The Guestlist With Sean Cannon

Actor, Hobbit and former record label impresario Elijah Wood discusses the joy that stems from expanding your musical horizons. You'll also hear Bhi Bhiman talk about how it feels to be a musician's musician, and what it was like growing up as a first generation Sri Lankan-American.

Chef Edward Lee — of "Top Chef," "Mind of a Chef," and "Iron Chef America" fame — recounts how he got into the game and discusses why eating is even more important than most folks realize. You’ll also hear Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne talk about obsession, stubbornness, and being shown the future by Stanley Kubrick as a kid in Oklahoma.

Comedian and director Bobcat Goldthwait assures us that he is indeed alive — and he's making indie movies. Pocket square aficionado Jon Wurster takes us through his peculiar career path, starting out as an indie rock drummer and becoming a pioneer in the world of comedy podcasts. We also go undercover with The Hold Steady.

Strand of Oaks frontman Timothy Showalter talks about how he felt before recording his latest record, "HEAL," and how the record helped him get through it. The Sklar Brothers, Randy and Jason, take us into the strange nexus of comedy, music, and sports. We'll also call dibs on the showeroke. Yes, I said showeroke.

The After Dark podcast is no more. Not because it died, though. In fact, the show emerged from its cocoon as a rejuvenated senior citizen. No wait, that's something else. What you have here is both a more polished and weirder version of the old show. It's called The Guestlist. Steer into it!

"I try hard."

It's been a hot minute since you've heard from me. I've got an update for you, and a taste of where things might be headed in these parts.

252: Justin Pierre of Motion City Soundtrack by The Guestlist

The topic of human connection permeated my conversation with comedian Wyatt Cenac. Whether it was about keeping it casual with the ladies or dreaming about Bozo the Clown, it's a central theme for Wyatt in so many ways.

Timothy Showalter is incredibly concerned with being in the moment and experiencing what's actually happening around him. That said, the Strand of Oaks frontman wasn't always that way. That transition makes up a big part of our conversation.

My conversation with musician Cass McCombs might've been the most "out there" 45 minutes on the show thus far. God, the nature of reality, truth, society, existing in the moment, the separation and fragmentation of the self — and just the first five minutes. OK, not really. But we did hit on all of that and more during our chat.

Gerard Cosloy is about as high-cred an individual as you'll find in the world of indie rock. He was one of the guys behind both Homestead and Matador Records (where he's an active partner to this day), served as a DJ on WFMU, published the influential zine Conflict, and still releases DIY records on his "compact label" 12XU.

Even though Jesse Keeler and Sebastien Grainger put Death From Above 1979 away for a while, you can tell they still share that weird bond that develops between members of band...and you can tell that it runs deep, despite the years away from one another.

John Waters takes the banal and turns it on its head for a living. It turns out, he's been doing that since he was a tiny tot in Maryland reading the encyclopedia.

Very few people in show business get lucky enough to have a second act. Even fewer get it entirely on their own terms. Bobcat Goldthwait is one of those lucky few. Instead of allowing eight weeks of his career define who he is, Bobcat decided to take the reins and do something uncommon in the world of Hollywood: Choose happiness and fulfillment over money and fame.