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Bob Barth

@bobbarth.bsky.social
337 followers 71 following 625 posts

Writer / Filmmaker / Performer / Educator and Radio Host--Bob Barth's ONE NIGHT STAND on WFMU's Sheenas Jungle Room Saturday 2pm PST / 5pm EST

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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 20m
What makes a screenwriter read a story and think, “I want this”? Ailbhe Keogan joined me on Bob Barth’s One Night Stand to discuss Trespasses and her desire to bring it to the screen. Listen free on the WFMU app or here: www.wfmu.org/playlists/sh... @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Gilda Radner was a heroine of Jane Mendelsohn’s. Learning she dated Martin Short during Godspell sparked a question: “What was that like?” Jane & Nick Davis discuss You Had to Be There on Bob Barth’s One Night Stand. Listen: free WFMU app → September 26 archive. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Why did Toronto’s Godspell attract so much comedic talent? Nick Davis found a clue in the script. Nick Davis & Jane Mendelsohn discuss their documentary You Had to Be There on Bob Barth’s One Night Stand. Listen: free WFMU app → September 26 archive. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The ONS Film Club returns Saturday! Film historian Dr. Olympia Kiriakou joins me for THE WOMEN (1939). Watch ahead on Hulu, rent on major digital platforms, or check your local public library! 2pm PT / 5pm ET WFMU’s Sheena’s Jungle Room wfmu.org / free WFMU app @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Saturday’s show is in the free WFMU app: Nick Davis & Jane Mendelsohn on You Had to Be There, plus Ailbhe Keogan on Trespasses. Jump to either conversation, skip around, rewind—listen like a podcast. No subscription. wfmu.org/playlists/sh... @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Thirty years after I left my high-school theater, I walked back into its dressing room. It was still a mess. The visit got me thinking about the people and places that help us find a path—and how much that path can change once we’re on it. bobbarthwrites.substack.com/p/thirty-yea...
bobbarthwrites.substack.com
Thirty Years Later, the Dressing Room Is Still a Mess
Earlier this week, I walked into Vernon Township High School for the first time in about thirty years.
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Today on One Night Stand: Nick Davis and Jane Mendelsohn on You Had to Be There, the documentary about the Toronto Godspell production that helped launch a comedy generation. Plus, screenwriter Ailbhe Keogan on Trespasses, now airing on PBS. 2–6 PT / 5–9 ET on WFMU’s SJR. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I went back to my high school theater for the first time in 30 years. The dressing room was still a mess. The stage brought back much more. This week’s essay is about teaching the next generation, returning to the place where I found my path, and the people we take with us.
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Director Pádraic McKinley wanted The Weight to feel modern without abandoning the visual intentionality of classic cinema. Hear our conversation about his Depression-era thriller, starring Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe, in the archives of Bob Barth’s One Night Stand at WFMU.org. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Saturday’s One Night Stand is now in the WFMU archives! Director Padraic McKinley joins me to discuss The Weight, starring Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe. Plus, we take a look at Season 4 of Reacher. Listen anytime, just like a podcast: wfmu.org/playlists/sh... @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Los Angeles can still be the destination. It no longer has to be the starting line. Make the work. Find your people. Build your little Hollywood wherever you are—and move when you have a concrete reason to come. “Don’t Move to Los Angeles… Yet” bobbarthwrites.substack.com/p/dont-move-...
bobbarthwrites.substack.com
Don’t Move to Los Angeles… Yet
For most of my life, if someone told me they wanted to work in film or television, I knew what came next: Eventually, they were going to have to move to Los Angeles.
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Today on Bob Barth’s One Night Stand: 🎬 Director Padraic McKinley joins me to talk about The Weight, his new Depression-era thriller starring Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe. 📺 Plus: Alan Ritchson is back for Season 4 of Reacher. 2–6 PM PT / 5–9 PM ET WFMU’s Sheena’s Jungle Room @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I love Los Angeles. I’m just no longer sure it’s where a young filmmaker needs to begin. Find your people. Buy the pizza. Make the five minutes. Today’s essay is about building a film community where you are—and why I may need to follow my own advice. bobbarthwrites.substack.com/p/dont-move-...
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
What struck me seeing Violent Femmes live wasn’t nostalgia—it was how immediate the relationship between the band and the audience still feels. Gordon Gano and I talked about what he sees when he looks out from the stage & why that connection still matters after all these years. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Last Saturday’s show is now in the WFMU archive! Gordon Gano of Violent Femmes joins me, along with looks at Practical Magic 2 and the national tour of Water for Elephants. Listen online or through the WFMU app—just like a podcast—and savor it all week long. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Critics dismissed Practical Magic in 1998. Nearly three decades later, audiences were still waiting for its sequel. A work of art doesn’t fail because someone declares it dead. Sometimes it simply hasn’t found its moment yet. bobbarthwrites.substack.com/p/nobody-get...
bobbarthwrites.substack.com
Nobody Gets to Decide When a Work of Art Has Failed
This week I attended an early screening of Practical Magic 2.
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Today on Bob Barth’s One Night Stand: Gordon Gano of the Violent Femmes joins me, plus we take a look at the new motion picture Practical Magic 2 and the national tour of Water for Elephants at the Hollywood Pantages. 2–6 p.m. PT / 5–9 p.m. ET WFMU’s Sheena’s Jungle Room @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
At a packed screening of Practical Magic 2, fans arrived dressed up and cheering. The original wasn’t a hit in 1998. It simply hadn’t found all of its people yet. This week: Who gets to decide when a work of art has failed? bobbarthwrites.substack.com/p/nobody-get...
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Virginia Woolf’s humor isn’t a modern embellishment—it’s right there in the novel. Screenwriter/producer Justine Waddell joined me to discuss letting that wit guide her adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day. Our conversation is now in the WFMU archive. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I’m back for another fill-in tomorrow on WFMU’s Sheena’s Jungle Room—playing some fun things I’ve stumbled into and spending the morning with all you fantastic listeners. Thursday at 9 a.m. Pacific / noon Eastern on WFMU. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Adults lets its characters be selfish, impulsive and spectacularly messy without treating them with contempt. That affection is what gives the chaos its emotional weight. My conversation with co-showrunners Rebecca Shaw and Ben Kronengold is in the WFMU archives. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw met at 17. Today, they’re married and co-showrunners of FX’s Adults—still doing what brought them together in the first place: making each other laugh. Hear our full conversation anytime in the WFMU archive. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The latest One Night Stand is in the WFMU archive: Ben Kronengold & Rebecca Shaw on Adults S2; Justine Waddell on Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day; plus Sara Bareilles: Good Grief and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Listen anytime at WFMU.org or in the free WFMU app—just like a podcast. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Some people become part of the rhythm of our lives so completely that we never imagine a time when they won’t be there. Then one day, they’re part of a story we used to live. My latest essay: “The People You Think You’ll Always Know.” Read—and subscribe if you’d like more:
bobbarthwrites.substack.com
The People You Think You’ll Always Know
I have always suffered from grass-is-always-greener syndrome.
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
LIVE TODAY — Bob Barth’s One Night Stand on WFMU: 🎙️ Adults co-showrunners Ben Kronengold & Rebecca Shaw 🎬 Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day screenwriter-producer Justine Waddell 🎵 Sara Bareilles: Good Grief 🎭 A Noise Within’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom 2–6 PT / 5–9 ET | Sheena’s JR! @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
A play closes. A tour ends. A TV series wraps. People who were part of your everyday life suddenly aren’t anymore. I spent too much time wondering what came next instead of appreciating where I was. The People You Think You’ll Always Know — new on Substack.
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Filmmaker David Kittredge on the lesson he takes from John Boorman’s extraordinary swing with Exorcist II. Our conversation about Boorman and the Devil is now in the WFMU archives. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
For Joe Swanberg, improvisation means leaving room for what actors discover together—and refusing to become trapped by the version imagined alone. Hear our full conversation about The Sun Never Sets in the One Night Stand archive at WFMU.org and on the free WFMU app. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Bonus radio tomorrow! I’m filling in on WFMU’s Sheena’s Jungle Room Wednesday, September 2, starting at 1 PM Pacific / 4 PM Eastern. An unexpected afternoon behind the mic, playing records and seeing where the music takes us. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Great scenes are often powered by what the characters cannot say. Sian Brooke on acting opposite Simon Pegg in The Undeclared War—and the enormous secrets “bedded underneath” every exchange. Hear the conversation: wfmu.org/playlists/sh... @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Reality has repeatedly caught up with The Undeclared War. Simon Pegg on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—and how the series had already written Putin’s territorial ambitions. My conversation with Pegg and Sian Brooke: wfmu.org/playlists/sh... @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
This week’s One Night Stand is now in the WFMU archives! Simon Pegg & Sian Brooke — The Undeclared War S2 Joe Swanberg — The Sun Never Sets David Kittredge — Borman and the Devil Plus Adults S2 and An Enemy of the People at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
TV seasons got shorter, tighter and more serialized. But something disappeared along the way: the episodes that simply let us spend time with the characters. That’s what I’m thinking about in Television Needs to Let Us Hang Out Again. My latest Substack: bobbarthwrites.substack.com/p/television...
bobbarthwrites.substack.com
Television Needs to Let Us Hang Out Again
There was a time when television took up an enormous amount of time.
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Is Randy Quaid a bit?
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
TODAY on One Night Stand: 🎙️ Simon Pegg & Sian Brooke — The Undeclared War S2 🎬 Joe Swanberg — The Sun Never Sets 🎥 David Kittredge — Boorman and the Devil 🎭 An Enemy of the People at Odyssey Theatre Ensemble 5–9 ET / 2–6 PT on WFMU’s Sheena’s Jungle Room. wfmu.org @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Some shows need six episodes. Some need ten. But when the characters are the reason we’re watching, eight episodes may not be nearly enough. This week: why TV needs to stop treating shorter seasons as inherently better. bobbarthwrites.substack.com/p/television...
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Director Alicia MacDonald on why she wanted Finding Emily to put a little hope and joy into the world. My full conversation with Alicia is now in the archive. Listen anytime online or through the free WFMU app — skip around, rewind and listen just like a podcast. 🎧 wfmu.org @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
The Magic Faraway Tree director Ben Gregor on One Night Stand. Full conversation now in the WFMU archive + app. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Surprise radio appearance this morning! I’m filling in on WFMU's Sheenas Jungle Room starting at 9 AM PT / Noon ET for a couple of hours. Music, conversation and whatever else finds its way onto the air. Come hang out with me live. 📻 @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
It's hard to imagine a world without #DollyParton in it.
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Claire Foy on the refreshingly simple ambition behind The Magic Faraway Tree: make people laugh and give them a good time at the cinema. Our conversation is now available on demand in the WFMU archive and app. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Andrew Garfield on the creative uncertainty that keeps him moving forward — from our conversation about The Magic Faraway Tree. Hear the interview now in the WFMU archive or app. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Yesterday’s One Night Stand is now on demand! Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy & Ben Gregor — The Magic Faraway Tree Alicia MacDonald — Finding Emily The Rivals of Amziah King Death Cab for Cutie at the Greek Listen online or via the free WFMU app. Skip, fast-forward or replay — just like a podcast.
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
A loop pedal can let one musician create the sound of an entire band. But in a stadium, I found myself wondering: why would you want it to? This week’s Substack is about Ed Sheeran, live performance, and what gets lost when one person does everything. bobbarthwrites.substack.com/p/the-bloom-...
bobbarthwrites.substack.com
The Bloom Is Off the Loop
On live looping, stadium spectacle, and what makes for a great live performance.
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
TODAY on One Night Stand: 🎬 Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy & director Ben Gregor — The Magic Faraway Tree 🎬 Director Alicia MacDonald — Finding Emily 🎥 The Rivals of Amziah King 🎸 Death Cab for Cutie at the Greek Theatre LIVE 2–6 PM PT / 5–9 PM ET on WFMU’s Sheena’s Jungle Room. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
When does technical skill start getting in the way of the thing we actually came to experience? A recent stadium concert got me thinking about live looping, spectacle, musicians actually playing together — and what makes live music feel alive. The Bloom Is Off the Loop
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
For Kett Turton, playing Clive in Gypsy 83 became a journey of self-discovery both on screen and off. Turton joined me for ONS Film Club to look back at the cult favorite and what he discovered about himself while making it. 🎧 Full conversation in the WFMU archive. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Todd Stephens joined the ONS Film Club to revisit Gypsy 83 and its enduring audience connection. Hear the conversation in the WFMU archives. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Craig A. Williams on the trust behind IF THESE WALLS COULD ROCK — and telling the Sunset Marquis story without chasing the scandal. Full conversation in the WFMU archive. @wfmu.bsky.social
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Bob Barth @bobbarth.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
The Sunset Marquis has spent decades at the intersection of music, mythology and some truly remarkable stories. If These Walls Could Rock filmmaker Tyler Measom joined me on One Night Stand — and, yes, Bruce Springsteen came up. Full conversation in the WFMU archive. @wfmu.bsky.social
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