Jeff Kolar

Jeff edits many of these podcasts…and now it is time for him to speak!

Jeff is a prolific musician and artist — creating in a variety of genres and formats. His works appear as stand-alone albums, as complements to performance art, and on pirate radio stations.

I’ve long been a fan of Jeff’s music, and, in 2020, he released two of my favorite albums of his: Ditch and Scale with Zeena Parkins.

I wanted to talk to Jeff about the differences between creating for “the art world” vs creating as a musician, as well as the role of improvisation in his process. Jeff also has some wild and hilarious stories about the variety of things that can go wrong when making art.

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Show Notes: [01:59] Did Jeff inspire the Nathan For You sketch about smoke detectors? [18:40] How does creation differ between “making sound art: and “making music”? How does composition change when complimenting a performance vs “making an album”? [37:50] The crossover between punk, skate culture, and high art — and Jeff’s background in BMX [45:24] Jeff’s record with Zeena Parkins — and the role of improvisation in music and dance. [01:07:47] Jeff’s radio project Radius — and using radio as an “art form” [01:14:27] How the live performance of “Ditch” resulted in Jeff at the New York City police department at 6am [01:24:00] Check out Jeff’s Bandcamp and listen to Radius Links and Resources Mentioned: Nathan Fielder Nathan For You “Nathan’s Band” Nathan Fielder Trolls Austin Police Department with Fake Thank-You Cards “Smoke Detector” by Jeff Kolar Circuit bending Creation is Crucifixion “Gameboy AKA This is Where Technology and Anarchy Fuck” Chiptune Jennifer Monson Zeena Parkins Björk Ben Frost Dark (TV series) Chernobyl Chernobyl Soundtrack BMX Tabletop The High Line Brian Eno Five Finger Death Punch Pantera Obituary Watain “You Coulda Called Him Al” from the Miami New Times