Brooklyn Magazine: The Podcast

Sean Qualls is a Brooklyn-based artist, award-winning children's book illustrator, author and occasional DJ. His latest book is a collaboration with Roots drummer Questlove called “The Idea in You,” a charming children's book about finding that first spark of creativity. You can see Sean's art on display now through November 10 in a solo exhibition called “Inner Victories” at Established Gallery here in Brooklyn. The show explores the idea that private victories precede public triumphs. His work across the board — both non-fiction and figurative — leans into notions of race and identity, and the intersection of history and mythology.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Love it or hate it, reality TV isn't going anywhere. It's also probably not going to stop being divisive any time soon, either. So maybe it's time we take seriously a genre so many people dismiss as silly. That's the central argument of Emily Nussbaum's deeply reported warts-and-all history “Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV,” which she succeeds at making in the most compelling and engaging prose. From Candid Camera to the Apprentice — from “The Real World” to the Kardashians — it's a “dirty documentary” world and we can't stop watching.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

For about 40 years now, the husband-and-wife team of Constance Hansen and Russell Peacock has created an indelible body of photography produced under the name Guzman. Now they have a new book out, called “Family Values,” a series of incredibly intimate photos taken in one day at the home of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, five weeks after their daughter Frances Bean was born in 1992. Here we talk about that day, what they remember about the young family, their process and highlights of their career — like hanging out with Iggy Pop. They also talk about one of their more challenging shoots … Soundgarden, we're looking at you.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

If you live in Brooklyn and have ever had a desire to renovate or restore your place — a total overhaul or a new kitchen, some shelving, maybe, or a rethinking of your lighting — chances are you've come across the Brownstone Boys online. Or if you live in Brooklyn and just have a kink for historic home restoration, you've probably followed the Brownstone Boys on Instagram or YouTube. The Brownstone Boys are Jordan Slocum and Barry Bordelon. They are a couple who live in Bed-Stuy and gained a following when they started blogging their own journey of restoring the house they bought in 2018. From there, a simple online diary of their progress morphed into a full-fledged online brand, and then an interior design and renovation firm, and TV appearances and, now, a book: ”For the Love of Renovating: Tips, Tricks and Inspiration for Creating your Dream Home.” Is out now.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Since its founding as an impromptu celebration of Black joy and community in response to the murder of George Floyd in May of 2020, the Lay Out has grown into a sprawling community platform that hosts year-round parties and offshoots like the BuyBLK. ByBLK. marketplace. This week, the Lay Out's founder Emily Anadu joimed us on the podcast as she was in the final stages of prepping for the Lay Out's annual Juneteenth party in Fort Greene Park. We discuss the origins of the Lay Out and her own background as someone who was born in Texas and raised in Nigeria before returning to Houston for middle school. We talk about building community and we talk about what's next for the Lay Out. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Eli Sussman is a meme lord, cookbook writer, a very funny guy and restaurateur with a few big hits under his belt — notably the contemporary Middle Eastern Samesa and Gertrude's, a Jew-ish style diner in Prospect Heights. We first became aware of Sussman before he opened Gertrude's with partners Nate Adler and Rachel Jackson  a year ago. His Instagram account is chock-a-block with hilarious if-you-know-you-know service industry in-jokes, satire and original memes that skewer more famous restaurateurs. More recently, he has also now launched a video interview show called “Talkin' in the Walk-In,” where he interviews his contemporaries inside restaurant coolers. Here, we discuss the first year of Gertrude's, his viral micro-fame and growing up in the Midwest. We talk about culinary trends and his pet peeves about customers. And he gives us his personalized food tour of Brooklyn and beyond.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

A new book, called “Brooklynites: The Remarkable Story of the Free Black Communities that Shaped a Borough,” out in September, tells the story of Brooklyn's free Black population between 1790 and 1870, 80 years of unfathomable change in the borough and the country at large. The book, by Prithi Kanakamedala, is a cultural and social history, told through four extraordinary families from Brooklyn's 19th-century free Black community. Theirs are stories of activism, support, struggle, community, education and entrepreneurship. And their stories continue to resonate today, some 200 years later. This week we discuss the book, what it meant to be a free Black Brooklynite and how Kanakamedala uncovered their stories.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Molly Roden Winter never set out to be the face of Park Slope polyamory, but here we are. Her book “More: A Memoir of Open Marriage” came out earlier this year and instantly hit the best seller lists. It became the subject of think pieces and trend stories, landed her on talk shows and podcasts and essentially went viral in a way that clearly underscores how thoroughly she has tapped into some kind of zeitgeist. Today we dig into her book, which is a brutally honest warts-and-all story of her years-long foray into polyamory, sexual liberation, self-discovery, love and heartbreak.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Born and raised in New York City, Cey Adams emerged from the vibrant graffiti scene of the 1970s while still in his teens, tagging “Cey City” on subway cars and painting murals — and was one of the first wave of street artists to obtain gallery representation. He met the Beastie Boys before they were the Beastie Boys, and designed their first logo, t-shirts and singles. He linked up with Russell Simmons at RUSH Artist Management where he designed logos and merch for an artist roster that included Run DMC, Big Daddy Kane, Kurtis Blow, Whodini. When Simmons and Rick Rubin launched a little label called Def Jam Records he joined on as creative director. If there's an album from hip-hop's golden era that you love, it probably has Adams' fingerprints all over it. We discuss his career from its earliest days to today,  which also includes work with iconic brands and fine art and collage.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

The Good Liars are comedians Davram Stiefler and Jason Selvig, and for nearly a decade they have been doggedly traveling the country — most notably to presidential campaign rallies for both political parties — trolling attendees and politicians in fearless interviews that often go viral. All with an eye towards exposing hypocrisy, hubris, absurdity and just plain stupidity. The two have launched a new podcast, “The Good Liars Tell the Truth,” where they replay and re-examine some of their more viral moments — like being on the scene during the January 6 insurrection, or, more recently, attending a Trump rally and trying to sell their own satirical version of Donald Trump's bible to his supporters. They've also taken their live act, “The Good Liars Fix America,” first performed in Brooklyn, on the road.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Dan Perlman is a comedian, writer and director in Brooklyn He co-created, wrote and starred in Showtime's critically acclaimed comedy series, “Flatbush Misdemeanors” which was sadly not renewed after its much lauded and pitch-perfect two season run. Don't count Dan out though. He just keeps making things — short things for now. Much as Flatbush Misdemeanors got its start as a web series he made with fellow comedian Kevin Iso, Perlman has made two short films — one in 2020 and one at the end of 2023 — both starring the same two New York kids, non-actors playing versions of themselves. The first one, “Cramming,” has just been announced as the recipient of a grant from Rooftop Films so it can be made into a feature film. The second, “Practice Space,” will have its world premiere at the Lower East Side Film Festival this year. That announcement just dropped … today.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Rapper, singer, artist, producer and, since 2010, one third of the Brooklyn hip-hop group the Flatbush Zombies, Erick the Architect has dropped his first full-length solo album, "I've Never Been Here Before.” The title is a sly allusion to where he's at in life — emotionally, physically, professionally, musically — and the 16 tracks within feature collaborations with a range of artists from Lalah Hathaway to James Blake to Joey Bada$$ to George Clinton and more. The result is a kaleidoscopic mix of psychedelic hip-hop, Jamaican dancehall, classic boom-bap rap and neo-soul that reflects an omnivorous musical palate. Today, we discuss his so-called “villain era,” loss and growth, what he hates about contemporary hip-hop, Brooklyn and more.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Robert Simonson writes about cocktails, food and travel for the New York Times, where he's been a contributor since 2000. He is the author of seven books about cocktails — he literally wrote the book on the old-fashioned and one on the martini. His latest tome, out now, widens the lens — by a lot. “The Encyclopedia of Cocktails: The People, Bars and Drinks, With More Than 100 recipes” is a delightful omnibus, an alphabetical compendium of the most notable drinks, influential bartenders (living and dead), and important bars that have shaped the cocktail world — all in shot glass-sized entries from absinthe to the zombie.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

For 17 years Maria Popova has kept an online literary journal of sorts, a catalogue of what she's been reading, contemplating and grappling with across multiple disciplines — literature, science, art, philosophy, poetry and what she has called “various other tentacles of human thought and feeling.” She started her site, the Marginalian, under a different name — you may remember it as Brain Pickings — as an email to a few friends and colleagues, a personal record of reckoning with her own search for meaning. Today it consists of hundreds of thousands of entries, cross linking ideas and connecting metaphysical dots. It is fundamentally a personal project, a map of one woman's quest to understand this weird experience called life. And yet over the years it has proven to have a universal appeal, attracting millions of readers from all over the world who take comfort or pick up wisdom from her lyrical close readings. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

What makes a story a New York story? Maybe it's seeing a drag queen emerge from a manhole cover on Canal Street in a full look at 6:30 a.m. Or it could be a woman carrying a bag of live eels on the subway to the shock of no one. The thing is, you know a New York Story when you've got one, and Dan Saltzstein has collected a whole book's worth of little vignettes — short stories and curated tweets that perfectly distill that New York moment to a second or two. Saltzstein joins us today to discuss his book, “That's So New York: Short and Very Short Stories About the Greatest City on Earth," and the makings of a great New York story.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Not only is Dr. Uché Blackstock a second-generation Black woman physician, she is the first Black mother-daughter legacy to have graduated from Harvard Medical School. Today she is the founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity, a consultancy that helps its clients in the healthcare and corporate space to provide racially equitable care. She is also the the author of a new book, “Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons With Racism In Medicine,” in which she explores systemic inequity in the American healthcare system, clearly tracing its origins from slavery and after the Civil War to today — even in her own experiences as a medical student and a doctor.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Most New Yorkers don't need an introduction to Veselka. One of the last of many Slavic restaurants that once proliferated in the East Village, Veselka is turning 70 this year, it's more robust, vital and relevant as a cultural hub that it's ever been. It's expanding into Williamsburg later this year and it's the subject of a new documentary, out now, called “Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World.” Filmmaker Michael Fiore started filming his documentary 11 days into the Russian war on Ukraine. Over the course of a year he documented its effects here at home in real time. In this episode, third-generation owner Jason Birchard discusses the past, present and future of the iconic eatery.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Lee Fields is a funk and soul legend who has been recording for 55 years and performing for longer than that. From his roots in hardscrabble Wilson, North Carolina — where his parents ran a speakeasy on Saturday nights and took him to church on Sundays — through the funky 1970s, Fields honed an explosive live act frequently compared to James Brown. After a decade-long setback in the ‘80s, Lee signed with Desco Records (an early version of Daptone) and sparked a comeback that continues unabated to this day. Now he is the subject of a documentary, “Lee Fields: Faithful Man,” available to stream everywhere on demand this week.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Second City is the legendary Chicago improv comedy company that opened in 1969 and launched the careers of everyone from Bill Murray and Gilda Radner to Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to Keegan-Michael Key to Stephen Colbert and Steve Carrell and Mike Meyers and Tim Meadows and so on. This month they've opened their first ever New York campus — in Williamsburg. And this week we're speaking with two of the new ensemble members of the new Second City company in New York. Ben Rameaka and Yazmin Ramos are veteran comics, improv actors and comedy teachers. And today we're going to be talking about what Brooklyn can expect from the new Second City outpost, the legacy of Second City, their own careers and more. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Bensonhurst-born Anthony Mongiello is the unheralded inventor, he claims to this day, of the stuffed crust pizza. Mongiello, who holds a 1987 patent for the method of making pizzas with cheese baked into the crust, sued Pizza Hut when they rolled out their own product with the same name in 1995 — for $1 billion. That lawsuit — which was rejected in a summary judgment — is the subject of a new short docu-drama called "Stolen Dough." Silly? Maybe. But the facts are the facts: Mongiello had a patent for stuffed crust pizza before Pizza Hut came out with the same product with the same name. Let's discuss! Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

The hit Amazon series “Reacher" just wrapped its second season and has been re-upped for a third — and coming back with it is the character Frances Neagley, played by Maria Sten. Neagley is Jack Reacher's colleague, a retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant, his confidante and in many ways his equal. Sten herself is just as fascinating as Reacher, and has the added benefit of not being a fictional character. She was born in Copenhagen to Danish and Congolese parents. She's a writer, dancer, gymnast, a kick-boxing horseback-riding beauty pageant-winner who lives here in Brooklyn. So today Sten joins us to talk about “Reacher,” what we know about season three, her own background and … revenge stories.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Today we're talking with a theatrical power couple: Joe Tapper stars in the Off Broadway dark comedy “The White Chip,” opening February 1 and co-produced by his wife, the Tony-winning actor Annaleigh Ashford. We talk about the play and Tapper's own personal connection to the role. We discuss Ashford's career as well and adding a producer credit to her already impressive resume. The two discuss life as a married couple who are both working actors, working with James Earl Jones and Jake Gyllenhaal, comedy versus drama, parenting and more.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

The city's 34 Cultural Institutions Groups — organizations including The Brooklyn Museum, BAM, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and more — depend on funding from the department of cultural affairs. It is a department that is facing drastic cuts in Mayor Eric Adams' proposed budget for the coming fiscal year, which, if approved, could be devastating to many of them. On the podcast today, Adrian Benepe — the former NYC parks commissioner and current president of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden — joins us to discuss the implications of the Adams budget, his work at the garden, his youth spent in Central Park, and his dealings, as parks commissioner, with a certain Donald Trump.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

[Originally aired 2021] For Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, we look at the ways in which New Yorkers have advocated, agitated, and exercised their power to shape the discussion around civil rights. MLK himself is connected to the city in ways that may be both obvious and surprising. With Sarah Seidman of the Museum of the City of New York, we explore his legacy as well as others, including those of Brooklyn CORE, Rep. Shirley Chisholm, and the BLM movement. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

The ridiculously prolific Scott Lynch covers food for Brooklyn Magazine: restaurant openings, news and pop-ups. He also shoots highly photogenic events like the Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge, Bike Kill and the Idiotarod, among others. Scott wrote our roundup of the best 12 new Brooklyn restaurants of 2023 and he recently launched our new monthly-ish column Quick Bites, a roundup of local eatery news bites. And today we're going to talk about food. We discuss his favorite dining moments of 2023, food trends he likes and food trends he's tired of, plus what to look forward to in 2024.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Back in October the writer and professional opinion-haver Fran Lebowitz swung through the borough to appear at Kings Theatre in conversation with writer Marlon James. Ahead of that appearance, she chatted with us for this episode of “Brooklyn Magazine: The Podcast” … over her landline. It's pure Fran in all her cantankerous glory. And it was our most-downloaded and shared episode of the year.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

If you've watched TV or movies with any regularity over the past 20 years, you've probably seen Ashlie Atkinson. If you've gone to bars with any regularity in Central or South Brooklyn over the past 20 years, you've probably seen Ashlie Atkinson. She may have even poured you a drink. A character actor with an IMDB page about a mile long (and still a frequent local bartender), Atkinson just wrapped the second season of “The Gilded Age,” the HBO … er, Max … show that chronicles the lives, loves and pettiness of ultra rich high society New York at the end of the 19th century. Atkinson plays the party-throwing Mrs. Fish, based on the real-life socialite Mamie Fish, wife of railroad man Stuyvesant Fish.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

If you like comedy, have we got a book for you. It's called “Comedy Book.” And it's by Jesse David Fox. Actually, the full title is “Comedy Book: How Comedy Conquered Culture — And the Magic that Makes it Work,” and it is at its heart an argument that comedy is an art form. And as an art form, it should be studied just as seriously as any other art form out there. It's an explicit love letter to comedy and a history of the modern era of comedy of the past 30 years or so. It is also a philosophical probe into what this “comedy” thing is anyway. If you like stuff that has made you laugh on purpose, and you care about the context in which it got made, you might want to read this book. But first listen to this interview with Jesse.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

A founding member of Wu Tang Clan and one of hip hop's most explosive characters, ODB was a showman, a stage crasher, a comedian, a father, a husband, a literal hero. He was also flawed. ODB struggled with addiction, had real run-ins with the law and grappled with mental health issues. But he was in no way, as the media often portrayed him, a caricature. A new podcast, hosted by photographer and filmmaker Khalik Allah, seeks to strip away the bombastic persona and paint a more nuanced profile of the man. Over eight episodes, “ODB: A Son Unique“ unpacks the origins and impact of Ol' Dirty Bastard, his own influences — not the least of which was the Five-Percent Nation, an offshoot of the Nation of Islam — his style and the indelible mark he left on hip hop through interviews with the people closest to him. Allah joins us to discuss his legacy.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

“But Will You Love Me Tomorrow” is a comprehensive new oral history of the era of girl groups — the first wave of music by and for teenagers — told by the women who forged the sounds. The book, by Brooklyn writers Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz, charts the rise, cultural domination, and ultimate disintegration of the girl group sound. Designed to be interchangeable by the industry that helped create them, these groups were made up of individuals with their own stories, wins, losses, grudges, regrets, and sometimes conflicting memories.  Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Say She She is coming off a big, big year. The trio of discodelic sirens released their double album “Silver” late September just shy of one year after their debut “Prism.” They had their national TV debut and played Glastonbury and the Hollywood Bowl, in addition to about 100 other shows, all on the strength of their dancefloor friendly sound and incredible, almost operatic three part harmonies. The threesome — their name is an homage to Nile Rogers and Chic — cites as influences everyone from Rotary Connection to Minnie Riperton to Asha Puthli to Liquid Liquid to Grace Jones and Tom Tom Club.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

The American criminal justice system is built on a punitive ideology — an ideology that in practice doesn't always deliver its desired results. There is another way. Restorative justice is an alternative to incarceration: it is an approach to justice that aims to repair harm by providing an opportunity for those harmed and those who take responsibility for the harm to communicate about and address their needs following a crime. Erika Sasson is a Brooklyn-based lawyer who is taking this kind of practice into new and challenging territory: by using it for homicide and domestic violence cases. We'll discuss her work at length — it is work for which she was one of five New Yorkers to be awarded the 2023 David Prize earlier this year.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

The word “legend” gets tossed around a lot. But if anyone is worthy of the designation it would be singer-songwriter and cowboy poet Ramblin' Jack Elliott. Born Elliott Charles Adnopoz in Brooklyn in 1931, Elliott is one of the last authentic living links to the great folk traditions of this country. A close personal friend and student of Woody Guthrie, Eilliott's praises have been sung by everyone from Tom Waits to Johnny Cash to Bonnie Raitt, Ry Cooder to Bruce Springsteen, the Grateful Dead to The Rolling Stones. At 92 years of age he is returning to Brooklyn next month to perform at the Brooklyn Folk Festival on Sunday November 12 at St. Ann's Church.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

David Farrier is a New Zealand journalist who has a knack for finding stories in the nooks of culture, bizarre phenomena hidden in plain sight. His new movie, "Mr. Organ," is about a sociopathic narcissist named Michael Organ who landed on Farrier's radar for an extortion racket that involved putting boots on parked cars at a private antiques business. It only gets darker and weirder from there. This week's conversation was recorded in front of a live audience following a screening at Alamo Drafthouse.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Last month, Arts Gowanus was dealt a devastating blow when the storms that blew through the borough completely swamped the entire neighborhood. But their annual tentpole Open Studios weekend is trudging on. This year is a critical one for the group. Arts Gowanus executive director Johnny Thornton and programs director Emily Chiavelli join us to discuss what was lost in the flooding, how extensive the damage was and why the group decided to forge ahead so soon after the storm. We'll talk about what visitors can expect this year, and we'll discuss recent developments in the neighborhood, like the restoration of the so-called “Batcave,” ongoing redevelopment and the $1.6 billion cleanup of the canal. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

If you live and work in Red Hook you've probably come across housing and climate activist Karen Blondel. Last month Blondel received new, city-wide recognition when she was one of five New Yorkers presented with the annual “David Prize,” a no-strings-attached gift of $200,000 to locals doing on-the-ground work in their communities. She says she will put her windfall back into the Public Housing Civic Association, which she started, and to create fellowships for young residents. We will discuss all of that, plus growing up in Coney Island, starting her career in cooking and catering, and then training as a computer-aided designer, construction inspector, a civil engineer inspector and more.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Fran Lebowitz started her career writing a column for Andy Warhol's Interview Magazine, Mademoiselle and others. She published two very funny collections of her essays, "Metropolitan Life" in 1978 and "Social Studies" in 1981. These days, is a professional talker more than a writer. She is a sardonic wit, cut from a similar cloth as Dorothy Parker … minus the martinis. An unapologetic Manhattanite, she does have a little Brooklyn in her background. And she is going to be appearing on stage here at Kings Theatre on October 21st, where she will be interviewed by another notable New Yorker.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Eric Gonzalez made history in November 2017 when he became the first Latino district attorney elected in New York State. And with a promise to helm “the most progressive D.A.'s office in the country,” he didn't stop making history there. Gonzalez joins the podcast to discuss his track record on safety, guns, crime in the borough, justice versus vengeance, changing the culture of the Brooklyn D.A.'s office, why he chose to become a prosecutor in the first place and more. And we don't spare him a silly pop quiz, either.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

We have granted anonymity to this week's guest in order for her to speak candidly about her years as a preservationist for the New York City Landmark Preservation Commission. We'll get into the inner workings of the LPC, how it operates, some recent wins and fails in Brooklyn and we'll get a little tour of her own favorite city landmarks.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

For someone who professes not to be special on her new album, “I Am What I'm Waiting For,” Kendra Morris is … pretty special. Morris is a Greenpoint-based soul singer-songwriter and visual artist who has been recording and gigging  steadily — at her own pace and on her own terms — since her 2010 self-titled debut. The lead single off her new album, produced by Little Shalimar of Run the Jewels, is “What Are You Waiting For,” a propulsive and insistent and sexy workout. “Dominoes,” released as a video last week, comically chronicles the pitfalls of married life. We'll talk about that. We'll discuss collaborating with everyone from Dennis Coffey to Czarface to Ghostface Killah to, uh, Scarlett Johansson. And we talk about forging her own path in the music industry, her process and her visual art.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

In April, journalist and author Clive Thompson set out to bicycle across the entire country — 4,150 miles total — as part of the reporting for his next book on “micromobility.” He documented his trip in real time online: 70 days on the road, broken up by a brief return trip home. Here we discuss what micromobility is and why this ride was so important for him to do, plus some ups and downs of the journey and what cycling across the country does to someone physically, mentally and emotionally.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

State Senator Zellnor Myrie is the first generation American son of Costa Rican immigrants and a native Brooklynite who represents the district that includes Prospect Lefferts Gardens — where he grew up and currently lives. Today he joins the podcast to talk about life in Flatbush, possible solutions to the city's housing crunch, illegal guns, the concerns of his constituents, the state budget mess and why it matters, and on a personal note, the effect of being pepper sprayed by NYPD during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. Naturally, we also talk about Jay-Z.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Now in its 25th year, Tanoreen is a James Beard nominee and a Michelin Bib Gourmand-winning restaurant. It has spawned two excellent cookbooks. It has been featured on the Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate," and it has been named one of the best restaurants in New York City by Bon Appétite. Rawia Bishara, who emigrated to Bay Ridge from Nazareth with her family when she was 18, opened Tanoreen in 1998 as a way to express her heritage and to honor her mother. Rawia's own daughter, Jumana, later came on board as a partner, and today the two work closely to oversee all aspects of the daily operation. Just about any time you eat at Tanoreen, you are guaranteed to see Jumana at the door or Rawia roaming the floor, chatting up the customers. Today we talk about the first 25 years of Tanoreen — and what the next 25 might look like.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Singer, songwriter, DJ and producer Eli “Paperboy” Reed has spent a lifetime mining the deep vein of Americana — from soul to country to gospel. He has put out eight albums of his own over the past 20 years, including last year's “Down Every Road,” a funky tribute to Merle Haggard. He has mentored and produced the group The Harlem Gospel Travelers, and released a long-buried recording by Cleveland blues musician Fred Davis that was actually recorded by his father 50 years earlier. And this fall he will be putting out a compilation of his 45s called “Hits and Misses: The Singles.” He's teased that with an amazing soul cover of Motörhead's “Ace of Spades,” of all things. Today he joins us to talk about his life in music.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Two weeks ago NPR's Tiny Desk online video series broke the internet with a bombastic performance by New Orleans rapper Juvenile. The man who produced that viral segment is NPR Music's Bobby Carter. If you've seen the viral Anderson .Paak or Usher or Mac Miller Tiny Desk shows, you have Bobby to thank for those, too. In a special live episode of the podcast we spoke with Carter at BRIC's Celebrate Brooklyn! concert series in the Prospect Park bandshell earlier this month about what makes a good Tiny Desk show, who his dream performer would be and why the Tiny Desk Contest is so important. We also talk about how that Juvenile set came to be.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

This week we are joined by a legend, an empress, an icon of reggae. In an industry dominated by male voices, Marcia Griffiths is about to enter her 60th year as a trailblazing vocalist, songwriter, performer and collaborator. You may know her from early hits like “I Feel Like Jumping,” or her work with the great Bob Andy. She also collaborated with another important Bob — as a Bob Marley backup singer with the I Threes trio. And if you've ever done the Electric Slide, you have Marcia Griffiths to thank for that, too. Her 1983 hit “Electric Boogie” gave birth to the global dance phenomenon which simply refuses to quit. And, thankfully for us, Marcia Griffiths herself refuses to quit. She will be performing as part of the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! summer concert series in Prospect Park on July 15.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Leah Goodridge is a tenants' rights attorney who serves on the New York City Planning Commission, where she is the first and only tenants' rights attorney. Born and raised in Brownsville, she lives in Bed-Stuy where, like anyone else in Brooklyn can tell you, the rent is too damn high — and newcomers are consistently pushing historic, legacy families out. On June 21, the city's Rent Guidelines Board voted to increase rents on New York City's rent-stabilized apartments — Goodrige herself has been a member of the rent guidelines board, so we'll talk about that. We'll discuss what the planning commission does and what she sees as her role on that body. And we'll talk about the idea of professionalism: Goodridge wrote a widely circulated essay for the UCLA law review called "Professionalism as a Racial Construct."   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Roddy Bottum and Joey Holman are a couple of regular guys with regular dad bods. And they're a couple. As Man on Man, they make music that tackles themes of love, intimacy, sex, queer culture and quirks. But above all, they make music that rocks, which has been an anomaly in mainstream queer culture since, well, always. Their second album, “Provincetown,” came out last week. Like their self-titled 2021 debut, the duo deploys humor, heavy riffs and introspection on songs with titles like "Showgirls," "Piggy" and "Gloryhole."   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

The question of home is a driving force of Stacey Mei Yan Fong's new book “50 Pies, 50 States,” out this week. The book is also, as the title suggests, a pie cookbook — an ingenious one at that. In 2016 Fong undertook a wildly ambitious project to design a pie recipe for every state in the union, and dedicate each pie to someone special from that state. She would also travel to as many of the states as possible to absorb the culture, cuisine and folklore of each region. The dedication part is as important as the pies — a deliberate exercise in giving her loved ones their flowers while she can.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

You or someone you love probably reads a lot of romance fiction. Which means that you or someone you love has probably read a book by Sarah MacLean, a New York Times best seller with 19 novels and novellas under her belt. But do not call what she writes “bodice rippers.” MacLean, a Washington Post contributor and host of the popular romance fiction podcast Fated Mates, is one of the leading progressive feminist voices writing historical fiction today.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

If you're looking for a place to eat that's a little off the beaten path, most likely not in your neighborhood and definitely delicious, you could do worse than follow Righteous Eats on TikTok or Instagram. We're talking tips like Egyptian seafood in Astoria, Filipino delicacies in Woodside Queens, dim sum in Bensonhurst, Afghani fare in Kensington, Chino-Latino cuisine in the Upper West Side. Launched almost accidentally by Jaeki Cho, the mission here is to highlight under-the-radar immigrant and minority owned restaurants serving super authentic (or authentically innovative) food and celebrate the cultures and stories and people behind that food.   Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope