Nick Catchdubs: Canal Street Dreams Ep. 3

Summary

Canal Street Dreams: Episode 3 with Nick Catchdubs

Release Date: May 2, 2025

Hosts: Eddie Huang and Natashia Perrotti
Guest: Nick Catchdubs (Nick Barat Barrett)
Platform: Full episode available on Substack, free half-hour version on YouTube.

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1. Welcome and Introduction

Eddie Huang welcomes Nick Catchdubs, his friend of 15 years, to Canal Street Dreams. Nick is introduced as the co-founder of Fool's Gold and a renowned party DJ. The primary focus of the episode is Nick's transition from being a label co-founder and DJ to becoming a writer and director.

Notable Quote:

"I'm making the transition from label co-founder, owner to writer, director extraordinaire." — Eddie Huang [00:30]

2. From Music to Filmmaking

Nick discusses his journey into filmmaking, drawing parallels between his and Eddie's career transitions. He appreciates Eddie's genuine and straightforward feedback, which differs from typical industry critiques.

Notable Quotes:

"You gave me like, boss feedback, like, and as an artist, entrepreneur, I think that's a very healthy way of looking at the process." — Nick Catchdubs [01:15]
"It's better than the stuff that people send me. But as you know, the fact that it's dope is, like, the least, most important part of actually getting it made." — Nick Catchdubs [01:14]

3. Creative Support and Vulnerability

The hosts delve into the emotional vulnerability involved in sharing creative work with close friends. Eddie shares a personal anecdote about sending a script to a significant other and the nervousness that accompanies such exchanges.

Notable Quotes:

"It's like sending nudes. It's like being really, really candid, almost bare with their shit." — Nick Catchdubs [03:13]
"I'd rather show you my, you know, terrible penis. Like, I don't know. Like, it's so." — Eddie Huang [02:53]

4. Early Days and Shared Experiences

Eddie reminisces about early moments in his friendship with Nick, including attending parties and DJing together. They discuss memorable events, such as a flight facility set that left a lasting impression.

Notable Quotes:

"This is where it started. That's my right." — Nick Catchdubs [07:10]
"This song... has been burned in my brain? Yeah, it's insane." — Eddie Huang [07:21]

5. Building Fool's Gold

The conversation shifts to the origins of Fool's Gold, detailing how Eddie and Nick bonded over DJing and shared musical interests. They highlight the unique approach Fool's Gold took in documenting and supporting unconventional music projects.

Notable Quotes:

"We became friends just through DJing together." — Nick Catchdubs [11:35]
"We were documenting what our friends were doing because he had produced the first Kid Sister project and they were trying to get it signed and nobody understood it." — Nick Catchdubs [13:44]

6. Navigating the Music Scene

Nick reflects on the changing music landscape from 2008 to 2011, touching upon the evolution of party venues and the rise of indie, DJ-centric music. They discuss the challenges of gaining recognition in a saturated market.

Notable Quotes:

"There wasn't really, like, club clubs. They were like ultra lounges." — Nick Catchdubs [11:49]
"Fool's Gold was trying to document a thing that was happening as opposed to, like, creating it." — Nick Catchdubs [13:44]

7. Entrepreneurship and Creativity

The hosts emphasize the importance of originality and perseverance in creative endeavors. They discuss the pressures of entrepreneurship and the necessity of supporting peers in their artistic pursuits.

Notable Quotes:

"People want to do something big, but often don't follow through." — Nick Catchdubs [10:00]
"The rebellious nature that I think is missing in film and art generally right now." — Eddie Huang [28:18]

8. The Role of Short Films

Nick elaborates on his approach to creating short films as proof of concept, not just for larger projects but as expressions of his unique narrative and aesthetic sensibilities. He draws inspiration from figures like Kevin Smith and Robert Rodriguez.

Notable Quotes:

"I wanted to make some shit, you know, and coming from a DIY sensibility in music... actually bring it into existence." — Nick Catchdubs [25:00]
"We need more people that are just making stories personal to them and showing their freaky flag." — Eddie Huang [28:18]

9. Originality vs. Commercial Pressures

The discussion highlights the tension between creating original content and the commercial demands of the industry. Both hosts advocate for staying true to one's artistic vision rather than conforming to prevailing trends or expectations.

Notable Quotes:

"Biting is the worst shit that you could possibly do." — Nick Catchdubs [28:37]
"I don't want to copy someone to get in. I don't want to copy somebody's homework." — Eddie Huang [28:37]

10. Personal Anecdotes and Humor

Throughout the episode, light-hearted moments and personal stories add depth to the conversation. From reminiscing about fake IDs to sharing quirky viewing habits, the hosts and guest showcase their camaraderie and unique personalities.

Notable Quotes:

"I got to chug this water. And I'm like, I did not bring a water on this bus." — Nick Catchdubs [14:32]
"What's the most criminal thing I think I did this month was like, Tuesday night..." — Eddie Huang [31:30]

11. Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Eddie and Natashia wrap up the free portion of the episode, inviting listeners to access the full interview on Substack. The conversation underscores the value of authentic creative expression, the importance of supportive communities, and the relentless pursuit of artistic dreams.

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Join the Artistic Community:

For the full interview with Nick Catchdubs and deeper insights into making creative dreams a reality, subscribe to Canal Street Dreams on Substack.

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Note: This summary excludes non-content sections such as advertisements and brief interludes to maintain focus on the substantive discussions.

Transcript

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[Eddie]

All right, welcome back. Canal Street Dreams. Very special guest today, a friend of mine for 15 years, Nick Ketch dubs Nick Barat Barrett Barrett also co founder of Fool's Gold. My favorite go to party dj. Any important life moment, Nick has to be the dj. But more than anything, I wanted to get him on today because he's making the transition from label co founder, owner to writer, director extraordinaire. We're very excited about your first short film.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Thank you. And you were the first person who I ever talked to about it because you had made that leap yourself from.

[Eddie]

Chef to writer director.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Yeah. And I tell this everybody, sort of like, I love that you called me immediately and your feedback wasn't like, yeah, in the third act, da da da. Or like, what if so and so was a woman. You gave me, like, boss feedback, like, and as an artist, entrepreneur, I think that that's a very healthy way of looking at the process. I sent Eddie the script for not the short that I'm making right now, but I had written a feature and I sent it to him, and he was like, yo, this is dope. It's better than the stuff that people send me. But as you know, the fact that it's dope is, like, the least, most important part of actually getting it made.

[Unnamed Friend]

This is such an Eddie.

[Nick Catchdubs]

No, he's like, if you want me to help you sell it, I will call my man and help you sell it. But reading it, it sounds like it's something that you want to make it. Like, you wrote this like a director. And so that's like saying, hey, I want to be in the Olympics. Where's the diving board?

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Nick Catchdubs]

You were just sort of like, yo, what you should do is you should make a short. And. And I love that. It was, again, it wasn't like, prescriptive advice. It was very sensei. Like, you're gonna need to figure this out on your own in your own way, because there's a million ways of doing this shit, and you have to find the one that works for you as opposed to fitting into somebody else's fucking system of doing it properly.

[Eddie]

Yeah, no, it really excited me to even get to read your stuff. I think as homies, it's so emotionally vulnerable and awkward to send a homie writing. Right.

[Nick Catchdubs]

It's like sending nudes.

[Eddie]

Yeah, it's. It's worse than nudes. I'd rather show you my, you know, terrible penis. Like, I don't know. Like, it's so. It really is. Like, I remember, too, we were dating for maybe three weeks when I sent her a script of mine. And I was so fucking nervous. I was probably more nervous about her reading the script than making a move.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Yes. And were you nervous to read it? Like, ah, what if this sucks?

[Unnamed Friend]

No, I wasn't. I don't know why. I had, like, blind faith in you that it was going to be good. And it really was amazing. It's one of my favorite things he's ever written to this day. And I think that definitely, kind of, I was more intrigued by you after reading it. So it went well? It did. It did what it needed to do.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Friend]

I was like, I need to hang out with this man and get inside his head. This is wild.

[Eddie]

Yeah, it was adolescent psychosexual dark comedy, as one does.

[Unnamed Friend]

There was, like, a lot of crazy happening in that script, but, yeah, I could see how it would be like sending a nude, though. You're taking a risk. You're like, oh, yeah. You know, you're like, here I'm bearing my soul and here I am on the page.

[Nick Catchdubs]

In all art, there's the. There's like, the instinctual, like, animal side and then, like, the analytical, you know, math side. And to get something made, you need to be able to tap into both. But I think that, like, when you're creating just, like, putting shit on the page, you need to let the. The beast take the wheel, you know? Like, I'm super impressed by people who are just, like, really, really not candid, but almost, like, bare with their shit. Like, it's always. It's always like, oh, cool, you had the confidence or just like, the craziness to put all that on front street.

[Eddie]

Yeah. And. And like, you. You said something to me once that I don't even know if you remember, but it really struck me and I just, like, had a new level of, like, admiration as the homie. And I. I like that when you, like, peel the layers back of like, somebody's identity as friends. I was at the High Line, and I had gone there to see French Montana. French Montana was performing at the High Line. I think Action Bronson was on the bill, too. Unfortunately, MGK was also on the bill. This was like, maybe 2012, 2013. And I was just there hoping, like, French Montana would do, like, chop a choppa down. And I went there and I had, like, the. The vip, whatever, like, industry passes. And we were all, like, in this block. And I went to the bathroom and I saw you, and I was like, yo, what's up? Are you, like, in the area? And you're like, nah, bro, I bought tickets. Like, you were like, I like being gen pop for artists that I fuck with. And I was like, yo, I love that about Nick, because you easily could get free tickets. You own a label, you know everybody.

[Nick Catchdubs]

There, it's easier, you know? Like, I don't like the extra schlep. You know what I mean?

[Eddie]

And you were also like, yo, it's more fun to watch a show in the crowd, right? And I was like, oh, yo, Nick's right. Like, I'm doing this all wrong. Going with the suits. Like, it's the worst with the fucking suits. And, like, I flip my game after that, too.

[Nick Catchdubs]

I mean, I like people both just in general, but also, like, as an observer. Like, I think that if you're making stuff, there's a part of you that is like a voyeur, you know? Like, I hate that that word has such, like, fucking bathroom peeper connotations. But, like, no, people are interesting. But we're. We're. We're so weird.

[Unnamed Friend]

Yeah.

[Nick Catchdubs]

You know what I mean? And unpredictable. And so, you know, even in, like, now, this sort of, like, AI terror dome, you know, the fact that, like, you're never going to get a computer to make as little sense as we do.

[Eddie]

Yeah, that's true. And I don't think we talk about it, but there's just been, like, little moments in our friendship where you've done something just being you, that. That has stuck with me. And I'm like, whoa. Like, I can't wait for the day Nick, like, you know, wants me to, you know, connect. Like, I don't know, clock in on anything you're doing. For instance, it was like 2010. You were doing that just random set at Wyden and Kennedy Attack. There was like, a fair. And I remember standing next to you and you played Flight Facilities Crave you.

[Unnamed Friend]

And, oh, my God, this is where it started.

[Eddie]

This is where it started.

[Unnamed Friend]

Holy, bro.

[Eddie]

That's my right.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Breaking records.

[Unnamed Friend]

You have no idea. This song plays on a loop in our house. On a loop?

[Nick Catchdubs]

Yeah. That's hilarious.

[Eddie]

This is the song I write to the most. Is Flight Facilities Preview burned in my brain? Yeah, it's insane. It's that and Duran Duran Come Undone are the two songs I write to the most.

[Unnamed Friend]

So funny. Wait, so take me back. How did you guys meet?

[Eddie]

I think it might have been there. No, I met you before. I met you before. I think it was through Phil Chang.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Was it before you opened Bauhaus or.

[Eddie]

Like, when you were at Bauhaus? Maybe it was right when I.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Because I was. I was. I was very excited for this conversation to go into, like, the Eddie multitude.

[Unnamed Friend]

Of hustles because there's been iterations.

[Nick Catchdubs]

But Madison Monroe.

[Eddie]

Yes, yes. The streetwear line, that was crazy.

[Unnamed Friend]

Okay, I've never heard the name, but.

[Eddie]

I've heard this was crazy. Yeah. We combined two porn stars names, me and Fat Joo, and created a line of. Of, like, the most deranged indie sleaze, like, resort wear, bro.

[Nick Catchdubs]

I had. I had this shirt. It was the most synthetic fabric ever. It was like. It was like a shimmering, like. Like blue with white stars on it. I think we did a fool's Go party in Miami, and I wore that. It was so incredible.

[Unnamed Friend]

Is there still Madison Monroe floating around?

[Eddie]

There is.

[Unnamed Friend]

Could we find.

[Eddie]

There is.

[Unnamed Friend]

And I made Google Madison Monroe.

[Eddie]

You had.

[Nick Catchdubs]

You had the sewing tags. Like, like, yeah, it's identifiable.

[Eddie]

Yeah, we had. I. I made, like, a set sewing specifically for his wife Karen. That was spandex, snakeskin, because it was like, Karen's vibe at the Street Wear.

[Unnamed Friend]

Archive, Instagram accounts, you have Madison Monroe.

[Eddie]

I was always just bored and was like, yo, let's make some weirdo thing.

[Nick Catchdubs]

We all contain multitudes. You know what I mean? And I think, you know, a lot of times people get held back from doing things that they have interest in because it's like, oh, I'm perceived as this. You know what I mean? Like, people know me as this. And I will say that, like, one of the best things about new generations is that, like, the. I'm the creative director. Slash this, slash that, whatever. Even when it's whack, I think that it's still normalized, the idea that you can do different things, be different things. Because a lot of people get stuck in from evolving because they're too hung up on just like, no, no, no. I'm this guy. I do this thing.

[Eddie]

Yeah. And you. You never did. I always Just saw you as this, like, ill artist, like, listening to your playlist, listening your sets, watching, like, the events, and you do A Fool's Gold. And I was, I was so excited when you told me you were writing a script. Like, I was ecstatic. I think you told me. And then I kept following up with you, like, yo, what's this thing? When's this happening? I was like, I can't wait to get.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Everybody says they want to do something. You know what I mean? Like, everybody's like, you know, big stuff, big stuff on the way.

[Eddie]

Yeah, yeah.

[Nick Catchdubs]

What was that poster?

[Eddie]

Yeah, Moving inside.

[Unnamed Friend]

I will be foreseeably moving. Moving in silence while I'm moving in silence. Don't ask too many questions about my moves in silence.

[Eddie]

I sent that poster. I was like, yo, this is Nick. He's gonna be on the show.

[Nick Catchdubs]

You need to you. I do think he's making big moves in silence. I very much think that you have to speak stuff into existence. And I do think that there is a level of, you know, friends holding you accountable for shit. You know what I mean? It's like there's the people that always talk about the shit that they're gonna do, but then there's the people that are like, on the precipice where you know that, like, if you do that extra little nudge, you know, like, I enjoy putting the battery in people's backs more than anything, you know, Like, I really dig that when I tell people about this movie stuff. Like, they tell me about some shit that they want to do and it's like, no fucking do it. Like, don't have the book that you want to write. Write the book. And the reality is, is that you can do it incrementally. Like, it kind of sucks and is difficult. But also, like, if you spent 10 minutes on your today, that's 10 minutes done. Because it takes mad minutes to finish. Yeah.

[Eddie]

And. And it. It's also the difference between New York and LA is I feel like in New York we're all cheering for our homies, like, pushing them on, putting the battery in the back. Let's go in la, there's a really, like, who are you going to sell it to? Who's. I'm like, bro, no, no, no, just make it. Just make it. Shoot it with camcorders. Just go.

[Nick Catchdubs]

And.

[Eddie]

And like, let me ask you, like, how did. We'll go back to Fool's Gold and then we're going to fast forward. But like, how did Fool's Gold come about with you and Alon I mean.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Naivete more than anything else, you know, I think that the fact is we became friends just through DJing together. Roxy Cottontail booked us for a party. Fuck. It was she. Because she was doing the Monday nights at Sway, which was.

[Eddie]

She had the best part, super legendary.

[Nick Catchdubs]

But then she was. She would always do other parties at, like, weird spots, like, kind of. It was that strange era. Like, bottle service was still around, but kind of like dying off. And there weren't really, like, club clubs. They were like ultra lounges. And so it was some fucking spot on Bowery with, like, the vaguely Asian motif.

[Eddie]

Was it Sutra?

[Nick Catchdubs]

It might have been.

[Eddie]

Because I feel like her just plays.

[Nick Catchdubs]

There was an upstairs and a downstairs and downstairs. Like, the DJ booth was mad high. But that was when I met Elaine for the first time. We both booked to do one of those.

[Eddie]

It was on Bowery. Yeah, not. Not 3rd Ave. Bowery.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Like, no. Yeah.

[Eddie]

I gotta remember. I know what you're talking about and whatchamacallit.

[Nick Catchdubs]

And I. His. His history is very specific. Like, scratch DJ champion. Like, very much like Fat Beats the store. The guy.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Nick Catchdubs]

And he was getting into other things and, you know, playing more kind of like party music, for lack of a better term. And interesting shit was happening in the world of kind of like indie, DJ centric music. Like, you had, you know, the sort of, like, bands that sounded like drum machines, and then you had, like, the European Ed Banger kind of shit. And I think that we saw that our friends were making music that there was no home for, And. And the way that Ed Banger was signing all the Paris homies of theirs and really kind of documenting a thing that was happening as opposed to, like, creating it. That's what we wanted to do. We were documenting what our friends were doing because he had produced the first Kid Sister project and they were trying to get it signed and nobody understood it. You know, it was still like the Curtis. Kanye, when Graduation and Curtis came out on the same day, and it was just sort of like, oh, Kanye outsold 50 Cent.

[Eddie]

The world is changing. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Urban is like, MySpace was out and so, like, nobody knew what that was.

[Eddie]

When she came to the city, she came, like, in that era, like, what, 2010 UK.

[Unnamed Friend]

Well, later. 2011. 2011, around that time.

[Nick Catchdubs]

And you were in Boston.

[Unnamed Friend]

I was in Boston, yeah. Where like, nothing was happening at all.

[Nick Catchdubs]

But. No, but weirdly, there were, like, I. I actually started DJing out of town in Boston for first.

[Unnamed Friend]

Okay. I was gonna say there was. I was friends with A. Because Boston's such a college city that I had a lot of older friends who were at whatever college. So there were cool parties popping up.

[Nick Catchdubs]

I used to. I used to DJ at this place. Enormous room in Cambridge.

[Unnamed Friend]

Okay.

[Nick Catchdubs]

And it was just like this kind of tiny hole in the wall. And it was pre serato, too. So it's like me taking records on Phonghwa to get.

[Eddie]

No.

[Unnamed Friend]

Literally, the yo.

[Nick Catchdubs]

The worst, worst travel moment ever was I was taking the bus back after a show, and I was super hungover, and I was like, I got to chug this water. And I'm like, I did not bring a water on this bus. I chugged somebody's mystery fung.

[Unnamed Friend]

No, no.

[Eddie]

D. Fun water, yo. That's wild.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Some kind of, like, latent immunity to truly.

[Unnamed Friend]

You didn't get Covid. Like, something from protected.

[Nick Catchdubs]

You got to cook the inside.

[Unnamed Friend]

No, the fungal bus was the best. They used to, like, let you smoke blunts in the back. Like, anything went. You just.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Feral transportation party.

[Eddie]

The fungible Whatever.

[Unnamed Friend]

Yeah. And it was, like, $11.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Oh, nothing.

[Unnamed Friend]

Like, you were just. It was, like, basically free. They were like, donate.

[Nick Catchdubs]

And then Megabus came out, and you were like, oh, but it has wi fi. But it also had no soul.

[Unnamed Friend]

But it had no soul. It wasn't. It wasn't the same at that point. I was like, I got to pack it up and get on the train.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Smart. Okay, so you were. You were coming to parties kind of like in that early.

[Unnamed Friend]

Yeah.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Era.

[Unnamed Friend]

Yeah. Probably from, like, 2008 to 2010. 2011 in Boston. But we went to the Middle East.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Okay. That was the spot. Is the Middle east the one that has, like, the two columns like, that kind of block the stage?

[Unnamed Friend]

Yes, yes, yes. Yeah, that was, like, the spot. Because when we were underage, they didn't care. I was, you know, I was, like, 14. So Middle east was, like, the only place that I could really get in until pretty pre. Fake ID.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Okay.

[Unnamed Friend]

Yeah, man.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Fake IDs used to be tight.

[Unnamed Friend]

I know. And they were necessary. You used, like, they were so good.

[Eddie]

Mine never worked for me. Like, I just looked way too young and, like, you got baby face, too.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Oh, yeah.

[Eddie]

Like, I just had to live off my Persian homies. Like, the Persian homies look like 50 when they were 17. You know what I mean? They had hair everywhere. Yeah.

[Nick Catchdubs]

For real. You're a man in sophomore English with a full beard.

[Eddie]

Yeah, yeah. So I was like, yo, Romin, hold it down. So Romin was just always the plug because I was like, it's not even. Even worth me going in there. I had no facial hair.

[Nick Catchdubs]

We had. So I. I grew up in Jersey and moved here for school. And we had a place that would give you international student IDs.

[Unnamed Friend]

Oh, that's.

[Nick Catchdubs]

It's super, super bogus. And it was just like it. It looked like when you buy a wallet and it has like the fake.

[Unnamed Friend]

Cards already in it already.

[Nick Catchdubs]

And so there was the Brooks Brothers id. It was this spot like off University place that would sell you like spring break tours and shit. And. But they would also give you international student IDs where you, you know, nobody's checking what age you're putting in. And so like the bars along, like, you know, Avenue A or whatever, there would be like one out of five would be like, come on man, don't. What the fuck are you playing? And then like, everybody else is like, yeah, yeah, come on.

[Eddie]

Fine, I'll go to Niagara.

[Nick Catchdubs]

And then. But okay, so we had the international student IDs. And then like right before 9 11, you could get good fakes on 6th Avenue. There's like the hot dog place and like, like by ifc. There was. There was in the. In the back. They would do really good jersey IDs. The only thing was that the. The hologram was fugaze. And so like, like the hologram would have like a different logo on it, but still like it would flash.

[Unnamed Friend]

The St. State would always change. Like, of what? Like, I feel like every year, whatever year was like your gr. Whatever. The state of which one to get would change. Like I remember for us it was Pennsylvania.

[Nick Catchdubs]

They were like, Pennsylvania, which is. Which is like. Yes, the. The. The. The weakest.

[Unnamed Friend]

Yeah, they were like the easiest one to. To fade.

[Nick Catchdubs]

I just read the craziest shit when they put out like the super bad dvd.

[Unnamed Friend]

Yeah.

[Nick Catchdubs]

They did like a special packaging that. It came with an actual McLovin Hawaii ID. And like some mayor in Hawaii was super tight because he was like, this is our ide.

[Eddie]

Everybody could copy.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Imagine someone getting mad about physical media.

[Unnamed Friend]

I know.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Like just now you can't even get a DVD anymore.

[Unnamed Friend]

Never mind anything free with it.

[Nick Catchdubs]

And I think that that's. That. That's why people are gassed on Criterion Closet. You know what I mean? Like, you have this. This new generation of kids that didn't even grow up with DVDs as part of their, like, diet. And it's like, oh, wow, this.

[Eddie]

I may have remembered this wrong, but were we both at Kim's Video the last day buying stuff? Because I think I ran into you at Kim the last day, too. And I bought up all their copies of Yakuza papers.

[Unnamed Friend]

Oh, my gosh. That's where you got them.

[Eddie]

Yeah, because me and Nick, like, we were just such culture nerds. I'd always run into him at, like, some weirdo thing, like, the last day of Kim's video.

[Nick Catchdubs]

You know, the last day of Kim's video and the French Montana MGK show.

[Eddie]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Real duality of man hours.

[Unnamed Friend]

Yeah, there's a lot of different things.

[Eddie]

And he broke. Matt had records for me, like, early 2000 and tens. It was flight facility. I remember you played Breakbot for the first. The first time I heard Breakbot, you played it. Yeah, like, you were just on different music that I was dropping.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Shazam.

[Eddie]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I would Shazam all your sense. Like, what is this, man? Because I was, like, deep into the urban. Urban music vibe, you know, and so you were a portal to, like, some different. Let me check. We will be back in 10 seconds. Yeah, no worries. Do you. Do you want to talk to him and just see, like, maybe. I don't know. He. He looks like. He looks.

[Unnamed Friend]

He looks like he may work here.

[Eddie]

He looks like he may work here. Or, you know, like, maybe. Maybe he does things. Oh, we're, like, way early. This is still our bar for another 30 minutes. Yeah, that's fine.

[Nick Catchdubs]

These are the people in our neighborhood.

[Eddie]

Yeah, I love it. Those. These people were beefing, like, just honking for, like, 10 minutes. Yeah, it's pretty fire. It was like somebody doing the npc. We love what Nick is saying.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Somi from Ed Banger made his first movie. It's on Netflix. It's. It's Vincent Cassel as a sort of, like, aging dj.

[Eddie]

I saw that shit. I didn't know he made it.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Yes. Yeah, yeah. And so. Oh, do you watch this? No.

[Eddie]

I've seen the advertising.

[Nick Catchdubs]

So there's a. There's a lot of ideas going on and sort of like, some land, others.

[Eddie]

No, I got the alert. It looked insane.

[Nick Catchdubs]

But, like, one of the. One of the things that I really like is that, like, alarms will go off, like, while he's recording, and he's just like, yes, yes, yes. And it's funny, too, because he has. He has the same haircut that he does from Lahain. And so, like, there'll be a scene where he's, like, looking in the mirror and sort of like, ah, I see what you did there.

[Eddie]

Yeah. I saw the Instagram post on Vincent Cassell's page three weeks ago. And sent it to her because I was like, we should. This could be a date night film in bed. You know Vincent Cassell, very spicy man.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Oh yeah, I love him. Which McCall. It's been interesting. Soderbergh is doing press kind of about his movie not making money. Like he. It's so weird how press cycles work. Like, it's. So he's doing interviews about the digital release of the movie and I guess like the peg around it is that like. Oh yeah. You know, mid budget films for adults are tricky, you know, like yada yada. But he's talking about how like movies of his that got shitted on when they first came out, now people are like, oh yeah, I really like Ocean's Twelve. It's like, I always loved Ocean's twelve. I think that that was the first shit that I saw. Vincent Cazalen and he's like, he's like kind of a herb in that movie too.

[Unnamed Friend]

Yeah, he is. But Ocean's twelve is great. People do shit on Ocean's twelve a lot though.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Yeah, that's.

[Eddie]

I mean, it's better than Ocean's eight.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Okay.

[Unnamed Friend]

I don't, I wouldn't agree.

[Nick Catchdubs]

An objective take. Even if you do like Ocean's Eight as I do.

[Eddie]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I watched Ocean's 8 the other day.

[Nick Catchdubs]

But I think that like there's, there's.

[Eddie]

A. I just feel Brianna was underutilized.

[Unnamed Friend]

Yes, I agree.

[Eddie]

Criminally underutilized.

[Nick Catchdubs]

But I think that too with.

[Eddie]

It did launch Awkwafina's phenomenal career.

[Nick Catchdubs]

We have a Fool's gold standard sticker on her vibrator shoebox in Nora from Queens. Like, there's a handful of things that. The Fool's gold sticker has popped up in a ZZ show on Netflix. Like it's in the background of like polls and whatever. Like, I just, I like that these Easter eggs are there for those who choose to find.

[Eddie]

Because if you were of our generation partying, being a dirtbag downtown in New York, it's like fools gold. It was like the bat signal.

[Nick Catchdubs]

It's part of the fabric. And so like, you know, again, you're an artist and entrepreneur. The entrepreneur side is filled with fucking stress and landmines. And so like, for all of the things that might have personally stressed me out over the last two decades in regards to having a business, I love the fact that it means something to people.

[Eddie]

It meant something. And I'll tell you this, like a lot of people will ask me, what's the next vice? Or what's what could have been the good way of doing Vice? And I'll say this fool's gold to me was if Vice had somebody running it, like you and Elon, that gave a fuck about artists, Vice would still be here and Vice would be dominant. Because the two places you could always work in the, like, early 2010s in New York was if you just wanted a writing job or a shooting job, oh, go to Vice. Like, somebody will let you work on some show that Budweiser is paying for, Intel's paying for. Right? And if you were a musician and your friend had, like, an ill record, you just like, yo, go ask the fool's gold guys. Like, they'll get it. Because you guys.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Or at the very least, just listen to it and, like, pay it the, like, bare minimum of respect. Like, I think that that's kind of the biggest thing is that, like, there.

[Eddie]

Aren'T those places to go.

[Nick Catchdubs]

People don't even have those conversations. Like, I'm totally fine to have an in depth conversation with somebody about why I don't want to put their record out. And I think that that's like just being a human. Who gives a shit.

[Eddie]

Yeah. But even getting a conversation of somebody listening, somebody saying no, it informs you and it's a stepping stone. Just like how you sent me this feature first, and I was like, yo, I love your writing. The market is gonna have an issue with this. And then now you came back with the short packages. Wonderful segue, Nick. Wonderful.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Real pro hours.

[Eddie]

Yo, talk to us about packages. How did you come up with the idea? What's the inspiration?

[Nick Catchdubs]

So, you know, a lot of times people will make a short just as like a proof of concept for a bigger film. Like, you were mentioning the short version of Whiplash. And so when you watch it, like, the classroom looks kind of fucked up. And, like, it's different cast, but they do have J.K. simmons. And so it's like one scene from the movie and you're like, oh, I get it. Like, if I would fund the long version of this guy's shit. And so I didn't really have a scene from my thing that I thought could work in a standalone way. So rather than be a proof of concept for a movie, I viewed it as like, this is a proof of concept for Nick, you know, and my tastes and my sensibilities both, you know, narratively and aesthetically, it's sort of like, I love genre, and so I wanted to have different types of genre modes in the script. I love rom coms. It kind of starts off with a sort of bit of a misdirect kind of rom com moment. Like, I love horror movies and like, there's stuff in it that, you know, is like some dude unraveling and it's sort of like, great. We can have like the close up of the eye with the little bloodshot in it. And, you know, I think that the sort of. I guess the reason it exists is just because it's like I wanted to make some shit, you know, and coming from a DIY sensibility in music, putting that into this, it's sort of like, okay, cool, it's going to be expensive, but we'll figure it out. Like, we'll get the folks to make it and, you know, actually bring it into existence as opposed to, you know, like, waiting for somebody to give you permission and like tap you with the, with the Hollywood wand.

[Eddie]

Yeah, I absolutely think that's the purpose of shorts. It's either as a proof of concept for, for a larger story you want to tell or proof of concept for you as a director, writer. And the, the short that I like watching to learn the most and, and I share it with like young filmmakers, just anybody that wants to learn is pta, coffee, cigarettes, and how that short that he made at Sundance becomes basically hard 8, the movie that was always helpful. And then Kevin Smith, the God, you're from Jersey. Like, I think anyone getting into film from the indie way who just like wants to break down the door. You just got to read about Kevin Smith and Clerks.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Yeah. And there is Robert Rodriguez did a book in the 90s, Rebel Without a Crew. And even before I was doing this stuff, I loved reading that book. And I would give it to people on some music shit. Just sort of like, here's how this guy did medical testing to save money to make his thing. And it's crazy now how, like, you could do that with the phone. You know what I mean? It's like he's like getting, you know, the loose ends of other people's film canisters and like, really scrapping and you know, like rigging up like fake lights. It's like, no, no, no, you have the lights on, you know, the computer in your pocket.

[Eddie]

Yeah. And it's that rebellious nature that I think is missing in film and art generally right now. And that's why everyone's complaining about this, like, cultural goofy era we're in is, you know, in la, it's very much like, oh, adolescence just hit on Netflix. Let's make something like that. Oh, unlimited series are Working. Let's do that. Oh, you need ip. You need. It's like, no, I think we need more Kevin Smiths right now. We need more nick catch stubs. We need people that are just making stories personal to them and like, showing their freaky flag.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Yeah. A thousand percent. Well, it. With the Hollywood shit, everything is comps. You know what I mean? It's sort of like, let's find another thing that made money and compare it to your thing. And it's. And as an artist, you're like, I want to do some shit that hasn't been seen before. Yeah.

[Eddie]

I don't want to copy someone to get in. Like, that's. It's. I don't want to copy somebody's homework.

[Nick Catchdubs]

But especially if you, if you grew up with hip hop in your life, fucking style wars. You want to win the style wars. You know what I mean? Like, you want to do something that is distinct to you. Biting is the worst shit that you could possibly do. And so, like the fact that so much of the business is structured around, you know, comparing you. Like, I love Denis Villeneuve on Dune. He outlawed mood boards. He was like, I want images that don't exist yet. And it's like, fuck, yeah, everybody should feel that way.

[Unnamed Friend]

Yes, absolutely.

[Eddie]

I don't want to see somebody else's mood board in the film. That's. You've watched Dune more than any film, I think, in the last three years.

[Unnamed Friend]

Yeah, I watched it. I think I watched it, like, went to the movie, saw it on my birthday. Actually watched it again three times that week. Like, I was just so.

[Nick Catchdubs]

I love that it. It works if you just want to, like, vibe out. Yeah, it totally works if you want to get mad, into the lore and the spice and the aliens.

[Unnamed Friend]

And I was such a dude head though, like, Red Dune as a kid. And I love the world. But yeah, I mean, he just did. He did do something new. You've never seen it before.

[Nick Catchdubs]

And so is Dune one that you guys both agree on?

[Eddie]

Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, Absolutely.

[Nick Catchdubs]

In general, is there like a space that, like, you know that it'll work for both of you in terms of picking.

[Eddie]

This is a really good question. Here you go.

[Unnamed Friend]

Okay. For sure. Well, we put each other on to a lot of shit. Like, he never really was a rom com guy. I've put him on.

[Eddie]

I was a rom com. We were.

[Unnamed Friend]

But I think maybe exclusively Woody Allen, you weren't. Like, I've showed him. Like, I brought him into the Nancy Myers universe.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Okay.

[Unnamed Friend]

Where we started watching, like, it's gotta give or this is whatever. Just like really cheesy rom coms which now work for us all the time.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Okay.

[Eddie]

It's also funny to talk about. What doesn't work is like, I will watch a subtitled foreign thriller at like no 9 o' clock on a Monday evening.

[Unnamed Friend]

No. Which I love. But, like, I'll just have been through the craziest day with our son and like, I just want to watch TV and vibe out. And then he'll put on like an ins. Like a serial killer. But there's also subtitles and like, also a small child gets killed. And I'm like, so this is the last thing.

[Nick Catchdubs]

Read the rules. Yeah.

[Unnamed Friend]

And I'm like, and now I have to read at night. Like, I'm tired. I'm doing. That's like a matinee for me. We're doing subtitles where it's a matinee.

[Eddie]

Like, the most criminal thing I think I did this month was like, Tuesday night, she's extremely tired. But I was just like, yo, I got to watch Barry Kogan in this film about Irish Scottish dudes stealing each other's sheep. And at one point, the antagonist of the film cuts off the legs of the other guy's sheep herd, like just their legs and sells them. And I'm like, hell yeah. She's like, dude, there are sheep with no legs, brother.

[Unnamed Friend]

What he's not telling you is he watches on max volume at one in the morning.

[Nick Catchdubs]

You got the sound bar and yeah, soundbar on.

[Eddie]

There's just.

[Unnamed Friend]

It's one in the morning. I'm literally have a pillow over my head.

[Nick Catchdubs]

He doesn't give a. Dude, I do.

[Eddie]

Give a. I was just like, but.

[Nick Catchdubs]

It'S about to end. If you put in the ipods, that is. That is more of a. Of a surround experience. And you're like, you know, caring for your partner.

[Eddie]

I'm an too, because I'll be like, I need to research this for my writing tomorrow.

[Unnamed Friend]

It's just everything. He'll watch anything and it'll be researched.

[Eddie]

So that's the free portion of the POD this week. For the rest of the interview with Nick Catchdubs, come over to our substack Canal Street Dreams and consider becoming a paid subscriber.

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