Today we have part two of our run of interviews with The National in celebration of their new album, First Two Pages of Frankenstein. Last week Broken Producer producer Leah Rose talked to guitarist and composer Aaron Dessner, and today Leah picks up the conversation with the band’s lead singer, Matt Berninger. Matt, whose fear and anxiety are often on full display in his songwriting, talks about overcoming a debilitating bout of depression in the period before he started writing songs for the new album. He also explains how the combination of weed and iced tea help him spark creativity. And why he hopes his songwriting impresses Phoebe Bridgers and Taylor Swift. You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite songs from Matt Berninger and The National HERE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Live episode with Jason Schwartzman and Matt Berninger discussing creativity, music, positive sentiment override, fear of ghosts, acting techniques, managing anxiety, art's impact, evolving lyrics, resonating songs, trauma and mindfulness, and expressing gratitude.

Mike Birbiglia is joined by Matt Berninger, Carin Besser, and J. Hope Stein for a creative double date. They discuss the challenges of collaborating as married couples, the frustrations of medical misdiagnoses, the consequences of sharing personal information, the dreamlike quality of Ronald Reagan Dreaming, and the importance of kindness and nonprofit projects.