The premiere episode of my new film-themed podcast, which I’m simply calling White City Cinema Radio Hour, is now online. Produced by Transistor Chicago‘s Andy Miles, this first episode features an extended conversation between myself and film critics Ben Sachs (Chicago Reader) and Kat Sachs (Cine-File Chicago) about the great director Agnes Varda in advance of her upcoming residency at the University of Chicago. I do not think I could have kicked off the show with better guests than these two knowledgable and affable folks. In particular, this married couple’s back-and-forth banter about Varda’s career in relation to feminism is as entertaining as it is provocative. My only regret is that the part where Ben schooled my faulty memory about the release date of Neil Young’s Ragged Glory ended up on the proverbial cutting-room floor. (Andy, who’s recording, editing and mixing the shows, informed me there was too much “off-mic talking” during that segment, rendering it difficult to understand.) But that’s all right; we still used Neil as our “outro” music.
There will be a new episode of the White City Cinema Radio Hour every month. If you are a filmmaker, critic, programmer, distributor or exhibitor and would like to be on the show or have suggestions about the show, please do not hesitate to get in touch at mikeygsmith at gmail.com. Otherwise, enjoy the first episode and let me know what you think in the comments section below:
http://www.transistorchicago.com/wccrh
Special thanks to Jose Gallegos for this groovy logo:
White City Cinema 
September 10th, 2015 at 9:23 am
Such a great first show! Congrats!
September 10th, 2015 at 9:27 am
Thanks, baby! When are you going to come on as a guest?
September 10th, 2015 at 2:24 pm
That is awesome that you got to talk to Ben Sachs:) A majority of Chicago film critics have great opinions and he is no exception:) Congratulations to you for your new Radio Hour podcast show:) I hope you have great success:) Anyway, I have a ton of new posts on my site http://www.cinematiccoffee.com The reason I am not giving the links like I usually do is because I have 12 new blog posts. They deal with my favorite films of directors (this week it is those whose last names begin with the letter C) Anyway, keep up the great work as always 🙂
September 10th, 2015 at 5:26 pm
Thanks, John. Will definitely check out your new posts soon.
September 10th, 2015 at 4:20 pm
I have decided to give you the links:) Here they are below:
http://cinematiccoffee.com/2015/09/02/my-favorite-frank-capra-films-2/
http://cinematiccoffee.com/2015/09/02/my-favorite-john-carpenter-films-revised-and-updated/
http://cinematiccoffee.com/2015/09/02/my-favorite-john-cassavetes-films-revised-and-updated/
http://cinematiccoffee.com/2015/09/08/my-favorite-charlie-chaplin-films-revised-and-updated/
http://cinematiccoffee.com/2015/09/03/my-favorite-claude-chabrol-films-revised-and-updated/
http://cinematiccoffee.com/2015/09/09/my-favorite-henri-georges-clouzot-films-new/
http://cinematiccoffee.com/2015/09/09/my-favorite-joel-and-ethan-coen-films-revised-and-updated/
http://cinematiccoffee.com/2015/09/09/my-favorite-francis-ford-coppola-films-revised-and-updated/
http://cinematiccoffee.com/2015/09/09/my-favorite-david-cronenberg-films-revised-and-updated/
http://cinematiccoffee.com/2015/09/09/my-favorite-alex-cox-films-revised-and-updated/
http://cinematiccoffee.com/2015/09/09/my-favorite-michael-curtiz-films-new/
http://cinematiccoffee.com/2015/09/09/my-favorite-sergio-corbucci-films-revised-and-updated/
http://cinematiccoffee.com/2015/09/10/my-favorite-albert-brooks-films-new/
September 11th, 2015 at 7:16 pm
Ragged Glory, of course, came out in 1990, but the music at the end of the show is from Sleeps with Angels, which was released in 1994…?
September 11th, 2015 at 7:47 pm
Okay, so here’s what happened: when we were talking about Varda being condescendingly dubbed the “godmother of the New Wave,” I remarked that the phrase “godfather of grunge” had been used to advertise Ragged Glory. Ben, in his infinite wisdom, pointed out that Ragged Glory was released in 1990, a full year before Nirvana’s Nevermind. I then realized that I was mistaken and that it was probably Mirrorball or Sleeps with Angels that the phrase “godfather of grunge” had been used to promote. But the real reason why we use “Safeway Cart” at the end of the show is because Kat says “Maybe next time it can be Claire Denis.” And “Safeway Cart” is prominently featured in Denis’ masterpiece BEAU TRAVAIL.