IMadeItUp: Recent Episodes
Adam Rabin
This magnificent 57-second opus apparently touches on default values in iPad games; the long-standing tradition of men annoying their wives; self-amusement as our primary goal; the making of a music video; writing with a one-minute limit and, of course, The Residents’ “Commercial Album;” and Greg’s personal belief system of Gamutology.
Songs featured: Neb Crabula “Vibbis T’Quahlahhop”
More than just a song title, the writing process for this song has proven to be endless. We talk about its origins in the early 90s and how the song is still evolving and spreading out years after it was first released. We also get into the recording process, the role of Tarot in the lyric writing, and endless variations on a theme.
Songs featured
- Elephants of Scotland “Endless (pt. 2)” from Execute and Breathe [2014]
- Mahout “The Lighthouse (An Endless Variation)” – podcast exclusive
- Adam Rabin “A Tapir in Prague (An Endless Variation)”
- Adam Rabin “Endless (pt. 2) [Demo]”.
What started out as a two-fer quickly becomes a three-fer. So, it’s Triple Shot Tuesday and here’s a set from Mailbox. We discuss the nature of the brain and instinctive Ginsburgian writing; our different approaches to writing lyrics; the stupid kids party known as poetry slams; songwriting in front of an audience; unique vocal deliveries; and the parallel Universe of animals.
Adam talks about his first ever espresso. Greg talks about the time somebody buried his hair. Other topics include musically interpreting the stages of the coffee rush, creating your own light, finding the perfect caffeine balance, times when Adam ruined Greg’s lyrics, and being either pandering or self-indulgent.
Songs featured: Mailbox “I’m Jitter Boy” from How It Is Nowadays [2003] and Neb Crabula “Choices” [podcast exclusive!]
The guys get heavy on this one. For real. Greg and Adam talk about why this song wasn’t on the 4th Elephants of Scotland album, and – for that matter – why there hasn’t been a 4th album yet. They also get into it about which songs work better with the band vs. solo; why solo albums happen; embracing the wrong notes; the power of saying goodbye; and moving on from grief and loss.
Songs featured: Adam Rabin “Trains That Never Come” from The Badger Flies at Dawn [2018] and Greg Skillman “My Train Song” (podcast exclusive!)
Greg and Adam go back to the first CD they worked on together from 1996 and discuss songwriting as therapy; the dangers of taking pride in your work; the parallels with EoS’ “Mousetrap”; the Zen of the selfish moment; anxiety as a muse; and The Meat Puppets.
Songs featured: Mailbox “My Head” from Chameleon In A Kaleidoscope [1996] and a demo of “My Head” from 1994.
Greg and Adam discuss finding a writing partner you can trust; broadcasting your desires through your art; synergy vs. compromise; and the first time Greg heard what Adam did with his lyrics.
Greg and Adam discuss the do's and don'ts of using dreams as a tool for writing; surrealism vs. just random nonsense; singing meat bags; collaborating with introverts vs. extroverts; why pirates like Argentina; and the proper footwear for summertime in Vermont.
Songwriting team Adam Rabin and Greg Skillman discuss tracks from their catalog and their creative processes, inspirations, and philosophies. This is all done with the irreverent and left-field humor that helps define their work.
Filmmaker David Metzger and actors Elsha Van Apeldoorn and Lauren Patterson talk about the new film The Silver Screen Roadshow that is premiering at Main Street Landing on February, 6 at 7pm. The sweet movie follows an ex-filmmaker who bonds with her estranged 9-year old sister on the road as they search for a movie theater with a working film projector.
Anthony Apodaca refurbished a studio space on Howard Street to open Revelry Theater. Revelry offers comedians, performers, and improvisers a small space to try more experimental pieces. Anthony and I go deep into his philosophies on improv, religion, and whether or not being nice is actually helpful.
Ginge O’Lolly and Dr. Vu from Green Mountain Cabaret join me for a fun chat about the history of burlesque, the Vermont scene, and what’s coming up this Winter for GMC.
Steve Hartmann is a singer/songwriter who was born in Vietnam at the end of the war, grew up outside Philly, studied at Berklee in Boston, and eventually found his way to Vermont. His style is both passionate and intricate and speaks to a lifelong search for belonging. Hartmann performs two songs (“Sweet Angel” and “You Are”) and talks about his support of The Ramble festival. Now settled in Jericho, Vermont Steve performs around the region regularly.
Lydia Kern is a Burlington-based sculptor, dancer, and she also plays a mean glittered cow jaw in a local band. We talk about the upcoming AutoBiography performance and how it will be “a beautiful cacophony of artistic inspiration and humanity.” And, of course, we talk about the thriving and supportive Burlington art scene.
Topaz Weis’ Expressive Arts Burlington is a space where anybody – regardless of their artistic training – can create free of our inner critic. Topaz and I dive into the healing power of art to make us say, “Ohhh!”
Phillip Peterson has brought together his experiences in the arts (as a child actor) and sciences (as an engineer with the City of Burlington) to create STEAM Lab which airs Sunday evenings from 6-8 on 99.3FM Burlington. He is also a teacher, SCUBA diver, music aficionado, and extrovert to the max.
Gray Basnight and Mike DeSanto met at George Washington University in the 1970s where they were studying theatre. Now, 40 years later, Gray is a published author based in NYC and Mike owns Phoenix Books here in Burlington. Like Gray’s new book, Flight of the Fox, we discuss American History from the formation of the FBI to Vietnam to 9/11. Basnight will be making an appearance at Phoenix on Thursday, September 13.
Kathryn Blume is currently advocating cannabis awareness through Heady Vermont where she draws on her experience as an actor, playwright, environmental activist, and even game designer. We talk about the global performance of the anti-war Lysistrata Project, her self-designed Yale degree, and her recipe for recovering from a burst appendix: pot, Netflix, and a cat.
RiffTrax writer Conor Lastowka has made a career out of poking fun at movies and books and, well, pretty much anybody who takes themselves too seriously. In addition to Rifftrax, he performs at Vermont Comedy Club, co-hosts a podcast with Mike Nelson of MST3K fame, and has published two novels – Gone Whalin’ and Pole Vault Championship of the Entire Universe.
Artist Kelly Holt artist has worked in Vermont and Berlin, Germany. She is also the Creative Director and Curator for Edgewater Gallery in Stowe, Vermont. We discuss her own work in mixed media and photography as well as her collaborative works with many Vermonters.
Tim Bridge, a talented and very busy comedian, jumps between improv, sketch, stand-up, and talking about movies. He won the Vermont’s Funniest Comedian contest in 2017 and performs regularly around the state. Tim and I talk about the stupidity of competitions, how great dogs are, and running his monthly Pullin’ Yo Chain stand-up showcase.
Corrine Yonce is a painter and radio-maker. Her “Voices of Home” series combines the two featuring interviews with and paintings of local people in subsidized housing. She is also a cross-country cyclist (literally!). We talk about her harrowing trip from Maine to California and its lasting impact on her life and work.
Jessica Amelia is a renaissance woman: a self-taught musician, wood worker, music gear tech, and graphic designer. She has performed and recorded with The Empress Trees, Drive the Hour, The Obvious Tells, and solo to name just a few. We discuss the pros and cons of performing with a band and on her own; the underground Trans Punk scene; and how she uses Instagram to both share her work and connect with others in the Trans community.
Jessica even treats us to in-studio performances of “Gay In Space” and “Never Doubt What We Got, It’s Coming From The Heart.”
The lead singer for Vermont’s Rough Francis, Bobby Hackney Jr. sits down for an hour-long chat to talk about the band’s new album MSP3: Counter Attack, the Detroit roots of American punk, the future of Rough Francis, being a punk rocker dad, and his work with other band Barbacoa, The Static Age, and more.
Back in the late 80s and into the 90s, Al Larsen was the frontman for Some Velvet Sidewalk, a punk band from the Pacific Northwest. I was checking them out on YouTube and saw a great comment: “Their frontman was my college professor. When he showed this to the class, it blew our minds.” In addition to teaching at Champlain College, he is also multimedia artist and writer whose work utilizes public spaces such as festivals, sidewalks, rooftops, and keggers.
Our only true home is our bodies since we bring it with us wherever in the world we go. Erika Senft Miller is a conceptual performance artist who explores dance and movement through site-specific works – as opposed to performances just in theaters or conventional stages. We talk about the journey that brought her from Germany to Sweden to Philadelphia and then to Vermont and all of the lessons she learned along the way.
Be sure to check out the photos and videos from the projects we discussed: Sleeping Babies, SiteTime, and Salt.
Diana Mara Henry photographed some of the key moments of the Women’s Movement in the 1970s as well as the 1972 and 1976 presidential races. Her work has appeared in countless publications and she continues to speak publicly on Women’s History and her work behind the lens. We also discuss her research on the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp.
Here are the photos we discussed throughout the episode.
All of the photos are copyright Diana Mara Henry. Visit her website for more!
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Photo of Diana was taken by Kenric Kite
In her new book Rx, Vermont cartoonist Rachel Lindsay relives her grueling experience with the mental health and pharmaceutical industries. We discuss the story behind the book, cartooning about her life as a cashier in Rachel Lives Here Now, and about accepting support as well as criticism as an artist.
Sam Kurnit has spent his whole life in the performing arts and he’s done so along his own unique path: as an actor, voice-over artist, improviser, and as the dungeon master/host of the Improvised Weapons podcast.
My guest today, Nate Venet, has lived in Vermont — Chittenden County, in fact — his whole life. And why would he ever leave? Nate and I talk about physics and art, music directing for local schools, bringing out everybody’s inner rockstar, his songs for Stuck In Vermont’s 500th episode, his work with Spielpalast Cabaret, and our mutual memberships in the Vermont 251 Club.
David Metzger has already written and directed three independent films here in Vermont and he has begun work on a fourth. What does it take to get a movie made up here and what is his approach to the art of directing? David also reflects on how his encounters with Dan Aykroyd, Benecio del Toro, and Martin Scorcese affected his journey into cinema.
Tod Pronto is a singer-songwriter from Newport, Vermont who cites everyone from Elvis to Billy Joel to Nirvana as influences. He has played in venues all around New England and beyond including gigs with Ellis Paul, Jonathan Edwards, and Livingston Taylor. You may have also heard his music on a Golden Corral commercial of all places.
North East Kingdom native Natalie Miller and I spend an hour talking about her rural upbringing, her theatrical and musical training including the time she spent with me in 80s cover band Hot Neon Magic. And, of course, we get deep about her finding comedy and starting up the Vermont Comedy Club.
Sarah Vogelsang-Card rebelled against a harrowing diagnosis as a child and used dance to quite literally save her own life. Her interest in movement also includes performing with Puppets in Education, an organization that uses puppetry to help children talk about difficult topics like bullying, drugs, and autism. She will be performing with The Accaliae at the 8th Annual Dance Showcase this month.
Christy Mitchell has been central to the burgeoning South End Arts District. She was responsible for giving it that name. She runs the SPACE Gallery, has been converting underutilized buildings throughout Burlington into artist studios, and is an accomplished artist in her own right. If that’s not enough, she can fix any lamp ever made and out parallel park anybody.
Carole Vasta Folley is a storyteller, a playwright that has made it her mission to create meaningful roles for women – of all ages. Despite the recurring themes of death and loss in her work she is a comedic force and our chat was a ton of fun.
What is more difficult to start up: a rock band or an improv troupe? Lindsey Haddad has found creative outlets in music, comedy, fashion, and Dungeons and Dragons. She has toured half the country in a band based in Athens, Georgia; founded several Vermont comedy groups and shows; and coordinated a fundraising fashion competition.
It is no coincidence that Mark Stein teaches children improv at an Aikido dojo. He has channeled his years of performing as a storyteller, comedian, actor, and magician into a martial arts-style approach to the classroom as a teaching artist at Tiger Monkey Dragon Performing Arts.
Mark and I also talk about gender differences in the performing arts and in schooling. Then we invent a truly scary new type of improv theater. And since he’s from Milwaukee we’re going to find out who has better beer and cheese, Wisconsin or Vermont.
Patrick Tracy is a cartoonist and illustrator who has done work for politicians, comedy clubs, and breweries. This native Burlingtonian has traveled the world exploring the many unique art scenes and you can hear him discuss these experiences and the local scene on the Art Mache podcast. Patrick and I go deep into the balancing act that is artistic creation and inspiration.
When Janet first moved to Vermont her first job was managing construction for Ben & Jerry’s. But her true passion is as an actor and singer who has performed with Lyric Theatre Company in many classic musicals such as The Music Man and Oklahoma. And in 2010 she started up Girls Nite Out Productions with the goal of providing more high quality theatrical roles to women.
Bob Gagnon is an accomplished jazz guitarist who has been compared to George Benson and Pat Martino. You can hear him play with Tiny Montgomery (Bob Dylan tribute) and Small Change (Tom Waits jazz tribute). Not one to simply coast on his jazz street cred, he has picked up bass guitar and joined a progressive rock band. Which just happens to be my progressive rock band, Elephants of Scotland. But true to his Vermont roots he is equally skilled at raising goats and making cheese and soap.
Leif Hunneman is an electronic musician who has performed with Hexdump and as State Vector Collapse. And you can hear him right here on on 99.3FM WBTV-LP Wednesday evenings at 6 on Accelerate and Intensify. If that wasn’t enough, he has completed the Vermont 251 Challenge. Find out who Leif thinks makes the best maple creemee in Vermont.
Devon Ewalt’s passion is sincere and infectious. His MC stylings are informed by his love, not just of hip hop, but of rock, movies, theater, and any other literature he can get his hands on. We discuss his growing up in Washington D.C., acting, writing, and his work with Cultural Chemistry, The Aztext (including “Good Weather” and “Break It Down”). And he schools this old rocker on the rich world of Hip Hop.
photo courtesy of Rico James
Actor, comedian, podcaster Jon van Luling built up the Green Mountain Cabaret with his wife and you can now hear him MCing the Vermont Lake Monsters games, rolling for hit points on the Improvised Weapons podcast, and dishing on movies on the Go Home Hollywood, You’re Drunk podcast. You can also see Jon with his improv team House Boat and sketch group Feed the Meter.
Vermont-native Martha Hull creates cute and deadly art and stories. She is an entrepreneurial artist who has self-published two books and regularly sets up shop at the Burlington Farmers Market. She describes herself as “the love child of Edward Gorey and a flying rainbow unicorn.”
Keyboardist-comedian-songwriter Adam Cooper Wood grew up in California steeped in the music business before moving to Vermont and playing with Uncle Juice, Dig 3, a Vermont production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Physics Club, and making up songs for his own amusement. You can see him weekly now as part of the musical improv troupe Slinky Says Relax.
Singer/Songwriter (and dancer and actress) DonnCherie McKenzie talks about growing up in Seattle, learning American Tribal dance and joining Leanan Sidhe, starting her band SuGaR and writing songs for their EP SuGaR In The Raw, and what it means to be yourself and express that through music.
Now-Vermont-based actor, writer, podcaster Lincoln L. Hayes talks with Adam about growing up in rural Colorado, working on 30 Rock and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, creating the Boyfriend Training series, writing and starring in What Kent Did, and Vermont Film Essentials.
Rev. Diane Sullivan talks about singing with Dirty Blondes and Everybody’s Favorite Irish Drinking Songs Band, getting naked around Burlington, almost getting abducted in France, and her career as art director at Seven Days.
Then, Brian Sylvester talks about growing up in VA & WV in a government family and how his unlikely path studying horticulture, yoga, jazz & classical guitar, and massage therapy lead to his unique paintings that hang around the world.