Liz Phair's Soberish

Roger McGuinn is best known as the driving force behind The Byrds. But McGuinn is also a preservationist of traditional folk music. For the past 27 years he’s been re-recording traditional folk songs and sharing them on  a section of his website called The Folk Den. On today’s episode Rick Rubin talks to Roger McGuinn about his decades-long career, which started in the early ‘60s at Greenwich Village cafes where he played with the likes of Bob Dylan and Richie Havens. McGuinn reminisces about the vibrant music scene in LA, and he also talks about meeting his Byrd’s bandmate David Crosby. We’ll also hear Roger McGuinn play his guitar throughout the interview, and talk about how playing basketball with Bob Dylan helped inspire Dylan’s storied tour, the Rolling Thunder Revue. You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Roger McGuinn and The Byrds songs HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

20 Apr 20231h 7min

Today, we’re sharing a fantastic episode from a podcast we love, Louder Than A Riot from NPR Music. Louder Than A Riot connects the stories of hip-hop's biggest artists to socio-political changes we’re going through right now. This season, Louder Than A Riot is tackling the connection between hip-hop and misogyny. Hosts Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael dig into the unwritten rules of rap that have marginalized Black women for decades, and highlight the rule breakers who refuse to play nice. Today's episode tells the story of the first female MC, MC Sha-Rock. She’s a rapper from The Bronx and former member of the Funky 4 Plus One More who laid the foundations of rap as we know it. But even though she’s a pioneer, Sha’s name often gets left out of conversations around the history of hip-hop. Why is that? Because decades ago, Sha-Rock had to deal with the hurdles that so many women in rap still face today: Getting tokenized by her own peers and played by the industry. You’re about to hear the story from the people who lived it: Interviews with Sha-Rock, along with rappers who she inspired like DMC and historical experts like author Clover Hope. This episode is a meditation on legacy: Who gets afforded a legacy in hip-hop? Who gets left out? And how can you reclaim a legacy stolen from you? We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did. You can listen to more episodes of Louder Than A Riot from NPR Music, wherever you listen to podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

18 Apr 202348min

George Clinton revolutionized funk music with Parliament Funkadelic, whose theatrical, sci-fi, performance art has captivated audiences worldwide for over five decades. P-Funk’s blend of psychedelic rock and deep, repetitive funk grooves helped bridge the R&B and rock worlds in the ‘70s along with acts like Sly and The Family Stone. Known as Dr. Funkenstein, George Clinton orchestrated multiple solo acts under the P-Funk umbrella. By the ‘80s, Clinton was also charting as a solo artist with hits like “Atomic Dog,” all of which would later lay the groundwork for hip-hop’s classic G-Funk era. On today’s episode Rick Rubin talks to George Clinton on Zoom about the origins of his original vocal group, The Parliaments. George also reminisces  about the time he dared James Brown to do the splits 18 times in a row while on a music industry panel with Madonna and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic songs HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11 Apr 202353min

Today we have the second part of Rick Rubin’s conversation with legendary singer/songwriter Graham Nash. We dropped part one a couple of weeks ago, so definitely go check that out if you haven’t already. On today’s episode Graham tells Rick about the time the Grateful Dead were recording next to CSNY and how Jerry Garcia improvised a near-perfect pedal steel solo on “Teach Your Children.” Graham also describes a bizarre encounter with the judge who sentenced his father to prison, and he shares the inspiration behind his new solo album, Now. You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Graham Nash songs HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 Apr 202350min

U2’s The Edge is one of only a handful of guitarists who's as recognizable as his band’s wildly successful frontman. U2 has been playing together since 1976, when they were all teenagers in Dublin. Nearing their 50-year anniversary as a band, U2 just released their latest album, Songs of Surrender—a 40-track collection of reimagined and stripped down songs that span the entirety of their catalog. On today’s episode Rick Rubin talks to The Edge about his theory behind the band’s longevity. The Edge also shares stories about writing U2 classics like “New Year’s Day” and “Where The Streets Have No Name.” And he explains why Bono singing at the top of his range can be a bit much. You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite U2 songs HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

28 Mar 20231h 7min

At 81 years-old, Graham Nash describes his life as, “a magic story from beginning to end.” Graham’s career began in 1962 as a singer/songwriter in the British pop band The Hollies. After a string of hits in the UK, Graham left the Hollies, and moved to L.A. to start a band with the former Byrds vocalist, David Crosby, and Stephen Stills, whose band Buffalo Springfield had just broken up. From the start, Crosby Stills & Nash were dubbed a folk-rock supergroup, and they went on to become one of the era's most revered bands, thanks to their gorgeous three-part harmony and exquisite songwriting. Following the death of David Crosby in January, Rick Rubin sat down with Graham Nash to talk about Graham’s deep love and admiration for Croz. On today’s episode we’ll hear the first part of Rick’s conversation with Graham, who reminisces about the day he met Crosby, who immediately rolled Graham the most perfect joint he’d ever seen. Graham also explains how it was actually Cass Elliot from the Mamas and the Papas who was responsible for bringing CSN together, and he recalls classic stories about Neil Young’s unpredictable early days in CSNY. You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Graham Nash songs HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

21 Mar 202348min

Today we're excited to share a preview of Justin Richmond's new Pushkin Industries podcast, Started From The Bottom. Every week on Started from the Bottom, Justin interviews successful people who grew up on the outside—women, people of color, anyone not part of the old boy's network—to find out how they were able to beat the odds. Today's episode features an interview with Charlamagne Tha God. Over his 25 year career, Charlamagne clawed his way to the top of the radio industry. On today's episode, the long-time host of The Breakfast Club tells Justin Richmond what it took for him — a young man suffering from anxiety, constantly in and out of jail — to become an icon of modern media. Listen, follow, and subscribe to Started From the Bottom wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

16 Mar 202349min

Today we have part two of Rick Rubin’s conversation with producer and composer, Giles Martin. In part one, Giles talked about his delicate work remastering classic Beatles albums. Today we’ll hear Giles talk about his dad, Sir George Martin, who never second guessed his own genius. Giles also shares hilarious stories from his time as a teenager living at his father’s storied studio that was destroyed by a volcano in the Caribbean. Plus, he talks about the time he was fired and then rehired by Martin Scorsese. You can follow Rick Rubin's new podcast, Tetragrammaton, at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tetragrammaton-with-rick-rubin/id1671669052 You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Beatles songs remastered by Giles Martin HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

14 Mar 202346min