Caropop

From his 1976 debut album with the Rumour, Howlin’ Wind, through the all-time classic Squeezing Out Sparks through his 1980s commercial peaks and much excellent work since then, Graham Parker stands as one of the all-time great singer/songwriter/performers. In Part 1 of a lively, insightful conversation, Parker recalls growing up in Deepcut (!), England, and falling under the spell of the Beatles, the Stones, American R&B and a certain Motown singer he would try to emulate. He was a hippie singer-songwriter before developing his “nasty voice” and creating scorching albums with the Rumour. He recounts his decades-later reunion with that killer band, their appearance in Judd Apatow’s This Is 40 and why he is working with other musicians again. And he lets us know what he really thinks of the term “pub rock.” (Photo by Dion Ogust.)

Jennifer Egan is a rare novelist whose work is innovative, fiercely intelligent, emotionally potent and fun to read—and she’s equally thoughtful and provocative in conversation. She won the Pulitzer Prize for A Visit from the Goon Squad (2010), and The Candy House, just out in paperback, made Barack Obama’s list of favorite 2022 books. Those novels’ interconnected stories and characters occupy the same universe, but should someone read one book before the other? Does she start her novels with an idea, characters, plot or storytelling strategy? Has she ever learned anything useful from a review? Why does she think every college student should be an English major? And what did she hear from David Bowie about Goon Squad? (Photo by Pieter M. Van Hattem.)

The Bangles specialized in intricate harmonies and tough, taut, tuneful guitar songs yet broke through with relatively glossy versions of “Manic Monday,” “If She Knew What She Wants” and “Walk Like an Egyptian.” Drummer/singer Debbi Peterson recounts the female foursome’s formation in L.A. with her sister, Vicki Peterson, and Susanna Hoffs, both of whom wrote, sang and played guitar. Debbi sang “Going Down to Liverpool” on the wonderful debut album, All Over the Place, but had a hard time with producer David Kahne. Label pressure increased on Different Light, with band members having to audition to sing the “Walk Like an Egyptian” verses. Why did the Bangles split after their third album and power-ballad smash “Eternal Flame”? Would they have been treated differently if they weren’t women? Is the Bangles’ tale triumphant or something more bittersweet?

Cary Baker was a Chicago music writer and fanzine creator who made a good impression on R.E.M. and wound up running publicity for the band and its label, I.R.S. Records. There he also worked with the Go-Go’s, General Public, Fine Young Cannibals, the Alarm, Concrete Blonde and Timbuk 3, whom he got booked onto Saturday Night Live. After R.E.M. left the label, Baker did too, moving to Capitol Records and working with Paul McCartney, Tina Turner, Bonnie Raitt, the Smithereens and other big names. Eventually he formed his own firm, Conqueroo (a Chicago blues reference), and represented acts including the one that changed his life as a college student: Cheap Trick. Baker recently retired after 42 years of adventures in the publicity game, and he has stories to tell.

When Adrian Belew was brought in to record his mind-bending guitar solos on what became Taking Heads’ landmark 1980 album Remain in Light, he felt an unprecedented amount of freedom. He was presented not with almost-finished songs but unstructured grooves that felt like vast open spaces for him to color in. That he did, brilliantly, and Belew and Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads are now revisiting this album with a live tour. Of course, Belew’s resume covers a lot more ground, including guitar wizardry with Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Paul Simon and Nine Inch Nails, his stint as lead singer/songwriter of King Crimson and his own solo career. How did each of these collaborations stretch him? And was he really asked to replace David Byrne in Talking Heads?

Peter Case is a singer-songwriter who has covered a tremendous amount of ground, both physically and stylistically, over a long, impressive career. He played pop-punk with the Nerves, power-pop with the Plimsouls (“A Million Miles Away”), Americana as a solo artist before Americana was a thing, and many styles since then, including the pounding piano blues of his upcoming Doctor Moan. Here he recalls days of scraping by as a street musician, tells jaw-dropping L.A. stories featuring the Go-Go’s and Jerry Lee Lewis, recounts how Blondie came to cover the Nerves’ “Hanging on the Telephone,” recalls the Plimsouls' appearance in Valley Girl and relives his dreams, disappointments (with a cameo by the label exec who also rejected Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot) and triumphs, This is a great conversation for songwriters and music fans alike.

Denny Laine was the one full-time Wings member whose last name isn’t McCartney—as well as a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee with the Moody Blues. Wings went through multiple lineup changes during the 1970s, and for Band on the Run and much of London Town, the band was down to just Paul and Linda McCartney and Laine. Which Wings lineup does Laine consider the strongest? What was co-writing with McCartney like? How did they come to write and record “Mull of Kintyre,” and were they surprised when it became, at the time, the biggest-ever British hit single? Did they work better without an outside producer? Did McCartney’s cannabis arrest in Japan mark the end of Wings? Laine co-wrote “No Words” but has plenty of good ones in this Caropop conversation.

David Pasquesi is an actor who makes an impression even if you don’t know his name. He brightens The Book of Boba Fett as the sly, untrustworthy Majordomo. He’s the smiling, conniving Veep ex-husband Andrew Meyer. He’s the ever-searching alchemist Blaise St. John on the cult-fave series Lodge 49. You also may have caught him on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (another cheerful scoundrel), At Home with Amy Sedaris (Knife Man Tony!) and in movies including Groundhog Day. For more than 20 years, he has performed the wholly improvised TJ and Dave show with fellow Second City alumnus T.J. Jagodowski. How does Pasquesi balance acting and improv? Why does he play so many shifty characters? Will he attend Star Wars conventions now? Pasquesi is quick-witted and revealing in this Caropop conversation, recorded live at the club Space in Evanston. Don't miss actor Michael Shannon's question at the end.

Robyn Hitchcock has been writing surreal, catchy, muscular, gentle, haunting, melodic pop rock songs from his late-'70s/early '80s work with the Soft Boys through his excellent new album, Shufflemania! He still sounds young yet digs into aging and mortality in his music and this conversation. He also discusses whether he absorbs or echoes such influences as Syd Barrett and John Lennon, how his collaboration with XTC's Andy Partridge worked, what his live-performance pet peeve is and whether inspiration more often finds him or forces him to seek it out. Hitchcock remains as inventive, imaginative and thoughtful as they come.

Brendan Benson is an accomplished solo artist who also happens to co-lead a popular band, the Raconteurs. He'd released three albums of tuneful, smart rock when he played an unfinished song for his Detroit friend Jack White. The White Stripes frontman completed it, they recorded it with another band’s rhythm section, and a supergroup was born, along with its first hit, “Steady, As She Goes.” Now Benson lives in Nashville, where he recorded his excellent eighth solo album, Low Key, and he also collaborates with other musicians, some country, some not (including Robyn Hitchcock). How do those co-writing gigs work? Why can they be embarrassing? Has Nashville rubbed off on his songwriting? Does he consider his work to be autobiographical? Will he ever tour again on his own or with the Raconteurs? Benson is as insightful in conversation as he is in song. (Photo by Guillaume Lechat.)