THE PLUG W/ JUSTIN JAY

ENCORE EPISODE — To celebrate the landmark performance The Strokes delivered at Coachella 2026, we're revisiting this conversation.

Nikolai Fraiture — bassist and founding member of The Strokes — sits down to talk about what it actually looked like from the inside of one of the most hyped band launches in rock history, and what's happened in the two decades since.

We get into the Grammy win for The New Abnormal an...

This episode we sit down with actor, director, and New York Times bestselling author Andrew McCarthy for a candid conversation about friendship, identity, and reinvention.

Best known for iconic roles in St. Elmo's Fire, Pretty In Pink, Weekend at Bernie's and some of your favorite 80's films, McCarthy has spent the last decade carving out a second act as a deeply introspective writer. His latest book, Who Needs Friends, documents a...

This episode we sit down for a chat with Posdnuos AKA Plug One, a founding member of one of the most influential and acclaimed groups in hip-hop history - De La Soul.

For years, De La Soul's music was caught in a complicated web of licensing issues and corporate politics, leaving their catalog unavailable on streaming platforms and out of reach for an entire generation of listeners. Now, nearly three decades after their groundbrea...

Michael "Kaves" McLeer is a Brooklyn-born painter, recording artist, graffiti artist, author, tattoo artist and creator of Brooklyn Pop - an astounding immersive experience celebrating the borough of Brooklyn. The installation features hip-hop memorabilia, graffiti, movie collectibles, historical artifacts, and personal items celebrating the neighborhood that shaped him.

In this episode we discuss his path from the proverbial wron...

Arto Saari is a Finnish professional skateboarder and photographer. He is one of only two Europeans to ever win Thrasher Magazine's prestigious Skater of the Year award, and he's one of the most respected and influential skaters of his generation.

Arto built his legacy through groundbreaking video parts and endured numerous brutal injuries along the way. Eventually, he transitioned from professional skating to pursue his ...

The Plug w/ Justin Jay is proud to announce a collaboration with Monster Children — the independent art and media platform that has been shaping taste for over two decades. I

For the next several weeks, Monster Children will be presenting a curated series of encore episodes of The Plug across their website and social channels.

To kick things off, we sit down with Editor-in-Chief Naz Kawakami to discuss how a scrappy Australia...

Jay Glennie is the author of The Making of Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie, the film has cemented itself as one of Tarantino's most personal and meticulously constructed works—every prop, location, costume, and needle drop carefully chosen to reconstruct a disappearing version of Los Angeles.

Glennie was granted rare access to document how tha...

In this encore episode, we revisit our conversation with Luxxury—music producer and co-host of the hit podcast One Song.

Each week on their podcast One Song, Luxxury and his co-host Diallo Riddle take a deep dive into a single classic song, and explore the inspirations and specific production techniques that make the track unique. By playing rare, isolated vocal and instrumental stems, they give listeners the chance to r...

MGMT are the musical duo of Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, known for creating irresistibly catchy, genre-blurring music.

In this Encore Episode, we dive into how they continually push the boundaries of pop and indie music while still maintaining their unmistakable sound. We also discuss the politics of performing at Madison Square Garden, their unexpected rise to TikTok fame, and how their views on drugs have evolved sinc...

Andy Nicholson is the bassist and founding member of Arctic Monkeys. This episode he sits down for one of his most open and personal interviews yet. With the 20-year anniversary of Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not approaching, Andy reflects on the band's explosive early years and the moments that shaped modern indie rock.

Andy shares the story behind his brand-new photography book, I Bet This Looks Good on Your Coffee ...

Academy Award-winning director Kevin Macdonald sits down to discuss his groundbreaking documentary One to One, a film that redefines how we understand John Lennon and Yoko Ono in early 1970s New York.

Using archival footage—from TV shows, protests, commercials, news footage, and intimate home recordings Macdonald creates a fully immersive, 360-degree view of their lives, activism, and art.

From John Lennon's on...

Paul Mittleman worked as VP of Design and Creative Director at Stussy. In this episode, he shares stories from decades shaping the DNA of modern street culture.

From working directly with Shawn Stussy to influencing brands like Supreme, Adidas, and Converse, Paul reflects on authenticity, creativity, and the evolution of streetwear. He explains why early Stussy and Supreme succeeded where others failed, and why the term "streetwear...

Zosia Mamet is an author and actress known for her breakout role as Shoshanna on HBO's Girls. In this episode, she joins us to discuss her raw, funny, and deeply personal new book, Does This Make Me Funny?

In this candid conversation, Zosia opens up about anxiety, self-worth, family legacy, and the constant challenge of defining herself outside of fame. She shares the emotional rollercoaster of turning her private journal...

Step inside the mind of legendary writer and director Larry Charles, best known for Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and for directing films like Borat, Bruno, and The Dictator.

In this episode of The Plug w/ Justin Jay, Larry shares raw, unfiltered stories about Hollywood, comedy, and the creative process. From working alongside Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld to directing groundbreaking films with Sacha Baron Cohen, Larry reflects ...

Mark Ronson is one of the most influential music producers of the past two decades. Starting out as one of New York's most in-demand DJs in the 1990s, he went on to produce for Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, Adele, Dua Lipa, Jay-Z, Paul McCartney, and more. He also co-wrote Bruno Mars' "Uptown Funk"—one of the defining hits of the 21st century, and most recently curated The Barbie soundtrack.

In his new book&nb...

MC Serch made his mark as one-half of the legendary rap duo 3rd Bass. With classics like The Gas Face, Brooklyn Queens, and Pop Goes the Weasel, the group left an unmistakable stamp on hip-hop. In '94, Serch went on to executive produce Nas's groundbreaking debut, Illmatic, cementing his place in rap history. But that's only part of the story. In this encore episode, Serch takes us inside his wild early days — from battle rap...

Lisa Andersen is a Surfing Hall of Fame inductee and a 4 time consecutive world champion. As a teenager, she left behind a troubled home life in Florida to pursue her dreams of becoming a professional surfer. By 25, she was ranked the best female surfer on the planet. With her aggressive yet elegant style, she helped transform the entire perception of female competitive surfing. This episode we sit down to discuss the emotional cha...

Leo Fitzpatrick is a New York-based actor best known for his breakout role in the groundbreaking 1995 film KIDS. To mark the 30th anniversary of this controversial classic, we're bringing back our conversation for an encore release.

Leo's debut in KIDS—a raw, unfiltered look at the downtown NYC skate scene—was as jarring as it was unforgettable. With its explicit portrayal of sex, drugs, and youth culture, the...

Ione Skye is an actress best known for her standout performances in the classic films Say Anything, River's Edge, Gas Food Lodging, and many others.

But behind her breakout success was a far more complicated coming-of-age story — shaped by a turbulent teenage relationship with an older man battling addiction, estrangement from her famous musician father, and periods of self-destructive behavior.

In her new memoir Say Everyt...