In the fifth episode of The Pickup Game, I speak with Charles Donaldson, a Jamaican-American low-income housing lawyer and Arsenal fan.

We speak about immigrant identity, being a New Yorker, the rising fear of the political climate, childhood memories, and the necessity of having a band of brothers.

Our intro is composed by Jared Fontaine of @theideaofmachines.

Write to us at info@pickup.nyc

I speak with Kinan Azmeh, a Syrian-American clarinetist, composer, artist, subject of a feature documentary and lover of the beautiful game. We spoke about travel bans, devastation, Damascus, New York City, and the ephemeral poetic beats of life.

Kinan's music is enigmatic, poetic, and wonderfully cinematic. In a world turned upside down, it's refreshing to be exposed to optimism in a format that transcends emotion. Please look out for the film “Half-Moon”, directed by Frank Scheffer, which will eventually be available on streaming platforms.

The songs in this podcast are:

"The Queen Commanded" and "Daraa" by Kinan Azmeh and City Band from the album Live in Berlin, and "November 22" by Kinan Azmeh from the album Elastic City.

I'm speaking with Andy McAllister, a 5th generation Brooklynite. We talk about the circle of life, religion, and tugboats.