Talkhouse Podcast

For our fifth consecutive year there, the Talkhouse Podcast crew flew out to the fantastic Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago this past July to record artists in conversation backstage. Over the years, this series has featured talks between Brian Wilson & Carly Rae Jepsen, Frankie Cosmos & Vagabon, Priests with LCD Soundsystem's Tyler Pope, and many more. This week’s show is our second from the fest this year (the first was Tasha & Lillie West of Lala Lala), and it's Talkhouse's first ever bilingual conversation! In this episode, all four members of Nagoya, Japan's CHAI — whose "neo-kawaii" post-punk-pop record Punk is one of our favorites of the year — talk to Stef Smith from the stellar Chicago-based indie pop band Varsity. With the help of CHAI's translator Rena, they chat about what it’s like touring in a country where you don’t speak the language (and how that’s actually been a good thing for CHAI when it comes to getting interviewed); the real, unexpected danger of being interviewed by Nardwuar; and why dogs make such great musical inspiration. They also cover where to find the best deep dish in Chicago — controversial! — and the food Nagoya is famous for. Check it out, and subscribe now to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast! —Annie Fell, Talkhouse Senior Editor This episode was recorded by Joe Darnaby and Mark Yoshizumi, and co-produced by Mark Yoshizumi, Annie Fell, and Elia Einhorn. Our theme song was composed and performed by The Range. Big thanks to Pitchfork Music Festival for hosting Talkhouse!

Last month, Ian Williams (Battles) and Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) chopped it up in front of a fully packed house at the grand opening of Everlane's flagship store in Williamsburg for a live taping of the Talkhouse Podcast. The experimental guitar legends shared the unusual processes of making their new LPs (Battles' Juice B. Crypts came out last week, and Lee's drops early next year). Their talk also takes in Sonic Youth's versus Wilco's insane touring guitar collections; how a chance encounter with Les Savy Fav led to the first ever Battles show; the cross-genre pollination of 1980s New York; and their thoughts on recently departed icons Ric Ocasek of The Cars and Daniel Johnston. Stay tuned after the talk for an audience Q&A with Lee, Ian, and myself. Links galore: If you enjoy this episode, keep an eye peeled for the wonderful Consequence of Sound podcast This Must Be The Gig's upcoming show featuring Lee Renaldo and his collaborator Raül Refree; I attended the live taping in New York and just loved it. You can also check out past Talkhouse Podcast episodes featuring Battles' Juice B. Crypts collaborators Xenia Rubinos, Tune-Yards, and Shabazz Palaces. And finally, here's Lee and Ian's first meeting on the show from back in 2016. Today's show was recorded by Stephan Kimbel Olson and Mark Yoshizumi at Everlane, and at Hook and Fade Studios in Brooklyn by our co-producer Mark Yoshizumi. The Talkhouse Podcast’s theme song was composed and performed by The Range.

Ever bring your family to Burning Man? Sorry, let me back up. A bit of context: The Talkhouse Podcast spent a fantastic weekend in Las Vegas last month at Life Is Beautiful Music and Art Festival. We put on two live Talkhouse tapings as part of their comedy lineup: Nikki Glaser x Bachelor Nation superstar Kaitlyn Bristowe, and Fred Armisen x Chris Redd x Portugal. The Man (which'll be released as a podcast soon). We also hosted a live talk under the fest's Ideas banner, featuring legendary entrepreneur Tony Hsieh (CEO of Zappos) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (insanely famous actor, founder of HitRecord). The two friends take a heady dive into the question of what collaboration will look like in the future. Along the way we hear about parallels between artistic and entrepreneurial creativity; how the '80s show MacGyver shaped Tony's business philosophy; and, yep, taking your family to Burning Man. Check it out, and subscribe now to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast. —Elia Einhorn, Talkhouse Podcast host and producer @eliaeinhorn Today’s show was recorded at Life Is Beautiful by Logan Shields and Mark Yoshizumi, and at Hook and Fade Studios in Brooklyn by our co-producer Mark Yoshizumi. The Talkhouse Podcast’s theme song was composed and performed by The Range.

Singer/songwriter Pete Yorn knows how to pick collaborators — he's worked with The Pixies' Frank Black, Scarlett Johansson, and REM's Peter Buck to name just a few greats. When he and Day Wave's Jackson Phillips began making music together, Yorn knew he'd found the right co-pilot for a new musical undertaking. To celebrate Yorn's new LP Caretakers, co-produced by him and Phillips, the two sat down for a deep dive on the Talkhouse Podcast. They examine the benefits and drawbacks of a musical education; discuss the pluses and minuses of working in both small and big recording studio; and take in how hearing The Cure & The Smiths changed the course of Yorn's life. Check it out, and subscribe to the Talkhouse Podcast to catch upcoming episodes featuring Portugal. The Man with SNL's Chris Redd and Fred Armisen, Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) with Battles' Ian Williams, and CHAI in convo with Varsity. Today’s show was recorded in New York by Dan Arnes and Mark Yoshizumi. It was co-produced by Mark Yoshizumi. The Talkhouse Podcast’s theme song was composed and performed by The Range.

What's uuuuuuup!! Dearest listeners, the Talkhouse Podcast team is back from Life Is Beautiful Fest in Las Vegas and we can definitively report that it totally. fookin'. RULES! We saw Billie Eilish start five separate mosh pits; watched famous DJs spin to a rooftop pool full of three-drinks-in, beach-ball-tossing, all-gender hotties at 1:00 in the afternoon; made it rain on 11th Street Records picking up rare original-pressing Smiths 12"s; and danced like fools down strobe-lit alleyways soundtracked by blasting synth-drenched four on the floor. (Fine, I'll admit that those last two were just me...) Oh, yeah, and we also put on three live Talkhouse Podcast events! For the Life Is Beautiful Comedy series, we paired SNL's Chris Redd, Fred Armisen, and Portugal. The Man, then comedian Nikki Glaser with Bachelor Nation mega-star Kaitlyn Bristowe. And as part of the Life Is Beautiful Ideas vertical, we brought together actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt with Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh. This week we share Nikki and Kaitlyn's HILARIOUS talk. Tune in for Kaitlyn spilling tea on Ashley I and Jared's wedding, Nick Vial, JJ Lane, and her beef with The Bachelor creator Mike Fleis. Nikki tells us which Bachelor she's dying to get with, how her stint on Dancing With The Stars left her a wreck, and about her brilliant just-dropped new Netflix special Bangin'. And of course, with these two, we hear all about the benefits of getting tied up in bed; why men should “explore their assholes;” and dating bisexuals. Plus, Nikki changes Kaitlyn’s life by teaching her how to fart silently. Our special guest co-host for this episode is Liam Mathews, co-host of A Beautiful Podcast to Fall in Love, TV Guide’s unofficial Bachelor Nation podcast. Check it out! Today’s show was recorded at Life Is Beautiful by Logan Shields and Mark Yoshizumi, and at Hook and Fade Studios in Brooklyn by our co-producer Mark Yoshizumi. The Talkhouse Podcast’s theme song was composed and performed by The Range.

Did you have any idea that Drew Carey is a deep music nerd??? Yeah, that Drew Carey, the one from The Drew Carey Show, Who’s Line Is It Anyway, and The Price Is Right. Did you realize that he hosts a show called Friday Night Freak Out on Little Stevie’s Underground Garage Sirius XM radio station? He does, and it gets wonderfully weird. Drew sat down with legendary Philly musician — and fellow Underground Garage DJ — Palmyra Delran (The Friggs, The Coolies) for a fun trip down the musical rabbit hole. The two chop it up on Drew’s history playing in polka bands; the culture clash that occurred when Palmyra hired a classical cellist for a session; meeting Dick Clark, Brian Wilson, and a couple of Beatles; and so much more. Check it out! Today’s show was recorded by Eric Rennaker at Bedrock.LA in Los Angeles, and Mark Yoshizumi at Hook and Fade Studios in Brooklyn. It was co-produced by Mark Yoshizumi. The Talkhouse Podcast’s theme song was composed and performed by The Range.

The Talkhouse team just returned back from Life is Beautiful 2019 with an amazing group of talks. This week we revisit one of our favorite conversations recorded out at last year's Life is Beautiful festival. Subscribe today to keep up to date with future Talkhouse Podcasts. In September, the Talkhouse Podcast squad rolled out to Las Vegas for Life is Beautiful Music and Arts Festival. In between performances from Talkhouse faves A$AP Ferg, CHVRCHES, and Death Cab For Cutie, we recorded some epic convos for the show. Comedian Jaboukie Young-White (The Daily Show, American Vandal) and indiepop legends The Drums’ Jonny Pierce are whip-smart queer artists who have intricately bound together their work and sexuality. Backstage at the fest, they and newer Drums' member Bryan de Leon dissected what exactly it means to be a "queer artist." Their talk takes in coming out through one’s art, "conveniently Christian homophobes," Balenciaga daddies, and how the world needs a gay Shrek. Oh, and Bryan also got Jaboukie to give some inside scoop on American Vandal season two... Check it out, and subscribe now to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast. Feel free to DM me to let me know which artist(s) you’d love to see appear on a future episode. —Elia Einhorn, Talkhouse Podcast host and producer @eliaeinhorn This episode was recorded by Mark Yoshizumi at Life is Beautiful, and at Hook & Fade Studios in Brooklyn. It was co-produced by Mark Yoshizumi. The Talkhouse Podcast’s theme song was composed and performed by The Range. Big thanks to Life Is Beautiful for hosting the Talkhouse Podcast.

Alison Mosshart (The Kills, The Dead Weather) has been painting with remote control cars; Devendra Banhart's been obsessively pondering Christian Slater's '89 skater flick Gleaming The Cube. To celebrate Alison's new art book about cars — Car Ma — and Devendra's LP Ma, the two got together over salted egg brainless shrimp heads to discuss the above as well as skateboarding as a gateway drug to dope music, the multi-hyphenate magic of Captain Beefheart, how Guns N' Roses' November Rain video shaped Devendra's idea of Americans, and so much more. Check it out! Today’s show was recorded by Michael Harris at Electro-Vox Studios in Los Angeles, and Mark Yoshizumi at Hook and Fade Studios in Brooklyn. It was co-produced by Mark Yoshizumi. The Talkhouse Podcast’s theme song was composed and performed by The Range.

Brian Wilson and The Zombies are touring together!!! I repeat, head Beach Boy Brian Wilson and recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Zombies are touring America together right now! To celebrate these legendary artists sharing the stage, we got 'em together at the first gig of the run for a Talkhouse Podcast conversation. The Zombies’ songwriter/keyboardist Rod Argent and singer Colin Blunstone roundtable some wonderful ideas with Wilson, fellow Beach Boys founder Al Jardine, 1970s Beach Boys addition Blondie Chaplin (who also plays with The Rolling Stones), and Darian Sahanaja, who’s played with Brian for two decades and was key in the making of the fantastic Smile LP. Their talk takes in the early days of The Beach Boys and The Zombies, and the bands' love of each other's music; challenges in playing songs you haven’t played in 50 years; recording Friends in Brian’s living room; and "balls out" Hammond B3 organ that'd make Argent proud. Check it out, and stay tuned after the featured conversation for clips of our favorite Brian Wilson and Zombies appearances on the show from 2016, including Brian and Carly Rae Jepsen in a "one-question wonder" chat from Pitchfork Music Festival, and The Zombies chatting with Hollis Brown at the Samsung store in NYC. Catch Brian Wilson and The Zombies on tour: 9/12: Los Angeles, CA — Greek Theatre 9/13: Oakland, CA — Fox Theater 9/16: Seattle, WA — Paramount Theatre 9/17: Portland, OR — Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall 9/19: Sandy, UT — Sandy Amphitheater 9/20: Denver, CO — Paramount Theatre 9/22: Milwaukee, WI — The Riverside Theater 9/23: Cincinnati, OH — Taft Theatre 9/24: Detroit, MI — Masonic Temple 9/26: New York, NY — Beacon Theatre 9/27: Waterbury, CT — Palace Theater 9/28: Upper Darby, PA — Tower Theater Today's show was recorded by Malcolm Harrison of National Southwestern in Las Vegas, and Mark Yoshizumi at Hook and Fade Studios in Brooklyn. It was co-produced by Mark Yoshizumi. The Talkhouse Podcast’s theme song was composed and performed by The Range.

As I learned from today's episode, comedian Chris Gethard and singer-songwriter Mal Blum are "self-deprecating sad boys from Jersey" who are attracted to “erratic or controlling people who will blow your life up.” What I already knew going in is that the two are old friends, occasional collaborators, and incredibly talented at their art. Gethard and Blum joined us on the Talkhouse Podcast to celebrate the release of Blum's excellent new LP Pity Boy, and their conversation is predictably openhearted, neurotic, and fucking hilarious. Tune in to hear them consider going to a Love Addicts 12-step meeting, share their writing processes (Gethard even opens up his joke notebook and shares some new ideas!), unpack Mal's lack of boundaries, and learn why Gethard wants to wind up his career. Today’s episode was co-produced and recorded by Mark Yoshizumi. It was cut at Hook and Fade Studios in Brooklyn. Research assistance was provided by Madalyn Feltus. The Talkhouse Podcast’s theme song was composed and performed by The Range. With this week's episode, Chris Gethard has joined the (sort of) rare and (moderately) coveted Talkhouse Podcast Hat Trick Club! Check out his previous appearances, talking with Todd Barry and Tim Heidecker.