Not Your Average Slideshow

On today’s episode, I’m joined by Amanda, aka The Joytender. (@notyouraverageslideshow) I first met Amanda at Seanchoiche, where we both spoke on the theme of “childhood.” I was immediately fascinated by her story, and in this episode, we sit down to explore it in more detail. Amanda tells me about her project “Dad, Playboy & Me,” which began during Covid when she recovered more than 10,000 of her father’s 35mm photographs. Among the collection, she discovered photographs connected to the Playboy resort. Rather than simply sell the photographs back to the Hefner family, Amanda transformed them into her own performance and art project, “Not Your Average Slideshow.” She has even spoken with members of the Hefner family about her discovery. Amanda also explains how she became The Joytender, bringing her unique form of performance and play to Central Park with her “Joytending Station,” complete with puppets. She talks about her puppet performances, including one featuring Donald Trump and his father, as well as her wider activism and the role that art and performance play in her life. Amanda is one of those people you don’t meet every day, and I wanted to share her story because it is genuinely fascinating, unexpected and completely her own. This was such an interesting conversation, and I hope you enjoy getting to know Amanda as much as I did. Today's show is sponsored by Mór Fest! @morfestnyc If you’re Irish in New York, or just love everything Irish, you’re going to want to hear about this. From August 19th to 23rd, Mór Fest is taking over Tara Mór in Midtown for five days celebrating the best of Irish music, comedy, sport, food, culture and craic. There’s live music, Irish comedy, sporting legends, trad sessions, wellness events, food and drink from Ireland, and loads more happening throughout the week. It’s essentially a little piece of Ireland right in the heart of Manhattan. Mór Fest takes place at Tara Mór, just one block from Madison Square Garden, from Wednesday August 19th through Sunday August 23rd. So, if you’re looking for something very Irish to do in New York this week, make sure you check out Mór Fest. And a huge thank you to the team at Mór Fest for sponsoring this episode of Rolling with the Rowes. You can find all the information and tickets through their website right here - https://www.taramornyc.com/mor-fest-in-nyc/