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“Be kind. Work hard. Have fun. Entertain yourself and be a hero to your fifteen-year-old self.”

In this episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast, I sit down with Dave Hill.

Dave and I talked about his approach to his various creative endeavors. From a design perspective, I really appreciated how context matters for each medium he’s working in and how Dave will iterate on new comedy bits. When it comes to music, Dave likes to think of scenarios involving fictional bands to help him write new material. I was also impressed with the number of collaborators Dave involves in his projects and how he strives to create genuine moments on stage when he blends comedy and music.

A quick note about language. As Alex Dezen described in Episode 1 of the podcast regarding curse words. Iowa Writers’ Workshop instructor Ethan Canin, said well placed curse words are like a cherry on a sundae. Well listeners, there’s a few delightful cherries in this episode.

Dave was very generous when my nerves got the best of me and I failed to remember the differences between death metal and black metal. We exchanged stories, about Husker Du, Cheap Trick, Neil Hamburger, and our love of hockey, including the sub-genre of hockey player socks. I hope that we can get Dave to Iowa City for a show at The Mill or to enjoy Mission Creek in the not-too-distant future.

I’d like to thank Dave for joining me for this discussion. I hope you enjoy the episode.

About Dave

Dave Hill is a comedian, writer, musician, actor, radio host and man-about-town originally from Cleveland, Ohio, but now living in New York City in a totally sweet apartment with a party deck and everything. He is the author of three books, Tasteful Nudes, Dave Hill Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, and his most recent, Parking the Moose (available in soft cover next month). He has written for The New York Times, GQ, Salon, The Paris Review, McSweeney’s, The New York Observer, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, VICE, Guitar World and a bunch of other places. Comedy legend Dick Cavett called Dave “a major figure among American comic writers, past and present,” which is pretty much the coolest thing that has ever happened as far as Dave is concerned.

Dave has appeared on such TV shows as Inside Amy Schumer and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, hosted for HBO and Cinemax, and performed live comedy around the world. He hosts The Goddamn Dave Hill Show on the WFMU radio station in Jersey City every Monday night. Dave is a frequent contributor to public radio’s This American Life. He is also a musician who currently sings and plays guitar in the psych/garage rock band Painted Doll, the extremely extreme Norwegian black metal band Witch Taint, and the power pop band Valley Lodge, whose song “Go” is the theme to HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

Credits

Thank you to Dave for taking the time to join the podcast.

Dave’s Books – https://www.davehillonline.com/books

Dave’s Music – https://www.davehillonline.com/music

Dave’s Podcasts – https://www.davehillonline.com/podcasts

The Pride of Cleveland – https://800pgr.lnk.to/DaveWE

The Black Metal Dialogues – https://www.theblackmetaldialogues.com/intro.html

Dave’s music and comedy on this episode used with permission from Dave himself.

Valley Lodge – “Go” from the album “Use Your Weapons”

Witch Taint – “Interlude: Black Metal vs Death Metal” from the album “Sons of Midwestern Darkness”

Dave’s Message for My Mom – https://v.cameo.com/mbL1lZHeM6

Episode produce by Spark Consulting Group (www.inspiredbyspark.com) in Iowa City, with support from Executive Podcast Solutions (https://www.executivepodcastsolutions.com/)

The Iowa Idea Podcast music written and performed by Paisley Bible.

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“Making things easy to use is not enough. It takes time to make something meaningful.”

In this episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast, I sit down with Kade Schemahorn. Among the many topics we discussed, we explored design ethics and design responsibility. I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside Kade on a number of projects. I’ve always appreciated his thoughtful approach to design and collaboration. So, I was delighted when he agreed to join me on The Iowa Idea Podcast.

Kade talked about what he took away from his time at the Austin Center for Design (AC4D). We discuss how we were influenced by Jon Kolko, especially his first book Thoughts on Interaction Design. As it relates the the craft of design, one principle Kade carries with him from AC4D is the notion of “do it again.”

We cover the importance of being persistent and curious as one works on their craft and the challenges faced in complex design projects. As Kade says in our interview, “I’m always surprised it doesn’t come easier… every project is a slog, but most of it is related to taking on more complex challenges.”

I’d like to thank Kade for joining me for this discussion. I hope you enjoy the episode.

About Kade

Kade Schemahorn is a user experience designer interested in how designers can become better stewards of technology and how we can make products and services that better align with our values.

In 2015, he participated in a program at the Austin Center for Design where he earned a certificate in interaction design and social entrepreneurship.

After AC4D, Kade spent a year at the experience design agency, Handsome, putting his training in design research into practice for clients across a wide variety of industries.

Most recently, Kade has devoted his attention to researching and understanding other design researchers like himself, helping to build a digital system for storing and sharing user research so that organizations can make more informed decisions to better serve people.

Credits

Thank you to Kade for taking the time to join the podcast.

Episode produce by Spark Consulting Group (www.inspiredbyspark.com) in Iowa City, with support from Executive Podcast Solutions (https://www.executivepodcastsolutions.com/)

The Iowa Idea Podcast music written and performed by Paisley Bible.

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“We approached it like we were never going to be invited back.”

In this episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast, I sit down with friend Ed Nehring. Ed has ben a fixture of the Iowa City music scene since the early 1980’s. Some of his bands have included Red Throb, The Day Glow Bomber Boys, Los Marauders, The Rough Housers, and Hott.

Ed is one of my absolute favorite people to talk with and learn from. I’m honored that he joined me on the podcast. Our conversation talks about Ed’s journey as a musician and performer. Ed describes how his first encounter with a Devo record made him physically ill and yet remains one of his favorite records. Ed’s approach to his life and his craft is a continued examination  and application of his principles. Ed demonstrates a relentless approach to being true to himself.

Our conversation spans Ed’s early love of rock and roll, punk rock mayhem, to what he learned from studying Zen Buddhism, and how he made music his meditation. Ed is careful to separate a dedication to craft from the pursuit of being famous.

We discussed Ed’s approach to practice and rehearsal and why exploring details and communicating is imperative when collaborating. Ed talks about his philosophy to craft as an approach to “sort yourself out” and the importance of separating your on-stage persona from who you are in real life. As Ed says in our interview, “it’s hard to be that honest with yourself.’

Thanks for checking out The Iowa Idea Podcast. I hope you enjoy the episode.

About Ed

Ed Nehring has been a fixture of the Iowa City music scene since the early 1980’s. Some of the bands that Ed has been involved in were Red Throb, The Day Glow Bomber Boys, Los Marauders, The Rough Housers, and Hott. His journey from punk rocker to dedicated improviser is one of self-discovery and a commitment to expressing himself freely. Ed’s passion led him to transform his basement into the Sacred Garden, a performance space dedicated to the exploration of improvised music.

From IMDB’s description of “Music of the Moment”:

Since “Music of the Moment” was filmed over a period of five years, there are marked changes among the characters’ ideas and commitments toward improvised music. Nehring’s dedication to the music as a practice of self-awareness and true expression deepens as the film progresses. In fact, it deepens to the point it becomes religious in nature and Nehring no longer feels compelled or comfortable performing publicly. Ironically, after five years of filming, it is Nehring’s deepening awareness that turns out to be the natural and obvious ending of the film. The film culminates with a spectacular night of performances at the Sacred Garden that encapsulates the spirit and theories of improvised music. The Sacred Garden has since long been gone and the spirit has moved on, but for those lucky enough to experience this unique anthropological study of a movement, it will remain.

Credits

Thank you to Ed Nehring for taking the time to join the podcast.

Additional music from:

• “I’m a Marauder” by Los Maunders (Teen Beat Records)
• “Read Your Mind” by Hott

Episode produce by Spark Consulting Group (www.inspiredbyspark.com) in Iowa City, with support from Executive Podcast Solutions (https://www.executivepodcastsolutions.com/)

The Iowa Idea Podcast music written and performed by Paisley Bible.

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“There’s always something new being created.”

In this episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast, I sit down with John Kenyon, executive director of The Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature organization. John grew up in Des Moines and graduated from the University of Iowa and lives in Iowa City.

I enjoyed being able to talk with John about Iowa City’s role as a City of Literature, the organization’s approach to programming, and, as a non-profit, how to manage resources effectively, as well as the many facets of this literary community. John talks about his journey in exploring journalism that led him to The University of Iowa and how the that industry has changed over the past few decades. As a student, John worked worked at The DI, The Daily Iowan. Shortly after recording this interview, the Society of Professional Journalists named The Daily Iowan the Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper in the country. John and I also cover the role of collaboration in building resilient communities.

From the City of Literature website “how could a small city in the center of the American heartland have such a wide-ranging impact on creative writing? The answer is that Iowa City, for its size, may be the most literary city on earth. It has a unique set of influential literary institutions, which explore new ways to teach and support writers. At the same time, it has long been, quite simply, a place for writers: a haven, a destination, a proving ground, and a nursery.”

Thanks for checking out The Iowa Idea Podcast. I hope you enjoy the episode.

About John

John Kenyon is the executive director of the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature organization. Prior to that, he spent 20 years in journalism in the Corridor, most recently as editor of the Corridor Business Journal. He is a Des Moines native and a graduate of the University of Iowa. He lives in Iowa City with his wife, Mary, and their two sons.

Iowa City was named the third City of Literature in the world in 2008 by UNESCO, and today it is one of 39 international Cities of Literature, and part of the 246-member UNESCO Creative Cities Network. The nonprofit Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature organization manages the designation on behalf of the city. In that role, the organization advocates on behalf of the community’s literary assets, produces programming to enhance the literary culture, and interacts with UNESCO and the other members of the Creative Cities Network.

Credits

Thank you to John Kenyon for taking the time to join the podcast.

Episode produce by Spark Consulting Group (www.inspiredbyspark.com) in Iowa City, with support from Executive Podcast Solutions (https://www.executivepodcastsolutions.com/)

The Iowa Idea Podcast music written and performed by Paisley Bible.

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“Context Matters.”

In this episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast, I sit down with Kurt Nelson, PhD. Kurt earned his bachelor’s degree and his MBA at The University of Iowa. He is a business owner and co-founder, along with Tim Houlihan, of Behavioral Grooves, one of the world’s top podcasts on behavioral science.

In honor of Behavioral Grooves podcast, I force Kurt to answer “coffee or tea?” Turns out, with most things in life, context matters. We discuss his road to becoming a behavioral scientist and podcaster; and how working on honing one’s craft can improve their approach to business.

We cover the endowment effect and how it can hamper our decision making. We explore ways to mitigate our own ego and biases to make better decisions. We get to dig in to Annie Duke’s “Thinking in Bets” approach to making better decisions and being a more socially mature collaborator.

I enjoyed being able to nerd out with Kurt, discussing how design and behavioral science lenses can help us better collaborate, iterate, and improve our decisions. I really appreciated Kurt taking the time to join the podcast and sharing “the importance of not holding ourselves and our ideas on a pedestal.”

Thanks for checking out The Iowa Idea Podcast. I hope you enjoy the episode.

About Kurt

Kurt is a sought-after speaker and recognized leader in human motivation and behavior change. For over 20 years, Kurt has worked with global companies to apply behavioral science principles to drive change in their organizations.

He is founder and president of The Lantern Group, a behavioral change and communication agency.  He also is the co-founder, with Tim Houlihan, of the Behavioral Grooves podcast, where they interview leading academic and business executives from around the world and explore how they apply behavioral science to their work and lives.

All his work focuses on understanding ways to positively influence how people behave. Kurt has his MBA from The University of Iowa and his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Capella University.

Credits

Thank you to Kurt Nelson.

Episode produce by Spark Consulting Group (www.inspiredbyspark.com) in Iowa City, with support from Executive Podcast Solutions  (https://www.executivepodcastsolutions.com/)

The Iowa Idea Podcast music written and performed by Paisley Bible.

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In this episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast, I sit down with Mike Monteiro, the co-founder of Mule Design. Mike has authored three books on design and speaks frequently about the craft of design and the importance of ethics. As Mike says, “designers are ultimately responsible for what they put fourth in the world.”

Mike has recently started Quarantine Book Club with Erika Hall.

Thanks to Mike for joining me on The Iowa Idea Podcast, and thank you for taking the time to listen.

I hope you enjoy the episode.

About Mike

Mike Monteiro is the co-founder and design director of Mule Design. He prefers that designers have strong spines. Mike writes and speaks frequently about the craft, ethics, and business of design.

He loves design so much he wrote three books on the topic, Design is a Job and You’re My Favorite Client, both from A Book Apart. In 2019, he wrote Ruined by Design. Mike received the 2014 Net award for Conference Talk of the Year for his inspirational polemic on responsibility, “How Designers Destroyed the World.”

Credits

Thank you to Mike Monteiro.

Episode produce by Spark Consulting Group (www.inspiredbyspark.com) in Iowa City, with support from Executive Podcast Solutions  (https://www.executivepodcastsolutions.com/)

The Iowa Idea Podcast music written and performed by Paisley Bible.

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“We’re all human.”

In this episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast, I sit down with the host of IPR’s “Talk of Iowa,” Charity Nebbe. We discuss her approach to her show, the importance of collaboration, and the impacts of the current pandemic at the local and national level. We touch upon Iowa City’s connection to Katherine Applegate’s “Wish Tree.” As proud Iowans and political nerds, we try to make sense of what happened to the Iowa Caucus in February –  what problems were revealed, and what might happen in the future.

In this episode, Charity shares the importance of being present and truly listening to those that you’re interviewing, and synthesizing feedback from mentors, and how context matters and how to make eye contact with your listener, even over the radio. We talk about the power of an authentic voice and personality, and as Charity says “you can’t sell what you won’t buy.”

Thanks to Charity for joining me on The Iowa Idea Podcast, and thank you for taking the time to listen.

I hope you enjoy the episode.

About Charity

From the Iowa Public Radio website.

Charity Nebbe grew up in rural Iowa just outside of Cedar Falls.  She began her career in public radio at WOI Radio in Ames, Iowa when she was a student at Iowa State University and has been working in public radio ever since.  Early in her career she created Chinwag Theater a nationally syndicated public radio show that she produced and co-hosted with well known author Daniel Pinkwater.  She spent ten years at Michigan Radio in Ann Arbor and in 2010 returned to Iowa.

Charity is now the host of Iowa Public Radio’s Talk of Iowa, heard weekday mornings at 10.  She is also the host of Iowa Ingredient on Iowa Public Television and the author of the children’s book “Our Walk in the Woods,” published in 2008. Charity is the chair of the advisory board for Let Me Run Eastern Iowa Corridor, a character development and running program for boys.

Credits

Thank you to Charity Nebbe.

Photo Credit Cameron McCoy

Episode produce by Spark Consulting Group 9 (www.inspiredbyspark.com) in Iowa City, with support from Executive Podcast Solutions – https://www.executivepodcastsolutions.com/

The Iowa Idea Podcast music written and performed by Paisley Bible.

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In this episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast, I sit down with my friend Nick Scappaticci, co-founder and CEO of Tellart. Tellart formed over 20 years ago is an experience design firm filled with fantastic explorers, inventors, and storytellers. In 2016, Tellart was recognized for their contributions to interaction design and received the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award.

We discuss the power of narrative in design, how narrative and experiential design help us understand complex ideas. Our conversation covers narratives, complexity, meaning, design, and why it’s important to carry a sketchbook. We touch upon the ways Tellart approaches technology in experience design as well their fantastic documentary series “Design Nonfiction.”  We explore technology as a material in design, rather than a solution.

The concepts design nonfiction, storytelling, and information design combine to impact experiential design and how Tellart prototypes at scale to examine preferable futures. We cover the importance of drawing and creating a visual language in prototyping and design, and the intention of design. At its heart, design is still a collaborative and iterative process that requires us to not hold our solutions as precious.

“Show me your sketch book. Don’t show me what you’ve done, show me how you’ve done it.”

I hope you enjoy the episode.

About Nick

Nick leads Tellart in high-level operational and strategic decisions, while still being involved in details of project development, execution, and troubleshooting. He is responsible for leading a staff of strategists, designers and technologists, and for creating a cohesive cultural environment at Tellart that enables project and career success.

Nick studied Industrial Design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). He is currently a member of the Adjunct Faculty at RISD where he teaches interface design and senior studio.

About Tellart

Explorers, inventors, storytellers.

https://www.tellart.com/index.html

Tellart’s Design Nonfiction documentary series – https://www.tellart.com/projects/designnonfiction/

Credits

Thank you to Nick Scappaticci – https://www.tellart.com/index.html

Episode produced by Spark Consulting Group in Iowa City, with support from Executive Podcast Solutions.

Intro and outro music performed by Paisley Bible.

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In this episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast, I sit down with Vero Rose Smith, artist, educator, and curator living in Iowa City. We caught up with Vero before she moves to Chicago. We discuss her approach to art and education, art in the public domain, and how everyone has a tree story.  We touch upon the what she learned, as an artist, from her design education program at Harvard — hint, the power of prototyping and failure as a learning process in design.

She holds BAs in Studio Art, Art History, and Environment Science. Vero has an MA in Art History from The University of Iowa, and an MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology. If that was not enough, she holds a Master of Design from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.

We talk about the aesthetic and environmental impacts of big box stores and “how we let something so ugly become so pervasive.”

I hope you enjoy the episode.

About Vero Rose Smith

From her website:

Artist

Climate change made personal through image and sound

Curator

Community focused exhibitions and participatory events

Educator

Art in the classroom, the gallery, the community, and beyond

I care about people, and the places people live. My work centers climate change and the economic and historical circumstances that built inequality into our everyday environments.

Credits

Thank you to Vero Rose Smith – http://verorosesmith.com/

Episode produce by Spark Consulting Group in Iowa City, with support from Executive Podcast Solutions.

Intro and outro music performed by Paisley Bible.

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In the first episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast, host Matt Arnold sits down with Alex Dezen (MFA 2010, The University of Iowa). They discuss support, collaboration, influences, and what one can learn from being on tour with Cheap Trick. Alex talks about how the music business has changed, the importance of discipline in the artistic process, and how “seeing the struggle and seeing the honesty” has helped him as a songwriter. When asked about his decision to attend The Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Alex said “if the door opens, you walk through.

About Alex Dezen

A singer and songwriter best known as leader of alt-rockers the Damnwells, Alex Dezen has also released solo material and co-written songs for the likes of Justin Bieber, Robin Thicke, and the Veronicas. The New York City native formed the Damnwells in 2001, acting as their main songwriter and most constant member. Eventually taking root in Brooklyn with the lineup of Dezen, guitarist Dave Chernis, bassist Ted Hudson, and drummer Steven Terry, they released a series of EPs before earning a support spot on a tour with Cheap Trick. The band completed its full-length debut, Bastards of the Beat, before signing with Epic Records, which released the album in 2003. When they returned to the studio two years later, however, they found they’d been dropped by the label, a story that was captured in the documentary Golden Days, released in 2007.

The band’s sophomore album, Air Stereo, was ultimately released by Zoë/Rounder Records in late 2006. A tour with the Fray followed, but disappointing record sales eventually led the Damnwells to temporarily disband in 2008. Dezen took the opportunity to formally study writing, earning a Master of Fine Arts in English from the University of Iowa’s renowned Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 2010, where he was awarded the Jeffrey G. and Victoria J. Edwards fellowship for his short story collection, The Strange and Romantic Histories. While at The Workshop, he released the Damnwells album One Last Century as a free digital download via Paste magazine, and in his graduation year he took a new Damnwells lineup centered around himself and original bassist Ted Hudson to the studio for a crowdfunded album (via PledgeMusic). The resulting No One Listens to the Band Anymore arrived in the spring of 2011.

In 2012, a song Dezen co-wrote called “Take You” appeared on Justin Bieber‘s 2012 chart-topper Believe. That same year, one of his songs appeared on Cody Simpson‘s Top 30 album, Paradise. He also co-wrote four songs for Matt Hires‘ 2013 LP This World Won’t Last Forever, But Tonight We Can Pretend, and his “You and Me” was written with the Veronicas for their 2015 self-titled album. In the meantime, among other collaborations, the original Damnwells lineup reunited for an eponymous album also released in 2015. Dezen began releasing songs under his own name around this time, with a series of four EPs called The Bedhead EPs appearing in 2014; they were released together on a single 12-track CD in 2015. The songwriter’s self-reflective, eponymous full-length debut arrived in early 2016 and landed on the Billboard Americana/Folk Albums chart. He followed it with II in early 2017 and III in 2018. Also in 2017, Dezen began working with long-time partner and collaborator Amber Bollinger. The resulting musical union, Broken Baby, a post-punk / alternative rock band, released their first EP in 2017, their debut LP in 2018, and a slew of singles through out 2019. On April 10, 2020, Dezen released “Modern Life,” his first solo release since 2018’s III.

Credits

Thank you to Alex Dezen.

Episode produce by Spark Consulting Group in Iowa City, with support from Executive Podcast Solution. Intro and outro music performed by Paisley Bible.