My Summer Lair Chapter #232: Why Do You Believe What You Believe?

My Summer Lair Chapter #231: What Makes You Push Play On A Podcast?

A connection was forged through intimacy…we invited these people into our homes and into our lives. And that love was reciprocated; they shared their lives and told us stories. It’s a different relationship than what we had with celebrities. Yes we had a connection…or wished we did with a celebrity but they were often playing a character stuck in unrealistic situations.

A music VJ was authentic…they had the same enthusiasm for the bands I liked. They were excited about a new album…or an upcoming tour.

So podcasting as a form of media intimacy isn’t entirely new. We’ve always had digital friends; we respond to strong or distinct personalities. Though the medium has changed we know this experience; just as we know the hosts of our favourite podcasts.

And on January 25 through January 28 some of those familiar hosts will be coming to the Hot Docs Podcast Festival.

We got Michael Lewis in conversation with Ira Glass, yo! Moneyball means This American Life. Full Release Live with Samantha Bee will have a surprise guest. I asked Will Di Novi, co-curator of the Podcast Festival, for a hint.

You’ll hafta stay tuned for that.

And there’s informative panels for podcast creators: from editing to crafting a good talk show to networking with decision makers from the CBC, Amazon and Wondery and lots more.

Will is gonna get into all of this and lots more. His enthusiasm for podcasting and his vision for what it could be is infectious. As he shares in this conversation: “At Hot Docs our main MO is to celebrate the art and craft of nonfiction storytelling.” And with the Hot Docs Podcast Festival they’ve done just that.

Go to HotDocs.ca for the schedule, ticket prices and to check out the full lineup.

Though as you’ll listen Will and I chronicle this incredible podcast festival.

Oh! And even though it’s based in Toronto you don’t hafta be: this is all online and you can sign up anywhere you got wifi. How sweet is that…a no pants podcast festival. (#DownWithPants!)

Chilling on your couch and hanging out with Ira Glass. Behold the power of the podcast medium.

My Summer Lair Chapter #230: Are You Prepared To Enter The Daniverse?

You can also hear her sun infused voice on her freshly released Run With Me EP.

Listening to her 7 song EP inspired me and I wrote the following haiku as a sort of review:

Sugar High
Universe Craved heart
Run With Me

So that is clearly an excellent place to start this really warm conversation about Dani, her spirited music, hot sci-fi movies oh and her inspired upcoming tour which isn’t like how most bands tour. You gotta wait for that such a cool creative idea.

But first as you’d expect from a podcast called My Summer Lair we gotta start with the Sun…

Dani Doucette @ W • T • F

Host Sammy Younan

Recorded: Wednesday January 19, 2022 at 11:30am EST

Stress free pop culture tastefully harvested for your divine delight. Once a week a carefully curated edition of My Pal Sammy goes directly to your inbox. Sign up for my newsletter because the F in FOMO doesn’t stand for Fun.

My Summer Lair Chapter #229: Have You Listened…Not Heard…Have You Listened To Kenny G?

Kenny G is the best-selling instrumental artist ever. So clearly lots of people are happily listening to Kenny G. He himself says: “I don’t think I’m a personality to people,” says Kenny G. “I think I’m a sound.”

In the hectic boom and Breathless backlash to Kenny G and his music this entire discourse is electrified by a distinct philosophy of taste. Music is an emotional connection though for many critics they are not Sentimental about Kenny’s music.

Penny Lane’s documentary Listening to Kenny G is more than a Silhouette of the popular artist. By the Time This Night Is Over you’ll know more about Kenny G and hear some of his fiercest critics who are not fans of his Classics in the Key of G.

As such I was thrilled to talk to director Penny Lane to talk about the New Standards of taste and Kenny G.

Listening to Kenny G is part of HBO’s Music Box series created by Bill Simmons who gifted us 30 for 30 over on ESPN. Think of the Music Box series as sonic 30 for 30s. You can stream the doc on HBO Max.

This Music Box documentary happens to focus on Kenny G whose music gives pleasure to many and yet angers others. Let’s unpack the complex emotions with director Penny Lane.

Penny Lane @ W • T • F

Host Sammy Younan

Recorded: Tuesday November 30, 2021 at 11:30am EST

Stress free pop culture tastefully harvested for your divine delight. Once a week a carefully curated edition of My Pal Sammy goes directly to your inbox. Sign up for my newsletter because the F in FOMO doesn’t stand for Fun.

My Summer Lair Chapter #223: What’s Your Favourite TV Show Theme?

He is the film and television composer, singer/songwriter, and producer of the critically acclaimed band, Goldspot.

His other sonic TV credits include Nancy Drew, Love Victor, Marvel’s Runaways and the usual…lots more.

Only Murders in the Building is so fun: basically Steve Martin and Martin Short are old and thus can solve “Only Murders in the Building.” Heh all that crime and grit in NYC and for them it’s limited to their building. Which thankfully is stuffed with quirky weirdos. Their madcap antics are joined by Selena Gomez who does her best to keep the old dudes in line.

All of their sleuthing is deftly scored by Siddhartha’s music who I refer to as a sonic character. Like a boomerang certain themes continue to circle back and if you listen closely you’ll hear clues.

As we talked Season 2 of Only Murders in the Building is being shot right now; expect that soon. In America you can check it out on Hulu; in Canada on Disney Plus.

So dope it got to Season 2: coming out June 28, 2022.

I wanted to do some detective work to know how this fantastic soundtrack came together and connect with the individual who fashioned it. Here is my conversation with the soundtrack composer Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building.

Siddhartha Khosla @ W • T • F

Host Sammy Younan

Recorded: Monday December 13, 2021 at 11:30am EST

Stress free pop culture tastefully harvested for your divine delight. Once a week a carefully curated edition of My Pal Sammy goes directly to your inbox. Sign up for my newsletter because the F in FOMO doesn’t stand for Fun.

My Summer Lair Chapter #222: How Do You Stop The Saturnians?

Stop the Saturnians! is available on Steam as of February 18, 2022.

This is a classic style arcade video game…our My Summer Lair conversation references Missile Command, Space Invaders, Asteroids, Galaga, Centipedes and of course the classic never out of style: Atari 2600.

If you Die Humanity Dies…the pressure is on in this video game. Are you up to the challenge?

Check it out. It’s so fun to go back to a classic arcade style video game. Lemme know what your high score is or how many levels you successfully complete. Are you able to save humanity?

This text scene of exposition is over so let’s get into the conversation with Jeff and let’s learn how we can we Stop the Saturnians!

Jeff Sinasac @ W • T • F

Host Sammy Younan

Recorded: Saturday December 18, 2021 at Noon EST

Stress free pop culture tastefully harvested for your divine delight. Once a week a carefully curated edition of My Pal Sammy goes directly to your inbox. Sign up for my newsletter because the F in FOMO doesn’t stand for Fun.

My Summer Lair Chapter #221: Are You Going To Miss Her?

The last time Kat visited My Summer Lair we discussed her novel A Trick of Light co-written with Stan Lee as one of his final projects. That was a thriller with a sci-fi bent; this time she has a thriller with a murder mystery bent. Oh snap!

Kat’s latest novel is No One Will Miss Her. The back of of the novel reads in part: “A smart, witty, crackling novel of psychological suspense in which a girl from a hardscrabble small town meets a gorgeous Instagram influencer from the big city, with a murderous twist that will shock even the most savvy reader.”

Indeed! Even M Night wishes he had a shovel because he would dig this twist.

oooooo!

A quote from Page 55 of No One Will Miss Her: “But I was too slow. Too stupid. Too innocent to understand that we live in a world where some people like to stomp on little things—and where they’d tell you afterward that what they had done was a sort of kindness.”

Oh dear. Let’s investigate Kat Rosenfield’s No One Will Miss Her; of course we’ll conduct this My Summer Lair investigation…by the book.