Talkhouse Podcast

On the latest episode of Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That, Nick Dawson sits down with comedian John Early, whose excellent debut feature as writer-director-star, Maddie’s Secret, is now in theaters.

In an engrossing and very funny conversation, the two talk about one of the most unlikely anagrams of all time (and its deep resonance in Early’s life), the pros and cons of death by anvil, why Early’s shoes are his superego, the specific confluence of things that put him in a “blissed-out golden retriever mood,” his tornado dreams around the premieres of Maddie’s Secret, and much more.

Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That now has a Substack, so head there to check out all of our past episodes, plus subscribe to get access to exclusive audio and video content!

This episode originally aired on May 20, 2026. Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠Music Person⁠.

Kevin Morby from Los Angeles, CA and Kansas City, MO. Kevin and Dylan discuss butterflies, his return to Los Angeles, the nuances between Kansas and Missouri culture, his life with partner and fellow songwriter Katie Crutchfield, a canon of indie musicians who play the long game, examining your own mythos, Elvis, and tennis.

+ Kevin gives a letter of recommendation.

++ Kevin asks the Magic 8 Ball on Dylan’s coffee table some questions.

Artists we mentioned:

David Berman/Silver Jews/Purple Mountains, Hand Habits, Woods, Lou Reed, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Joan Baez, The National, Taylor Swift, Waxahatchee, the Babies, Geese, Elvis Presely.

Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠.
Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more.
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On the latest episode of Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That, Nick Dawson sits down with Goran Stolevski, the Macedonian-Australian writer-director whose films You Won’t Be Alone, Of An Age and Housekeeping for Beginners are arguably the best first three features by any filmmaker in recent memory.

Over the course of a strikingly frank conversation, Stolevski talks about why writing a shitty script is a quicker road to filmmaking success, why he won’t be making Monopoly: The Movie, his revisionist take on Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own, why the apocalypse will not feature anyone who looks like Pedro Pascal, why he wishes he didn’t want to make movies, and much more.

Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That now has a Substack, so head there to check out all of our past episodes, plus subscribe to get access to exclusive audio and video content!

Hey Talkhouse listeners, it's Josh Modell. Instead of a new episode this week, we're resurfacing a great one from a few years back between Blondshell and Maya Hawke. Blondshell, aka Sabrina Teitelbaum, released a new song recently and she's about to hit the road for a big tour. Maya Hawke is an actor who just signed on to star in the upcoming Netflix show The God of the Woods and she makes great records as well. Check it out!

—Josh Modell, Host of the Talkhouse Podcast 

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast we’ve got two performers who’ve got friends in common, and became fast friends themselves while recording this chat: Maya Hawke and Sabrina Teitelbaum.

Maya Hawke is best known for her day job as an actor, most visibly in a little show called Stranger Things, and she was also in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and the new Wes Anderson movie, Asteroid City. But as you’ll hear in this chat, she might be most excited by a side path as a singer and songwriter. Hawke has released two understated but fantastic albums so far, and she’s basically finished another. The vibe is sort of indie-folk, sort of floating and ambient but lyrically really engaging. She’s worked with some cool folks to realize her musical vision, including Christian Lee Hutson, who’s the “Christian” referenced in this conversation, just so you know. ⁠Check out⁠ a “Sweet Tooth” from Hawke’s 2022 album Moss right here.

Sabrina Teitelbaum just released her debut album under the name Blondshell, and it’s one of the best of 2023 so far. She describes it in this conversation as an emergency album—meaning a bunch of songs that she felt almost desperate to write, record, and unleash on the world. It’s direct and angry in spots, but also darkly funny and completely unafraid. She’s toured with the likes of Horsegirl and Porridge Radio, which might give some indication of what you’re in for. Or I could just play you Blondshell’s opus, “Salad,” right here. ⁠Check it out⁠.

These two have a fantastic conversation, and just in case it’s not clear from the context, they’re both good friends with the singer Samia, and each has contributed to a Samia covers series called Honey Reimagained. Blondshell did a song called “Charm You,” which is available now. Elsewhere in this chat, they talk about Hawke’s playing “body air guitar,” the weird emotional hit you get when a tour is finished, and the difficulties of stage banter. Enjoy.

0:00 Intro

3:20: Start of Conversation

3:21: On mutual friends and covering songs

4:58: On “perceived vulnerability” and perspectives in their songwriting

9:08: On sad songs, music you can play for friends, and “Olympus”

10:57: On the writing and jazz experiences that inspired Maya’s music

12:48: On the physicality of performing, feeling the music, and performance art

14:41: On playing live, post-tour loneliness, and active vs. passive time

20:06: On maintaining friendships

21:17: On Maya’s latest record

22:54: On onstage banter, scripting shows, and keeping shows fresh

25:53: On finishing a record and learning from the experience

27:43: On music serving as a snapshot of an artists’ life

28:26: On promoting music creatively and authentically, and social media

33:19: On the songwriting process, and tv show narratives’ influences on our experiences

38:40: On being inspired by friendships

42:13: On Maya titling her album “Moss”

43:40: On writing about past pain, and trying to balance it with joy

Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Sabrina Teiltelbaum and Maya Hawke for chatting.

If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out all the great stuff at ⁠Talkhouse.com⁠. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!

Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more. Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠.

On the latest episode of Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That, Nick Dawson sits down with one of the greatest living documentary filmmakers, Kirsten Johnson, the director of Cameraperson and Dick Johnson is Dead.

In a very personal conversation that draws on their shared history around death and their parents, the two talk about their mutual pursuit of connection, Johnson growing up in the shadow of an imminent apocalypse, the truly remarkable dream she had while shooting in Sudan, a great story about Stephen Colbert’s hands, the disappointing way in which she and a legendary artist have not been collaborating, and much more.

Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That now has a Substack, so head there to check out all of our past episodes, plus subscribe to get access to exclusive audio and video content!