Sup Doc: A Documentary Film Podcast

Paco and George dig into the enigmatic artist Ray Johnson's life and death with our guest, San Francisco comedy producer Jeff Zamaria. This 2002 documentary directed by John Walter and Andrew L. Moore tries to unwrap the mystery of this central figure in the Fluxus and mail art movement who was known for legendary performances like dropping hot dogs from a low-flying helicopter. A contemporary of Andy Warhol's Ray came out of the legendary Black Mountain College art program. The documentary How To Draw A Bunny was the product of six years of research into Johnson's archives and interviews with figures like Christo, Chuck Close, Roy Lichtenstein, Judith Malina, and James Rosenquist. The soundtrack includes improvised drumming by Max Roach and additional music by Thurston Moore. Jeff Zamaria is a comedy booker/show producer in San Francisco and the creator of Learn From Me Comedy. He can be seen producing shows all over SF. Originally from "The Mistake On The Lake" (Cleveland, OH), Jeff has been living, sleepin

Today's whale of a tale concerns the ill-fated voyage of Donald Crowhurst, as seen through the lens of Louise Osmond and Jerry Rothwell's 2006 documentary, Deep Water. Music journalist and nautical enthusiast Ned Raggett joined Paco and George to discuss his attachment to this story from the 1968 race to circumnavigate the globe. This doc defies logic and will have you saying "...What the..." more times than The Imposter. Befuddling and tragic as it is, we wring some fun out of it. You can catch this doc on Netflix. Sunday Times Golden Globe Race inspired Robin Knox-Johnston, Bernard Moitessier, and Donald Crowhurst, among others to attempt solo circumnavigation of the globe. Of these men, Donald Crowhurst had the least sailing experience and the most financial gamble riding on the race. He bet his career, family, and ego on the voyage and it takes so many bizarre twists and turns. A fictionalized film version, The Mercy (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3319730) directed by James Marsh and starring Colin Firth an

It's been a full year since we dropped the very first episodes of Sup Doc! We watched many classic and soon-to-be-classic documentaries, talked to new and old friends, and jumped feet first into podcasting. Paco and George are joined by producer Will to reminisce about our dynamics, getting blocked out of Outside Lands, the secret of the Sup Doc logo design, mystery emails from Anonymous, and what to expect in the next few months of the show. We play clips from Kaseem Bentley and Adam Pfahler about San Francisco 2.0 (Episode 15), Chris Thayer talks about his high school performance art band with Emily Heller and David Gborie live in SF (Episode 22), Beth Lisick gets taken in by the JT LeRoy con and a Haight Street hustler (Episode 3), Jesse Thorn visits a farm sanctuary (Episode 13), and Jamie DeWolf compares L. Ron Hubbard to Stephen King (Episode 16). Paco also appears on The Todd Glass Show (http://nerdist.com/the-todd-glass-show-251-paco-romane) and claims to be friends with Mr. T (a likely story). **Sup

On today's episode, Paco and George discuss the early days of LA's punk rock scene with tech podcaster/writer/founder Peter Rojas. We discuss the influence of college radio to the cult of personality around Darby Crash and pre YouTube digging for clues to the origins of punk.The Decline Movies were a Rosetta stone for many a suburban teen looking for alternatives of expression. Often referred to as a Rock ‘n Roll anthropologist, Penelope Spheeris worked as a waitress at Denny’s and IHOP to put herself through film school. A holder of a UCLA Master of Fine Arts degree in Theater Arts, she worked as a film editor and a cinematographer before forming her own company in 1974. She produced, directed, and edited videos for major bands through the Seventies and Eighties, concluding her music video work with the Grammy nominated, Bohemian Rhapsody video for WAYNE’S WORLD. Spheeris’ feature film debut was the 1979 documentary on the Los Angeles punk scene, THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION which received stunning an

What do Lil Wayne and the Shining have in common? On Ep 29 Paco and George speak with musician William Hutson from the experimental hip-hop group clipping. The Carter is a 2009 documentary film about American hip hop recording artist Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr., better known as Lil Wayne. The Carter is a no-holds-barred documentary about Lil' Wayne filmed over the course of the year when he transitioned from Rap icon to mainstream Pop star. The film was directed by Adam Bhala Lough and produced by Joshua Krause and Quincy Delight Jones III. Room 237 analyzes Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation of Stephen King's classic horror novel, "The Shining." The making of the soundtrack to Room 237 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T48KPIfB40Y Stanley Film Fest - http://www.stanleyfilmfest.com William Hutson is an electronic musician, writer, and academic. He is one third of the rap group Clipping, and has released solo recordings under the names Rale, Anthracite, and Tattered Syntax. He has collaborated with Jonathan Sni

On Ep 28 Paco and George sit down with comedian Riley Silverman to discuss the 2011 doc Jiro Dreams of Sushi the story of 85-year-old Jiro Ono, considered by many to be the world’s greatest sushi chef. He is the proprietor of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a 10-seat, sushi-only restaurant inauspiciously located in a Tokyo subway station. Despite its humble appearances, it is the first restaurant of its kind to be awarded a prestigious three-star Michelin Guide rating, and sushi lovers from around the globe make repeated pilgrimage, calling months in advance and shelling out top dollar for a coveted seat at Jiro’s sushi bar. In this episode we cover comedy, midwest, sashimi, docs and more! A Los Angeles resident with deep midwestern roots, the dark yet silly comedy of Riley Silverman has been seen at the Women in Comedy Festival and as the first transgender performer at Portland's All Jane comedy festival. Her debut comedy album, Intimate Apparel, was a #1 best seller on Amazon. Riley is a contributor to Pajiba.com, was na

George and Paco welcome the talented Veronica Belmont to the Sup Doc Podcast. On EP27 they talk about the doc Broken Dreams - The Boeing 787. The 2014 Al Jazeera doc goes behind the scene to investigate Boeing's "Dreamliner" and finds some workers with quality concerns, alleging drug use and fearing to fly in the plane they build. Scary! Since 2006, Veronica Belmont has been hosting content for the web and TV. This includes everything from video podcasts to red carpet premieres. She's also been a guest on many programs as a tech, science, and futurism commentator. You may have seen her on the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Pre-Show, the Game of Thrones Season 5 Premiere, and Gizmodo: The Gadget Testers. She's also worked for Discovery Digital, Sony Playstation, and CNET Networks. Currently, you can watch her each week on Dear Veronica for Engadget, and Sword & Laser! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvkEpstd9os http://www.veronicabelmont.com/Follow us on:Twitter: @supdocpdocastInstagram: @supdocpodc

On Episode 26 of Sup Doc Paco sits down with the hilarious comedian and podcast host (The Todd Glass Show) Todd Glass. They have a candid and funny talk about the 2008 Bill Maher documentary Religulous (available on Netflix) plus organized religion, treating people with respect, and how this documentary changed Todd.In Religulous Bill Maher plays devil's advocate with religion as he talks to believers about their faith. Bill Maher interviews some of religion's oddest adherents. Muslims, Jews and Christians of many kinds pass before his jaundiced eye. Maher goes to a Creationist Museum in Kentucky, which shows that dinosaurs and people lived at the same time 5000 years ago. He talks to truckers at a Truckers' Chapel. (Sign outside: "Jesus love you.") He goes to a theme park called Holy Land in Florida. He speaks to a rabbi in league with Holocaust deniers. He talks to a Muslim musician who preaches hatred of Jews. Maher finds the unlikeliest of believers and, in a certain Vatican priest, he even finds an unlik

Paco and George meet up with Hutch Harris at Lost Weekend Video where we discuss the Kathleen Hanna biography, The Punk Singer (Sini Anderson, 2013).Kathleen Hanna, lead singer of the punk band Bikini Kill and dance-punk trio Le Tigre, rose to national attention as the reluctant but never shy voice of the riot grrrl movement. She became one of the most famously outspoken feminist icons, a cultural lightning rod. Her critics wished she would just shut-up, and her fans hoped she never would. So in 2005, when Hanna stopped shouting, many wondered why. Through 20 years of archival footage* and intimate interviews with Hanna, THE PUNK SINGER takes viewers on a fascinating tour of contemporary music and offers a never-before-seen view into the life of this fearless leader.Hutch Harris was born in New York City, raised in Silicon Valley, and has resided in Portland, Oregon for the past eighteen years. Harris founded and is the lead singer/songwriter of Portland post-pop-punk band The Thermals. In thirteen years, the

On EP 24 Paco and George talk with filmmaker Marjorie Sturm about her documentary The Cult of JT LeRoy. We talk about JT Leroy's first two novels Sarah and The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things and we get into hero worship, cons, Rachel Dolezal, improvisation, filmmaking and much more. Authorized and unauthorized, The Cult of JT Leroy received two Jury Awards for Best Feature Documentary (SF IndieFest and Oslo/Fusion International) in 2015 and played at top-tier festivals around the world. Ethically charged, controversial, and confusing, JT’s life and death sprang open a Pandora’s box of powerful questions about literature and culture, identity and celebrity, and the reality of the society we live in. Fraud? Art? Sociopathy? Complicity? The Cult of JT Leroy is a testament to this bizarre and elaborate story that has captured the attention of the world’s media and perplexes to this day.Jeremiah "Terminator" LeRoy was a literary persona created in 1994 by American writer Laura Albert. LeRoy was supposedly bor

On EP23 Paco, George, and producer Will talk with comedian/podcaster Red Scott about Making A Murderer, the Netflix doc that took America by storm! Questions will be half answered, jokes will be told, and nothing will be solved! Exonerated after spending nearly two decades in prison for a crime he did not commit, Steven Avery filed suit against Manitowoc County, Wis., and several individuals involved with his arrest. Shortly after, however, Avery found himself behind bars again, this time accused of the murder of 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach. She was last seen on Avery's property, where she was to photograph a vehicle. Avery and nephew Brendan Dassey were tried and (spoiler alert) convicted of the crime. But that's not the end of the story. When Columbia graduate students Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos read about Avery, they felt his story would make an interesting documentary. And they were right!Growing up in San Jose, CA, Red Scott never saw things the same way as other kids; he thought he was

For our first SF Sketchfest live show, we had a fun panel to watch Heavy Metal Parking Lot (1986) and Neil Diamond Parking Lot (1996), short documentaries by Jeff Krulik and John Heyn. They document two very different sets of music fans in Landover, Maryland a decade apart. HMPL achieved cult status from its beginnings as a cable access doc, circulating on VHS and finally receiving a DVD release in 2006. Our esteemed panel of Emily Heller, Chris Thayer, and David Gborie wax nostalgic and relive teenage embarrassments with Paco and George. We painstakingly explain ska and confront anti-semitism, fully reenacting 1986. There may be a surprise visit from the Sup Doc Parking Lot players (Mary Van Note and Nick Stargu aka DJ Real).Thanks to all our guests, SF Sketchfest, and Pianofight for hosting.Comedian Emily Heller has appeared on Conan, on John Oliver’s New York Stand Up Show, and at New Faces at the 2012 Montreal Just For Laughs Festival. She is the creator and star of the Above Average series The Future. Sh

On Episode 21 of Sup Doc, George talks with comedian Hana Michels about My Depression: The Up And Down and Up Of It by Elizabeth Swados, Robert Marienetti, and David Wachtenheim (2014). Does an animated memoir even count as a documentary? HBO thought so, but we have questions. Hana and George talk about depression, having two therapists as parents, medication, comedy, and generational shifts in humor. Famed Broadway writer, director and composer Elizabeth Swados has struggled with depression her whole life. She shares her experiences with this often-misunderstood condition to make a difficult and sometimes taboo topic more accessible and understandable. Based on Swados’ graphic memoir “My Depression: A Picture Book,” and featuring the voices of Sigourney Weaver (as Swados), Steve Buscemi, Fred Armisen and Dan Fogler.Hana Michels grew up on the west side of Los Angeles, the daughter of two Jewish psychologists, she pursued a career in comedy in hopes of utilizing her unique ability to judge herself at a profes

On Episode 20 of Sup Doc hosts Paco Romane and George Chen team up with producer/engineer Will Scovill to review a few of their hand-picked documentaries. Paco reviews the bizarrely hilarious doc Finders Keepers (Amazon) about a guy that finds a mummified leg and believes it's his to keep. George reviews A Poem Is A Naked Person, a bewitching and beguiling doc about the musician Leon Russell (not yet online), and Will reviews Terror From Within a superbly and fantastically made doc about America's second deadliest terrorist attack in Oklahoma (Youtube). Follow us on:Twitter: @supdocpdocastInstagram: @supdocpodcastFacebook: @supdocpodcastsign up for our mailing listAnd you can show your support to Sup Doc by donating on Patreon.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Episode 19 of Sup Doc Podcast Paco sits down with comedian/musician/Tony nominated actor Stephen Lynch and they have a lovely chat about the 2002 documentary The Smashing Machine about the mixed martial arts career and personal life of extreme fighter Mark Kerr. The doc chronicles Kerr's rise to fame in the early UFC world plus fighting, drama, drugs, crazy women, PrideFC, Bas, Coleman, and much more. In this episode we talk about Stephen's fascination with MMA, plus he introduces me to Ronda Rousey and finally comes clean on what he would do for $5 million dollars. Great talk! Stephen Lynch is known for his hilarious songs and has released three studio albums and three live albums along with a live DVD. He has appeared in two Comedy Central Presents specials and starred in the Broadway adaptation of The Wedding Singer. Stephen released a new double-disc (Studio & Live) album, Lion, on November 13, 2012. His is also an expert sea kayaker, and recently developed his own unique recipe for a kumquat daiqu

We delve into the California skateboard culture of the ‘80s with the Bones Brigade documentary. This week Paco and George "Animal" Chen talk to Bay Area blogger and comedy braintrust OJ Patterson (Courting Comedy, Blackstronauts, Sylvan Productions). Did you play the Tony Hawk video game? Have you been to Tommy Guerrero’s cafe or wondered how to make middle-aged white men cry? We hope to shine some light on these topics and more. Bones Brigade: An Autobiography (2012) Featuring Tony Hawk and directed by Stacy Peralta (Dogtown and Z-Boys, Riding Giants), this is the personal story of how sheer talent, skill, passion and the belief that anything is possible transformed skateboarding from a fringe pastime to a thrilling action sport filled with extraordinary gravity defying feats as well as a global industry. The Bones Brigade is the team they formed that revolutionized not only their lives, but international pop culture as well. With Tony Hawk, Rodney Mullen, Lance Mountain, Steve Caballero, Tommy Guerrero, Mik

Paco and George welcome the multi-talented Sam McPheeters. They discuss the 2011 documentary Samsara, a non-narrative film directed by Ron Fricke and produced by Mark Magidson, who also collaborated on Baraka (1992), a film in a similar vein. Samsara was filmed over five years in 25 countries around the world. It was shot in 70 mm format. Sam McPheeters is an American artist, journalist, novelist, and performer. Raised in Albany, New York, he became a published author at age 12, with Travelers' Tales,a collection of regional folklore. In 1985, McPheeters grew active with the hardcore punk scene, producing several fanzines and organizing local concerts. After moving to New York City in 1987, he co-founded Born Against in 1989 and the Vermiform Records label in 1990. In 1993, he co-founded the Virginia-based band Men's Recovery Project, and in 2003, he co-founded the Los Angeles-based band Wrangler Brutes. Starting in 2005, McPheeters has written for a variety of national magazines, including the Chicago Reader

We talked to Jamie DeWolf about Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief. Jamie is not only a story-teller, producer, director, writer, actor and impresario he is also the great-grandson of L. Ron Hubbard. We get into Scientology, family, creativity, derangement of the mind , and so much more! In 2013 Jamie was quoted on The Young Turks as saying that Scientology is one of the most “devious, systematic brainwashing systems that’s ever been invented.”Going Clear was released on DVD and Blu-ray on Oct. 6, as well as on demand on Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, PlayStation, iTunes, Xbox and Vudu on Oct. 30. Watch it now and then join the conversation!(on Nov 8, 2015, someone from Anonymous provided us with a typed transcript of the entire interview. )UPDATED: January 20th 2016 "Tom Cruise Scared Of Scientology Expose By L Ron Hubbard's Grandson"...Jamie DeWolf is making powerful people tremble & that is ALWAYS a great thing! Check out the article and the mention of EP16 with Jamie!Twitter: @

Sup Doc Podcast presents its debut live show recorded at Lost Weekend Video. Bay Area comedians Paco Romane and George Chen invite a SF Mayoral candidate, a comedian and a Mission business owner/musician to discuss Alexandra Pelosi’s HBO documentary “San Francisco 2.0″ about the changing nature of San Francisco and gentrification.Our guests are:Comedian and SF native Kaseem BentleySF Mayoral candidate Amy Farah Weiss Jawbreaker drummer / co-owner of Lost Weekend Video Adam Pfahler Recorded Oct 18th, 2015 at Lost Weekend Video. Produced by Will Scovill.In SAN FRANCISCO 2.0, Alexandra Pelosi (HBO’s Emmy®-winning “Journeys with George”) returns to her hometown to document what the tech boom has in store for this historically progressive city, talking to various industry representatives, politicians and longtime residents hoping to maintain their place and not be left behind. Directed, produced and filmed by Pelosi, this insightful film looks at the price of progress, and the challenges of holding onto a collecti

Paco Romane and George Chen welcome comedians Anna Seregina and Dave Ross (Terrified podcast) to the Sup Doc living room. They discuss the much hyped documentary The Wolfpack (2015, Crystal Moselle).The Wolfpack is a documentary film about a family who homeschooled and raised their seven children in the confinement of their apartment in the Lower East Side of New York City. Locked away in an apartment in the Lower East Side of Manhattan for fourteen years, the Angulo family's seven children—six brothers named Mukunda, Narayana, Govinda, Bhagavan, Krisna (Glenn), and Jagadesh (Eddie), and their sister Visnu—learned about the world through watching films. They also re-enact scenes from their favorite movies. They were homeschooled by their mother and confined to their 16th-storey four-bedroom apartment in the Seward Park Extension housing project. In January 2010, against their father's instruction to remain inside. All the brothers then decided to begin exploring Manhattan and the world outside.The Wolfpack on