We’re talking lights, camera, action with writer, director, and Ira’s book club bestie Shatara Michelle Ford. They talk about Ford’s latest feature, Dreams in Nightmares, the real cost of funding their first indie project, and how to make ambitious work without waiting for Hollywood’s green light. Plus, Shatara breaks down what they learned working with director James Gray on Lost City of Z and the moment on set that made Shatara fall in love with Robert Pattinson's acting.

00:00 Welcome to Feedback

03:12 Ira and Shatara Reunite

07:38 Queen Elizabeth and The Black List

13:42 From Test Pattern to Dreams in Nightmares

26:24 Shatara’s Directing Process

33:08 Learning From James Gray

40:31 Robert Pattinson and The Lost City of Z

43:46 Making a Black Queer Road Movie

49:30 Richard Brody and Dreams in Nightmares

51:13 What’s Next for Shatara?

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This week on Feedback, Ira sits down with playwright Max Wolf Friedlich, whose Broadway hit "Job" went from a scrappy sleeper to a show so in-demand that Hugh Jackman could barely get a ticket. Max opens up about the realities of creating a Broadway banger, what it's been like following up with his new play "The Holes", and the unlikely origin of his theater career — a LARPing summer camp at age nine. Plus, a little on looksmaxxing, slam poetry, and creating social cachet in supporting art.

0:00 Rachel Cusk's Life of M & the Natalie Portman Rumors

2:52 Introducing Max Friedlich & His New Play The Holes

6:16 How Job Became a Viral Broadway Sensation

9:10 Max's Early Social Media Career

12:24 NYC Celebrity Theater Culture and Writer Anonymity

16:59 The Origin of The Holes: LARPing Camp & an 8th-Grade Assignment

24:14 Max Relives His Slam Poetry Days

28:49 Avoiding a "Job" Sequel: Controversy, Honesty & the Mental Toll of Broadway

33:32 Tech Bros and Social Cachet in Supporting the Arts

40:24 What Theater Teaches Men

46:29 Celebrity Scandal Nostalgia, NYC Food & Comfort Movies

52:08 Indie Film & Theater Influences: Jane Schoenbrun, Passing Strange & The Seafarer

58:46 Screens on Stage, Fan Encounters & Quitting Social Media

1:07:08 Internet Outrage, Dolly Parton & Looksmaxing Culture

1:14:18 Robert Pattinson Producing The Holes

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Phoebe Robinson is here, and she has thoughts! She joins Ira for a conversation about pop culture, comedy, and saying exactly what you think. They get into Phoebe’s viral wig rants, the strange state of celebrity podcasts, and why she wants people to stop treating pop culture commentary like the news. They also discuss Phoebe's return to stand-up, and what it really means to be in your "Rich Auntie" era.

Buy tickets to Phoebe's Feral and Fired Up! Tour: https://www.phoeberobinson.com/

00:00 Ira Talks About Dolly Parton

02:48 Phoebe Robinson’s New Book, “Rich Auntie”

05:37 Friendship, Boundaries, and Getting Older

06:53 Writing Books and Finding Her Voice

13:27 The Evolution of Podcasting Since “2 Dope Queens”

18:01 Phoebe’s “Wig Rants” and Sharing Opinions Online

24:00 Why She Doesn’t Have an Opinion on Everything

28:06 Creating Her Own Opportunities

31:44 The Responsibility of Comedy

37:49 Creating Tiny Reparations Books

41:07 Advice for Becoming a Better Writer

46:36 Giving Artists More Time to Create

48:30 Pop Culture, “The Valley,” and What She’s Watching

52:26 Problematic Celebrity Crushes

54:00 The Worst Things She’s Spent Money On

55:45 Books, London, and Lady Gaga

57:28 Why Men Should Read More Fiction

01:01:13 Do People Actually Read the Books They Post Online?

01:04:14 Book Covers and “You Can’t Touch My Hair”

01:05:19 Phoebe’s Dream Podcast Guest

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