The Resistance: Recent Episodes
Matt Conner
There's a force at work that keeps you from being you. We feel it, too. It's the reason we avoid making the call, the reason we put off the diet. It's why we've done nothing about that entrepreneurial idea, that creative endeavor, that new relationship. In his book The War of Art, Stephen Pressfield defines this universal force as Resistance. Welcome to The Resistance, a new podcast featuring honest interviews with creative persons about this force and the forms it takes.
Madi Diaz didn't set out to make her rawest record. She just stopped hiding. The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter joins The Resistance to talk about Fatal Optimist, the heartbreak and isolation behind it, and what it actually means to choose yourself when everything else falls apart.
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At a moment of real transition, Natalie and Meegan Closner of the band Joseph talk about loss, resilience, and learning how to let something evolve without letting it go.
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Paloma Young is a Tony Award–winning costume designer whose work spans Broadway and London, including Peter and the Starcatcher, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, & Juliet, The Notebook, Bandstand, and Real Women Have Curves. In this episode of The Resistance, Paloma reflects on how motherhood changed the cost of availability in an industry built on endurance, and what it means to stay committed to the work without disappearing into it.
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Actor Stephen Tracey (Invasion, Anne with an E) joins The Resistance to talk about finding flow in the work, the surprising echoes between his roles and his own life, and why he feels drawn to create something from his own point of view.
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Acclaimed singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata talks about her new album Starlit Alchemy, the healing power of creativity, and how transformation often begins with surrender.
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From smash hits like "Luka" and "Tom’s Diner" to her new album Flying With Angels, Suzanne Vega reflects on journaling as survival and how, even after four decades, she’s still discovering new depths in her songwriting.
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Tony-winning actress Lauren Patten (Jagged Little Pill, Death and Other Details) opens up about identity, perfectionism, and pushing past fear to explore new creative lanes—from writing and music to producing her first short film.
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Celebrated songwriter Kathleen Edwards reflects on the career leaps that didn't happen, the unexpected joys she’s embraced, and the creative armor that allows her to keep showing up for the work that matters.
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From his restless ambition to create to the challenge of finding balance, Dominic Lewis takes us inside the life of an in-demand composer whose work spans Bullet Train, The Fall Guy, Nobody 2, and more, all while still chasing deeper artistic fulfillment.
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Before Raashi Kulkarni ever scored a feature film, before she ever composed music for well over 300 television episodes (including The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), before her multiple solo releases that have dominated World Music charts, she learned one valuable lesson from her parents: to focus solely on the work.
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Rasheed Newson, the co-creator of Bel-Air and writer for shows like The Chi, Narcos, and Lie to Me, opens up about the difficulties of finding a voice like his growing up and how that longing shapes where he wants to go next.
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As a member of beloved bands Stars and Broken Social Scene, Amy Millan has spent decades shaping some of the most defining sounds in Canadian music. These days, however, are rooted in a commitment to unearth her own voice. Her latest solo record, I Went To Find You, is her first in over 15 years, and the journey to write and record it was a deeply personal one.
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On this episode of The Resistance, we sat down with two-thirds of the trio known as Wild Rivers to gain a rare inside look at their creative chemistry. It’s a conversation about the ongoing challenge of staying artistically honest in the face of success and their commitment to keep showing up, even when the doubts are as loud as ever.
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From her soulful music career as a member of Prince’s New Power Generation to her breakthrough acting role in the hit series Upload to her recent dive into the culinary world, Andy Allo has never confined herself to a single path. In the face of a culture that worries about personal brands and instant categorization, Andy’s only focus is expansion—staying true to herself while following her interests and the opportunities that open up in the process.
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Pulitzer finalist Mai Der Vang opens up about the courage it takes to be a poet, the discipline required to stay with uncertainty, and the weight of writing for a community long silenced.
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When we typically speak with artists about the idea of resistance, we discuss their creative endeavors, but Dustin Kensrue (Thrice) has a more holistic view of it all. From creative freedom to family priorities, from the pull of side projects to the quiet cost of ignoring what really stirs the soul, he was kind enough to unpack what it means to make honest work in a world that demands constant output.
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Emmy and Grammy-winning composer Carlos Rafael Rivera (Hacks, The Queen's Gambit) details the painful lessons required to get to a healthy space of being less precious about his creative work.
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Despite the best-selling books and hit TV shows, author/screenwriter Ben Winters (CBS' hit show Tracker, The Last Policeman) says distraction and anxiety remain very much a part of the creative process—even in the face of his ever-growing run of successes.
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Tina Cane's work as an activist and educator has kept her work as an author and poet (including a long stint as the former Poet Laureate of Rhode Island) so close to the earth. It’s beautiful and accessible and meaningfully grounded. After spending some time in conversation with her, it’s clear that her ability to be so authentic in her craft is the important result of being so intentional. In short, her internal work—of staying true to herself, of pushing against resistance—is made so clear in her external work.
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Tony Dekker has had the right posture from the beginning. Of course, it probably helped that he was never trying in the first place. The central figure of Great Lake Swimmers has made a career in the music industry for more than two decades now, but as Dekker tells the story, that first self-titled record was never intended to be anything more than a personal passion project—to be heard by family and friends.
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Acclaimed artist and actor Lyrics Born speaks about finding a new identity beyond hip-hop, what he’s learned in 30 years as a recording artist, and the importance of saying yes when unexpected gifts come your way.
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Acclaimed songwriter Joan Osborne says the artist will never stop pushing against the Resistance, but the doubts that arise will take on different forms.
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Land of Talk's Lizzie Powell talks about spurned opportunities, lessons learned to protect the work, and the upsides of being a slow burn of a band—all of which has made them one of Canada’s most respected artists of the last 20 years.
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Lucero front man Ben Nichols talks about the acclaimed band's desire for boot camp experiences in the studio, the lessons learned over a quarter century of piling in a van for another tour run, and how/why he's so keen to face the resistance in the first place.
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On this episode of the Resistance, acclaimed TV/film director Ron Underwood joined us for a meaningful conversation about the importance of fear and what it signals, the work of stewarding creativity in a team setting, and the throughline of a long career in Hollywood.
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From his days fronting the indie rock band Hey, Rosetta! to his current run as a solo artist, Tim Baker's music has always had a way of connecting at a deeper level. On this episode, the Canadian songwriter opens up about creative friction and why it means everything to the process of making anything.
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Despite an impressive and growing list of fellowships, awards, and prizes, author/poet Michael Kleber-Diggs opens up about the difficulties of sensitive subjects and the very real struggles he still faces to believe whether or not his voice is needed.
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On this episode of The Resistance, Alasdair MacLean chronicles his songwriting journey and the creative lessons learned, how The Clientele's most popular song only took 10 minutes to write, and the connective tissue of their brand new album, I Am Not There Anymore.
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Johnnyswim's infectious pop music has carried them from The Today Show to The Tonight Show, but the primary goal of their work has always been about creating meaningful connections. On this episode, Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano tell us about the way art generates community and how music continues to heal them to this day.
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Our discussion with singer-songwriter Jill Andrews takes a number of turns, from her ability to differentiate herself from her music to the subjects that are too personal to write about. And just as her music finds a way to effortlessly connect with the listener, we’ve no doubt her insights here into creativity and resistance will do the same.
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With 3 Grammy wins, 16 million albums sold, and 30 years of experience, the members of Hanson have learned a thing or two about creativity and resistance. In this episode, they emphasize the importance of being present and the difficulties of differentiating oneself from one's work.
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Life doesn't get in the way, so to speak, for Colin West. As an award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter, West has instead learned to embrace the mundane and routine for the substance it provides the stories he tells, including his latest film, Linoleum, a New York Times Critics Pick starring Jim Gaffigan, Tony Shalhoub, and Rhea Seehorn.
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After nine full-length albums, numerous global tours, multiple Brit Awards, and four Platinum releases, you'd think Fran Healy and his bandmates in Travis would be a bit more confident in their ability to write a great song. But Healy says it was never about talent. It's just about a willingness to dig and nothing more.
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In nearly 20 years as frontman of The Wood Brothers, Oliver Wood has built an incredible catalog of Grammy-nominated, genre-defying music. The key to such longevity is his career-long fight to stay distracted—yes, distracted—in his creative processes.
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As a teenager, acclaimed vocalist Liz Vice lived with a severe autoimmune disease that could have killed her. On this episode, Liz tells us about the creative fears that still have a hold on her, even as her gospel/R&B fusion has made her an NPR darling and given her a considerable platform.
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Joshua Henry, fresh off his appearance in the film Tick, Tick...Boom!, is a three-time Tony nominee known for his work in Carousel, TheScottsboroBoys, Hamilton, and Waitress who also recently released his debut album, Grow. The secret to so much success? Henry says he tries to listen to "the voice before the voice" as a daily practice. Check out our latest conversation on The Resistance.
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Conor O'Brien is trying his best to avoid "the algorithm blues." As the songwriter and central figure in the Mercury Prize nominated band Villagers, Conor knows a thing or two about the wrestling required with and the shadow side of social media. As a recording artist, there's an inherent need to stay in front of listeners—to create content, to stay connected, to fan the flames of fandom. As an actual person, however, it's not the healthiest way to spend one's time.
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On this episode of The Resistance, screenwriter TonyTost (Longmire, Damnation, The Terror) describes the (lack of) mental issues with writing in his career and why he believes that to be the case. He also opens up about his uncommon path toward a career in the arts and how that's given him such a different perspective on creativity and fear.
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Josh Radnor has found success on the screen and stage and, most recently, as a songwriter, but despite his experience and expansive platform, he still wrestles with the same basic fears, voices, and pressures that plagued him when he was first starting out. We recently spoke with Josh to hear more about his creative drive and the lessons learned in a career in the arts.
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Natashia Deón wears many, many creative hats, including that of acclaimed author (for her celebrated novel, Grace). On this episode of The Resistance, Natashia speaks openly about the power of her faith to fuel her activities and what she’s learned about balance and self-care in the midst of so many demands.
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Oscar-nominated composer Emile Mosseri speaks about the devastating beauty of Minari, his journey to becoming a composer, and the tension of working toward someone else's creative vision versus his own.
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From his multi-Tony Award musical Spring Awakening to penning hit singles like "Barely Breathing", Duncan Sheik has experienced considerable success on multiple fronts as a songwriter. However, he says nothing is more important than making art that is, first and foremost, interesting to him. The marketplace will make its demands, but that all-too-often comes at a cost to the artist. On this episode of The Resistance, Duncan Sheik speaks about grappling with his identity as an artist in the face of it all.
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After 15 years in the music biz, Mat Kearney says the only healthy rudder when it comes to his work is whether or not he's personally interested. It's a hard lesson to learn, to wall off the surrounding influences and pressures, but he's done so once again on his captivating new album, January Flower.
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We speak with musician/composer Saunder Jurriaans (Ozark, American Gods) about the anxiety and adventure of stepping out into something new—the resistance he faced when releasing music of his own making for no other reason than obedience to the impulses inside him.
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In this latest episode, singer-songwriter Josh Kelley details his journey toward personal betterment, a years-long battle against toxic voices of fear and deference. On the other side, he shares some valuable lessons learned and how they affect his creativity.
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To hear Mahogany L. Browne's story is to not only understand more about the substantive work of an acclaimed artist but also to unearth something deeper about the importance of claiming your own voice. Her courage to face her fears has gifted us with meaningful writing, a platform she's leveraged to encourage and elevate so many other voices. On the verge of releasing her new novel, Chlorine Sky, she sat with us to share the power of lighthouses in her own life and the light she's trying to shine for others.
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We're not sure how Alisa Xayalith or Thom Powers crafted something so meaningfully synthetic, but their new album is a heartening, even healing listen. This episode features an honest conversation with The Naked & Famous about how meaningful art can somehow emerge from a season of loss and confusion.
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There's no way to make this more palatable: friction is essential to creativity. This episode of The Resistance features an honest conversation with acclaimed singer-songwriter William Fitzsimmons, an artist who has learned the connective value from allowing friction to do its work.
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This episode of the Resistance features an honest conversation with acclaimed musician Brooke Waggoner about the tension of when to stop and start, when to move forward and how to let go. There are no right answers, but there are meaningful questions asked and Brooke has much to teach us based on the journey she's taken.
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Fortitude and fragility are strange bedfellows, but singer-songwriter Mindy Smith says both are essential to her craft as a songwriter. It's a mix we all need if we seek to do the work before us. To chase the dream, to bring about the imagined, to pin down the evasive—we must enter the fragility of the unknown and walk it out with an unfounded confidence.
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Our conversation with award-winning poet Li-Young Lee opened our eyes to new layers of Resistance—a fearful proposition—even as we were also reminded of the maturation and growth possible when we face it.
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As one half of renowned electronic duo Thievery Corporation, Eric Hilton (along with his musical partner Rob Garza) is responsible for a massive catalog spanning the last quarter century. He's influenced an entire generation of producers and DJs and with three solo releases slated for 2020, he remains as busy as ever as an artist. It's all a result of his optimistic outlook—one he works hard to maintain.
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Sarah Siskind's vulnerability as a songwriter is also what makes for such meaningful conversation. As a parent, she struggles to manage family and career. As an artist, she's hungry for the time and space to create. As a single woman, she wrestles with being alone for the first time in her life. Her willingness to share from these wells allow her to connect and offer hope in ways that few artist can.
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Despite Rosi Golan's 12 years in the music industry, the Israeli-born singer-songwriter says some fears loom larger than ever before. From the vulnerability of releasing personal material, to the fear of getting lost in the shuffle, to the worries of living up to expectations, Rosi swims in the Resistance in several forms. Fortunately, she's mentally wired to push back against such doubts, a songstress always keen to try new things.
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How can you give away what you've lost? On this episode, singer-songwriter John Mark McMillan details the Resistance he faced during a 10-year descent into doubt and confusion while serving a fan base searching for answers and meaning.
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Our conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jericho Brown is one about reward and resistance. It asks tough questions about how far the burning heart inside can carry a person. Is a sense of calling enough? What if the rewards aren't there when we believe we need them? Brown has earned his Pulitzer (and then some) but it required a long lean into lonely spaces.
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Zach Williams is worried about what you will think of him. Aren't most of us? The latest episode of The Resistance is all about this tension and how it affects the creative life of Zach Williams and his bandmates (Kanene Donehey Pipkin, Brian Elmquist) in The Lone Bellow. Even after several acclaimed albums, Zach says he's learning to set aside others' expectations in order to craft the art he's called to make.
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For the last two-plus decades, Alex Ebert has stayed the creative course, a prime example of an artist who does what he feels. That might sound like an enjoyable path, but as Alex shares his story, it's fraught with industry questions, critical backlash, and a general sense of loneliness. In short, a commitment to making art on one's own terms comes with a heavy cost.
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In the midst of a global pandemic and being quarantined with our own makeshift home studios, we thought it appropriate to process this greater reality of Resistance that we all face these days. It's hard to find the positive in such a negative situation, but if we're present, we can face the Resistance even in these darker days.
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What role does Resistance play for an artist who has achieved so much so early? To hear Sierra Hull tell her story, she's experienced as much Resistance as ever as she's released her latest album—the stunning masterwork known as 25 Trips. From industry hurdles to lessons learned about believing her own voice, Sierra's proof that the Resistance hits all of us equally. There's never a way around it, only through it.
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Film composer Nathan Johnson (Knives Out, Looper, Kill the Messenger) says he's always ready to jump. As a lover of creative challenge, Nathan says the key to being able to make that leap is a willingness to say yes to what you don't know how to do. It's that sort of "anything goes" approach that's allowed Johnson to craft such inspired and innovative compositions that bolster his cinematic projects in such rare, beautiful ways.
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After a several month break, The Resistance is back with some exciting changes to announce! Listen in to hear more about the program going forward and what's in store for this next step in the journey.
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It was immediately clear that Fantastic Negrito would close our first season of The Resistance once we began our conversation. Here was a man speaking—nay, preaching—from a lifetime of hard-fought battles with resistance. Record label woes. A car accident and ensuing coma. The inability to use his hand—to literally make music. Relearning it all after his supposed prime had passed him by.
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Join Matt Conner, host of The Resistance, and Jay Kirkpatrick, audio engineer, as they reflect on the most recent guest conversation—this time with Glen Phillips, solo artist and front man for Toad The Wet Sprocket.
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It's taken some time for Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket) to realize the ebb and flow of popularity and the shifting sands of the music industry have nothing to do with his value as a person or his worth as a cultural voice. These days, he's "over" the idea of a career, he says. It's simply about obedience to the creative impulses that he feels.
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Join Matt Conner, host of The Resistance, and Jay Kirkpatrick, audio engineer, as they reflect on the most recent guest conversation—this time with Americana artist Drew Holcomb.
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In this episode of The Resistance, Drew Holcomb explains the posture needed to consistently create and how he's learned to protect the initial impulse that sparked his creative pursuits in the first place.
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This week, we have a special bonus episode that deviates from our typical interview format. Last week, Tokyo Police Club frontman Dave Monks sat down to discuss The Resistance, and in our conversation, he disclosed a list he keeps in his writing journal that lists rules he's picked up along the way as an artist. Aptly titled Rules For Artists, Monks graciously agreed to share those lessons learned with us in this special one-off episode.
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Even after a decade fronting one of Toronto's most successful bands in Tokyo Police Club and previous solo releases, Dave Monks still wrestles with a resistance that plagues us all: a need for permission. Our latest episode features a personal and revealing conversation with an experienced artist who still wonders whether or not he really has the permission to follow his creative impulses.
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Join Matt Conner, host of The Resistance, and Jay Kirkpatrick, audio engineer, as they reflect on the most recent guest conversation—this time with pop artist Sarah Jaffe.
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Our conversation with pop artist Sarah Jaffe speaks directly to the shadow side of comparison and how destructive it can be if we let it rule our mindset. Sarah has learned the hard way to be very intentional with her time and efforts in her hopes to keep the "Dark Energy" away, as she sings so aptly on her latest single.
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Join Matt Conner, host of The Resistance, and Jay Kirkpatrick, audio engineer, as they reflect on the most recent guest conversation—this time with singer-songwriter Denison Witmer.
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It's been six years since we've heard from Denison Witmer. In that time, he's settled into normal life of work and play, friends and family. He's nurtured the relationships that mattered most without ever knowing if his passion and talent for music would ever come back around again. Maybe he would shy away from such comparisons, but the sacrifice feels a bit Abrahamic.
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Join Matt Conner, host of The Resistance, and Jay Kirkpatrick, audio engineer, as they reflect on the most recent guest conversation—this time with acoustic duo Lowland Hum.
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When was the last time you felt like an imposter—at your craft, at your vocation, at parenting? What if the moment you felt those feelings most intensely—perhaps on a stage in the middle of a crowded room of fans—you decided to confront it in the boldest way possible? Daniel and Lauren Goans have learned to defy their doubts with courageous acts of creativity and that's our subject on this episode.
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Our weekly bonus episode where we reflect on our main interview of the week—this time with Theodore Shapiro, film composer for over 70 motion pictures from Wolf of Wall Street to Marley & Me and Ghostbusters to the forthcoming Fair & Balanced.
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Film composer Theodore Shapiro has scored over 70 films, from The Wolf of Wall Street to The Devil Wears Prada, Marley and Me to Ghostbusters. Unfortunately, none of his success has stopped The Resistance. Here's our honest conversation about the balance between contentment and ambition and how enough is never really enough.
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Our weekly bonus episode where we reflect on our main interview of the week—this time with Lynn Renee Maxcy, writer for the HULU hit series The Handmaid's Tale—and discuss our takeaways from the conversation.
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On this episode of The Resistance, Lynn Renee Maxcy will frustrate those of you who want to hear that all the self-doubt subsides after you’ve “made it.” Fortunately, she’s also ready and willing to share plenty of heartening advice about what it means to cultivate creative community and how to persist in the face of it all.
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Our weekly bonus episode where we reflect on our main interview of the week—this time with singer-songwriter Stephen Kellogg—and discuss our takeaways from the conversation.
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This episode with Stephen Kellogg not only features honest insights from one of the best (and most underrated) singer-songwriters in music today. His vulnerable testimony is a much-needed reminder for so many of us that our voice matters more than we think—and it's okay to fight for it.
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"Most of us have two lives. The life we live and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance."
-Steven Pressfield, The War of Art
Over 2,000 interviews in nearly 20 years. That's Matt Conner's journey thus far as a journalist in pursuit of meaningful stories from artists of all kinds—musicians, directors, authors, actors, and more. Most of his interviews have centered on a single idea, a single struggle. Everyone feels it—the distance and tension between our present situation and our future goals. That counteractive force—the fear, the apathy, the lack of resources—that's the Resistance.
Welcome to a new seasonal podcast featuring honest conversations with artists discussing their own struggles. The hope is that we'll all find a way forward—together.
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