311. Thomas Schnauz on Pink Floyd 'The Wall' (1979)
As a writer and director, Thomas Schnauz has been responsible for some of the most legendary TV of the last 30 years, from The X Files to Breaking Back to Better Call Saul, and he's been sneaking Pink Floyd references into all of them. Thomas joins me to finally talk about 'The Wall' (we've only been going for 7 years and not a single Floyd record in that time), Syd Barrett, the Roger Waters spitting incident that inspired the record, his wild journey as a young man to see Roger Waters perform the record in full at the Berlin wall and more… Plus I pitch Thomas what is sure to be the main storyline of Better Call Saul season 5.
6 Juli 202036min
310. Kate Miller-Heidke on Joni Mitchell 'Hejira' (1976)
2 Juli 202023min
309. Mitchell Froom on Ray Charles 'The Genius of Ray Charles' (1959)
Legendary record producer Mitchell Froom (Crowded House, Sheryl Crow, Randy Newman) joins me to unpack 'The Genius of Ray Charles', the audaciously titled classic album where Charles took his first ambitious step outside of R&B into full on jazz. We unpack Charles's brilliant piano solos, Quincy Jones's arrangements, the combining of Ray's band with musicians from Count Basie and Duke Ellington's orchestras, how to breathe new life into songs that have been recorded many times and how Mitchell bonded with Randy Newman over their shared love of this record. Plus, Mitchell talks about writing and producing 'Tomorrow Never Dies' with Sheryl Crow, why he won't write his memoirs, what it's like to hear songs he's produced while out in the world and gives insight and updates on the new upcoming Crowded House record he and the rest of the band have been working on during isolation.
25 Juni 202047min
308. Alex Lahey on Paramore 'Riot!' (2007)
18 Juni 202033min
307. David Arnold on Stevie Wonder 'Songs in the Key of Life' (1976)
10 Juni 20201h 3min
306. Rose McGowan on Cocteau Twins 'Heaven or Las Vegas' (1990)
This week I'm joined by musician, activist, author, filmmaker, photographer and former actress Rose McGowan for a wide ranging chat about Cocteau Twins' classic album 'Heaven or Las Vegas' and her own record 'Planet 9'. We chat about the Cocteau Twins indecipherable lyrics, how it soundtracked the writing of Rose's memoir 'Brave' and the emotional malleability of the record. Rose also takes me into the process of creating her album 'Planet 9', the best reviews she's gotten, how she shot her own visual art to accompany the album, how she intends to tour her music while creating an art hub accessible to everyone, why she doesn't want to be a 'pop star', her love of country music and much more.
4 Juni 202040min
305. Paul Dempsey on Fugazi 'In on the Kill Taker' (1993)
This week I'm joined by rock legend and Something for Kate frontman Paul Dempsey, to dive into Fugazi's classic album 'In On The Kill Taker'. Paul discusses how the band's unique approach to intertwining instrumental parts influenced his guitar playing, the different ways of discovering bands in a pre-internet age, the contrasts between Ian Mackaye and Guy Piccitotto, the time Something for Kate nearly opened for Fugazi, why he has vowed never to cover their songs and his strong feelings against 'opening the vaults' and releasing alternate versions of albums.
27 Maj 202032min
304. Maya Hawke on Joni Mitchell 'Blue' (1971)
This week singer/songwriter and actress (Stranger Things, Little Women) Maya Hawke joins me via landline (!) from Woodstock to talk about the enduring classic of unfettered emotion, Joni Mitchell's towering Blue. We dig into Maya's love of poetry and how it intersects with her music, treating the lyrics of Joni's songs as a puzzle, separating art from the artist, how music helped with her dyslexia, the process of writing her own album and how Blue has helped her to find space, privacy and independence during Covid-19 lockdowns.
20 Maj 202045min
