Pals with Bill Wadman

Episode 28: Jason Odell Williams & Charlotte Cohn, Playwright & Producer/Director

April 17th, 2019  |  1 hr 25 mins

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.

Episode 27: Bianca Brady - Lunatic Whisperer

March 25th, 2019  |  1 hr 20 mins

depression, drinking, frienamies, meds, podcasting, ssri

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.

Episode 26: Alex MacDonald - Tap Dancer

March 7th, 2019  |  1 hr 40 mins

dance, dancer, history, interview, jazz, tap, tap dancing

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.

Episode 25: Andrea Bartz - Thriller Author

February 28th, 2019  |  1 hr 2 mins

author, book, interview, writer

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, to 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...

Episode 24: Louise Hung - Death Positive Writer

February 16th, 2019  |  1 hr 45 mins

death, death-positive, dying, funeral, hong kong, interview

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.

Episode 23: Gigi Chen - Painter

February 13th, 2019  |  1 hr 34 mins

artist, conversation, illustrator, interview, painter, talking

Painter Gigi Chen didn't start out as an animator like most of her bios say. She started out as a kid 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.

Episode 22: Eli Neugeboren - Illustrator / Retoucher

February 1st, 2019  |  1 hr 43 mins

citytech, creators, cuny, illustrator, interview, life story, retoucher, retouching

Eli has been a lifelong illustrator who is now a happily tenured professor at CUNY's City Tech here in Brooklyn.

Episode 21: Simon Feil - Character Actor

January 28th, 2019  |  59 mins 37 secs

acting, actor, character, movies, sag, tv

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.

Episode 20: Mac Premo - Stuffmaker

January 24th, 2019  |  46 mins 3 secs

Commercial Director and Stuffmaker Mac Premo is in the hot seat. 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.

Episode 19: Bill Wadman - Portrait Photographer with Mollie Goldstein

January 22nd, 2019  |  56 mins 31 secs

We're turning the tables today. Friend of the show and Episode 2 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.

Episode 18: Teresa Castillo - Opera Singer

November 30th, 2018  |  42 mins 57 secs

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!

Episode 17: Shaun Zetlin - Personal Trainer

November 13th, 2018  |  1 hr 10 mins

gym, interview, personal, personal trainer, push-up, workout

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.

Episode 16: Grant Stoddard - Immersive Writer

October 15th, 2018  |  2 hrs 9 mins

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!

Episode 15: Meg Wachter - Editor-In-Chief

September 29th, 2018  |  1 hr 26 mins

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.

Episode 14: Michael Kaup - Buddhist Scholar & Practitioner

September 26th, 2018  |  1 hr 23 mins

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.

Episode 13: Paul Gurdak - Private Pilot

September 18th, 2018  |  47 mins 52 secs

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.