Talkhouse Podcast

On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Podcast’s spin-off series, host Nick Dawson sits down with actors Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody, who have been married for 45 years and in the past few years have become one of the internet’s favorite couples thanks to their delightful TikTok channel. To coincide with the premiere this week of the pilot of their episodic series Seasoned at the Tribeca Film Festival, they opened up in their typically ebullient and charming manner about subjects as diverse as their morning routines (and nocturnal movements!), whether or not to delete someone’s contact info if they’ve died, the role a Joni Mitchell lyric played in their most recent disagreement, their son being unfairly overshadowed by Prince William, and much more. For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse at talkhouse.com/film [http://talkhouse.com/film]. Subscribe now [http://hyperurl.co/88b7qa] to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast. 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].

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast we’ve got a couple of guys who found huge followings—on the internet and elsewhere—in different ways, but with similar outlooks: Adam Met and Julian Shapiro-Barnum. Met is one-third of the brother band AJR, who’ve found massive pop hits over the past decade with cheeky but sometimes deceptively deep songs like “Bang” and “World’s Smallest Violin.” Perhaps those more into the indie-adjacent world have heard their collaborations with Weezer. But for purposes of this conversation, Met is wearing one of his many other hats, which include Columbia professor, non-profit founder, and as of this week, published author. He just released his first book, AMPLIFY: How to Use the Power of Connection to Engage, Take Action, and Build a Better World [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/763210/amplify-by-adam-met-phd-with-heather-landy/], As you may have guessed from the title, it’s about action and advocacy, including in the area of the climate crisis, for which Met is an ardent activist. He casually mentions hanging out with Al Gore here, which may be a Talkhouse first. The book aims to provide strategies for folks who want to do their part, which is a noble cause if you ask me. It features pop-culture names like Ben Folds and Jim Gaffigan, in addition to folks more known in the activism world. It’s out now. The other half of today’s conversation is Met’s pal, comedian and internet personality Julian Shapiro-Barnum. An inquisitive guy by nature, Shapiro-Barnum recorded a series of internet videos over the years that were largely conversations with regular people, and during the pandemic he hit on the idea of chatting with children about how they manage to stay positive when everything seems so crazy. That idea became the very popular series Recess Therapy, which is as charming as it sounds—and, it should be noted, launched the “corn kid [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VbZE6YhjKk]” into internet fame. These two jump right into a lively conversation about how music and advocacy can go hand in hand, about Julian’s various shows, including Recess Therapy and Celebrity Substitute, and lots more. Enjoy. Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Julian Shapiro-Barnum and Adam Met for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and visit Talkhouse.com [http://talkhouse.com] for lots of good stuff. 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].

This week's Talkhouse Podcast is kind of a dream episode for me, because I managed to wrangle two of my favorite songwriter/performer/lyricists ever into a conversation, Matt Berninger and Alan Sparhawk. Sparhawk first came to my attention way back in the early ‘90s with his band Low. Over the course of 30-ish years, he and his wife, Mimi Parker, created an almost indescribably stunning body of work. The early days were characterized by slow, spare, minimalist songs, but over the decades, Low blossomed in a hundred beautiful ways, from stark, almost confrontational music made with Steve Albini to some of the sweetest pop songs you’ll ever hear to their final incarnation, in which they organically integrated some harsh electronics. It’s hard to believe they went so long and stayed so true, but they did. It’s a pretty perfect catalog. Then, in 2022, Parker died of cancer. Sparhawk worked through some of his grief by pushing right back into music, first with 2024’s White Roses, My God [https://alansparhawk.bandcamp.com/album/white-roses-my-god], a dense, electronics-heavy album that sounds like confusion itself. Now, just months later, he’s set to release another album, this one called With Trampled By Turtles [https://alansparhawk.bandcamp.com/album/with-trampled-by-turtles]. The title references the Duluth band that backed him on it, and the songs themselves offer a much more clear-eyed, straightforward look at where his head is at. They’re very different but both really powerful. Check out the song “Not Broken [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJovwZ8PJUs],” which features Sparhawk and Parker’s daughter Hollis on vocals. I think Matt Berninger, the other half of today’s conversation, feels as strongly about Low and Alan’s music as I do: He’s been listening since before his band, The National, had even come together. Perhaps you’re aware of their history, but just in case: The National has been making incredible records since 2001, finding pretty huge success with cathartic, arena-sized songs that are still always grounded by Berninger’s intentional, literate words. But Berninger, like Sparhawk, has had plenty of side projects over the years, and his second proper solo album is coming out this week as well. It’s called Get Sunk [https://mattberninger.bandcamp.com/album/get-sunk], and it feels like a sort of deliberate step away from any semblance of gloom, with Berninger writing about childhood summers and more innocent times. Don’t get me wrong, these songs aren’t without their emotional perils, but they do feel different enough from his main gig that you’ll notice. Oh, and in case I didn’t mention it, it’s really great. Check out “Bonnet of Pins [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adtqj7XxvtQ]” from Get Sunk right here. Sparhawk and Berninger don’t waste much time with idle chit-chat in this episode. They’ve both been through the mental-health wringer over the years, and they explore those low-lows with the benefit, thankfully, of some hindsight. Matt has some really insightful things to say about Alan’s recent solo records, and they dive into their religious backgrounds with perhaps the funniest, potentially deadliest interview question ever asked on Talkhouse: “What are your thoughts on God and religion? Go.” Enjoy. 0:00 – Intro 3:29 – Start of the chat 3:50 – The first time they met 6:58 – The tough times each have faced 12:24 – On finding light on the other side 16:08 – On depression and art 22:17 – On playing music with your kids 29:50 – “What are your thoughts on God and religion? Go.” 38:50 – Music as religion 44:20 – Music as a spiritual experience Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Alan Sparhawk and Matt Berninger for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow 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].

"People are real down on the subway lately but I still like taking it!!" Kareem and Michael continue on the train and talk about Michael's directorial debut, Eric Larue, directing as a way of developing every character in a movie, Kareem and Michael's future buddy comedy where they open an indie Target (and also their buddy drama where they're roommates), male best friend breakup stories as a new genre, Michael's love of R.E.M., doing a cover band, being a loafer, having a fake Chicago accent, Windsor Terrace, how being from the midwest makes you endearing, GoFundMe to pay for a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, not being invited to the Oscars, there are too many screens on the subway, Michael's colonoscopy and other stuff. Host: Kareem Rahma Creators: Kareem Rahma and Andrew Kuo Camera: Maksim Axelrod and Tian Sippel Editor: Tyler Christie Mixer: Dale Eisinger Associate Producer: Ramy Shafi Artwork: Andrew Lawandus Theme Music: Tyler McCauley Subscribe to SubwayTakes [https://pod.link/1796755509]. Watch this episode on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thHmc9GOYmY] or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2W7V2oKMuU4gBf6zx4jOmx]. 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].

On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Podcast’s spin-off series, host Nick Dawson sits down with iconic actress Lili Taylor, who just published her first book, Turning to Birds, a series of thoughtful, beautifully written and deeply human essays about her consuming passion for birdwatching. In an engrossing conversation, the two discuss how recovery and birding intersect, her love of naps, how nature has shifted her relationship to death, Nick getting barked at by a coyote in the Bronx, braving the acting version of the bends after finishing a role, her amazing way of releasing resentment, facing the unknown, how she’s finding resilience and playing the long game as this country plunges into crisis, and much more. For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse at talkhouse.com/film [http://talkhouse.com/film]. Subscribe now [http://hyperurl.co/88b7qa] to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast.