34. Lynsey Addario: A Degree of Hunger /  by Elaine Sheldon

Lynsey.jpg

Lynsey Addario is an award-winning American photojournalist who contributes regularly to The New York Times, National Geographic, and Time Magazine. She’s documented both headline news and intimate stories all around the word. In Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Libya she has given us an up-close view of war and revolution. She’s brought us stories of Maternal Mortality in Sierra Leone, sexual assault in Madagascar, rape in the DRC, heroin addiction in Afghanistan, and life before and after the Taliban. 

Her memoir, titled “It’s What I Do" recounts over 20 years of becoming one of our most renowned photojournalists. It was acquired by Warner Brothers and Steven Spielberg is expected to direct the film. Jennifer Lawrence has been cast to portray Lynsey - and we talk about that in this episode.

Also in this episode, we also talk about courage on the front lines, the risks and trauma associated with her work, respecting cultures that aren’t her own, how she makes a living and how she manages her time.

Related LINKS:

“I still think of myself as that same person who is struggling to get assignments. I firmly believe in life it’s important to not be too comfortable and confident. I think you have to have some degree of hunger. I want to keep pushing myself to be a better person and photographer. ”
— Lynsey Addario

33. Sabaah Folayan: Everything Is Practice /  by Elaine Sheldon

Sabaah Folayan is an activist and storyteller who illuminates the humanity, resilience and beauty in the struggle of communities as they mobilize and fight for justice. She merged her dedication to human rights and a newfound passion for film with Whose Streets?, a feature documentary chronicling the experience of Ferguson community members after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown. Sabaah and her co-director Damon Davis are premiering Whose Streets? at Sundance 2017, but this episode’s conversation took place in October of 2015, when Sabaah was still in the depths of production and stepped away to pitch the film at Camden International Film Festival’s Points North Forum in Maine. We talk with Sabaah about moving to Ferguson, working to understand the complexities of the situation amongst a sea of sensational headlines, the unique education she had between living off the land in Hawaii and living in divergent Los Angeles neighborhoods, and the forever valuable lesson she learned as a basketball player, “Everything you do is practice for the next time you do it.” The music in this episode is off Velvet and Bone, a new album by a past MusicMaker, Stag Hare.

sabaah.jpg
 

MUSIC in this episode is off a new album titled Velvet and Bone by past She Does MusicMaker and friend, Stag Hare. Willow (formerly Zara) is the MusicMaker behind Stag Hare and was featured in Episode 22.5. Listen to and buy her music via Bandcamp and visit her website and Facebook.

“Space has been so privatized. We’ve been so socialized to be individuals and be on our own and our lives are our own little bubbles. I think that it was such a relief for people to just lock arms and say that ‘I’m feeling this too.’”

Related LINKS:

 

 

 

 

 

CLIPS used in show: 

CREDITS:

  • Produced by Sarah Ginsburg & Elaine Sheldon
  • Sound design by Billy Wirasnik
  • Illustration by Christine Cover

    •  

32. She Does: It's Been a Great Year /  by Elaine Sheldon

Elaine McMillion Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg (that’s us) are the co-creators, producers and hosts of this very show, She Does podcast, and maybe you got hints of this from listening over the past year, but first and foremost, we’re documentary filmmakers. In this episode, the tables are somewhat turned and we are asked a few questions by our dear friend, production assistant and member of the documentary community herself, Alijah Case. We talk about what we’ve been up to outside of the podcast and what we are planning on getting into now that we’ve officially decided to taper back on releasing episodes of this show. We aren’t calling it quits completely, especially because we LOVE She Does and have over 10 interviews in the can with some incredible women, but we have decided to edit and release episodes on our own time. We elaborate on all of the news and future plans in this special ‘it’s-not-goodbye-it’s-see-you-later’ episode, reflect on the 31 plus episodes we put out over the last year and the women featured in them, wonderful, impressive, yet very human, each in their own unique way. While the process proved to be quite labor and time intensive, it’s been one of those experiences so magical and so fruitful that it’s hard to put into words, but we do our best with the guidance of Alijah, insights from our illustrator Christine Cover, and music and words by Nona Marie Invie, who recently released an EP titled Sisters with her latest project RONiiA. And as always, thank YOU for listening to She Does. 

This episode is co-hosted by Alijah Case

This episode is co-hosted by Alijah Case

Our She Does Illustrator, Christine Cover

Our She Does Illustrator, Christine Cover

KEEP AN EAR OUT in this episode for a little interview with our talented illustrator, the hand behind our little doe logo and all the guest portraits that came out with each episode.

Thank the heavens for our Sound Designer and champion of the slow movement, Billy Wirasnik. 

Thank the heavens for our Sound Designer and champion of the slow movement, Billy Wirasnik. 

This show wouldn't have reached your ears without our SOUND DESIGNER Billy Wirasnik. Billy turned our episodes around quick, but he's also got a project that is quite slow. Check out what he's been up to with Slo Media and the slow movement here. 

 
“This is a bit of a different episode...”
 

This episode's MUSICMAKER is one of our favorites, Nona Marie Invie of RONiiA. Sisters is their recently released EP and the music that soundtracks this episode. 

RONiiA's recently released EP Sisters

RONiiA's recently released EP Sisters

31. Lisa Kron: Collective Imaginative Experience /  by Elaine Sheldon

Lisa Kron has been writing and performing award-winning theatre since the mid-1980s. Most recently, Lisa wrote the lyrics and book to the musical "Fun Home," based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel. Lisa, and composer Jeanine Tesori, were the first writing team of women to win a Tony for Best Original Score. Fun Home also took home Tony awards for Best Book of a Musical, Best Musical, Best Direction and Best Actor. Lisa's other plays include The Ver**zon Play, In The Wake, Well, 2.5 Minute Ride, 101 Humiliating Stories, which have all received recognition and awards nationally and internationally. She is a founding member of the legendary OBIE and Bessie Award-winning collaborative theater company The Five Lesbian Brothers. 

In this episode, Lisa talks about the role of theatre as an artform, the challenges of adapting a graphic novel into a musical, how to make live performance resonate with audiences, the representation of women--and lesbians--in theatre, and the morals of personal storytelling.

The episode is sponsored by Fun Home the musical.

Lisa.jpg
“You can tell a story in which everybody in the world is the same and everything in the world is just like everything else. Or you can tell a story about how things are not the same, and yet equally human. ”
— Lisa Kron

Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori take us behind the music of their Tony-nominated musical FUN HOME.

"FUN HOME" songs featured in this episode:

  • Helen's Etude
  • Raincoat of Love
  • This Is What I Have of You...
  • Come to the Fun Home
  • Maps
  • Welcome to Our House on Maple Avenue
  • Days and Days
  • It All Comes Back (Opening)
  • Changing My Major
  • Telephone Wire
  • Ring of Keys
  • Flying Away (Finale)

Clips used in this show:

30.5 Michelle Blades: She Does Music /  by Elaine Sheldon

MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 30

Photograph provided by River Jones Music

Photograph provided by River Jones Music

Curated by Sarah Ginsburg

Michelle Blades is an eclectic musician who was born in Panama, raised in Miami, spent time in Arizona along with a handful of other locations around the world, and is currently based in Paris. Her music is as fluid as she is, going from acoustic sounds in her early albums to experimentation with electric guitar, synthesizers, found sounds and repeating vocals in her more recent releases. 

LISTEN to and PURCHASE the music of Michelle Blades on Bandcamp, iTunes and Spotify. Her music can also be heard on Midnight Special Records' Soundcloud. Take a peek at her blog while you're at it!

 

30. Lily Baldwin: It’s Not My Own Trip /  by Elaine Sheldon

Lily Baldwin is a New York-based filmmaker and dancer that uses movement of the body and unconventional narrative structures to tell human stories. Her short films (Sea Meadow, A Juicebox Afternoon, Sleepover LA, and Swallowed) have played at festivals like SXSW, Berlinale EFM, and the Lincoln Center and been featured on NOWNESS, Short of the Week, Fandor, Filmmaker Magazine, and Vimeo Staff Picks. Lily fell into filmmaking when she was performing as a professional dancer in David Byrne’s two year world tour Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. Lily often writes, choreographs, directs, edits and plays the leading role in her films, seeking to “rip things up” with both graceful and rigid moments and scenes made up of bold, jarring edits. In other scenes, she’s simply another human on the street, walking with the rest of us. Lily is a Sundance Fellow with her upcoming VR project in collaboration with Saschka Unseld, Through You. She’s about to start shooting her first feature, Glass, a stalking thriller based on a real experience about a dancer and an insidious fan in our privacy-gone world. Lily talks about the rigor and commitment of dancers, coming into film as a “second career”, the responsibility she feels as an artist to pull from her own experiences and educate, and “working your buns off” to be the ultimate version of yourself.

“I think we have a responsibility to mine what we know. It’s great to make up stories and live in imagination but I feel like I can do a better job with something I’ve been through. Life is unlived, for me, if I don’t peel off the layers.”
 

MUSIC in this episode is by Michelle Blades. Listen to her music on Bandcamp or on Midnight Special Records' Soundcloud, and take a peek at her Tumblr.

Songs you heard: Subtropical Suburban, Crush! I Went to Your Party from the album Ataraxia // Le Bois, Lava Boy, Swallowing Truths & River Rocks, Yellow Petaled Coast from the album Songs From Another's Bed // My Grimey Dreams, I'll Let in the Outside Noise from the album & // 10th and Wilson Score off the EP Nah, See Ya // Making Friends In The Dark, It All Ends Here off the album Cold Shoulders

 

Name: Lily Baldwin

Current City: New York

What are you listening to now? I just went throwback on myself and have been listening pretty nonstop to Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works II

What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? There are too many to fit into this white box, but if I look at my bookshelf right this second, I'm going to say: Eadweard Muybridge's pictures and Murder She Wrote -- Jessica Fletcher is one of my favorite protagonists.

Who is your career role model? Cindy Sherman -- she's self taught, fearless about changing herself and isn't afraid to be ugly in her work.

What is a tool you can't live without? A Panasonic boombox from the 80's that I listen to NPR on.

How do you drink your coffee/tea? Coffee-- a super dark, greasy brew with a dash of cream

What's your spirit animal? Wolf.

Updates?  I'm thrilled to be premiering my short film Swallowed as part of the upcoming omnibus feature project, Collective:Unconscious, at SXSW as the first ever omnibus feature in competition! Next on the horizon this year is gearing up to shoot my first feature GLASS, a thriller inspired by a true stalking story. I'm also going to be directing a VR project, Through You, with Saschka Unseld in collaboration with Sundance. And on less immediate burners, I'm cooking up two episodic series!

 

 

CLIPS USED IN SHOW:

CREDITS:

  • Produced by Sarah Ginsburg & Elaine Sheldon
  • Sound design by Billy Wirasnik
  • Illustration by Christine Cover
  • Production Assistance by Alijah Case

29.5 Womanmay: She Does Music /  by Elaine Sheldon

womanmay_01.jpg

LIVE PERFORMANCE FEATURED IN EPISODE 29

WOMANMAY is the solo project of Maylin Colmenares, Venezuelan-bred and Miami-based guitarist and vocalist. There's a lot of soul and wisdom in the experimental folk music that Womanmay puts out, and we were lucky to have Maylin open a live show with Almudena Toral at Film Gate for us. At the end of the this live episode, catch a short interview with Maylin and enjoy her music as we’ve sprinkled songs from her latest album Ahi Ahi.

LISTEN to Womanmay on Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Spotify and iTunes. 

LISTEN the Womanmay play "Ahi Ahi" 

29. Almudena Toral: Focusing My Energy /  by Elaine Sheldon

From left to right: Elaine Sheldon (She Does), Almudena Toral (Univision), Sarah Ginsburg (She Does), Maylin Colmenares (WOMANMAY) at Film Gate in Miami, Florida.RELATED LINKSAlmudena's WebsiteInterview on ReportHersVimeoTwitter

From left to right: Elaine Sheldon (She Does), Almudena Toral (Univision), Sarah Ginsburg (She Does), Maylin Colmenares (WOMANMAY) at Film Gate in Miami, Florida.

RELATED LINKS

Almudena's Website

Interview on ReportHers

Vimeo

Twitter

Almudena Toral is a Spanish visual journalist and the head of video at Univision News Digital in Miami. Prior to working for Univision, Almudena freelanced worldwide and worked at The New York Times and TIME. Her work has been published by The Guardian, VICE, AlJazeera, Huffington Post, El País, Canal+ and other outlets. She's the recipient of a 2013 Pictures of the Year International Award of Excellence – Multimedia Photographer of the Year. 

Her work has received accolades from the Emmys, National Press Photographers Association, the World Cup of Photography, and The Deadline Press Club. Almudena is passionate about multi-platform storytelling, human rights, health and gender issues, the global south and immigration policy, among others. 

In this episode, she talks about Univision News Digital’s goal to serve Hispanic and Latino communities in the U.S., the benefits of being a woman in journalism, covering heroin addiction in Tanzania, and her many lessons learned as a freelance video and photojournalist. 

Almudena gives great advice on pitching stories. Most importantly, she encourages artists and journalists to be flexible with the ability to do many things, but to really specialize in and master one thing.

MUSIC BY: WOMANMAY

WOMANMAY is the solo project of Maylin Colmenares. Venezuelan-bred and Miami-based guitarist and vocalist. We were lucky to have Maylin open the live show at Film Gate for us. Stick around at the end of this episode to hear a short interview with her. We’ve sprinkled songs from WOMANMAY'S latest album Ahi Ahi throughout this recording.

 

28. Iva Radivojevic: Entering A Different State /  by Elaine Sheldon

Iva Radivojevic is a documentary director and editor. She was born in Yugoslavia, raised in Cyprus and has lived in New York City since she was 18 years old. Much of her work explores belonging, and draws from poetry and personal experience. Her debut feature, "Evaporating Borders," examines migration, tolerance and identity through the experience of asylum seekers in Cyprus. The film has received awards worldwide and was nominated for an International Documentary Association (IDA) Award and a Cinema Eye Honors Spotlight Award and screened over 80 times at festivals, including SXSW, Human Rights Watch FF, Rotterdam IFF, DokuFest and HotDocs. Iva is the recipient of the 2015 Guggenheim Fellowship and was named one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film of 2013 by Filmmaker Magazine. In this episode Iva talks about her series "IvaAsks" where she learned how to make films, her draw to poetry, working as an editor, her new film inspired by Jorge Luis Borges’ “Aleph,” and the things she does (writing, exercising, meditating) to keep her life calm and collected.

Name: Iva Radivojevic

Current Town: Brooklyn

What are you listening to now? Nana Vasconcelos, Toto la Momposina, Connan Mockasin

What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? Here are a few things that left a permanent imprint:
Arundhati Roy's "The God of Small Things" and consequently most of her work.
Alain Resnais' "Last Year at Marienbad"
Ilya Khrzhanovsky's film "4"
"For an imperfect cinema" an essay by Julio Garcia Espinosa
"What's wrong with the liberal documentary" an essay by Jill Godmilow

Who is your career role model? There are so many people. I also find myself lucky to know many brilliant, creative and intuitive minds, not only filmmakers, but also musicians, poets, painters, runners, activists etc. and so I steal a little wisdom from each, from all directions and blend it to what works for me. 

What is a tool you can't live without? Pen and paper (MUJI), Camera, Music

How do you drink your coffee/tea? Tea! (Caffeine makes me crazy)

“Poetry speaks volumes and it digs and penetrates much deeper than if I was to do something in a purely journalistic way and disseminate information. I don’t want to throw stuff in your face or bang you over the head with information. I really love the written word and I like how that matches up, or doesn’t match up with images and how they can dance together or repel each other. ”
— Iva Radivojevic

27.5 Chargaux: She Does Music /  by Elaine Sheldon

MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 27

Charly and Margaux of Chargaux are classically trained in string instruments but create music that blends traditional orchestral sounds with hip-hop, electronic music and Jazz. It's definitely music you can’t fit into one box. They started playing together in Boston and New York's subway stations and were quickly discovered by people and companies that wanted them to perform, like Opening Ceremony, Kendrick Lamar, and First Lady Michelle Obama. They are all about experimenting with both their music and their visual aesthetic, wearing colorful clothing that actually looks like the music they play. 

WATCH: "Lullaby" Official Music Video

FOLLOW: Website, Tumblr, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

 

LISTEN: Chargaux on Soundcloud and iTunes. Be sure to download their mixes Art/Sex Volume 1 and Brown History Starter Pack FREE on Soundcloud.

27. Alexis Wilkinson: Let Me Work It Out /  by Elaine Sheldon

Alexis Wilkinson went from being the first black woman President of Harvard’s acclaimed humor publication, The Lampoon, to writing for HBO’s hit comedy series, “Veep.” She’s become an outspoken public figure and writer--with work featured in Slate, Opening Ceremony and TIME--but as we know, big victories such as these don’t come without a lot of work, a few disruptions and some twists and turns in the road. In this episode, Alexis recalls her experiences of “comping” or trying out for The Lampoon multiple times, finding her place in the middle of an elitist institution, losing her best friend and working to create media that represents this diverse world as it actually is. Her response to naysayers? Laughter. And this is why she chose comedy. Music in this episode is by Chargaux.

“The best thing you can do when the unexpected happens is to laugh at it. That’s the best outcome. You either get angry or you laugh at it.”
— Alexis Wilkinson
 

Name: Alexis Wilkinson

Current City: Los Angeles, California

What are you listening to now? "I Wanna Boi" by PWR BTTM

What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? I've gotten really into the director Alexander Payne lately. "Citizen Ruth" is a great movie. I've been thinking a lot about smart satire and treating "unlikable" characters with compassion and that film does an amazing job of both.

Who is your career role model? Shonda Rhimes

What is a tool you can't live without? My foundation primer by BECCA! My skin is oily like an empty bag of chips without it. I also have a Mophie phone charging case that has changed my life.

How do you drink your coffee/tea? Milk and sugar if I'm relaxed. Black if I'm getting down to business.

What's your spirit animal? House cat: attractive, inflated sense of importance, adaptable, rude

Updates? We're finishing up shooting the last episodes of Veep, which everyone should check out! The new season premieres the 24th of April. I've got a couple projects in both film and TV that are moving forward, but it's a bit too soon to tell. Fingers crossed!

CREDITS:

  • Produced by Sarah Ginsburg & Elaine Sheldon
  • Sound design by Billy Wirasnik
  • Illustration by Christine Cover

 

MUSIC in this episode is by Charly & Margaux of CHARGAUX. Visit their website, purchase their music on iTunes and check out their MusicMaker episode Wednesday, February 17th. 

Songs you heard: Lullaby (feat. Soft Glas), Tell William, I'm So Pretty from the album Broke & Baroque // All The Parties, Lone Ranger, Great Expectations from the album The Gallerina Suites

26.5 Alexandria Hall: She Does Music /  by Elaine Sheldon

Photograph by Brittain Shorter

Photograph by Brittain Shorter

“Anything creative really depends on play. We don’t really value play, we value work.”
— Alexandria Hall

Alexandria Hall, a musician and poet, has been performing under the name Tooth Ache for over seven years. We featured music from her 2013 album, “Flash & Yearn," in last week's episode with Charlotte Cook. In this episode, Alexandria talks about growing up in Vermont, where inspiration comes from, lessons she has learned from the music industry and how being outside of your comfort zone spurs creativity.

“You can do it your way and you can ask for help. That’s one of the things I didn’t realize for the longest time was that it’s okay to ask for help. Especially as a girl I felt like I always had to prove myself to the guys. I had this weird pride about things that stopped me for asking for help when I could have.”
— Alexandria Hall

26. Charlotte Cook: Look on Behalf of the Audience /  by Elaine Sheldon

Charlotte Cook is a documentary film programmer, curator, producer and co-founder of Field of Vision. Charlotte was the Director of Programming at Hot Docs film festival for four years before she left in May of 2015 to start Field of Vision, a visual journalism film unit that aims to commission 40 to 50 original episodic and individual short non-fiction films each year. Charlotte co-founded Field of Vision with Academy Award-winning director of “Citizenfour,” Laura Poitras, and filmmaker and founder of Cinema Eye Honors Aj Schnack. In this episode, we talk about Charlotte’s journey to programming Hot Docs, including her time at The Times, BBC Storyville, and The Frontline Club. Charlotte also walks us through what Field of Vision is looking for and how you can be part of it.

“I’ve always hated the term gatekeeper or tastemaker or anything like that. I always say the filmmakers drive everything and I think there’s this weird misconception about that. We are always at the mercy of the filmmakers. And that was something I really always tried to get through at HotDocs, ‘It’s not your honor to screen with us, it’s the other way around.’”
— Charlotte Cook

RELATED LINKS

CLIPS USED IN SHOW

Name: Charlotte Cook

Current City: New York

Current Gig: Co-Creator and Executive Producer of Field of Vision

What are you listening to now? I find it impossible to pick favorites but the two songs that I listen to the most, because they soothe my soul, are "The Weight of My Words" a Four Tet Remix by Kings of Convenience and "Girlfriend" by Phoenix. And my favourite album of last year was Jamie xx, "In Colour."

What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? One of my roommates at university was working on an art project and became obsessed with the documentaries "Party Monster: The Shockumentary" by Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey, and The Legend of Leigh Bowery by Charles Atlas. He would watch them everyday and I became sucked in by them while I was helping to photograph his work. They were not only my introduction to seeing how non-fiction could really speak to someone and mean so much to them, but also to documentaries that were outside of the more informative, issue films, and spoke to different subcultures and voices. It began my path of ferociously watching non-fiction.

"Fourteen Days in May" by Paul Hamann opened my eyes to the power of documentary and "Portrait of Jason" remains my favorite documentary of all time. The exploration of performance and representation of reality and storytelling is still very powerful to me.

I've always been a huge Steven Soderbergh fan. His use of color in "Out of Sight" was something that really made me fall in love with exploring how directors use visuals in storytelling. I will always pay attention to the work Kyle Cooper makes, I find it fascinating and inspiring.

Who is your career role model? I've always really admired how Ben Hammersley has navigated his career. From the diversity of ways he works, in different mediums, and being someone who is very multi-faceted. But really my role models are those who are committed to supporting, and advancing the medium or field they work in. Whether it's helping to give other people opportunities, creating discussion or building new avenues or outlets for those in their field.

What is a tool you can't live without? Notebook and Pen. I write by hand, every day, for various reasons. I still find nothing more useful, productive or cathartic.

How do you take your coffee/tea? Milky, two sugars in both, which is sacrilegious for most of my fellow British people.

CREDITS:

  • Produced by Sarah Ginsburg & Elaine Sheldon
  • Sound design by Billy Wirasnik
  • Illustration by Christine Cover

MUSIC: in this episode is by Alexandria Hall of tooth ache. Listen and purchase her music on bandcamp! 

 

Featured songs: Skin, Lazarus, Sediment, Guilt, Wild Horses, Not Even The Moon, Body Heat

Featured songs: Skin, Lazarus, Sediment, Guilt, Wild Horses, Not Even The Moon, Body Heat

25.5 The Daddyo's: She Does Music /  by Elaine Sheldon

Kylie Hastings (left), Allen Martin (center), Kylie Slabby (right) 

Kylie Hastings (left), Allen Martin (center), Kylie Slabby (right) 

MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 25

Curated by Sarah Ginsburg

Kylie Slabby and Kylie Hastings met on the first day of 6th grade, became best friends, and started making music together in their bedrooms because their parents wouldn’t let them go to the movies on Friday nights like all the other kids did. Along with drummer and guitarist Allen Martin, they became The Daddyo’s, a lo-fi, dream pop, grunge band based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. No matter the genre of their music or weight of their songs, The Daddyo’s will transports you to a very specific time in life. And even if your teenage years and early twenties are nothing like theirs, somehow, you can still fall into their world.

LINKS:

LISTEN: The Daddyo's Bandcamp & Soundcloud, Kylie Slabby's other band Who and The Fucks Bandcamp, Kylie Slabby's solo project Ramona & The Phantoms Soundcloud

WATCH: "Crop Top"

FOLLOW: Twitter, Facebook

25. Cocoon Central Dance Team: Speaking The Same Language /  by Elaine Sheldon

Cocoon Central Dance Team is a New York-based comedy dance troupe made up of three talented women: Sunita Mani, Eleanore Pienta and Tallie Medel. They are each up-and-coming actors in their own right, landing roles in indie films, big music videos and on television. But their work as a trio, as Cocoon Central Dance Team, is what we focus on in this episode because they truly are a remarkably talented, gut-busting, thigh slapping, absurd outfit wearing, glitter throwing, dance-until-you-laugh-until-you-cry group of women. Cocoon has performed at Upright Citizen’s Brigade, MoMa PS1, The Pit, Showgasm with John Early and Cast Party. They’ve opened for Broad City Live, the 2013 New York City Marathon, have been back up dancers for HUSH HUSH and have a successful web series called Rehearsal. Cocoon Central Dance Team breaks rules and plays with the forms of dance and comedy, making them an undefinable act, which is one of the greatest things you can be in today’s comedy and dance landscape.

CCDT.jpg

VISIT Cocoon's website FOLLOW them on Twitter and on Youtube.

“My whole qualm with the comedy scene is that audiences aren’t critical enough. And in the art scene, there needs to be more laughter. There needs to be a little loosening up. And so I think we’re hyper critical of ourselves and I think basically just thinking about taking what we think what other people think and flexing muscles to either fix it or not because nothing is broken, and we get to decide what is valuable criticism.”
— Eleanore Pienta, Cocoon Central Dance Team
 

Name: Eleanore Pienta

Current City: New York City

What are you listening to now? James Booker - Sunny Side of the Street, Kendrick Lamar feat Anna Wise - Real

What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? Tamy Ben-Tor's video "Normal".

Who is your career role model? Drew Beattie

What is a tool you can't live without? Tiny spoons. 

How do you drink your coffee/tea? Coffee with Cream, Tea straight up. 

What's your spirit animal? African Elephant. 

 

CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:

 

CREDITS

  • Produced by Elaine Sheldon & Sarah Ginsburg
  • Sound design by Billy Wirasnik
  • Sound recording by Henry Molofsky
  • Illustration by Christine Cover
  • Production Assistance by Alijah Case

Name: Sunita Mani

Current City: Brooklyn, NY

What are you listening to now? I'm sprung for Justin Beiber's "Sorry" and for Wye Oak's album "Shriek" 

What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? Seeing Maya Rudolph on Saturday Night Live. I didn't realize until later that she was such a strong benchmark for me. I hadn't seen a woman of color on SNL yet with such a variety of talents--musical, comedic, and a strong stage presence. She also had the ability to represent many ethnicities which was a strength! I think I had only thought of ethnicity on TV as a limitation at that point? Or maybe I just didn't have the possibilities in mind until I saw her do it first, especially being associated with a comedic institution that I was obsessed with at a young age!

Started reading the new Ms. Marvel comic book series with Kamala Khan as the hero. It gives me hope and makes me feel strong.

Really want this piece of media to change me so I keep listening to it: Audre Lorde reading from her essay "Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power

Who is your career role model? Rihanna. She has such a coolness and almost laziness about her; she seems so comfortable with herself. I like how much she changes her look while still making THE HITZ.

What is a tool you can't live without? notebook and an ink pen

How do you drink your coffee/tea? with ceremony: strong black tea with milk, no sugar. 

What's your spirit animal? Probably a tortoise who thinks she's a hare.  

Name: Tallie Medel

Current City: Ridgewood, NY

What are you listening to now? Albums: TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY (Kendrick Lamar), A VISION (Seapony), HALF FREE (U.S. Girls), MULTI-LOVE (Unknown Mortal Orchestra) Songs: "Sorry" (Justin Bieber), "WTF" (Missy Elliott & Pharrell), "Fuck and Run" (Liz Phair), "Crowded Stranger" (Girlpool) Podcast: MYSTERY SHOW (Starlee Kine)

What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? FILM /// FIELD NIGGAS (dir. Khalik Allah). I don't want to try to explain it because it has to be seen, so go see it.
BOOK /// I've been reading a lot of Lydia Davis, and I'm re-reading FOUR FISH (Paul Greenberg) and A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES (Howard Zinn). BITCH PLANET (Kelly Sue DeConnick). You like comics? You'll read this and then your head will catch on fire.
SHOW /// STRANGERS WITH CANDY, FISHING WITH JOHN, SPACE GHOST COAST TO COAST, THE OFFICE (BBC), NATHAN FOR YOU, FARGO, BURNING LOVE, RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE, MONONOKE < that's a really gorgeous animated series you oughta know, I always think I dreamed it when I recall it later
MEDIA /// IN THE HEART OF AMERICA AND OTHER PLAYS by Naomi Wallace, choreography by Ashley Byler, psychedelic-Native Alaskan work by both Stephen Jackson and Donnie Varnell, watching Daniel Scheinert shoot comedy shorts in college, Reductress.com

Who is your career role model? Maya Rudolph, Justin Theroux, John Early, RuPaul, Britni West, Lizz Winstead

What is a tool you can't live without? Headphones, so I can live in a fantasy world; video chat so I can see my brother and his family. I have a nephew! Life goes on against all odds and I love it! 

How do you drink your coffee/tea? I like black coffee, hot or iced. Iced makes me go crazy so I don't drink too much of it.

What's your spirit animal? Apes and monkeys. Those ladies and gentlemen are #1

MUSIC in this episode is by Kylie Slabby & Kylie Hastings of THE DADDYO'S. Listen and purchase their music on bandcamp!

Songs you heard: Beatles, Penclawwd Belles, Cat Piss Queen, Shakira, Dishes from the album Better // Crop Top, Damsels, Just A Girl (Daddyo’s Theme), Taco Spaceship from Smother Your Brother //  Boring, Arizona from It’s a tough world out there for a lonely girl

 

24.5 Cécile Schott of Colleen: She Does Music /  by Elaine Sheldon

Photo by Estudio Primio

Photo by Estudio Primio

MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 24

Curated by Sarah Ginsburg

Cécile Schott, a musician and composer originally from outside of Paris, has been making music since she was 15 and she started releasing albums under the name Colleen at age 27. She has 6 full albums and 1 EP in total, her most recent album being Captain of None, released in April of 2015 with Thrill Jockey Records. Our talented sound designer and friend, Billy Wirasnik, has been a long time fan of Colleen. Billy calls her work, “The music a beautiful brain would make if you could plug a quarter inch jack into it.” Cécile uses repetitive loops of old scratchy recordings, instruments like the glockenspiel, guitar, viola da gamba, bells, chimes and a variety of music boxes to make up the sounds in different combinations across her albums, building mysterious atmospheres that can be dark and playful at the same time. Colleen tracks differ from album to album, but are all unified by a tenderness, a curiosity, and a will to experiment and play, always taking you somewhere you weren’t expecting. In this episode, we talk about falling in and out of love with music, taking time to pursue other creative outlets, an artistic response to hardships and tragedy, and really, just living a simple, happy life.                                                                                                                                                

 CONNECT via Colleen's Website and Facebook

LISTEN to Colleen's

READ: NPR's top 50 Albums of 2015, FACT Magazine Interview, NYT Review

PURCHASE Colleen's Albums on Thrill Jockey or on vinyl directly from her

http://KEXP.ORG presents Colleen performing "Captain Of None" live in the KEXP studio. Recorded June 16, 2015. Host: DJ El Toro Audio Engineer: Jackson Long Cameras: Chrispy Harrison & Justin Wilmore Editor: Justin Wilmore http://colleenplays.org http://kexp.org

“I think it’s always worth trying to have your voice heard if its something that you really care deeply about.”

Colleen, aka Cécile Schott, is really one of those artists where if you know, you know. Her run of albums from 2003-2007, mostly on The Leaf Label presented an exquisite set of dream-worlds, where you could easily drift away on her loops of cellos, bells, flutes and musical boxes. But then a six-year hiatus from the music world made it almost seem like it HAD been a dream. However, she returned with The Weighing of the Heart in 2013, easily up there with her very best work - and now, teamed up with Thrill Jockey, she's showing that she's stronger than ever. This is the first track from her Captain of None album coming on April 7th, and damn, it's beautiful.

24. Molly Crabapple: What Pretty Guts /  by Elaine Sheldon

Molly Crabapple is an artist and writer who combines illustration, art and journalism to document societal and political issues. Her work is influenced by her own personal experiences and radical encounters with injustice around the world, and aims to shed light on marginalized communities. She’s written and illustrated stories about Guantanamo Bay, issues sex workers face, the prison system, among many other topics, for Vice, Fusion, The New York Times, The Paris Review, Vanity Fair, The Guardian and Newsweek. Molly’s captivating paintings, and pen and ink illustrations can be seen on book covers, canvases, backdrops, and have accompanied articles written by both herself and by others; her art is featured in MoMA’s permanent collection. She’s the recipient of the Yale Poynter Fellowship, a Front Page Award, and a 2014 Gold Rush award. She was shortlisted for a 2013 Frontline Print Journalism Award for her internationally-acclaimed reportage on Guantanamo Bay.


In Dec. 2015, Molly released “Drawing Blood,” a memoir that details her life as a high school outcast, traveler of the world, Internet model, political activist, illustrator and many moments in between. In this episode, we dive into Molly’s intricate work, discussing the vampiric nature of being an illustrator, the inside of Guantanamo Bay detention camp, beauty as capital, her abortion, underground nightclubs, and using art to fight injustice.

Molly's memoir, Drawing Blood, is out now. Visit Indiebound to find a copy at a bookstore near you, or purchase it at Barnes & Noble or Amazon! 

 
 
“When you take a photo, you’re at the mercy of what’s in front of you. When you draw, you have all of your memory. You have all all your imagination. You have everything to go from.”
 

MUSIC in this episode is by french composer and musician, Cécile Schott who makes work under the name COLLEEN! Join us next Wednesday (12/9/2015) to learn more about her! In the meantime, listen to her music on Spotify and Soundcloud and check out her website, 

Photo by Thomas Guionnet

Photo by Thomas Guionnet

SONGS you heard: Holding Horses, I'm Kin, Salina Stars, Lighthouse, Captain of Dub from the album Captain of None (Japanese Version) // Break Away, Ursa Major Find from The Weighing Of The Heart //  What Is a Componium, Pt. 1, Your Heart Is So Loud, I'll Read You a Story from  // Ritournelle, Goodbye Sunshine, Everyone Alive Wants Answers, Your Heart on Your Sleeve, Nice and Simple from Everyone Alive Wants Answers // The Happy Sea from The Golden Morning Breaks // Pista 10 from Les Ondes Silencieuses

 

RELATED LINKS:


CLIPS USED IN SHOW:


CREDITS

  • Produced by Elaine Sheldon & Sarah Ginsburg
  • Sound design by Billy Wirasnik
  • Illustration by Christine Cover
  • Production Assistance by Alijah Case

23.5 Julianna Barwick: She Does Music /  by Elaine Sheldon

MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 23

Curated by Elaine Sheldon

Julianna Barwick's truly unique music is built around multiple loops and layers of her voice. Her experimental songs feel spontaneous, sometimes meandering, and always emotional. Julianna has lived in NYC for over 14 years, but she was born and raised in the South--in Louisiana, Missouri and Oklahoma. She grew up singing in choirs at church and school, which has clearly had a lasting influence on her work. 2015 was an exciting year for her; she's finishing up her next album, she played with the Flaming Lips and Philip Glass at Carnegie Hall, and toured in Japan. 

In this episode, we talk about how her work has changed over the years, the collaborations she has worked on, what it's like to play piano for Yoko Ono, and why it's important to teach yourself new skills and be nice to people.

Julianna was the musicmaker from last week’s episode with Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli.

“When people ask me to describe my music I still get tongue-tied and don’t really know how to answer it, or classify it, in any normal kind of way. For me it’s about the joy of making stuff.”
— Julianna Barwick

23. Mo Scarpelli and Alexandria Bombach: Co-Directing One Vision /  by Elaine Sheldon

Mo Scarpelli and Alexandria Bombach are documentary filmmakers and co-directors of award-winning film "Frame by Frame.” The documentary follows four Afghan photojournalists as they face the realities of building a free press in a country left to stand on its own after decades of war and rule under the oppressive Taliban regime. The film had its world premiere at SXSW 2015, has screened over 50 times, garnered several awards, was voted one of the Top 10 Audience Favorites at Hot Docs Film Festival, and is nominated for a Cinema Eye Honors Award for Spotlight Doc. Right now, Mo and Alexandria are knee-deep in an Academy Award campaign for the film. “Frame by Frame” is opening for a week-long run in New York on Nov 20 at the IFC Center.

Mo and Alexandria are extremely self-sufficient women and filmmakers-- both having worked alone on most of their film projects before this one. They both started their own film companies and both have carved out their own niches; Mo in the documentary and journalism world and Alexandria in the outdoor filmmaking world.

In this episode, we talk about how they came to the medium of film, reporting international stories, filming in Afghanistan, their dedication to stunning cinematography, earning the trust of your subjects, the responsibility and weight of releasing stories into the world, holding onto empathy, the perils of co-directing, how to reconnect with relationships after disconnecting to make a film, and how to maintain belonging and community when living out of a suitcase.

Name: Mo Scarpelli

Current Location: Portland, OR

Current Gig: Director & Producer at Rake Films

What are you listening to now? "I'm Here Now" by Motopony // Podcasts: SheDoes & On Being :)

What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? 

Zack Canepari & Drea Cooper's "California Is A Place" showed me how independent doc shorts for online were possible, and also that they could be quirky, stylized and emotionally resonant. This, along with MediaStorm's short multimedia pieces, opened my world to that wonderful blurry space between film + journalism on the web.

Jason Tippet's "Only The Young" showed me how cinematography in doc can rival that of narrative features, and tell a human story.

Sarah Polley's "Stories We Tell" showed me how a Director's manipulation can morph a simple situation into a riveting and revealing story.

Joan Didion's essays - her tone, her boldness, her levity - has always informed the way I look at the world.

George Orwell's essays also have been an influence for me since I first picked up "All Art is Propaganda." I don't know if I realized at the time that what drew--and continues to draw--me to essays is how they can be like cinema verite; meandering and observing and leaving so much up to the reader to interpret what the writer has experienced.
 

Who is your career role model? I have three. My mom, Joan Didion, Margaret Bourke-White. I should have a filmmaker on here, I know...I'm still learning the doc film world and have met a ton of people in the past couple years who deserve admiration. Hard to name just a few, so I'll stick with the oldies.  

What is a tool you can't live without? Black notepad + pen. I'm naked without it.

How do you drink/take your coffee/tea? With a splash of soy or almond milk 

RELATED LINKS:

Alexandria (left) Mo (right)

Alexandria (left) Mo (right)

“Both Mo and I get uncomfortable when shoots are too organized—or if people work with a union and they stop at a certain time—that would just blow our minds. I think we’re used to and thrive in chaotic environments.”
— Alexandria Bombach

Name: Alexandria Bombach

Current Location: On The Road

Current Gig: Red Reel

What are you listening to now? Broken Social Scene, "Sweetest Kill"

What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? Too many to list. Right now it's the film "Bitter Lake" & the book "No god but God"

Who is your career role model? Ava DuVernay & Lucy Walker  

What is a tool you can't live without? YELP. I live on the road and never know the best spot for a quick bite or a place to set up and work - YELP hasn't failed me yet. 

How do you drink/take your coffee/tea? French Press coffee with honey

RELATED LINKS:

Julianna Barwick

Julianna Barwick

CREDITS:

  • Produced by Elaine Sheldon & Sarah Ginsburg
  • Sound design by Billy Wirasnik
  • Illustration by Christine Cover

MUSIC BY: Julianna Barwick

Listen, Purchase, Connect

Tracks featured in show: Vow, The Harbinger, Adventurer of the family, Vow (Diplo & Lunice remix), Prizewinning, Envelop, White Flag, One Half, Crystal Lake

22.5 Stag Hare: She Does Music /  by Elaine Sheldon

Photo by Sara Allyson

Photo by Sara Allyson

MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 22

Curated by Sarah Ginsburg

Living in Boston where I mostly walk, bike, and take the train, I don’t often get to scan through the radio in a car like I would when I zipped around the suburbs back in high school. But a few months ago, I found myself enjoying a car-driving, radio-listening experience. I stopped the radio from scanning stations and settled into an unfamiliar but uplifting track that was hard to ignore. Warm, locomotive synth tones filled the car, rising and falling to different levels of intensity. The 12 minute long track is called Grays (Doom and Gloom Mantra) and it’s from Stag Hare’s 2014 album titled Angel Tech. This song, much like the rest of Stag Hare’s music, made me feel alive and present in each moment as they happened. The maker behind Salt Lake City based Stag Hare is Zara Asha Moonbeam Biggs-Garrick, a kind and thoughtful soul that I had the pleasure of speaking with. Listen to our conversation and enjoy her music as it soundtracks Episode 22 with Andrea Sisson.

“The experience of having a child really made a lot of things that were kind of easy for me to push to the back of my mind, it shattered all of that. It became very immediate to be the most authentic, true version of myself that I can be. Because when you have this little person that’s just looking up at you, any facades or inconsistencies that I had in my life, I had to shake those out and be solid.”
— Zara
 

NEW PROJECT BY STAG HARE: TAPESTRY

On November 11th, Stag Hare released Tapestry, a collection of 16 tracks commissioned by individuals and recorded under the inspiration and direction of each patron between December 2014 and July 2015. Released by Inner Islands as a box set of 4 cassette tapes clocking in at 4 hours total, Tapestry is a project inspired by the history of art patronage. Purchase Tapestry!