The Trace

Devin Fei-Fan Tau is the director of "Who's On Top?" which is a feature-length documentary that shines a spotlight on a diverse group of the LGBTQ+ community to challenge stereotypes about gender and sexuality in outdoor recreation. Historically excluded and ostracized as not belonging to the adventurer community, the climbers tackle not only a mountain, but assumptions about who they are and how they belong to the world of outdoor sports. This film portrays a journey like no other, a never-before-told story about what makes LGBTQ+ folks both distinct and connected, facing physical, mental and societal obstacles. Devin tells us about his own coming out story, a vocation of filmmaking, and his profound love of the Pacific Northwest. "Who's On Top?" will be available for streaming and on DVD and Blu-Ray May 18th.

This week on The Trace I am very proud to have Tye Reed as a guest.  Tye is a mutual aid organizer in Seattle, Washington.  We talk mutual aid, how we can all support each other, and the movies. Tye tells us about the good work of mutual aid and how YOU can get involved.  Then we get into some movies and how they relate to our need to take care of each other.  We discuss "Little Monsters", "28 Days Later", "Do the Right Thing", and the ever glorious "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors".   Follow Tye on Twitter at @themobilepauper.  Donate to the good work that Tye does and volunteer in Seattle or wherever you are with mutual aid.  Donate here at http://bit.ly/TRUsolidarity. Thank you to Tye for the great work and the excellent talk.  Donate to mutual aid everybody!

Todd Brown from Screen Anarchy and XYZ Films is my guest this week.  Todd and I talk about his life of writing about movies and music, producing films, and the movies that have shaped him. Todd has been a producer on films like "Mandy", "The Raid", "Vivarium", and much more.  He generously shares stories about the making of "The Raid", Panos Casmotos, and Nicolas Cage.  We also get into his earlier focus on music with artists like Dave Bazan and Damien Jurado.   It's a conversation full of movies, music, television, and the art we love.  There is no differentiation between "high" and "low" art here.  Enjoy the talk with Todd Brown!

Low is one of the great bands of the last 25+ years.  Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker have been making transcendent, challenging, beautiful music consistently since they started Low. Alan Sparhawk is my guest this week on The Trace.  We talk about his childhood and how he fell in love with music.  We dive into specific Low songs plus talk Neil Young, Robert Plant, and even Spike Lee.   We touch on religion/spirituality, where songs come from, mental health, and our need for disruptive art.   Low's discography is truly impressive.  Listen to their early classics like "The Curtain Hits the Cast" and "Secret Name" then see how far out they have ventured musically with "Drums and Guns" and "Double Negative".  You never know exactly what you will get sonically with Low - you just know it's gonna be good. Thanks to Alan for such a wonderful and open conversation.  So here we go!  (Also - do yourself a favor and listen to their track "Landslide" some time this week.) 

It was just over a year ago that quarantine started.  Before then I was managing/bartending at a Seattle bar.  Suddenly I was home and trying to figure out how to use the time.  I wanted to take advantage of this bittersweet opportunity.  I gave myself over to doing interviews, study, writing - and the movies!   This is a talk about what the movies meant to me in 2020.  How did they help me grow?  How did they help me face my own darkness?  How did they help my empathy expand?   These films gave me the opportunity to face my fears and seek out new inner possibilities. Kat Summers is the co-host of The Trace Radio with me.  She interviewed me about my year of movies in quarantine in 2020.

About a year ago I woke up in the morning and saw a man in my mind.  His name was Terry.  I knew that Terry loved 80's Christian rock and that he managed a Christian bookstore in the mid-90's.  I wanted to know more about this person.  I sat down and this story came to me.   "The Bright Light of the Christian Bookstore" Maybe you went to these places back in the day.  Maybe you worked at one.  Maybe you have no idea what I am talking about but are intrigued to hear Terry's story. This is about the things we all face in this life: looking for a place to be, searching for safety, and facing real dangers in the world.  I hope you enjoy Terry's story 

Illustrator, designer, musician, instructor, and letterpress printer Demian Johnston spent his formative years playing bass in legendary hardcore band Undertow before moving to guitar to form Nineironspitfire and later join hardcore icons Kiss It Goodbye.  He currently plays with Great Falls whose most recent album is "A Sense of Rest". We talk about the beauty of metal, fear of death, the straight edge scene in the 90's and 00's, and the importance of funding the arts.  There are asides about horror movies, philosophy, plus plenty of band stories.  Check out Great Falls!

Do you know that phrase "get behind me, Satan"?  What's that about?  On this episode of The Trace I break down what is going on with this strange expression.  Surprise!  It's more political than you think. I use clips from "Nomadland", "Magnolia", and "Borat" while looking at this famous expression and Bible story.  Are you seeing things in this world through the lense of collective responsibility or survival of the fittest competition?   Plus, what's the deal with this Satan concept?

Rabbi Mark Sameth is the author of The Name: A History of the Dual-Gendered Hebrew Name for God.  His essays include “Our Father, Who Art Our Mother” which you can read on Religion Dispatches, and the Op-Ed “Is God Transgender” which appeared in The New York Times.  Mark and I talk about his book which includes wonderful insights into gender, feminism, affirming LGBTQ people, and intersectional identity.  We explore the Adam and Eve story, Kabbalah, and Jewish history.  What are the implications of a dual-gendered God?  This is a special one my friends!  

The Reverend Jennifer Butler is the founding Executive Director of Faith in Public Life and author of "Who Stole My Bible?:  Reclaiming Scripture as a Handbook for Resisting Tyranny".   Reverend Butler also wrote "Born Again: The Christian Right Globalized." We talk about her wonderful new book and how to resist empire within inter-faith dialogue and activism.  Have you heard about the horrific "Slave Bible"?  You will get that story and much more about white supramacy's version of Christian nationalism.  The good news is that there is a tradition of loving resistance that is continuing today. 

Crystal Cheatham is the creator of Our Bible App and the host of Lord Have Mercy, a podcast about God, sex and the Bible. As a writer and social justice warrior she has been featured in Essence Magazine, TeenVogue and the Philadelphia Inquirer. Find out more about her work at ChrystalCheatham.com. We talk about Crystal's upbringing in the Seventh Day Adventist church, coming out, and deconstructing religious identity.  Check out Our Bible App and the wonderful work that Crystal is doing!  

Erin Green is an affirming biblical scholar and LGBTQ+ activist.  Erin's passion is helping those excluded by the church to heal from spiritual abuse and trauma by navigating the biblical text in restorative ways. In this talk Erin and I discuss queer Christianity and possibilities for public life after Covid.  We are both hopeful about the good things that are possible when we can all gather together again whether that be at concerts, bars, church, activism, or wherever else. Thanks to Erin for the wonderful conversation!

Brett Bashaw and I have been friends since high school.  We traveled together in parts of the USA and Mexico in our late teens and early 20's.  I have always known Brett to be a sincere searcher for meaning and love.  He is someone who has overcome profoundly difficult circumstances and practiced forgiveness towards others.   He and his wife, Natashaw Lawyer, published the book "Tin Can Homestead: The Art of Airstream Living" and run their own pottery company Sugarhouse Ceramic Co.   In this conversation Brett and I talk about his rough childhood, finding community, doing forgiveness, and learning how to establish boundaries later in life.  

Tim and Jay Winterstein are programmers of the Newport Beach Film Festival and host a podcast called Saints and Cinema.  Their show is about movies and religion.  This (of course) caught my attention because these are two of my greatest passions. This episode is a crossover for both of our shows where we discuss movies that disturbed and disrupted us in positive ways.  Some of these films are legit intense and we do include some "trigger warnings" in case you want to see any of these that you haven't already seen. Tim is a Lutheran pastor so we definitely get into religious language on here.  I always try and do these sensitive topics in good faith.  I hope you enjoy the show!  If you have any comments on movies that disturbed and disrupted you then please write me on The Trace's Instagram or at thetracepodcast@gmail.com.

Wendi Cervantes is a singer, songwriter, and musician from San Bernardino, California who is now based out of Seattle.  She does all kinds of styles and does them all well.  Her newest single is a collaboration with the producer Nez and it's called "Lemons".  It's a glorious synth-pop jam that is sure to pick you up.   Wendi does music under Cervantes and also with her former band Enamity.  She is currently working with different producers and House of Breaking Glass.  In this talk we discuss art as play/therapy, how much we miss going to shows, and Wendi's hopes for the future.  Thanks again to Wendi Cervantes for the wonderful conversation.  Check out her music!

Jason Anderson and Jeremy Krommendyk are music lovers who fully identified with the same music scene as myself.  We were fully invested in 90's underground Christian bands like Starflyer 59, Roadside Monument, Pedro the Lion, MxPx, Luxury, and Zao.  We talk about what it was like then and where we are now with music and Christianity in America. This is an opportunity to talk about music, religion, and identity.  Each of our understandings of what that scene was about has changed over the years.  Hopefully you will discover a new great band or two and also consider your own identity as you listen.

Jennifer Buck teaches at Azusa Pacific University and wrote Reframing the House: Constructive Feminist Global Ecclesiology for the Western Evangelical Church.  Jennifer has wonderful insights on Christian feminism, pacifism, and the activist tradition of Quakers.  This is a theological and political conversation that I hope feels open to all listeners. I'm honored to start season 3 of The Trace with this wonderful conversation.  If you want to hear more talks like this one check season 2 episode 25 with Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons.   Let's keep working towards love, justice, and equity my friends!

A few weeks before election results feels like the right time to end season 2 of The Trace.  It's been a fantastic 34 episodes and I am so grateful to every guest for being a part of this with me. I end season 2 with some words of hope and encouragement in these unpredictable times.  We need to support and love each other big time during this next month.  Make sure you have a plan and support group for all this election madness. I then break down 5 movies for spiritual disruption.  We all need to be challenged from time to time.  These films all do the job. Thanks again to all of you listeners and guests!  Season 3 of The Trace will begin later next month.

David Llama is a filmmaker and friend who grew up in Mexico City and now lives in Seattle.  He has wonderful insights about all kinds of things in life.  In this episode we talk about the transition from Mexico to the USA and how that has changed during the Trump years. Lots of talk in here about music, movies, and culture from both Mexico and the USA.  David reminds us that we are all connected in this human experience.  Thanks to David for taking the time to have such a lovely and honest conversation.

I am so fortunate to have Johnathon Ford as my guest.  Johnathon is an incredible musician known for his work with Unwed Sailor, Roadside Monument, and many other bands.  We talk about going all in with music and staying true to the artistic dream.  Johnathon is very open and gracious as he tells stories about life on the road and songwriting.