Podcasts about Song Exploder

Hrishikesh Hirway is a musician and producer, but you probably know him best as the host of the podcast Song Exploder. Hrishikesh has a new album out, “In the Last Hour of Light,” and he shares with Chris his creative process. Hrishikesh also talks about his definition of success and why he values the act of creating over the insecurity of whether his work is “good enough.” Finally, Hrishikesh shares his advice for how people can become more attuned to their creative side.Featured guestFollow Hrishikesh Hirway on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and at https://hrishikesh.co/Subscribe to Hrishikesh's Substack, accept cookiesBuy Hrishikesh's album, In the Last Hour of LightConnect with the teamFollow Chris on Instagram and at chrisduffycomedy.comBuy Chris' book, Humor Me Watch How to Be a Better Human videos on YouTube at TEDPodsFollow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokFor the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscriptsFill out our survey at bit.ly/BHSurvey6 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A live recording from The Big Romance about a 2008 Sub Pop-released classic album of the 2000s. Listen on Apple | Android | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed | Podlink Step into a world of misty melodies and cavernous echoes with Seattle band Fleet Foxes' landmark debut – a defining record of the late-2000s indie folk revival. Led by Robin Pecknold, the album blends the lush, pastoral harmonies of the 1960s with a haunting baroque-pop sensibility and lyrical themes rooted in nature, tradition, and introspection. Like the Bruegel painting on its cover, every track reveals a dense, beautiful world that evokes a timeless – almost mythic Americana sound. This podcast episode is a live recording from our listening party in The Big Romance in April, with guest journalist and Fleet Foxes fan Aoife Barry. Our next Listening Party is Smashing Pumpkins later this month and it's sold out. Listen Closely: Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes (2008) A Nialler9 listening party, hosted by Niall Byrne with guest Aoife Barry. Before the album Niall: Hello everyone, how are you? Welcome to the Listen Closely album listening party. I'm Niall, and this is Aoife Barry. Aoife: Hello. Niall: We're here tonight because Aoife picked this album, as she has before. You picked Jeff Buckley last year. Aoife: Yeah, and we ended up doing three of them. Niall: We did, we went to Cork. We did two here and then we went to Cork to talk about Jeff Buckley. And you were at the My Bloody Valentine listening party last year as well, back in October. Aoife: It must have been October, yeah. Niall: Well, obviously we're here for a very different album tonight: Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes, from 2008. As you heard there, we played a bit of the Sun Giant EP by the band, which came out a few months before this album, because we want to give the album its full due. They're a little different, and we'll talk about that. But yeah, you picked the record. Aoife: I did. I obviously must like it. And it's such an incredible record. Is there anybody here who hasn't heard it? That's really exciting, if so. I'm excited for you to hear it. You got a sneak peek there of what the vibe is going to be. I picked it because I love this record, but I also had a funny story about how I first heard them. Back in 2008, when this record came out, I'd read about this band called Fleet Foxes in a music magazine. I don't even think I'd heard a song yet, this is back in the day. And I was on holidays in Berlin, and in the tiny little hostel we were staying in, they had a sign up on the wall: "Who's playing tonight? Fleet Foxes, Café Zapata." I said to my boyfriend, "I think that's a band I read about in the magazine, will we go see them?" And he was like, "Grand." So we went, and they were unbelievable. It was so good. Beach House were supporting them. So it was 2008 smacking you in the face. Niall: Come on. Aoife: And I took photos, which I found. I have photos. Artifacts. One is terrible, the other one's not so terrible, taken on one of those little Canon digital cameras. And I still have the ticket, I kept the ticket, I'm one of those hoarders who keeps all their gig tickets. But it was so good: the venue they played in had a dragon that breathed fire out every fifteen minutes. Niall: So they'd be playing and this dragon… Aoife: I'm not even exaggerating. Fire would just shoot out of this mechanical dragon. It was so Berlin. And Fleet Foxes were so stunning, and Beach House were so stunning. I love Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, I love all those harmony vibes, I wish I was born in the seventies, sadly I was not. So I fell in love with them immediately, and I've been a big fan ever since. Although I'll say I probably dipped a little bit around the Crack-Up era, their third album, but then I saw them when Shore came out, their most recent album, and fell right back in love with them. Niall: We're going to talk about all the albums that come afterwards, but we'll start with this one, because this is presumably your favourite, or one of them. Aoife: Shore is up there as well for me, but yeah. Niall: So what was it about Fleet Foxes at the time? For context: in 2008 there was quite a lot of this kind of music around. We previously did Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago as a listening party, and the funny thing, which I only found out when we did this, is that they have the same origin story in a way. Both songwriters went to a cabin in the woods to pour their heart out and write the songs. Aoife: I think Justin Vernon just got there first in terms of the marketing. Niall: So they must have pulled back on talking about it too much, because it's basically the same thing. They never really talked about Robin Pecknold's writing process in those terms. Aoife: For Emma was such a massive moment, everybody was obsessed with this guy who broke up with a girl and went to a cabin and wrote a record about it. It was the ur indie-folk album. Niall: What was really appealing about Fleet Foxes is that they were so young, between about twenty-two and twenty-seven, and Robin Pecknold was twenty-one when he wrote the record. Which is frankly offensive, you shouldn't be allowed to be so talented at twenty-one. Aoife: I know. And they were clearly these people from Seattle, which we associate with grunge, and then it becomes this place where they're bringing out all the pastoral, outdoorsy, mountain-and-sea vibes of the Washington area. They're obviously really influenced by the seventies too, by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, by Laurel Canyon, but also by Appalachian folk. There's a real purity to what they're doing. The harmonies are unbelievable, there's even a bit of a gospel feeling. So these young guys made this album that was being called an iconic American record on release. The Guardian called it a landmark American album, something like that. And that's special, because you don't get that many records immediately being called landmark. Niall: It was a very exciting time for music around then. I actually brought some records. We mentioned Beach House and Teen Dream earlier, that's a bit later, 2010. I wanted to do a listening party for that at some point, that'd be good craic. Around that time you had Animal Collective and Panda Bear, Person Pitch was right there, that was the apex for that very experimental scene. A few years later we had Sufjan, our very first listening party. And Bon Iver, of course. There's also stuff like Neutral Milk Hotel very much of that vibe. Aoife: I've noticed people covering Neutral Milk Hotel more now. Niall: I think when we got to it, it was on its second go-round, and now it's getting a third, which is great. It's a great record. So, the band were from Seattle, they had a bit of the scruffy flannel-shirt look, but obviously didn't sound like that. The album was written in the woods, in the cabin, brought to the band, and recorded with Phil Ek. Aoife: Who did a lot of stuff with Built to Spill. Niall: Yeah, and he worked with The Shins, and Modest Mouse, a really long history. Aoife: Are The Shins from Seattle as well? Niall: I think they might be. Band of Horses is another one. So they recorded it themselves with Phil Ek, paid for it all themselves, and then the local major independent label Sub Pop came calling. Obviously known for a lot of grunge traditionally, but they'd clearly been releasing this kind of music around then too, The Shins had been on the label for a few years, Band of Horses. When it came to it, they signed to Sub Pop. Apparently there was a bidding war. Aoife: They'd become quite popular on MySpace. Anybody remember MySpace? Every time I do one of these I feel older and older, mentioning the top eight, the randomers you'd put in your top eight. Word could spread quite quickly once you got popular on MySpace. Niall: What I thought was really interesting, that I discovered when I was researching, is that recording the album was actually a total pain for them. They didn't have much money, so they ended up recording a lot of it in their houses, or in Robin Pecknold's family home. And he re-did all the vocals right before they mastered the record, because he'd been sick during the initial sessions and his voice wasn't in great shape. They recorded it all in one go, scrapped that, did another version, and kept moving the running order around. I'm always fascinated by albums where the creation was a total pain and they had no idea it would even work out. Robin Pecknold actually said, "I hope nobody cares about this album, because I just want to move on to the next one." And then it becomes this iconic record. Aoife: Isn't every artist sick of their album by the time it's done? You're like, "my paintings." Yeah. Niall: 2008 was an interesting time for it to land. The album draws on the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Nick Drake, Simon & Garfunkel, Fairport Convention, Judee Sill, very much old-timey or sixties folk and pastoral stuff. And in 2008 there's a financial crash. The album was worked on before that, but it was released into that environment, and a lot of this music seemed to catch. When things go bad, we retreat, we dream, we listen to music that's maybe the opposite of what we're feeling. There was a gentleness, an unhurriedness to it that resonated. Aoife: Grizzly Bear is another band from that time. When Jay-Z and Beyoncé went to see Grizzly Bear in Brooklyn, that was kind of where all the indie music peaked. Niall: And the other part of it, which I was involved in, was the MP3 blogs, that's where you'd hear this music. Especially the American and Canadian stuff, no one was promoting it over here yet, so you'd be months ahead. You'd hear Fleet Foxes in these MP3 formats. That was a mad period, it showed how the internet could collapse geography, a song could spread really quickly on the blogs. And in an American context, this came out post-Bush, with the Obama era coming in, a more hopeful tone. You had the Lehman Brothers crash, these global pressures, and then these hopeful times too. It's interesting to wonder whether these albums are a reaction to it, or whether they appeal to us because we want nice, happy things. I feel like Fleet Foxes have so much emotional depth: there's yearning, sadness, hope, nostalgia. Aoife: I loved Yellow House by Grizzly Bear, their first record, a complex, complicated, almost jazzy thing that sounded beautiful but had a lot going on. We weren't going for simplistic music, but we wanted music that gave us depth and beauty. Is art a solution to the world collapsing? Niall: We could be answering that in 2026. We live in a cursed timeline, as I keep saying. That's all I'm going to say. But what else happened in 2008 in the wider circle of music? Portishead returned with Third. TV on the Radio released Dear Science. MGMT released Oracular Spectacular, 'Kids' and all that. Cut Copy released In Ghost Colours, Indie Sleaze night on Saturday, folks, come on. Kanye put out 808s & Heartbreak, that was November that year. Rihanna was at the peak of her powers. Aoife: Katy Perry appeared that year. And 'American Boy'. Niall: 'American Boy', still one of the best pop songs, fire. Iron & Wine was the other one I forgot to mention. So it was a really vibrant, varied year. As you heard, there's the Sun Giant EP too. Aoife: The thing about that is it came out before the album, but was recorded after. The album was done, in the bag. Niall: They decided to go into the studio and record Sun Giant, a collection of songs intended to sell on tour. It ended up being quite popular, and for a lot of people it was their first time discovering Fleet Foxes. Aoife: It wasn't like The Coronas' 'San Diego Song', their summer-holiday anthem, or anything like that. But it came out before the album, and then the album arrives. Niall: So what was the reaction at the time? Was it immediate? Aoife: Things happened really quickly. In January that year they got all the MySpace attention, and by June the album was coming out. Really, really quick. There was so much chatter about them, which is partly why I'd seen the name, and a music blog like yours would have seen it too, and known they were one of the big bands. In a way that's harder now. Niall: These days you see bands like Geese getting a lot of attention because they use companies that help them go viral. You didn't really have that then. Now you'd dress yourself up in some gimmick, polka dots, whatever, and go viral all over the internet for it. I couldn't imagine these lads doing that. Aoife: No. But maybe in a way they were cosplaying living in the forest, on the Puget Sound. Niall: Anyway, when the album came out, people loved them, and it really hit it off. Because they sound so seventies, your parents would love the records and you'd love the records. There's almost a lullaby quality to the folk stuff too. The music is applicable to anybody of any generation, and there's something lovely about nostalgic music that reminds you of a better time. To finish on that point: I think there's something very mysterious about Fleet Foxes, they feel out of time. They're these young, scruffy lads with the beards, but there's a mystery to them. They didn't come across as the hipster end of things, they weren't leaning into anything. They were presented as the kind of band that wouldn't have had phones, would have lived off-grid, which is funny because they were a MySpace band. They're the most un-MySpace band you can imagine. Surprise people, do something a bit different, don't be exactly what people want you to be, and they'll love you for it. And then your songs are unbelievable too, soaring and stunning. Can we talk for a second about the cover? It's an original painting from 1559 by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Netherlandish Proverbs. It depicts a densely populated Flemish village scene illustrating 126 folk proverbs. There's a lot there. Some on this side are cut off, but for example, this woman here, she's putting the blue cloak on her husband, meaning she deceives him. This guy is casting roses before swine, wasting effort on the unworthy. And right at the top there's a man running through a field with his arse on fire, chasing pigs, "he who eats fire craps sparks," do not be surprised at the outcome if you attempt a dangerous venture. There are 126 of those. Aoife: The interesting thing is that the band managed to get permission to use it. Really unusual to be allowed use it as commercial artwork. Niall: And apparently the museum that holds the artwork were delighted. A lot of stars aligned for them. It's an iconic cover because it's so different from what anybody else was doing, clearly of a particular period, and it has that Where's Wally quality. I have a quote about it. Robin said: "We were trying to figure out what we wanted to do, and my brother had been working some stuff out, when I saw this Bruegel painting in a book my girlfriend had. I liked that it had a really intriguing meaning, there's a story to each little scene, which felt fitting for the record. It was dense but unified, not a collage. It has a Where's Waldo quality, something you could look at for a long time on a vinyl sleeve and keep finding new little things. It was very easy to get the museum in Berlin that has it to say yes, they were super excited the band wanted to use it, and put it in their newsletter. When you open it up, on the inside there's a Paisley pattern traced from the back of a book that Skyler's mum got me. We wanted two very different feelings." So, what to look out for when we press play very shortly? Aoife: When I was going back to this, I had it in my head that every song was one of these big songs, because there are so many big moments. But actually there are two tracks that are pretty much acoustic, so it's interesting to notice how they go from the big sound to the small. And for me they're a real emotion-and-feeling band, so notice how you feel listening to it. I always feel this swell of emotion with Fleet Foxes, I was walking down the road listening to Shore and I was like, my God. So lean back and feel into the emotions they're bringing you. And listen to the lyrics if you can make them out, because they're so out of time, all about pack horses and this amazing imagery. Robin Pecknold said he didn't write about a lot of personal stuff because he didn't have enough life experience yet, so instead he wrote these beautifully poetic narratives about pastoral and rural life. So I'd say the lyrics and the feelings are the two things. Niall: Track two, 'White Winter Hymnal', is probably the biggest one, watch out for that. And a few other people thanked and cited as influences, for some extra context: Brian Wilson, Joanna Newsom, Bob Dylan, Noah Lennox and all the lads from Animal Collective, Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson of The Band, Blitzen Trapper, who they toured with at the time and who were bigger than them then. For some reason Joni Mitchell and Neil Young are listed together, which is fair enough. Marvin Gaye, Damien Jurado, Paul Simon and John Lennon listed together. Townes Van Zandt, a legend. Vashti Bunyan, and Van Morrison. There's a nice quote from Robin Pecknold I'll read afterwards. Let's just open it up and listen. I'll play it at full volume, it's about thirty-nine minutes, two sides. Close your eyes, whatever you want to do, vibe away in your own way. [The album plays: Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes, 39 minutes.] After the album Niall: It's quite an economical album, isn't it? It doesn't stick around long, thirty-nine minutes. Aoife: I like an economical album. It's also one of the first fairly short records we've done here. Niall: That's part of why I was thinking about Sun Giant in that context too. I'm going to read a bit from the liner notes, because for an album that's very much about feelings, with only a few direct songs, some of what's written here is interesting: "My first memory has always been of me and my mom on a cold grey day down at some beach in Washington, along the Puget Sound somewhere near Seattle. I would be around two or three years old, and we were with a friend of mine from the neighbourhood and his mom, walking among the driftwood looking for crabs. Even now I can remember the smell and temperature of the air, the feeling of the sand and the swaying tall grass. I can even remember looking over at my friend and how his face looked when he smiled back at me. Another memory I'll sometimes recall as my first is dressing up in the dead of summer as Jack London, with tennis rackets on my feet and wearing my dad's hiking pack, after seeing Disney's terrible version of White Fang. Or the memory of stealing my neighbour's Big Wheel and riding it halfway down the block before getting caught and having to turn around defeated. Or wearing a fireman's outfit while washing my parents' car, or eating an orange popsicle from the ice cream truck. These have always been some of my most distinct and persistent memories of childhood. So it came as a disappointment when, one day as a teenager, I opened up a photo album and found pictures of each and every one of these memories. I didn't have a single memory that didn't belong to, or somehow grow from, those pictures my parents had. I guess I've seen all these photographs at some point, forgotten they were just photographs, and over time made them into my most tangible memories. That's scary to me in a way. This leads me to something weird about the power music has: its transportability. Any time I hear a song or record that meant a lot to me at a certain moment, I'm instantly taken back to that place in full detail. Whenever I hear 'Feel Flows' by the Beach Boys, I'm taken straight to the back of my parents' car on the way to my grandparents' place, with Surf's Up in my Walkman and the Cascade Mountains going by in the window. Any song off Radiohead's Kid A brings back the airport near Seattle, from when we were on the way to Colorado for a wedding and Kid A was the only record I brought or wanted to bring. 'Crayon Angels' by Judee Sill is the whole winter of last year. And Brian Wilson's solo version of 'Surf's Up' takes me back to driving my parents' car around town alone at sixteen, windows down at night. I can't ascribe exact memories to songs by The Microphones, Joni Mitchell, Built to Spill, Dungen, Harry Nilsson and so many others, and it's a form of recall I can actually trust, there's no visual element to complicate things, no chance of a planted memory that wasn't actually supposed to be there. Maybe I should be concerned that I'm alone in almost all of these memories, but I guess I was just a private kid, and music was a private experience for me. Music activates a certain mental freedom in a way nothing else can, and that is so empowering. You can call it escapism if you like, but I see it as connecting to a deeper human feeling than the one found in the day-to-day world." Aoife: That's lovely. It's a nice addendum. And he was only twenty-one. Niall: For some reason it's signed "Warren Gamaliel Bancroft Winnipeg Harding," Warren G. Harding being the 29th president of the United States. I don't know why, he thought it was funny. Dated April 6th, 2008, Chicago, Illinois. So, any particular highlights, anything that stood out? Aoife: I was reminded how much I love 'Blue Ridge Mountains', the second-to-last song. I just love those four- and five-part harmonies so much. There's something that really gets me about beautiful harmonies stacked on each other that sound so natural. My dad was really into Neil Young and all of that era, my mum's really into Simon & Garfunkel, so I feel like I came out of the womb going, this is the music I love. Niall: There was another one I meant to mention. Aoife: I'm really bad at remembering song names, which isn't great for an arts journalist. They go in one ear and out the other. Niall: 'He Doesn't Know Why'. Aoife: That was it. I always forget the name of that one, and it's an absolute banger. It's quite a direct song, the last one on the first side. Niall: He mentions his brother Sean in 'Blue Ridge Mountains', which is interesting. And Oliver James is his younger brother, that's the last song. Aoife: His sister is Aja, after the Steely Dan album. The parents were really into them. Niall: It holds up so well. The harmonies and vocals sound incredible, there are those beautiful little flourishes, a flute on one of the tracks, the guitar is stunning, lovely little bass lines. I love the way Robin Pecknold and the band hear music. There's a really good Song Exploder episode with him talking about a song from Crack-Up, and the way he thinks about translating his thoughts and emotions into music is so illuminating. He has a beautiful melodic flow that's really similar to the flow of water and nature. There are so many nature references, it's almost parody there are so many. Aoife: You could do a Portlandia sketch about it. "Power of nature, man." "Come down from the mountain, you've been gone too long." Niall: In terms of the line-up: alongside Robin Pecknold on vocals there was Skyler Skjelset on lead guitar, his best friend from Nathan Hale High School, later joined by Casey Wescott, Christian Wargo on bass, and Nicholas Peterson on drums, who left after this album. Aoife: And who came in as the drummer? Niall: A man who's been a main character in one of these listening parties himself: Josh Tillman, Father John Misty, played drums with them. Aoife: For how long? Niall: Only a year or two, pretty short. As I said, main character, he was making his own record. Any Father John Misty fans? He writes really good songs and he's handsome, so we all love him, but he's also a bit of a pain, and he didn't get on very well with Robin Pecknold, which isn't surprising. When I was looking back at the Pitchfork interview they did in 2008, a few months after the album came out, it was a big joint interview with Robin and Josh Tillman, and Tillman is answering the questions at the start. That's confidence. Do you want to hear a quote from what Robin Pecknold said? I've written it in my little notebook, so old-school, that's the only way I remember these things. In a 2020 Reddit AMA, Pecknold said that on that tour, the Helplessness Blues tour, Tillman was supposed to bring out his own record, but his label said he could only release it after the tour. So he was on tour thinking, "I want to bring out my own record, I'm tired of Fleet Foxes." Pecknold said he "had to endure being around a lot of substance abuse, sabotaged shows, general ill treatment and shit-talking, all while paying him for songs he didn't have anything to do with. It sucked." And then Tillman left the band. Whereas in that Pitchfork interview he'd said, "I love playing in this band, these are all my friends, I'm having the best time, I'm sorry if that's a corny quote, but that's the best thing about this experience right now." Aoife: So he was lying through his teeth. I think he's the kind of person who really has to be a solo artist, too iconic a personality. You wouldn't want to wrangle him out of bed to get to the next show. Niall: Too big a price. You mentioned Pitchfork, the album was number one on their end-of-year list in 2008, and they listed Sun Giant alongside it, breaking the traditional conventions of end-of-year lists. What they said was: listing Fleet Foxes' debut album and EP together may be awkward, but it just feels right, they're two sides of a coin that equally express the band's mastery, "a catch-all Americana that takes a wide slice of our popular music spectrum and pulls it through a reverse prism to create a gorgeous and focused sound of the band's own. The threads of Brian Wilson's coastal pop, Appalachian folk, modern indie rock, Grateful Dead jams and other influences are masterfully synthesised in the band's harmonies." Robin Pecknold's sense of dynamics, they said, flows like a river, wild and free but logical, filling what needs to be filled and moving on. I swear I didn't rip that off Pitchfork, I came up with something similar on my own. Aoife: Very good. Niall: It was Uncut's album of the year too. But more than anything, and this is a strange accolade, the album was ranked number 36 on Rolling Stone's list of the greatest stoner albums. Aoife: I don't think Robin Pecknold was a stoner. It doesn't really fit. He's a reader. Niall: So what came after? Helplessness Blues, which is really difficult to say, in 2011, then Crack-Up in 2017, then Shore in 2020. Big long gaps, some personnel changes. And Robin Pecknold, as we've established, is a very literary guy, he went to Columbia to do an undergrad in English literature, because he'd left high school early and gone to a community college, and he really wanted that college experience. So that was part of the break. He's also had difficult times, he's spoken about mental health issues and suicidal ideation, many tough experiences that contributed to the gaps too. They haven't released anything since 2020, and he does a lot of cover events. There are two live records. He's actually playing a gig tonight, I think, where he covers Judee Sill. Any Judee Sill fans? Aoife: Oh my gosh, she's amazing. Nobody ever knows Judee Sill. If you listen to anything, listen to Heart Food, it's iconic. He loves her, mentions her on this record. She's the one who does 'The Kiss', people might have seen her perform it on the Old Grey Whistle Test, it's on YouTube. She had a really tragic life. Niall: One of those I've been meaning to listen to properly for years. She only has two records, so it's easy to get into. There's a documentary about her as well, which I haven't seen. Aoife: She's one of those ill-fated seventies musicians, really religious imagery, did a lot of drugs, really interesting. Niall: Did you get to see them again after your first foray in Berlin? Aoife: I saw them when they toured, though it's really bad when you can't remember what you were doing in the 2010s. Niall: Did anybody see them at that Dublin gig, the outdoor one in 2022? Wasn't it amazing. They've played here a fair bit: Vicar Street in 2008, Electric Picnic 2009, The Marquee in Cork 2011, the Iveagh Gardens in 2017. I don't know if I've missed any, maybe you can tell me. So if you were to pick, is there any further listening or reading you'd suggest to somebody, not necessarily Fleet Foxes? Aoife: Some of it is obvious. As I said, I'd definitely check out Judee Sill, because if you really like Fleet Foxes you'd really vibe with her. And he mentions Harry Nilsson, also unbelievable, more well known than Judee Sill, did the cover of 'Everybody's Talkin''. I'd also mention a guy people would have known at one point but isn't very well known now: Richard Swift. He sadly passed away a couple of years ago. He was friends with Robin Pecknold, a hugely talented musician who struggled with addiction. He has an amazing double album from around 2005 or 2006 that's brilliant, and a record called The Hex, which is referenced on 'Sunblind' on Shore, that's the song where Robin name-checks a lot of musicians he loves, like Elliott Smith, David Berman and Richard Swift. It's such a beautiful record for finding new people to listen to, and it's lovely to hear a musician pay tribute to musicians he loves. The imagery is him talking about this beautiful day where he'll go for a swim and listen to all these beautiful bands, an ecstatic kind of song. So check out all of those records, but Richard Swift deserves more fans, and The Hex is really, really good. Niall: Good shout. What we'll do now is play a tune, and then maybe give Sun Giant another go if you want to stick around. Our next listening party is on the 27th of May, and it's an indie-rock album very close to my heart: Broken Social Scene's You Forgot It in People. I've been wanting to do this one on record for a long time. They're playing here later in the year, but I want to give this record its flowers, it's incredible. My niece has just turned seventeen and I bought her a copy, because it's an anthemic record for a seventeen-year-old. I can't believe that band are still going, which is kind of mad, but it's hard to underline what Broken Social Scene meant to a certain segment of indie. Aoife: And there's four hundred of them on stage. They're from Canada, and we were all like, my God, these people are the best. Niall: For me it's the MP3 times again, we'll talk about this next month. I heard about them through the music blogs, and then I got to see them in the Button Factory, which was the Temple Bar Music Centre at the time. It was one of the first things I ever wrote about, back in 2005. A transcendental experience. Aoife: They're so good live. Niall: I once DJ'd in Galway after one of their gigs, and one of the members of the band, I'll leave him nameless, came over and turned off the decks while I was DJing. Aoife: On purpose? Niall: He was that drunk. I can't remember what I was playing, but I was like, great, DJing after Broken Social Scene and then a band member ruins it. I don't think he liked it. No, I think he was just really drunk and thought it was funny. Thumbs down to him. In a way it's surprising a man like that has managed to persist in a band with so many members. Anyway, I digress. We'll talk about it next month, May 27th. Aoife: I cannot wait. I've been listening to it a lot lately again, it's fantastic. Niall: Thank you for being here. Let's play a bit of this and see what happens. Thanks for being here, appreciate it.

Host Evie Stokes sits down again with Song Exploder host and musician Hrishikesh Hirway on the music that’s moving him right now. This time Hirway brings a track from singer-songwriter Ken Pomeroy. He describes Pomeroy’s “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothes” as a perfect song and talks about his own collaborations with her. Pomeroy’s Cruel Joke is out now on Rounder Records. Produced by Dusty HenryMastered by: William MyersProduction support: Serafima Healy Listen to the full songs on KEXP's "In Our Headphones" playlist on Spotify or the “What's In Our Headphones” playlist on YouTube. Support the podcast: kexp.org/headphonesContact us at headphones@kexp.org. Photo by Kali SpritzerSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you have been paying attention to music circles for the past 25+ years, you will be familiar with Hrishikesh Hirway. He formerly released music under the moniker The One AM Radio and has also produced and hosted THE premiere music podcast of the 21st century (the only century with podcasts so far, so clearly we feel strongly): Song Exploder. Until recently, his name had not been front and center on any of his projects until his newest album, 'In the Last Hour of Light.' Hrishi grew up in Massachusetts the son of Indian immigrants, immersed and in love with music. After releasing music as The One AM Radio until 2011, he started the podcast Song Exploder in 2014. He's hosted and produced numerous shows and has been a crucial part of the podcasting landscape for 12 years.In our Basic Folk conversation, Hrishi expands on the power of grief after his mother died and how his came gradually because of her long illness. He spoke of his name and what it's felt like to reclaim it in a public space in 2026 versus 1999, and he gives a little shout out to Obama. He gets into his feelings about his speaking voice and the person who likes it the most (his wife). We also hear from Hrishi about what it's like to be a figure in music that can offer musicians a bigger platform with his podcasts. He is someone who enjoys connecting and collaborating with others, but I wanted to know how it felt when sometimes the equation doesn't always add up. Overall I give this interview a 10/10! It was a pleasure getting to know the wonderful Hrishikesh Hirway.Follow Basic Folk on social media: https://basicfolk.bio.link/Sign up for Basic Folk's newsletter: https://bit.ly/basicfolknewsHelp produce Basic Folk by contributing: https://basicfolk.com/donate/Interested in sponsoring us? Contact BGS: https://bit.ly/sponsorBGSpodsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

In 2016, Mitski did an episode of Song Exploder about her song “Your Best American Girl.” She had just released her second album, Puberty 2. Later, Pitchfork named “Your Best American Girl” one of the top 10 best songs of the past decade, and Billboard named it as one of the songs that defined the decade. And in honor of the 10th anniversary of the album, there's a new deluxe version that's out digitally, and a limited edition vinyl is coming in October. I thought this would be a good time to revisit Mitski's episode, where she and her collaborator Patrick Hyland break down how “Your Best American Girl” was made. To learn more, visit songexploder.net/mitski

My guest today is Ahmir Thompson, aka Questlove, the drummer and founding member of The Roots, as well as an author, a DJ, and an Oscar-winning film director.A song that changed my life is “Double Trouble” by The Roots, and the liner notes that Questlove wrote to go with the song. There's a change in the drum sound in that song that blew my mind, and Questlove wrote a little bit about the effort that went into getting that drum sound. And as a drummer myself, I wanted to know everything about that. And that moment 26 years ago was maybe when the first seed for Song Exploder got planted in my brain. So, getting to talk to him for this is really special for me. Questlove has an encyclopedic knowledge of music. It's really astounding. He knows so much about so many artists, and he's just directed a new documentary about Earth, Wind & Fire, which is out now. But one of the artists he knows best is Prince. He was recently asked by Rolling Stone to rank the top 100 Prince songs. For this episode, we talked about the song that he put at #1 on that list.For more info, visit songexploder.net/questlove.

The trivia is ready to explode on Go Fact Yourself! Hrishikesh Hirway is a songwriter. He's also known for the podcast Song Exploder. He started the show as a way to explore his peers' creative process and get over his writer's block. He'll tell us how years of conversations on the podcast led him to releasing his new album “In the Last Hour of Light.” Meaghan Rath is an actor who can be seen on the AMC show “The Audacity” as the Chief Ethics Officer. She'll tell us about how her husband has helped her develop her performance… and why she's gotten married to him three times. Areas of Expertise: Hrishikesh: The 1985-86 Boston Celtics, the best ice cream in Los Angeles, and 1985 caper movies adapted from Elmore Leonard novels.  Meaghan: The movie The Little Mermaid, the TV show “Survivor,” and training a Labradoodle. What's the Difference: Deep Fake What's the difference between a gorge and a canyon? What's the difference between a forgery and a counterfeit? With Guest Experts: LisaGay Hamilton: Peabody award-winning actor and director who's starred in several productions across Broadway, TV and film – including the Elmore Leonard caper movie Jackie Brown. Zeke Smith: Writer, comedian, and activist who's a two-time contestant on “Survivor.”  Hosts:  J. Keith van Straaten Helen Hong Credits: It's always a good time to go to maximumfun.org/joingofact to support this show and get monthly bonus episodes. Theme Song by Jonathan Green. Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher. Co-Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell. Additional editing by Valerie Moffat. Seeing our next live-audience shows by YOU! Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact

This week we welcome singer-songwriter, composer and podcasting pioneer Hrishikesh Hirway to the show. Hrishikesh introduces us to his dogs Watson, a 15 year old Poodle, and Ginger, a Poodle/Chihuahua/Mini Schnauzer/Cocker Spaniel mix he and his wife Lindsey adopted in 2024. We discuss their origin stories, where the inspiration for his song "Stray Dogs" came from and how artists like Cat Power, Lorde, Lin Manuel Miranda and Yo Yo Ma became fans of Watson. Hear these and more from this dog loving 2026 I Heart Podcasts Innovator Award winner.Hrishikesh's new LP In The Last Hour of Light is out now and available wherever you stream music. His groundbreaking podcast Song Exploder can be found on all podcast platforms with new episodes dropping biweekly. To keep up on all of Hrishikesh's creative endeavors subscribe to his newsletter at hrishikesh.substack.comHrishikesh gave his shout outs to the following well deserving advocates: Marley's Mutts and their Pawsitive Change program that was built on the belief that redemption and rehabilitation are possible for both dogs and humans. Through this life-changing program, euthanasia-listed dogs are given a second chance at life while incarcerated students are given an opportunity to rediscover purpose, empathy, accountability, and hope. Together, they create a bond rooted in healing, trust, and transformation. To make a contribution to help bring this program back to Wasco State Prison go to marleysmutts.org/pawsitivechange/Wags & Walks, a Los Angeles and Nashville based nonprofit organization and a dedicated community of dog lovers working to reduce euthanasia in local shelters and increase awareness of rescue dogs being wonderful pets. To adopt, foster, volunteer or donate visit wagsandwalks.orgLindsey Hirway whose love and empathy for animals inspired her husband to share the same passion and advocacy towards these creatures. To see that love manifested into two small adorable hair balls follow their pups on Instagram at watson.and.gingerFor pics and clips from this interview, and the almost 200 before it, follow the show on Instagram at rockerdogcast

Another packed look back at Marv's week since the previous Chronicles episode.IntroLazy Sunday researching and recording the podcast When They Was Fab#Soundbite from my discussion with Phil Better of The Podcast Mogul's PlaybookListener reviewsConsolidation, Sodajerker On Songwriting, Song Exploder, and more recording#Soundbite from my discussion with Rod Gordon of This Must Be Talking HeadsCompleting the newsletter and editing episodes#Soundbite from my discussion with Bee France of INXS: Access All Areas and Listen Like FansSubstack articles by Tobiloba Suliamon about AuTrans, and Dave Campbell asks "Is a 30-Second Podcast Play Meaningful? Why Podcast Analytics May Need A Rethink."Quick mentions - preparing for the podcast Toppermost of the Poppermost and a phone call with Sam Sethi of TrueFans.OutroSpecial thanks to RSS.COM for distributing and sponsoring Pods Like Us.Go to www.themarvzone.org for the links on the opening screen.

Hrishikesh Hirway, host of the popular podcast, Song Exploder, where he breaks down songs with artists who wrote and recorded them. When he's not hosting podcasts, Hirway writes and records original music. His new album, In the Last Hour of Light, is the first Hirway is releasing under his own name. The songs touch on love and loss and were written following the death of his mother and in the midst of his father's hospitalization. Hrishikesh Hirway shares some music in an All Of It Listening Party ahead of his show and conversation with Adam Scott at LPR tomorrow evening at 7:30. Photo by Elisha Christian Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Every few years, someone asks you the question you've been avoiding. For me, this was it: does your show actually have a premise, or does it just require people to already know and like you? Jeremy Enns is the founder of Podcast Marketing Academy, where his primary product is podcast audits. He has spent years analyzing what separates shows that grow from shows that stall, and he runs Podcast Marketing Academy to help hosts fix both. He has been a member of The Lab since the early days. In this episode, we talk about: Why podcast problems are almost always brand and product problems in disguise The difference between a show that requires you to already be known vs. one that earns listeners on its own merits What "killer concepts" are — and why a sharper premise makes episodes easier to produce, not harder The case for featuring Lab members as guests, and why it could be the highest-converting version of Creator Science By the end of this episode, you will have a new framework for auditing any creative project — including your own — and asking whether it's designed to grow or just to persist. Jeremy's resources for US! Podcast Marketing Academy Killer Concept Jeremy Enns on LinkedIn Full transcript and show notes *** TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Cold open: what a "killer concept" actually is (02:20) How this episode came to be: Jeremy's years of quiet notes on Creator Science (04:04) What Jay actually wants from this conversation (09:36) Where podcasting fits in the funnel — why it's the Lab's best front door (13:23) "If you were starting today": the co-host question (22:14) Does Creator Science have a premise? Jeremy's honest take (26:11) The container model: Song Exploder vs. Reply All (31:09) The density problem: why 80% of episodes aren't relevant to most listeners (34:49) The missing IP: Jay's philosophy exists in his head, not on paper (38:31) Why featuring Lab members could be the highest-converting version of the show (44:51) A three-part lens: discovery, trust, monetization (53:28) Jeremy's prescription: what the ideal Creator Science show looks like *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE #273: How to create a scrappy industry report that elevates your brand | Jeremy Enns *** ASK CREATOR SCIENCE Submit your question here *** WHEN YOU'RE READY Creator Science Newsletter Get CreatorHQ (creator operating system) Join The Lab (private membership community) Get a Personalized Offer *** CONNECT Connect on Twitter Connect on Instagram Connect on LinkedIn Subscribe on YouTube *** SPONSORS View all sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your ears are in for a treat -- this week they'll be graced by the velveteen voice of Hrishikesh Hirway! Hrishikesh is a prolific podcaster & he hosts and produces many, including my favorite food podcast of all time, Home Cooking, co-hosted by past Your Last Meal guest, Samin Nosrat, and the excellent music podcast, Song Exploder, that was turned into a Netflix show. He's also a musician and his new album is out now!Hrishikesh tells host Rachel Belle:  How his lifelong cookie obsession began About his mom's mango pie, which has been featured in the New York Times and turned into a Salt & Straw ice cream flavor Why he started drinking coffee, for the first time, in his mid-40s Then we're joined by Jim Henson Company "puppet wrangler" Lara MacLean, who took it upon herself to start baking the cookies that Cookie Monster demolishes on Sesame Street, because she wasn't happy with the last iteration!  Become a Cascade PBS member and support public media!    Watch Rachel's Cascade PBS TV show The Nosh with Rachel Belle.  Sign up for Rachel's (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.  Follow along on Instagram.  Order Rachel's cookbook Open Sesame. 

In an episode inspired by Song Exploder, Taylor Moore breaks down the musical origins of Worlds Beyond Number and dives deep into the production of three of the more than one hundred songs on the Original Soundtrack for The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One, Book 1: Flight to Haverward, Sirazmir, and Carrow.Worlds Beyond Number is widely considered to be one of the best actual plays of all time. Their first campaign, The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One, is a sprawling fantasy epic that highlights the storytelling power of the quartet of players: Brennan Lee Mulligan, Aabria Iyengar, Lou Wilson, and Erika Ishii. The fifth member of the team is their producer Taylor Moore who elevated the incredible performances of the cast with lush sound design and an original orchestral score—despite having almost no experience composing music when the show began— to create the sound of Worlds Beyond Number.**This episode contains some spoilers for The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One, Book 1**Links:Buy The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One, Book 1 (Original Soundtrack)Listen to Worlds Beyond NumberOur Links:Support TotT on PatreonMany Sided NewsletterMany Sided Media DiscordCredits:Edited by Brian FlahertyMusic by Taylor MooreFormat inspired by Song Exploder by Hrishikesh HirwayProduced by Many Sided MediaAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Hrishikesh Hirway is best known as the host of the hit podcast Song Exploder - where he asks musicians to break down their creative process. Last spring, KALW's Music Director Tshego Letsoalo got the distinct privilege of creating a sort of offshoot to Hirway's podcast with Song Exploder Remix. Each week she stitches together a few episodes from the podcast around a common theme. And the only place you can hear it is on KALW!Now, Hirway has released an album of his own, called In the Last Hour of Light. He'll be performing here in the Bay this coming weekend. Tshego spoke with Hear-way to learn more about his relationship with music. Here's part of their conversation.

An Oakland musician challenges traditions, while also keeping them alive. Today, the music of World War 2 incarceration camps that helped Japanese Americans protest, connect, and heal. Then, Hrishikesh Hirway, host of the hit podcast Song Exploder, shares how the show, and his new album, came to be.

Pre-Order My New Book “Mysterious Things” and Help Us Spread the Word: invisiblethings.co --- This episode is for you if: 1 - You have hit a dead end and need to open up to totally new directions. 2 - You are stuck doing nothing and need a small place to start. 3 - You need to find new guidance from an outside perspective. This is a chat with musician Hrishikesh Hirway. You may know Hirway from his phenomenal podcast “Song Exploder” or his work as a composer for the film “Companion” or Netflix television series “Everything Sucks!”. Today we discuss the winding journey to his new album “In the Last Hour of Light” which features guests like Iron and Wine and Fenne Lily.SHOW NOTES: Hrishikesh Hirwayhttps://hrishikesh.coHrishikesh Hirway - In the Last Hour of Lighthttps://hrishikesh.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-last-hour-of-light Song Exploderhttps://songexploder.net Producer / Editor: Sophie Miller http://sophiemiller.coAudio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones http://pendingbeautiful.coSoundtrack / Theme Song: Yoni Wolf / WHY? http://whywithaquestionmark.comSpotify Playlist of WHY? Songs Used on This Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ZIE7PHG5I1Ddg1BuVGRzj?si=4x_BzDZjQgqSpoaLXdVACg&pi=h4HsIKG0SP6Kg SPONSORS:SQUARESPACEHead to https://www.squarespace.com/PEPTALK to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code PEPTALK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hrishikesh Hirway is a musician from Los Angeles, best known for his masterful podcast Song Exploder. His new record, In the Last Hour of Light, is out now. We chat with him about the new Salem x Supreme collection, Pitchfork giving Chris Brown's new offering a devastating 1.3, our salad days of podcasting, competing with A.I. in both music and podcasts, when the emo band opens for the hardcore band, what happens when doctors and lawyers run in your family but you choose Spotify, exactly how many licks it takes to explode a song, whether songs will have ads one day, the “Ratatouille moment” when a singer hears their original recording from decades ago, and which podcasts Hrishikesh is listening to. instagram.com/hrishihirway twitter.com/donetodeath twitter.com/themjeans howlonggone.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when a podcast host steps into the spotlight to share his own story? In this captivating episode of takin' a walk, Buzz Knight engages in a heartfelt conversation with Hrishikesh Hirway, the creative force behind the acclaimed podcast Song Exploder. As Hrishikesh Hirway transitions from exploring the intricacies of music through interviews to unveiling his personal narrative with his debut album, In the Last Hour of Light, listeners are treated to an intimate look at the emotional journey that shaped his artistry. This album, born from profound grief over losing his mother and witnessing his father's health struggles, serves as a poignant reflection on themes of loss, love, and the fragility of life. Buzz Knight, known for his insightful music history podcasts, dives deep into Hrishikesh’s decade-long experience in the music industry, exploring how the therapeutic nature of creating music has influenced his songwriting. The conversation also highlights the collaborative process with producer Phil Weinrobe, showcasing the differences between producing a podcast and crafting music. As they walk through the complexities of memory and time, Hrishikesh Hirway shares how music fosters emotional connections, making this episode a rich exploration of musician storytelling. The episode is a treasure trove of insights for fans of indie music, classic rock history, and anyone interested in the creative journeys of artists. Buzz Knight's engaging style makes this takin' a walk episode not just a conversation but a heartfelt journey through the music historythat resonates with all of us. Join us as we celebrate the stories behind songs and the emotional healing through music. This episode is more than just a discussion; it's a testament to the power of storytelling in the music industry and the artistic reinvention that comes from personal experiences. Whether you're a fan of rock legends, iconic musicians, or simply love to delve into the music history moments, this episode of takin' a walk is sure to inspire. Tune in for an enriching experience filled with inspiring music conversations and musician interviews that will leave you reflecting on your own music journey. Support the show: https://takinawalk.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hrishikesh Hirway — the creator and host of Song Exploder — joins me this week. We talk about the strange identity crisis of becoming known as “the Song Exploder guy” while still trying to reconnect with himself as a musician and songwriter. We also get into collaboration, writer's block, vintage clothing, obsessive music listening, and the making of his beautiful new record, “In the Last Hour of Light.” Hrishikesh opens up about interviewing hundreds of artists, how Song Exploder changed the way he thinks about creativity, and why working with other people ultimately helped him fall back in love with making music. We also talk about recording live with almost no takes, working with Iron & Wine, the emotional weight of memory and grief, and the challenge of making deeply personal work in public. This is one of my favorite kinds of conversations — two people trying to figure out what it actually means to make things for a living.Listen to "Stray Dogs" * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hrishikesh Hirway, host of Song Exploder, returns with his first album in fifteen years, In the Last Hour of Light, made under a premise that's almost contradictory for a podcaster built around isolated stems: session players who had never heard the songs, vocals tracked live in the room, no click track, and no overdubs.  The layered style that defines current pop production is itself a relatively recent development. Hirway's record  reaches back to the older live-tracking tradition that shaped the 1950s and 60s Bollywood recordings he grew up listening to in his parents' house. The album is about memory and so it's appropriate that the music is recorded whole  in all its beautiful imperfections. Songs Discussed Hrishikesh Hirway "Things Change Even Now" Hrishikesh Hirway "Stray Dogs" Hrishikesh Hirway "The Ocean" Hrishikesh Hirway "Home Movies" Adrienne Lenker “Anything” Chuck Berry "Maybellene" The Beatles "Twist and Shout" James Brown "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" Sidney Bechet "The Sheik of Araby" Les Paul & Mary Ford "How High the Moon" The Beach Boys "Good Vibrations" The Beatles “A Day In The Life” Queen "Bohemian Rhapsody" Jacob Collier "With the Love in My Heart" Brandi Carlile "You and Me on the Rock" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Every conversation has the potential to open up and reveal all the layers and layers within it, all those rooms within rooms," says musician and host of the beloved podcast Song Exploder, Hrishikesh Hirway. In this profoundly moving talk from 2022, he offers a guide to deep conversations and explores what you learn when you take that same kind of close listening we often give to music, and turn it toward people.A lot has changed for Hrishikesh since this popular talk was released, and after more than a decade helping other artists tell their stories and helping us think about listening in new ways, he's got a new solo album that just came out, called In the Last Hour of Light, which he describes as a memoir of sorts. Elise Hu, host of TED Talks Daily, caught up with him earlier this month to talk about his new album, how his ideas about listening have evolved since his talk, and what his own creative process looks like today. They also do a mini Song Exploder of sorts to take a peak into Hrishikesh's own songwriting process, breaking down one of the new songs on this album, "Things Change, Even Now," (co-written with Vagabon), which is shared in full at the end of the episode.This episode originally aired in 2022. The interview was recorded in April 2026.Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The legendary singer/songwriter Yusuf / Cat Stevens released his first album in 1967. He's a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and his albums have sold millions. In 2020, he released Tea for the Tillerman², a re-imagining of his hit 1970 album Tea for the Tillerman. In the song “Father & Son,” he sings a duet between the two title characters, doing both voices. But in the 2020 version, he approached this song in a kind of astonishing way—he recorded the part of the father, but for the part of the son, he used a live recording of himself from 1970, taken from a show he played at The Troubadour in Los Angeles. So the two parts are still both sung in his voice, but 50 years apart. In this episode, the 200th episode of Song Exploder, Yusuf / Cat Stevens tells the story of how he created, and then re-created “Father & Son.”For more, visit songexploder.net/yusuf-cat-stevens.

Today, we're sharing an episode of Nate DiMeo's wonderful podcast, The Memory Palace, which helped inspire both Song Exploder, and a song on my upcoming album. So today, I want to present a kind of two-part story. The first part: "The Thundering Herd, The Vanishing American," from The Memory Palace. And in the second half of the episode, I'll tell you how it ended up unexpectedly unlocking a song that I'd been trying to figure out. For more episodes of The Memory Palace, visit thememorypalace.us. To pre-order my album visit keeledscales.com. To get tickets to one of my shows on tour, visit hrishikesh.co.

Out of all the podcasts in the world, and there are dozens, Song Exploder is one of the best and totally unique. Hrishikesh Hirway, well, more deconstructs rather than explodes songs and is joined by the musicians who created the song in the first place. And the guests! How about Madonna! U2! Sabrina Carpenter! And so many more. Hrishi is a musician as well with a new album, In The Last Hour of Light, dropping on April 24th. He's here to talk about music, sure, but also paper. As a former graphic designer, he has many thoughts and details about weight, finish, stock, and coating. How about unbleached cardboard for a CD case? He has thoughts. Paper conversation is a sort of lullaby, you'll find and Hrishi's gentle voice will soon have you dreaming of that room in the back of the office where they keep the paper for the copier. Listen to Hrishikesh Hirway's new album In the Last Hour of Light, dropping Friday, April 24th, on the streaming service of your choice. Listen to the Song Exploder podcast on all podcatchers and the Song Exploder television program on Netflix. Hey Sleepy Heads, is there anyone whose voice you'd like to drift off to, or do you have suggestions on things we could do to aid your slumber? Email us at: sleepwithcelebs@maximumfun.org. Follow the Show on: Instagram @sleepwcelebs Bluesky @sleepwithcelebs TikTok @SleepWithCelebs John is on Bluesky @JohnMoe John's acclaimed, best-selling memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is now available in paperback. _________________________________________________________________________ Join | Maximum Fun If you like one or more shows on MaxFun, and you value independent artists being able to do their thing, you're the perfect person to become a MaxFun monthly member. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinsleeping

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm.The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that's a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you'd like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate. You can hear Rollercoaster and more of Hrishi's music at Hrishikesh.co. Pre-order his new album wherever you do that sort of thing!Music Halcyon and Photosynteses and Embryo by H. Takehashi Intro by Library Tapes The Florist Wears Knee Breeches by M. Sage Notes I found Andrew Isenberg's book, The Destruction of the Bison, An Environmental History, completely fascinating. If you want to do a deep dive on Madison Grant, I'd recommend Defending the Master Race: Conservation, Eugenics, and the Legacy of Madison Grant by John Peter Spiro. If you want to do a deep dive on the Catalina Buffalo, this site is a fun place to start. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Hrishikesh Hirway is an acclaimed musician, composer, podcast creator, producer, and television host. Hirway is best known as the creator and host of “Song Exploder”, a podcast where musicians break down their songs and tell the story of how they were made. Hirway is also the creator and co-host of podcasts “The West Wing Weekly” (with co-host Joshua Malina), “Home Cooking” (with co-host Samin Nosrat), and “Partners”. In addition to the podcast, Hirway is the executive producer and host of the Netflix television adaptation of “Song Exploder”. As a composer, Hirway scored the Netflix television show “Everything Sucks!” and the films “Our Nixon”, “Save the Date”, and “Companion”. As a musician, Hirway has made multiple albums under the name The One AM Radio and his music has appeared on TV shows such as “Gossip Girl” and “One Tree Hill”. Based in Los Angeles, Hirway and host Alec Baldwin sat down for a live conversation recorded at On-Air Fest in Brooklyn.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What makes a podcast worth coming back to again and again? What turns a single episode into something listeners want to sit with, revisit, and recommend? Today, we continue with another installment of Jonathan Howard's Obsession-Worthy Podcast series, using Song Exploder as a case study to explore what makes a podcast truly re-listenable. We take a closer look at an episode, breaking down Fleetwood Mac's Go Your Own Way, focusing less on the song itself and more on how the story is told. We explore how clear structure, intentional editing, and listener-first decisions build trust. We talk about why strong questions don't need to be heard to be felt, and how letting listeners experience uncertainty, decision-making, and emotional stakes keeps them engaged. If you interview guests or tell stories on your show, this episode offers a lasting reminder: obsession-worthy podcasts are designed with the listener in mind. Where could you let your listeners hear the moment something clicked?This episode includes brief music excerpts used for educational and commentary purposes. We do not own the rights to the music featured.Episode Highlights: [07:41] What makes this episode obsession-worthy? [11:31] Breaking down Fleetwood Mac's “Go Your Own Way”[22:12] An emotional opening and the songwriting process[28:00] Applying creative processes beyond music[30:09] Exploring song lyrics and personal storytelling[35:16] Storytelling elements in podcasting[41:01] Asking better questions and interview techniques[43:04] Podcast evaluations and community building[46:02] What's coming nextLinks & Resources: The Podcasting Morning Chat: www.podpage.com/pmcJoin The Empowered Podcasting Facebook Group:www.facebook.com/groups/empoweredpodcasting⁠Empowered Podcasting Conference Course with Recordings: https://ironickmedia.com/courses/epc2025/Empowered Podcasting Conference 3: Use discount code ‘Podfest26' to get your ticket for under $200: https://empoweredpodcasting.comApplication To Submit Your Show For Evaluation: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc8-Xv6O6lrNPcPJwj3N0Z5Osdl-5kHGz_PiAU45U57S-XgoA/viewform?usp=headerSong Exploder “Go Your Own Way” https://songexploder.net/fleetwood-macRemember to rate, follow, share, and review our podcast. Your support helps us grow and bring valuable content to the podcasting community.Join us LIVE every weekday morning at 7 am ET (US) on ⁠Clubhouse⁠: ⁠⁠⁠ https://www.clubhouse.com/house/empowered-podcasting-e6nlrk0w⁠⁠Live on YouTube: ⁠https://youtube.com/@marcronick⁠Brought to you by⁠ ⁠iRonickMedia.com⁠⁠ Please note that some links may be affiliate links, which support the hosts of the PMC. Thank you!--- Send in your mailbag question at:⁠ https://www.podpage.com/pmc/contact/⁠ or ⁠marc@ironickmedia.com⁠Want to be a guest on The Podcasting Morning Chat? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: ⁠https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1729879899384520035bad21b⁠

Barry, Abigail, and special guest Carlo “from Canada” Sgro discuss Carlo's Phone-a-Friend selection, Version 2.0 by Garbage, and sample Carlo's choice of three Canadian porters: Stranger Than Fiction from Collective Arts Brewing in Hamilton, Ontario; Clifford Porter from Clifford Brewing Co. in Hamilton, Ontario; and Vanilla Porter from Side Launch Brewing Company in Collingwood, Ontario.Abigail always gets Collective Arts confused with Untitled Art in Waunakee, Wisconsin. Barry always gets it confused with Counterpart Brewing in Niagara Falls, Ontario.Carlo told the story of Shirley Manson calling Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders to ask permission to use the lyrics “We were the talk of the town” in Special, since Manson had pulled those lyrics from The Pretenders' Talk of the Town. Hynde agreed, and did not ask for any credit or royalties, before even having heard Special, and rumor had it she was flattered by the ask.Hammering in My Head reminded Barry of Leave by R.E.M.Barry heard elements of both The Munsters theme and The Beach Boys' Don't Worry Baby in Push It. Unfortunately, he cannot claim credit at the AHSOSSAM for this find, as Garbage credited The Beach Boys for those lyrics and melody. Listen to our exploration of The Munsters Theme's many different iterations in last year's Halloween episode, New Belgium Halloween (New Wave Halloween & New Belgium Brewing)!Listen to Carlo's cleaning playlist!The Trick Is To Keep Breathing reminded Barry of Try Not to Breathe by R.E.M. Listen to the fabulous Song Exploder episode on Try Not to Breathe!Carlo was the only one to complete the resequencing homework assignment! Listen to Carlo's resequencing of Version 2.0!Up next… This Warm DecemberJingles are by our friend Pete Coe.Visit Anosmia Awareness for more information on Barry's condition.Follow Barry or Abigail on Untappd to see what we're drinking when we're not on mic!Leave us a rating or a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | YouTube | Substack | Website | Email us | Virtual Jukebox | Beer Media Group

Tomer Cohen is the longtime chief product officer at LinkedIn, where he's pioneering the Full Stack Builder program, a radical new approach to product development that fully embraces what AI makes possible. Under his leadership, LinkedIn has scrapped its traditional Associate Product Manager program and replaced it with an Associate Product Builder program that teaches coding, design, and PM skills together. He's also introduced a formal “Full Stack Builder” title and career ladder, enabling anyone from any function to take products from idea to launch. In this conversation, Tomer explains why product development has become too complex at most companies and how LinkedIn is building an AI-powered product team that can move faster, adapt more quickly, and do more with less.We discuss:1. How 70% of the skills needed for jobs will change by 20302. The broken traditional model: organizational bloat slows features to a six-month cycle3. The Full Stack Builder model4. Three pillars of making FSB work: platform, agents, and culture (culture matters most)5. Building specialized agents that critique ideas and find vulnerabilities6. Why off-the-shelf AI tools never work on enterprise code without customization7. Top performers adopt AI tools fastest, contrary to expectations about leveling effects8. Change management tactics: celebrating wins, making tools exclusive, updating performance reviews—Brought to you by:Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security: https://vanta.com/lennyFigma Make—A prompt-to-code tool for making ideas real: https://www.figma.com/lenny/Miro—The AI Innovation Workspace where teams discover, plan, and ship breakthrough products: https://miro.com/lenny—Transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/why-linkedin-is-replacing-pms—My biggest takeaways (for paid newsletter subscribers): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/i/180042347/my-takeaways-from-this-conversation—Where to find Tomer Cohen:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomercohen• Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/building-one-with-tomer-cohen/id1726672498—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Tomer Cohen(04:42) The need for change in product development(11:52) The full-stack builder model explained(16:03) Implementing AI and automation in product development(19:17) Building and customizing AI tools(27:51) The timeline to launch(31:46) Pilot program and early results(37:04) Feedback from top talent(39:48) Change management and adoption(46:53) Encouraging people to play with AI tools(41:21) Performance reviews and full-stack builders(48:00) Challenges and specialization(50:05) Finding talent(52:46) Tips for implementing in your own company(56:43) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• How LinkedIn became interesting: The inside story | Tomer Cohen (CPO at LinkedIn): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-linkedin-became-interesting-tomer-cohen• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com• Cursor: https://cursor.com• The rise of Cursor: The $300M ARR AI tool that engineers can't stop using | Michael Truell (co-founder and CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-rise-of-cursor-michael-truell• Devin: https://devin.ai• Figma: https://www.figma.com• Microsoft Copilot: https://copilot.microsoft.com• Windsurf: https://windsurf.com• Building a magical AI code editor used by over 1 million developers in four months: The untold story of Windsurf | Varun Mohan (co-founder and CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-untold-story-of-windsurf-varun-mohan• Lovable: https://lovable.dev• Building Lovable: $10M ARR in 60 days with 15 people | Anton Osika (co-founder and CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-lovable-anton-osika• APB program at LinkedIn: https://careers.linkedin.com/pathways-programs/entry-level/apb• Naval Ravikant on X: https://x.com/naval• One Song podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%A8-%D7%90%D7%97%D7%93-one-song/id1201883177• Song Exploder podcast: https://songexploder.net• Grok on Tesla: https://www.tesla.com/support/grok• Reid Hoffman on X: https://x.com/reidhoffman—Recommended books:• Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty: https://www.amazon.com/Why-Nations-Fail-Origins-Prosperity/dp/0307719227• Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity: https://www.amazon.com/Outlive-Longevity-Peter-Attia-MD/dp/0593236599• The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World: https://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Infinity-Explanations-Transform-World/dp/0143121359—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

Today, Dave lives más. Dave is joined by Brett Pluskalowski, senior manager of food innovation at Taco Bell. Dave creates a new dish that he hopes will one day make it to the Taco Bell menu, while the duo talks about how Taco Bell innovates, what makes a dish resonate, and how to scale a new recipe to thousands of restaurants. Dave finishes by answering an Ask Dave about music. Learn more about Taco Bell: https://www.tacobell.com/ Learn more about Cafe Boulud: https://cafeboulud.com/nyc/ Learn more about Kahala Management: https://www.kahalamgmt.com/ Learn more about Cold Stone: https://www.coldstonecreamery.com/index.php Learn more about Good Humor: https://www.goodhumor.com/us/en/home.html Learn more about Klondike bar: https://www.klondikebar.com/us/en/home.html Listen to the Song Exploder with Dave and host Hrishikesh Hirway: https://songexploder.net/david-chang Learn more about The Sphere: https://www.thesphere.com/ Host: Dave Chang Guest: Brett Pluskalowski Majordomo Media Producer: David Meyer Majordomo Media Coordinator: Molly O'Keeffe  Spotify Producer: Felipe Guilhermino Editor: Stefano Sanchez Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, I'm joined by fellow podcast pioneer Brian Salvatore as we discuss the first 20 years of podcasting.  Show notes: Brian: First heard about podcasts in 2004 Started making the FrankBlack.net Podcast in 2006 Jay: Got my first iPod in 2004 and then learned about podcasts Brian: The internet was so much better 20 years ago Great for digging into niche interests Jay and Brian met through the Frank Black podcast in 2010 and realized that Brian lived near Jay's brother-in-law Jay: The start of CompCon in 2006 Always loved radio but never worked at the college station First few years were just me talking about pop culture Eventually started bringing on guests after a few years Podcasting got an early boost when Apple started a podcast directory Early podcasts I listened to were by Adam Curry, Ricky Gervais Marc Maron started his podcast in 2009 and is airing his last episode next week Now everybody's got a podcast Brian: Before podcasts, blogging was a thing Brian produces podcasts for other people in addition to his own Podcasting never became a career for us, just a hobby But some people have made lots of money from them Brian: Not much innovation in the podcast space lately Music podcasts were hampered by copyright issues Podcast networks started popping up Conan O'Brien created a great podcast after his TV talk show went away Podcasting is much more interesting than commercial radio these days Brian: Grew up loving radio, especially WFMU Jay: College radio is still good, but commercial radio blows DJs used to be dependable arbiters of taste Now everything's heavily formatted Jay: Been doing my own radio show on BFF.fm for the last 12 years Brian co-owns a sports podcast company People have trouble committing to a show once they start it Listening habits have changed Jay: Currently listen to WTF, The Best Show, sports shows about Toronto teams, The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Brian: Election Profitmakers, Song Exploder, Never Not Funny, Conan, Indiecast, Who Cares About the Rock Hall?, Mets podcasts So much content to wade through Just like with music; it's much easier to release an album now but there's so much out there Tough to make it as a musician now Podcasts have gone beyond a niche thing Jay: I love listening to audio The value of playing songs people haven't heard a zillion times Every celebrity has a podcast Will podcasts go back to the indie days at some point? Jay: I do two podcasts for work The bubble will burst at some point AI could have a strange, negative effect Connections formed via podcasting Brian: Start a podcast, people Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Our guest today is Samin Nosrat, chef, cookbook author, and television host. Along with her immense technical know-how, Nosrat is known for her nurturing and humorous approach to making food. Her first book, Salt Fat Acid Heat, is a guide to the basic principles of cooking, later adapted into a Netflix series. Her new book is Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love.On September 13, 2025, Nosrat came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to talk to Hrishikesh Hirway, creator of the Song Exploder podcast, and the co-host of Home Cooking, a podcast he and Nosrat began during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and continue today.

En este episodio de Track Por Track conversamos con Álvaro Segura, guitarrista fundador de Zapato 3 y ahora solista, sobre el estreno de su primer sencillo “Osita de Peluche”.Álvaro nos abre las puertas de su proceso creativo: desde la primera idea de la canción hasta la producción final. Hablamos de: • Cómo nació la melodía y la letra. • Las atmósferas y guitarras que dieron forma al tema. • Las colaboraciones con Wincho Schafer, Víctor Hugo Mendoza, Claudio Leoni, Didi Gutman y Reis. • Las decisiones detrás de la grabación, mezcla y masterización. • Lo que significa este lanzamiento en su nueva etapa como artista solista.Un viaje íntimo y en capas, al estilo Song Exploder, para descubrir la historia detrás de la música.

At the end of 2023, Ear Hustle embarked on its first live tour — a celebration of our 100th episode. Nigel and Earlonne shared favorite moments from the show's history, and a few of our talented friends performed live. On the heels of our second live tour, we bring you a never-before-heard recording from that first tour: a show we did at the Lodge Room in Earlonne's hometown of Los Angeles. And West Coast Ear Hustlers! Stay tuned — we're planning to bring our new live show to you soon. Thank you to Al Schatz, our supremely capable tour production manager; to the good folks at The Lodge Room; and to The Just Trust for supporting our live shows.You can find more music from Maserati-E here, and from Richie Morris and San Quentin Blue on their website. Pedro Gomes provided beautiful animations for the 2023 EH Live tour. And if you haven't already tuned into Song Exploder — hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway, who led the round of This and That in LA — you're missing out! This episode was scored with music by David Jassy, Rhashiyd Zinnamon, and Antwan Williams.Big thanks to Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women's Facility for their support of the show.Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts. Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Dave makes Snickerdoodles as their name implies: with Snickers. He then brings the...interesting... results to an interview with Samin Nosrat, author of Salt Fat Acid Heat and new cookbook Good Things, and her co-host of Home Cooking and host of Song Exploder, Hrishikesh Hirway, where the trio discusses successful partnerships, perfectionism, and what the future of creative endeavors looks like. Dave finishes with a home food hack: how to make a delicious and dazzling dumpling skirt. Dave also announces the inaugural Ask Dave prize package winner. Send yours in for a chance to win! Send in your Ask Dave questions to bit.ly/AskDaveForm or askdave@majordomomedia.com. Learn more about Samin: https://ciaosamin.com/ Learn more about Hrishikesh: https://hrishikesh.co/ Follow Samin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciaosamin/?hl=en Follow Hrishikesh on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hrishihirway/ Learn more about Samin's upcoming tour stops: https://ciaosamin.com/appearances Check out Samin's new book Good Things: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Things-Recipes-Rituals-Cookbook/dp/1984857789?&linkCode=sl1&tag=majordomotv-20&linkId=93c3c814fceac98da6ed148e9a0e2885&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl Check out Samin's new Substack, A Grain of Salt here: https://ciaosamin.substack.com/ Check out the Home Cooking podcast: https://homecooking.show/ Check out Hrishikesh on Recipe Club: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RECn7sAhFsM Check out the Song Exploder podcast: https://songexploder.net/ Check out Hrishikesh's Netflix show Song Exploder: https://www.netflix.com/title/80992997 Check out Samin's Netflix show Salt Fat Acid Heat: https://www.netflix.com/title/80198288 Check out Hrishikesh on Recipe Club: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RECn7sAhFsM   Check out GoodBoyNoah's Snickerdoodles recipe: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDX07Uwp0gc/?hl=en   Learn more about Hillstone Restaurant Group: https://hillstone.com/   Learn more about Bibigo Mandu: https://www.bibigousa.com/collections/dumplings Read The New Yorker profile on Momofuku Ssam Bar: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/10/16/momofuku-ssam-bar   Learn more about Benton's Ham: https://www.bentonscountryham.com/ Read the Kyle Chayka article Samin and Hrishikesh mention: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/jan/16/the-tyranny-of-the-algorithm-why-every-coffee-shop-looks-the-same Learn more about Kismet: https://www.kismetla.com/ Learn more about Calif Chicken Cafe: https://www.califchickencafe.com/   Learn more about Sarah Kieffer's pan-banging cookie: https://www.thevanillabeanblog.com/pan-banging-chocolate-chip-cookies/   Learn more about the coconut water soup stock recipe Samin mentions: https://food52.com/recipes/78595-yi-jun-loh-s-one-pot-coconut-water-abc-soup?srsltid=AfmBOorwKoG734T0MjFc6sn5fnE23snRZiM4nHUxMzP2St5iNFh2hMiP Learn more about Samin testing her coffee: https://ciaosamin.substack.com/p/some-notes-on-cold-brew-coffee-testing   Learn more about the book Hrishikesh mentioned: https://www.amazon.com/Conversations-Walter-Murch-Editing-Film/dp/0375709827?&linkCode=sl1&tag=majordomotv-20&linkId=0fc3ede5b2d6402a7d33b4ac3b079157&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl Watch Hrishikesh talk about the poem One Art: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylcxKnn32D0   Learn more about Asian Legend Toronto, which inspired the mandu lattice tip: https://www.asianlegend.ca/home.php Subscribe to the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedavechangshow. Subscribe to Recipe Club on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@recipeclubofficial. Submit your favorite food moments in your favorite movies to majorfoodporn.com. Join our community Discord on majordomo.com. Free Grubhub+. It's on Prime. *Additional terms apply* Host: Dave Chang Guests: Samin Nosrat and Hrishikesh Hirway Majordomo Media Producer: David Meyer and Kelsey Rearden  Spotify Producer: Felipe Guilhermino Editor: Stefano Sanchez Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jason Schwartzman, actor, songwriter, and musician, talks  about how the soundtrack to 'Rushmore'—his first film—changed his life. I met Jason briefly in 2017, as he was leaving the room where I was supposed to interview the band Phoenix. I was shocked when he stopped on his way out to tell me he loved Song Exploder. Eight years later, I reached out to him to see if he'd want to be a guest on Key Change, and we ended up talking for almost two hours, just on the phone. By the time he came over to record, I felt like I'd met a kindred spirit who'd also been cataloguing his whole life through the songs he'd encountered along the way. The fact that we got to talk about one of my favorite movies, 'Rushmore,' made the experience even more meaningful and thrilling for me.For more, visit songexploder.net/jason-schwartzman.

Send us a textApple celebrates 20 years of podcasting with a list of 20 influential shows that shaped the medium across four eras, highlighting podcasts that pushed boundaries and set standards for creativity and storytelling.Check out 20 Podcasts We Love by Apple Podcasts, and find out why they made the list!• 2005-2010 pioneering era includes 99% Invisible, This American Life, and Love + Radio• 2011-2015 podcasting boom features Serial, Song Exploder, Mystery Show and Acquired• 2016-2020 includes mainstream hits like The Daily and Call Her Daddy• 2021-2025 showcases expert-led content like Huberman Lab and narrative journalism like Sweet BobbyText us your tips for finding guests and making sure they're a good fit for your podcast, and we'll share them on the next episode!Contact Buzzcast Send us a text message Tweet us at @buzzcastpodcast, @albanbrooke, @kfinn, and @JordanPods Thanks for listening and Keep Podcasting!

The stress is almost unBEARable. Season 3 is here, and the roller coaster of emotions continues. Is Marcus the most likely to find success? Does Carmy's cooking have anything to say? Is Joel McHale's David Fields actually a good leader? What are the real economics of 'The Bear'? Dave and Chris talk about the season, answering these questions and discussing even more topics, like cameos and real nonnegotiables. They finish with a 'Bear'-related Ask Dave. Catch up on Season 3 of The Bear here: https://www.hulu.com/series/05eb6a8e-90ed-4947-8c0b-e6536cbddd5fWatch our episode on Season 1 of The Bear here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4hUOyL6WaSIbeKF25rIPWI?si=145056437b1c44f9Watch our episode on Season 2 of The Bear here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/59pVhs4GLIbrtezVy9wenP?si=bd9Img4VSsOLuqv7OUQKNARead Carmy's list of non-negotiables here: https://www.vulture.com/article/the-bear-season-3-non-negotiables-list.htmlLearn more about Pascal Barbot's L'astrance here: https://www.astranceparis.fr/Learn more about Michael Carlson's Schwa here: https://schwarestaurant.com/Listen to Weezer's appearance on the Song Exploder podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/371iQXyqCH8WxuU2KvdCfE?si=JJtgvtkLSke_3kbVUKKKLAWatch Joel McHale on Dinner Time Live's "Choose Your Own Adventure Menu" episode here:https://www.netflix.com/title/81748864?source=imdb&fromWatch=trueSend in your questions to askdave@majordomomedia.com.Subscribe to the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedavechangshow.Subscribe to Recipe Club on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@recipeclubofficial.Submit your favorite food moments in your favorite movies to majorfoodporn.com.Join our community Discord on majordomo.com. Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying Majordomo Media Producers: Kelsey Rearden and David Meyer Spotify Producer: Chris Thomas Editor: Stefano Sanchez Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My guest today is Shirley Manson. Since 1994, she's been the lead singer of the band Garbage, and she is a bona fide rock icon. The two of us worked together on a different podcast called The Jump, which Shirley hosted and I helped produce. It was a dream of mine to get Shirley as the host of that podcast, partly because, as you're about to hear, she has one of the greatest voices, and I could listen to her talk about anything. And so I'm especially excited to listen to her today tell me about a song that changed her life. Thanks to Sonos for their support of the podcast. Check out sonos.com.For more, visit songexploder.net/keychange.And check out the Song Exploder episode with Garbage from 2014, featuring Shirley and her bandmate Butch Vig talking about how they made their song “Felt.” 

In June 2024, I got to go to the Solid Sound Festival in North Adams, Massachusetts, which is organized by the band Wilco. I performed some of my new songs, and I got to interview Jeff Tweedy, the lead singer of Wilco, on stage as part of the festival. Jeff, in addition to being in Wilco and the band Tweedy, and putting out his solo albums, has also written three books. And this conversation was focused on his second book, which is called How to Write One Song. And even though it's called How to Write One Song, I think it actually contains a lot of insight about creativity in general, and life in general. I've recommended it to friends of mine who aren't songwriters. And, as you'll hear, the conversation gets pretty personal for me, because I got so much out of the book personally. It helped me with some of the blocks that I'd been facing in my own songwriting, at a pretty profound level. And when I was listening back to this recording, I'd kind of forgotten about how much I put out there in front of Jeff and the thousands of people who were there watching. But I'm glad the conversation was recorded, partly just so I could revisit it, but also so that I could share it here on Song Exploder. I hope you'll enjoy it, too.You can buy How to Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy here (via Bookshop.org) or here (via Amazon) or on Wilco's website.You can listen to the Wilco episode of Song Exploder here. I also interviewed Jeff along with his son Spencer, who is also his bandmate in Tweedy, about their relationship and musical partnership, for an episode of my podcast Partners. You can listen to that here.Thanks to Sonos for their support of the podcast. Check out sonos.com.For more, visit songexploder.net/jeff-tweedy.

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Pete Chatmon is one of those select few directors who is constantly working as a director on TV episodes from Ghosts, to Yellowjackets, Chicago Fire, and lots more. He's the host of the podcast Let's Shoot.Matt and Oren quiz Pete on how he sets people up to receive feedback and tough notes. And Pete talks about the importance of knowing what does not work, even though you thought it might. Off which , Oren shares how some brutal feedback changed his career for the better. But unsolicited honest feedback... hmm what about that? That's a tough one. And the guys go deep into this from both sides, giving and receiving. Like real deep. And they talk about what happens when the response to your note is "I'm not doing that."But first, Matt talks about his latest shoot with Major League Baseball (MLB) superstars and what happens when you ask them to sing!---Get a great deal on Magic Mind! https://magicmind.com/shootit NEW LINK!!Matt's Endorsement: Watch the early works of your favorite directors, like "She's Gotta Have It", Spike Lee's first film.Oren's Endorsement: The podcast "Song Exploder" https://songexploder.net/episodes Also, once an avocado is ripe, if you're not ready to eat it, you can put it in the refrigerator.Pete's Endorsement: The podcast "What Went Wrong" https://www.whatwentwrongpod.com/ Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucy Dacus has a new album coming out on March 28th, called Forever Is A Feeling. So, in the week before it comes out, I thought it could be nice to revisit her Song Exploder episode from 2021. It's about the beautiful and brutally heartbreaking song "Thumbs," which I love. And since recording that episode, Lucy's won three Grammy awards as part of her band Boygenius, including Album of the Year. But back in 2021, I had a really nice afternoon talking to Lucy. She was the first guest to come over and record with me at my studio, in person, after COVID hit. So I have a lot of fond memories about this one, and I hope you'll enjoy listening or re-listening to it with me.Lucy Dacus is a singer and songwriter from Richmond, Virginia. She put out her first album in 2016, and in 2018 she formed the band Boygenius with Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers. In June 2021, she released her third album, Home Video, which includes this song, "Thumbs." The first time I heard it, I knew I wanted to ask Lucy about how and why she made it. After some COVID testing, we spoke in person here in Los Angeles. And she told me the story of how "Thumbs" took months and months to get right. For more, visit songexploder.net/lucy-dacus.

Today, an episode from the archives that may provide some context for the news playing out today. We'll be doing more Sunday episodes -- from the archives and fresh conversations -- throghout the first year of the second Trump administration.///It's October 24th. This day in 1973, former Beatle John Lennon sued the U.S. government, demanding to know whether he was under FBI surveillance.Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Hrishikesh Hirway of Song Exploder to discuss Lennon's post-Beatles political life, his personal evolution, the threat of deportation he faced, and what was in his FBI file.Check out Hrishi's new music, his TED Talk, Song Exploder episode with John Lennon, and lots more here.Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.comAnd don't forget about Oprahdemics, hosted by Kellie, coming soon from Radiotopia.This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.comGet in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypodOur team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Brittani Brown, Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Julie Shapiro and Audrey Mardavich, Executive Producers at Radiotopia Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Key Change is a conversation series within Song Exploder, where I talk to fascinating people about the music that's transformed them. My guest today is Hanif Abdurraqib, a poet, cultural critic, and New York Times bestselling author of books like They Can't Kill us Until They Kill Us, Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest, and A Little Devil in America, which won the Andrew Carnegie medal for nonfiction. I've been a guest on Hanif's podcast, Object of Sound, and I just love reading and hearing his thoughts about music. When I first started toying with the idea for this Key Change series, I was specifically excited about the idea that it could give me the chance to have Hanif on as a guest.For more, visit songexploder.net/keychange. You can listen to "Lost in the Supermarket" by The Clash here. 

Key Change is a new conversation series within Song Exploder, where I talk to fascinating people about the music that's transformed them.My first guest is Sophie Thatcher, an actor and musician whose credits include starring in the TV show Yellowjackets, the film Heretic, and the new movie Companion. I met Sophie through Companion, because I composed the score to the film, and she contributes vocals to a few of the tracks I wrote. For this episode, we discussed how "Waltz #1" by Elliott Smith shaped Sophie's tastes and work. For more, visit songexploder.net/keychange. You can listen to "Waltz #1" by Elliott Smith here. 

What happens when your podcast's theme song—cobbled together from GarageBand loops—gets called “game show music” and likened to a cereal commercial? You rewrite it. In this episode, we take you behind the scenes of Switched on Pop's sonic makeover, from scathing critiques by music industry heavyweights to the creation of a lush, layered soundscape inspired by Wendy Carlos and PBS science shows. With expert advice from sonic branding maestro Dallas Taylor (Twenty Thousand Hertz) and the composers Zach Tenorio and Jocie Adams (Arc Iris), we dissect every step of transforming our theme into a timeless sonic identity. Tune in for the full story and hear how we turned a jingle crisis into a musical triumph. More Musicares.org is supporting LA based musicians in need of assistance from the destruction of the fire Billboard has compiled more forms of support and assistance Recommendations Read Cat Zhang at The Cut Read Lauren Michelle Jackson's White Negros and columns at The New Yorker Listen to Ian Fitchuk's work Listen to Song Exploder hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway Listen to NYTimes Popcast hosted by Jon Caramanica Listen to Twenty Thousand Hertz hosted by Dallas Taylor Songs Discussed The Monkees: "Theme Song (Hey, Hey, We're The Monkees)" Radiohead: "Kid A" No Name: "Yesterday" Mort Garson: "Ode to an African Violet" Wendy Carlos Switched On Bach Whitney Houston: "The Star-Spangled Banner" (1991 Super Bowl performance) Jimi Hendrix: "The Star-Spangled Banner" (Woodstock performance) Friends theme Song "I'll Be There for You" by The Rembrandts Reading Rainbow theme song “Butterfly in the Sky” by Steve Horelick, Dennis Neil Kleinman, and Janet Weir Bill Nye the Science Guy theme Song composed by Mike Greene  3-2-1 Contact theme Song composed by Tom Anthony Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2020, Samin Nosrat, author of the bestselling cookbook Salt Fat Acid Heat, and Hrishikesh Hirway, host of the podcast and Netflix show Song Exploder, teamed up to create Home Cooking, a podcast where they answer listeners' cooking questions, make lots of bad puns, and share their passion for cookies, among other foods. They join Dan this week and accept a challenge: How much time can the three of them spend analyzing the most minute details of cookies? Plus, Dan and Samin resolve their olive beef.Here's how to make the pan-bang cookies in the episode.This episode originally aired on November 2, 2020, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, and Tomeka Weatherspoon, with editing by Tracey Samuelson. It was mixed by Jared O'Connell. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer. Transcription by Emily Nguyen.Every Friday, we reach into our deep freezer and reheat an episode to serve up to you. We're calling these our Reheats. If you have a show you want reheated, send us an email or voice memo at hello@sporkful.com, and include your name, your location, which episode, and why.Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app.

Pharrell Williams is—well, let me just say, he's a big reason why Song Exploder exists. He's a singer, songwriter and producer, and in the 90s, when I first heard the work that he was doing with the Neptunes, which was his production duo with Chad Hugo, it blew my mind. It made me want to know where those sounds came from and where those ideas came from. Pharrell has won 13 Grammys. He's been nominated for two Oscars. He's produced iconic songs for Kendrick Lamar, Britney Spears, Clipse, Gwen Stefani, and so many others. And on his own, he's made songs like “Happy,” the giant hit for Despicable Me that was the best-selling song of 2014. And now, there's a movie about his life called Piece by Piece. But it's an animated Lego film. For this episode, I talked to Pharrell about the title song from Piece By Piece. So, coming up, you'll hear how Pharrell built that song, including a first draft that never saw the light of day. You'll hear how he built “Piece by Piece” by programming it, on his own, with MIDI instruments, and then adding and replacing those parts with other musicians, including the high school marching band that he used to play in. For more, visit songexploder.net/pharrell.

For the last couple weeks, I've been getting ready for a trip I'm going to make to Connecticut, to moderate a conversation between Jon Batiste and his wife, the author Suleika Jaouad. So I've been deep in my prep and research, and I thought about the first time I ever spoke to Jon Batiste, which was for a Song Exploder episode that came out back in March 2021. A lot has happened for Jon since then. At the time, his album We Are was brand new. The next year, he ended up getting 11 Grammy nominations, and winning 5 of them, including Album of the Year. Jon and Suleika were also the subjects of the award-winning documentary American Symphony. I really enjoyed our conversation, and I wanted to revisit it. So here it is:Jon Batiste is a pianist, songwriter, and composer from New Orleans. He's been nominated for multiple Grammys, and just won the Golden Globe and got an Oscar nomination for the soundtrack to the Pixar film Soul, which he composed along with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Jon is also a recipient of the American Jazz Museum's Lifetime Achievement Award, and on weeknights, you can see him as the bandleader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In March 2021, he put out his new album, We Are. But the title track from it came actually came out much earlier, in June 2020. In this episode, Jon talks about how he drew from his roots, both at a personal level and at a cultural level, and wove all of it into the song.For more, visit songexploder.net/jon-batiste.