335. Edith Bowman on Midlake 'The Trials of Van Occupanther' (2006)
Today the brilliant British broadcaster and podcaster Edith Bowman joins me to talk about Midlake's 2006 cult classic The Trials of Van Occupanther, how it soundtracked her early relationship with her husband, its qualities of instant nostalgia and why she returns to it time and time again, including as a balm during lockdown. Plus, we talk about her experiences with live music during lockdown, who she's most excited to see next year when touring resumes, the hidden tragedies of the absence of festivals, why she's bad at saying no to things and her long friendship with friend of the show Drew Pearce.
6 Marras 202044min
334. Fred Armisen on El Perro Del Mar 'From the Valley to the Stars' (2008)
Today reformed drummer and comedic genius Fred Armisen (Portlandia, SNL, Documentary Now) joins me to discuss the dreamy magic of El Perro Del Mar's 2008 album From the Valley to the Stars. We talk about how the album became part of his routine at Saturday Night Live, why it inspired him to go out and buy a Hofner bass, how the songs fade in and fade out (and we speculate on the history of fade outs in popular music), his relationship with the artist herself, making a music video for her, why this album is the perfect travelling soundtrack and more. Plus, we make a plan to form the literal biggest band of all time, talk about meeting Paul McCartney, Fred's issues with music criticism and much more.
30 Loka 202040min
333. Tia Gostelow on Melody Pool 'The Hurting Scene' (2013)
Today I'm joined by singer-songwriter Tia Gostelow, on the eve of her new album release, to wax rhapsodic about the 2013 debut LP by friend of the show Melody Pool, 'The Hurting Scene'. We unpack Melody's wielding of emotional restraint to create tension, her unaffected skill as a vocalist, her literate lyrics, the emotional impact of songs like 'Henry', Tia's history covering Melody's songs and how she inspired her songwriting, why Tia makes me feel like an old man and I dig into the archives to revisit a classic conversation with Melody herself about the recording of the album.
24 Loka 202029min
332. James Bond vs. Mission Impossible with Light the Fuse hosts Charles Hood and Drew Taylor
On another format-busting episode of MFA, hosts of Light the Fuse podcast Drew Taylor and Charles Hood return to the show to bash out the eternal rivalry in spy movie world - James Bond vs Mission Impossible. Using the enduring James Bond movie formula - from gun barrels to gadgets, leading ladies to leering bad guys, we compare and contrast the two franchises and see where they differ, and more interestingly, how they've grown more and more similar through this current century. Plus we speculate about the casting of the next Bond, and instigate an entire new spy movie franchise which could eclipse 007 and Ethan Hunt.
15 Loka 20201h 54min
331. Stella Mozgawa (Warpaint) on Brian Eno 'Before and After Science' (1977)
Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer and one of the best drummers of her generation Stella Mozgawa joins me for a look at the legendary Brian Eno's final 70s pop masterpiece (before his turn into ambient music) Before and After Science. We delve into the most interesting man in rock's creative process, how he used the studio as his instrument and enlisted collaborators from Robert Fripp to Phil Collins (and we defend Phil's legacy), why it's a good thing that Eno has kept his archival vaults locked, how Warpaint have used Eno's Oblique Strategies cards in the studio, and why you should always turn down dinner invitations from an EGOT.
8 Loka 202039min
330. Brian Koppelman on Lou Reed 'New York' (1989)
Longtime friend of the show and one of my favorite people in the world to talk music with, writer/director/showrunner Brian Koppelman (Billions, Rounders, Ocean's 13) joins me to talk about Lou Reed's mid-career classic 'New York' album. We talk about how Lou got sober and political simultaneously, the powerful simplicity of the music and the carefully crafter lyrics that Reed agonised over, Brian's memories of living in NYC when this album was released, how the city looms large over both Lou and Brian's writing, how Brian has deployed Lou's songs in his TV series 'Billions', Lou's enduring influence and much more.
28 Syys 202039min
329. Essie Holt on Washington 'I Believe You Liar' (2010)
Today a friend of the show becomes a subject of it, as emerging singer-songwriter Essie Holt joins me to rave on Megan Washington's 2010 debut album 'I Believe You Liar'. We talk about the benefits of discovering artists at live shows, Meg's iconic ARIAs performance of 'Sunday Best', the will in song form 'Underground' and whether it holds legal legitimacy, songwriting as therapy, being the victim in your songs, how releasing music has changed over the last ten years and more.
24 Syys 202035min
328. Paul Kelly biographer Stuart Coupe on excavating the legendary artist's early years for his new book
Today, author and broadcaster Stuart Coupe joins me to discuss his new Paul Kelly biography and some of the lesser known tales from Paul's life and career. We talk about Paul's early years, why he struggled to be part of a band, the albums that Paul doesn't want you to hear and why he's made them unavailable, why Paul is Australia's answer to Elvis Costello, what it's like to write a book about someone you used to manage, how Paul went from being sceptical of the book to an enthusiastic contributor and why Paul didn't mind losing his luxurious hair.
21 Syys 20201h 7min
