The Trace

Odie Henderson writes for Rogerebert.com, Slant, and Big Door Vandalism.  He has been published in The Village Voice, Vulture, and much more.   He is one of my very favorite film critics writing today.  He is totally open and honest in such a refreshing way.  We talk about falling in love with movies, growing up in Jersey, Martin Scorsese, "women's pictures", horror movies, and more.  Check out his great writing on rogerebert.com and other places.

Isaac Marion is the author of "The Warm Bodies Series" with the most recent and final being "The Living".  We talk about writing, scary stories, facing the darkness, homeschooling, and the future of art after the pandemic.  

This last decade was an incredible time for film.  We are in a strange pause for movies right now while living through a pandemic.  This is a chance to look at some of the special ones from recent times.  I hope you enjoy the show and watch some of these movies afterwards.

Doug Lorig is a Seattle musician most known for his guitar playing in Roadside Monument and Raft of Dead Monkeys.  He currently plays in the band Graphic Nature.   We talk about falling in love with music, the Seattle mid-90's music scene, Tooth and Nail Records, and his time with Roadside Monument.  Enjoy the show and listen to Doug's music! 

Louie Romo is the house manager of the Northwest Film Forum in Seattle, Washington.  We both break down our top 10 horror films. These are subjective lists of course!  Get ready for some Carpenter, Romero, Lynch, Cronenberg, and more.  

Sherae Lascelles is running for Legislative District No. 43.  Sherae and I talk about radical authenticity, mutual aid, harm reduction, and how all these issues relate to both Seattle and life in general.    Check out Sherae's campaign page if you are interested in getting involved.   https://www.sheraeforstate.com  

Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons is the author of the forthcoming Book "Just Faith: Reclaiming Progressive Christianity".  In this talk we discuss the state of our times and how progressive Christianity has something to say about where we are and where we are headed. Guthrie has a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, where he was the William Sloane Coffin Scholar.  He and his husband, both native Texans, now live in Louisville, Kentucky.

There is a cliche that horror films are immoral and cheap.  Here I explore the ethical value of watching scary movies.  How do fear and empathy relate to each other?  What good can be found in confronting the darkness both in yourself and in the world?  

Eric and Nate Stone were my guests this week on The Trace.  Eric wrote and directed the film "Two Pictures".  Nate did the score and helped produce the movie.  "Two Pictures" has just been released online where it is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.  Check out the movie!

I was so upset by Donald Trump's profane use of the Bible as a symbol of fascist authoritarianism that I felt the need to record an response to it.  The idea that Trump connects the Bible, and Christianity, to his hateful view of the world is absurd.  Trump exposes the biblical illiteracy that plagues Christians across America.  If only they actually took the words of Jesus seriously!  

Oscar is a long time friend of mine who is a therapist and musician in Tepic, Mexico.  We have collaborated on music in the past and always have incredible conversations.  Today we discuss life in Mexico during quarantine, what he has learned in his work as a psychologist, and how art can restore a person. We also talk about his band Monoceros and what it has been like being in a post-rock band in Mexico since the 2000's.  Enjoy the talk!

William and I love talking about religion.  He is on the the Buddhist path with a great interest in all religion.  I am currently reading the Bhagavad Gita which gave William and I the chance to discourse on Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and other traditions. The purpose of this talk is to build bridges between religious thought as opposed to debate or competition.  I found this conversation to be genuinely inspirational and I hope you feel the same!

Andrew Hiller and I have been friends for many years.  He is a musician/artist that I originally met in the late-90's/early-2000's.  We have stayed close ever since even though we never live near each other.  He has been making music for a long time with many bands inlcuding Mr Klein and the Wizards of Time, Yairms, Damn Union, Treasure Mammal, and as AlhhlA.   We discuss friendship, music collectives, the art life, religion, fear, and his experiences practicing communal living.  

Brian Durkin is an editor and musician from Los Angeles.  He is a major movie lover and I had been wanting to have him on The Trace for quite a while. Every interview I have done on The Trace has been in person but with the current quarantine it felt like the right time to have talks with people in other states and countries.   Brian and I discuss our top 5 films of the 1990’s.  Everybody needs movie suggestions during this time so hopefully some of these are good options for your viewing pleasure. We also talk about a bunch of other movies, life in the time of quarantine,  and how we are dealing with these strange times.

Back to it here on The Trace with some social distancing episodes.  We all need movies to watch, podcasts to listen to, and various ideas on how to best pass the time during this strange season of life. Today I discuss my top 5 Scarlett Johansson films.  She has done so much great work and it's a perfect time to go back to watch some of her best.  

A story about a woman who tries to jump off a bridge but is caught by the arm.

This is a breakdown of my favorite albums of the decade and their relation to cultural and political events of our time.  This is a subjective list that is more about feel and themes than genre.  Check out thetracepodcast.com for the full list of 200 albums.

This week I share a story I wrote and performed with the help of Seattle band Mount Savage.  This is a Halloween story that I shared at an event at Hotel Albatross last week.  I've never shared a fiction piece on here so this is a first.  I hope you enjoy!

This week my guest is Matt Johnson.  He is a drummer who has been in bands like Roadside Monument, Blenderhead, 90 Pound Wuss, and many more.  We discuss underground punk rock music in Seattle in the 90's and how times have changed since then.  I am so proud to have him as a guest!

This is my first installment of an idea I have wanted to do for a while: a deconstruction of a famous Bible story.  In this case it's Psalm 23.  I go through the text looking at the original language and searching for other possible readings.  Keep an open mind as you listen!