Dawn Does Stuff: A Talk with Dawn Cochran, Host of the Buffalo Starving Artist Series
- matt smith
- 3 days ago
- 11 min read
(Editor’s Note — Dawn Cochran does stuff… a lot of stuff. She’s an actor, a photographer, a writer, and podcast host of the Buffalo Struggling Artist Series, which can be heard on Spotify HERE, and on YouTube HERE, under the appropriately named heading, ‘Dawn Does Stuff.’ Recently, 1120 Press caught up with Dawn, who was nice enough to take time from her busy schedule to talk to us about the Buffalo Struggling Artist (BSA) Series, the inspiration behind it, her formative years, and her interest in the creative community. Below, published for length, is an abridged version of our conversation. We hope you enjoy.)
1120 PRESS: Thank you for speaking with us and congratulations on the Buffalo Starving Artist Series. Before we get to the podcast — and this may seem like a strange question to begin with — but in listening to BSA, your personality really seems to come through in your interviews. It makes us wonder what your childhood was like and what kind of kid you were.
DAWN COCHRAN: Um, a weirdo? (laughs) I don't know. I'm an only child. Well, I have a half-sister, but she never lived with me, so I never had the sibling experience.
The kids on the block, we played street hockey. The girls on the block were older than me, some of them were my friends and some of them were my bullies. My parents — I was going to say they're alternative, but I mean, they're tattooed bikers. My dad’s a retired truck driver. My mom rides motorcycles. She was a bartender when I was little.
We had a big, huge stereo system in the living room. There was always music. I just really got into it pretty young, and this is going to sound so dorky, but I remember really getting into Bryan Adams. I was three years old and I was like, "This, this is my shit." Obviously, it’s evolved since then. I was also obsessed with the movie ‘The Craft,’ and ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ as an eight- or nine-year-old.
In the fifth grade I started playing the cello… I actually would like to get a new cello at some point. I did buy one, but then there was something wrong with it. It was a cheapy and my buddy was going to fix it. He ended up passing away and he still had it. His mom reached out to me and was like, "You know, you can have it back," and I just felt weird taking it back, so... One day I'll get a new one. But I don't need another cello right now. I wouldn't even know how to play it.
1120: You’re not from Buffalo originally, right? Correct us if we’re wrong, but in a recent episode of your podcast we believe you made a reference to your family being from the New York City area?
DC: I was born in Goshen, New York (Orange County). And then I lived in Monroe/Washingtonville. When I was four, we moved to Derby because my dad worked for Sorrento cheese. I was horrified I wasn't part of that conversation. (laughs) But, yeah, we moved to Derby and that's where I lived until I was 17. None of my family has ever lived in Buffalo except for my mom, dad and me. Later, I moved to Atlanta for a while, but that’s a whole other story.
1120: Growing up, what led you to punk and hardcore music and ultimately getting involved in the Buffalo scene?
DC: When I was little, my uncle was in a punk band. His band played at CBGB and stuff. I think the timeline was late '80s, early '90s. I remember there was a drum kit in the living room at my uncle's apartment and stuff like that, and motorcycle parts. My other uncle is a super huge Deadhead and is a sound guy, and has a radio show in Eugene, Oregon. So, I was just, like, born into this sort of life where music was always around.
Growing up, I was just super obsessed with grunge, super obsessed with Nirvana, super obsessed with Alice in Chains. That’s not even getting into the teens yet. And then the Internet started to happen, and I was sitting in AOL chat rooms. I kind of had limited knowledge of all the bands that were out there. But I would be in, like, a Marilyn Manson chat room. Also, super dangerous at nine years old. (laughs) But, you know, I would just try different bands that I heard about.
I've also just always had dude friends with older brothers who were into, like, the metal scene. But it just wasn't hitting right with me. I definitely liked punk better and was like ‘that's where I shall remain.’
1120: So, let's fast-forward now to the Buffalo Struggling Artist Series. What inspired you to start this show?
DC: I started Buffalo Starving Artists about a year ago. I know a lot of talented people in this city and Western New York and I kind of feel like it's always the same couple of people who are the ones getting opportunities when we have this plethora of people that should really be brought to the forefront.
My initial idea was I wanted to present this in a webzine format. I wanted people to read because I think reading's really important. So, I built my website, and I was like,
“I’m going to do these interviews and spotlight some people who maybe no one has heard of.”
I think the biggest problem right now in the technology space is you really have to self-promote. You really have to go out there and have a website that's updated constantly and a Facebook from which you're spamming people constantly and an Instagram that's super active. It's like a full-time job just to get your stuff seen, and then even after doing all that, you maybe don't even get followers. I’ve said before, I kind of think the internet should just be deleted, but anyway, that’s a whole other discussion.
1120: So, would you say then that your goal with BSA is to shine the spotlight on and elevate people who otherwise might be overlooked?
DC: I think so. There are some people that I have talked to that are already kind of up there — ya know, well known. But they deserve to have the spotlight on them too. I feel like there's still things that people might not know about them. And you know, you really get to know someone better by just sitting down and asking some questions, kind of like we're doing right now.
And, let me say this: I want more than just bands. I want to speak with anyone in the arts and entertainment space; things that I don't even know about, you know? I interviewed this artist the other day. He's does animation. I don't know anything about animation, and it was so cool to sit down and talk with him.
1120: So that actually brings us to our next question because, as you said, you didn't know anything whatsoever about animation before that particular episode. You describe yourself on Instagram as a ‘philomath,’ and that struck us, especially given your interview style. Would you say that you have a natural love of learning about other people? When we watch the podcast, you seem genuinely curious about people.
DC: That's so funny because I feel like some part of me is still, like, this angry little punk who’s, like, "I hate everybody." But I guess I do want to learn about people. I definitely have a genuine curiosity about everything really. I'm curious about what people go through to get to where they are now. I think that every single person on this planet has gone through some pretty traumatic experiences to make them who they are. So yeah, I'm a social butterfly, let's be honest.
1120: What is it about the creative community, or creatives in general, that inspires you to do what you do?
DC: I've just always been so obsessed with the creative brain. I remember posting
something on Instagram, probably 15 years ago. It was a picture that someone drew. I wish I knew the artist. But it's a girl, like, licking a brain.
I don't think have a creative brain. I also have kind-of low self-esteem, which is why I've never, really pushed myself into anything. I’ve quit a lot of things. I tried theater when I was little. I was too scared to be in front of all these people. I remember a fourth-grade chorus concert, as soon as the curtain started opening, I ran off and I puked everywhere. I was just so terrified. So, I think if I see someone else following their dreams and doing their passion, I just love that so much, and it's probably because I have given up so many times.
1120: You definitely have a creative brain. You’re more creative than you’re giving yourself credit for and we’re going to get into that further but, first, we wanted to ask about the start of BSA because initially it began as a written webzine format. And then when it came back, you took it into the video direction, but you did so kind of reluctantly. Why did you make the change, and why were you reluctant about changing the format?
DC: I did an interview with The Soul Butchers and their drummer said, "Hey, I think it would make a lot more sense if we record this instead. It's going to be chaotic for an entire band to be interviewed at once” for a written story. He was 100 percent right. He said, "Come to the practice space. I have cameras and I'll set up the mics." And when we did it, I was like, "Oh, this is actually great."
But, you know, this format is saturated. Everyone and their mom has a podcast. And I did have a podcast before. I think our last episode with that show was right when the pandemic started. I did get a lot of positive feedback when I was doing it, and I listen to podcasts and watch them. So, it's not like I'm anti-podcast. But I guess I just wanted to be different.
1120: What seems to make your podcast different, to us, is your attitude toward the presentation of the show. For example, after you put out your first one or two video episodes, people were suggesting that you chop your interviews into ‘shorts,’ and they were also making other editing recommendations and you were, like, (and we’re paraphrasing here), ‘no, fuck that.’ Can you talk about your approach, because there seems to be a no-frills aspect to it.
DC: Yeah, it's not glossy. It is what it is. Everything out there today is so curated and polished and that's not me. I'm not curated. I'm not polished. I'm not perfect. I don't want to be perfect. I think that imperfections are what make people ‘people,’ and, you know, this is a homegrown podcast. I'm doing everything myself. I don't need fancy captions and cute little reels that pull out the ‘best of the best’ to get engagement. If you're going to watch my shit, you're going to watch it. If you're not, you're not. I don't think you're going to change your mind because I spent three hours making this 15-second short or whatever, you know?
I do pull little clips just to post something. But, you know, I'm not going to have three different camera angles. I'm not a production studio. I'm not in Hollywood making a podcast. I'm just myself. The content — what is being said, what we are talking about — is more important than the polished look.
If this was a film project, obviously there would be a little bit more put into that. But
even then, I think that my films would have a super indie feel because again, I'm not in Hollywood. I'm in Buffalo.
1120: So, let's talk about the concept of ‘Dawn Does Stuff.’ Again, you said you're fascinated and inspired by creatives, but question whether you're really a creative. And we would say you are. You’re an actor, you're a photographer, a writer, and a podcaster. Do you have this innate need to constantly create? And, if so, where does that come from?
DC: That's a good question. I think I come from a line of creative people. I think it's just in my blood. There’s definitely creativity on my mom's side. And I have a cousin on my dad's side, who’s a graphic designer. He’s a painter and an illustrator. He’s incredible. I guess when I think about it there’s creativity on both sides of the family. As a child, my favorite class was definitely art class, followed by music class. I think maybe I attribute it to, again, being an only child. I had to entertain myself and what I had was books, music, and TV. So, my need to create, I don't know… I feel like if I don't, what's the point of living? That's dark, I know, but...
1120: Yeah, it's a little bit dark but it’s actually a concept we understand. Just to continue with this notion of conflict: It takes a certain level of confidence to create something and put it out into the world, and you do that through acting, photography, BSA, etcetera. But then you talk about having this lack of confidence. Why do you feel that way, because, again, you're always putting yourself out there. You even do that on social media.
DC: I'm just thinking back to when I was young. I was always embarrassed to make a mistake. I don't want anyone to judge me. I just want everyone to like me. Maybe I should go to therapy. I really downplay everything that I'm involved in, too. I don't want to come off self-centered. I want to put the spotlight on other people more than I want to put it on myself. I want other people to feel supported.
1120: So, ‘Dawn Does Stuff.’ What else are you doing; how many other projects are you involved in right now?
DC: So, I have the BSA podcast right now and I think that Shannon (Patridge) and I might start a second show that will be more of just us, as opposed to interviews. Maybe we'll have some guests on. We haven't really fleshed it out… And then there’s photography, when I feel like doing it. Like, I went to a comedy show the other night and took photos for the comedians. And I'm actively trying to help someone finish a film that was started last year. That's mostly behind-the-scenes; I don’t know the terms. Producer? Post-production. Scheduling…
1120: How many films have you acted in?
DC: I started the film stuff, I think, in 2020. I’ve done maybe 10 or 20? I don't know, exactly — a lot of small roles. Last year, I was in a supporting role; it's a significant part of the film. I play a police officer. Let me tell you how difficult that was. I could not get into the police officer mindset... I was doing a disservice to that character probably.
1120: So, as we wrap up here, you’ve acknowledged that you’d rather put the spotlight on others than yourself. Is acting a way, then, of putting yourself out there, while at the same time allowing you to hide behind a character?
DC: I've always wanted to be an actor, not because I want the spotlight on me, but because I want to create. I want to tell a story or help tell a story. I don’t know. It’s weird. Maybe there is a part of me that wants to be in the spotlight. You’re putting me on the spot. I don't think about these things while I'm sitting on the couch, coloring with my dog. (laughs)
(Be sure to listen to the Buffalo Starving Artist Series which drops a new episode every Tuesday, and subscribe to ‘Dawn Does Stuff’ on Spotify HERE and YouTube HERE.)
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