the majors, including her evolution as a music educator and her delightful and unexpected creative pivot: Young Maestros Vol. 1, a children's music album released in 2021 — a music education project blending original songs with curriculum inspired by Schoolhouse Rock and Sesame Street.From headlining Lilith Fair to touring arenas as a featured violinist and vocalist with Blue Man Group, Tracy Bonham has spent three decades proving she was always much more than a one-hit wonder. This is a conversation about artistic reinvention, independence, and the long game of a life in music for anybody who sees their creative path as one that has no end.

Tough, sultry and fearless, Gina Gershon took an instance of cult infamy and transformed it into a celebration of cinema, sometimes gritty and always distinctly her own. Gershon is a true Hollywood original, with a career spanning literal decades with an iconic filmography that includes Showgirls, Bound, Face/Off, The Insider and The Player, one of my personal favorites from the iconoclastic director Robert Altman. She has acted in films with a remarkable roster of other legendary directors including John Sayles, the Wachowskis in their incredible directorial debut, Bound, William Friedkin, John Woo and Paul Verhoeven in the aforementioned cult classic, Showgirls. On Broadway, she played Sally Bowles in Sam Mendes' celebrated revival of Cabaret and has performed at Carnegie Hall on three separate occasions. Hell, she's even fronted a rock bank with Girls Against Boys backing her up on tour!Her new memoir, AlphaPussy: How I Survived the Valley and Learned to Love My Boobs, published by Akashic Books, is drawn from her 40+ years navigating Hollywood, the San Fernando Valley, and the minefield of being a woman with strong opinions in an industry full of people who'd probably prefer she didn't have them.AlphaPussy plunges readers into her 1970s SoCal childhood, her occasionally defiant adolescence and the hard word that it took to develop her impressive career. Dealing with themes of manipulation, survival, and moving around and being able to stand on your own two feet, the AlphaPussy philosophy is about personal agency — being calm, confident, speaking your truth, and not looking away — a mantra forged in the fire of the belly of the Hollywood beast. In this episode, Gina brings her frank wit, down-to-earth warmth and honest candor to a conversation you absolutely do not want to miss.