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John Cameron Mitchell is a Renaissance man. The creative individual behind the indelible musical, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, is also a songwriter, actor, and writer. The prolific artist’s mind is both wildly creative and sharp as a tack, which is no easy balance for any person to strike. Listening to the Hedwig soundtrack beings big powerful rock chords and lyrics about social dignity to the forefront. But these days, Mitchell is working on a new recording project, his New American Dream albums, one of which he released last year and the follow-up he will release in 2021. The songs on the albums pull no punches and touch on many questions Mitchell has with the current state of affairs in his American homeland. We caught up with the talented artist to ask him about the origins of Hedwig, how he first started writing, what he enjoys most about his new compositions, and much more.

If you throw on any one of the early tapes from The Jerky Boys, odds are you’re going to have several immediate reactions. The original pioneers of crank phone calls, first, are brash, shocking and, yet, funny. At other times, though, you may bristle or find yourself putting your hand over your mouth in astonishment. The tapes, which were created by the loud-talking comedian, Johnny Brennan, do create surprise and alarm. But not always in the ways you might assume. If you listen closely, Brennan is often being self-deprecating. The joke is on him or his character (which, admittedly, gets a bit murkier). But while the tapes aren’t necessarily for everyone, they sure have been popular over the decades ever since The Jerky Boys’ first official release in 1993. Ever since, The Jerky Boys have sold millions of records. We caught up with Brennan to talk about creating the idea, the many characters that appear in his skits, and what it was like making his first Jerky Boys album in two-plus decades, The Jerky Boys: Balloon Animals, which came out in November.

If HBO’s How to With John Wilson isn’t your new favorite show, that’s probably because you haven’t seen it yet. It did just start to air this fall, so there is time for you to catch up. And when you do, you will likely fall in love with the charming minimalism the program offers and the perfect, chummy look into New York City that the documentary-style series presents. You will giggle at the random people caught peeing or eating in public and you will scream in shock at what else director John Wilson finds along his way as he investigates the quirky ins-and-outs of what’s often said to be the world’s greatest city. We caught up with Wilson to ask him about the series, how his career led him to making it, how he finds his scenes, and much more. But beware, dear reader, there are some spoilers below. Thankfully HBO has already renewed How to With John Wilson for a second season.

For those tuning in to the Adult Swim O.G. cartoon show, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, you may hear a familiar voice. No, you’re not hearing things—that is late night show host, Stephen Colbert, voicing villains with ray guns or judges with gavels. Colbert, who took part in myriad comedic gigs before landing his major hosting job on CBS, was one of many standout voice actors on Birdman in the show’s history. Birdman, which was perhaps Adult Swim’s most highly produced and slickest of the original block of four, featured the winged former superhero defending his cartoon peers in a court of law. The show led to classic episodes like “The Dabba Don,” in which Fred Flintstone stands trial as a mob boss might. Other episodes feature Scooby-Doo and crew and more 1960s Hanna-Barbera superheroes. We caught up with Birdman co-creator, Erik Richter, to ask him about the show’s early days, how he found himself at Adult Swim, and what he remembers most about Adult Swim founder, Mike Lazzo.

This is the fifth in a running series on Under the Radar celebrating Adult Swim and the airing of its first original block of cartoons: Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Sealab 2021, The Brak Show, and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. Watch Adult Swim on HBO Max.

On December 18th, just in time for the holidays, music fans can get the kinks out of their system after a long many months in quarantine-hibernation and get their hands on a copy of the new 50th anniversary reissue of the record Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One, from British band The Kinks. The band, which rose to popularity in the ’60s alongside the British Invasion with hits like “You Really Got Me,” was later banned from playing in America in the middle of the decade. But in 1970, with the release of Lola Versus Powerman and its hit single, “Lola,” the band was back to regain their reputation as one of the globe’s hottest acts. We caught up with lead guitarist and co-founder of The Kinks, Dave Davies, 73, who is the younger brother of the group’s frontman, Ray Davies, to ask him about his early days in music, what it was like to collaborate with his kin, and what he remembers from The Kinks’ glory years.

When speaking with voice actor, George Lowe, who famously portrayed Space Ghost on the quirky, at times goofy cartoon late night show Space Ghost Coast to Coast, it’s easy to get lost on little anecdote paths or avenues that lead to other stories. It’s charming, endearing. In one moment, Lowe might be talking about interviewing for the show and his mind immediately goes to a receptionist eating peach cobbler. Or he could be talking about his peers on the program and suddenly think about his paintings and sketches, which he loves so much and have hung in museums. In other words, Lowe is a generous interview subject with much to talk about.

He’s also very humble. To any who’ve watched, Space Ghost Coast to Coast is an all-time favorite. It was groundbreaking in its time and led to the creation of Adult Swim, which is the Cartoon Network’s at night block of shows made for adults. Without Space Ghost Coast to Coast there would be no Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Sealab 2021, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, The Brak Show, or Robot Chicken. We caught up with Lowe to talk to him about his career, how he found the Cartoon Network, what he loved about Space Ghost Coast to Coast and much more.

This is the fourth in a running series on Under the Radar celebrating Adult Swim and the airing of its first original block of cartoons: Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Sealab 2021, The Brak Show, and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. Watch Adult Swim on HBO Max.

For fans of Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, the name Brak likely brings about a particular type of grin. Brak is the oddball amongst oddballs. He’s the lovable, childish character repurposed from the original Space Ghostcartoon series (he was one of the series’ Council of Doom members). Brak was used both on the animated talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast and later for his very own series, The Brak Show. That program aired as part of the original Adult Swim cartoon block with Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Sealab 2021, and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. We caught up with voice actor and writer, Andy Merrill, who voiced Brak, to talk about the character’s origin, if he is a “space cat,” or not and how Merrill first landed at Adult Swim.

This is the third in a running series on Under the Radar celebrating Adult Swim and the airing of its first original block of cartoons. Watch Adult Swim on HBO Max.

Sealab 2021, one of the four original Adult Swim shows that aired first in December 2000 and then later, more formally, in September 2001, was the underwater-set work comedy in which a group of scientists living in a submarine laboratory interact and get into trouble. The show, created by Matt Thompson and Adam Reed, made use of older Hanna-Barbera cartoon footage from a former cartoon, Sealab 2020, made originally to highlight ocean conservation. But reused and put through the surreal Adult Swim lens, the 2021 version sung with madness and warm, fuzzy oddities. We caught up with Thompson, the show’s co-creator (thanks to the fine folks at HBO Max), to talk about how he first fell in love with animation, how Sealab 2021 found Adult Swim (and the Cartoon Network) and what he remembers most from making the show.

This is the second in a running series on Under the Radar celebrating Adult Swim and the airing of its first original block of cartoons: Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Sealab 2021, The Brak Show, and Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law. Watch Adult Swim on HBO Max.

For some, the 12-minute cartoon show Aqua Teen Hunger Force, available now on HBO Max, is a cult classic. With its odd, surreal humor and unelaborate though quirky animation, the television show struck a chord with twenty-something-year-old viewers when it aired in the early 2000s. Featuring the three iconic characters—Master Shake, Frylock, and Meatwad—the show, which was part of the original Adult Swim cartoon block that first aired December 2000 and then again more permanently in September 2001, was so unlike anything else on television that its mere spectacle caught and held viewers’ attention for seasons. Soon, with the help of early file sharing methods, the show became an underground hit, along with other Adult Swim shows like Sealab 2021, The Brak Show, Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law and Space Ghost Coast to Coast. We caught up with the creators of Aqua Teen Hunger Force—Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis—to talk about their show’s beginnings, Adult Swim’s early years, and some room called The Fart Vault.

This is the first in a running series on Under the Radar celebrating Adult Swim and the airing of its first original block of cartoons, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Sealab 2021, The Brak Show, and Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law. Watch Adult Swim on HBO Max.

Famed traveler, writer, television host, activist and tour guide, Rick Steves, is an inspiration. He’s curious and adventurous but he’s also compassionate and empathetic. He works to keep a long view of global sustainability, rather than promote quick gains. And, as such, he’s helped bring countless people out of their shells or out of their normal day-to-day behaviors and taken them on excursions around the world, whether through his travel guides, TV shows, or guided tours.

Steves is also a devout Christian, who works to make the world a better place through his faith. And in a time when travel is at a near standstill, Steves tells Americans (and other travelers) to stay calm, enjoy your nearby surroundings, and hold tight until the world can move about freely and safely again.

We caught up with Steves to ask him about how he first got into travel writing, how it’s changed his life over the decades, what he does to bridge his faith with his adventurous spirit and how he thinks the recent Presidential election might bring about a renewed appreciation for science and leadership.