Best Shape Shifter Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 292 - How Can I Sing Like a Girl part 2 1:08:39

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15h ago1:08:39

1:08:39

Shannon Cooke and I finish our conversation on the Factory Showroom track "How Can I Sing Like a Girl." We check out live versions from throughout the decades, hear a handful of awesome covers, and score this TMBG classic.By Greg Simpson

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Poem: AKIL UNBOUND | S7 E2 15:58

8d ago15:58

15:58

This poem is a haunting and evocative exploration of selfhood, memory, and the fragile thread between past and future. It begins with a restless questioning—of images, titles, and the meaning we impose on them—drawing the listener into a vivid, almost dreamlike journey. Through striking imagery and raw introspection, Akil wanders through landscapes…

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Episode 291 - How Can I Sing Like a Girl? part 1 53:31

18d ago53:31

53:31

Shannon Cooke returns to the show to talk about the Factory Showroom cut "How Can I Sing Like a Girl?" On part 1, I get an oracle card reading from Shannon's custom TMBG-themed deck, we talk about demo and get techie with studio gear used on Factory Showroom, and give a tribute to our friend Mari Morton.…

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Should you have to pass a test to have kids? 22:30

20d ago22:30

22:30

We test for everything: to get a licence, to move to the next grade, to prove you're ready to use a pen. But when it comes to becoming a biological parent, there's no test to pass. Should there be? Would a parenting test be a good idea? Brains Trust — Gibbs Street Public School, Perth: Fitzroy, Shahla, Jorja, Nafi, Tabitha, Gumaan Listen to Short &…

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Is it wrong to think bad thoughts about people? 20:06

20d ago20:06

20:06

We all have thoughts about other people that we’d never say aloud. But do our private thoughts say something about the kind of people we are? Or is it only our actions that count? Brains Trust - Gibbs Street Public School, Perth: Layla, Avjot, Johanna, Imogen, Sampada, Claudia. Listen to Short & Curly, the fun and educational ABC kids podcast about…

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Graffiti or Gallery? When does graffiti become street art? 23:00

20d ago23:00

23:00

Ever walked past a spray-painted wall and thought, "That's actually really cool and beautiful!" But is it art or just stylish vandalism? Molly and Carl grab some spray cans and dive into the messy, colourful world of graffiti to ask: when does a rebellious scribble become art, and who gets to decide? Brains Trust — Gibbs Street Public School, Perth…

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Risky Rescues: Should you save someone who ignored warnings? 20:30

20d ago20:30

20:30

There's wild surf at the beach today, but people are still choosing to swim outside the area patrolled by lifeguards. If those swimmers get into trouble out there, should other people put themselves at risk to save them? Or does ignoring the warnings mean you're on your own? Brains Trust — Gibbs Street Public School, Perth: Fitzroy, Shahla, Jorja, …

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Bad dog or bad owner? Who’s really to blame? 20:30

20d ago20:30

20:30

Most dogs are loving companions, but what about the ones that bite, bark, or cause chaos? Is a dog's bad behaviour their own fault or is it down to the way they were raised? From neglected pups to misunderstood mutts, we dig into the debate: Who's really responsible when a dog goes rogue, and what should we do about it? Brains Trust — Gibbs Street …

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Episode 290 - Nine Bowls of Soup 1:07:09

1M ago1:07:09

1:07:09

Hooray for meeting podcast friends! Noah Daniel visited all the way from friggin' Germany to record this episode live in-studio at Velour Underground. We talk about the Here Come the 123s story-song "Nine Bowls of Soup" and debut our cover, featuring the guest "woahs" of my girls Zinnia and Ramona.By Greg Simpson

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Poem: It's Time To Move On | S7 E1 5:34

1M ago5:34

5:34

A journey through shadows into light, "It's Time To Move On" is a poem that weaves the echoes of heartbreak and disappointment into a tapestry of strength. Each line drifts across the lingering fragments of painful memories, slowly transforming sorrow into self-discovery. From the weight of grief rises a quiet resilience, and from the silence of re…

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Episode 289 - Quit the Circus part 2 54:58

2M ago54:58

54:58

Andee Fischer and I have even more to say about "Quit the Circus," time signatures and the band's amazing horn section. Then we hear some covers from the Crüe, and give the ever-important scores to the song.By Greg Simpson

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The Secret Power Hidden In Your Art! 9:34

2M ago9:34

9:34

Your Art Is A Spell Season 1 Episode 21 You are not broken. You are becoming. This finale of Your Art Is a Spell reveals the sacred truth of mutation — how every act of art, imagination, and creation shifts timelines and transforms the world. Inspired by Octavia Butler, Mark Mothersbaugh, and cosmic astrology of 2025, this is your call to power. Ti…

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Episode 288 - Quit The Circus part 1 1:18:55

2M ago1:18:55

1:18:55

Andee Fischer makes her debut appearance on the show to talk about the Book deep cut "Quit the Circus." In part one, she tells us about her dancing and circus-adjacent skills, we dream up our ideal TMBG setlists, and we discuss the toxic family dynamics in this great track.By Greg Simpson

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Season 1 Reflections, Psychic Gifts & Spells for Creative Freedom 46:34

2M ago46:34

46:34

Your Art Is A Spell Season 1 Episode 20 In this second-to-last episode of Your Art Is A Spell, Edgar Fabián Frías reflects on the wild magic of Season 1, shares a collective two-card tarot reading, and answers listener questions about creative blocks, ADHD focus, and healing money shame. Along the way, Edgar weaves in stories of psychic gifts, ance…

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Episode 287 - When It Rains It Snows part 2 1:03:11

2M ago1:03:11

1:03:11

Here John Walker and I continue our discussion on this classic b-side. We check out one of the few live versions, and enjoy a bunch of cover versions and debut our very own collaborative cover!By Greg Simpson

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Episode 286 - When It Rains It Snows part 1 1:13:14

2M ago1:13:14

1:13:14

John Walker returns after many a year to talk about the classic TMBG b-side "When It Rains It Snows." With John being a fellow podcaster (FYIz), we get pretty chatty about music nerd stuff, so join us on this musical adventure as we dissect "When It Rains It Snows" and talk time signatures and lyrics, and next week in part 2 you'll get the remainde…

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Episode 285 - Shape Shifter 1:36:27

3M ago1:36:27

1:36:27

Jonathan Leonard returns to the show for a record-setting 6th time to talk about the Phone Power banger "Shape Shifter". We discuss robot vocals and Autotune, all sort of ways to read this song including hearing some interpretations from some other TMBP friends, and rock three covers from the Crüe, including one from me!…

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Drag, Dionysus & Divine Disobedience: Uma Gahd on Art as Ritual 59:01

3M ago59:01

59:01

Your Art Is A Spell Season 1 Episode 19 In this episode of Your Art is a Spell, I’m joined by drag artist, educator, and witch Uma Gahd (Canada’s Drag Race Season 5). We dive into drag as ritual, Dionysian magic, chosen family, queer resilience, and what it means to stay authentic in a commercialized world. ✨🧙‍♀️🎭 🎭 Follow Uma Gahd: @umagahd and ho…

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Episode 284 - Sleepwalkers / What Is Everyone Staring At? 2:14:57

3M ago2:14:57

2:14:57

Jacikat returns to the show for the umpteenth time to chat about "Sleepwalkers" off of No!, which began its life as an "adult" song called "What Is Everyone Staring At," which never made it past Dial-a-Song before it transformed. We discuss both versions, check out the live versions and gather covers of both songs, including Jacikat covering BOTH! …

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Hair Is A Spell: Gray Hair Magic & Gender Freedom with Opal Starlight ✨ 45:01

4M ago45:01

45:01

Your Art Is A Spell Season 1 Episode 18 In this magical episode of Your Art Is A Spell, Edgar Fabián Frías sits down with the incredible Opal Starlight (they/them), a queer hairstylist, witch, and healer based in the Bay Area. Opal shares how they transformed their journey from working in celebrity salons to creating Magic Spell Studio, a deeply in…

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Episode 283 - Impossibly New 1:58:13

4M ago1:58:13

1:58:13

Guests Kelilah Miller and Rose Anderson team up to take on this lovely Phone Power track. The pair tell us about becoming transatlantic friends through TMBG fandom, and then we all dissect the song and hear them do their own cover version. ***Hear this episode ad-free here!***By Greg Simpson

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The Power of Belief: Awakening Your Psychic Gifts in a Time of Crisis 17:56

4M ago17:56

17:56

Your Art Is A Spell Season 1 Episode 17 In this episode, “The Power of Belief: Awakening Your Psychic Gifts in a Time of Crisis,” I explore how belief shapes our psychic capacities—and why systems of control are so invested in suppressing them. From interspecies communication to remote viewing, from being in the G.A.T.E. program to experiencing spo…

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Episode 282 - Wait Actually Yeah No 1:21:56

4M ago1:21:56

1:21:56

Creative writing teacher and contributor to The Onion, The New York Times Magazine, and elsewhere, Jean-Luc Bouchard returns to the show to talk about the Book deep cut "Wait Actually Yeah No". We attempt to make sense of the lyrics, hear some explanations straight from a Linnell podcast appearance on Full Album Fridays, and make a pitch for this a…

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Episode 281 - Narrow Your Eyes 1:47:46

4M ago1:47:46

1:47:46

Ian Reynard returns to the show to talk about the Apollo 18 classic "Narrow Your Eyes." We dive into a bunch of live versions that span over 30 years, hear a bunch of custom covers, and try to decide just how "baroque" TMBG are.By Greg Simpson

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Episode 280 - Next Plane to London pt 2 with Dawn Eden Goldstein! 36:19

4M ago36:19

36:19

Returning to talk about the TMBG cover of The Rose Garden's sole hit, Dawn Eden Goldstein shares her thoughts on it plus a few more fun and informative stories. Find Dawn's song "Alone With You" performed by Juniper here! Here a version of it performed by The Anderson Council here! Read her 2018 interview with TMBG for Angelus here!…

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Episode 279 - Next Plane to London pt 1 with Dawn Eden Goldstein! 1:35:59

5M ago1:35:59

1:35:59

TMBG's cover of The Rose Garden's one hit song, "Next Plane to London," was one of the earliest tunes to hit the brand-new Dial-a-Song service in 1984. Dawn Eden Goldstein, a canon lawyer and theologist who was formerly a rock music historian, regales us with personal stories about her history as a TMBG fan. She got hip to the band prior to even th…

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The Secret Reason Your Art Gets No Likes! 14:39

5M ago14:39

14:39

Your Art Is A Spell Season 1 Episode 16 What if shadowbanning isn’t just an algorithmic glitch—but a curse? A silencing spell cast on witches, weirdos, and worldbuilders? And what if breaking that curse means reclaiming your visibility, your voice, and your magic—one uncensored post at a time? In this bold and galvanizing solo episode of Your Art I…

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Anne Horel Lost 130 Artworks in One Day—Here’s What She Did Next 56:05

5M ago56:05

56:05

Your Art Is A Spell Season 1 Episode 15 Join Edgar Fabián Frías in conversation with Paris-based digital artist Anne Horel as they dive into AI art, AR filters, witchcraft, veganism, and the magic of making art in the post-internet age. From Vine to the Grand Palais, Anne shares her visionary practice and spells for the future. #AIart #DigitalWitch…

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What Is An Art Spell? (And How To Cast One) 11:56

5M ago11:56

11:56

Your Art Is A Spell Season 1 Episode 14 Is your art more than just art? 🎨✨ In this episode of Your Art Is A Spell, Edgar Fabián Frías unpacks the power of art spells—creative acts infused with intention, feeling, and transformation. Discover how your creativity can become a portal, a protest, and a sacred force of change. 🌱🔮 Learn what makes an art…

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Digital Witnessing: Queer Futures & Glitch Potentials With Lineadeluz 40:33

5M ago40:33

40:33

Your Art Is A Spell Season 1 Episode 13 Is this the future of art? 👁️🌐✨ We explore 3 mind-bending digital art exhibitions in LA—featuring AR, AI, glitches, and queer futurities—with artist @lineadeluz of the @TheSelfieInstitute as our guide. 🖼️ Featured Exhibitions: Digital Witness: Revolutions in Design, Photography, and Film at the Los Angeles Co…

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5 Money Mindset Shifts Every Artist Needs 12:37

6M ago12:37

12:37

🔥 What if the stories we’ve been told about money and art are keeping us broke? In this episode of Your Art is a Spell, I’m breaking down 5 transformative money mindset shifts every artist needs to break free from financial struggle. So many artists are taught that making money means selling out… that art and business can’t mix… that struggling is …

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How Punk Damage F*cks Up Our Movements (And Our Money) 11:47

6M ago11:47

11:47

What if the way we resist capitalism is actually keeping us broke? In this episode, I dive deep into "punk damage" - that voice telling you making money equals selling out - and how it accidentally reinforces the very systems we're trying to dismantle. So many of you requested this topic in the comments, and I'm finally addressing the uncomfortable…

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Episode 278 - They Got Lost 1:33:20

6M ago1:33:20

1:33:20

Erin Rose O'Brien returns to the show to talk about "They Got Lost," with its different versions from Severe Tire Damage and Long Tall Weekend. We debate which is the superior version, discuss melody vs. story in songs, and dig into the background of our covers artists.By Greg Simpson

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The System Keeps Artists Broke—Here’s How to Break Free 11:44

6M ago11:44

11:44

Have you ever felt like the system was deliberately keeping you broke? Like your creativity was being celebrated—but never compensated? What if the lack of financial education for artists isn’t an oversight… but a spell cast to keep us disempowered? In this no-holds-barred episode of Your Art is a Spell, we break the silence around the hidden force…

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Episode 277 - The Biggest One 1:10:31

6M ago1:10:31

1:10:31

Tara Trate returns to the show to talk about an early TMBG b-side, "The Biggest One." We discuss the song's importance in the band's early history, dirty diners, and songs with beats missing.By Greg Simpson

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The Magic of Community: Michelle Tea on Writing, Witchcraft & Creating Artistic Spaces 59:08

6M ago59:08

59:08

Can you turn words into spells that conjure real community? Michelle Tea has been doing it for decades—and she's ready to share her secrets. Have you ever felt like your writing was more than just words on a page? Like it could actually summon people, create connections, and build worlds? What if the stories you tell could literally manifest the co…

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Nonlinear Psychic Collaboration: Quantum Consciousness, Telepathy, Time Travel, and UFOs 24:18

7M ago24:18

24:18

Have you ever created something and felt like you weren't entirely alone in the process? Had an artistic breakthrough that seemed to come from somewhere beyond yourself? What if your creativity isn't just happening here and now but is connecting across dimensions? Most of us have been taught that art is simply self-expression – a one-way street fro…

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Can you lie even when you don’t say anything? 24:00

7M ago24:00

24:00

The line between truth and deception can be blurry. Is leaving out important information a lie? What about misleading gestures, or half-truths? Babysitting Matt's kids force Molly and Carl to confront these complexities firsthand as they lie to get out of tricky situations. Summer Hill Public School: Dimitri, Mia, Teddy, Milla, Cleo, Marcus…

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Shape shifters — When is something no longer itself? 22:12

7M ago22:12

22:12

Join Molly and Carl as they valiantly attempt a world record sailing around the globe on their boat, the Theseus. Faced with a constant need for boat repairs, they are forced to confront a perplexing question: how many changes can you make to something before it's no longer the same thing it started out as? South Wagga Public School: Noah, Lucas, J…

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Do we need a rule book to be a good person? 21:30

7M ago21:30

21:30

Molly and Carl visit Greece in search of the mythical "Scroll of Rights and Wrongs", an ancient guide written by the smartest person to have ever lived: Adamantia The Wise*. The elusive ancient text contains the ultimate guide to morality, but what does it say? South Wagga Public School: Noah, Lucas, Jasmine, Hunter, Olivia *definitely not a real p…

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Three siblings, one musical instrument, who should get it? 23:36

7M ago23:36

23:36

Have you ever had a fight with your sibling over who should get to keep something? In a small village a long time ago, Queen Ethiconia had to settle a dispute between three siblings fighting over a musical instrument they all want and all think they deserve: a wooden recorder. Each says the recorder should be theirs, but for very different, compell…