Pals with Bill Wadman: Recent Episodes
Bill Wadman
I'm Bill Wadman, a commercial portrait photographer in New York City with a lot of amazing and accomplished friends. Occasionally I'll record an hour long interview with one of them about what they do, how they got here, and why it's important to them
Back for his second episode. Slate magazine's resident rock critic & chart analyst Chris Molanphy chats with me about the definition of a "Smash", why the demographics of the artists on the charts have changed over time, and how much he hates most Diane Warren penned songs. Always great to talk to Chris.
The rare Skype episode of Pals with art teacher Sandi Robertson from the UK. We discuss Sandi's deep love of the color darkroom, her early beginnings as a young artist in Scotland, and her belief that a student's understanding of photography is as vital as maths and sciences.
My good friend Eran isn't just one of the best modern dancers working today, she's also an accomplished home sewer. That's right, she's makes most of her own clothes and some for other people too. I just had to know how she got into the hobby!
I've been trying to get lighting designer Keri Thibodeau in front of my microphone for a couple of years now, but working at The Metropolitan Opera means that she doesn't have any free time. What she does have is a great story and a whole lot of fun nerdy insider information about the process of modern stage lighting.
Our young friend and footwear designer Molly Magerman is heading back to the west coast, so took the opportunity to talk to her about outsoles, lasts, and manufacturing shoes in China. It's fascinating stuff.
Filmmaker Brad Rego was ramping up to shoot his next horror film "Cryptid" in April just as the Coronavirus shut down the world. In this episode we'll talk about independent film production and how unknowns and additional time have effected his process.
Come on in and listen to my pal Matt Fisher tell me his story of BBQ. Just be warned that your stomach is going to be full and you may need to wash your jacket to get the smoke out afterward. Yum
In a very special episode of Pals I get to spend a half hour talking to one of the leading constitutional law attorneys in practice today. He's argued in front of The Supreme Court over twenty times for gay rights, against gerrymandering, in favor of the first amendment and more. Talking to him is like a primary source masterclass.
Mark Hamilton has been a disc jockey on the radio for decades and has an unnervingly encyclopedic knowledge for music. You may have heard him on WBCN in Boston and K-Rock in LA. He also claims to not have a radio voice, but I leave that to you to decide.
One of my earliest NYC friends Dave Keener and I walk through his life like a bass guitar. AND we get to hear Dave play a few of his amazing songs along the way.
Architect AK Naseer is my kind of person. Knowledgeable and a little obsessive just like me. He talks about coming to the US from his home in Saudi Arabia in the 12th grade, his almost complete collection of visits to major Louis Kahn buildings, and nearly convinces me that the Roman orders are something I need to understand. It was a good time.
In this episode, I get schooled by fashion designer Eric Gaskins who spend 35 years in the industry. He was trained by Givenchy, he designed for Koos Van Den Akker, and then his own label. Sometime in the early aughts he started the anonymous and notoriously biting fashion blog "The Emperor's Old Clothes" for which he outted himself when he retired from the industry in 2009. Come along for the ride and learn something with me about how craft and artistry have been lost in the fashion world.
A special roundtable episode this time around with playwright Jason Odell Williams and producer/director Charlotte Cohn. We sat down at their literal kitchen round table to discuss creating theater, working with actors, deciding who to trust with creative feedback, and the place of the stage in modern American society. It's a good lively conversation you won't want to miss.
One of my best friends Bianca Brady is on the show to talk about her new podcast "Whitey Puzzelman's Crossword Hour". On the way we discuss depression, growing up being the person at the party who doesn't drink, getting hit by a car in a crosswalk, and oh ya, Bianca's apt building going up in flames. Come along on the journey.
Take a trip through the history of tap dancing with my friend and dancer Alex MacDonald. Learn about its origins in the post-slavery 19th century, the trials that early African American dancers went through to perform, and how the art form is changing in the present with a bunch of amazing new performers. Plus at the end of the show, Alex puts on his shoes and give us a short demonstration of a lot of what we discussed. It's a do-not-miss episode.
Andrea Bartz's first novel "The Lost Night" was released this week at a bookstore near you. Come along as we discuss the whole process from her first pages back in 2014, finding an agent, pitching publishers, all the way through the editing process and more! And don't worry, since it's a mystery we stay largely spoiler free...
Come tour the 20 places writer Louise Hung has lived, drop into the political reality of Hong Kong, find out what it's like to live in Japan, and discuss whether the LA theater scene exists as a feeder for Hollywood. And all of this before we get to where we really start in on a deep dive about the death positve movement. Perhaps not for the faint of heart, but I found the conversation fascinating and hope you will too.
Painter Gigi Chen didn't start out as an animator like most of her bios say. She started out with a set of colored pencils deep in the borough of Queens. We discuss her obsession with bowerbirds, how a 'No' response doesn't mean anything, and what it was like for her to switch from oils to acrylic paints. Come along for the ride.
Eli has been a lifelong illustrator who is now a happily tenured professor at CUNY's City Tech here in Brooklyn. We discuss how his art education as effected his professional career, what it was like to be a retoucher at Spin magazine, and even learn how to mount a transparency in a drum scanner!
You've seen today's guest Simon Feil on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel", "Orange Is The New Black", "The Deuce", as well has a ton of the kind of procedural dramas my wife and I watch constantly. We discuss what it's like to be a working actor in NYC, his feelings on the rules of the Sabbath, and becoming a member of SAG. Basically anything related to acting I could think to ask.
Commercial Director and Stuffmaker Mac Premo is in the hotseat. This is a person who makes video the way he animates, and builds the way he draws. Come listen to us discuss his love of objects, baseball, and why he is going to die with a long todo list.
We're turning the tables today. Friend of the show and Episode 3 guest Mollie Goldstein is interviewing Bill Wadman himself on why he shoots portraits, how he deals with his subjects and their foibles while also juggling his own, and why he has the need to do these daily projects.
Here's an impromptu episode with opera singer Teresa Castillo. We talk about how she got into opera in the first place, the way things work in her industry, and how we get more kids to go to the opera without expecting a phantom. Enjoy!
Shaun Zetlin is a personal trainer and author of the book "Push-Up Progression". Not only is he knowledgable and in crazy good shape, he's also one of the sweetest people I know.
Grant has had many adventures in almost 20 years of getting his hands dirty and writing about it for New York Magazine, Men's Health, Playboy, The New York Times, and Nerve.com. Come along for the ride as a disarming, young-at-heart adventurer with a British accent tells us where he's been and how he got there. WARNING: This episode gets a little racy at times so it's NSFW and not for the kiddies among you. Enjoy!
Magazine Editor-in-Chief Meg Wachter was a photographer and a retoucher long before she started Got A Girl Crush, a "magazine about women, by women, for everyone", back in 2009.
They say to never discuss politics or religion, unless you've got Buddhist scholar and practitioner Michael Kaup in the chair to have a lively but intellegent discussion about the line between philosophy and religion, differing definitions of enlightenment, and how all people are at times the same and very different.
Paul Gurdak, the only man I would go up in a small plane with is my guest today. He's a single-engine private pilot, a world-class mechanic, and a great storyteller. We had 45 minutes before I had to head to the airport last week so we sat down, setup the mics and had an impromptu podcast session. Enjoy.
The most well-read person I know and until recently the Chief Learning Officer of ETS (Educational Testing Service). TJ has had quite the journey from the Bronx to Princeton. Come along for the ride while he recounts the opportunities and lessons he's learned along the way.
Legendary portrait photographer William Coupon sits down to discuss his upcoming book, what it was like to start his career in New York in the late 70's, and regale us with stories about his forty plus years in the business.
I'm very pleased to have the host of Slate's Hit Parade podcast, Chris Molanphy in the chair today. Chart analyst and pop critic, Chris sees connections and parallels along the history of popular music that would make a mere mortal music fan say 'Uncle!', and that's why we love him. Buckle up for a 100 minute trip up and down the Hot 100.
Here's a nerdy one for all you computer geeks out there. My buddy Evan Jones sat in the chair across from me to discuss his education in his native Canada, doing his PhD at MIT, working at Google, starting three companies, taking venture capital, and lastly explaining what a pivot table is. Lots of use of the terms 'abstracted' and 'C++'. In the process I got answers to questions I've been saving up for years. Hope you do too.
My old friend Liz Hara is at the kitchen table at the end of a short trip from LA where she writes for the CBS show "Life In Pieces". A job Liz got after years as a puppet builder and writer at the perennial favorite "Sesame Street". She knows Big Bird for real.
Fellow photographer Kent Miller stops by to talk about his love of expired film, the experience of being part of the shift to digital, and his BMX racing skills (who knew?!).
Psychologist Dr Ali Mattu and I have a sprawling two hour conversation about the origins of his Star Trek affliction, being a slacker in high school, and how the death of his brother changed his life. It's a good one, so don't miss it.
Author, troll, and fashion plate Michael Malice is at the dining room table for a long discussion about North Korea, why going to college for business is the only sensible choice, and how takes Congress critters down a peg on a regular basis.
Chef Bun Cheam has had quite the jounrey, from Cambodian refuge camps as a child to being Executive Chef at multiple New York restuarants. Join me as Bun tries to explain a French kitchen, what knives to use, and why he's a big fan of MSG on this episode of Pals with Bill Wadman
Film editor Mollie Goldstein dropped by for a conversation about the work she does, the changes she's seen over 16 years in the industry, and how important the job of the editor is. Especially in today's world where it's become so easy to make footage in the first place.
This episode we chat with photo curator Kristen Gaylord about what it's like to help put together the giant Stephen Shore show at MoMA and what's next for her at the Amon Carter Museum in Texas.
An hour long interview with my friend Francisco Graciano, who spent 13 years on tour with the legendary Paul Taylor Dance Company and found his love for dance photography along the way.