My next guest is a time traveller. She manages to make melodies that sound familiar, classic, predetermined in the souls of the soulful, she has a folksy accent, modest demeanor… yet She seems other worldly, esoteric, with futuristic arrangements, and sensibilities, blending several genres at once—to create her own genre, she seems almost alien, wearing clothes that appear like a costume…a costume that someone from another time would believe a groovy art pop person would wear.

Full disclosure, this is also one of the strongest guests playlists I’ve ever received.

I Want You To Know Sunny Moonshine

I talk with content creator, comedian, disruptor, and social critic—Chelsea Gods. Chelsea and I unpack the current social climate, contemporary politics, comedy, her ability to enrage the right, and hear her critique of the left.

Chelsea brought some songs that shaped her life, and tells her story, and she shares some personal truths.

My next guest is a visual artist, not quite a musician (he makes music), a radio host and jock—at times. But, above all else, he’s someone with an artistic mind. When you’re with him, talk to him, or working with him—he doesn’t quite process things in a conventional and linear way. He brings his entire life story into his process. It’s truly an artistic mind. I had a mentor once tell me “treat every project you do as if it’s an art project”—and thankfully, (and unfortunately) it’s mostly easy for me to operate that way.

My next guest clearly never struggled with that modus operandi.

I Want You To Know Colin Sjostedt

This is a remixed episode. It’s sort of a rerun with footnotes, updates, and revisiting themes. Since a lot of my show is interviewing my friends, or people I’m criss crossing within projects—often themes and events are revisited.

In some cases, a show’s theme will change with time—I guess that’s the nature of life, but reverberations can be tracked, lines (jagged and linear) drawn back to an event or episode or person.

Recently, while gathering mailbag questions, a writer named Sam asked about my experience on stage (as a performer and actor). I told them to refer back to episode 4 (we are on episode 160 something) with Devin Mcgregor Ketko, where Devin and I unpacked a DIY play she produced at her home, the heat of the summer. The material was intense, harrowing, and hot.

Devin and I have grown to be even closer friends (trauma does that), and I just wanted to celebrate her resolve, and all that were touched by the play she produced and starred in.

So, one last time in the heat—I want you to know Devin McGregor Ketko

This week on I Want You To Know—It’s a mailbag show, I answer your pressing questions like: Do I still wrestle with insomnia? What was my happiest childhood moment? Rivette or Rohmer? And why do I diss David Bowie sometimes? And many more!

Also, we have new music by The Kerosene Hours, For Joris, Sunny Moonshine and Indigo, and a world premiere by Ssleepiing Desiress

This is a remix episode. We are reprising and remix the episode with guest Katy Atchison (she's since released a coloring book!!)

Katy and Nero initially discussed the fall of nightlife in San Francisco, notably Edinburgh Castle. Since this episode has aired--"The Castle" has officially closed. Thus, Katy and Nero added some thoughts and memories about the old pub.

Musician/Writer Gabriel Ramos of Ssleeping DesiresS and Nero discuss Eno's 40 Infallible Tricks For Successful Songs

1. Mindless dives and absurd jumps (steel guitar, whammy pedal)
2. Sonic hooks (Telstar, the snare on 'she drives me crazy' fyi, Del Shannon instrumentals)
3. Lap-steel or Hawaiian guitar (or anything else slide and unsquare)
4. Sliding up or down to the right note (appoggiatura) (24 hours from Tulsa)
5. Lyrical Rhythm guitar (eg Nile Rodgers, Carlos Alomar)
6. Klaus Dinger beat (motorik)
7. Handclap patterns eg 'Carwash' (invitations to listeners)
8. Male humming (cf Jordanaires)
9. Frozen reverb
10. Sounds of the real world
11. Heterophony
12. One unchanging note harmonies and parts
13. Bass riff (funk) (Melvin Dunlap: Express yourself'
14. Impossible singing (Minnie Riperton)
15. Long high note (I will survive)
16. Big melodic intervals ('Mingulay', 'Somewhere over the rainbow'). Stamina
17. Scale confusion - eg Tiny percussion instruments loud in the mix (fingernails on table)
18. Instrument shadowing singing ('Love will tear us apart again')
19. Unexpected, unusual chord in otherwise normal context
20. Call and response ('Did you ever get one of those days')
21. Male falsetto voice (Chris Martin)
22. Low female voice (Sonia Tavares, Kitty Lester, Nomcebo Zikode JERUSALEMA
23. Sing along scat (EDDIE HOLMAN/ COLDPLAY)
24. Vocal rhythm accented on drums
25. Riffs and multi riffs and heterophonic riffs (SEX MACHINE)
26. Brass stabs (FELA)
27. Parts of songs introduced by name 'and all the coloured girls go.."
28. String entry - soft cloud over straight lines
29. 3/4 - find the three-ish beat and somehow incorporate
30. Appoggiatura
31. Sudden change of space (RAF Judy Nylon Patti Palladin)
32. Trademark songs ('Return to Sender' 'from a jack to a king' )
33. male and female voices an octave apart
34. insistent one note bass ('Everyday people')
35. try playing it on an Omnichord (eg change minor chords to relative majors)
36. Insanely fast tempo
37. Low pass filter (makes things darker)
38. Speaker simulator (or real)
39. Something backwards
40. Use the edges of things

This week on I want you to know—I talk with actor, singer, performer, teacher-Darby Vincent

Darby and I discuss the winding road to becoming a performer and want kind of opportunities it brings, she also reflects on the influence of her family, and the influence she has now on young performers.

Plus, Darby brought a bunch of tunes and artists I was not familiar with, and some classic artists in a new contextI