A Fresh Face in Hell with Jonathan Evison
A Fresh Face in Hell with Jonathan Evison is an hour long, conversation based, format. Guests include writers, musicians, athletes, actors, philosophers, scientists, and an array of experts across a variety of disciplines. Subjects will be treated with a mix of humor and thoughtful exploration.
Episodes
42 episodes
Christoph Paul - So, You Want to Get Your Novel Published?
Today I talk with indie publisher, Christoph Paul of Clash Books. We discuss the publishing process—from acquisition, to editorial, to marketing and publicity, to distribution, to the retail bookshelf, revealing step-by-step how the sausage is ...
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1:05:15
Chad Channing - My Favorite Nirvana Drummer
Nirvana, like Spinal Tap, went through a lot of drummers. Dave Grohl was the 7th, Dan Peters (Mudhoney) was the 6th and the 5th, my favorite, was Chad Channing. Although Chad missed the "Nevermind" rocket ride, he was with the band when it reco...
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Episode 40
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58:04
Kim Hunt - @slaythegop
Today I'm excited to talk with one of the leading voices in battling online misinformation and graft - Kim Hunt. Kim is a whip smart Zoomer who is ambitious and full of integrity (the kind that only a journalism degree will give you). Kim's wea...
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Episode 39
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43:51
Pete Droge - Pistol Packing Pete is Back!
On any weekend in the early '90s, almost every music venue in Seattle was a mess of flannel, long hair, and distorted reverb. But if that wasn't your mood, you could always find one or two boot-scooting bar bands like Kitchen Radio, Lazy Susan,...
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Episode 38
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1:00:25
Augustine Sedgewick - Fatherhood
I love fatherhood - I love what it has shaped me into as a person. It has given me reserves of love and patience I didn't know were possible. Being a father fills me with anxiety, but at the same time, my endless gratitude calms me. This makes ...
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Episode 37
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1:02:17
Elisabeth Rosenthal - An American Sickness
Today I talk with Doctor and NY Times Journalist, Elisabeth Rosenthal about her seminal book An American Sickness. Why does an arthritis injection cost $19K in one hospital and $90k in another? Why does the same insurance company pay both price...
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Episode 36
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1:01:43
Steve Backus - Carve or Starve
I'm back in the saddle today with another old friend - world-renowned chainsaw sculptor Steve Backus. Steve has been creating bears, whales, eagles, gnomes, and mermaids from massive pieces of wood for over 40 years. He organizes and judges scu...
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Episode 35
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57:01
Jamie Ford & Jen Soriano - Generational Trauma . . . Revisited
Today's episode is hosted by New York Times bestselling author, and Fresh Face alum, Jamie Ford. Don't worry, Jonathan will be back next week! In Episode 7, Jonathan invited Jamie on to discuss his book "The Many Daughters of Afong Moy," which ...
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Episode 34
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1:00:24
Cassidy Krug - Life After the Olympics
Jonathan has gone fishing. Stepping in as his substitute this week is his good friend Danny O'Neil, who you may remember from the Grudges episode. Danny sits down with national champion and Olympic diver Cassidy Krug to discuss her...
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Episode 33
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59:21
Willy Vlautin - Write Me a Love Song Where Nobody Gets Decapitated
Jonathan speaks with his old friend and great American fiction writer, Willy Vlautin. Willy is the author of seven novels, including his most recent, The Horse, which helped earn him the 2025 Joyce Carol Oates Prize. Three of his books have bee...
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Episode 32
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1:07:20
Peter Blackstock - No Depression: Roots Music & Culture
Today I talk with famed music journalist Peter Blackstock about his time discovering and reviewing bands in Austin, Nashville, North Carolina, and Seattle. Together with his partner Grant Alden, Peter launched the roots music magazine, No Depre...
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Episode 31
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1:04:34
Dalton Conley - Nature & Nurture
Turns out the idea of nature vs. nurture is an overly simplistic way of describing how our genes correlate with our environments. For 150 years, scientists, sociologists, theologians, politicians, and philosophers have argued over this binary i...
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Episode 30
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59:36
Charles Peterson's Nirvana
Today I talk with an old friend from the halcyon days of grunge, photographer Charles Peterson. Charles is known for capturing some of the most iconic B&W shots of that era, many of which were used by Sub Pop for album cover art including, ...
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Episode 29
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57:12
Marc Hartzman - The UFO Episode
Today I open the X-Files with author Marc Hartzman. We dive into all things extraterrestrial, from outer space to the outer limits. We discuss shaved monkeys, frozen brains, and interdimensional beings. We explore the idea of visitations to anc...
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Episode 28
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58:47
Chris Wilcha - Keeping the Dream Alive
I speak with filmmaker Chris Wilcha about the themes of his new film, "Flipside." In the film, Chris tells his career story beginning as a young, idealistic filmmaker who sets out to become a documentarian but finds himself later in life as a c...
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Episode 27
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1:00:39
Emily M. Bender & Alex Hanna - The AI Con
To follow up last week's conversation on the robot hordes I talk with authors and podcasters, Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna about AI hype. The two argue in their new book The AI Con, that there is nothing intelligent about machine learning and...
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Episode 26
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1:01:29
Allison Pugh - The Last Human Job
AI and data analytics have created some miraculous efficiencies over the last couple of years. AI helps me stay organized and assists with research and interview prep. Sometimes, you just need a mindless automaton. That said, when it comes time...
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Episode 25
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54:52
Jim Thomsen - "There's Always Work at the Post Office"
I recently read a New York Times article titled "The Gen X Career Meltdown," which discussed how GenXers are aging out of the workforce early due to technology and the collapse of the creative industries. It reminded me of an old friend, journa...
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Episode 24
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57:01
JW Ocker - How to Start a Cult
Author JW Ocker is a man who has devoted himself to the study and research of bizarre cultural phenomena. In his book Cult Following: the Extreme Sects that Capture our Imagination - And Take Over our Lives, he sets his sights on cults. This we...
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55:58
Danny Bland - Rock n' Roll Road Warrior
Today we hear stories from the road with rock n' roll tour manager Danny Bland. After decades of playing in bands like Cat Butt, Best Kissers in the World, and The Dwarves, Danny used his experience to become a legendary tour manager. From Dave...
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43:43
Nurse Lexi - Stories from the Emergency Room
When doing research for my novels, I often consult historians, scholars, and professionals to create more nuanced profiles for my characters. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with some truly fascinating people in incredible ca...
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Episode 21
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1:03:02
Kevin Davies - CRISPR for Dummies
Been going down a CRISPR rabbit hole lately and wanted to talk to someone that is up to date on the world's most powerful gene editing technology. Kevin Davies is an Oxford trained science journalist and the author of Editing Humanity: The CRIS...
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57:37
Dr. Arik Kershenbaum - Why Animals Talk
Humans are not the only species who have devised complex languages. How do their languages differ from ours? What can we learn from their languages? Do Spanish dogs understand Japanese dogs? How can our own knowledge of animal language help us ...
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Episode 19
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58:07
Ellen Vora, MD - The Anatomy of Anxiety
Today, I speak with Ellen Vora, MD, about understanding, treating, and living with anxiety—a condition she thoroughly explores in her book The Anatomy of Anxiety. Ellen and I discussed some of my experiences with anxiety over the...
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Episode 18
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57:14
Claire Dederer - Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma
Today, I speak with an old friend, Claire Dederer, about her seminal book, Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma. We ask the question: Is it possible to appreciate an artist's work if the artist's behavior is monstrous? Is the work of artists like Woody Al...
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Episode 17
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55:18