Social Animals

Episode 100; Available Now The final three episodes of Social Animals are here. And they're all me! I invited some close friends of the podcast back to turn the tables and ask me the questions I've spent the last five years asking others. This episode features: 🎙️ Guests: Nicole, Robin and special guest Nacho! It's been a wild ride drawing stories, reflections, and surprises from 90+ guests from around the world. Thank you to everyone who listened, shared, and showed up along the way. If you'd like to keep up with what I'm doing next, follow @SpinClassLocal here and on Substack. Best, Alex

Episode 99; Available Now The final three episodes of Social Animals are here. And they're all me! I invited some close friends of the podcast back to turn the tables and ask me the questions I've spent the last five years asking others. This episode features: 🎙️ Guests: Ardra, Enrico, Mike! It's been a wild ride drawing stories, reflections, and surprises from 90+ guests from around the world. Thank you to everyone who listened, shared, and showed up along the way. If you'd like to keep up with what I'm doing next, follow @SpinClassLocal here and on Substack. Best, Alex

Episode 98; Available Now The final three episodes of Social Animals are here. And they're all me! I invited some close friends of the podcast back to turn the tables and ask me the questions I've spent the last five years asking others. This episode features: 🎙️ Guests: Liam , Jafar and Clare It's been a wild ride drawing stories, reflections, and surprises from 90+ guests from around the world. Thank you to everyone who listened, shared, and showed up along the way. If you'd like to keep up with what I'm doing next, follow @SpinClassLocal here and on Substack. Best, Alex

Author and primatologist Dr. Keriann McGoogan joins me to talk about her book Sisters of the Jungle, field school adventures in Belize, the highs and lows of academia, and the bonds—and breaks—of friendship in women's STEM. These are her stories of connection, challenge, and trailblazing. Link 01: Kariann's Website Link 02: Buy from Publisher - Douglas McIntyre Link 03: Indigo Tell your friends, comment below and enjoy the stories! Thanks for listening! Image: Travis Steffens Publisher: Douglas McIntyre

This week I am hanging out with Brooklyn Doran. Brooklyn is a talented musician and songwriter based in Niagara, Ontario, and has generously spent some of her time to talk to me about a long-running prank with their partner, matching tattoos, and being on tour with Cancer Bats and GWAR. You can follow Brooklyn here: Link 01: https://brooklyndoran.com/ Link 02: https://www.instagram.com/brooklyndoran/ Link 03: https://brooklyndoran.bandcamp.com/ Subscribe to automatically get Brooklyn's episode and more episodes of Social Animals. Tell your friends, comment below and enjoy the stories. Thanks for listening. Thanks Good Luck Shop for the theme song, Soren D'alimonte for providing the music behind the stories. Thanks Jacqueline Pavan at Storm Horse Tattoo in Toronto for the Artwork. And thank you for listening. Photo by Bryan Reid (@bryanreid)

This week I'm hanging out with Matthew Holtby. Matthew is a radio host and singer-songwriter originally from Oshawa, now based in Peterborough, Ontario. He generously spent some of his time talking with me about the loss of friendship and how we look out for each other, how music can shape and sustain connection, and even a wild ride his cat once took. It's a heartfelt and unpredictable conversation that dives deep into what friendship really means. You can follow Matthew here: 🎸 https://www.instagram.com/matthewholtbymusic/?hl=en 📻 https://www.matthewholtbymusic.com/ 🎶 https://linktr.ee/matthewholtbymusic Subscribe to automatically get Matthew's episode and more episodes of Social Animals. Find all the links at https://socialanimals.ca/ Tell your friends, comment below, and enjoy the stories!

This week I am hanging out with Jason McCaslin (aka Cone from Sum 41) Grammy nominated, Juno winning, Canadian Music Hall of Fame musician, producer, writer, radio host and most importantly bass player, Cone McCaslin and has shared their time to talk to me about the friends who take an active part in your life, going hard on the golf course, and what retirement looks like. You can follow Cone here: Link 01: https://idobi.com/show/cones-cave/ Link 02: @officialconemccaslin Link 03: https://www.conemccaslin.com Subscribe on your favourite platform to automatically get Cone's episode and more episodes of Social Animals. Tell your friends, comment below and enjoy the stories! Thanks for listening! The interlude music on this episode was made by Me using Apple Garage Band and those sweet sweet loopies.

✨ This week on Social Animals, I'm hanging out with Rachel Phan — author of Restaurant Kid! Rachel and I dive into what it means to be a third culture kid (a term I only discovered through her book), the story of her fiercely protective furry friend, Ivy 🐾, and what it's like when old friends resurface after you publish a memoir. 📚 Follow Rachel Phan here: 🔗 rachelphan.com 🔗 www.douglas-mcintyre.com 🔗 @rachelmphan 🎧 Subscribe to automatically get Rachel's episode — and all upcoming stories on Social Animals. 💬 Share with your friends, drop a comment, and enjoy the stories! 🎵 Interlude music by @smashedpotatriarchies @douglasmcintyre2013 // DMPublishers // @douglasmcintyre.bsky.social ~ // @pegasus_books

This week I am hanging out with Manfred Sittman Manfred is the frontman for Toronto rock n' roll band Elephants and Stars, and he has generously spent some of his time to talk to me about a special tattoo, creative control and a crazy story about a cabin the woods. You can follow Manfred Sittman here: Web: https://elephantsandstars.com/ Socials: @elephantsandstars Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuycK6UrIRQadUKYlJeFokw Tell your friends, comment below and enjoy the stories! Thanks for listening!

This week, I'm hanging out with Tommy Dillon, the lead singer of Toronto's Holy Hell (@holyhellmusic). Tommy's an old friend, and we caught up about tattoos, married life, and old stories where the statute of limitations has safely passed. Follow Holy Hell: 🎸 Spotify 🎸 Instagram 🎸 TikTok 🎸 Bandcamp (if active, otherwise omit) 🎸 SoundCloud (if active, otherwise omit) Subscribe to get Tommy's episode and more stories from Social Animals automatically. Find all the channels at https://socialanimals.ca. Tell your friends, drop a comment, and enjoy the stories! Thanks for listening. Word up to Michael McDonell, Soren D'Alimonte and Storm Horse tattoos for the theme song, interlude music and Social Animals Artwork.

Today I'm hanging out with Tarek Kabbani — a Lebanese-Canadian senior graphic designer, musician, and event organizer based in Toronto. Born in Kuwait, Tarek studied graphic design at George Brown College and has built a creative career across multiple industries, guided by a love for meaningful, accessible design — and a strong DIY spirit. We talk about his friend Omar, a pool-playing bird, and that one time brunch with the cops didn't go quite as planned. This is Tarek Kabbani, and these are the stories of his friendships. You can follow Tarek here: Youtube: https://youtube.com/@turkhimself?si=4ParWYbUmFgaCy0N Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/turkhimself/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/turkhimself/ Subscribe to automatically get Tarek's episode and more episodes of Social Animals. Tell your friends, comment below and enjoy the stories! Thanks for listening!

This week I am hanging out with Foad HP Today's guest is the incredibly sharp and hilarious Foad HP — actor, writer, and stand-up straight outta Toronto. You might've seen him on Just For Laughs, JFL42, heard him on CBC Radio's Laugh Out Loud or SiriusXM, or maybe you were lucky enough to catch him winning the 2016 Toronto Comedy Brawl. In this episode, we dive into everything from Grecian human traffickers (yep, you read that right), to cultural overlaps, and of course, our mutual love of books. It's thoughtful, it's funny, and honestly, it goes places. You're gonna want to stick around for this one. You can follow Foad HP here: Web: www.foadhp.com Spotify: https://shorturl.at/BU41B Subscribe to automatically get Foad HP's episode and more episodes of Social Animals. Thanks Good Luck Shop for the theme song, Soren D'alimonte for providing the music behind the stories. Thanks Jacqueline Pavan at Storm Horse Tattoo in Toronto for the Artwork, And thank you for listening.

Episode 88 Available Now! Today I'm hanging out with Stephen Stohn. Ontario-based, semi-retired entertainment lawyer and co-producer of the Degrassi television series. Stephen takes me on a wonderful journey of friendship. We talk about travelling nomadically in a van with singer-songwriter and original Much Music Vee-Jay Christopher Ward, a valiant and successful fight against cat allergies and a song written with Paul McCartney….kind of. This is Stephen Stohn and these are his stories of friendship. You can follow Stephen here: https://stephenstohn.ca/gta-rhythm-section @stephenstohn on Instagram Subscribe to automatically get Stephen's episode and more episodes of Social Animals. Subscribe on all the channels at https://socialanimals.ca/ Tell your friends, comment below and enjoy the stories! Thanks for listening! Photographer credit: https://www.giovannicapriotti.com/

This week I am hanging out with Gene Champagne Gene is the Drummer for seminal Canadian punk band 'Teenage Head' and a founding member of the Killjoys, a foundational indie band in the 90s music scene and has toured the world. We talk about the healing power of pets, a shocking loss of a friend and making an album for yourself. You can follow Gene Champagne here: Spotify: Let's Jet Instagram: genchampagne_official Subscribe to automatically get Gene Champagne's episode and more episodes of Social Animals. Subscribe on all the channels at https://socialanimals.ca/ Tell your friends, comment below and enjoy the stories! Thanks for listening!

Episode 86 Available Now! This week I am hanging out with Rozhen Asrani Rozhen is the candidate for the Ontario NDP Party in Etobicoke-Lakeshore. She's bringing Provincial Politics into this century with progressive policy and working-class ethics. We realized we have a lot more in common than our politics, she tells a story about a mid-air hot air balloon fight and what her plans are for the Province. You can follow Rozhen Asrani here: Web: rozhen.ca IG: www.instagram.com/rozhen.ndp, FB: www.facebook.com/ndp.rozhen Subscribe to automatically get Rozhen Asrani's episode and more episodes of Social Animals. Subscribe on all the channels at https://socialanimals.ca/ Tell your friends, comment below and enjoy the stories! Thanks for listening! The interlude music on this episode was made by Me using Apple Garage band and those sweet sweet loopies.

This week I am hanging out with Chris MacDonald. Chris is the author of a new book called Days and Days A story about Sunderland's Leatherface and the Ties that Bind, published by ECW Press. Chris is also the owner and tattoo artist at Under my Thumb on College St. in Toronto and a certified rock and roller playing in the band Le Barons. We talk about backpacking, taking mushrooms at the cottage and new words that burn into your memory. This is Chris MacDonald, Author of Days and Days and these are his stories of friendship. You can follow Chris here: IG: https://www.instagram.com/the_red_beauty/ Book: https://ecwpress.com/products/days-and-days-leatherface Le Barons: https://lebarons.bandcamp.com/album/days-are-mountains Tattoos: https://www.undermythumb.ca/index.html#/ Subscribe to automatically get Chris' episode and more episodes of Social Animals. Subscribe on all the channels at https://socialanimals.ca/ Tell your friends, comment below and enjoy the stories! Thanks for listening!

This week I am hanging out with Najla Said. I read Nejla's book "Looking for Palestine" and it struck a chord as a story of representation and struggle about identity growing up with an eminent academic father who fought his entire life for Peace. Edward Said was one of the world's most galvanizing thinkers and defined how the world viewed Arabs. Nejla and I discuss the value of an imaginary friend and why you shouldn't go to an Airbnb on the other side of an unrefrigerated fish market in Vietnam. We discuss not apologizing for our existence and what it was like growing up on the fence between not White enough growing up in Canada/America, but also not Arab enough. You can follow Najla Said here: Web: https://www.najlasaid.com/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/kittybubble/?hl=en Book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/308356/looking-for-palestine-by-najla-said/ Subscribe to automatically get Najla Said's episode and more episodes of Social Animals. Subscribe on all the channels at https://socialanimals.ca/ Tell your friends, comment below and enjoy the stories! Thanks for listening!

This week I am hanging out with Beatlalipos aka Elie Nakhle Elie is a Lebanese Producer, Rapper and sound Engineer who lives in Montreal. We talk about Lebanese food, politics and what brought Elie to Canada. Is God an imaginary friend? A near death experience and his newest project released July 1st 2024 called 808 Dabke infusing modern sounds with traditional Arabic melodies. You can follow Beatlalipos here: Web: www.beatlalipos.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Gek9Q7tZ8ribKJrjBKcNH Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/beatlalipos Subscribe to automatically get Beatlalipos's episode and more episodes of Social Animals. Subscribe on all the channels at https://socialanimals.ca/ Tell your friends, comment below and enjoy the stories! Thanks for listening!

This week I am hanging out with Jay Sparrow Jay is a singer/songwriter based in Alberta, Canada. Jay is a career musician having played in 'Murder City Sparrows' and taken his solo act to great heights he is now releasing his 8th studio album 'Hard Eight.' He's also the owner of Sea Change Brewery. We talk about drive-by shootings and talking to gang members while filming a music video, partying with Wyclef Jean, growing up in Alberta and how hard it is to get a beer into the LCBO. You can follow Jay here: Web: https://jaysparrow.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaysparrowmusic Brewery: https://www.seachangebeer.com/ Subscribe to automatically get Jay's episode and more episodes of Social Animals. Subscribe on all the channels at https://socialanimals.ca/ Tell your friends, comment below and enjoy the stories! Thanks for listening! The interlude music on this episode was made by Me using Apple Garage band and those sweet sweet loopies. Photo Credit: Cooper & O'Hara

This week I am hanging out with Bilal Nasser Bilal is a Windsor, ON based musician who takes a foundation of classical guitar, elements of shoegaze, post-punk and drone and distills them into a cascade of brilliant and emotive sound. He is also a music teacher, fellow podcaster and he opened the loft he shares with his partner Kamryn to us when the band was on tour in November. You can follow Bilal Nasser here: Link 00: https://www.instagram.com/bilalguitar/?hl=en Link 01: bilalnasser.com Link 02: https://bilalnasser.bandcamp.com/album/how-can-we-say-nothing Link 03: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7hOgpveIitcLnPfyyaYI1Z Link 04: https://www.instagram.com/theriverandtheland/?hl=en Subscribe to automatically get Bilal Nasser's episode and more episodes of Social Animals. Subscribe on all the channels at https://socialanimals.ca/ Tell your friends, comment below and enjoy the stories! Thanks for listening! The interlude music on this episode was made by Me using Apple Garage band and those sweet sweet loopies.