Janelle Monae And Damien Chazelle

In this first “Happy Sad Confused” of the new year, it’s all the more appropriate that Josh welcomes two artists who very much represent the future. First up is Janelle Monae, already a phenomenal music success story, who has made a huge splash as an actor in recent months. Despite never acting on screen before, Monae’s first films roles, in “Moonlight” and “Hidden Figures” prove she’s a talent to be reckoned with, no surprise to anyone familiar with the rest of her career. Monae chats with Josh about her path as an artist, why she’s always been a sci-fi lover, and the influence her friend and mentor, Prince, had on her life. Also joining Josh on the podcast this week is Damien Chazelle, the filmmaker behind “Whiplash” and the critically beloved “La La Land”. If you’ve seen Chazelle’s work you know he’s the real deal and he lays out much of his creative vision and aspirations in this conversation. The 31 year old discusses his love of “crazy movies”, how a Miles Teller/Emma Watson version of his film (which nearly came to be) would have differed, and how a phone call from JJ Abrams changed his career.