Open Ended

Fresh off a live event in Chicago, Tunde Olaniran joined Cher and James to discuss “fatness” and masculinity, activism and advocacy, and his new album, Transgressor. Music featured in this weeks episode: From Tunde Olaniran (in order of appearance): “Transgressor” “24KT” “Paladin” “Brown Boy” “Namesake” We were sponsored this week by: Cards Against Humanity: They asked us not to read an ad, so enjoy the show. References made during our conversation: Young Fathers are the Scottish band Cher went to see and who Tunde opened for. Planned Parenthood and all the great work they're doing in Flint, Michigan, USA. Another podcast on the Postloudness network that James recommends is Highwater. It’s a practical pop-culture driven advice show for the everyday artist and creative. Hosted by Chakka Reeves. This week's Open Call: Tunde: His thrifty find of a Jubilee Yellow Jacket. Cher & James: To all the great podcasters of color out there. In particular: Ignorant Philosophy and Berry from Podcasts In Color. We also h

Smartphones and high speed connections keep us connected with the most important people in our lives, but how are those relationships maintained over long distances? We find out through contributed stories by Rachel Hyman, Taz Kelleher, Cher Vincent, and James T. Green. The stories in today’s episode: “Against the Glass”, produced by James T. Green, written by Rachel Hyman and James T. Green, performed by Ayla Arthur and Maya Coleman. “The Moment You Go Long Distance”, produced by Taz Kelleher. “Friendfiction,” produced by Cher Vincent. This week’s Open Call: Cher: Ebroji for iOS James: ‘Aziz Ansari Needs Another Toothbrush’ by Freakonomics Radio (2015) We were sponsored this week by: ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign is a one stop, marketing & sales platform for businesses of all sizes, crafted right here in Chicago. ActiveCampaign helps businesses grow bigger, faster with email marketing and marketing automation. You can: Create sophisticated automated follow-up Send emails triggered by behavior Send perso

To mark the 60th episode, this week is just Cher and James, The Original Two. Topics of conversation include internet culture, an addiction to data and how content online has become indistinguishable just to be relevant. We were sponsored this week by: ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign is a one stop, marketing & sales platform for businesses of all sizes, crafted right here in Chicago. ActiveCampaign helps businesses grow bigger, faster with email marketing and marketing automation. You can: Create sophisticated automated follow-up Send emails triggered by behavior Send personalized campaigns that treat contacts as unique ActiveCampaign is hiring for Customer Success, Design, Development, Marketing, Sales, and Support positions. If you are interested in advancing your career and working for a fast-growing Chicagoland tech company, take a look at their open positions on: ActiveCampaign. Also a shoutout to Cards Against Humanity. A silent sponsor who didn't get an ad but we are very thankful for. References ma

While James is away, Cher meets up with Phillip-Michael Scales to discuss the music business in Los Angeles, being a black singer-songwriter in the age of Black Lives Matter, and a special musical great that influenced him. We were sponsored this week by: Warby Parker: For listeners of the Open Ended podcast, Warby Parker is offering a Free 5-Day Home Try-On to give you the opportunity to check out their glasses. To get your Home Try-On today go to Warby Parker to let us know that you came from us. ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign is a one stop, marketing & sales platform for businesses of all sizes, crafted right here in Chicago. ActiveCampaign helps businesses grow bigger, faster with email marketing and marketing automation. You can: Create sophisticated automated follow-up Send emails triggered by behavior Send personalized campaigns that treat contacts as unique ActiveCampaign is hiring for Customer Success, Design, Development, Marketing, Sales, and Support positions. If you are interested in advancin

In this week’s episode, Cher and James nerd out about narrative storytelling with Maya Goldberg-Safir. Maya works for Third Coast International Audio Festival and this is her first time on a podcast. We were sponsored this week by: Warby Parker: For listeners of the Open Ended podcast, Warby Parker is offering a Free 5-Day Home Try-On to give you the opportunity to check out their glasses. To get your Home Try-On today go to Warby Parker to let us know that you came from us. ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign is a one stop, marketing & sales platform for businesses of all sizes, crafted right here in Chicago. ActiveCampaign helps businesses grow bigger, faster with email marketing and marketing automation. You can: Create sophisticated automated follow-up Send emails triggered by behavior Send personalized campaigns that treat contacts as unique ActiveCampaign is hiring for Customer Success, Design, Development, Marketing, Sales, and Support positions. If you are interested in advancing your career and workin

In this week’s episode, Cher and James chat to Felton Kizer, founder and editor in chief of Off-Kilter Mag, an intimate movement of artists, designers, and seekers of individual truth. This week’s discussion surrounds diversity, photography and what it really means to be a starving artist. There is also talk of Beyonce and green beans. We were sponsored this week by: Warby Parker: For listeners of the Open Ended podcast, Warby Parker is offering a Free 5-Day Home Try-On to give you the opportunity to check out their glasses.To get your Home Try-On today go to Warby Parker to let us know that you came from us. ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign is a one stop, marketing & sales platform for businesses of all sizes, crafted right here in Chicago. ActiveCampaign helps businesses grow bigger, faster with email marketing and marketing automation. ActiveCampaign is hiring for Customer Success, Design, Development, Marketing, Sales, and Support positions. If you are interested in advancing your career and working for

This week, Cher and James talk share a small dispatch on Google I/O, and where they fall on the "AI-acceptance" spectrum. We were sponsored this week by: Cards Against Humanity- They asked us not to read an ad. Enjoy the show! LIVE SHOW ANNOUNCEMENTS: We are fleeing to the Cleve, to Weapons of Mass Creation in August! We are part of thew Sounds Like Chicago Podcast Festival at the Steppenwolf Theater, on August 17! References made during our conversation Bang Bang Pie, a terrific pie shop in Chicago Don't sleep on AI, by Steven Spielberg Google I/O, their developer conference, like Apple WWDC Google Home, a new AI feature from Google We also have announcements like: Help us reach our new fundraising goal for 2015-2016! We have our eyes on a portable recorder so we can start doing more on-site interviews, continue to pay our guests, and make this podcast sustainable. Give us a hand with a one-time donation at openended.fm/donate, and becoming a member starting at $1 a month, at patreon.com/openended.

This week, Cher and James talk with Kimberly Vincent, Cher's sister, on how the "youth" communicate with friends, foes, and the world. We were sponsored this week by: Iron Galaxy- Scream like a school kid with Capsule Force, an intergalactic-retro-anime multiplayer game now available on PS4 and Steam! capsuleforce.com References made during our conversation Souja Boy still got the hits! Eastern Illinois University, Kimberly's alma mater Snapchat, the youths' favorite thing The Stuff They Don't Want You To Know, Kimberly's favorite YouTube Kimberly's Instagram You know we couldn't forget about Open Call: Kimberly: NACWC, National Association fror Colored Women Club Cher: Beach Boys' Pet Sounds James: Gas Station Food We also have announcements like: Help us reach our new fundraising goal for 2015-2016! We have our eyes on a portable recorder so we can start doing more on-site interviews, continue to pay our guests, and make this podcast sustainable. Give us a hand with a one-time donation at openend

This week, Cher and James discuss triggers, how they find them, navigate them, and deal with the aftermath. We were sponsored this week by: Iron Galaxy: Scream like a school kid with Capsule Force, an intergalactic-retro-anime multiplayer game now available on PS4 and Steam! Visit capsuleforce.com References made during our conversation: Radiohead's 9th studio album, A Moon Shaped Pool Triggers You know we couldn't forget about Open Call: Cher: Subi Shah James: The "Thinking" Emoji We also have announcements like: Help us reach our new fundraising goal for 2015-2016! We have our eyes on a portable recorder so we can start doing more on-site interviews, continue to pay our guests, and make this podcast sustainable. Give us a hand with a one-time donation at openended.fm/donate, and becoming a member starting at $1 a month, at patreon.com/openended. "Open Up" segment will be a regular feature on our non-guests! Head over to ask.fm/openended to receive our excellent advice! You can also use t

This week, Cher and James discuss artist ownership in light of the recent releases of Beyonce and Radiohead, and the legacy of Prince. We were sponsored this week by: Cards Against Humanity: They asked us not to read an ad, but enjoy the show! References made during our conversation: Beyonce's Lemonade, her 6th studio album and film Radiohead's Burn the Witch release, the first single from their 9th studio album Prince's vault When Doves Cry is a very good song The Read's Lemonade's review Rob Sheffield's Rolling Stone review of Lemonade Sound Opinion's Lemonade review Switched on Pop's Purple Lemonade episode The Black Guy Who Tips Lemonade review You know we couldn't forget about Open Call: Cher: All Songs Considered: Tiny Desk Concert James: Columbia College's Doc Your World We also have announcements like: Help us reach our new fundraising goal for 2015-2016! We have our eyes on a portable recorder so we can start doing more on-site interviews, continue to pay our guests, and make this podcast sustainable

From the cutting room floor, Cher, James, and guest Lauren discuss the evolving language globally, and here at home. Topics covered during our conversation: Adultism Micro-aggression Misogynoir Demisexual

This week, Cher and James welcome Dr. Lauren Monsein Rhodes, discussing moving to new cities, her doctoral work with the black diaspora in Latvia, and the differences of global news coverage on #BlackLivesMatter. In Open Mic, we are argue over architecture. Lastly, in Open Call, Lauren chats about her joy of retail therapy, Cher talks about The Read: Live, and James shares an article that spoke to him. We were sponsored this week by: Basecamp: "When you use Basecamp to run projects, people know what to do, people know where things are, and you stay on top of everything all the time." References made during our conversation: Dr. Lauren Monsein Rhodes, Associate Director of Jane Hull House at UIC Stuart Hall, a cultural theorist Lauren's article on black African descent in Latvia Interview of Lauren for the National Integration Center in Latvia Open Mic is Back, y'all! Cher and Lauren vs James: Classic vs Modern Architecture You know we couldn't forget about Open Call: Lauren: Shopping! Cher: The po

From the cutting room floor, Cher and Angelica went on a sidebar conversation about impostor syndrome, and their annoyances with Daredevil and Jessica Jones’ Netflix programs. Topics covered during our conversation: Daredevil, TV Series Jessica Jones, TV Series Karen Page

This week, Cher and James welcome Angelica Jade Bastién, discussing TV recaps, film noir, and the subject of mental illness in her writing. In Open Mic, we debate on palm and tarot readings, hot dog condiments, and why comic book movies matter. Lastly, in Open Call, Cher shouts out a black radical, Jade shows some love for Wonder Woman, and James talks about the podcast, Millennial. References made during our conversation: Angelica Jade Bastién, a TV essayist and critic, and badass Angelica's piece about colorbind casting in regards to Oscar Issac, for the Atlantic Angelica's piece on LEMONADE, for Thrillist Angelica's blog, Madwomen and Muses, mostly on film noir Bette Davis, queen of everything Keanu Reeves, so underrated and underused Angelica's piece for Vulture on film noir Open Mic is Back, y'all! Cher vs Angelica: Palm vs Tarot Card Reading James vs Angelica: Ketchup vs Chicago Style on hot dogs Open Ended vs Angelica: Superheroes Movies: Why do they matter? You know we couldn't forget about Open Call:

It's Open Ended 50th Episode EXTRAVAGANZA! Cher and James take a trip down memory lane, answering listener emails, and revealing some hopes for the future. In Open Call, she talks about her latest TV obsession, and James discusses his love for two Chicago ladies making news! We were sponsored this week by: Inventables: The hardware store for designers. Learn more about Carvey their new 3D Carving machine at inventables.com. References made during our conversation: Open Ended's first studio, simpler times Cher's Favorite Episodes without a guest: 31: ‘Multiple People Read This’ and 40: 'Beyonce Sportsball' James' Favorite Episode without a guest: 26: 'Where is that Light Coming From' James' Favorite Episode with a guest: 25: 'Sorry White Listeners' with Rashid Zakat Cher's Favorite Episode with a guest: 23: 'The Same Mess Everywhere' with Lindsay Eyth Open Ended's First Episode was something special... The YouTube video that Cher watched to create her 'portable soundbooth' You know we couldn't forget about Ope

This week, Cher and James hang out with conceptual artist Fidencio Martinez, discussing his art, upbringing, and visibility in the art world. In Open Mic, they debate on maps, GPS, organization, and learning to appreciate art. Lastly in Open Call, Fidencio shares a book, Cher talks about an old teen drama, and James talks about kale. We were sponsored this week by: Podcast Movement: Looking to start a podcast of your own? This year, Podcast Movement, the world's largest podcaster conference, will be in Chicago. Learn more at PodcastMovement.com, and use code CPC to save $30 off registration. References made during our conversation: Fidencio Martinez, conceptual artist The Widow's Veil MCA Chicago Post War Exhibition in 2013 Grace Church of Logan Square, Chicago, where Fidencio is an artist in residence John Oliver's takedown on the Donald Drumph's proposed Wall ART THOUGHTZ, on YouTube Open Mic is back guys!: Cher vs Fidencio: Maps vs GPS James vs Fidencio: Why Artists Should Be More Organized Cher vs Fidenci

This week, Cher and James discuss Kanye West's ever-evolving seventh album, The Life of Pablo. In Open Call, Cher talks about two self care treatments, and James shares his delight over a new news app. We were sponsored this week by: Second City Chicago: Love comedy and filmmaking? The Harold Ramis Film School year-long program at The Second City is for you! Visit RamisFilmSchool.com for more info. References made during our conversation: Kanye West, the enigma and the legend The Life of Pablo, West's seventh studio album Linda Holmes of Pop Culture Happy Hour, discussing TLOP with Sean Rameswaram of Sideshow TLOP edit by Darius Radiohead released stems of tracks from their 2007 album, In Rainbows You know we couldn't forget about Open Call: Cher: The West Wing on Netflix and Shea Moisture's African Black Soap James: The Quartz App We also have announcements like: Help us reach our new fundraising goal for 2015-2016! We have our eyes on a portable recorder so we can start doing more on-site interviews, contin

This week Cher and James hang out with Jeff Kahn of Rise Science to discuss the importance of sleep, how it affects your productivity, and the disadvantages that has plagued the POC community for generations. We were sponsored this week by: Cards Against Humanity: They asked us not to read an ad, but encouraged you to enjoy the show! References made during our conversation: Jeff Kahn, CEO of Rise Science Sleep Debt Emma Adam, professor at Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy Open Mic is back guys!: Cher vs Jeff: Best way to wake up: Sound vs Light James vs Jeff: Best way to sleep: Sound vs Light Open Ended vs Jeff: West Coast vs Midwest You know we couldn't forget about Open Call: Jeff: Life is Short Cher: ReSound LIVE: Odd Couples from Third Coast Festival James: AmPro Styling Gel We also have announcements like: Help us reach our new fundraising goal for 2016! We have our eyes on a portable recorder so we can start doing more on-site interviews, continue to pay our guests, and make

This week, in the spirit of International Women's Month, Cher and James discuss how the conversation online isn't completely intersectional. In Open Call, Cher and James talk about podcasts that got them through this week, and James also talks about Ruby on Rails. We were sponsored this week by: Basecamp: When you use Basecamp to run projects, people know what to do, people know where things are, and you stay on top of everything all the time. References made during our conversation: March is Women's History Month, guys. arts.black is the site we all need in our lives Kimberly Drew, advancing visibility in art Jenny Zhang, an incredible music writer for Rookie Eve Ewing, a Chicago writer for Seven Scribes, speaking on Black Lives Matter The panel Cher was on for International Women's Day Trickle Up Feminism, something that needs to be considered You know we couldn't forget about Open Call: Cher: Snap Judgement's latest episode on a trans woman's journey in her first year transitioning and Cher is hella hyped

This week, Cher and James chat it up with Maya Coleman, Community Manager at Secret Hitler, to discuss gaming as a person of color. In Open Up, we consider the benefits of Slack for personal use. In Open Mic, we debate with Maya on mobile games, Apple Watch, and social media platforms. Lastly, in Open Call: Maya saw a new Disney film, Cher saw a really great concert, and James appreciates physical books. References made during our conversation: Maya Coleman, movie composer and Secret Hitler Community Manager Secret Hitler, an dangerously-fun tabletop game Crash Bandicoot, a game Cher couldn't handle back in 1998 Black Girl Nerds Podcast, a fantastic podcast about gaming and tech Tumblr, Maya's favorite site, for very good reason JIF, the true pronunciation We got a question for Open Up!: Audrey asked: Do you use Slack for personal as well as work? And if you do, how do you use it? Open Mic is back!: Cher vs Maya: iPhone games vs portable consoles James vs Maya: Apple Watch Open Ended vs Maya: Every other soci