
Kyle Meredith With...
Kyle Meredith With... is an interview series in which WFPK's Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth of artists. Meredith digs deep to find out how their work is made and where their journey is going. From legendary artists to the newer class, from musicians to film & television stars, you'll hear about the things you were always curious about from all of your favorites.
Latest episodes

May 21, 2025 • 26min
Lenny Waronker on Signing Prince, Tom Petty’s Wildflowers, and Nearly Passing on “Wicked Games"
In this long-lost 2016 conversation, legendary Warner Bros. Records president Lenny Waronker walks Kyle Meredith through the iconic Burbank offices (now shuttered), sharing candid stories about signing Prince, nearly passing on “Wicked Game,” quietly acquiring Tom Petty, and what made the label — and its artists — so visionary. Listen now.Waronker reflects on his early studio days, the genius of Prince’s bassless “When Doves Cry,” the Black Album saga, and how letting artists lead was always the secret sauce. From Randy Newman to Chris Isaak to Bat-era Kim Basinger moans, it’s a masterclass in music history told from one of its most influential behind-the-scenes architects.Listen to Lenny Waronke chat about all this and more or watch it on YouTube. Please take the time to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

May 19, 2025 • 36min
John Densmore on 60 Years of The Doors, Post-Myth Legacy, and the Genius of Jim Morrison
John Densmore has spent 60 years drumming in the shadow of both jazz greats and one very poetic lizard king, and has lived to talk about it. In this chat, he joins Kyle to dig into The Doors’ ongoing live album series, the hypnotic pulse of “Riders on the Storm,” and having a front row seat to Ray Manzarek’s insane two-handed abilities. Listen now.He also shares how the band’s improvisational wizardry worked in real time — like jamming out "The End" while Jim Morrison free-associated poetry about familial homicide — and reflects on playing “WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)” live at a recent Whiskey a Go Go gig, which ended with his thumb staging a minor protest. There’s talk of Coltrane outtakes, Miles Davis, and even a Chuck D collaboration.And if you’re one of those fans who think the magic died in a Paris bathtub, Densmore kindly reminds you there were twopost-Jim albums. Not that they’ll be staging a reunion tour, but Robby Krieger is currently playing entire Doors albums live, and Densmore occasionally drops in when his joints allow.Listen to John Densmore chat about all this and more or watch it on YouTube. Please take the time to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

May 14, 2025 • 23min
Hannah John-Kamen on Thunderbolts, Playing Ghost Again, and Why This Might Be Marvel’s Most Personal Film Yet
Hannah John-Kamen returns to the MCU in Thunderbolts*, reprising her role as Ghost — a character who’s now less flickery rage-machine, more emotionally self-aware loner with sarcasm issues. The film trades in the usual spandex-and-quips formula for something darker: guilt, depression, shame, and what happens when the Avengers forget your name. It’s a Marvel movie by way of group therapy, and she’s here for it. The actress spoke with Kyle Meredith all about it, and you can listen to the conversation now.John-Kamen breaks down how Ghost has evolved — more control, a cooler suit, and a lot less murder-y panic. She didn’t bother rewatching 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp, choosing instead to reenter the role like a totally different person, because, well, Ghost is a totally different person now. There’s also some talk about finding British sarcasm in the middle of emotional trauma, improv sessions with Wyatt Russell and Florence Pugh, and the existential experience of filming a Marvel movie that isn’t just a CGI fireworks display.In case playing a tortured ex-villain wasn’t enough, turns out John-Kamen also writes songs, plays piano, and is maybe about to collaborate with a Brit Award winner. So, you know, in her downtime between blockbusters and inevitable crossover appearances, she might also casually launch a music career. Some people just walk through walls; others do that and book studio time.Listen to Hannah John-Kamen chat about all this and more or watch it on YouTube. Please take the time to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

May 12, 2025 • 31min
Gene Simmons on the Death of Rock, Vegas Plans, and 50 Years of Dressed To Kill
Gene Simmons returns to Kyle Meredith With… to celebrate the 50th anniversary of KISS’s Dressed to Kill, the album that gave us the studio version of “Rock and Roll All Nite”—which, according to Gene, may or may not qualify as a hit depending on your definition of the word. Listen now.Simmons reflects on the bands origins as four “unqualified” New Yorkers in makeup and heels who somehow ended up headlining stadiums. He also talks about life after the “final” KISS tour, which includes his new film production company (including working on a new movie with Bella Thorne and Mel Gibson), restaurants, vodka brand, and whatever else you can slap a Moneybag™ on. He’ll also return to Vegas with KISS later this year — not in makeup — for a KISS Army celebration.As always, Gene has opinions. On streaming: it ruined music ("Where's the new Beatles? Where's Elvis?"). On critics: they’re talentless ("...They don't really wanna work for a living, but they can't play instruments and have no talent."). On opera: pure agony. On the Ramones: “a failed band.” And on you? Well, if you’re still buying tickets or spinning the records, he loves you. Either way, Gene’s still here, still loud, and still allergic to subtlety.Listen to Gene Simmons chat about all this and more or watch it on YouTube. Please take the time to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

May 7, 2025 • 19min
Kevin Bacon & Jennifer Nettles on The Bondsman, Writing From a Character’s Soul, and That Helluva Soundtrack
Kevin Bacon and Jennifer Nettles join Kyle Meredith to talk about The Bondsman, Prime Video’s new supernatural dramedy where Bacon plays a dead bounty hunter who gets resurrected to do the devil's bidding. It’s a Blumhouse show, so expect a dash of horror, a dollop of weird, and a good amount of twang. Nettles, best known as half of Sugarland and her role in The Righteous Gemstones, finally plays a musician on-screen — something she’s avoided until now for fear of being accused of, well, playing herself. Listen now.Bacon and Nettles talk about the awkward charm of writing songs via voice memo ping-pong, the joys of channeling trauma into duets, and how most actors aren’t writing character-based albums because, frankly, they can’t. Bacon credits Nettles’ songwriting chops. Nettles calls Bacon a great lyricist. Somewhere in the middle, they form a spooky Americana dream team you didn’t know you needed.Listen to Kevin Bacon and Jennifer Nettles chat about all this and more or watch it on YouTube. Please take the time to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.Read lessAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

May 5, 2025 • 54min
Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz on Butter Miracle, Lost Songs, and Live Favorites
Adam Duritz joins Kyle Meredith to dive deep into Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!, the long-awaited completion of Counting Crows’ two-part album project. The singer opens up about the two-year pause he took due to a crisis of confidence, and how a record by Gang of Youths inspired a complete rewrite where he scrapped and reworked an entire batch of songs for the first time in his career. Listen now.During the in depth conversation, Duritz reflects on Counting Crows’ early days, including why B-side “Einstein on the Beach” was released against his wishes, how fears of backlash shaped their post-August and Everything After strategy, and what really happened to the lost master tapes from Recovering the Satellites. He also touches on fan-favorite deep and unreleased cuts like "Baby I'm A Big Star Now," “Margery Dreams of Horses,” and “Shallow Days,” and why the band still hasn’t made a rarities compilation.Listen to Adam Duritz chat about all this and more or watch it on YouTube. Please take the time to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Apr 30, 2025 • 1h 2min
Rewind: David Byrne & Jerry Harrison on Brian Eno, Jonathan Demme, and the Talking Heads Reunion
This time on Kyle Meredith With…, it’s a double bill of the most cerebral funk you’ve ever danced to, featuring none other than Talking Heads’ David Byrne & Jerry Harrison. Listen to these archival interviews now.Byrne is the platonic ideal of the quirky frontmen, the king of the oversized suit, and the only guy who can make anxiety sound like a party trick. Whether he’s turning nervous tics into chart-topping hits with Talking Heads, penning essays on music theory, or staging Broadway shows about joy, he’s always had one foot in genius and the other in 'what even is this?'And then there’s Jerry Harrison – the Harvard-educated keyboardist/guitarist who somehow managed to be the coolest nerd in one of the coolest bands of the ’70s and ’80s. Before Talking Heads, he was in The Modern Lovers with Jonathan Richman, which is like indie rock’s version of being in a garage band with Zeus. Together, they helped turn new wave into an art form you could groove to.Listen to Talking Heads’ David Byrne & Jerry Harrison. Byrne chat about all this and more and please take the time to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Apr 28, 2025 • 30min
Don Felder on 50 Years of Music, Eagles Deep Cuts, and That "Hotel California" Intro
Don Felder has spent the last five decades shaping the sound of classic rock — most famously as the guitar maestro behind The Eagles’ “Hotel California.” Now, he’s cracking open The Vault: 50 Years of Music, a new album that pulls from demos and song ideas dating back to 1974, when Felder first joined the Eagles. Listen now.In this interview with Kyle Meredith, Felder discusses how he unearthed forgotten gems from a long-abandoned storage unit, reworking early sketches like “Move On” and giving old favorites like “Heavy Metal” a modern punch. He reflects on his Florida roots, learning slide guitar from Duane Allman, and how those early influences still shape his playing today.Elsewhere, Felder discusses his commitment to keeping his voice and guitar chops sharp (“I will never let myself be disappointing”), and fronting most of Toto on this new record. Plus, with a summer tour alongside Styx and Kevin Cronin on the horizon (get tickets here), Felder is showing no signs of slowing down.Listen to Don Felder chat about all this and more or watch it on YouTube. Please take the time to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Apr 23, 2025 • 19min
Rewind: Deep Purple’s Ian Paice & Dan Fogelberg’s Widow on Legacy, Lyrics, and Long Goodbyes
This archive episode from Kyle Meredith With… features two guests with wildly different claims to rock legacy. One helped define it, and one is currently protecting it: Ian Paice of Deep Purple and Jean Fogelberg. Listen to their interviews now.First up is Ian Paice, the last original member still keeping Deep Purple in the game over 50 years later. As the drummer behind “Smoke on the Water,” he’s one of the few humans whose tom fills have been played in every Guitar Center across America. But don’t let the legacy trap fool you, Paice is still bashing away with precision, fire, and probably a little tinnitus.Then, there’s Jean Fogelberg, widow of Dan Fogelberg who’s now taken on the role of curator, historian, and gentle myth-buster for one of soft rock’s most earnest voices. Jean’s been instrumental in keeping Dan’s memory alive through reissues, tributes, and some welcome reminders that sincerity isn’t a crime. One’s still writing the story, the other’s preserving the footnotes — and both have something to say about what it means to last in music.Listen to Deep Purple’s Ian Paice and Jean Fogelberg chat about all this and more and please take the time to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Apr 21, 2025 • 26min
Lizzy Greene on Texas Roots, Cowboy Camp, and the Emo Side of Ransom Canyon
You know Lizzy Greene from her Nickelodeon days (Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn), or more recently from A Million Little Things. Now, she’s stepping into a pair of dusty boots for Netflix’s Ransom Canyon, a Western drama where she plays Lauren Brigman, the small-town Texas sheriff’s daughter with big dreams of escape.The role is something of a full-circle moment for the Dallas native, who brought her own background in horseback riding and cheerleading to the role (with a detour to the ER after a Looney Tunes-style knee fracture during rehearsals). Greene opens up to Kyle Meredith about how growing up in Texas helped her find her way into Lauren’s world — even if it meant freezing in the Albuquerque snow and bonding with castmates over cow manure during “cowboy camp.”Greene also discusses her emo-punk side (she’s a huge fan of The Cure and The Smiths), her reunion with co-star Garrett Wareing in the upcoming Sweating the Small Stuff, and why Jose Gonzalez’s "Teardrop" cover in the show nearly made her lose it.Listen to Lizzy Greene chat about all this and more or watch it on YouTube. Please take the time to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.Read lessAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy