"A podcast about making things up and making things happen." L.A.-based writer-performer Dennis Hensley believes that art and creativity make the world go around and make life worth living. Each week, he interviews a different creative person each about what they do, why they do it, and how they manage the ups and downs of a creative life. Some guests are famous, some are less so...all are what Dennis describes as "beautiful strugglers." Past guests have included authors, actors, photographers,…
In this episode, Dennis speaks via Zoom with J.P. Batista, co-owner of the relatively new and proudly gay NoHo Gym in North Hollywood. J.P. talks why, after years as a personal trainer, he decided to open his own gym, what has surprised him about the experience and his advice to other entrepreneurs with dreams of starting their own businesses. He also talks about the last-minute Pride Festival he…
Dennis is joined via Zoom by playwright, screenwriter, actor and teacher Bernardo Cubria to talk about his hilarious and powerful new "dinner party gone wrong" play The People of Pompeii , which just opened at the Will Geer Theatricum in Topanga Canyon. (This is where Dennis first met Bernardo last fall as a student in his playwriting class.) The People of Pompeii is set in Topanga in the days…
Dennis is joined via Zoom by singer-songwriter Paul Cher to talk about his new EP Home to Wonderland , his first release of original songs after putting out several albums of covers. Paul talks about getting the courage to put his own words and music out there, the divas that see him through like Donna Summer, Madonna, Cher and Diana Ross and his ever-changing feelings about streaming services.…
Dennis is joined via Zoom by playwright Erik Patterson ( Handjob ) and actor Michael Sturgis (Clarkston) to talk about the terrific new play F++king Strangers, which Erik wrote at Michael stars in. The play is about four characters--two young gay men and a straight married couple--and their longing to connect in a world where it seems harder and harder to do so. Erik talks about what inspired the…
Dennis is join via Zoom by documentary filmmaker Jeffrey Schwarz to discuss his newest film Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders, which is about the making of the controversial William Friedkin film Cruising , the real life murders it was inspired by and the gay activist movement it inspired. Jeffrey talks about the first time he saw the film, why he was inspired to make the doc, star Al Pacino's…
Dennis is joined via Zoom by actor Tim Cummings who is currently starring as Arnie in the hit play Grangeville by Samuel D. Hunter (The Whale) at the Rustin Group Theatre in Santa Monica, CA. The play is about two estranged half-brothers, one in Idaho, one in Holland, who connect to discuss the care and finances of their ailing mother but end up reckoning with a whole lot more. Tim talks about…
Dennis is joined via Zoom by his friend Nadya Ginsburg to talk about her latest one-person show Feral Fatal, which is hitting LA, New York and the Berkshires in July. The show features her genius imitations of Cher and Madonna but also has plenty of surprises, including a lovely Tom Waits song as well as some thoughtful musings about how we're all just primates. She also talks about getting sober…
Actor-Writer-Producer Paul Witten ( You Are Here ): "My Pinky Is So Extended And I'm Guzzling" Dennis is joined via Zoom by Paul Witten, the creator and star of a new TV pilot called You Are Here , which is having its world premier on June 20th at the Dances With Films festival in Los Angeles. The story centers on a 50-something gay man in Los Angeles and three of his friends who all feel like…
Dennis is joined via Zoom by writer-director Elliot Tuttle to talk about his debut feature Blue Film , which is about a 20-something camboy who takes a lot of money to spend the night with an anonymous client, who ends up being a former school teacher and convicted sex offender from his small hometown. Elliot talks about why he wanted to tell this story, the knockout performances he got from his…
Dennis is join via Zoom by Linus O'Brien to discuss his new documentary Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror, a joyful and inspiring recounting of the journey of the cultural juggernaut that is The Rocky Horror Picture Show . Linus's father Richard O'Brien created the original show and played Riff Raff both on stage and in the movie and watching father and son interact in the film and try to…
