FYIZ

We're kicking off a fresh batch of FYIZ episodes with something new: a monthly check-in with Bekah Eaton where we discuss the books we've just finished reading, the books we're reading now, and the books we plan to read next. So, in other words it's the coolest thing in the world that anyone could listen to. Featured in this installment: Watership Down! Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin! A lengthy breakdown of J.M. Barrie's Peter & Wendy! And more!

This emergency podcast exists purely because the first season of Alien: Earth ended and there was too much to talk about. Thankfully Bekah and Jonathan Eaton heeded the call and brought their own torrents of thoughts. Topics include the creepiness of Peter Pan, eerily intelligent alien life, and the nature of consciousness itself. We pretty much sort it out.

Longtime musician/current Jungian Depth Coach Orenda Fink's emotional and acerbically witty memoir, The Witch's Daughter—all about her fraught connection with her troubled mother and how that relationship affected her life—is a must-read for anyone interested in what it takes to emerge from a toxic family situation with your identity intact. In this soul-searching conversation, Orenda opens up about the experience of sharing her story, from the structuring of the book itself to the way that her process of self-discovery fed into to a midlife career pivot. Don't miss this one!

Find out more at orendafinkcoaching.com!

This is an exciting one! Multimedia artist Landis Expandis sheds some light on the inspirations and irritations that led to Landis Harry Larry's brand new glitch-pop EP, FKIN WITH STUFF, out now on Big Curve Music.

In this FYIZ Halloween special—which is actually the lost, final episode of SKEERT - A Real Horror Show—beloved guests Bekah Eaton, Jonathan Eaton, and Chris Zaleski pop over to read some spooky stories from a scary collection for kids published in 1980, The Haunted Planet (By DJ Arneson). Hang out with us... IF YOU DARE!

Friend of the show Polly Schattel is back to talk about her darkly comic novella 8:59:29 (Trepidatio Publishing), and we dig into every aspect, from the origins of the idea to the narrative implications. Along the way we ponder whether characters need to be likable (short answer:no), extol the virtues of novellas as a form, and find out what Polly’s working on next. It’s a nerdily analytical and story-obsessed chat, and it pairs well with your favorite morning beverage. For the sake of all humanity, listen! And find all things Polly at pollyschattel.com. 

Find John on Instagram and Twitter @giannidubya!

This episode is an epilogue to Saul Searching, the Better Call Saul (BCS) recap podcast that ended last year (along with the show, which only makes sense). Now that the whole six-season run of BCS is up on Netflix, it's a good time to binge, whether for the first time or as a repeat play. Thus it's also a good time to share this long conversation, recorded last year, that digs into the entirety of the series—psycho-analyzing all the characters, tracing themes and recurring gags, and celebrating the innovative filmmaking and powerful performances on display. Filmmaker and musician Chance Shirley is the only man both cool-headed and chatty enough to co-pilot this steamboat full of tangents, so thank gosh he agreed to it. Follow Chance on Twitter: @notevenchance. Follow John on Twitter and Instagram: @giannidubya.

Prolific author Jeff VanderMeer (The Ambergris Trilogy, Area X, Borne, Hummingbird Salamander) has a knack for creating engrossing and immersive scenarios that straddle the line between a world that is palpably our own and someplace entirely other. In this freewheeling conversation, he discusses his environmental work, his writing habits, and how even his boldest literary experiments are rooted in truth of character.

Barb and Allan Vest make music together under the name doubleVee and have just released a new album full of big hooks and infectious harmonies, Treat Her Strangely. In this overdue appearance on Playing Records with John, they discuss selections from all their releases, the way they came together as partners and bandmates, and how their collaborative songwriting process works. Allan’s background in indie chamber pop heroes Starlight Mints is also covered, as is Barb’s musical upbringing, including the influence of her grandmother, the whimsical and beguiling songwriter Margaret Dove.

Brian Woodbury has a sharp wit and a penchant for tuneful compositions that break genres apart and rebuild them around his often exploratory ideas. Whether he’s trying out new pop music forms, skewering old ones, or blurring the lines between the two, he’s always got something on his mind, and it’s usually pretty funny. Except when it decidedly isn’t! In this career-spanning conversation he unfurls some of the deep thinking and gut instincts that fuel his distinctive body of work.

Follow John on insta/twit: @giannidubya

Follow Brian on insta: @brianwoodburymusic and on twit: @MrBrianWoodbury