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Today, Californian singer-songwriter Charlie Hickey joins me to celebrate the National’s 2013 album ‘Trouble Will Find Me’. We delve into Charlie’s childhood relationship with the band, the simple and sparse lyrics and how their affect lets them get away with potentially cheesy earnestness, coming back to the record as an adult, songs about feeling like shit and more. Plus, we talk about Charlie’s fantastic new record ‘Nervous at Night’, recording at producer Marshall Vore’s home studio, how you know when a record is finished and more.

Today I’m joined by songwriter, guitarist, producer, singer, designer and more Annie Hamilton, to delve into the eclectic and inspiring world of Björk’s classic 1995 album ‘Post’. We talk about how Björk fused and collided different genres to create her own unique world and style, how she had to prove herself as a producer against skepticism and sexism, how the intervening years have evolved the perception of Björk beyond the mystical pixie archetype, how the album was influenced by her move to London, her use of costuming and visuals to compliment the music and more.

Today writer/director/producer Thomas Schnauz (Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, The X Files) returns to the show for another dive into an iconic Pink Floyd album, this time ‘Wish You Were Here’. We talk about the different eras of the band, how their post - Dark Side of the Moon fame and success influenced the lyrics of this album, the story of original frontman Syd Barrett and how it inspired ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’, the abandoned Household Objects album and how elements were salvaged for this record, the balance between organic instruments and synthesizers, the Live 8 reunion set and more. Plus, Tom indulges my love for Better Call Saul with a mini-chat about the recent devastating mid-season finale that he wrote and directed. Anyone looking to avoid BCS spoilers should jump straight to 09:10.

As day turns to night and the sun rises and sets, we return to talking about the Beatles. Surprisingly there is something new to say on this subject, as proven by today’s guest, Dr. Christine Feldman-Barrett. She joins me to delve into her brilliant book ‘A Women’s History of the Beatles’, why it was important to write, compensating for male narratives and perspectives on the Fab Four, the all female rock band from Liverpool the Beatles inspired, how the band went from feminine to masculine coded, how the aspirational nature of the band spoke to women breaking out of traditional gender roles in society, the importance of Astrid Kirchherr, and the Beatles influence of female musicians in the decades since.

Today I’m joined by actor/comedian/filmmaker/singer/dancer and more, Elouise Eftos, to talk about the classic Funkadelic album ‘Maggot Brain’. We talk about Elouise’s days fronting a funk band, the lineage of this record to 60s psychedelia, the difference between good and bad drug influenced music, reading your own emotions into instrumental music, what makes Funkadelic unique as a band, the album only having seven songs, plus some rants about how movies these days are way too long and an unexpected impression from Elouise to close out the conversation.

Today Australian singer/songwriter and returning friend of the show Charlie Collins joins us to discuss a future classic album, the recently released masterpiece from Gang of Youths ‘Angel in Realtime’. As a longtime friend of the band, Charlie delves into the background of the record and how the passing of frontman David Le’aupepe’s father inspired the album, how the addition of new member Tom Hobden shifted the dynamics within the band, the global recording process that stretched from Auckland to London to Copenhagen, creating beauty out of grief, why this is the record and band we all need right now, what it was like to see these songs connect with audiences when Charlie recently opened for Gangs’ UK tour, being baffled by sports references, the incredible and diverse contributions from each band member and why this record would make a great Broadway musical.

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Today podcaster, writer, musician, director and Emmy-winning actor Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos, The Lovely Bones) joins me to talk about the classic 1985 album by the Smiths, Meat is Murder. We talk about how this album broadened the Smiths post-punk sound, incorporating elements of rockabilly and funk, the under-heralded rhythm section of Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce, how Morrissey’s lyrics and persona compares to Tennessee Williams and Oscar Wilde, the difference between depressing music and music that explores negative subject matter, how impactful the band was despite their short time together, the small tweak from Johnny Marr that rescued How Soon Is Now?, how this record turned Michael vegetarian, how the Smiths album cover design inspired the front cover of Michael’s novel. Plus, Michael talks about getting into a fight at a Morrissey concert and whether he will play Lou Reed in the adaptation of his novel The Perfume Burned His Eyes.

My guests today are acclaimed Melbourne folk sister duo Charm of Finches. Mabel and Ivy talk about Sufjan Stevens’ seminal 2015 album ‘Carrie and Lowell’, how Sufjan processed the loss of his estranged mother through the songs, the intimacy of the record and how it contrasts with many of his other more elaborate albums, how to let yourself write from a vulnerable place, trusting a producer to shepherd those songs, whether writing about grief is actually cathartic, what it was like to see Sufjan live and their favorite songs on the record.

Today we take a detour into movie land with filmmaker Charles Hood and film journalist Drew Taylor (hosts of the Light the Fuse podcast) and count down our ten favorite films from 2021. It was an incredible movie year, and while we have a fair bit of crossover, we also have some bitter disagreements as we discuss and champion films ranging from shaggy dog coming of age stories to epic sci-fi sequels, noirish crime dramas to deranged comedies and beyond. What films do we discuss? You’ll have to listen to find out.

Today we go behind the scenes and pull back the curtain on the making of the show, as guest host Seja Vogel interviews host Jeremy Dylan and producer Georgia Mooney about how the sausage/podcast is made. From the inception of the show, how the guests are chosen, the research process, the use of music, favorite episodes, dream guests, how to deal with awkward interviews and more, we try to answer all the questions you might have about how we put this thing together.

In our third crossover podcast, I welcome back filmmaker Charles Hood and journalist Drew Taylor, hosts of the brilliant Mission Impossible podcast Light the Fuse. This time we (mainly) don’t talk about movies, but delve into their respective favorite albums, the 30 year old U2 classic ‘Achtung Baby’ and the world dominating final album from Daft Punk ‘Random Access Memories’. We talk about how Achtung Baby forged a new path for U2 after the apex mountain of The Joshua Tree album, the Berlin sessions that bought tension within the band to a boil, the meaning of the song ‘One’, Bono’s character  ‘The Fly’, the influence of producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois and whether Tom Cruise and Bono are copying each other’s hairstyles. Then we talk about why Daft Punk broke up, the duo’s philosophy of creating new analogue samples as the foundation of the album, the involvement of Muppets songwriting legend Paul Williams, why they never toured the album, Daft Punk’s mystique and more. Plus we somehow get into discussions/fights about 3D, the Avatar sequels, which Men In Black films are good and Gore Verbinski’s The Lone Ranger.

Today I’m bringing you a fascinating conversation with the Michael Elliott, author of the new and definitive John Hiatt biography ‘Have A Little Faith’. We dive deep into ‘Bring the Family’, the 1987 classic that broke open Hiatt’s career after years of struggle. We talk about the album being an alternative to the dominant production of the late 80s, how it presaged Americana music, how Hiatt assembled Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe and Jim Keltner as his dream band for the sessions (and how Lowe almost didn’t make it), the adult subject matter of the lyrics, Bonnie Raitt’s cover of Thing Called Love, how James Cameron used Alone in the Dark in True Lies and how Hiatt proves that sobering up and getting your life together can produce a songwriter’s best work.

Well, we’re only seven months late. But here at long last is our Bob Dylan 80th Birthday special, featuring new conversations with some of favourite guests from the history of the podcast talking about different aspects of Dylan and his music from the 60s to the 90s to now. - Old Crow Medicine’s Show Ketch Secor on how Bob Dylan changed Nashville, and the process of excavating and finally falling in love with Blonde on Blonde as Old Crow made their album length tribute. - Robyn Hitchcock dissects the A side of Blonde on Blonde track by track - Rainy Day Women #12 and 35, Pledging My Time, Visions of Johanna and One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later). - Brian Koppelman on why Chrissie Hynde’s Dylan tribute record is the perfect onramp for non-fans, and the underrated beauty of Bob’s 1993 blues album World Gone Wrong, which set the tone for the second half of his career. - Bill Wyman on thirty years of Dylan’s Never Ending Tour and why he’s unlike every other rock star of his generation. - Steven Hyden on why Dylan’s real secret might be that he’s a pretty normal guy.

Today we’re bringing you a first for the show - a two part conversation about two records with two members of mutli-award winning Australian duo Client Liaison, whose conflicting taste comes together in a fascinating way in their own music. First I talk to Monte Morgan about Prince’s turn of the century concept album ‘The Rainbow Children’. We dig into this album’s different reputations amongst casual and die hard fans, the Jehovah’s Witness inspired story, how Prince was able to keep reinventing himself through his albums and Monte’s experience being invited up on stage by the man himself at a concert. Then I talk to Harvey Miller about Cut Copy’s ‘Bright Like Neon Love’. We talk about how the music of your teen years stays with you, how the world of this music intersected with fashion and French House music, the early days of music on the internet in the MySpace era, how Cut Copy’s success made being from Melbourne and making great music seem more realistic and more.

Today, filmmaker and longtime Bruce Springsteen collaborator (Letter to You, Western Stars) Thom Zimny joins me to unpack the spark of his lifelong journey on E Street, the classic live bootleg ‘Live in the Promised Land’, recorded in San Fransisco on the 1978 tour behind ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’. We talk about how Thom discovered the record as a teenager, the joys and charms of the bootleg experience and how it made Thom feel like part of a secret subculture, how the design and flaws of the quality and packaging influenced his later documentary work with Bruce, the power and legend of the classic E Street Band, Bruce’s on stage monologues, the story of how Thom established his working relationship with Bruce and Jon Landau on the Live in New York City concert film and whether there are any plans to document the final E Street Band tour.

From the early days of Talking Heads, David Byrne has been developing unique and fascinating new ways to present his music to the world. There’s no finer example of this than the jaw-dropping American Utopia show, which the NME called “The Best Live Show Of All Time”. Today we are delving inside the process of creating and performing the show from its early touring incarnation through to the wildly successful Broadway run that has just triumphantly resumed at the St James Theatre. I talk to key members of the band and cast about the show's merging of rock concert with modern dance piece and Broadway show, the innovative staging and unique challenges of reconfiguring classic songs for the show, the costumes, memories from the road, celebrity encounters, working with Spike Lee on the film version, how they went from collaborators to family and the challenges and joys of finally bringing the show back a year later than planned. Thank you to cast members Angie Swan, Bobby Wooten, Chris Giarmo, Mauro Refosco and Stéphane San Juan for sharing their insights and stories, to Aussie queen of rock radio Zan Rowe for joining me to break down what makes the show special and publicist Michelle Farabaugh for making the whole thing possible.  

Today, all four members of indie-rock upstarts Teenage Dads join me for a fun five-way chat about Australia’s most prolific band, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, and their 2016 breakthrough album ‘Nonagon Infinity’. We talk the looping structure of the record, the different ways it has influenced each of them, how streaming this album changes the experience vs listening on vinyl, whether the album deserved the ARIA for Best Heavy Metal Album, why KGATLW are the ‘tightest loosest band’ and more.