God & Other Delicacies

Nick Massouh

Raised in the Antiochian Orthodox (Christian) Church; the death of his mother and the surprising, subsequent spiritual connection he has found with his father; a lover of Church tradition and history; the challenges of diverging from his parents' faith; and his affection for many different gurus and spiritual traditions.
 
Nick Massouh (Lucifer, Ray Donovan, Madam Secretary, Designated Survivor) comes on the show, and he and Nicholas promptly begin dissecting the delights and pitfalls of an authentic soul food meal buffet (Taste: Exquisite... Indigestion: Rampant).  Nick comes from a long line of Antiochian Orthodox (Christian) Church leaders and priests, and shares his robust knowledge regarding that religions' history and place in the world.  He states, however, that he can't quite call himself a Christian today, because he sees Jesus as just one of the many gurus he has learned from on his journey to greater spiritual understanding.  He speaks about the challenges of diverging from his parents' faith, as well as the somber, but surprising spiritual connection he has found with his father in the wake of his mothers' passing. 
         
Something that blew my mind: How the Vow of Chastity works in the Antiochian Orthodox Church. 
Something I was excited to mention: The band "Stars of the Lid" is great, and they will help put you to sleep! 
 
Nick's Instagram: @nickmassooouh
 
Twitter: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow
Instagram: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
Official Website: nicholasdagosto.com  
Music by Sean Whalen, Art by Alexandra Delano 
Interview Originally Recorded at Brigade Radio One Studios 

Amanda Payton

Daughter of a Black, Christian father and White, Jewish mother; the early death of her father and the emotional and spiritual struggles that ensued; how she and her mother adapted to his death; her newfound relationship with God; and she puts me on the hot seat!
 
Amanda Payton (Trial & Error, The Big Bang Theory, Workaholics, Modern Family) joins the show, and Nicholas cuts right to the chase, digging deeper into Amanda's Splenda addiction, her love of nut butters, and their shared affinity for Spanish-speaking late night hosts who dress as a clown (Noches con Platanito!).  Amanda is generous and open about her life, telling an extraordinary story about the history of her parents' relationship (a Black, Christian father & a White, Jewish mother), her emotional and spiritual struggles regarding her fathers' passing, and her newfound relationship with God.  She even finds a way to put Nicholas on the hot seat for a minute!  #Savvy 
 
Something Amanda helped me clarify: The term "gaslighting". 
Something I needed to Google: What's the difference between white and dark chocolate? (Answer: There's no cocoa powder in white chocolate!!) 
 
Amanda's Instagram: @amanda_payton
 
Twitter: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow
Instagram: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
Official Website: nicholasdagosto.com  
Music by Sean Whalen, Art by Alexandra Delano 
Interview Originally Recorded at Brigade Radio One Studios   

Mat Hayes

From a devout Southern Baptist family, he realized he was gay as a very young child; diving even deeper into Calvinism as a young man; the damage of anti-homosexual preaching; pulling away from religion; forgiveness, and a passion to connect with and help others.
 
Mat Hayes (Actor: Jane The Virgin... Writer/Creator of the autobiographical short film Cognitive) visits, and he and Nicholas promptly start singing the praises of their dear Jessalyn Gilsig, who was on the show previously.  Mat was born into a loving, devout Southern Baptist family in Alabama, but at a very young age he knew he was "different" - he was attracted to other males.  Cognitive is about an extraordinary moment in his gay coming-of-age story, where a preacher in Mat's youth told his congregation that AIDS was sent by God to kill homosexuals.  What does that kind of information do to the mind of a child?  Mat is eloquent and full of forgiveness regarding this story, and he has a passion to connect with others, and help where he can.  Another passion?  Arby's food.  Did you know that Nicholas' father is an Arby's franchisee in Omaha, Nebraska??! 
 
Something Mat helped me learn more about: The Evangelical movement and its' denominations. 
Something that blew my mind: The Five Points of Calvinism (aka TULIP). 
 
Mat's Instagram: @hayes_mat
 
Twitter: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow
Instagram: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
Official Website: nicholasdagosto.com  
Music by Sean Whalen, Art by Alexandra Delano 
Interview Originally Recorded at Brigade Radio One Studios

Niki Schwartz-Wright

Jewish in identity, but not in faith; "very superstitious", a believer in ghosts but not God; envisions practicing her Jewish traditions in the future, as a mother; she recites a nightly prayer she said as a kid; a rollicking interview with a very funny writer.
 
Niki Schwartz-Wright (Writer/Producer on The Goldberg's, The Grinder, Speechless, Abby's) visits the show, and she assures a relieved Nicholas that he was hardly the most offensive guest at her wedding (by the way, she's married to Will Greenberg, from the last episode!).  Niki doesn't practice her Jewish faith today, but she does feel a strong connection to it, and she wonders if she might take on some of the ritual aspects of it in the future.  Niki describes herself as very superstitious, but she doesn't believe in God.  She does believe in ghosts, and definitely doesn't want to end up as one when she's dead.  She also recites the most adorable and funny prayer she said as a kid, all the while revealing how adept she is at hedging her bets.     
 
Something that keeps confusing me: Jewish Confirmation. 
 
Niki's Instagram: @nikiswright
 
Twitter: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow
Instagram: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
Official Website: nicholasdagosto.com  
Music by Sean Whalen, Art by Alexandra Delano 
Interview Originally Recorded at Brigade Radio One Studios

Will Greenberg

Raised Reformed Jewish in Texas; LSD as a teenager, and alternate paths to spiritual growth; humor as his outlet, and his gift; sharing about how we've done psychedelics together; and transcendent moments of connection while high.  
 
Will Greenberg (Perfect Harmony, Wrecked, Abby's, The Grinder) is an old friend of Nicholas', and in honor of him Will ate a badass tofu scramble to get ready for the show (Nicholas is a flexitarian).  Will is Jewish and was raised in Texas, and although his family participated in a Reformed Jewish religious lifestyle, he does not identify very strongly as being Jewish.  He's much more into exploring alternate paths of spirituality, and he speaks in detail about some extraordinary moments of spiritual growth he experienced through the use of LSD and psychedelics.  Nicholas has had experiences like this too, and both guys share about how they've seen PHISH a few times together... under the influence.  Also, Will reveals how, growing up, you could tell a kids religion by their video game consoles (Nintendo = Christian, Sega = Jewish). 
Something I screwed up: Apparently, STEEL MAGNOLIAS and FRIED GREEN TOMATOES are not the same movie?? 
 
Will's Instagram: @wgreenbe
 
Twitter: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow
Instagram: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
Official Website: nicholasdagosto.com  
Music by Sean Whalen, Art by Alexandra Delano 
Interview Originally Recorded at Brigade Radio One Studios   

Eliza Clark

Raised an Atheist, she later discovered her mother is a woman of faith; the belief in magic, especially the Christmas holidays; the tension between desire for a parents' approval, and desire for individuality; and the traps and pitfalls of explaining death and God to a child.
 
Eliza Clark (Writer/Producer: Y The Last Man, Animal Kingdom, Extant, The Killing) visits the show and immediately starts throwing around her "sexy" voice for the listeners (read: She had a nasty cold).  Eliza and Nicholas talk a little about her play QUACK, which is where they met, and Nicholas' turn playing the character Brock, a misogynistic men's rights advocate (a fan favorite).  Eliza was raised a staunch Atheist by her (Agnostic?) father, but later in life she discovered that her mother is a woman of faith.  The whole family adores and celebrates the rituals and spirit of the Christmas holidays, and Eliza shares openly about how her love of the magic in life shines through in these moments.  They each spend some time talking about the difficulties of balancing a desire for your parents' approval, with the competing desire of developing your own individuality and point of view.  Also, she doesn't recommend telling your children that they may come back as a dog after they die.   
 
Something I read after this interview: Christopher Hitchens' essay "Why Women Aren't Funny."  (Eliza's right.  But other writings of Hitchens have been important to me.)
 
Eliza's Instagram: @elizaaclarkw
 
Twitter: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow
Instagram: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
Official Website: nicholasdagosto.com 
Music by Sean Whalen, Art by Alexandra Delano 
Interview Originally Recorded at Brigade Radio One Studios

Jessalyn Gilsig

Daughter of a Jewish father and Catholic mother who wasn't raised as either; the pain of her mothers' ex-communication from the church, and the anti-semitism her family suffered in her youth; grappling with how to impart religious identity to her own daughter; and the realization that she can hold onto faith as she sees fit. 
 
Jessalyn Gilsig (Vikings, Scandal, Glee, Nip/Tuck) visits the show, and she and Nicholas instantly start digging into the burning questions surrounding the series Boston Public (example: Why did they make her take so many showers on camera?).  Jessalyn opens up about having parents from different faith backgrounds (Catholic and Jewish), how they decided not to raise Jessalyn as either one, and how that's left her to grapple with her own religious identity.  She speaks about the difficulty of her mother being ex-communicated from the Church, as well as the anti-semitism her family suffered during her childhood (bomb threats?!).  Jessalyn is now guiding her daughter through these same questions regarding religion and spirituality, as well as trying desperately to get her to stop leaving chocolate laying around where Jessalyn is tempted to eat it. 
 
Jessalyn's Instagram: @jgilsig 
 
Twitter: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow
Instagram: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
Official Website: nicholasdagosto.com 
Music by Sean Whalen, Art by Alexandra Delano   
Interview Originally Recorded at Brigade Radio One Studios 

Jeff Astrof

A man of devout Jewish faith; witnessing a miracle on Google; the anti-semitism he suffered in high school; coming into a deeper faith and love of God as an adult; Jeff and Nick's mutual affection for each other and their time on Trial & Error; and the many laughs that come when we hang out together. 
 
Jeff Astrof (Writer/Producer on Friends, New Adventures of Old Christine, Trial & Error) visits the show and he and Nicholas promptly begin lavishing praise on their beloved, canceled series, Trial & Error.  Jeff shares about being low on the popularity totem pole in high school, as well as the anti-semitism he suffered, and how he overcame both of those challenges (Answer: He brings an extra pair of pants).  Jeff also describes witnessing a miracle on Google.  Jeff is a devout believer, and his love for God is palpable.  Jeff's feelings about Nicholas referring to him as acerbic?  Also... palpable. 
 
Something I didn't know: A LOT about Jewish history. 
 
Jeff's Instagram: @jeffsastrof
 
Twitter: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow
Instagram: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
Official Website: nicholasdagosto.com  
Music by Sean Whalen, Art by Alexandra Delano   
Interview Originally Recorded at Brigade Radio One Studios 

Michael Hitchcock

A formative Christian upbringing; making promises to God in order to win the role (then having to follow through); attempts to stay in the religion, but slowly falling away; good stories, laughs, and a home in comedy and the family of performers. 
 
Michael Hitchcock (Actor: Waiting for Guffman, Best In Show... Writer: Glee, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) visits the show, and he and Nicholas reminisce about their "Naked Tackling" hi-jinks on Season 2 of Trial & Error.  Michael shares how his Christian upbringing was deeply formative, but how he slowly moved away from practicing the religion.  He speaks about where he finds spiritual fulfillment today, his views on the afterlife, and when some performers from "Up With People" stayed at his house when he was a kid.  They both share a little about growing up in communities that were not demographically diverse.  Michael describes how his grandmother felt the lost souls on the Titanic were doomed for Hell, and also assures Nicholas that he would be there to comfort him if he ever got shingles. 
 
Michael's Instagram: @hitchmichael
 
Twitter: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow
Instagram: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
Official Website: nicholasdagosto.com
Music by Sean Whalen, Art by Alexandra Delano 
Interview Originally Recorded at Brigade Radio One Studios

Rob Kerkovich

On the inaugural episode of G.O.D., Nicholas brings in his friend Rob Kerkovich (NCIS: New Orleans) to chat about their shared Roman Catholic upbringings and Jesuit educations, their movement away from practicing Catholicism today, and what that means for their children and families (and afterlife?).  Rob talks about what makes his life spiritually meaningful in the absence of faith, and reveals that he wants to get a tattoo.  Nicholas discovers, among other things, that being a good host might require him to keep his inner monologue... a little more "inside". 
 
Something I screwed up: It's Martin Luther's "95 Theses"... not 99, or 100. 
 
Rob's Instagram: @robkerkovich
 
Twitter: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow
Instagram: @nicholasdagosto #GodsDelicateShow 
Official Website: nicholasdagosto.com  
Music by Sean Whalen, Art by Alexandra Delano 
Interview Originally Recorded at Brigade Radio One Studios