Podcaster and comedian Jon Lovett is an avid gamer who discovered the acclaimed Outer Wilds in the thick of COVID lockdown. The game's sweet simplicity provided a perfect escape from the pandemic bleakness surrounding him and it quickly became his favorite game of all time. Eschewing the violence that is so prevalent in many of the gaming world's biggest titles, it is a meditative space adventure broken up into 22-minute cycles. The joy of low-stakes exploration struck such a chord with Lovett that he gets emotional when he speaks about his love for Outer Wilds.

Be sure to check out Jon Lovett's projects at Crooked Media! 

Listen to Jon Lovett chat about this and more in the new episode. Please also take the time to like, review, and subscribe to the Spark Parade wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.

Alex Garland's film Annihilation combines meditative storytelling with visceral body horror and action, all of which drew in AJJ frontman Sean Bonnette from the first time he saw it. So much so that he watched it over and over again while it was in theaters. He loved the movie's juxtaposition of otherwordly natural beauty with startling bouts of extreme violence, all set to an ambitious and unsettling score from Ben Salisbury and Portishead's Geoff Barrow. Bonnette is a true film aficionado who's been inspired by all Alex Garland's other works including Men and Devs, as well as the singular cinematic vision of Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Be sure to check AJJ's new album Disposable Everything, out 5/26!

Listen to AJJ frontman Sean Bonnette chat about this and more in the new episode. Please also take the time to like, review, and subscribe to the Spark Parade wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.

It's a buy one, get one free episode! First up is Cub Sport frontman Tim Nelson, who was so drawn to Jay Hulme's poem Jesus At The Gay Bar that the band's new album shares its name. Nelson grew up in a devout Christian community and struggled to reconcile his religious upbringing with his queerness. His mother has fully embraced his identity and Nelson saw parallels to the strength of their bond in Hulme's depiction of Jesus' compassion. In the second half of the episode, TEKE::TEKE bassist Mishka Stein shares his love for Ridley Scott's magnum opus Blade Runner. Since childhood, Stein has been drawn to the beauty in every frame of Blade Runner, its poetic dialogue, and the atmospheric soundscape provided by Vangelis' legendary score.

Listen to Cub Sport frontman Tim Nelson and TEKE::TEKE bassist Mishka Stein chat about this and more in the new episode. Please also take the time to like, review, and subscribe to the Spark Parade wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.

Broken Lizard's Jay Chandrasekhar and Kevin Heffernan have created some incredible comedy classics like Super Troopers, so it's no surprise that they're both sparked by other legendary comedians. For Jay, it was love at first sight when he first experienced Eddie Murphy's big screen debut 48 hrs. He's drawn tons of inspiration from the movie's delicate balance between a gritty cop thriller and a light-hearted buddy comedy. Kevin has been obsessed with Steve Martin's classic comedy album A Wild And Crazy Guy from the moment he first heard it as a kid. It's a snapshot of a rock star comedian at the peak of his powers and it's massive success provided a template for decades of stand-up comedy specials.

Be sure to check Broken Lizard's new film Quasi, which is out now on Hulu.

Listen to Broken Lizard's Jay Chandrasekhar and Kevin Heffernan chat about this and more in the new episode. Please also take the time to like, review, and subscribe to the Spark Parade wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.

Michael Brun happened upon "One More Time," the lead single from Daft Punk's seminal album Discovery, and was instantly transported to an exciting new musical realm. That feeling was enhanced tenfold when he heard the entire album. He was influenced by so many aspects of the album and its promotion: the diverse group of influences that were apparent in the music, Daft Punk's futuristic/robotic aesthetic, and the anime videos that created a narrative structure for Discovery. His mind was blown by the creative ingenuity on display and it set him on a path that would come to define his career as an artist.

Listen to Michael Brun chat about this and more in the new episode. Please also take the time to like, review, and subscribe to the Spark Parade wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.

As a tween, Palehound’s El Kempner had their tiny mind blown by Avril Lavinge’s smash hit debut album Let Go. Packed full of pop-punk bangers, it helped Kempner break out of the Disney radio lane they had inhabited to that point. They loved Lavigne’s relatable lyrics and resonated with queer-coded skater style. Even 20 years after its release, Kempner still has Let Go on repeat.

Listen to Palehound’s El Kempner chat about all this and more in the new episode. Please also take the time to like, review, and subscribe to the Spark Parade wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.

For its debut episode on Consequence Podcast Network, Unze is joined by the wonder that is Kid Koala to talk about Dead Alive (also known Braindead).

Kid Koala has loved Peter Jackson’s (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) legendarily gory and hilarious third film since the moment he first laid eyes on it. It’s since become a part of his artistic DNA. He’s drawn inspiration from the black humor, incredible practical special effects, and unique visual style that have been imitated by genre filmmakers for over 30 years.

“It definitely is one of those films you feel like your brain’s growing new synapses, because it doesn’t really have anything for it to link to that you witnessed before,” Kid Koala, aka Eric San, says. “It’s one of those films that really just changed forever what I thought was possible in a film — not just in that range, but just in art in general. I think that, raised on a steady diet of that, raised on a steady diet of The Muppet Show or Monty Python… It was just like, ‘Oh, okay, so this is an album?’ It’s not just 10 songs that are tailor-cut for radio plays; they could literally go all over the place and enjoy the universe that they’re in.”

Listen to Kid Koala chat about all this and more in the new episode. Please also take the time to like, review, and subscribe to the Spark Parade wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.

There are awesome changes happening!

Jazz saxophonist Marcus Strickland joins me to talk about his Spark, John Coltrane's legendary magnus opus A Love Supreme.

How does music convey complex ideas when it contains no words? Marcus and I talked about Coltrane's ability to infuse his music with meaning and his unique ability to replicate the live music experience on his albums.

Links:

Marcus Strickland

A Love Supreme

DJ, producer and recording artist Amtrac joins me to talk about his Spark, John Carpenter's seminal 1981 film Escape From New York.

The way we imagine the future changes constantly, but how accurate were the predictions made in the past about a future that's already happened to us? What difference does it make to a film when the director also writes the score? Will any other director ever have a run as incredible as the string of films Carpenter released in the '80's and 90's?

Amtrac and I tackle all of these questions and more!

Links:

Amtrac

Escape From New York

My guest this week is singer, songwriter, producer and musician LOKRE who spoke to me about her Spark, Lauryn Hill's career high debut solo album The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill.

How is anyone supposed to navigate fame? Is it a radical act to reject celebrity right at the moment it finds you? How did Ms. Hill write all of those stone cold classics?!

LOKRE and I give you the answers to all of these questions.

Links:

LOKRE

The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill

Singer, songwriter and musician Zella Day joins me to talk about her Spark, Gaspar Noe's horror whirlwind Climax.

Dancers on acid trapped in a blizzard? We've got 'em. Do we have a forty-five minute single take? Yes indeed. What about a little Giorgio Moroder thrown in for good measure? Of course!

Zella and I talk about lockdown ennui, claustrophobia, harrowing horror movies and much more.

Links:

Zella Day

Climax

Superstar cellist HAUSER spoke to me about his Spark, Baz Luhrman’s smash hit biopic Elvis.

What makes a great biopic? How can an actor channel the essence of a performer when the entire world knows their every move? How can artists persevere and make great art in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds? HAUSER and I have tackle these questions and so much more!

Links:

HAUSER

Elvis

My guest is New York underground scene legend CHRISTEENE whose Spark is the New York underground queer film classic Pink Narcissus.

We talked about the impact Pink Narcissus has had on other art forms, the radical queerness depicted in it and the magical ability of artists to create incredible work with very few resources.

Links:

CHRISTEENE

Pink Narcissus

Andor

The Roots' guitarist and vocalist Captain Kirk Douglas joins me to talk about his Spark is Pixar’s animated feature film Soul.

Kirk and I speak about the meaning of happiness and how artists in particular are affected by the universal desire to achieve it. We also talk about finding your purpose in life and what that means to each of us as individuals.

Links:

Captain Kirk Douglas

Soul

Phoenix front man Thomas Mars joins me to talk about his Spark, It Was Twenty Years Ago Today is a 1987 British-made television documentary about the 1967 Summer of Love.

We talked about the beginnings of Phoenix and how they drew inspiration from the Beatles' process and sound. We touched on the singular nature of The Beatles influence and they're lasting impact on culture at large. And most importantly, I hung out with one of my favorite musicians!

Links:

Phoenix

It Was Twenty Years Ago Today

Musician vocalist and electronic composer Tama Gucci spoke to me about his Spark, Brandy’s incredible stone cold classic album Afrodisiac.  

Listen… that’s one of my favorite albums ever. I was so excited to have a chance to talk about it!

Tama Gucci and I spoke about the dramatic shift in Brandy's sound that came with this album, the fallout from it's relative commercial failure and the impact it's had on other musicians and the r'n'b world at large.

Links:

Tama Gucci

Afrodisiac

Singer, songwriter and producer Cavetown  joins me to talk about his Spark, the incredible animated series Adventure Time.

How can TV aimed at children change the minds and hearts of adults? Cavetown sees so much for adults to learn from Adventure Time and he's gained a greater appreciation for it from repeated viewings.  

We talk his favorite characters, the show's storytelling and world building and its broad emotional range.

Links:

Cavetown

Adventure Time

There's been a slight change of plans...

Singer/songwriter Lissie spoke to me about her Spark, Katherine May's autobiographical book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times.

How can we cope with times of transition? What can we do to live in the moment when our lives are in flux?

Lissie and I talked through the concept of liminal space and how relevant it feels to events of the last few years. Heartbreak and despair, hope and joy... all of life's biggest emotions are on the table in this deeply personal conversation.

Links:

Lissie

Wintering