Punkast

In this episode: “Radio…really is a labor of love.” Jessica Schwartz and Tequila Mockingbird sit down with Stella of KXLU’s Stray Pop for a conversation spanning nearly five decades of independent radio, punk, and underground music in Los Angeles. Stella traces her beginnings at Loyola Marymount University in 1977 and the launch of Stray Pop in 1980, when playing punk and new wave on KXLU could still get her in trouble. From D. Boon singing an impromptu fundraiser song in the studio to the changing cultural status of music once treated as threatening or disposable, Stella reflects on what it means to remain behind the same microphone while both punk and Los Angeles change around her. The conversation moves through radio as vocation and “punk rock salvation,” the mainstreaming and commercialization of punk, Janet Cunningham’s punk casting archive, and the musicians, artists, DJs, record stores, clubs, and neighborhoods that formed Stella’s Los Angeles. Along the way, Stella considers what the city has forgotten, how underground culture moves into institutions and everyday life, and why punk remains less a fixed musical genre than an attitude—something she recognizes through a visceral response to music rather than a formula for what it should sound like. At the center of the episode is Stella’s practice of radio itself: hauling physical music into the station, annotating CDs and playlists, improvising connections live on air, and navigating the increasingly elaborate relationship between analog collections and digital systems. From reel-to-reel tapes and paper playlists to smartphones, streaming, automation, and algorithms, Stella reflects on the labor, accidents, memory, and intuition behind Stray Pop ’s “eclectic disarray”—and on what live radio can still offer that an algorithmically generated playlist cannot. Stella has been part of KXLU 88.9 FM since 1977 and has hosted Stray Pop since February 5, 1980. Her decades in Los Angeles underground music also include work as an L.A. correspondent for ZigZag magazine and as a senior editor at RIP magazine. Drawing on a vast personal collection and archive, Stella continues to broadcast Stray Pop live from KXLU, where her self-described “eclectic disarray” moves across punk and far beyond it. Recorded September 2026. Links + References: Stray Pop Fridays 11 PM–3 AM (Pacific Time) – LIVE Mondays 2–6 AM (Pacific Time) – encores from the Stray Pop archives KXLU 88.9 FM Los Angeles Live stream: https://www.KXLU.com Spinitron playlists: https://spinitron.com/KXLU/show/190234/Stray-Pop Listen to recent Stray Pop broadcasts: Recent episodes remain available to stream for two weeks after broadcast. Select a playlist with the speaker icon. Because the show crosses midnight, the first hour appears under Friday’s date and the remaining three hours under Saturday’s date. Social Media Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/stella.kxlu Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stella_kxlu/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@stella_kxlu X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/StellaKXLU TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stella_kxlu Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/stellakxlu.bsky.social Credits: Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz. Co-hosted and guest produced by Tequila Mockingbird. Photo Credit: Cathy Metcalf Transcript: Audio-synced transcript Theme Music: Lady Bits, "Bitch-a-thon," Lady Bits . Related: Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast . About Punkast: Punkast is a weekly podcast exploring punk in the historical present through critical conversations, inquiry, and collaboration. Connect with Punkast: Spotify Instagram: punkastucla Email: punkastucla@gmail.com Stay tapped in. New episodes every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode: We need to respect the scene and shine a spotlight on folks who were, in fact, laying the foundation. Jessica Schwartz speaks with art historians Marie Arleth Skov and Maria Buszek about Unruly: The Body in Punk , curated by Marie and currently on view at ARoS in Aarhus, Denmark. Taking the exhibition and its catalogue as a starting point, they ask what becomes visible when the body moves to the center of punk history—exploring unruliness, feminism, sexuality, beauty and ugliness, movement, vulnerability, and the many ways bodies refuse expectations about how they should look, behave, and belong. The conversation considers women’s often-marginalized contributions to punk histories and moves beyond familiar musicians and canonical figures toward what Maria describes through Brian Eno’s concept of “scenius”: the collective creativity of scenes, including fans, artists, photographers, designers, organizers, and others whose everyday practices helped make punk possible. Marie and Maria also reflect on the productive tensions involved in bringing punk into museums and art history without freezing, sanitizing, or separating it from the communities and forms of resistance from which it emerged. Moving through sexuality, feminist histories, disability, institutionalization, collective spaces, and embodied forms of resistance and care, the conversation ultimately turns toward vulnerability and joy. Marie and Maria consider how punk bodies can be aggressive, sexual, ugly, intimate, soft, frightened, joyful, or deliberately difficult—and how showing vulnerability itself can become an unruly act, sustained through communities in which people protect and create alongside one another. Marie Arleth Skov is a Danish art historian, curator, and author based in Berlin. She is the author of Punk Art History: Artworks from the European No Future Generation (Intellect Books, 2023) and has curated several exhibitions, most recently Unruly: The Body in Punk at ARoS Art Museum in Aarhus, Denmark. The accompanying catalogue was published by Marrow Press in 2026. Maria Buszek is Professor of Art History at the University of Colorado Denver and an independent curator whose research and teaching focus on modern and contemporary art and design. She is the author of Pin-Up Grrrls: Feminism, Sexuality, Popular Culture and has written extensively on feminism, craft, art, and punk, including contributions to Punkademics and Punk & Post-Punk Journal , where she is an Associate Editor. Her current book project, Punk Feminisms: No Style But Strength , explores the relationships among feminist art, activism, and punk scenes in the 1970s and early 1980s. Recorded September 2026. Links + References: Marie Unruly - The Body in Punk Marrow Press – UNRULY. The Body in Punk – Marie Arleth Skov Instagram Maria mariabuszek.com Instagram Further links/collabs: Punk Scholars Network International: Instagram Marrow Press: Instagram Credits: Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz. Editorial support: Arrow Menendez - audio editing and audio-synced transcript. Transcript: Audio-synced transcript Theme Music: Lady Bits, "Bitch-a-thon," Lady Bits . Related: Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast . About Punkast: Punkast is a weekly podcast exploring punk in the historical present through critical conversations, inquiry, and collaboration. Connect with Punkast: Spotify Instagram: punkastucla Stay tapped in. New episodes every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode: “A big part of finding your voice is being willing to be vulnerable and honest.” Jessica Schwartz speaks with filmmaker, artist, and writer James Spooner about Black punk, belonging, vulnerability, and the complicated work of finding—and trusting—one’s own voice. Beginning with Spooner’s experiences as one of few Black punks in the Southern California desert and later within New York punk and hardcore scenes, the conversation considers what punk can make possible while remaining attentive to racism, exclusion, and inequality within the scenes themselves. James reflects on the teenage manifesto and organizing project Earthwell, the unexpected afterlives of DIY ideas, and the making and continuing relevance of his documentary Afro-Punk . Moving through The High Desert and Black Punk Now , Jessica and James discuss racial ambiguity, passing, vulnerability, family, historical erasure, and the ways personal storytelling can create recognition across experiences without collapsing their differences. The conversation also turns toward Black contributions to rock and punk history, intergenerational experiences of belonging, and the complicated relationship between underground and mainstream culture. Tequila Mockingbird joins the conversation to reflect on punk preservation and her work developing the Punk Museum, opening a broader discussion about archives, institutions, access, and what happens when DIY histories move into institutional spaces. James ultimately returns to DIY not as a credential or aesthetic category, but as the confidence to learn a form, find an audience, and make the work anyway. This episode was recorded live with students from Jessica Schwartz’s UCLA Music Industry course, “DIY: Punk Organizing as Social Justice,” whose questions and contributions extend the conversation around access, cultural institutions, creative practice, and the relationships between mainstream and underground cultural spaces. Editor’s note: This conversation was recorded in 2023, around the publication of Black Punk Now . James Spooner’s new memoir, It Starts with Anger , was published in August 2026 and extends many of the questions explored here around Black punk, belonging, DIY culture, Afro-Punk , and the relationship between underground movements and institutional power. James Spooner is an award-winning graphic novelist, filmmaker, tattoo artist, and co-founder of the Afropunk Festival. He directed the landmark 2003 documentary Afro-Punk , is the author and illustrator of The High Desert , and co-edited Black Punk Now with Chris L. Terry. His newest book, It Starts with Anger , was published in August 2026. Recorded November 2023. Links + References: James Spooner / Spooner’s No Fun It Starts with Anger Afro-Punk The High Desert Black Punk Now Current events + screenings Credits: Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz. Conversation participant: Tequila Mockingbird. This episode includes questions and contributions from students in the UCLA Music Industry course “DIY: Punk Organizing as Social Justice,” facilitated by Jessica Schwartz. Editorial support: Melanie Hui – audio editing and audio-synced transcript. Transcript: Audio-synced transcript Theme Music: Lady Bits, "Bitch-a-thon," Lady Bits . Related: Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast . Connect with Punkast: Spotify Instagram: punkastucla Stay tapped in. New episodes every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode: “We’ve turned out something I think that’s even stronger than what we did when we were younger.” In Part 2 of this conversation, Chris Desjardins (Chris D.) joins Jessica Schwartz and Tequila Mockingbird to reflect on creativity across a lifetime—moving among music, poetry, politics, film, recovery, and the ongoing work of making meaning through art. Chris discusses his relationship to the Gun Club and Jeffrey Lee Pierce, the possibilities and limitations of political art, and why he increasingly understands punk less as a musical category than as an attitude grounded in honesty. From protest songs and cut-up poetry to the evolving sound of Divine Horsemen, the conversation considers how artists can respond to their historical moment without allowing their work to become trapped within it. The conversation then turns toward recovery, aging, depression, persistence, and creative renewal. Chris reflects on refusing to be demoralized, returning repeatedly to music and writing, publishing books, and finding ways to keep working without becoming overwhelmed by what remains unfinished. Tequila joins the conversation to discuss writing, self-publishing, film, technology—and, eventually, the value of having a pet. Chris Desjardins , also known as Chris D., is a writer, musician, poet, critic, and filmmaker best known as the founder, vocalist, songwriter, and driving creative force behind the influential Los Angeles punk band the Flesh Eaters. Deeply connected to the first wave of the L.A. punk scene, he contributed to Slash magazine and has worked across music, poetry, prose, film criticism, and programming. His musical work has moved among punk, blues, roots music, and darker strains of American music, and he has also led and recorded with Divine Horsemen. Recorded October 2020. Content note: This episode includes discussion of addiction and suicide. Links + References: Perfect Sound Forever: Chris D, Flesh Eaters, Divine Horsemen The Flesh Eaters - Superior Viaduct Slash Magazine Archive Credits: Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz. Co-hosted and guest produced by Tequila Mockingbird Editorial support: Arrow Menendez– audio editing, episode notes, and audio-synced transcript. Transcript: Audio-synced transcript Theme Music: Lady Bits, "Bitch-a-thon," Lady Bits . Related: Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast . Connect with Punkast: Spotify Email: punkastucla@gmail.com Instagram: punkastucla Stay tapped in. New episodes every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode: “The punk stuff that was coming out of England really excited me.” In Part 1 of this conversation, Chris Desjardins (Chris D.) traces the evolution of the Flesh Eaters from the earliest days of Los Angeles punk through the band’s many incarnations. Moving through his encounters with the Stooges, MC5, British punk, blues and R&B, poetry, surrealism, genre film, and other musical and cultural influences, Chris reflects on the eclectic materials and relationships that shaped his creative practice. Along the way, Chris discusses writing for Slash , friendships and collaborations with John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Dave Alvin, Keith Morris, and others, and the changing lineups and musical approaches behind A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die , Forever Came Today , and A Hard Road to Follow . His recollections offer a window into the shifting sounds and social worlds of early Los Angeles punk and the rise of hardcore, as well as the blues, roots music, and other traditions that continued to inform his work. Chris also speaks candidly about addiction, recovery, relationships, and the ways these experiences intersected with his musical life. Looking back across different iterations of the Flesh Eaters and Divine Horsemen, he reflects on returning to music, writing with greater discipline after getting sober, and the long, complicated path that eventually brought earlier collaborators together again decades later. Chris Desjardins , also known as Chris D., is a writer, musician, poet, critic, and filmmaker best known as the founder, vocalist, songwriter, and driving creative force behind the influential Los Angeles punk band the Flesh Eaters. Deeply connected to the first wave of the L.A. punk scene, he contributed to Slash magazine and has worked across music, poetry, prose, film criticism, and programming. His musical work has moved among punk, blues, roots music, and darker strains of American music, and he has also led and recorded with Divine Horsemen. Recorded October 2020. Links + References: Perfect Sound Forever: Chris D, Flesh Eaters, Divine Horsemen The Flesh Eaters - Superior Viaduct https://grokipedia.com/page/The_Flesh_Eaters Slash Magazine (Download via Brooklyn Vegan) Credits: Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz. Co-hosted and guest produced by Tequila Mockingbird Editorial support: Arrow Menendez– audio editing, episode notes, and audio-synced transcript. Transcript: Audio-synced transcript Theme Music: Lady Bits, "Bitch-a-thon," Lady Bits . Related: Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast . Connect with Punkast: Spotify Instagram: punkastucla Stay tapped in. New episodes every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Punkast is a weekly podcast exploring punk in the historical present through critical conversations, inquiry, and collaboration. >>> Follow the show to stay tapped in. New episodes every Friday. In this episode: “It’s an interdisciplinary space where we all get together and talk about a variety of experiences within punk.” Jessica Schwartz and Ellen Bernhard discuss punk scholarship, popular culture, and the importance of building communities around critical inquiry. Drawing on their different experiences coming to punk in the 1990s, they reflect on MTV, record stores, compilations, early internet rabbit holes, and what it meant to find punk outside the scenes of major cities. The conversation moves from personal punk histories to Ellen’s research on humor, satire, media, and punk rhetoric, as well as her work with the Punk Scholars Network US. Together, Jessica and Ellen consider how punk becomes something we not only listen to and participate in, but also study, teach, write about, organize around—and occasionally turn into plans for a Times Square billboard. Ellen Bernhard is an Assistant Professor of Communication at Georgian Court University and President of the Punk Scholars Network US. Her research explores punk, popular culture, rhetoric, humor, and satire. She is the author of Contemporary Punk Rock Communities: Scenes of Inclusion and Dedication and co-editor of scholarly collections examining punk bands, politics, culture, and provocation. Recorded July 2026. Links + References: Links: ellenbernhard@gmail.com IG: @dr.elliesoho, @punkscholarsnetwork.us Credits: Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz. Editorial support: Melanie Hui – audio editing, episode notes, and audio-synced transcript. Transcript: Audio-synced transcript Theme Music: Lady Bits, "Bitch-a-thon," Lady Bits . Related: Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast . Connect with Punkast: Spotify Instagram: punkastucla Stay tapped in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Punkast is a weekly podcast exploring punk in the historical present through critical conversations, inquiry, and collaboration. >>> Follow the show to stay tapped in. New episodes every Friday. In this episode: Jessica Schwartz speaks with writer Caroline Collett about the ways lived experience, memory, and writing shape how punk becomes cultural history. Drawing from Caroline's teenage diaries, they revisit the people, places, politics, and everyday details of first-generation punk while considering what firsthand accounts can reveal that later histories sometimes leave behind. Moving between intimate memories of punk gigs in late-1970s Britain and Caroline's contemporary reflections on the early UK and US scenes, they explore punk's different cultural and political roots, the exchange of ideas across the Atlantic, and the tension between individual experience and collective memory. The conversation ultimately asks not only how we remember punk, but what its DIY, subversive, and liberatory impulses can still offer the present and future. Caroline Collett grew up in the North of England and studied languages at Oxford University before beginning a career in television, where she wrote music news for MTV Europe and worked as a presenter and producer. She later worked as a publicist and copywriter for artists, designers, and architects and is now focused on her own writing. Her manuscript, What Do I Get? , brings together original teenage diary entries with contemporary reflections on first-generation punk, its politics, style, culture, and continuing significance. Recorded June 2026. Links + References: X - https://x.com/CollettWriter Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/collettwriter.bsky.social Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/caroline_r_collett/ Website - https://www.carolinecollettwriter.com/ Caroline Collett on Punk Scholars Podcast: Part 1 Part 2 Credits: Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz. Editorial support: Melanie Hui – audio editing, episode notes, and audio-synced transcript. Transcript: Audio-synced transcript Theme Music: Lady Bits, "Bitch-a-thon," Lady Bits . Related: Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast . Connect with Punkast: Spotify Instagram: punkastucla Stay tapped in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Punkast is a weekly podcast exploring punk in the historical present through critical conversations, inquiry, and collaboration. >>> Follow the show to stay tapped in. New episodes every Friday. In this episode: "To me, punk isn't just about a specific style. It's about a way of being." Jessica Schwartz is joined by Tequila Mockingbird for a conversation exploring punk as a creative practice, a form of cultural preservation, and a way of moving through the world. Together, they discuss the early Los Angeles punk scene, New Wave Theatre, the Punk Museum, the UCLA Punk Archive, and the ongoing work of documenting local histories that might otherwise be lost. The conversation explores DIY culture, archives, fashion, activism, underground media, and the ways punk continues to evolve across generations and communities. Reflecting on her decades of work as a musician, writer, curator, and cultural organizer, Tequila argues that punk is less a genre than a way of creating, questioning, and living on your own terms. Tequila Mockingbird is a writer, musician, curator, and founder of the Punk Museum. For more than four decades, she has documented, performed in, and championed underground culture through journalism, film, music, exhibitions, and community archives while helping preserve the histories of the Los Angeles punk scene. This conversation includes questions and contributions from students in a UCLA musicology course facilitated by Jessica Schwartz and was recorded in February 2024. Links + References: https://substack.com/@tequilamockingbird1 https://shotgunseamstress.blogspot.com/2013/10/taquila-mockingbird-queen-behind-scene.html https://www.instagram.com/taquilamockingbird/ https://pleasekillme.com/taquila-mockingbird/ Credits: Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz. Editorial support: Arrow Menendez – audio editing, episode notes, and audio-synced transcript. Transcript: Audio-synced transcript Theme Music: Lady Bits, "Bitch-a-thon," Lady Bits . Related: Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast . Connect with Punkast: Spotify Instagram: punkastucla Stay tapped in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Punkast is a weekly podcast exploring punk in the historical present through critical conversations, inquiry, and collaboration. >>> Follow the show to stay tapped in. New episodes every Friday. In this episode: "I used to think that saying 'I don't have it' was a sign of weakness. When in reality, the weakness was not having it and thinking you do." Jessica Schwartz is joined by Jack Grisham of TSOL and co-host Tequila Mockingbird for a candid conversation about creativity, accountability, recovery, and the enduring spirit of DIY. Moving beyond familiar punk origin stories, they reflect on writing, criticism, sobriety, violence, vulnerability, and the lifelong work of learning how to make—and remake—yourself. Together, they discuss the early Southern California punk scene, the formation of TSOL, punk's myths and realities, gender expression, authorship, and what it means to continue creating across music, literature, and film. Throughout the conversation, Grisham offers an unflinching look at personal responsibility while reflecting on the ways punk both challenged and reproduced the worlds it sought to resist. Jack Grisham is the vocalist and founding member of TSOL and has spent more than four decades writing, performing, and creating across music, literature, and film. He is the author of several books, including An American Demon and A Principle of Recovery , and continues to write fiction and create new work across multiple media. Recorded April 2021. Links + References: Jack Grisham Jack Grisham (@jackgrisham) • Facebook Jack Grisham (@jackgrishamphoto) • Instagram photos and videos Credits: Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz. Co-hosted and guest produced by Tequila Mockingbird. Editorial support: Arrow Avalon– audio editing, episode notes, and audio-synced transcript. Transcript: Audio-synced transcript Theme Music: Lady Bits, "Bitch-a-thon," Lady Bits . Related: Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast . Connect with Punkast: Spotify Instagram: punkastucla Stay tapped in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Editor's Note (July 2026) Today we learned of the passing of Jennifer Finch. Rather than simply share the news, I wanted to make this conversation available again. Recorded live at the Punk Rock Museum during the 2025 Punk Scholars Network US conference, it captures Jennifer exactly as I remember her: generous, thoughtful, funny, and deeply curious. Throughout our conversation, she challenged assumptions, connected punk to larger social questions, and reminded us that museums, archives, and community spaces are places where we imagine different futures together. I'm grateful to have shared this conversation with her, and I hope others will enjoy hearing her voice and ideas again. —Jessica Schwartz ———— Original Episode Notes. Live from Las Vegas, it’s the Punk Scholars Podcast! What happens at the Punk Scholars Network conference in Vegas is now available for your listening (dis)pleasure as Jessica Schwartz interviews Fat Mike (NOFX, Punk Rock Museum) and Jennifer Precious Finch (L7, Sh!t My Rockstar Says!) with a never before heard musical collaboration to close this one of a kind interview out. Thank you to the Punk Rock Museum for hosting us. Enjoy. Links The Punk Rock Museum Jennifer Precious Finch Fat Mike – We’d love to hear from you and are soliciting episode ideas and guests. Contact us at: punkscholarspodcast@gmail.com The PSP theme music is excerpted from “Crows” by Watch You Drown . All rights reserved. Season 1, Episode 10 was recorded on March 3, 2025 “Live in Las Vegas” at the Punk Rock Museum as part of the Punk Scholars Network US and Canada Third Annual Conference. Ellen Bernhard produced the episode and gave the pre-podcast acknowledgments. Jessica Schwartz hosted the episode, and edited the audio and transcript, available here . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Punkast is a weekly podcast exploring punk in the historical present through critical conversations, inquiry, and collaboration. >>> Follow the show to stay tapped in. New episodes every Friday. In this episode: "There is this specter of demolition that, in some ways, haunts the American city." Jessica Schwartz is joined by urban historian and geographer Peter Ekman for a conversation exploring how architecture, urban renewal, and the built environment have shaped the sounds, spaces, and histories of punk. Drawing from his article Corner, Garage, and Basement: Reused Spaces and Vernacular Sounds Since the Bulldozer , Ekman traces the relationships between postwar urban redevelopment, street-corner singing, garage rock, and hardcore punk. Together, they discuss the politics of urban renewal, the sonic histories of doo-wop, garage rock, and hardcore, and the ways everyday spaces—including street corners, garages, and basements—became sites of creativity, resistance, and DIY cultural production. The conversation also considers Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., race, segregation, automobility, and the critical possibilities that emerge when architecture and sound are understood together. Peter Ekman is on the faculty of the USC School of Architecture and holds a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of Timing the Future Metropolis: Foresight, Knowledge, and Doubt in America's Postwar Urbanism (Cornell University Press). His research explores the history and theory of cities, landscapes, architecture, and the built environment, with particular attention to sound, urbanism, and everyday spatial practice. Recorded June 2026. Links + References: USC faculty website: Peter Ekman | USC School of Architecture Link to book, Timing the Future Metropolis : https://cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501778391/timing-the-future-metropolis/#bookTabs=1 Link to article, “Corner, Garage, and Basement”: https://read.dukeupress.edu/qui-parle/article-abstract/34/2/379/407908/Corner-Garage-and-BasementReused-Spaces-and Credits: Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz. Editorial support: Melanie Hui – audio editing, episode notes, and audio-synced transcript. Transcript: Audio-synced transcript Theme Music: Lady Bits, "Bitch-a-thon," Lady Bits . Related: Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast . Connect with Punkast: Spotify Instagram: punkastucla Stay tapped in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Punkast is a weekly podcast exploring punk in the historical present through critical conversations, inquiry, and collaboration. >>> Follow the show to stay tapped in. New episodes every Friday. In this episode: "I make zines and jokes and have thoughts." Jessica Schwartz is joined by zinester, archivist, and independent scholar Liz Mason for a conversation exploring DIY publishing, archives, humor, and the enduring cultural life of zines. Together, they discuss independent publishing as a creative practice, a form of community building, and a form of cultural research, while reflecting on libraries, radio, oral history, fandom, and the evolving relationships among memory, documentation, and punk. The conversation centers on Mason's Most Unwanted Zine , a research-driven publication built from surveys of zinesters and readers that playfully transforms qualitative data into satire. Along the way, they discuss fax-machine funerals, collaborative storytelling, aging in DIY culture, creative curiosity, and the ways zines continue to document everyday life while preserving voices often left out of traditional archives. Liz Mason has been publishing zines since the 1990s. Her work has appeared in Punk Planet , The Zine Yearbook , and the backs of her friends' toilets. She managed Chicago's legendary zine hub, Quimby's Bookstore, for more than two decades and is currently pursuing a Master's in Information Science with a specialization in Archives and Records Management at Chicago State University. Mason is also the creator of Caboose , co-host of the Rough Draft podcast, and a DJ at CHIRP Radio. Recorded June 2026. Links + References: LizMasonIsAwesome.com Rough Draft with Keidra and Liz Podcast Liz Mason Official: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter | Linktree LizMasonZines - Etsy https://www.facebook.com/LizMasonIsAwesome https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-mason-caboose-zine/ Instagram: @caboosezine Bluesky: @caboosezine.bsky.social Credits: Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz. Editorial support: Arrow Avalon – audio editing, episode notes, and audio-synced transcript. Transcript: Audio-synced transcript Theme Music: Lady Bits, "Bitch-a-thon," Lady Bits . Related: Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast . Connect with Punkast: Spotify Instagram: punkastucla Stay tapped in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Punkast is a weekly podcast exploring punk in the historical present through critical conversations, inquiry, and collaboration. >>> Follow the show to stay tapped in. New episodes every Friday. In this episode: "Fulfill your purpose, do what you love…" Jessica Schwartz and co-host Tequila Mockingbird are joined by Johnny Indovina, singer, songwriter, and founder of Human Drama, in a conversation exploring songwriting, artistic purpose, and the communities that sustain creative life. Together, they reflect on the legendary Scream scene in Los Angeles, Human Drama's evolution from The Models, and the collaborative spirit that shaped one of the city's most influential underground music communities. Johnny also discusses his documentary 7 Days in Mexico , the unexpected journey that rekindled his relationship with music, and the enduring connections between artists and audiences across Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Mexico City. Throughout, the conversation reflects on authenticity, creative perseverance, and the importance of continuing to do the work that gives life meaning. Johnny Indovina is the singer, songwriter, and founder of Human Drama, an influential band whose emotionally resonant music has shaped gothic rock, post-punk, and alternative music for more than four decades. Through Human Drama and his solo work, Indovina has built an international following grounded in deeply personal songwriting, artistic honesty, and enduring connections with audiences across the United States, Latin America, and beyond. Recorded July 2023. Links + References: Human Drama Spotify Human Drama Website Johnny Indovina Bandcamp Credits: Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz. Co-hosted by Tequila Mockingbird. Guest produced by Tequila Mockingbird. Editorial support: Arrow Avalon – audio editing, episode notes, and audio-synced transcript. Transcript: Audio-synced transcript Theme Music: Lady Bits, "Bitch-a-thon," Lady Bits . Related: Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast . Connect with Punkast: Spotify Instagram: punkastucla Stay tapped in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Punkast is a weekly podcast exploring punk in the historical present through critical conversations, inquiry, and collaboration. >>> Follow the show to stay tapped in. New episodes every Friday. In this episode: Experimental composer, improviser, and educator Si Paton joins Jessica Schwartz for a live conversation with UCLA students exploring listening, neurodivergence, improvisation, and the creative intersections of punk, noise, jazz, and DIY music cultures. Together, they discuss how musical communities emerge through collaboration, experimentation, and shared practices of listening, while reflecting on improvisation as both a creative process and a way of navigating the world. The conversation also explores graphic notation, theatrical performance, ensemble composition, and Paton's research on developing shared musical languages across diverse musical traditions. Throughout, Paton reflects on the value of embracing uncertainty, making mistakes, and creating spaces where experimentation can thrive. Si Paton is a composer, bassist, academic, and promoter. He completed his PhD at Birmingham Conservatoire under the supervision of Ed Bennett and Seán Clancy, researching composition for improvising large ensembles and the development of shared musical languages across different stylistic traditions. He previously studied electric bass and jazz composition at the University of West London with Paul Westwood and Eddie Harvey. Past projects include the prog-jazz group Selectric, punk-funk big band Pack of Wolves Arkestra, and the acoustic-grindcore suite Gillberg Variations . As an improviser, he has performed with Nils Økland, Steve Tromans, Chris Sharkey, Maria Chiara Argirò, Cath Roberts, and Apocalypse Jazz Unit. He is also the curator of Thinking/Not Thinking Fest, a three-day festival celebrating musical juxtapositions. This conversation includes questions and contributions from students in a UCLA musicology course facilitated by Jessica Schwartz and was recorded in January 2024. Links + References: Si Paton - Instagram Si Paton Bandcamp Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (Bandcamp) Sound and Music (composer profile) Apocalypse Jazz Unit (Bandcamp) Credits: Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz. Editorial support: Arrow Avalon. Transcript: Audio-synced transcript Theme Music: Lady Bits, "Bitch-a-thon," Lady Bits . Related: Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast . Connect with Punkast: Spotify Instagram: punkastucla Stay tapped in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Punkast is a weekly podcast exploring punk in the historical present through critical conversations, inquiry, and collaboration. >>> Follow the show to stay tapped in. New episodes every Friday. In this episode: ICE OUT OF LOS ANGELES 'Fear literally controls people. It ruins ...it runs people's lives...the stuff of nightmares.' 'We can't really make progress without solidarity from men, from people of all ages, and from people all across the spectrum... we just need solidarity across struggles and oppressions.' '...it's just really exciting to see what comes out of Los Angeles, like communities, you know.' Punkast correspondent Arrow Avalon is joined by Los Angeles photographer, organizer, and community builder Serafina Maxima in a conversation exploring photography, punk, community, and the ongoing impacts of immigration enforcement in Los Angeles. Known for her community-centered Photobook Meetups, Serafina reflects on photography as art, documentation, and activism while discussing the responsibilities that come with representing communities through images. Together, Arrow and Serafina explore local organizing, creative spaces, women in photography, and the role of cultural workers in preserving community histories. The conversation also addresses ICE-related violence, protest, policing, and the ways fear, documentation, and collective memory shape everyday life in Los Angeles. As part of an ongoing Punkast project examining punk, community, and responses to immigration enforcement, this episode highlights lived experiences, grassroots organizing, and the importance of creating spaces for connection and solidarity. Arrow Avalon is a Punkast correspondent + guest producer as well as a photographer, musician, promoter, and UCLA undergraduate whose work explores punk, photography, community, and social justice in Los Angeles. Recorded May 2026 Links + References: Serafina Maxima: IG @f1lmfomo Arrow Avalon: IG @arrow.avalon Credits: Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz. Correspondent: Arrow Avalon Editorial support: Arrow Avalon– audio editing, episode notes, and audio-synced transcript. Cover Photo: Gregory Bojourquez Transcript: Audio-synced transcript Theme Music: Lady Bits, "Bitch-a-thon," Lady Bits . Related: Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast on the Punk Scholars Network. Connect with Punkast: Spotify Instagram: punkastucla Stay tapped in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Punkast is a weekly podcast exploring punk in the historical present through critical conversations, inquiry, and collaboration. >>> Follow the show to stay tapped in. New episodes every Friday. In this episode: ‘There's no future unless you try and change it.’ Jessica Schwartz is joined by Sex Pistols bassist and songwriter Glen Matlock in a conversation recorded in London at Oxford Circus. Together, they reflect on the political and cultural conditions that shaped the emergence of punk in 1970s Britain—from economic decline and social unrest to questions of identity, community, and change. Matlock discusses the early days of the Sex Pistols, London's music and style cultures, the role of Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood's shop, and the relationships between punk, politics, and everyday life. In addition, he reflects on Brexit, nationalism, cultural memory, and the ways people continue to search for belonging and possibility through music and collective action. Glen Matlock is a musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Sex Pistols. He co-wrote many of the band's best-known songs, including “Pretty Vacant,” and contributed to the music of “Anarchy in the U.K.” Beyond the Sex Pistols, he has performed with Rich Kids, The Faces, and numerous solo projects. A lifelong songwriter and performer, his work continues to draw on influences ranging from early rock and roll and British mod culture to soul, rhythm and blues, and jazz. Recorded at Oxford Circus, London, United Kingdom, in December 2019. One of the earliest interviews recorded for Punkast, this conversation captures a moment when debates around Brexit, nationalism, and cultural identity were reshaping public life in Britain, while reflecting on the histories and conditions that helped give rise to punk decades earlier. Links + References: Glen Matlock Glen Matlock - YouTube Glen Matlock - Sex Pistols | The Official Website I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol (Paperback) I Was A Teenage Sex Pistols (Trailer) Credits: Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz. Guest produced by Tequila Mockingbird. Editorial support: Arrow Avalon– audio editing. Cover Photo: Danny Clifford Transcript: Audio-synced transcript Theme Music: Lady Bits, "Bitch-a-thon," Lady Bits Related: Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast on the Punk Scholars Network. Connect with Punkast: Spotify Instagram: punkastucla Stay tapped in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Punkast is a weekly podcast exploring punk in the historical present through critical conversations, inquiry, and collaboration. >>> Follow the show to stay tapped in. New episodes every Friday. In this episode: “I didn’t feel judgment. I felt more acceptance that I could be my strange self.” Jessica Schwartz is joined by filmmaker Corbett Redford and professor John Goshert to reflect on the East Bay punk community and the DIY practices that have shaped generations of musicians, artists, and organizers. In this episode, we discuss the infrastructures, cultural formations, and communities that emerged through Gilman Street and the broader East Bay punk scene. Through Corbett Redford’s film Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk and John Goshert’s punk scholarship, their work has helped document and circulate the story of Gilman Street far beyond the East Bay. Corbett Redford is a filmmaker, musician, actor, writer, and voice-over artist from the California Bay Area. An East Bay native, he recently moved with his family and their gaggle of pets to the Russian River Valley in Northern California. He is currently working with his band, Bobby Joe Ebola & The Children MacNuggits, on Solar Cantata , a 20-song concept album and the band's first release in twelve years. John (Chuck) Goshert started going to punk shows in 1984, becoming involved in the Bay Area scene through legendary venues such as Ruthie’s Inn, the Farm, and Gilman Street. After playing in a number of bands from 1986–1996, he moved to Indiana to pursue a PhD in philosophy and literature. Since 2001, he has taught English at Utah Valley University, where his work focuses on critical theory, cultural studies, and American literature, with particular emphasis on multiethnic and LGBTQ literature and culture. More than a venue, Gilman Street became a space where people learned to create, organize, and participate in building their own culture. Recorded March 2024. Links + References: instagram.com/corbettredford eastbaypunk.com bobbyjoeebola.com Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children Macnuggits - Spotify - johngoshert.com instagram.com/jcgoshert instagram.com/marymotherofbear instagram.com/oddequals - More info on Turn it Around: The Story of East Bay Punks Watch Turn it Around: The Story of East Bay Punks on Tubi Watch urn it Around: The Story of East Bay Punks on Plex Credits: Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz. Editorial support: Melissa Hernandez – audio editing, episode notes, and audio-synced transcript. Transcript: Audio-synced transcript link Theme Music: Lady Bits, "Bitch-a-thon," Lady Bits . Related: Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast on the Punk Scholars Network. Connect with Punkast: Spotify Instagram: punkastucla Stay tapped in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Punkast is a weekly podcast exploring punk in the historical present through critical conversations, inquiry, and collaboration. >>> Follow the show to stay tapped in. New episodes every Friday. In this episode: “Distinguish themselves within Japanese society as being not part of the kind of mainstream.” Jessica Schwartz is joined by historians Ran Zwigenberg and Mahon Murphy in a conversation exploring how punk, hardcore, and underground culture took shape across Kyoto and Osaka through student movements, DIY venues, and the global circulation of Japanese punk. Together, they discuss the social geography of Japan in the 1980s, the evolution of local punk scenes, and the infrastructures that enabled Japanese punk to travel beyond Japan and connect with audiences worldwide. Ran Zwigenberg is an Associate Professor at Pennsylvania State University whose research focuses on modern Japanese and European history, memory, and cultural history. Mahon Murphy is an Associate Professor at Kyoto University whose work examines the global dimensions of the First World War. Together, they are the authors of S.O.B.’s Don’t Be Swindle (Bloomsbury, 2024), which chronicles the 1980s Kyoto/Kansai hardcore punk scene through the influential band S.O.B. This conversation includes questions and contributions from UCLA students in a course facilitated by Jessica Schwartz and was recorded in February 2024. Links + References: Seibu Kōdō and Punk in Kyoto Mahon Murphy (Faculty Profile) Ran Zwigenberg (Faculty Profile ) S.O.B.’s Don’t Be Swindle (Bloomsbury 2024). Credits: Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz. Editorial support: Melissa Hernandez – audio editing, episode notes, and audio-synced transcript. Transcript: Audio-synced transcript Theme Music: Lady Bits, "Bitch-a-thon," Lady Bits . Related: Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast on the Punk Scholars Network. Connect with Punkast: Spotify Instagram: punkastucla Stay tapped in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Punkast is a weekly podcast exploring punk in the historical present through critical conversations, inquiry, and collaboration. >>> Follow the show to stay tapped in. New episodes every Friday. In this episode: “Like making something permanent, from impermanent to permanent. We managed to do that.” Jessica Schwartz is joined by musician, scholar, and educator Pavla Jonssonová in a conversation tracing punk, feminism, censorship, and subcultural survival across the former Soviet Bloc and beyond. Jonssonová reflects on performing in an all-female band while navigating state censorship, underground music networks, and the shifting political climate of late socialist Czechoslovakia. Together, they explore women in punk, the afterlives of Riot Grrrl, DIY creativity, and the circulation of subcultural ideas, music, and resistance across borders and generations. In addition, Jonssonová discusses her ongoing work in scholarship, music, and community-based performance projects. Pavla Jonssonová, PhD. has taught courses at Charles University in Prague, Anglo-American University in Prague, and CIEE Prague. Since her 1998 Fulbright scholarship at UC Santa Cruz, she has specialized in teaching about subcultures. Since 1980, she has performed original music as a founding member of the women’s rock band Zuby nehty, who have produced multiple albums, poetry books, and a film for Czech television. From Los Angeles and Prague, punk moves across time, borders, and political worlds. Recorded November 2020. Links + References: Pavla Jonsssonová (faculty profile) Zuby nehty - Website Zuby nehty (Wikipedia) Růžové vrány. Muzikantky 21. století (Interviews with twenty Czech women musicians ) Volvox Globátor: Praha 2020 Devět z české hudební alternativy osmdesátých let ( Czech Music Alternative of the 1980s) Karolinum: Praha 2019 Women, Music, Creativity: from Hildegard to Cosey Fanni Tutti . Lambert Academic Publishing: Berlin 2017 Credits: Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz. Editorial support: Melissa Hernandez – audio editing, episode notes, and audio-synced transcript. Transcript: Audio-synced transcript Theme Music: Lady Bits, "Bitch-a-thon," Lady Bits . Related: Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast on the Punk Scholars Network. Connect with Punkast: Spotify Instagram: punkastucla Stay tapped in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Punkast is a weekly podcast exploring punk in the historical present through critical conversations, inquiry, and collaboration. >>> Follow the show to stay tapped in. New episodes every Friday. In this episode: “... Show the kind of global nature of punk… retranslated or rearticulated.” Jessica Schwartz is joined by historian Jeff Hayton in a conversation exploring punk in East and West Germany across the Cold War divide. Together, they examine how punk circulated through underground networks, crossed political and cultural borders, and took shape differently on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Hayton reflects on the geopolitical and social conditions that shaped German punk, the infrastructures through which music and ideas moved, and the ways punk became a means of reimagining everyday life, identity, and possibility within divided Germany. Jeff Hayton is an Associate Professor of Modern European History at Wichita State University whose work explores punk, popular culture, and modern German history. His book, Culture from the Slums: Punk Rock in East and West Germany (Oxford University Press, 2022), examines punk scenes across the Cold War divide and the ways punk circulated, transformed, and challenged political and cultural systems. He is currently writing new books on mountaineering and modern Germany. This conversation includes questions and contributions from students in a UCLA musicology course facilitated by Jessica Schwartz and was recorded in March 2024. Links + References: Dr. Jeff Hayton (faculty profile) Email: jeffrey.hayton@wichita.edu Culture from the Slums: Punk Rock in East and West Germany | email Jeff Hayton for copy! Credits: Punkast is hosted and produced by Jessica Schwartz. Editorial support: Melissa Hernandez – audio editing, episode notes, and audio-synced transcript. Transcript: Audio-synced transcript Theme Music: Lady Bits, "Bitch-a-thon," Lady Bits . Related: Jessica Schwartz co-hosts the Punk Scholars Podcast on the Punk Scholars Network. Connect with Punkast: Spotify Instagram: punkastucla Stay tapped in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.