Artist Ian Sklarsky joins Michael to talk about AI, nostalgia, and the weird, beautiful ways media is changing. They get into Ian’s experience at SXSW, his AI-generated music projects, and how old-school aesthetics blend with new tech. From the Monster Mash myth to recreating video rental store experiences and modern beekeeping, this one hits everything from mood to metadata.
Ian's Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-royalty-freeian
Ryan's "Manufactured Memory" project: https://ryanwbauer.notion.site/Manufa...
And Ian's instagram profile can be found here
See below for timestamps and links to his projects:
01:30 – AI nostalgia
04:40 – SXSW panel recap: “Redefining Creation” with AI music tools
06:45 – Music generation with BandLab and Udio
09:30 – Early access to DALL·E, image prompting
12:00 – Halloween nostalgia
13:45 – Parody songs, Monster Mash remixes, and 1950s pop satire
15:30 – Retro music and creating cultural memories for sub niches
18:00 – Prompting techniques: AI lyrics, voice-to-text, structure tips
20:30 – the AI music quality spectrum: Fast food vs fine dining
23:10 – Spotify’s AI content strategy and artist royalty issues
26:00 – Creating personalized music instead of passive listening
29:00 – The Madonna rat song and spontaneous AI DJing
30:30 – Real-time AI music creation and performance idea
32:45 – AR art and puppetry 35:00 – "Singleline" drawings (blind contour art)
37:40 – Ian’s background in media production and documentary film
40:10 – Ian’s VHS installation and collecting 3,400 tapes
43:30 – NFC media, tangible nostalgia, and ownership questions
45:30 – Inheriting digital media and rights
47:00 – Ian’s take on Ambistream: metadata, remix attribution, tagging
51:00 – AI-generated media tagging and future curator agents
54:30 – MVP app, casting channels at venues and house parties
57:00 – Beekeeping journey, rooftop hives, and AI for bee health