5AM StoryTalk

• Blak Douglas (artist: Indigenous Australian / free speech / political art)

  Today I'm joined by Australian First Nations artist BLAK DOUGLAS to discuss his highly political art, censorship in the Australian arts with regard to speaking out about Palestine, and the legacy of colonization in Australia, his identity, and his work. Blak has won numerous major prizes, including the Archibald Prize (2022), and his paintings hang on most major museum walls in the country where his ancestors have been custodians of the land for tens of thousands of years before and after Europeans arrived. Learn more about Blak and check out his artwork at his website: https://blakdouglas.com.au/about/5AM StoryTalk would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast is recorded, the Djarra people of the Kulin Nation and pay respects to Elders past and present.A bonus episode, exclusive to 5AM StoryTalk’s bad-ass paid subscribers, is also available via Apple Podcasts or ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ at Substack: https://colehaddon.substack.com/p/bonus-episode-blak-douglas-talksIn it, Blak and I discussing a seminal piece of art from his life – the 1966 Australian $1 banknote, which featured a design that brazenly stole the bark paintings of Aboriginal artist David Malangi.Subscribe to the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter: https://colehaddon.substack.com/Get access to this podcast episode, the bonus episode, and hundreds of other arts and culture articles, essays, and educational resources.Show notes. Blak and I discuss the following and much more:His brutally candid thoughts about Australia’s colonial history and its impact on his identity and artistic journeyHis art as protest and education His early life growing up, the son of an Aboriginal father and white mother, in a white monoculture still reckoning with its White Only PolicyThe impact of early Aboriginal artistic mentors and the pivotal role they played in his creative life, but also his desire to embrace his Aboriginal identityWhy he ultimately adopted the name "Blak Douglas"Australia’s art scene and the challenges that face artists – especially Aboriginal artists – who speak out on issues that a small group of gallery gatekeepers don’t agree with (meaning: the challenges to free speech in the Australian arts today)Links:Learn more about Blak and his work at his website: https://blakdouglas.com.au/about/Follow Blak at Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blakdouglas/Read about the Welcome to Country acknowledgment of Australia, which is discussed in this episode: https://www.reconciliation.org.au/reconciliation/acknowledgement-of-country-and-welcome-to-country/Social Media:Follow Cole at…⁠Bluesky⁠: https://bsky.app/profile/colehaddon.bsky.social⁠Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/colehaddonwashere⁠Threads⁠: https://www.threads.com/@colehaddonwashere⁠Facebook⁠: https://www.facebook.com/colehaddonwashereEmail:[email protected]

  --------  

  50:10

  --------

  50:10
• MINISODE: How 'Andor' Blows Up Star Wars' Obsession With Moral Absolutism

  Let’s reconsider the Prequel and Original STAR WARS trilogies through the lens of “ANDOR” and what it has to say about the 21st century society, our blind devotion to ancient religions and their ideas of good and evil, and why the Jedi maybe (probably) had it coming. This is going to be a provocative conversation, but I believe we can better understand who we are as a culture and as individuals by constantly interrogating our most closely held beliefs about art and sacred cows like Star Wars. For screenwriters, this will be a lot to learn about how to better deconstruct the work of others to improve your own craft.5AM StoryTalk would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast is recorded, the Djarra people of the Kulin Nation and pay respects to Elders past and present.Become a subscriber to the ⁠⁠5AM StoryTalk newsletter⁠⁠⁠You'll gain access to both the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter and all episodes of this podcast – including paywalled bonus episodes.Other Reading:Read “How 'Andor' Blows Up Star Wars' Obsession With Moral Absolutism” insteadRead “How Tony Gilroy Made 'Andor' One of the Best Series on TV”Read “Luke Skywalker Isn't the Hero You Want Him to Be”Social Media:Follow Cole at…BlueskyInstagramThreadsFacebookEmail:[email protected]

  --------  

  23:05

  --------

  23:05
• Joe Barton (TV creator: Black Doves / Giri/Haji / The Lazarus Project)

  Today I'm joined by British screenwriter JOE BARTON – creator of TV series such as “Giri/Haji”, “The Lazarus Project”, and, most recently, Netflix’s smash hit “Black Doves” starring Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw, and Sarah Lancashire. We’re going to dissect why I love his work so much – revealing creative DNA from Steven Spielberg to “The West Wing”.A bonus episode, exclusive to 5AM StoryTalk’s amazing paid subscribers, is also available via Apple Podcasts or ⁠here⁠. If you’re not yet a paid subscriber, you’ll get more of Joe and I discussing a seminal piece of art from his life – Curtis Hanson’s 2000 film Wonder Boys, an adaptation of Michael Chabon’s novel of the same name.Subscribe to the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ to get access to this podcast episode, the bonus episode, and hundreds of other arts and culture articles, essays, and educational resources.5AM StoryTalk would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast is recorded, the Djarra people of the Kulin Nation and pay respects to Elders past and present.Show notes. Joe and I discuss the following and much more:The creative and cultural influences on his work, examining how Steven Spielberg and the British approach to storytelling synthetized in his own creative processHow he crafts stories that sit between reality and fantasy with a light-hearted yet serious tone – even embracing campThe unique genesis of "Black Doves" and its serendipitous, almost unbelievably quick route to a green light from NetflixHow he developed the central relationship of “Black Doves” by subverting our expectations of the “buddy dynamic” of action-thriller storiesThe difficulty of prioritizing “small pleasures” as a freelance artistThe evolution of TV storytelling and the possibility of a shift away from bleak, unlikable – albeit compelling characters – toward characters and worlds you look forward to spending time with/inJaws, “The West Wing”, Wes Anderson, and much moreLinks:Become a paid subscriber to the ⁠5AM StoryTalk newsletter⁠⁠ to gain access to both the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter and all episodes of this podcast – including paywalled bonus episodesListen to my bonus episode with Joe ⁠here⁠Learn more about Joe at Wikipedia hereWatch the “Black Doves” trailerWatch “The Lazarus Project” trailerWatch the “Giri/Haji” trailerFollow Joe on Bluesky

  --------  

  56:31

  --------

  56:31
• Dr. Anne Rimoin (epidemiologist: bird flu / Covid / pandemics and art)

  I'm joined by epidemiologist DR. ANNE RIMOIN, who will be discussing her scientific work and art’s role in our relationship to disease, pandemic potential viruses like H151 (avian flu), and what if anything we learned from COVID. She’s a Professor of Epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health where she is also the Gordon-Levin Endowed Chair in Infectious Diseases and Public Health and the director of the Center for Global and Immigrant Health.A bonus episode, exclusive to 5AM StoryTalk’s amazing paid subscribers, is also available here. If you’re not yet a paid subscriber, you’ll get more of Anne and I discussing a seminal piece of art from her life – Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca’s 2014 song “E Moyo”.Subscribe to the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter ⁠here⁠ to get access to this podcast episode, the bonus episode, and hundreds of other arts and culture articles, essays, and educational resources.5AM StoryTalk would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast is recorded, the Djarra people of the Kulin Nation and pay respects to Elders past and present.Show notes. Dr. Rimoin and I discuss the following and much more:The challenges of being a scientist in America in 2025Her journey from record company intern to the Peace Corps to leading epidemiologistHer lifelong love affair with Africa, especially Congo, and her years fighting disease thereHow the inter-cultural communication skills she learned in Benin and, later, Congo, inform her role as a science communicator today – but also, what this skill reveals about the failure of many, especially on the Left, to communicate effectivelyThe profound risk of cutting federal funding for disease prevention when the H151 virus, also known as avian flu, is knocking on our doorWhat COVID taught her was the real threat to society in the inevitable event of another pandemic (spoiler: the answer is not “dying from virulent disease”)Whether a Black Plague-like pandemic – or even one as lethal as the one in Emily St. John Mandel’s novel Station Eleven – could occur in the 21st century given our scientific achievementsThe portrayal of pandemics in media, or the lack thereof with regard to COVIDLinks:Become a paid subscriber to the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter⁠ to gain access to both the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter and all episodes of this podcast – including paywalled bonus episodesListen to my bonus episode with Dr. Rimoin hereLearn more about Dr. Rimoin hereFollow Dr. Rimoin on Instagram

  --------  

  57:06

  --------

  57:06
• MINISODE: How to Write Better Dialogue (While Becoming a Better Person)

  Today we’re going to be discussing three game-changing lessons you can learn from interviewing others - both to enrich your writing and your life. This skill, which I developed as a freelance arts journalist for Village Voice Media amongst others, has directly impacted my screenwriting and fiction writing over the years. But it's also helped bring me closer to loved ones I was struggling to understand better.5AM StoryTalk would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast is recorded, the Djarra people of the Kulin Nation and pay respects to Elders past and present.Links:Become a subscriber to the ⁠5AM StoryTalk newsletter⁠⁠ to gain access to both the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter and all episodes of this podcast – including paywalled bonus episodesRead the 5AM StoryTalk essay this minisode was inspired by hereIn this minisode, I discuss my disappointment over how poorly my pilot episode of "Dracula", a TV series I created, was mangled by the head writer. You can read a detailed breakdown of what happened to my script here, because its journey from my laptop to screens is a Master Class in how not to make good TV

  --------  

  17:23

  --------

  17:23

More TV & Film podcasts

Trending TV & Film podcasts

About 5AM StoryTalk