You Are The Genre

🔊: Apple - Spotify - NewsletterTim Barnes chats with Felipe Torres Medina (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) about growing up in Columbia, the impact comedic imports from America, and the everlasting power of being a moody boy. His book, America, Let Me In: A Choose Your Immigration Story was published March 2025 and has earned some pretty cool reviews from Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly. ORDER IT NOW! Felipe Torres Medina is an award-winning humorist and writer based in New York City. He is a writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert where he’s written bits for his boss and also some celebrities who don’t know him. His writing for The Late Show has earned him a WGA Award and a Peabody Award as well as five Emmy nominations. His book, America, Let Me In: A Choose Your Immigration Story was published March 2025 and has earned some pretty cool reviews from Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly. ORDER IT NOW! His work has appeared on The New Yorker, BuzzFeed and BuzzFeed Español, McSweeney's, Reductress, and CollegeHumor. He trained as a writer and comedian at the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York and did many comedy shows in the basements of bars, grocery stores, and other places littered with fire hazards. He has also been published in several important media publications in Latin America such as El Espectador, KienYKe and Revista Arcadia. He once appeared on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, but in Colombia. His millions are in Colombian pesos.Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter!Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.comCREDITS:* Host: Tim Barnes* Guest: Felipe Torres Medina* Theme Song: “You Are The Genre” by Freddie Nunez* Music Engineer: Adam Smith* Podcast Art: Madhuri Shukla This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com

Tim Barnes chats journalist Philip Lewis about how his early passions led him to journalism.Philip Lewis is a journalist from Detroit, Michigan. He is the author of the What I'm Reading newsletter.Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter!Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.comCREDITS:Host: Tim BarnesGuest: Philip LewisTheme Song: “You Are The Genre” by Freddie NunezMusic Engineer: Adam SmithPodcast Art: Madhuri Shukla This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com

🔊: Apple - Spotify - NewsletterTim Barnes chats with Ryan Perez (SNL, The Tonight Show) about the impact of Scorsese films on his sensibility as a comedian, writer, and filmmaker.Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter!Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.comCREDITS:* Host: Tim Barnes* Guest: Ryan Perez* Theme Song: “You Are The Genre” by Freddie Nunez* Music Engineer: Adam Smith* Podcast Art: Madhuri Shukla This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com

Tim Barnes chats writer Nathan Rabin about his early interest in politics and trivia, and how they influenced his career as a dissector of pop culture’s past, present, and future.Nathan Rabin coined the phrase Manic Pixie Dream Girl, co-wrote the coffee table book of his childhood hero “Weird Al” Yankovic and has written for the A.V Club longer than anyone else, with a career stretching back two decades. He’s also written five books: The Big Rewind, My Year Of Flops, Weird Al: The Book, You Don’t Know Me But You Don’t Like Me (which was named a “Best Book of the Year” by both Slate and Rolling Stone, which gave the book a four star review), and, most recently, 7 Days In Ohio: Trump, the Gathering of the Juggalos and the Summer Everything Went Insane, which was just released in a hugely expanded version. Rabin was also a panelist on Movie Club With John Ridley, a show hosted by Oscar-winning 12 Years A Slave screenwriter. He’s sung onstage with They Might Be Giants, attended five Gathering of the Juggalos and thirty-something Phish shows in addition to appearing on podcasts with the likes of Marc Maron, Scott Aukerman, Harris Wittels and the Sklar Brothers. He is currently a columnist at The A.V Club, Rotten Tomatoes, TCM Backlot and Splitsider and is working on a book about the video game and movie Postal and Donald Trump. He lives in Decatur with his dog and baby and wife and is trying his damnedest to learn how to drive. He’s trying, man. He really is.Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter!Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.comCREDITS:Host: Tim BarnesGuest: Nathan RabinTheme Song: “You Are The Genre” by Freddie NunezMusic Engineer: Adam SmithPodcast Art: Madhuri Shukla This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com

Tim Barnes chats with comedian/director/photographer Rose Kelso about her early love of collecting things and how that ties into her many creative pursuits today.Rose Kelso is a Brooklyn based director, comedian, and photographer. She is the creator of multiple Comedy Central digital series such as: Boomer Stoop, Rose's Music Show, Rose and Brooks' Small World, and more... In February 2024, she was featured on The Tonight Show's Battle of the Instant Songwriters where she performed a song she wrote in an hour (and won!) She directed promotional ads for MTV's 38th annual Video Music Awards. She was named a Content Creator to Watch at the 2022 New York Comedy Festival​. Her satirical songs are regularly featured on Comedy Central's socials. A few hits include: European Boys, Essential Jerker, You Look Like Your Dad, and Nature is Healing. In 2021, she won a Shorty Impact Award for her Boomer Stoop episode Pronouns.​​ She has photographed editorial ads for: Outsider's Division, Von Dutch, Haus of Hands, and more. She has marginal TikTok fame which is, you know, nice...​ She is repped by WME and Authentic Talent & Literary ManagementListen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter!Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.comCREDITS:Host: Tim BarnesGuest: Rose KelsoTheme Song: “You Are The Genre” by Freddie NunezMusic Engineer: Adam SmithPodcast Art: Madhuri Shukla This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com

Tim Barnes chats with comedian/TV writer/filmmaker Niles Abston about how his genre of comedy defies the silos of the internet and forges community.Niles Abston is a stand-up comedian/writer/actor from Mississippi based in Los Angeles and New York City.Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter!Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.comCREDITS:Host: Tim BarnesGuest: Niles AbstonTheme Song: “You Are The Genre” by Freddie NunezMusic Engineer: Adam SmithPodcast Art: Madhuri Shukla This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com

Tim Barnes chats with novelist Micaiah Johnson about following through with her early passion for books and science fiction.Micaiah Johnson is a Brooklyn-based author and scholar. She received her BA in creative writing from the University of California, Riverside, and her MFA in fiction from Rutgers-Camden. She received her doctorate at Vanderbilt university. On her mother’s side, she is a first-generation traditional high school graduate.Her debut novel The Space Between Worlds won the Compton Crook Award and was an Editors’ Choice at The New York Times. NPR named it one of best books of 2020 and one of the best science fiction books of the last decade. Her follow-up novel, Those Beyond the Wall, an eerily timely looked at violence during apartheid, was released March 12th, 2024.In her academic work she is concerned with questions at the intersection of race and technology, particularly as revealed in 19th Century America, a time punctuated by spectacular shifts in both. She also works in the necropolitical implications of preservation, both in centuries past and in our present moment of the Sixth Great Extinction.Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter!Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.comCREDITS:Host: Tim BarnesGuest: Micaiah JohnsonTheme Song: “You Are The Genre” by Freddie NunezMusic Engineer: Adam SmithPodcast Art: Madhuri Shukla This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com

Tim Barnes chats with Mark Bazer about how his early love of comedy bridged into his career as a newspaper columnist and influenced his decision to host the long-running Chicago staple, The Interview Show — which now has a podcast called… you guessed it: The Interview Show with Mark Bazer.There is more to Mark Bazer than being the host of The Interview Show. For example, he has many emotions and showcases a few of them every day. His day job is at Leo Burnett, the best advertising agency in the world, where he works on the new business team.Mark also moderates public and corporate events all over Chicago and is a contributing writer for Chicago magazine. And, when called upon, he will attempt to act.Check out some of Mark’s … OK, let’s cut the charade … this is obviously Mark writing this. So, check out some my recent and/or favorite projects below. And if you want to get in touch, I’m at mebazer@gmail.com.Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter!Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.comCREDITS:Host: Tim BarnesGuest: Mark BazerTheme Song: “You Are The Genre” by Freddie NunezMusic Engineer: Adam SmithPodcast Art: Madhuri Shukla This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com

Tim Barnes chats with Shannon Cason about fusing his early paths in marketing and rap with his current award-winning career as a storyteller with The Moth and Snap Judgment.Shannon Cason is a writer, podcast host, and award-winning storyteller with The Moth and Snap Judgment. He’s appeared on stages and platforms like TEDx, RISK!, and Podcast Movement, and hosts the long-running Shannon Cason’s Homemade Stories podcast. Known for his Brutally Honest Storytelling techniques, Shannon consults and educates companies, nonprofits, and individuals—including pro athletes and celebrities—on how to share their stories authentically.Shannon is originally from Detroit."Look close, and you'll sense some blues, some hard lessons, and real heartbreak behind that winning smile. Shannon Cason is a storyteller's storyteller." - Glynn Washington Snap JudgmentListen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter!Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.comCREDITS:Host: Tim BarnesGuest: Shannon CasonTheme Song: “You Are The Genre” by Freddie NunezMusic Engineer: Adam SmithPodcast Art: Madhuri Shukla This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com

Tim Barnes chats with comedian and After Midnight writer Alexandria Love about the many lives comedians live and how she bridged her early love of the genre into action as an adult.Alexandria Love is a stand-up comedian and writer from Oakland, California. She has performed at comedy clubs all over the country from the SF Punchline to The Miami Improv. She’s been a part of numerous comedy festivals, including SF’s Comedy Day (2018), SF SketchFest (2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021), Out of Bounds in Austin, TX (2019), Silicon Valley Comic Con (2018, 2019), and South by Southwest (2019).The San Francisco Chronicle calls her a “stand-out” for the Comedy Day Celebration, and she was voted as a “Comedian to Watch” by the SFist in 2019. Citizens of Oakland, CA, might know her as the 19-time winner of the Dirty Haiku Battle at the Oakland Metro Opera House. Most recently, she has written for late-night television, having written 204 episodes of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.Alexandria holds a B.A. in Modern Literature from U.C. Santa Cruz and an M.A. in Communications from the University of San Francisco.Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter!Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.comCREDITS:Host: Tim BarnesGuest: Alexandria LoveTheme Song: “You Are The Genre” by Freddie NunezMusic Engineer: Adam SmithPodcast Art: Madhuri Shukla This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com

Tim Barnes chats with the Center for Brooklyn History’s chief historian, Dominique Jean-Louis about her early love of libraries bridged into her interest in history.Dominique Jean-Louis is a doctoral candidate in U.S. history at NYU. She received her B.A. in Comparative Ethnic Studies from Columbia University, where she first developed her interest in researching race and education in New York City. She is passionate about the potential of historical narratives to empower young people, strengthen communities, and support social justice. Her dissertation work will focus on Caribbean immigration to New York City in the post-civil rights era, examining the impact of schooling on the formation of racial identity. During the Fellowship, Dominique will work with Queens high school and college students to document and share the history of Carribbean communities in the borough.Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter!Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.comCREDITS:Host: Tim BarnesGuest: Dominique Jean-LouisTheme Song: “You Are The Genre” by Freddie NunezMusic Engineer: Adam SmithPodcast Art: Madhuri Shukla This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com

Tim Barnes chats with comedian, DJ, TV writer, and fight choreographer Mamoudou N'Diaye about how his early passion for mystery, science fiction, and fight sequences influences his work today.Mamoudou N'Diaye is a Mauritanian/Malian-American comedian, tv/film writer, filmmaker, creative consultant, DJ, and former 7th-grade teacher.N'Diaye has been a correspondent for digital media companies, a creative comedy consultant for social justice nonprofits.He has written and appeared in the Comedy Central Original ‘THEY FOLLOW,’ written for Refinery29's After After Party, Bandera’s Exploding Kittens, the second season of Netflix's Space Force, the ABC drama, Queens, Apple TV+’s Shape Island, and the upcoming Hulu comedy How To Die Alone.Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter!Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.comCREDITS:Host: Tim BarnesGuest: Mamoudou N'DiayeTheme Song: “You Are The Genre” by Freddie NunezMusic Engineer: Adam SmithPodcast Art: Madhuri Shukla This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com

Tim Barnes chats with comedian and TV writer Rae Sanni about the impact entertainers with flair from world wrestling to 80s/90s standup.Rae Sanni is a writer and actress, known for The Good Place, Rel, and A Black Lady Sketch Show.Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter!Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.comCREDITS:Host: Tim BarnesGuest: Rae SanniTheme Song: “You Are The Genre” by Freddie NunezMusic Engineer: Adam SmithPodcast Art: Madhuri Shukla This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com

Tables get turned as former guest Rob Schulte (Vanderpump Robs) interviews You Are The Genre host Tim Barnes as part of the Doin' It with Mike Sacks podcast. Tim also uses this time to give listeners the YEARLY NUDGE toward upgrading to a paid subscription to the newsletter to further support the podcast an newsletter!Subscribe now /Give a gift subscriptionRob Schulte is a self-proclaimed influencer who uses his powers of editing and charisma to produce more podcasts than what most people would consider “humanly possible.”Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter!Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.comCREDITS:Host: Rob Schulte / Tim BarnesGuest: Tim BarnesTheme Song: “You Are The Genre” by Freddie NunezMusic Engineer: Adam SmithPodcast Art: Madhuri Shukla This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com

Tim Barnes chats with comedy writer/political speech writer Chandler Dean about about Trump’s re-election, the current state of comedy and politics, and how he balances the two in his career.Chandler Dean is a comedian and speechwriter who is currently a Senior Director at West Wing Writers, host of the comedy debate show Abolish Everything at Caveat, and a performer on UCB's Harold Night with the team FKA Deb. His work has been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Vulture, McSweeney's, Reductress, and Hard Drive. He is the author of the speechwriting advice column How to Write Every Speech You'll Ever Need to Give in Your Life, and in 2022, he wrote two of the top ten most-read McSweeney's articles of the year. He was previously a Monologue Writer for Lovett or Leave It, and has also worked for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.  Explore this site or follow him on Twitter to learn more.Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter!Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.comCREDITS:Host: Tim BarnesGuest: Chandler DeanTheme Song: “You Are The Genre” by Freddie NunezMusic Engineer: Adam SmithPodcast Art: Madhuri Shukla This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com

Tim Barnes chats with podcaster/podcast producer Anita Flores about her early love of television, the evolution of the podcast space, and what makes Frasier stand the test of time.ANITA FLORES is a podcast producer most recently at Marvel Entertainment. Previously, she’s worked at SiriusXM producing Earwolf and Stitcher shows such as Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People, Vibe Check, Factually, This Keeps Happening, and more. She also hosted and produced for Latino USA,  I’m Listening: A Frasier Podcast, ​CareTalkers, and Doctor Horror, which explores why scary movies are comforting for some. Follow her on IG and X.Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter!Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.comCREDITS:Host: Tim BarnesGuest: Anita FloresTheme Song: “You Are The Genre” by Freddie NunezMusic Engineer: Adam SmithPodcast Art: Madhuri Shukla This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com

Tim Barnes chats with comedian Tim Platt about telling jokes through music, the impact of Jim Carrey, and the inspiration behind his new comedy record, TEETH LIKE BEAK, out now out now with Abso Lutely Records.Bandcamp AppleMusic AmazonMusic SpotifyTim Platt is a comedian, actor, and musician based in Brooklyn, NY. His debut comedy album of jokes and songs, TEETH LIKE BEAK, is dropping in September 2024 with Abso Lutely Records. He was selected as one of Comedy Central’s Up Next Variety Comedians at Clusterfest as well as a Kickstarter Creator-In-Residence. Along with being a cast member in Headgum’s award-winning podcast Rude Tales of Magic, Tim has written and performed original music for Sesame Street, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, and The Story Pirates, one of which was performed by Colin Meloy of The Decemberists. He has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Masterclass with Steve Martin.Current Podcast: Rude Tales of Magic, Oh These Those Stars of SpaceHe created the character comedy podcast Hampton High Archives, where he hosted in character as a high school junior trying to make “WTF with Marc Maron but for MY school!” Guests include Cole Escola, Ayo Edebiri, Jamie Loftus, and more.Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter!Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.comCREDITS:Host: Tim BarnesGuest: Tim PlattTheme Song: “You Are The Genre” by Freddie NunezMusic Engineer: Adam SmithPodcast Art: Madhuri Shukla This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com

Tim Barnes chats with novelist and playwright Claire Willett about the connections between her faith, queerness, and fandom.Portland native Claire Willett is a playwright, novelist, former Catholic youth minister, and nonprofit grantwriter. She is a past recipient of the Oregon Literary Fellowship for Drama, has received creative project grants from the Regional Arts & Culture Council and the Oregon Arts Commission, was a founding artist of Portland's Fertile Ground Festival of New Work (for which she wrote five plays and two librettos), and spent six years as a company member of the award-winning Portland-based writers' collective Playwrights West.Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter!Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.comCREDITS:Host: Tim BarnesGuest: Claire WillettTheme Song: “You Are The Genre” by Freddie NunezMusic Engineer: Adam SmithPodcast Art: Madhuri Shukla This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com

Tim Barnes chats with comedian, filmmaker, and viral digital sketch creator Hoff Matthews. Hoff Matthews has written for outlets such as Comedy Central, Paramount Network and Funny or Die. You can find him and his video sketches on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitter. He also co-produced and hosted the horror movie screening/live comedy show series Hoff’s Horrorfest and created and starred in the web series #Throwback.Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter!Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.comCREDITS:Host: Tim BarnesGuest: Hoff MatthewsTheme Song: “You Are The Genre” by Freddie NunezMusic Engineer: Adam SmithPodcast Art: Madhuri Shukla This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com