87. Kristin Hanggi Discusses India.Arie, SongVersation: Medicine

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This week's guest is director/writer/poet Kristin Hanggi, who received a Tony Award nomination for Best Director of a Musical for Rock of Ages. Kristin is also the author  of God, Sex and Musical Theatre (which is in the process of being adapted for a musical) and the co-host (with Natalie Roy) of Let’s Play: The C.R.E.A.T.E. Podcast. She chose the 2017 India.Arie EP, SongVersation: Medicine for this episode. Kristin talks about why this collection of songs is special to her, which lyrics from the EP resonate most strongly with her and how her approach to listening to music informs her work as a director and storyteller.

Kristin talked briefly about  the heroine’s journey as a conceptual framework for storytelling. If you want to hear her talk about this extensively, be sure to listen to her most recent appearance on Rob Bell’s Robcast. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-heroines-journey/id956742638?i=1000569043767

To learn more about Kristin's various projects, workshops and other resources for storytellers, visit her website, kristinhanggi.com.

Also be sure to follow Kristin at @hanggilove on Twitter and Instagram.

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

1:13 Kristin joins the show

1:25 Al is intrigued by Kristin’s use of the heroine’s journey as a storytelling framework

3:39 Kristin discusses why she chose SongVersation: Medicine for this episode

5:25 Kristin identifies what it is she loves about India Arie’s music

6:18 Kristin talks about the Arie track that motivated her to check out more of her songs

8:00 There are certain types of moments when Kristin especially enjoys listening to the EP

9:34 Kristin gives an example of a song from the EP that teaches the listener how to process emotional pain

10:30 Al talks about his initial reactions to the EP

12:37 SongVersation: Medicine is different from the type of music that many people associate Kristin with

15:29 The EP helps Kristin when the world feels especially crazy

16:49 Kristin thinks the authenticity of Arie’s writing is key to the album’s ability to move her

18:27 Al was surprised by the album’s dynamics

20:07 Kristin really relates to “Chicken Soup in a Song”

21:30 Kristin likes how the EP helps her to slow down

25:37 Kristin talks about the importance of being emotionally attuned in her work

28:00 Kristin identifies the healing elements of Arie’s music

30:49 Kristin’s approach to listening to music is influenced by her work as a director

32:17 Al points out some of the features of the EP that he enjoys

33:41 Kristin talks about how she would listen to albums growing up — and how that impacts her listening now

37:23 Kristin and Al share some of their favorite lyrics from the EP

49:58 Al came across an Arie song that was a true earworm

51:34 Kristin talks about working with other writers as a “story doctor”

57:10 Kristin discusses her current and upcoming projects

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