Podcast
Journey of an Aesthete Podcast https://www.jouneyofanaesthetepodcast.com/
Hosted by Mitch Hampton · EN
In our eight season we continue our comprehensive examination of all matters aesthetic, across all art forms & how creativity connects us to what it means to be human. Through the intimate lens of the creative process of different artists, makers and creators, we deep dive into all things arts & humanities. Your host, Mitch Hampton, is a journalist, world renown pianist & composer for films who is neurodivergent. We explore the rich stories of these artists, what inspired them to become creators as we also witness Mitch's own creative journey as he connects to the world through his podcast.
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Season 7: July" Book Lunch" : "Why Jazz Happened" and "3 Shades Of Cool", Part 1
3w ago00:38:48Tap to summarize#music #milesdavis #mitchhampton #booklunch #booktube #jazztube #musiceducationMay 26 of this year of 2026 marked the Centennial of Miles Davis' birth. For this book lunch I will review and examine two books on jazz, making this the second time I have covered a nonfiction book on musical subject (Laurie Verchomin's The Big Love on Bill Evans being the other one). I purposely chose two rather different books as a meditation on the many different styles of covering real life subjects; Marc Meyers' Why Jazz Happened and James Kaplan's 3 Shades Of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool. This Book Lunch topic will be the first of two parts on the two books.More on this ongoing series, here:June Book Lunch:” 3 Shades Of Blue and Why Jazz Happened” Part 1May 26 of this year of 2026 marked the Centennial of Miles Davis’ birth. For this book lunch I will review and examine two books on jazz, making this the second time I have covered a nonfiction book on musical subject (Laurie Verchomin’s The Big Love on Bill Evans being the other one.)I purposely chose two rather different books as a meditation on the many different styles of covering real life subjects; Marc Meyers’ Why Jazz Happened and James Kaplan’s 3 Shades Of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool. While the Myer’s book is a utilitarian history suffused with all sorts of important facts about jazz its own genre with its own story, Kaplan’s book is an artful, poetic account of the same era. I will feature excerpts from both and reflect not only on the state of Jazz music but upon the state of prose in social and music hostly in general.Direct Link to our episode with the magnificent Laurie Verchomin and her book on Bill Evans:Please enjoy these supplemental, educational videos for this stream: • Fine And Mellow Billie Holiday With Cole... • Original Dixieland Jass Band - Livery Stab... • Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra - Mot...
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Season 7: On Robert Egger’s “The Witch”, “Nosferatu”, genre of Folk-Horror and More with return guest, artist Alexandra Carter
Jun 1801:27:12Tap to summarize**Special Note: Alexandra's current workon view:The Great Mother's Dream: Metamorphosis as Power and Wisdom at Louisa Art Center LA, 7626 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles 5/12-8/17 I’m always delighted when Alexandra Carter returns to our podcast: not only do we discuss some interesting movies, many of which are titles she recommends but we get to spend time in her studio surrounded by her paintings, some works in progress. Alex has an abiding interest in the worlds of the Gothic and Folk-Horror and those are genres which at times appear to have a quite direct relationship to current news and facts in our real world.More on our series “Travels with With the Dark: Stories from humans in the “Limit-Experienc Series:Our new series concerns real occurrences of human beings when they are brought into or more aptly, up against “limit-experience”, a phrase from French and German philosophers that attempts to describe in the most general way what human beings undergo when they are thrust into situations that push them to their limits and conditions of maximum intensity. While originally this was intended to be a series in the “True Crime” genre I wondered to myself if subject and theme could extended outward. It might not even only encompass the most negative aspect of human experience.More on Alex and her beautiful work: Alexandra’s Website: https://www.alexandra-carter.comAlexandra Carter (b. 1985, Boston, MA) is a San Diego-based artist whose work explores themes of fertility, maternity, and transformation, often drawing on her upbringing on a cranberry farm in Massachusetts. She holds an MFA from Goldsmiths University of London (2015) and a BA from Rhodes College (2009). Her recent solo exhibitions include Luna Anaïs Gallery and the Middle Room (Los Angeles), the University of Minnesota (St. Paul), and Oolong Gallery (San Diego). Carter has also exhibited internationally, with solo shows at Fusion Gallery (Turin, Italy) and Projecto’ace Foundation (Buenos Aires). She has participated in numerous residencies, including the Kone Foundation’s Saari Residence (Finland), KulturKontakt Austria (Vienna), Rogers Art Loft (Las Vegas), Qwatz (Rome), Vice~Versa Foundation (Goa, India), and Graniti Murales (Sicily).Links to recent artist talks & podcast interviews:“The Explosive Female Body: Artist Alexandra Carter’s Muse in Birth and Beyond” Interview by Kaitlin Solimine for Postpartum Production Podcast 8 May 2024Alexandra Carter and Christiana Updegraff Artist Talk for their exhibition "Tether," moderated by Alessandra Moctezuma, Oolong Gallery Podcast 2 May 2023Artist Spotlight: Alexandra Carter Interviewed by Rachel Larraine on the Holistic Interior Design Business Podcast 27 April 2023"Cranberry, Fertility, and the Performative Body in Painting" Artist Lecture, Rogers Studio Gallery, Las VegasFrom the Cranberry Farm to the Art Studio, our talk with Alexandra Carter Journey of an Aesthete Podcast 6 April 2022. Flora and Female: Alexandra Carter and Tiffanie Turner Virtual Artist Talk, Lamont Gallery at Phillips Exeter Academy 17 March 2021Artist Lecture for “A Sense of Heat in Her Brain” October 2020#lucaguadanino #horror #dracula #nosferatu #movies #art-horror #folk-horror #gothic #fantasy #religion #christianity #folklore #urban #country #shakespeare #sexuality #motherhood #hamnet #hamlet #tarkovsky #newengland #uk #faith #science #pandemic #aids #publichealth #vampire #monster #musical #belalugosi #garyoldman #franklangella #jackpalance #dancurtis #wescraven #santamonica #losangeles #plymouth #massachusetts #puritans #roberteggars #ariaster #metoo #witch #witchcraft #medicine #grief #birth #death #davidcronenberg #roberteggars #thesubstance #tobehooper #alfredhitchcock
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Season 7: All About Aesthetics: Return Guest Madame B in Paris and looking at Art and Culture Through A Gen X lens
Jun 501:13:47Tap to summarize"All About Aesthetics": Return Guest Madame B in Paris and looking at Art and Culture Through A Gen X lensI always love when Madame Deb returns to the show; in certain respects this might be the most personal episode between Deb and myself thus far. We take the deepest dive into the popular culture that were were raised on from the “Long Seventies”especially made for t.v. movies as well as provocative releases in theaters. We discuss the wilder horror art from the period, the sobering education we received concerning a fuller accounting of human nature and how these experiences of those years made us a unique generation in many ways. I hope you enjoy this one as much as we did. #wescraven #gothic #waltercronkite #abc #nbc #cbs #snl #nixon #watergate #jaws #theexorcist #antonlavey #billygraham #stagflation #recession A#jimmycarter #romanpolanski #rosemarysbaby #iralevin #katherineross #suburbia #thestepfordwives #darrenmcgavin #thenightstalker #nightgallery #twilightzone #rodserling #dancurtis #karenblack #leepurcell #1960 #1970s #1980s #millennial #genx #geny #genalpha #babyboomer #charlesmanson #stevenspielberg #dennisweaver #duel #letsscarejessicatotdeath #areyouinthehousealone #themovieoftheweek #nbcsundaymyserymovie #johncassavetes #chrisrtianity #satanism #williamfriedkin #ellenburstyn #chicago #newyorkcity #florida #creaturefeature #networktelevision #hbomax #netflix #davidchase
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Season 7: "Book Lunch": Hermione Lee's "Tom Stoppard: A Life " with Return Guest Joanne Davis Woods"
May 2901:22:46Tap to summarize#Tomstoppard #booklunch #JoanneDavisWoods #HermioneLee #books #booktube "Book Lunch": Hermione Lee's "Tom Stoppard: "A Life" with Joanne Davis WoodsWhen Tom Stoppard passed this past November we lost one of the genuine greats in the arts. His prolific creations, not only vast (and quite disparate) plays, but work in movies, radio and even significant political activism in real life, for Jews in the former Soviet Union and dissidents everywhere, his considerable erudition in math and science almost as much as in the humanities, his love and wisdom about nature and interest in the tradition of English gardening - these facets are rarely found in any one mortal.Joanne and I discuss Lee's big book, mindful that Lee is herself one of the best biographers writing today, her own interests overlapping with my own in Isaiah Berlin, and an ideal author to present Stoppard's life. Hopefully we will discuss at least some of these topics in the episode.
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Season 7: Mitch Hampton Trio Spring Concert
May 2801:27:43Tap to summarize#concert #MitchHamptonTrio #jazz #jazztube #piano #livestream Mitch hampton on piano, Justin Watt on the drums and Zak Page on the bass play a musical blend of standards old and new and a couple of originals for the season.
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Season 7: A Conversation With Return Guest Will Dodson on Comebacks In Movies, TV and the Arts
May 2101:33:35Tap to summarize#WillDodson #Comebacks #Gloria Monti #MitchHamptonInside this episode with your host, Mitch Hampton:I enjoyed the discussion with Will Dodson so much that I had to have him back for a second episode. I think this might be one of the few podcast episodes wherein we mention figures as varied as Jimmy Stewart, Woody Strode, John Ford, Chuck Vincent, Gloria Swanson, Fred Olen Ray, Wes Craven and Pam Grier, but that is the kind of thing that can happen when Will and I come into contact. Not only was I happy that Gloria Monti brought the wonderful book that is Comebacks: The Return of the Aging Film Star (Wayne State UP, 2025) into our world that she co-edited with Martin Shinglerand. They bring the story of artists like Woody Strode to future generations but I can't help but feel that, speaking philosophically, the subject or concept of the comeback itself might be one that is most integral to all of the arts in any age. I hope you share in our enthusiasm on this one.Will’s Bio and Links:Will Dodson is a writer and editor; film, rhetoric, and literature professor; audio commentary and visual essay producer .He is a Lecturer of Media Studies and co-editor of The Anthem Series on Exploitation and Industry in World Cinema, Foundations of Horror Studies (Manchester UP), and American Twilight: The Cinema of Tobe Hooper (University of Texas Press). His most recent essays are “One Thing About Time:' Woody Strode’s Late Films,” included in Comebacks: The Return of the Aging Film Star (Wayne State UP, 2025)Links to Will’s Social Media and works:LinkTree: @linktr.ee/willdodsonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wdodson52/Amazon Author Page ( link embedded)Additional links:Series Co-editor, The Anthem Series on Exploitation and Industry in World CinemaSeries Co-editor, Foundations of Horror StudiesCo-editor, American Twilight: The Cinema of Tobe Hooper#cinema #television #johnford #western #spaghettiwestern #expolitationmovie #blackploitation #pamgreir #jimmystewart #willaimholden #gloriaswanson #sunsetboulevard #billywider #silentmovie #1920s #1930s #1940s #1950s #1960s #1970s #1980s #1990s #directtovideo #vhs #compactdisc #computer #bodymodification #lifeextension #genetics #race #civilrights #nativeamerican #indigenous #italy #horror #gothic #erotica #screamqueen #jimwynorski #jewelshepard #juliestrain #shannontweed #genesimmons #howardberger #bluray #restoration #jade #williamfriedkin #davidcaruso #lindafiorentino #eroticthriller #blackpanther #blackpanthers #fredwilliamson #jimbrown #jimkelly #larrycohen #joedante #jonathandemme #jonathankaplan #rogercorman #theater #thirdplace #jackiebrown #quentintarantino #robertforster #johntravolta #jackhill #claudiajennings #gatorbait #francisfordcoppola #stanleykubrick #spartacus #gorevidal #howardfast #plutarch #daltontrumbo #kirkdouglas #laurenceolivier #tonycurtis #jeansimmons #lisakudrow #hbomax #stream #sports #football #integration
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Season 7:"Representations Of Real Subjects in Film,Art,Ryan Murphy,Naomi Watts, Sarah Paulson & more
May 1100:55:52Tap to summarizeIn this special topic episode of All About Aesthetics I discuss the ever present question of how film or cinema language represents famous and real life subjects in general and how such representation informs and affects the very divided audience and critic responses to Ryan Murphy's Love Story and other high profiles art objects and productions. On this outsized topic in the Arts questions of taste, point of view and style are always significant and these will be explored in the episode.More on this episode, here:In this special topic episode of “All About Aesthetics” I discuss the ever present question of how film or cinema language represents famous and real life subjects in general and how such representation informs and affects the very divisive audience and critic responses to Ryan Murphy’s Love Story. The subject is a wide and most important one as there is a tragic tension between audience or public feelings of “ownership” of subjects encountered in the the public news and the visions and intentions of creators, writers and performers - which is where questions of taste, point of view and style are always on the surface. In this special topic episode of “All About Aesthetics “I discuss the ever present question of how film or cinema language represents famous and real life subjects in general and how such representation informs and affects the very divided audience and critic responses to Ryan Murphy’s Love Story. and other high profiles art objects and productions. The subject is a wide and most important one as there is an inevitable tragic tension between audience or public feelings of "ownership" of subjects encountered in the the public news (involving fandom, revulsion cancellation campaigns etc.) and the visions and intentions of creators, writers and performers. On this outsized topic in the Arts questions of taste, point of view and style are always significant and these will be explored in the episode.#docudrama #costumedrama #periodpiece #presentism #style #design #archive #fashion #1970s #1980s #1990s #2000s #2010s #1960s #jfk #camelot #naomiwatts #ryanmurphy #showrunner #stream #television #fx #paramount #hbomax #americancrimestory #glee #carolynbessette #Kennedy #politics #magaines #digital #analog #nyc #acting #trumancapote #versace #andrewcunanan #rickymartin #penelopecruz #billclinton #impeachement #monicalewinsky #ojsimpson #peoplevsoj #scottalexander #larrykaraszewski #rodneyking #brocochase #race #racism #losangeles #sarahpaulson #johntravolta #dreamteam #marciaclark #nicolebrownsimpson #coutneybvance
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Season 7: "Travels With The Dark Ep 4 Serial Killers and their Eras with Madame Deb" Part 2
May 401:09:38Tap to summarizeTravels With the Dark: Stories from humans in the “Limit-Experience” is our series concerning real occurrences of human beings when they are brought into or more aptly, up against “limit-experience”, a phrase from French and German philosophers that attempts to describe in the most general way what human beings undergo when they are thrust into situations that push them to their limits and conditions of maximum intensity. While originally this was intended to be a series in the “True Crime” genre I wondered to myself if subject and theme could extended outward. It might not even only encompass the most negative aspect of human experience.I think the genesis of this two part topic was probably my first viewing of the David Fincher series Mindhunter which is a dramatization and representation of the work of Ann Burgess and John Douglas as they tried to investigate and comprehend the phenomenon of serial killers in our society. This lead me to decide to do an episode on serial murder itself.The preparation for these episodes was for me immense, perhaps greater than any episode I have created on this podcast. It involved multiple sources and books and many cases often of a most unpleasant nature and involved reintroduction to some rather famous cases like Ted Bundy, Rodney Alcala and John Wayne Gacey. Sometimes episodes on our podcast are the invention of others and I think our producer Laurie Strickland was the person who brought up this particular idea. Serial crime is such an outsized topic: for example in one relatively small country alone, France, the discussion of the crimes there comprised an entire episode.In this episode, Mitch and Deb head across the Atlantic and into some of the darkest corners of serial-killer history to unpack three cases that, outside of France and Belgium, rarely get the attention they warrant. Drawing on more than a decade of living in France and going down the rabbit hole of its true-crime archives, Deb brings a perspective shaped by immersion— the kind that only comes from reading between the lines of a country’s own media, myths, and collective memory.Starting with Henri Landru, France’s very own Bluebeard, a polite, almost forgettable man who turned lonely wartime classifieds into a hunting ground, Mitch and Deb dig into how scarcity, social upheaval, and the chaos of World War I created the perfect backdrop for a predator who didn’t look like one, and how Landru managed to make women disappear so thoroughly that even now, the details feel more like rumor than record.From there, things take an even darker turn with Marc Dutroux, a case that still haunts Belgium and shook public trust to its core. Deb and Mitch walk through some of the systemic failures that allowed Dutroux's unimaginable crimes to go on for so long. Finally, they dive into Guy Georges, the Beast of the Bastille, whose reign of terror in 1990s Paris exposed both the limits of early forensic policing and the danger of underestimating someone hiding in plain sight. They discuss how Georges evaded capture for years, the role of emerging DNA technology in finally stopping him, and how fear rippled through a city most often associated with romance, glamour, and dreams. As always, Mitch and Deb go beyond the headlines and into the psychology, the social context, and the uncomfortable truths that lie just beneath the surface. These aren’t just stories about killers. They’re about the environments that shape them, the blind spots that protect them, and the uneasy realization that evil doesn’t always look the way we expect.For Deb and Mitch, true crime isn’t about spectacle. It’s about understanding how people slip through cracks, how systems fail, and how, if you look closely enough, the warning signs are almost always there from the start.#homicide #crime #goldenstatekiller #annburgess #johndouglas #fbi
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Season 7: "Travels With The Dark Ep 4 Serial Killers and their Eras with Madame Deb" Part 1
May 401:04:55Tap to summarizeTravels With the Dark: Stories from humans in the “Limit-Experience” is our series concerning real occurrences of human beings when they are brought into or more aptly, up against “limit-experience”, a phrase from French and German philosophers that attempts to describe in the most general way what human beings undergo when they are thrust into situations that push them to their limits and conditions of maximum intensity. While originally this was intended to be a series in the “True Crime” genre I wondered to myself if subject and theme could extended outward. It might not even only encompass the most negative aspect of human experience.I think the genesis of this two part topic was probably my first viewing of the David Fincher series Mindhunter which is a dramatization and representation of the work of Ann Burgess and John Douglas as they tried to investigate and comprehend the phenomenon of serial killers in our society. This lead me to decide to do an episode on serial murder itself.The preparation for these episodes was for me immense, perhaps greater than any episode I have created on this podcast. It involved multiple sources and books and many cases often of a most unpleasant nature and involved reintroduction to some rather famous cases like Ted Bundy, Rodney Alcala and John Wayne Gacey. Sometimes episodes on our podcast are the invention of others and I think our producer Laurie Strickland was the person who brought up this particular idea. Serial crime is such an outsized topic: for example in one relatively small country alone, France, the discussion of the crimes there comprised an entire episode.In this episode, Mitch and Deb head across the Atlantic and into some of the darkest corners of serial-killer history to unpack three cases that, outside of France and Belgium, rarely get the attention they warrant. Drawing on more than a decade of living in France and going down the rabbit hole of its true-crime archives, Deb brings a perspective shaped by immersion— the kind that only comes from reading between the lines of a country’s own media, myths, and collective memory.Starting with Henri Landru, France’s very own Bluebeard, a polite, almost forgettable man who turned lonely wartime classifieds into a hunting ground, Mitch and Deb dig into how scarcity, social upheaval, and the chaos of World War I created the perfect backdrop for a predator who didn’t look like one, and how Landru managed to make women disappear so thoroughly that even now, the details feel more like rumor than record.From there, things take an even darker turn with Marc Dutroux, a case that still haunts Belgium and shook public trust to its core. Deb and Mitch walk through some of the systemic failures that allowed Dutroux's unimaginable crimes to go on for so long. Finally, they dive into Guy Georges, the Beast of the Bastille, whose reign of terror in 1990s Paris exposed both the limits of early forensic policing and the danger of underestimating someone hiding in plain sight. They discuss how Georges evaded capture for years, the role of emerging DNA technology in finally stopping him, and how fear rippled through a city most often associated with romance, glamour, and dreams. As always, Mitch and Deb go beyond the headlines and into the psychology, the social context, and the uncomfortable truths that lie just beneath the surface. These aren’t just stories about killers. They’re about the environments that shape them, the blind spots that protect them, and the uneasy realization that evil doesn’t always look the way we expect.For Deb and Mitch, true crime isn’t about spectacle. It’s about understanding how people slip through cracks, how systems fail, and how, if you look closely enough, the warning signs are almost always there from the start.#truecrime #travelswiththedark #aesthetics
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Season 7: "On Music, Protons, and Poetry : A conversation with Mark Winters"
May 400:49:06Tap to summarizeInside this episode with your host, Mitch HamptonMark Winters has had thus far a remarkable run of careers by any estimation. After spending the first part of his life ensconced in the worlds of NASA, aerospace and the sciences he made the dramatic decision in his thirties to become a singer songwriter, one of whose signature songs is explicitly about “what it means to be human”, like the tagline for our podcast. I found Winters a most engaging conversationalist, bringing the good vibes he cherishes to the discussion in as plentiful supply as can be heard in his music.Mr. Winters BioTexas-based rock singer-songwriter Mark Winters is many things; a witty poet, passionate musician, entrepreneur, optimist, family man, and a bonafide rocket scientist. He first picked up a guitar to play a song for his wife on their anniversary. That’s when he discovered the joy of connecting with people through music. Mark combines music, poetry, a science background, and love for his community to form his signature sound, “rock with a positive vibe.”His musical roots are in rock, blues rock, and pop, and John Mayer, Tom Petty, and Jason Mraz are significant influences. “My music starts from a place of poetry and creative inspiration, and I use my ‘rocket-scientist brain’ to find structures that help me explore that initial burst of inspiration and feeling – like writing haikus, my favorite! My grandmother taught me to express myself through poetry and I'm thankful to her for setting me on this creative and expressive path.”Mark has a degree in Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical Engineering, and his math and science background guides his musical explorations. He likes taking complex things such as emotions and expressing them in a way that's easy to understand. Balancing his right-brained creativity with his analytical left-brain is part of a life-long journey; music is one more place where he can explore this balance.Since his debut album “Slipstream” in 2019 he’s garnered numerous positive reviews, has been placed on hundreds of playlists, and racked up over a million streams worldwide. He’s poised to continue this success with his sophomore album, “Boundary Layer.” Boundary Layer showcases the intersection of Mark’s scientific mind and his passion for positivity and good works. This album is a tribute to those who have helped Mark break out of life’s “normal” boundaries and pursue the person he was meant to be. His goal with this new record is to inspire others to break through barriers in their lives and to use emotional connections and energy to move in the direction they were meant to go. Scientifically, a boundary layer is the place on an object in a moving fluid where things can either start moving or stand still.He and his beloved wife have always had compassion for people in the world and believe it's important to give back to your community. Mark enjoys mentoring entrepreneurs like himself, and donates a lot of his time to philanthropic organizations throughout the Houston area.Each song on his first album is an emotional story about his life's journey’s. Slipstream is the stream of air behind any moving object, usually in the context of making the effort of moving behind someone easier for everyone, like birds flying in a v-formation flock. This is the feeling Mark experienced while working with the incredible musicians and producers who helped create the album. “Musically, the songs on SlipStream run the gamut from straight guitar-based classic rock to bluesier jams, pop metal, Beach Boys-type ballads, and psychedelia. There’s even a mini-rap in one number.” - The Houston Press#rock #johnmayer #tompetty #guitar #song #blues #rock #folk #lifelonglearning #psychology #math #science #nasa #aerospace #transportation #california #texas #love #romance #marriage #technology #humanity #vocal #acoustic #piano #caroleking #jonimitchell #tinydesk #itsnevertoolate #algebra #computer #internet #socialmedia #algorithm
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