Jon Langford (Artist, Mekons) - EP224 - The Creative Asylum

Jon Langford (Artist, Mekons) - EP224 - The Creative Asylum

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. * * * * PLEASE FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Website: https://www.TheCApod.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCApod/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CreativeAsylumCA/ ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Jarboe - EP223 - The Creative Asylum

Few artists have left as indelible a mark on experimental and avant-garde music as Jarboe. She rose to prominence as a core member of the legendary New York experimental rock band Swans in 1985, remaining one of the group's two constant members alongside founder Michael Gira until their dissolution in 1997. During that era, her presence on acknowledged Swans classics like Children of God (1987), White Light from the Mouth of Infinity (1991) and Soundtracks for the Blind (1996) had a profound impact on the evolution of their sound — helping steer the band from its punishing noise-rock origins toward something far more vast, haunting, and transcendent. Her contributions to Swans and her solo work combined amount to more than 80 albums, a staggering body of work spanning industrial, darkwave, experimental, goth and avant-ethereal music that has influenced an entire generation of fans and musicians . Beyond Swans, Jarboe has built one of the most fearless and expansive solo catalogs in contemporary experimental music. Albums like Sacrificial Cake (1995) explore themes of spirituality, identity, and physicality, while Anhedoniac (1998) serves as an elegiac reckoning with her Swans experience, and Mahakali (2008) a collection of songs devoted to the Hindu deity Kali, an intense, sometimes meditative and an ultimately sobering assault that consolidates beauty with devastation..  Jarboe has also released celebrated collaborations, including a landmark album with experimental metal band Neurosis in 2003. At the heart of everything Jarboe creates is a radical philosophy of art-making: she describes herself as "an artist working in sound and voice" rather than strictly a musician, and speaks of her work in terms of "portals" — immersive experiences designed to dissolve the boundary between artist and audience. As she reflects, "The power and energy that you feel, the totality of creating a world and controlling that world — that is also a tremendous pleasure." In this episode, we go deep into the life, art, and uncompromising vision of one of music's most singular voices.  ========================== Jarboe on the Web: https://thelivingjarboe.com Jarboe on Bandcamp: https://jarboe1.bandcamp.com BUY Sightings (Vinyl) on AMZ: https://amzn.to/48ZHvoK * * * * PLEASE FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Website: https://www.TheCApod.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCApod/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CreativeAsylumCA/ ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez (Love & Rockets) - EP222 - The Creative Asylum

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. * * * * PLEASE FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Website: https://www.TheCApod.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCApod/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CreativeAsylumCA/ ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

David J (Bauhaus, Love & Rockets) - EP221 - The Creative Asylum

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. * * * * PLEASE FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Website: https://www.TheCApod.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCApod/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CreativeAsylumCA/ ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Bette A. (Slow Stories) - EP220- The Creative Asylum

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. * * * * PLEASE FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Website: https://www.TheCApod.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCApod/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CreativeAsylumCA/ ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.