Nobody's Ever Asked Me That: David Dastmalchian

Lido Pimienta with Ora Cogan

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast we’ve got a pair of songwriters who currently call Canada home, but whose music and backgrounds come from intriguingly different places: Lido Pimienta and Ora Cogan. Lido Pimienta is an incredibly thoughtful, thoroughly outspoken musician/artist who was born in Colombia and whose music takes inspiration from there and a dozen other places. She released her first record in 2010, but it was 2016’s experimental-leaning La Papessa [https://lidopimienta.bandcamp.com/album/la-papessa] that won her both the prestigious Polaris Music Prize and a bigger batch of listeners inspired by her activism and genre-jumping. The laziest comparison might be Björk, so take that for what it’s worth. Pimienta’s latest album is last year’s stirring, strange, and gorgeous La Belleza. Check out the minimal song “Mango” right here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_7jJYqhzTE]. The music made by the other person in today’s conversation, Ora Cogan, comes from a different sonic place but I think a similar emotional one. Cogan’s new album Hard Hearted Woman [https://oracogan.bandcamp.com/album/hard-hearted-woman] takes old-school West Coast singer-songwriter vibes and adds a bit of modern indie-psych edge. I hear influences like Joni Mitchell and Sharon van Etten bubbling under, but there’s something a little darker happening in Cogan’s songs that’s hard to put a finger on but a pleasure to hear. She’s finishing up a West Coast US tour at the moment that will end back home in British Columbia, so check her out if you can, and in the meantime, check out the song “The Smoke” from Hard Hearted Woman right here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvtfLgLAwwc]. In this lively conversation, Pimienta and Cogan talk about coffee, Canada, and Pimienta’s recent career reset. They also talk about the increasing difficulties of making art in the modern economy, something we’ve heard from other guests recently as well. But they don’t let it get them down—enjoy this chat and their positive energy. 0:00 — Intro 2:46 — Start of conversation 3:29 — On coffee, productivity, fast food, and sugar 6:40 — On “road snacks” and favorite foods while touring abroad 8:00 — On fiddling and Irish and Scottish folk music 10:04 — On safety while crossing borders and making tour travel plans 10:53 — On the importance of music, creativity, and connection today 14:18 — On the contrast between spirituality and the music business 17:23 — On fame and realistic expectations for musicians 21:36 — On Lida’s music and how her culture influenced her style 26:13 — On finding connection through art, beauty, and sharing culture 28:20 — On authenticity and gatekeeping in art 29:43 — On the connections between wealth, commercialization, and the importance of real art and experience 31:46 — On raising children in a consumerist world, and introducing them to art and culture Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Lido Pimienta and Ora Cogan for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse [https://pod.link/Talkhouse] on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out all the great chats and writing and Talkhouse.com [http://talkhouse.com]. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time! Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.talkhouse.com/talkhouse-podcast-network/]. Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.talkhouse.com/] to read essays, reviews, and more. Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/talkhouse], ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠ [https://bsky.app/profile/talkhouse.bsky.social], ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠ [https://x.com/Talkhouse], ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.threads.net/@talkhouse], and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/talkhouse].

Mei Semones with John Roseboro

This week’s Talkhouse Podcast features a conversation between two ridiculously talented young songwriter/guitarists in the early days of what will surely be interesting careers: Mei Semones and John Roseboro. Semones famously found her passion for guitar by watching the “Johnny B. Goode” scene in Back to the Future, which led her to music school and the kind of genre-spanning passion that feels refreshingly unfiltered. Sometimes she’ll play delicate, jazz-inflected acoustic songs while singing in Japanese; the next minute it’s more familiar indie-pop that adds a bit of bossa nova or some shredding. The fact that it doesn’t make sense is what makes it make sense, if you get what I mean. Semones was a big hit at this year’s experimental-leaning Big Ears Festival, and she’s also got a big social media following—that’s an odd crossover, or at least I think it is. Next week she’ll open a string of shows for American Football on the west coast before heading down to charm Australia. Her first full-length was last year’s Animaru [https://meisemones.bandcamp.com/album/animaru], and she followed it recently with an EP called Kurage [https://meisemones.bandcamp.com/album/kurage], which includes a song made with today’s other guest, John Roseboro. Roseboro has called his music “post-Bossa Nova” or sometimes just “post-Bossa,” but that only tells part of the story. He’s a thoughtful, observant lyricist who’s great at building a vibe and then taking it to unexpected places. Like Semones, he lives in Brooklyn, though he ended up there via a strange route that took him to mortuary school and some time among the Amish. His latest full-length is 2024’s Fools [https://johnroseboro.bandcamp.com/album/fools], but since then he’s released a charming cover of the classic “Close To You” that removes a lot of the cheese associated with various other versions over the years. He also collaborated with Semones on a track from her EP that recounts a story of his lost tooth and a meeting on a subway platform. Check out that song, “Tooth Fairy,” right here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hh1WhFpib8]. In this charming, relentlessly laid-back conversation, Semones and Roseboro—who are good friends, as you’ll be able to tell—hit each other with questions that lead everywhere from what food they like on the road to the magic of music. Succumb to their rhythm and enjoy the conversation. 0:00 — Intro 2:28 — Start of conversation 2:50 — If you could be an animal, what would you be? 4:19 — On traveling and finding a home base 5:50 — What do you think about while performing? 8:15 — On noticing the audience at shows, and hecklers 10:10 — On favorite types of food, and go-to deli orders 12:46 — On what makes a good song & lyrics 16:29 — On underrated songs they’ve made 18:40 — On dreams and dream imagery 20:38 — On Nerd Clusters, snacks, and drinks on rider requests 22:03 — On favorite sports 22:40 — Have you ever been in a fight? 24:49 — On favorite seasons and months 25:13 — On the differences between touring and recording 27:56 — On sleeping 28:55 — On subtlety Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Mei Semones and John Roseboro for chatting. If you like what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform and check out all the great stuff at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan and the Talkhouse theme was composed and performed by the Range. See you next time! Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.talkhouse.com/talkhouse-podcast-network/]. Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.talkhouse.com/] to read essays, reviews, and more. Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/talkhouse], ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠ [https://bsky.app/profile/talkhouse.bsky.social], ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠ [https://x.com/Talkhouse], ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.threads.net/@talkhouse], and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/talkhouse].

Bill Callahan with Michael Imperioli

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast, we’ve got an interesting pairing—two guys that hadn’t met before, and who come from different parts of the arts world, and who are both pretty damn great at their jobs. It’s Bill Callahan and Michael Imperioli. Bill Callahan made music under the name Smog for about 15 years, releasing an incredible catalog of gorgeous, mostly minimal, often wandering songs delivered in his unmistakable baritone. He’s one of the most profound lyricists of the past 30 years, crafting careful little worlds that are often funny and heartbreaking at the same time. In 2005, he dropped the Smog moniker and started releasing records under his own name, but there’s no obvious break in the continuity. It’s a fantastic body of work and you can start almost anywhere: I’d recommend 1999’s Knock Knock [https://smog.bandcamp.com/album/knock-knock] as an entry point, or maybe 2007’s A River Ain’t Too Much Too Love [https://smog.bandcamp.com/album/a-river-aint-too-much-to-love], which comes up in this chat. But you could just as easily jump in with Callahan’s fantastic new one, My Days of 58 [https://billcallahan.bandcamp.com/album/my-days-of-58], which was finished after a scary cancer battle. In spite of that—or maybe because of it—it’s one of Callahan’s most relaxed and charming ever. Check out “Why Do Men Sing” right here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AwzLb8jdhg]. Today’s other guest is instantly recognizable to fans of The Sopranos as Christopher Moltisanti, the tragic character that surely wouldn’t have been nearly as indelible without Michael Imperioli’s genius-level portrayal. You’ve seen him in a million other things, too, from Goodfellas to Summer of Sam—which he also co-wrote—to The White Lotus. What perhaps you didn’t know about Imperioli is that he’s also a musician. He’s the singer/guitarist in a band called ZOPA, which plays catchy, straight-ahead rock that sounds deeply rooted in New York City, which Imperioli still calls home. He also wrote a novel, which comes up in this chat with Callahan, and he’s a practicing Buddhist, another topic of conversation. Even though Callahan and Imperioli didn’t know each other, they were clearly fans of each other’s work. In this chill chat, Michael tells Bill about the exact moment he first heard one of his songs. They also get into Bill’s health scare and how it inspired his new record, Michael’s kids and what they’re up to, and there’s a lot of talk about Lou Reed—a guy that inspired them both. Enjoy. 0:00 — Intro 2:35 — Living in Austin & New York 3:34 — On Bill’s new record and discovering Smog’s past work 5:03 — On birthdays and the Chinese Zodiac 6:34 — On cancer and writing the new album, My Days of 58 8:33 — On Michael’s novel, fiction, and inspiration 10:47 — On practicing Buddhism, reincarnation, and monks 16:03 — On raising kids and their musical talents 19:07 — On AI and why human emotion matters in art and work 25:10 — On playing instruments and recording musicians 29:08 — On knowing Lou Reed, and his inspirations 34:35 — On Bill’s upcoming tour, and favorite guitars Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast and thanks to Bill Callahan and Michael Imperioli for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse [https://pod.link/Talkhouse] on your favorite podcasting platform and check out all the great stuff we’ve got going at Talkhouse.com [http://talkhouse.com]. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time! Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.talkhouse.com/talkhouse-podcast-network/]. Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.talkhouse.com/] to read essays, reviews, and more. Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/talkhouse], ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠ [https://bsky.app/profile/talkhouse.bsky.social], ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠ [https://x.com/Talkhouse], ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.threads.net/@talkhouse], and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/talkhouse].

Nobody's Ever Asked Me That: David Dastmalchian

On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Podcast’s spin-off series, host Nick Dawson sits down with actor, writer and all-around fascinating human David Dastmalchian, whose beautiful debut graphic novel Through was just published. In an engrossing and often very profound conversation, the two discuss David’s fascinating (and impressively genre-tinged) recurring nightmares, his mother’s emotional supernatural encounter with her first love, his childhood fear of hell, how “doing the work” led him to write Through … and much more, including why David insisted this episode be titled “Pedal to the Metal”! For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse at talkhouse.com/film [http://talkhouse.com/film]. Subscribe now [https://pod.link/Talkhouse] to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast. 0:00 — Intro 3:06 — Do you remember your dreams and/or nightmares? 6:01 — Recurring horror dreams, stress dreams, and lucid dreaming 12:47 — Do you believe in ghosts and the supernatural? 16:50 — Living “in the gray” between ideas and spiritual interconnectivity 20:19 — Concepts of religious hell and fearing hell as a child 22:55 — Favorite films about religion, and exploring religion in creative communities 25:35 — Titling podcast episodes - “Put the pedal to the metal” 26:51 — “Can you think of a time when you nearly gave up?” and addiction 30:08 — Attempting to take his own life 31:46 — Sobriety, relapsing, and managing his anxiety and depression 34:37 — Mining your own experiences in writing, and David’s new book, Through 38:58 — “How comfortable are you with discomfort?," coping mechanisms, and consumerism 44:49 — “What kind of a life would you want to live?” Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.talkhouse.com/talkhouse-podcast-network/]. Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.talkhouse.com/] to read essays, reviews, and more. Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/talkhouse], ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠ [https://bsky.app/profile/talkhouse.bsky.social], ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠ [https://x.com/Talkhouse], ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.threads.net/@talkhouse], and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/talkhouse].

James Graham (The Twilight Sad) with Rachel Goswell (Slowdive)

On this week's Talkhouse Podcast, we've got an intense conversation between two friends about loss, mental health, and more: It's James Graham and Rachel Goswell. Graham is the singer and lyricist of the Scottish band the Twilight Sad, whose first full-length came out back in 2007, and who were part of a scene that included their friends in Frightened Rabbit and We Were Promised Jetpacks—the common thread being intense, emotional, heart-on-the-sleeve rock songs. They chugged along for a while there, making great records, and were eventually kind of taken under the wing of the Cure's Robert Smith, who loved their music so much that the Twilight Sad has become the Cure's default opening band. But life hit Graham pretty hard over the past decade, with a seven-year stretch that included losing his mother to dementia and a bout of his own with mental illness. Graham eventually began writing songs about it, and the result is the first Twilight Sad record in seven years, called It's The Long Goodbye [https://thetwilightsad.bandcamp.com/album/its-the-long-goodbye]. It's not necessarily an easy listen, but it's worth it. Check out "Chest Wound to the Chest" right here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmLePO7-FGA]. The other half of today's conversation is Rachel Goswell, best known as the singer of '90s shoegazers Slowdive. Slowdive had a pretty weird trajectory, coming up in the same scene that birthed My Bloody Valentine, Ride, and other big players, but never really getting their due back then. But history was justifiably kind to Slowdive, and they re-formed about 10 years ago, picking up a much younger fanbase in the process—theoretically thanks to TikTok and other social platforms. But Slowdive isn't just playing the nostalgia game: They've released vital new music in recent years, and their latest is 2023's Everything is Alive [https://slowdive.bandcamp.com/album/everything-is-alive]. In this immediately intense conversation, Graham and Goswell talk at length about how they first got to know each other, about how they become different people on stage, and about their common bond, having both lost their mothers to dementia in recent years. Like I said, it can be intense, but I appreciate their sincerity and openness, and I hope you do too. 0:00 – Intro 2:19 – Start of the chat 3:40 – On how Rachel & James met 4:55 – Staying healthy & finding connection on tour 11:18 – On daily routines to cope with mental health challenges 14:06 – On musician personas & enjoying tour prep 19:54 – On supporting each other while both their mothers had dementia, and the types of dementia 26:42 – On processing difficult memories & mourning for the future 29:57 – On coping with their mothers' dementia during the pandemic 31:18 – On saying goodbye to their moms 33:17 – On living and working with grief 35:24 – On anxiety & working on mental health 36:25 – On "active grieving" 38:42 – On realizing what matters about art after tragedy 40:21 – On finding hope through connecting with new audiences Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to James Graham and Rachel Goswell for talking. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse [https://pod.link/Talkhouse] on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out all the great stuff at Talkhouse.com [http://talkhouse.com]. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time! Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.talkhouse.com/talkhouse-podcast-network/]. Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.talkhouse.com/] to read essays, reviews, and more. Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/talkhouse], ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠ [https://bsky.app/profile/talkhouse.bsky.social], ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠ [https://x.com/Talkhouse], ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.threads.net/@talkhouse], and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/talkhouse].