David Leaf on Brian Wilson, SMiLE & The Beach Boys

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David Leaf on Brian Wilson, SMiLE & The Beach Boys In this episode of Drinking During Business Hours, Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler welcome back acclaimed writer, filmmaker, and UCLA professor David Leaf for a funny, wide-ranging, and surprisingly moving conversation about music, storytelling, teaching, and his deeply personal friendship with Brian Wilson. What starts with mocktails and comedy banter turns into a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at Pet Sounds, SMiLE, The Beatles, and what it really means to devote your life to great art.David shares how he moved to Los Angeles determined to write about Brian Wilson, how that dream eventually led him into Wilson's inner circle, and why helping bring SMiLE back to life became one of the defining missions of his career. He also talks about teaching legendary UCLA music courses, the "four Ds of success," documentary filmmaking, movie scores, and why the emotional power of music matters more than technical theory. Guest Info David Leaf is an award-winning writer, director, producer, and one of the most respected chroniclers of The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson. He is the author of The Beach Boys and the California Myth, God Only Knows, and SMiLE: The Rise, Fall & Resurrection of Brian Wilson. He also teaches at UCLA, where he leads acclaimed classes on The Beatles, songwriting, and music documentaries. https://www.leafprod.com/latest-1 Guest Social Links * Website: leafprod.com [https://leafprod.com/] * Instagram: @davidleafwriter [https://www.instagram.com/davidleafwriter/] * Facebook: David Leaf [https://www.facebook.com/david.leaf.104855/] Drink of the Podcast Molto Bene Ginger Beer Mocktail Sarah and Rich sip an alcohol-free mocktail built around Molto Bene ginger beer, while also shouting out San Benedetto, the Italian water brand behind it. They discuss why they love alcohol-free options, sparkling water, and beverages with no sodium making this one of the more mocktail-forward episodes of the show. https://www.genspark.ai/api/files/s/suOYccS7 Chapters 00:58 What they're drinking: Molto Bene ginger beer mocktails 04:59 Introducing return guest David Leaf 06:33 California drought talk, comedy, and desert living 09:42 David on life, relationships, and long engagements 11:39 Teaching at UCLA and why students don't read 18:54 The Beatles, Yoko Ono, and music storytelling 20:15 David's move to L.A. to write about Brian Wilson 22:16 The accidental rise of The Beach Boys 24:03 David's "four Ds of success" 27:20 Movie scores, composers, and how music shapes film 31:43 David's new book: SMiLE: The Rise, Fall & Resurrection of Brian Wilson 35:15 Pet Sounds, Good Vibrations, and the collapse of SMiLE 41:54 Helping Brian Wilson finally complete SMiLE 48:40 Writing process, oral history, and preserving music history 55:08 Where to find David Leaf online 59:14 Host plugs, thank-yous, and sponsor shout-outs Call to Action If you loved this episode, make sure to like, comment, subscribe, and share Drinking During Business Hours on YouTube. Follow Sarah Halstead, Rich Chassler, and David Leaf for more comedy, music stories, behind-the-scenes entertainment talk, and future episodes with incredible guests. And if you're a fan of Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, or great music documentaries, this is an episode you'll want to revisit. https://www.genspark.ai/api/files/s/suOYccS7 Host Links FOLLOW US ON SOCIALS! Sarah IG @sarahhalstead https://www.instagram.com/sarahhalstead/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/sarahhalstead/?hl=en] FB @sarahjhalsteadcomic https://www.facebook.com/sarahjhalsteadcomic/ [https://www.facebook.com/sarahjhalsteadcomic/] X @sarahjhalstead https://twitter.com/sarahjhalstead [https://twitter.com/sarahjhalstead] Website @SarahHalstead [https://instagram.com/sarahhalstead] | sarahjhalstead.com [https://sarahjhalstead.com/] Rich IG @richchassler https://www.instagram.com/richchassler/ [https://www.instagram.com/richchassler/] FB @chasslerfans https://www.facebook.com/Chasslerfans/ [https://www.facebook.com/Chasslerfans/] X @richchassler https://x.com/richchassler [https://x.com/richchassler] Website richardchassler.com [https://richardchassler.com/] https://richardchassler.com/ 📧 drinkingduringbusinesshours@gmail.com 🎧 Please rate & review the podcast on your favorite platform it helps more than you know! Podcast * Apple Podcasts: Drinking During Business Hours [https://podcasts.apple.com/dk/podcast/drinking-during-business-hours-with-sarah-halstead/id1273935631] * Spotify: Drinking During Business Hours [https://open.spotify.com/show/3EdszkVArwM4JvBBeLUL7T] #DavidLeaf #BrianWilson #TheBeachBoys #SmileAlbum #PetSounds #TheBeatles #SarahHalstead #RichChassler #MusicHistory #ComedyPodcast #EntertainmentPodcast #RockAndRoll #PodcastClips #YouTubePodcast

She Did Fallon While Raising Twin Boys?! | Jessica Keenan on Comedy, Motherhood & Chaos

She Did Fallon While Raising Twin Boys?! | Jessica Keenan on Comedy, Motherhood & Chaos In this episode of Drinking During Business Hours, Sarah Halstead and Rich Chassler welcome comedian, writer, actress, mother, and now homeowner Jessica Keenan for a hilarious and refreshingly honest conversation about stand-up comedy, motherhood, ambition, marriage, wine, and trying to keep your identity intact while juggling all of it. The episode opens with a playful conversation about launching the show on YouTube, dealing with comments online, and a passionate breakdown of the featured wine before the hosts bring Jessica into the mix. Once Jessica joins the conversation, the episode quickly becomes one of those classic Drinking During Business Hours hangs where funny stories and real talk bounce off each other effortlessly. Jessica talks about recently moving closer to the clubs after years of brutal driving, her husband's finance job at a wire manufacturing company, her roots in Las Vegas, and how speech and debate helped shape the performer she would eventually become. She also gets into how she fell in love with stand-up, why classes helped her commit to the craft, and how chasing that first great set feels a lot like gambling. https://www.genspark.ai/api/files/s/b2H1n5BI The conversation gets even richer when Jessica opens up about being a comedian with identical twin boys, balancing life on the road with motherhood, and how comedy fits into family life. Sarah, Rich, and Jessica also dive into the realities of women in comedy, late-night TV pressure, outfit panic before The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, hair and makeup anxiety, true crime obsession, sleep habits, and the strange overlap between ambition and everyday chaos. It is funny, candid, and full of the kind of chemistry that makes this podcast feel like being at the table with them. https://www.genspark.ai/api/files/s/b2H1n5BI Guest Info Jessica Keenan is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actress who has performed in high-profile comedy rooms across Los Angeles and beyond. In this episode, Sarah and Rich talk with Jessica about her comedy journey since starting stand-up in 2012, her background in speech and debate, her experience performing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and what it means to stay active and relevant in comedy while raising young twin boys. https://www.genspark.ai/api/files/s/b2H1n5BI Jessica comes across as sharp, self-aware, grounded, and seriously funny. She talks openly about the hustle of the business, the importance of balance, and why she never wanted comedy to become the kind of life that prevented her from actually living. That perspective gives this episode a really strong center beneath all the jokes. Guest Social Links Jessica Keenan … https://www.jkeenancomedy.com/ [https://www.jkeenancomedy.com/] Instagram: @jkeenancomedy … https://www.instagram.com/jkeenancomedy/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/jkeenancomedy/?hl=en] Website: jkeenancomedy.com [https://www.jkeenancomedy.com/] … https://www.jkeenancomedy.com/ [https://www.jkeenancomedy.com/] Drink of the Podcast Sangiovese from Tuscany, Italy This week's featured wine is a Sangiovese from Tuscany, Italy. Sarah describes it as transparent in color, Pinot Noir-like at first glance, but unmistakably Sangiovese once you taste it and see the orange rim. She highlights its beautiful red fruit profile, darker brooding undertones from age, and the fact that it works both with food and on its own. The hosts even joke that it is light enough to enjoy with an ice cube by the pool. The producer and vintage are not stated in the episode. https://www.genspark.ai/api/files/s/b2H1n5BI Chapters 00:00 Welcome back and YouTube channel shoutout 01:56 The reality of comments, haters, and playing to camera 02:08 Wine intro: Sangiovese from Tuscany, Italy 03:50 Why good bottles should be opened now, not saved forever 04:35 Introducing Jessica Keenan 08:14 Moving closer to the clubs and years of brutal LA driving 09:48 Jessica's husband, finance, and the mysterious smell of wire 15:24 Comedy rooms, lineups, and women in stand-up 15:38 How Jessica got started in stand-up and speech/debate roots 26:04 Motherhood, identical twin boys, and balancing comedy with family life 35:03 Marriage, dating comics, and finding the right partner 35:13 Jessica's Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon story 39:11 The pressure of outfits, hair, makeup, and late-night TV presentation 48:44 Sleep habits, meditation music, and true crime at bedtime 54:43 Twin boys, attention, and whether the kids inherited the funny 57:43 Where to follow Jessica, Sarah, Rich, and subscribe to the show's YouTube https://www.genspark.ai/api/files/s/b2H1n5BI Call to Action If you loved this episode, make sure you subscribe to the Drinking During Business Hours YouTube channel, give the episode a thumbs up, and leave a comment telling Sarah and Rich what you thought preferably a good one, as they jokingly note at the top of the episode. You can also follow Jessica Keenan on Instagram and keep up with her live dates on her website. https://www.genspark.ai/api/files/s/b2H1n5BI If this episode hit for you, share it with a friend who loves stand-up comedy, parenting chaos, late-night TV stories, wine talk, and unfiltered conversations. https://www.genspark.ai/api/files/s/b2H1n5BI FOLLOW US ON SOCIALS! YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DrinkingDuringBusinessHours Sarah IG @sarahhalstead https://www.instagram.com/sarahhalstead/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/sarahhalstead/?hl=en] FB @sarahjhalsteadcomic https://www.facebook.com/sarahjhalsteadcomic/ [https://www.facebook.com/sarahjhalsteadcomic/] X @sarahjhalstead https://twitter.com/sarahjhalstead [https://twitter.com/sarahjhalstead] Website @SarahHalstead [https://instagram.com/sarahhalstead] | sarahjhalstead.com [https://sarahjhalstead.com/] Rich IG @richchassler https://www.instagram.com/richchassler/ [https://www.instagram.com/richchassler/] FB @chasslerfans https://www.facebook.com/Chasslerfans/ [https://www.facebook.com/Chasslerfans/] X @richchassler https://x.com/richchassler [https://x.com/richchassler] Website richardchassler.com [https://richardchassler.com/] https://richardchassler.com/ 📧 drinkingduringbusinesshours@gmail.com 🎧 Please rate & review the podcast on your favorite platform — it helps more than you know! #DrinkingDuringBusinessHours #JessicaKeenan #JKeenanComedy #SarahHalstead #RichChassler #ComedyPodcast #StandUpComedy #WomenInComedy#MomComedian #TwinMom #JimmyFallon #TonightShow #WineAndComedy #YouTubePodcast #ComedianInterview

22. kesä 202659 min

David Leaf on Brian Wilson, SMiLE & The Beach Boys

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