Jerome is an LA composer/director/screenwriter who is involved in a lot of musical improv, so Mary and Mark interview him about that and about the function of art, plus songs for pets, a support group for people who sing all the time, and more. Jerome sticks around for the post-game, which is normally restricted to supporters, but which you get to hear as a sample this time. … [Read more...] about PvI#112: Musical Zoom w/ Jerome Kurtenbach
Aesthetics
PvI#77: Fashionation with Sheri Flanders
The actor/writer/comedian joins us to talk about the philosophy of fashion, from the ancients to the present: Is clothing a mode of self-expression or something more (or less)? What does retro fashion say about the current state of culture? Should you wear clothes that you have to be sewn into? If you only had one little piece of cloth to wear, where would you put it? Are … [Read more...] about PvI#77: Fashionation with Sheri Flanders
PvI#58: Avant Garde Accounting
The guests are away, and so Billy and Markaroony will play. This fast-paced, sweet-moving discussion covers the genius individual artist and how that might or might not allow collaboration, genres and definitions, strife, and more. Mark just can't WAIT for a canoe, and getting CRAZY at the salad bar. Oops, we forgot to determine a winner, so YOU decide. The image was pulled … [Read more...] about PvI#58: Avant Garde Accounting
PvI#56: Interpreting the Monkey Man w/ Chris George
Watch this episode in its unedited video form. Chris has an act called "I Am the Show" where he improvises to a film that he hasn't seen that's playing silently, making up all the dialogue and sound effects. Here's an example. Mark and Bill talk to Chris about being a spectator or critic of art: To understand a work, is it good or necessary to try to divine the artist's … [Read more...] about PvI#56: Interpreting the Monkey Man w/ Chris George
PvI#46: Seize the Day How Exactly? w/ Nick Riggle
What does the shortness of our lives and the beauty of the world actually entail in terms of behavior and philosophy? Nick is a former pro skater who teaches philosophy at U. of San Diego and has written This Beauty about this question, as well as On Being Awesome. Mark and Bill (your philosophy/comedy puppets, here eternally to dance for your entertainment) engage Nick via … [Read more...] about PvI#46: Seize the Day How Exactly? w/ Nick Riggle
PvI#38: The Bones of Tragedy with Jay O. Sanders
Jay Sanders, famed not only for his appearances on Law & Order: Criminal Intent and The Day After Tomorrow and many many other screens and stages, joins us to talk tragedy, how he's applied the lessons of improv to his scripted acting, and more. Jump into the improv maelstrom with us! In the post-game, which just this once, we're sharing with the general public, we … [Read more...] about PvI#38: The Bones of Tragedy with Jay O. Sanders
PvI#32: “On the Standard of [Bad] Taste” w/ Babette Babich
Prof in the house! Babette teaches at Fordham and recently edited the collection "Reading David Hume's 'On The Standard of Taste,'" which Mark made use of for The Partially Examined Life's treatment of that essay in #289. So this can serve either as a follow-up to that discussion or as a fresh cogitation on the idea of an art critic. Can such people's superior tastes be defined … [Read more...] about PvI#32: “On the Standard of [Bad] Taste” w/ Babette Babich
PvI#24: Game Time w/ C. Thi Nguyen
Thi is a philosopher of games, making him a perfect match for this podcast. Why are games worthy of philosophical study? What counts as a game, anyway? We play a frustration game, finish each others' sentences, and ask dumb questions on a museum tour. It's an unusually discussion-focused episode! Picture is by Zahra, grabbed from this article. Audio editing by Tyler Hislop … [Read more...] about PvI#24: Game Time w/ C. Thi Nguyen
PvI#13: F*** Your Grapes
Beauty is cool, but is art always aiming at beauty? Generations disagree about their music. Snakes disagree about how much they should worry. Image by 3rd grader Ariana; google says the image is somewhere on this page. Audio editing by Tyler Hislop. Hear more PvI. Support the podcast to get bonus stuff and good karma! … [Read more...] about PvI#13: F*** Your Grapes