The Guestlist With Sean Cannon

Some comedians aren't thrilled with the prospect of performing in front of music festival crowds in a venue designed to hide sounds like laughter and applause. For Nikki Glaser, Bonnaroo turned out to be just what she needed to fall back in love with stand-up comedy.

When I sat down with Japandroids, I didn't expect to talk about being a duo and how their "origin story" affected the rest of their career. Those subjects have been covered heavily. Very heavily. But they both came up. That said, it was in a different context than usual — namely how those topics relate to mystique in music and the relational dynamic between bands and fans.

As a teenager, the idea of putting out records really appealed me (and it still does as an adult). So whenever I have a chance to talk with label folks, it scratches a very particular itch. That was definitely the case when I sat down with Secretly Canadian co-founder Chris Swanson (who is also one of the heads of the newly-formed Secretly Label Group) a few weeks back in his Bloomington, Ind., apartment.

I'm trying to finally get things back up to speed here, after I had some personal stuff come up (which I mention in the intro). Anyway, Reggie Watts was a pleasure to chat with during Bonnaroo, as always. We discussed the sci-fi/fantasy dichotomy, the importance of self-actualization, and Reggie said hi to Dwight Yoakam.

I'm obsessed with "The Simpsons." Comedian Mike Lawrence is obsessed with "The Simpsons." So this conversation was a match made in heaven. That said, we found a way to discuss more than just the relative merits of sober Barnie Gumble and who would win in a street fight between Gil Gunderson and Troy McClure.

Here's the last entry in the series of interviews about the film "A Band Called Death." This time, I talk to the band members themselves: Bobby Hackney, Dannis Hackney and the latest addition to the band, Bobbie Duncan.

My interview with Scott Mosier is a testament to just how engaging and compelling the story of (and the story behind) "A Band Called Death" is. I wanted to cover some other subjects during our conversation, since Scott is an accomplished filmmaker, writer and podcaster — but we never made it past "A Band Called Death," which he produced. We geeked out about it for 45 minutes, and both of us could've kept going for at least another hour.

The Sklar brothers inhabit a strange cultural Venn diagram that has always appealed to me. They're incredibly conversant with indie rock, comedy, sports and pop culture. Plenty of folks might dabble in all four of those arenas, but not many people go as deep at the Sklars. I had a chance to dig into those particular topics with Randy and Jason, and I found out that it might not always be a good thing (at least when passport renewals are looming).

This is the first in a series of interviews (which I previewed a few weeks back) about the documentary "A Band Called Death." I'm kicking it off with the directors, Jeff Howlett and Mark Covino. The film tells the story of arguably the first punk rock record — which eventually became known as "...For the Whole World to See" after sitting on the shelf for 35 years — and the brothers who wrote and recorded the music (Bobby, Dannis, and the late David Hackney).

I've been excited about the inaugural Limestone Comedy Fest in Bloomington, Ind., since it was announced. If you're a regular listener, you know that I won't shut up about it. So I called up comedian Mat Alano-Martin (who started the festival) to talk about Limestone Fest and his musical past.

You know that guy who can offer a seemingly authoritative opinion on just about any topic extemporaneously and sound like an expert in the subject at hand? So do I. That guy is Billy Bragg. We covered so much ground during our 45 minute conversation, and it was amazing to sit across from him and soak it all up.

My conversation with comedian Andy Kindler may end up having a life-changing effect on me. It ultimately depends on what the doctor says, but you can figure out exactly what I'm talking about when you listen. Too many words to type on that front. Plus we covered a lot of other good stuff, like comic books, music, spirituality and The Best Show.

It's been an interesting year for Mike Bridavsky. He went from running a recording studio in Bloomington to traveling around the country so people can stare at his cat. And no, that's not a euphemism. He owns Lil Bub, one of the most popular cats on the internet. Mike and I talked a bit about balancing Lil Bub duties with recording work and what it's like when flying your famous cat around becomes a full-time job.

If you told teenage Sean that he'd eventually get to interview Segue Sam and the Gorton's Fisherman, he would've freaked out. Then again, I'm adult Sean, and the opportunity to chat with Jon Glaser was still pretty enthralling. Not only that, but it may have helped me inch closer to making a big change in my life.

Ray Harryhausen's death hit me pretty hard. Not only was his work wildly influential in the film world, but it left an indelible mark on me (and millions of other people). I think my brother-in-law summed it up pretty well: "With a steady hand, Ray Harryhausen brought imagination to life on the silver screen." It's one thing to make imaginary figures look real. It's another thing to bring imagination to life.