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The Language of Creativity Podcast

The Language of Creativity Podcast

Written by: Steven Leavitt
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 Discover the connection between art and living as seen through the eyes of the artist. Join us for conversations with creatives in various disciplines.Copyright 2023. All rights reserved. Art Careers Economics Personal Success Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Everyday Heroes – Christiane Kinney (Celtic Musician/Entertainment Attorney) Ep.14/46

    Everyday Heroes – Christiane Kinney (Celtic Musician/Entertainment Attorney) Ep.14/46
    Jan 22 2026
    This episode was first released in 2020, but it’s got staying power: smart, funny, and surprisingly moving. Everyday Heroes is a snapshot of one of those rare moments when humor, chaos, and clarity all show up in the same room. It’s a look back at the cultural shifts we all felt but didn’t have language for yet, filtered through one artist/lawyer/mom’s razor-sharp insight and unwavering humanity. Christiane Kinney is a rare hybrid: an award-winning singer/songwriter, a seasoned entertainment attorney, and a full-on everyday superhero. She’s represented Platinum-selling and Grammy-winning artists, advised festivals and music tech startups, and even served as legal counsel for Presidential candidates. As a musician, she’s received honors from Billboard, ASCAP, the International Songwriting Competition, and the Global Music Awards. She was named the #1 music law resource to follow on Twitter (Now X) by CD Baby, and featured in Glamour Magazine’s Woman of the Year issue for her nonprofit work bringing music to at-risk youth. She’s a voting member of the Recording Academy, a frequent speaker on legal panels, and somehow manages all of this while raising two kids. After making partner at the firm where she built her career, it suddenly collapsed. So she launched Kinney Law, P.C. in the middle of a pandemic, while juggling remote school, a shutdown industry, and two kids at home. We talk about parenting in chaos, building a business under pressure, navigating the blurred mess of AB5, why the Blurred Lines verdict was such a gut-punch for songwriters, and what artists need to know about copyright, contracts, and career resilience. We also nerd out about piano, house concerts, artist advocacy, and what happens when your inbox is full of clients in full-on crisis. Sometimes it takes a few years to realize what a conversation really held. This one held up, and in revisiting it now, it feels like a reminder of the kinds of people you want around when the ground shifts again. Christiane Kinney: Law Practice: Kinney Law LexisNexis Artist side: https://www.christianekinney.com http://www.riddlethesphinx.com Almost (Album) by Christiane Cargill Kinney Riddle the Sphinx Personal: website Pepperdine Alum Spotlight Instagram: @musicalredhead X (Twitter): @musicalreadhead Charitable Foundation: https://heartsgivinghopefoundation.org Featured Music: Earnestine by Christiane Cargill Kinney Isle of Skye by Christiane Cargill Kinney​ Episode References: Sean Kinney: GoSeanGO.com, SeanKinneyStunts.com, 1stoogeentertainment.com World Record of Jumping Jacks while on Fire Hollywood Clown (Book by Jason Lassen) Don’t Call Us Tori (how Steve and Christiane met) Ruthann Friedman: "Everyone Knows it’s Windy" (made famous by The Association) David Peters, Oak House Recording Studios Killarney Star, IG: @killarney_star Elizabeth (Libbie) Schrader Gilli Moon Marina V Christo Pellani - soundformation.com Don Teschner and the WaterDawgs Marvel Jensen LA Times: "What a year it was: A 2020 Timeline" (California lockdown begins March 14, 2020) [you can postpone the paywall by launching the above link in a private browsing window] A look back at LA County hiking trail closures (ModernHiker) AB-5 (background) LA TIMES: "The AB5 backlash: Singers, actors, dancers, theaters sound off on freelance law" Governing.com: "America's Rural/Urban Divide: A Special Series" Blurred Lines lawsuit (can you look for?) Pharell & Rick Rubin interview “Word Crimes” by Weird Al Yankovic (Which is NOT an example of the point I was making, it is a direct parody of “Blurred Lines”) Albuquerque, By Weird Al Yankovic, is said to be written in the style of “Dick’s Automotive” by The Rugburns. Exclaim!*@#: “Vanilla Ice ​Apparently Owns the Rights to 'Under Pressure'” CD Baby DIY Musician: Understanding music copyrights, Form PA and SR Power Distance Index, explained (article) Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers (GoodReads) Luke Bryan - Rain Is A Good Thing (“Rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey”) Jeff Richmond (Tina Fey’s husband) The Firm Ready Player One (film) Ready Player One (book) Idiocracy Tags: Freelancing, VR, house concerts, covid, quarantine, losing your job, filter-bubbles, Blurred Lines lawsuit, attorney, Pharrell, Thicke, copyright, binge watching, dinner and a show, Zoom fatigue, Burning Man, avatars, community, meditation, Karens, memes, echo chamber, FAANG, precedent, declaratory judgment, IP litigation, musicologists, samples, audio mixing, copyright infringement, songwriting, streaming, riots, dystopia, Idiocracy, Ready Player One, AB-5, independent contractor, 1099, loan-out corporations, Disney+, Hamilton,making puzzles, Annie, piano, pipe organ, nunnery, St. Joseph’s, performance art, bucket list, professional clowns, Robert De Niro drum circle, Guinness Book of World Records, Roger Corman, Don't Call Us Tori, SXSW, giving back, ...
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    1 hr and 38 mins
  • Resilience – Pete Robertson (Frustrated Ape) Ep. 45

    Resilience – Pete Robertson (Frustrated Ape) Ep. 45
    Dec 5 2025
    What does resilience sound like when life keeps rewriting the script? This episode traces a creative friendship shaped by wildfires, health scares, PTSD moments, totalled cars, lost parents, and the kinds of detours that arrive without warning — the ones that force you to decide who you are when nothing around you stays still. Before Frustrated Ape, Pete Robertson was a Scottish kid who loved the bass and the bands that first pulled him toward music. A sudden cranial event in early adulthood erased everything his fingers once knew and left him rebuilding his playing from scratch. He “always had a job” because that’s what you did, and necessity eventually steered him into a 20-year job on a bus route in Edinburgh, a job he silently hated but outwardly depended on. The real turning point came years later when he discovered a small independent progressive-rock album that reawakened something he thought he’d lost; the music hit him with such unexpected force that he picked up his bass again after letting it sit untouched for years. With no computer skills to speak of, he re-taught himself how to record music on an iPad — a strange and wonderful jump from the old Fostex multitrack he once knew — and those early tracks were surprisingly good. The momentum grew, especially after he enlisted the help of Los Angeles producer Steven Leavitt, and for the first time in decades the musical path felt like it was opening again, which made it all the more jarring when the NHS “retired” him for fear he might collapse behind the wheel. How frustrating. That momentum carried him all the way to California for what became the recording experience of his life: tracking drums with Jimmy Keegan and Rich Mouser at The Mouse House, standing in the same room as musicians he venerated and had previously only seen in liner-notes. Then life shifted again. On the drive home from one of those sessions, Steven was in a serious accident, and everything paused while he recovered. Two months later, the studio they had just recorded in burned to the ground in the Eaton Fire, taking nearly all of Rich Mouser’s life’s work with it. Even as everyone’s first concern was that Rich and his wife were safe, there was a quiet question none of them wanted to voice aloud: whether the mixes of the EP they were working on had also gone up in smoke. Through it all, Pete kept writing — becoming even more prolific — shaping a body of autobiographical therapy sessions that would become Equilibrium, Persevere, The Sisyphus Parallel, and eventually Resilience. Pete would sometimes downplay the whole thing, half-joking that everyone he worked with was “far more talented” than he was, yet here he was, keeping pace with them. He’d call the project a “vain attempt at leaving something behind,” but then he’d keep booking sessions, writing checks, boarding planes, and sending tracks from his spare room in Scotland to players in Los Angeles — a man quietly backing his own creative life, even when it scared him. By the time he realized how far in he already was, the choice had already been made. Les jeux sont faits. Guest Pete Robertson (Frustrated Ape) Artist / Songwriter / Multi-Instrumentalist. Frustrated Ape is the progressive rock project of Scottish musician Pete Robertson, blending autobiographical storytelling with modern prog influences and a fiercely DIY spirit. Website: https://frustratedape.com/ Bandcamp: https://frustratedape.bandcamp.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@frustratedape Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frustratedapemusic Music Opening Music (after stock intro): “This Quixotic Life” (session tape) – Frustrated Ape Featured Track: “Dementia” (demo) – Frustrated Ape Ending Music: “Equilibrium” (instrumental) References Adam Sears / Lobate Scarp – https://lobatescarp.bandcamp.com/ Edinburgh, Scotland – https://edinburgh.org/ The Venetian Well (Corfu) – https://venetianwell.gr/ Corfu / Ionian Islands (Visit Greece) – https://www.visitgreece.gr/ionian-islands/ Lobate Scarp – Time and Space (Bandcamp) Pyramid Theorem – https://pyramidtheorem.ca/ Deafening Opera (Bandcamp) – https://deafening-opera.bandcamp.com/ Rush – https://www.rush.com/ Geddy Lee – https://www.rush.com/member/geddy-lee Gary Numan – https://garynuman.com/ “Cars” – Gary Numan (YouTube) The Mouse House Studio (Rich Mouser) – https://www.themousehousestudio.com/ Spock’s Beard – https://www.spocksbeard.com/ Jimmy Keegan – https://www.jimmykeegan.com/ Over the Top (IMDb) – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093692 “Les jeux sont faits” (phrase meaning & context) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_jeux_sont_faits Visit Marrakech – https://www.visitmarrakech.com/ NHS Bureaucracy (Opinion) – The Guardian: “After 28 years, I’m leaving the NHS…” – https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/dec/07/28-years-leaving-nhs-patients-cost-cutting-bureaucracy Alzheimer’s ...
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • You Are A Champion – Lane Leavitt (Innovator/Stuntman/Motorcycling Champion) Ep.44

    You Are A Champion – Lane Leavitt (Innovator/Stuntman/Motorcycling Champion) Ep.44
    Jul 12 2025
    In this unforgettable episode of The Language of Creativity, host Steven Leavitt shares one last conversation with his father, Lane Leavitt—recorded not long before Lane’s peaceful passing after a private and courageous battle with cancer. It’s a raw, deeply human moment that captures Lane in all his dimensions: inventive, competitive, sharp-witted, and fiercely loving. A motorcycle trials champion turned stunt industry revolutionary, Lane’s legacy isn’t just written in film history—it’s carried in the lives of those he mentored and believed in. Lane Leavitt was a three-time U.S. National Motorcycle Trials Champion whose relentless drive to win earned him a factory contract with Bultaco Motorcycles and, eventually, a new kind of career—one he would help invent. After stepping away from racing at his peak (and giving away his 4th title in a rare gesture of sportsmanship), Lane poured the same precision and intensity into the motion picture world, pioneering safer, more spectacular stunts. He designed flame-retardant fire gel. He reimagined the air ramp. He made machines that helped people fly. His work on films like True Lies, Terminator 2, Cliffhanger, and Last Action Hero didn’t just raise the bar—it redefined what was possible. He spoke plainly about making actors look superhuman, about earning trust under pressure, and about why real innovation only happens when someone refuses to accept "good enough." But this is more than a career retrospective. It’s a tribute to a father-son bond, a meditation on legacy, and a glimpse into the mind of a man who faced the end with clarity, grit, and grace. Lane speaks openly about growing up without a father—and about choosing, deliberately, to become the kind of dad he never had. He reflects on the art of parenting, the soul of stunt work, and the elusive “it factor” that can’t be taught. “My job was to win,” Lane says. But the legacy he left was love—in the lives he mentored, the family he raised, and the countless people he believed in. As Steven drives to say his final goodbye, he carries with him this conversation—honoring his father the best way he knows how: by listening. This episode is one last lap around the track. One last long talk across the desk. A conversation for those who never got to say goodbye. And one final blessing from a man who never stopped believing in the champion inside us all. 🎙️ Guest: Lane Leavitt Innovator, stuntman, motorcycle champion, action designer, Television Academy of Arts and Sciences Governor, and founder of a stunt engineering company with the mission of “Revolutionizing the Stunt Industry.” Featured Link: 🎥 Lane Leavitt on IMDb 🔧 Lane Leavitt Equipment Archive – StuntRev.com 🏍️ Lane Leavitt (1950-2025) – TrialsGuru 🎧 Host: Steven Leavitt Creative producer, sound engineer, and host of The Language of Creativity podcast. Steven is the founder of I Create Sound, a studio dedicated to amplifying meaningful voices across music, podcasting, and media. With a background in both technical production and artistic coaching, he brings deep listening and interdisciplinary insight to every conversation. 🔗 thelanguageofcreativity.com 🎙️ pod.link/1402964967 🌐 icreatesound.com 🔗 References Toni Bou – World champion motorcycle trials rider. “Go to YouTube and look up Toni Bou.” —Lane Leavitt ▶️ YouTube Search 📖 Wikipedia Bultaco Motorcycles – Spanish factory sponsor during Lane's pro trials career. 📖 Wikipedia Fox Racing Shox – High-performance suspension company where Lane developed damping systems. 🌐 ridefox.com StuntRev: Lane Leavitt Equipment Archive – Photos and descriptions of Lane’s inventions, including the long-throw air ramp. 🔧 stuntrev.com/equipment Les Paul – Guitar legend and recording pioneer whose creative process inspired Lane. 📖 Wikipedia Joel Kramer – Arnold Schwarzenegger’s stunt double and Lane’s longtime creative partner. 🎞️ IMDb True Lies (1994) – Lane’s advanced rigging and fire stunts featured in this James Cameron film. 🎬 IMDb 📹 Behind the Scenes: YouTube – DVD Bonus Feature Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) – Lane’s wire work and air ramps helped create iconic action moments. 🎬 IMDb 📹 Behind the Scenes: YouTube – StudioBinder Breakdown Last Action Hero (1993) – Meta-action film with Lane’s rigging, launches, and explosive stunts. 🎬 IMDb 📹 Behind the Scenes: YouTube – JoBlo Bloopers & BTS Cliffhanger (1993) – High-elevation action film featuring Lane’s wire systems and rig innovations. 🎬 IMDb 📹 Behind the Scenes: YouTube – FilmIsNow Yakima Canutt – Rodeo stunt pioneer who revolutionized movie fights with John Wayne. 📖 Wikipedia Buster Keaton – Silent-era stunt actor whose physical precision influenced Lane’s ideals. 📖 Wikipedia Douglas Fairbanks – Lane admired his artistry and action choreography in silent-era adventure ...
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    2 hrs and 3 mins
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