Half Alive with the La Brothers

The poor La brothers...freezing cold in their ramshackle house in Schenectady, NY, trying to plan for the future while staying warm in the present. But they are not daunted as they spitball possible artistic endeavors for the new year.

The La brothers discuss a post that re-defines the concept of failure beyond its inherently negative reputation.

Writer, mental health advocate, and self- defense coach, Julio Rivera, discusses his latest book, Internal Jiu Jitsu: How to Conquer Inner and Outer Resistance by Giving Way, which was published in May (mental health awareness month) by White Deer Publishing. He is a graduate of NYU’s journalism program. We are delighted to have Julio as our guest today, and we hope he doesn't think the La Brothers are hopeless as students.

To contact Julio:

https://internaljiujitsu.com

@internaljiujitsu (Instagram)

julioangelrivera1.medium.com

Real life working writer and actor Daniel Guyton joins the La brothers for this episode to explain how he balances acting, directing, and writing with teaching theatre as a college professor. Basement La's insecurities morph into true inspiration as Dan patiently shows the brothers how it's possible to be successful with the right strategies. http://www.danguyton.com/

With 2025 freshly born, the La brothers reminisce about the many insane holidays they've had in the past. One memory involves an ugly scene on the set of Friends, and another a chance encounter with Truman Capote's ghost in the restroom at Washington Square Park. And then there are the family Christmases...

Theme music "The Trapezist" by Quincas Moreira.

What do Oscar Wilde and the La brothers have in common? Nothing, of course, since Wilde was at least successful at one time and the La brothers never were. But the twins wrangle with an interesting quote from Wilde about the tragedy of getting what you want. They also sift through responses from listeners who've dealt with the compounded humiliation of being rejected for artistic work they wouldn't be getting paid for in the first place.

Is it especially humiliating to get rejected for a non-paying acting role? Or to have your short story rejected by an online journal that doesn’t pay its writers? This week, La and La discuss this particular strain of rejection. Not incidentally, they are both newly-fired from their latest survival jobs. And, in keeping with the rejection theme, the brothers strategize on how to entice newly-destitute actor Armie Hammer to rent the middle apartment in their Schenectady house.

After reading irate subscribers' emails about their interview with Clementine Roach who killed a heckler with the instrument she was playing, La and La read some old journal entries, to see if they can get any inspiration from their younger selves. Basement La's journals turn out to be surprisingly poignant, while Attic La's poem from the early 90's reveals his utter lack of poetic skill.

This week's guest is singer and didgeridoo artist Clementine Roach who tells the La brothers about her highs and lows as a performer in Hollywood and the Adirondacks. Her highs include performing for Jennifer Anniston, and her lows include an unintended homicide.

Guest podcaster Sari Bobbin as Clementine. Theme music "The Trapezist" by Quincas Moreira.

La and La have really annoyed their listening audience this time. The blow back from subscribers on the interview with Xerses Barnmuster-Weston (Ep 4) is harsh, and the brothers try to wade through it. Also, Basement La takes a job coaching a girls' basketball team despite knowing nothing about any sport.

Though befuddled by technical problems due to their shaky [pirated] internet service, the La brothers still manage to interview classically-trained star of the stage and screen Xerxes Barnmuster-Weston. As luck would have it, Xerxes and Basement La knew each other from the early days in New York and then Hollywood, where Xerxes snagged all the good parts, leaving Basement La playing roles calling for "large janitor." This opens some old wounds...

Guest podcaster Dr. Manuel Simons as Xerxes. Theme music "The Trapezist" by Quincas Moreira.

This week, La and La deal with the onslaught of listener responses to their interview with Tracey Bracegirdle in Episode 2, and to their reaction to meeting their recently-discovered half-brother Todd Vongool in Episode 1.

The La brothers interview Hollywood actor Tracy Bracegirdle who explains how she made lemonade out of lemons when her acting career didn't turn out quite the way she planned. Theme music "The Trapezist" by Quincas Moreira. Guest podcaster Adira Amram as Tracy.

La and La are back for Season 2 with stories about their newly-discovered half-brother, and all manner of exciting new artistic endeavors. One of the Las has even landed a decent survival job. And they have a big announcement about their new format for Season 2. Theme music "The Trapezist" by Quincas Moreira.

Season 1 finale! While things are looking grim financially, the La brothers are defiantly pursuing their creative endeavors. And there's a surprise in store--Will La and La find out there is yet a third La they never knew about?

A French horn and a tiny dog with bad teeth threaten to completely bankrupt the La brothers. But at least Basement La has an Equity audition in sight.

Attic La takes a tumble on Easter Sunday, further complicating his efforts to find new employment. The brothers try to be philosophical about being broke. Basement La gives advice on how to be an actor.

Attic La has quit his job, casting the La brothers into even more financial peril. They discuss the problems of trying to find a new job in one's sixties. They also learn something about each other's spiritual beliefs, or lack of.

The La brothers discuss how to manage people who are impossible, especially at work. They also give advice on how to make it in show business, sort of.

Attic La asks if he is in actuality a sucky writer. The La brothers discuss an article that encourages the reader to redefine the meaning of failure. They also read a fan letter that reveals a different perspective on their remembered high school bullying experiences.

Basement La is absolved for botching his audition for the pilot of Two and a Half Men many years ago, while Attic La tries to let go of a horrible encounter with an editor from Putnam. They discuss a Forbes article about making survival jobs tolerable, and read Attic La's short story composed entirely of dialogue.

La and La keep trying to move forward with their lives. This week they attempt to exorcise a ghost that has haunted them since they were ten. They also try to express gratitude for little things that have gone right this past week, and once again they commit to their artistic endeavors.

Today the 60-year-old La twins concede that they will never make a living doing what they love. But they refuse to give up on acting and writing altogether. In that spirit, Attic La has written a monologue for his actor brother Basement La who is not quite ready to read it aloud. Finally, they share their first listener letter which leads them to a memory from their childhood that they agree is their only happy one.

In this episode, twins La and La explain why they are back in Schenectady at age 60 after decades of trying to make it in showbiz (Basement La) and in publishing (Attic La). They scrape together a living working abominable jobs that wear them down. La and La describe the now-deceased cast of family characters who unwittingly bequeathed this difficult life to them. And they share juicy stories about people from their professional past, including show business personalities. They also give some expert tips for surviving survival jobs, and commit to at least one creative endeavor before the next podcast...