Voices & Visions

RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB: Emily Eveland is a survivor, a gifted musician, and a terrific writer.  I have been a fan of her songs going all the back to when I played house shows in and around 2006-2008 as a part of the DIY folk scene.  Her energy on stage and courage as a lyricist were unmatched and infectious.  I wanted to catch up with her, share some of my favorite songs she's written, and let listeners in to her world as we discuss her incredible resilience and coping mechanisms over the years.  I couldn't have been happier to talk with Emily, and I'm positive you'll find a lot to enjoy throughout this revealing conversation.  I highly recommend checking out all of her records, but I am particularly a fan of Shut Up Brain and Runaway, which you can find at her Bandcamp page linked below.  We also discuss her journal-esque style of writing that is well worth reading over at her blog too! 00:00 - 07:30 - Introduction 07:31 - 44:22 - Interview with Emily Eveland 44:23 - 46:42 - Outro Y Lime Songs Featur

RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  I decided to put together a quick 90-minute episode here just as a bonus treat, in which you can hear some snippets of other audio endeavors from the past, but after about a half hour, you'll get to hear both myself and guest Nat Almirall review the latest horror sensation THE WITCH.  It's chock-full of spoilers so best see the movie first before hearing our take on what it all means.  An official episode of Director's Club will come next, followed by a new Pop Culture Club interview episode come the 2nd week of March!  Thanks as always for listening. 00:00 - 06:47 - "Letter From An Occupant" - New Pornographers, Introduction 06:48 - 20:04 - 2 WGN Radio Experiences 20:05 - 26:11 - Interview Excerpt From The LizyT Radio Show In Canada 26:12 - 26:42 - The Witch Score 26:43 - 1:25:13 - The Witch Review (SPOILERS SPOILERS) 1:25:14 - 1:28:34 - Outro Be sure to visit NowPlayingNetwork.net for updates on all the shows featured on the network, including Vinyl Emergency and the recentl

RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  Pop Culture Club is back again, here on the newly launched Now Playing Network!  I know I said this before, but this will be the last episode that is available through both the Director's Club feed, and the regular Pop Culture Club feed here  This time I mean it so please subscribe via ITunes to Pop Culture Club separately.  So I once opened for a musician that instantly became a favorite of mine. Her name is Karrie Hopper, and most recently, her and her sister formed a band called The Room Outside.  They went on two tours, got a lot of positive press, and rightfully so.  Their self-titled debut was my favorite record of that year.  A conversation about Karrie's songwriting process and influences has been long overdue, and I'm so happy to share it with you now. Please do buy her two records linked below and support everything she does.  At the end of the interview, I play a song that has recently become one of my favorite songs ever written.  I play it in its entirety in hopes

RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  It's been awhile since I've podcasted but there's a slew of episodes coming your way for the next month or so.  First up, I welcome to the show, live in-studio, music enthusiast and vinyl expert Jim Hanke, who will soon become a part of The Now Playing Network family next month!   I asked him to stop on by so we could talk music for 2 hours, including his podcast plans, our Nick Digilio connection, and other pop culture tidbits.  The bulk of the conversation revolves around our favorite records of 2015, starting with some honorable mentions, then at about the 46 minute mark, we reveal our Top 5 favorites. Our lists will be available in blog form, in a couple of days over at Pop Culture Club in case you missed a title.  Can't thank you enough for listening as always, and mad props to Jim for his expertise and enthusiasm.   00:00 - 01:30 -  Intro / Nick Digilio Mention 01:31 - 46:05 -  Jim Hanke Introduction / 2015 Records (Runners-Up) 46:06 - 1:06:59 - Top 5 Records of 2015 (Num

RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  I discovered Memoryhouse after discovering composer Max Richter three years ago. I was living in Chicago and bought a record called The Slideshow Effect, and was immediately smitten with their sound. I played it for my roommate and told her that, "This is more than my jam, this is everything I love about music."  You can imagine my excitement when I was able to get a hold of them since I was curious about what they've been up to and how they've come to be the band that they are.  It's been awhile since they've put out a record but they are back and just finished a new album that should be out sometime next year. As a silver-club member of the Memoryhouse fan club, I couldn't be more excited to hear new songs. For this 20-minute discussion, we focus on their songwriting process of course, but also the inspiration behind the masterpiece that is The Slideshow Effect.  Hopefully I don't come across too much like Kathy Bates in Misery declaring myself as a number one fan and more li

RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  It is with great pleasure to present to you another special edition of Pop Culture Club. I have another wonderful interview here with Icelandic composer and songwriter Jóhann Jóhannsson. He's put out several instrumental solo records over the years, much to the acclaim of publications such as Pitchfork. Recently, he's had tremendous success composing for such films as PRISONERS and the Academy Award nominated THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING. He won a Golden Globe for the latter. Most recently, I was really taken with the incredibly percussive, heartpounding score for SICARIO. I encourage you to see this movie in a theater to get the full effect of Jóhann Jóhannsson's work. Once again, I am fortunate enough to talk to someone that I now greatly look up to after binging on his discography. His last two film scores are true works of art that will not be leaving my collection. We get to hear three pieces he's done, the first being from SICARIO, the second being from THE THEORY OF EVERYTHI

RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  Expressing love for music is often very difficult to put into words.  And some of the most powerful songs that have changed my life may not even have lyrics. Rachel Grimes is responsible for many of these songs, being a "key" player in one of my all-time favorite bands, The Rachel's.  They also recorded my favorite instrumental of all time, featured on one of my top ten favorite records, Music For Egon Schiele.  So you can say that yes, I am quite the fan of her work. Rachel's latest record, The Clearing, is a truly moving piece of work that demands to be heard and has made AV Club's list of the best records of the year so far.  Included are songs with full arrangements as well as the song that closes the record which is mainly just Rachel with her instrument of choice: the piano. Included in this episode is a brief introduction, my interview with Rachel, and some excerpts from her latest record.  This was a tremendous honor and I am eternally grateful to have spoken with one

RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  A special edition of Pop Culture Club begins with a brief monologue about two deaths that occurred on the day this was recorded & edited.  I'm sure I will talk more about them on the next Director-centric episode but I had to mention briefly about the passing of Wes Craven.  Then it's on to a lively discussion with my good friend and writer/journalist Dan Solomon, who has appeared on the show a few times in the past.  This time I wanted to focus entirely on music, my first love.  Since we recently went back in time for the 1985 Year In Movies Retrospective, I wanted to try something similiar but go back twenty years to talk about high school, buying records, guilty pleasures, and of course, a top ten list of our favorite records from 1995.  A lot comes up within the conversation including a lengthy deconstruction of Radiohead and more!  Big thanks to Dan Solomon for spending some time talking music and favorite records, and this could become a yearly tradition.  Thanks ever

RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  One of my all-time favorite bands is Low.  They've been around for over 20 years, and I first heard them back in 2001 for the record Things We Lost In The Fire.  Now they are about to release their 11th full-length record next month entitled Ones & Sixes, and I couldn't be more excited to hear it based on the first two singles.  I play a sample of the first single, and end the show with the second single as well as a couple of snippets of two of my favorite Low songs. But most importantly, I got to spend a half hour talking with an incredible songwriter, Alan Sparhawk, who along with his wife Mimi, create music alongside bassist Steve Garrington.  Tickets are on sale now for their North American and European Tours.  Low will be joined by Andy Shauf, Two Gallants, Mike Noga (The Drones), and Chelsea Wolfe so this is a show you won't want to miss, and another interview that I couldn't be happier to share with you. Special thanks to Bekah at SubPop and Low's management for maki

RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  I've had some wonderful guests in the past, but this one is particularly near and dear to me for reasons which I cover in this episode. Power pop legend Matthew Sweet talks with me about a number of things including what it's like to hang out with Brian Wilson, the early days of MTV and record labels, what's in store for the future, and more!  There's certainly a lot of talk about in regards to his many records but I did steer the conversation towards Girlfriend, Altered Beast and mainly In Reverse, which I think is one of the best records of his career. Even if you've never heard of Matthew, you should become familiar with his incredible songwriting since it's had a huge influence on my own music. There is no outro, since I wanted one of my favorite ballads of his to play in its entirety, and have the episode end on that "note."  This was a true honor, and I couldn't be more happier with this conversation.  There will be more to come in the future! Songs featured: "Girlfriend"

RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  I interview my friend Marissa about UHF, talk with an aspiring "documentarian" named Clay, play some music from my favorite record of the year, briefly review TU DORS NICOLE, and elaborate on what's to come! Pop Culture Club Podcast 00:00 - 00:20 - Charlie's Angry Voicemail 00:21 - 15:29 - Introduction To PCCP 15:30 - 17:55 - Nick Digilio / "New Skin" - Torres 17:56 - 21:09 - Interview With Clay Jewel 21:10 - 52:33 - Weird Al UHF Discussion w/Marissa Robertcop 52:34 - 01:05:36 - "The Harshest Light" - Torres / Movie Review / Outro 01:05:37 - 01:09:08 - "Come To Terms" - Torres If you see TU DORS NICOLE, email me at jameslaczkowski@gmail.com. If you have any thoughts, suggestions, comments or questions, email me there or leave a voicemail like listener Charlie did at (224) 366-9528.  Be prepared since it will be played on the air! BUY TORRES RECORDS NOW:  http://torrestorrestorres.com/ LISTEN TO NICK DIGILIO:  https://www.facebook.com/nickdshow FOLLOW MARISSA ON TWITTER:  http

ORIGINAL AIRDATE:  JANUARY 6th, 2015 - THE DIRECTOR'S CLUB PODCAST RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB / DIRECTOR'S CLUB: Hello folks!  Jim here, with a special episode for the new year.  I called several previous guests and friends of the show with one simple question: “What is the song that changed your life?”  Inspired by the film that changed your life book as well as my own love of all-things music, I decided to talk with several folks about what music means to them and which specific songs have a story behind them. This might happen with different guests twice a year.  Included are choices from myself and Patrick as well obviously.  This episode will forever hold a special place in my heart (and is actually inspired by a dream I had of all things).  Thank you to everyone for contributing and for listening.  The list of songs mentioned and briefly played are the following… Track listing: Patrick Ripoll - Pilot Can at the Queer of God (Flaming Lips) Regina Barry - Dig Me Out (Sleater-Kinney) Jen Bosworth - Pata

Original Airdate: March 9th, 2014 on The Director's Club Podcast RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB / DIRECTOR'S CLUB:  In light of the recent passing of Harold Ramis, I sought out an actor who worked with him on the modern-day classic GROUNDHOG DAY. You might remember him as Needle Nose Ned. Before listening to this bonus episode, I encourage you to check out the IMDB listing for Stephen Tobolowsky.  The list goes on and on and on since he has appeared in over 200 TV shows and movies, and he is definitely one of those memorable character actors you’ve seen in at least something past or presently.   He was incredibly kind to take time out of his busy schedule to talk about his experience working with Harold Ramis as well as a couple other stories about the making of GROUNDHOG DAY. And of course, I couldn’t help but ask about one of my favorite Tobolowsky roles as Sammy Jenkins in MEMENTO.  Thank you so much for listening to one of the more memorable conversations I’ve had to date.  Find more Stephen Tobolowsky her

ORIGINAL AIRDATE:  APRIL 12th, 2012 on The Director's Club Podcast. RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  For this special 20-minute episode, I interview director Andrew Davis to talk about his debut film from 1978, STONY ISLAND which is being released on DVD & VOD on April 24th, 2012.  We learn about how the film was made, and its cultural significance, including how Andrew got his start in the business.  In addition, we briefly discuss memories of filming THE FUGITIVE here in the city of Chicago back in the early 90s as well.   STONY ISLAND was filmed on the gritty streets of Chicago’s south side and tells the story of Richie Bloom (Richie Davis), the only white kid on the block, as he forms an R&B band with his best friend, Kevin (Edward “Stoney” Robinson). With the help of their mentor, aging sax legend Percy (Gene “Daddy G” Barge), they pull together a funky supergroup, stealing practice time at night in the local funeral home. Despite few resources and heavy losses this resilient group of dedicated m

RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  Welcome to Pop Culture Club -- which changed its name to VOICES AND VISIONS as of 2017!  I am your host, Jim Laczkowski.  I decided to preface the many episodes that will follow with a "brief" introduction about how this madness got started. Also, be aware that several episodes at the start here were first available over at Director's Club.  But since they are interviews that I'm very proud of and want to share here with potential new listeners, I wanted to include them in this feed as well.  Try not to get too confused if a few episodes at the start sound rough around the edges or sound like they are from a couple years ago. That's because they are! Anyway, more details are contained within and soon enough, all new episodes will be posted from here on out.  Also, for updates, please visit: http://popcultureclub.net