Author: Matthew Ussia

Ep. 99: The Afterlife is a Hangover

Jason Baldinger is one of the folks who has made this podcast what it is, and who better to have on for our last show in the double digits but him. However, this was perhaps the most difficult podcast I have ever recorded, because it is about his split poetry and art book co-authored by Nell Hendricks called The Afterlife is a Hangover. The book is about the death of someone who meant a lot to a lot of people Pittsburgh musician, writer, professor, and record store owner Karl Hendricks.

We miss Karl, we love Karl, and unfortunately sometimes we have to meet the grief head on as we do for this extensive conversation about poetry, death, and record stores.

We swear a lot, and well . . . f*ck cancer anyway.

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Ep 98: Chris Q Murphy has a Livestream Now

We intended to discuss Season 1 of Chris Q Murphy’s livestream where he performs his songs and discusses songwriting craft with guests. However, CQM is the person I have been close friends with the longest, and well . . . things got off track. Join us for our intimate conversation about music, young people, and creativity.

Do check out past episodes of the Chris Q. Murphy Tuesday night livestream on his YouTube channel. Listen to CQM through his Bandcamp Page.

Most importantly, recognize that two guys from Jersey cannot not swear.

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Ep 97: Just Brook, Anyway Here’s Wonderwall

Brook Pridemore and I set out to talk about noise and music, and immediately we got sidetracked into an intimate conversation about the death of monoculture, protective identities, and what it means to revisit places that mean a lot to our (often painful) personal memories. During the conversation we kinda forgot to talk about why you should check out Brook Pridemore’s music on Bandcamp, but we did briefly touch on BP’s Patreon all request livestreams.

There is a moment of low bandwidth issue Zoom autotune about 10 minutes in, but it clears up quickly and what follows is one of my favorite conversations I have ever had on this podcast. And of course, we swear.

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Ep. 96 Uprooted

Nina Padolf is a poet who writes about family history, trauma, and memory. Her poems exist at the intersection of personal history and that which we often prefer not to discuss. Thankfully, during our podcast we were able to have a deep and meaningful conversation about poetics, identity, and Dr. Padolf reads for us.

You can buy Uprooted from the big Borg Online Retailer, OR you could contact Nina at ninapoet[at]gmail[dot]com. You can also check out her readings at Riverstone Books in Pittsburgh on September 30th at 7 PM and at the Uprooted Book Launch Reading at White Whale Books in Pittsburgh on November 9th at 7.

As always, a little bit of swearing spices things up.

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Ep. 95: I was a Weak Man. Now I’m a Bad Ghost

EW Harris is a musician who fuses sci-fi and folk, playing on upcycled instruments and cell phones. His new single “Bad Ghost” explores the ways in which our insecurities and regrets might just follow us into the afterlife. During the course of our conversation, we talk about how being born in the Rust Belt might just prepare you for the apocalypse. We talk songwriting and rush to cut the conversation short before I lose power again.

Check out the EW Harris Official Website. Listen to “Bad Ghost” on Bandcamp. Follow EW Harris on Facebook. Give him work on LinkedIn, or better yet let him write you a jingle. Subscribe to EW’s Patreon. And if you aren’t convinced, check out some thoughtful blog posts on “Bad Ghost” here and here.

Finally, there is swearing, and also a strange echo effect on EW’s mic until about 15 minutes into the podcast. I tried to use software magic to clean it up the best I could, but if it’s too annoying, skip to 16 minutes in. It will be worth it. This was one of my favorite conversations.

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Ep. 94: I Can’t Believe It’s Not a Digital Slumber Party

Anthony Kapfer and Amber Irish host an excellent comedy/variety talk show on Twitch TV every Monday night at 10 Eastern called Digital Slumber Party. Anthony also has a new comedy album entitled, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Better. We discuss both and why being buried alive is the worst way to die. Also, we get into what does it mean to be a comic in the pandemic era, and what makes good Zoom comedy.

You should tune in to Digital Slumber Party on the Comedy Hub Twitch Channel. Buy I Can’t Believe It’s Not Better on Bandcamp, or listen to it on a particular streaming service.

I think I forgot to tell Anthony and Amber they could swear, but I make up for it.

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Ep. 93: Gilded Age End Time Cheeseburgers

John Grochalski is a poet, novelist, editor, and junk wax collector. Not sure we talk about any of those things, but we do have a lively conversation about poo on pizza, 21st Century America, and people who poo in public in 21st Century America. It’s a well rounded convo, really. Eating a Cheeseburger During the End Times is already out and can be bought through Barnes and Nobel. The novel P-Town Forever will be out soon.

And we swear, a lot.

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Ep 92: Fr. Bede Hines TOR Memorial Poetry Reading with Dr. Matthew Ussia

In this extra special episode of We’re All Gonna Die. I’m sharing the audio of me reading my poetry at St. Francis University. St. Francis is a very special place to me, and I wanted to be able to share my reading while being respectful to the privacy of others, so I cut of the intro and the almost hour long Q&A after. I read from my book The Red Glass Cat, as well as some newer poems.

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Ep. 91: This Land is STILL Your Landfill

In the spring of 2020, The Homeless Gospel Choir released an album that is a quantum leap forward, just in time for the world to shut down. In this podcast, I talk to Derek Zanetti and Matt Miller about what it means to put out an amazing album that cannot be toured on. You really should buy This Land is Your Landfill on vinyl and CD, or if physical media isn’t your thing score This Land is Your Landfill on Bandcamp. We also discuss the transition of THGC from a solo acoustic project to finally realizing Derek’s dream of being in the Pixies. Along the way, we swear some, reveal the creepy Derek and Matt mind meld, and determine once and for all that December is worse than January could be.

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Ep 90: Imbibe the Eternal Grin

Judith and Charles Brice are a husband and wife poetry double threat. Together for 4 decades, they became poets as they neared retirement. On this episode, Judith and Charlie discuss their poetics and read from their new books. We talk about what how living with another poet enhances their craft and where their poetics differ. Charlie reads from The Broad Grin of Eternity, and Judith reads from both Imbibe the Air and Shards of Shadows: A Covid Diary. See what I did with the title of the episode there?

You can buy all these books from the Borg Internet Book Seller, but if you email Judy at JBriceMD[at]gmail[dot]com or Charlie at Charlie.Brice[at]gmail.com, you can score signed copies directly from the poets.

Charlie didn’t know you could swear on this podcast, but when he learned he could, he did.

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