Fascination Street – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Sophie Flack Take a walk me down Fascination Street Podcast, as I get to know Sophie Flack. I was first introduced to Sophie as a result of a conversation with previous guest Yul Vazquez. Sophie is a former member of The Corp De Ballet with The New York City Ballet. After she retired from that, she got a degree from Columbia University, and then wrote a best-selling Young Adult novel called Bunheads, which explores the intricacies and heartaches of the life of a professional ballerina. Sophie has written for multiple magazines and publications about her experiences and has helped shine a light on some of the ways that these dancers are treated. Fairly recently, Sophie started a jewelry company which focuses on pieces that help de-stigmatize mental health and eating disorders. Her company is called MAD FINE, and some of the pieces include 'in the know' references to: Zanex, Klonopin, Prozac, and the abortion pill. She has pieces that align with emotional baggage, and even silly trophies. All of these pieces are designed to bring these issues to light and for the wearer to engage in conversations with like-minded individuals. These pieces are stunning, and unique. My personal favorite is the mixed metals cassette tape! Sophie is very vulnerable in this conversation. She openly discusses her previous battles with anorexia, self-doubt, and thoughts of suicide. Check out her jewelry, read her book, heck, just reach out and tell her you enjoyed her candor.

Drew Arnott
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Drew Arnott. In this episode, Drew and I chat about his growing up between Scottland and Canada, and why. Then we do a bit of a deep dive on the unique and rare instrument called The Mellotron. Drew shares some fun and nutty stories about his own Mellotron, and then we get into why he and Darryl Kromm started Strange Advance in the first place. Strange Advance signed a deal with Capitol Records and released TWO albums; having never played a single live show. Drew explains how that is even possible, and why that happened. The first THREE records released by Strange Advance sold GOLD in Canada, and then they stopped making music..... for 33 years. I ask Drew what the heck happened, and he gives me the deets. Strange Advance has released a new record. Thier fourth record, aptly titled 'Strange Advance 4' is out now, and is a banger! Drew graciously agrees to let me play 'Flow My Tears', my favorite track from the new album, and you will understand why that is my fave. Currently, you can catch Strange Advance playing in and around Canada, at various shows and events. Make sure you follow them on social media, specifically Facebook, and check out their website to find out when they will be playing a show near you. 

Jimrat
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street, as I get to know the Boston Shoegaze band Jimrat. This group of musicians got together in the Boston area after meeting in college, and various music scenes. Jimrat consists of: Sam Dvorin, Josie Arthur, Emma DeLaRosa, Elicia Benavides, and Tim Ro. In this episode, I get them to tell the story of how each of them came to be in the band. Since they each came along in a fascinating way, they tell the story 'popcorn' style. All of them have recently graduated or are still in college. They basically went to different schools. We got musicians from Boston University, Suffolk, Berkley, and Emerson. Throughout the episode, each of them explains how they came to Boston, and why most of them equate the city to living in Albuquerque! From Covid, to the cartoon Tom & Jerry, these young guns talk about everything. Finally, we discuss their new album. It's called 'Instant' and is 'an audio-visual album'. Each of the 11 tracks on the record have a corresponding video component, that all culminate in a 35-minute-long sensory experience like no other. They even let me play one of their favorite tracks from the record! Check out their audio / visual experience on YouTube by searching "Jimrat Instant", or checking out their website: WhoIsJimrat.github.io

J. Logan Austin
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know J. Logan Austin. In this episode, we chat about why Logan, and his partner Dustin created Crazy Ant Farm Media, and what they hope to accomplish with this production company. We also talk about film & television, being a storyteller, and his two podcasts. His first podcast is called 'Inside The Crazy Ant Farm', and it deals with entertainment news, rumors, stories, and general fun in and around show business. The second podcast is called 'Everything's Okay', and it deals with anxiety, depression, loneliness, and overall mental health. We briefly touch on Logan's upcoming wedding, and a bizarre and petty feud between Martin Scorsese and the rest of Hollywood. Logan tells me more about Crazy Ant Farm Media's pending projects, including: an hour-long comedy, a short film, a feature film, and even a half hour animated comedy. This guy is BUSY! For some reason, Logan starts to interview me about halfway through; but what matters is that you should check out his two podcasts, and the cool stuff on their You Tube channel.

Chris Larson
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street, as l get to know Chris Larson. Chris has a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from NC State and a degree in Economics with high honors from Princeton. He is Senior Director of clean Energy at Dynapower; a leading developer and manufacturer of grid scale power electronics solutions and power conveters, and recently celebrated its 60th year in 2023. In this episode we get to know why Chris decided to get into the clean energy space, what exactly Dynapower does, and why it's important work. We get into everything from: very large, and very small micro grids, to full scale battery solutions, to developing & harnessing hydrogen energy, and even electric car chargers built into the roads. We even discuss why clean, or green energy is so politicized. This is a wildly fascinating conversation, where we end with a story about Chris being a cotton smuggler! Enjoy my conversation with one of the smartest people out there!

Bill Wiese
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know New York Times Best Selling author Bill Wiese. On November 23rd, 1998, at 3 am; Bill went to hell. Several years later, he wrote a book about his experience there. In this episode, we chat about a crazy shark attack he survived (unscathed) in Florida as a young man, and how it affected his relationship with surfing. Then we jump right into his out of body experience, trip to hell. He describes in great detail what the trip was like both getting there and getting back. Bill also shares his very detailed account of the sorts of torture that he experienced while there. During this episode, he does share some lighthearted and fun stories, and what he feels his mission is after this experience. I ask him why he thinks he was chosen for this, as well as some tips on how to steer clear of that place. This is the most religious heavy episode ever to be released on Fascination Street. I am not a super religious guy, but when I ran across Bill's story, I had to know more. Bill also has a weekly podcast called '23 Minutes in Hell', as well as Bill Wiese TV on You Tube. Get the book, check out his podcast, and see if any of this sparks a change, or an inspiration to do so.
Merry Christmas!

James DuMont Returns Again!
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know EVEN MORE about James DuMont! In this episode, we chat about the SAG - Aftra strike, his creative solution to ending pay inequity in the film & television industry, and various projects of his. We dive into HBO's The Righteous Gemstones, and what makes him love to go to work on that show, and the massive respect he has for Danny McBride, and how the show is run. Then we take a slight detour to talk about our mutual friend, and previous guest Joe Lafferty. James shares fun stories of working with; and being friends with Nick Offerman, Danny Pino, and Michael Chiklis, before we jump into his experiences working with Tracee Ellis Ross, and Reggie Hudlin, on the Eddie Murphy led, Amazon Prime film Candy Cane Lane. This is the number one film on Amazon Prime WORLDWIDE! Lastly, James gives us some hints about working with Don Johnson on the upcoming film Unit 234.

Emily Whitehurst
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street, as I get to know Emily Whitehurst. Emily first gained recognition in the pop punk bands Generic Asphalt, and Plinky; before gaining world wide acclaim as the front woman for Tsunami Bomb, and later The Action Design. In this episode, we chat about her getting into music at a very young age, how she came to be involved in each of those bands, and some stories from the road. She also explains what it was like to play a ridiculous number of Van's Warped Tour shows. We also touch on why she moved to San Antonio, Texas, and how that opened the door for her to have her very first Christmas tree as an adult! Then we get into her newest band, Survival Guide, and her new album Death Dreams. I love this album; so we talk about a good bit of it. She explains why she used some household items as instruments on some songs, which songs are actually about death dreams, and she lets me play my favorite track from the album. Plus, she talks about teaming up with a San Antonio country band, to play some shows, and release a song together! Check out Death Dreams, available everywhere, and follow her to see where she tours next!

Makenzie Phipps Returns!
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know even more about Makenzie Phipps. This is a return episode, so we don't start from the beginning of her story. If you missed it, go back and check out her first appearance on the show (7/3/23). Makenzie is a country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Her music has been featured on Country Rebel, as well as television, radio, and all of the streaming platforms. In this episode, we chat about what Makenzie has been up to since we last spoke. We discuss her move to Nashville, the passing of Loretta Lynn, meeting and working with Rhonda Vincent, and various charities that she works with. We then go on to talk about the difference between her country songs, and her gospel hymns, plus some fun stories about her and her writing / music partner Shane Bagley. Finally, we chat about her recent Alice Rising Star Award, he children's charity Amp Up For Kids, and her new singles. While 'You Bring The Beer (I'll Bring The Noise)' is climbing the charts, Makenzie released an even newer single called 'Life Gives You Love'; which she graciously allows me to play in this episode! Don't miss her Christmas tune 'Christmas Snow', and catch her debuting songs left and right on RFD-TV, and stay tuned for 2024 tour dates across the country.

D. Elliot Woods
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know D. Elliot Woods. Elliot is an actor, and author. In this episode, we chat about how he got into acting, and some of the super talented people that have helped him along the way. For starters, his babysitter was a man who went on to be one of the most celebrated actors of all time! One of his college professors, is one of the most highly regarded, and respected actresses of all time! Even his cell phone number used to belong to a time traveling super star. We discuss some of his projects, including Friends, and Star Trek. Elliot tells me about the differences between working on Friends one week, and Star Trek the next. He shares fun stories from the set, working with: Patrick Stewart, Michael Dorn, and Jonathan Frakes. Of course, I ask him to tell the story of how "The D. Elliot Woods Rule" came to be, and how he set the bat for Wal Mart commercials. Finally, we dive into his new novel: Rise of the Unicorn. This book is a fantastic suspense thriller. It is action packed, with great storytelling, and even an underlying message of morality, and justice. The audiobook is available EXCLUSIVELY through Audible; but the dead tree version is available everywhere. We do touch a little on his forthcoming novel: Eleven Minutes and Fourteen Seconds. Enjoy!