Podcast
Journey of an Aesthete Podcast https://www.jouneyofanaesthetepodcast.com/
Hosted by Mitch Hampton · EN
In our sixth 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.
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Season 7: "Book Lunch": Hermione Lee's "Tom Stoppard: A Life " with Return Guest Joanne Davis Woods"
1w ago01:22:46Tap 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
2w ago01:27:43Tap 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
2w ago01:33:35Tap 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
4w ago00:55:52Tap 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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Season 7: "Something Borrowed": Nancy Sinatra's 1985 book on her father, Book publishing and American Song
Apr 2700:33:50Tap to summarize#franksinatra #nancysinatra #booklunch #FranksinatramyfatherIn this "Book Lunch" we closely examine Nancy Sinatra's 1980s fantastic book , " Frank Sinatra, My Father" which we will use as a jumping off point to discuss physical art objects and reflect upon the power of archival photographs, memory and art in the 20th century. This "Book Lunch" will be less "about" either Frank or Nancy Sinatra but more a reflection book publishing itself and the power of a single era.***Quick correction from Mitch- during his stream he mentioned D.H. Lawrence when he meant to say John Updike and The Rabbit series. Thank you!
Transcribe →Season 7: "All About Aesthetics": Isaiah Berlin and Romanticism,The Final Episode (9)
Apr 1000:52:56Tap to summarize#aesthetics #podcast #IsaiahBerlin #seriesA special thanks to everyone who joined us yesterday for our finale episode ( 9) in our ongoing "All About Aesthetics "series centered around Isaiah Berlin and Romanticism. This ongoing special multi part series roamed far and wide this past year and even with all of that, there is so much more to be said about the enduring, profound works of Berlin.The entire playlist is available to enjoy anytime and thanks for being the very best part of what we do!We will be back soon and have a lovely weekend all!
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Bonus Content! Season 7 : "Mitch Hampton Trio spring Concert and Happy Birthday Zach! Happy Easter all!
Apr 601:31:07Tap to summarizeThe material is used for the purpose of commentary and criticism, which falls under the fair use doctrine of copyright law. No copyright infringement is intended. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. A special thanks to everyone who joined us last night to ring in Spring, Easter and Zach's birthday!Please share the concert out with us - we love bringing these to you folks as our thanks. Ever since Covid we have been dedicated to continuing our living room concert series as our gift to our beloved audience and thanks to the Mitch Hampton Trio and our tech crew for a wonderful night of music for all!#mitchhamptontrio #podcast #livestreamconcert
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