THE PLUG W/ JUSTIN JAY - EPISODE ARCHIVES

Fab 5 Freddy is a founding figure of hip-hop culture and the original host of Yo! MTV Raps. This episode we sit down with Fab 5 Freddy, artist and filmmaker, for a conversation about the exact moment graffiti, breaking, rap, and downtown punk culture stopped being separate scenes and became one culture: hip-hop. Fab was there for all of it. In his new memoir, Everybody's Fly, he traces the whole arc, from a Brooklyn childhood spent skipping school for the museums to the making of Wild Style, t...

This episode we sit down with entrepreneur and surfer Dave Taylor — owner of Waco Surf in Waco, Texas — for a wide-ranging conversation about building something from scratch, the culture of surfing, and what it means to bring a coastal lifestyle to the heart of the Lone Star State. A Southern California native who spent years in entertainment and the restaurant industry, Taylor stumbled into wave pool ownership almost by accident. A three-day visit to Waco Surf in 2019 — while he was weeks away...

Nikolai Fraiture is the bassist in The Strokes

Andrew McCarthy starred in several iconic 80's films and is a NYT best-selling writer

Posdnuos is a founding member of the legendary hip-hop group De La Soul

Michael “Kaves” McLeer is a Brooklyn-born graffiti artist

Arto Saari is a professional skateboarder and photographer.

Naz Kawakami is the editor-in-chief of the art and media platform Monster Children

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 that world came together. Drawing from more than sixty interviews with Quentin ...

is a music producer and the co-host of the hit podcast One Song

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 since their debut album. Since their time as art students in the ear...

Andy Nicholson was a founding member of Arctic Monkeys

Kevin Macdonald is the director of a new documentary about John and Yoko called One To One.

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” misses the point entirely. Paul also dives into collab cultur...

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 entries into a published book — what it feels like to expose your inner wo...

Larry Charles is a director and writer with credits like Borat, Bruno, Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm

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 Night People, Ronson reflects on the unpredictable rhythm of his career—from early acclaim a...

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 rapping in Far Rockaway, to a life-threatening clash with MC Hammer in LA,...

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 challenges of being the subject of a documentary film about your lif...

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 film felt disturbingly real, and the aftermath for Leo was intense. In the years sinc...

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

Alex Corporan is the director of the new documentary Empire Skate, which chronicles the rise of Supreme and the evolution of downtown New York skate culture. It was a movement that reshaped streetwear, art, and youth identity around the world. Alex wasn’t just there to witness it — he helped build it. To celebrate the release of the film on ESPN, we’re bringing back this special encore episode, originally recorded before the documentary’s debut. From 1996 to 2004, Alex was the store manager of...

Devendra Banhart is a prolific artist and musician who has earned a reputation for his genre-defying sound. Drawing from an incredibly diverse range of influences, he’s released 11 studio albums and cultivated a loyal fanbase spanning from Santiago to Silverlake. In this episode we sit down for a chat with this Texas-born, Venezuela-raised, and San Francisco educated singer about psilocybin mushroom trips, sneaking backstage at a Guns and Roses show in South America as a teenager, and how skate...

Selema Masekela is a uniquely versatile sports commentator whose career spans everything from surfing and skateboarding to the NBA, soccer, and Formula One. As a teenager growing up in a predominantly white beach town in Southern California, he was one of the few Black surfers in the water. That meant navigating everything from subtle bias to outright racism. While he refused to let that stop him from pursuing the sport he loved, the absence of others who looked like him left a lasting impressi...