You know those moments where you feel a sense of gratitude towards the people who’ve been in your life for a long time? That’s how I feel about today’s guest, Yukimi Nagano of Little Dragon. I’ve been very lucky to have crossed paths with her throughout the years, but beyond that, I’m also a massive fan of the music that she makes. There’s a sincerity, confidence, and resolve that comes across her art that constantly leaves me astounded, and those feelings have reached critical mass when it comes to her debut solo album, For You (which is out now). On today’s podcast, I chat with Yukimi about what the album's songs largely center around: the unexpected necessity of experiencing ego death and how it allows you to better serve society, especially in the context of making art. The songs of For You are some of the most emotionally rich and revealing songs that Yukimi’s ever written, and I really wanted to explore “why” with her; why she needed to write these songs and put them out into the world.

It’s not lost on me that the title for today’s episode might seem heavy-handed, but when you stop to think about it; what a perfect time to be reminded of the vitality of comedy. People generally agree that we’re living through unprecedented times in every corner of the world. The best comedy doesn’t shy away from that, rather it jumps headfirst into poking fun at the madness of life, which is something that Munya Chawawa understands brilliantly.

The Zimbabwean-British satirist/comedy writer is on an insurmountable rise, dominating social media and television at a pace that’d make your head spin. But beyond the millions of views on TikTok (or Instagram if you’re a millennial like me), is a guy who wants to say it as it is, who wants to plant a flag on what matters most to him. And that’s what we discuss on today’s bonus podcast, along with exploring why comedy means so much to him.

(Thanks for the help on this one, Bartees Strange!). Personally, I haven’t found that old saying of “never meet your heroes” to be true. This latest episode is a beautiful example of that and it doesn’t take long for me to share my appreciation to this guest while we’re talking. Today’s pod is with the one and only Tunde Adebimpe, leader of the legendary indie rock band, TV on the Radio. Beyond that, he’s also a cartoonist, art director, music video director (go check out the video for Pin by Yeah Yeah Yeahs), and an actor; most recently appearing in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

Simply put, he loves to explore his imagination, and doing so has been the prominent fixture of his life for as long as any of us can remember. This has culminated in his debut solo album, THEE BLACK BOLTZ (out this Friday via Subpop). The album features Tunde trying to make sense of the human condition, highlighting the big and small stressors of life that we can all relate to. It also (in typical Tunde fashion) sounds really fucking cool and on this latest episode of the podcast, we chat all about it.

Also, by request of Tunde, be sure to check out the works of legendary visual artist Gary Panter (through his website and Instagram).