To celebrate the release of our film "Alchemy Of The Spirit" this week we revisit Mr. Balderson's discussion with cult icon Mink Stole!  Mink co-stars in "Alchemy" alongside Xander Berkeley and Sarah Clarke    Watch "Alchemy Of The Spirit" on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0B8RLM38M Alchemy of the Spirit stars Xander Berkeley (Candyman, “24”), Sarah Clarke (“24”, “Covert Affairs”), and cult icon Mink Stole (Female Trouble, Pink Flamingos). The film premiered in Europe...

To celebrate the release of our film "Alchemy Of The Spirit" this week we revisit Mr. Balderson's discussion with Dr. Joseph Suglia, who offers his analysis of the film.    Philosopher and Author Dr. Joseph Suglia dissects Steve Balderson's new art film ALCHEMY OF THE SPIRIT which stars Xander Berkeley, Sarah Clarke, and cult icon Mink Stole.  The film premiered in Europe at Fantasporto in April, 2022, picking up a nomination for Best International Feature, and went on to screen around the...

This special Season Two finale features producer/director Anthony Pedone.  Pedone has produced, written, directed, or shot over 24 features, documentaries, and short films. In 2015, he produced THE STRONGEST MAN, which premiered at Sundance and was released theatrically and on VOD by Film Buff and Sundance Global. In 2018, his directorial debut AN AMERICAN IN TEXAS won the Dutch Golden Stone Award at the Scenecs Film Festival in Hilversum, Holland and was distributed by Gravitas...

Clara Ritger grew up in the small town of Huntington Beach, California, where she learned what real Mexican food tastes like and how to cut the line at Disneyland. At the ripe old age of two she ran as far ahead of her parents as her child leash would take her on the Yosemite trails to ask random strangers questions about why they were hiking and if they would be her friend. Since then, she has continued to ask why but usually refrains from asking subjects during interviews if they want to be...

John Gaspard is author of the Eli Marks mystery series as well as four other stand-alone novels, "The Greyhound of the Baskervilles," "A Christmas Carl," "The Sword & Mr. Stone" and "The Ripperologists." He also writes the Como Lake Players mystery series, under the pen name Bobbie Raymond.  In real life, John’s not a magician, but he has directed six low-budget features that cost very little and made even less – that’s no small trick. He’s also written multiple books on the subject of...

Austin Young is from Reno, Nevada and currently lives and works in Los Angeles. The foundation of his career is from studying at Parsons in Paris. Early in his career, Austin transferred his interests from traditional portrait painting towards a long celebrated career in portrait photography. In many ways, Austin is more accurately described as an image-maker: his projects illustrate the sublime qualities of character that make celebrated people unique. Based on a nuanced visual language of...

Felix Jones is a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and a Magician Member of the Academy of Magical Arts and a regular performer in the Magic Castle showrooms in Hollywood, California, where he performs his acclaimed comedy magic and mind-reading show.  Felix has been a featured performer at Jeff McBride's Wonderground and MINDvention.  His many corporate clients include Amazon, Pratham USA, Talego Country Club, 21st Century Experience, John Hancock Investment, and the...

Kristian Hoffman ran away from his boyhood home in Santa Barbara, California, to New York City where he and his high school friend, Lance Loud, formed a band called The Mumps. This was quite soon after both had made dramatic appearances in what is now known as the first reality TV series: PBS' award winning "An American Family". Flourishing in the New York club scene in the late '70s, Lance and Kristian became obsessed with the New York Dolls and lead to Kristian drawing the infamous...

Iris Berry is the co-founder of Punk Hostage Press.  She is the author and editor of several books and has a vast fan base for her unique voice and formidable writing style. She’s an L.A. Pop culture historian, actress, and musician. She’s appeared in numerous films, TV commercials, documentaries, and iconic rock videos. In the 1980s & 90s, she sang, performed, wrote songs and recorded with the Lame Flames, the Ringling Sisters, the Dickies, the Flesh Eaters, and Pink Sabbath. She served...

JAMES OSELAND travels extensively in search of the world’s best restaurants, street food stalls, markets, and home cooks. Long before he was a judge on Top Chef Masters, he was a teenage rebel growing up in the pre–Silicon Valley, California, suburbs, yearning for a taste of something wild. His remarkable memoir Jimmy Neurosis captures the quest that led him from the mosh pits of San Francisco to the pop world of Andy Warhol’s Manhattan. He is most recently the author and editor of World...

Peaches Christ (aka Joshua Grannell) is a filmmaker and cult leader living in San Francisco. Her infamous movie events at the Castro Theatre regularly draw over 1,000 attendees to each new production before they tour. Events have featured special guest stars John Waters, Cloris Leachman, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell, Linda Blair, Bruce Campbell, Apollonia, Barry Bostwick, Pam Grier, and more. Peaches is the alter- ego of Joshua Grannell, the writer and director of the feature film All About...

Elliott Hunter is an international award winning magician and sleight of hand artist.  Elliott began magic after seeing his first magic show at the local library, and then reading all of the magic books he could to learn the craft. As he progressed, he sought professional mentorship and training. In 2011 he had the opportunity to train at the most prestigious magic school in the world, and learn from the best of the best. Over the years, Elliott has been able to combine his skills in other...

Susan Traylor is an award-winning actress, writer and film director.  She was born in New York and raised in Los Angeles in and around the theater. Her parents were legendary acting teachers Peggy Feury and William Traylor who worked with the likes of Sean Penn, Meg Ryan, Anjelica Huston, Nicolas Cage, and Michele Pfeiffer.  Their school, the Loft Studio, served as a second home to Susan.  At fifteen she insisted on officially studying with her parents. She continued her formal education by...

Davey Wavey is an American Producer who covers LGBT topics related to sex, relationships, and coming out. His YouTube channel has over 1.4 million subscribers.  Wavey is also the creator of Himeros.TV - a site that pushes the boundaries of sex, sexuality, and new ways to experience pleasure, discover desires and express oneself in ways that bring joy and ecstasy. Wavey described Himeros.TV to The Advocate saying, "We don't market it as educational porn or porn that's good for you, but it...

Before he became an award-winning writer and poet, Brian Sonia-Wallace set up a typewriter on the street with a sign that said “Poetry Store” and discovered something surprising: all over America, people want poems. An amateur busker at first, Brian asked countless strangers, “What do you need a poem about?” To his surprise, passersby opened up to share their deepest yearnings, loves, and heartbreaks. Hundreds of them. Then thousands. Around the nation, Brian’s poetry crusade drew countless...

Bruce LaBruce is an internationally acclaimed filmmaker, photographer, writer, and artist based in Toronto. His latest film is "St. Narcisse" a comedy-drama starring Félix-Antoine Duval as a pair of identical twins who were separated at birth and did not previously know of each other's existence, but who fall in love and begin a twincest relationship with each other after being reunited.  The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival. LaBruce's earlier film Gerontophilia won the Grand Prix...

Season Two is officially here!  For our premiere episode, Philosopher and Author Dr. Joseph Suglia dissects Steve Balderson's new art film ALCHEMY OF THE SPIRIT which stars Xander Berkeley, Sarah Clarke, and cult icon Mink Stole.  The film premieres in Europe at Fantasporto (the Oporto International Film Festival in Portugal) where it is in the main competition (1-10 April, 2022).  In the discussion today: the illusion of time, ancient religions, archaic religiosity, life and death,...

While Season Two is being produced, I'd love to share an excerpt from the Audible version of my book "Filmmaking Confidential."  Today I'll read the chapters: "Distribution Middlemen" "You Don't Need to Yell" "What Festival Premieres Mean" "A Chair is a Chair is a Chair" For more information: https://www.dikenga.com/books

While Season Two is being produced, I'd love to share an excerpt from the Audible version of my book "Filmmaking Confidential."  Today I'll read the chapters: "Marketing: You vs The Big Boys" "How to Read a Screenplay" "Musicians are Famous Too!" "Waiting to Work" For more information: https://www.dikenga.com/books https://www.amazon.com/dp/173545690X

While Season Two is being produced, I'd love to share an excerpt from the Audible version of my book "Filmmaking Confidential."  Today I'll read the Introduction, followed by the chapters Finding Your Perception, and The Floor Plan (with some secret screenwriting tips!).

Today's special Season One finale is The One & Only Betti O!  Betti O. has appeared on stage from New York to Japan, performing with incredible people including Sally Struthers, Ben Vereen and Sandy Duncan. In 2008 she opened for Hillary Rodham Clinton at a political rally in Iowa and was the lead in the Asian tour of “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” Her soulful voice has appeared on music projects worldwide, such as on a hit single released in Europe. Her legendary performance on “Showtime at The...

Today's guest is actress and writer Jennifer Grace. Jennifer received her BA from Kansas State University in 1997. She has been working as a professional actor since, most notably in a record-shattering run as Emily Webb in Tony award-winning director David Cromer’s critically acclaimed production of OUR TOWN, which she performed in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, opposite actors such as Michael Shannon, Helen Hunt and Michael McKean, and for which she was recognized with a Theatre World...

Today's guest is actor Aaron Dean Eisenberg. He is best known for portraying "Todd Lang" in HBO Series The Deuce alongside James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal; and "Richard Kane" in Ed Burns' series Public Morals. Eisenberg made his acting debut in 2006, Nathaniel Nose-directed comedy, Talent. The following year he was seen as "Aaron Dean" in Reggie Bannister and Jason Carter-starrer horror film, The Final Curtain.  He was seen in various films such as Stuck, The Ghostmaker, Gossip Girl,...

Today's guest is the fabulous Rena Riffel. Rena is an American actress, singer, dancer, model, writer, producer, and director. She is best known for her supporting roles in films such as Showgirls, Striptease, and Mulholland Drive. Riffel landed her breakthrough role in the 1995 film Showgirls starring Elizabeth Berkley, Gina Gershon, and Kyle MacLachlan. Initially reading for the lead role of Cristal Connors, Riffel was cast in the supporting role of Penny/Hope after director Paul Verhoeven...