The Creative Asylum Podcast

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.

Tracy Bonham - EP219 - The Creative Asylum

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. * * * * 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.

Gina Gershon - EP218 - The Creative Asylum

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. * * * * 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.

Dave Catching (Rancho de la Luna) - EP217 - The Creative Asylum

In this episode, I have a conversation with with Dave Catching — legendary Joshua Tree musician, producer/engineer, and one of the key figures behind the evolution of the desert rock sound. Best known for his work at the legendary Rancho de la Luna, Dave has helped create music with Queens of the Stone Age (who he was an original member of), Eagles of Death Metal, Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkeys, Iggy Pop, Mark Lanegan, and so many more. As the man behind one of the more mythic recording spaces in rock music, Dave has played a major role in shaping the sound and spirit of music created in the California desert. Dave’s resume is an impressive one - he was a core creative presence and engineer in the legendary Desert Sessions and is a longtime member of Eagles of Death Metal. In this conversation, we talk about the history of Rancho de la Luna and the creative magic that has made Joshua Tree one of the most important underground music destinations of the last 30 years. If you’re into QOTSA, Josh Homme, Desert Sessions, stoner rock, alternative rock, producer interviews and behind-the-scenes music history, you're gonna love this one.  * * * * 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.

Margaret Cho - EP216 - The Creative Asylum

This is the first time we've had a comic in the Creative Asylum, and I'm still delighted with who it's with! In this episode I got to have a conversation with the unstoppable Margaret Cho — comedian, actor, writer, musician, activist, LGBTQIA+ icon, feminist firestarter, and one of the few people in American comedy who has never once mistaken “polite” as necessary tool for acceptance in a world full of intolerance. For decades, Cho has been dragging hypocrisy, bigotry, misogyny, racism, homophobia, and spot-on crassness into the light with the kind of fearlessness that made her a legend long before most comics learned how to fake being edgy as a career choice. From her groundbreaking sitcom All-American Girl to her era-defining stand-up specials, film and television work, music, books, and fearless political commentary, Margaret has built one of the boldest and most influential careers in comedy. In this conversation, we dive deep into the "awful" of the Trump regime, because let's face it: their clown car of cruelty, corruption, and fascist cosplay needs to be met head-on with resistance, and as Margaret mentions, "comedy is hope." Margaret Cho has spent years using comedy as a weapon - against Trumpism, MAGA fanaticism, white grievance theater, attacks on women’s rights, and the nonstop demonization of immigrants, queer people, and anyone else inconvenient to the authoritarian imagination. We discuss comedy as a form of resistance, rage as fuel and her latest tour, CHOligarchy. On her website, Cho describes the show as her most politically pointed in years, and that tracks — because if America is going to keep free-falling into authoritarianism, we need to be part of the resistance against its most vicious intent. If you’re a fan of political comedy, feminist comedy, queer comedy, anti-Trump comedy, or comedians who still have a spine, this is a conversation that you do not want to miss.  * * * * 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.