On this episode, Marc talks with Donna-Claire Chesman. She’s the author of “Crybaby: The Artists Who Shaped Emo Rap,” published on January 21, 2025. It’s a fascinating look at a genre that grew up from the Soundcloud underground to become wildly popular, focusing on artists like Atmosphere, Lil Peep, Yung Lean, and Juice WRLD. “Crybaby” does justice to a musical subculture that’s more complex and rewarding than you might realize.As Donna-Claire writes, “The history of Emo Rap is imperfect, and in many ways, 'Crybaby' is an imperfect reconstruction and critical examination of a genre that is felt more than articulated…at one point I toyed with the idea of asking my interview subjects who emo rap “was for,” except I quickly understood that emo rap is for everyone.” To buy "Crybaby" and support independent bookstores, go here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/crybaby-the-artists-who-shaped-emo-rap-donna-claire-chesman/21650174We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Donna-Claire Chesman!

On this episode, Marc talks to Daniel Spicer, author of "Peter Brötzmann: Free-Jazz, Revolution and the Politics of Improvisation,” published January 14, 2025. It’s a thorough and fascinating biography of the German musician best known for his roaring saxophone tone and boundary-breaking albums like “Machine Gun” and “Nipples." Talking with Brotzmann and his collaborators, Spicer digs deep into his many great recordings, performances, and partnerships, showing him to be a three-dimensional artist with a wide range of work and ideas.As Daniel writes, “In terms of biography, my emphasis throughout is on his art rather than his personal life. However, I have made it a priority to consider his art in the context of the revolutionary politics that informed both his own music and the free-jazz tradition from which it sprung.”We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Daniel Spicer!

Liz Pelly, author of "Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Cost of the Perfect Playlist," dives deep into Spotify’s impact on the music industry. With nearly a decade of reporting under her belt, she highlights the manipulation within streaming that affects artists and listeners alike. Pelly discusses the challenges independent musicians face in a corporate-dominated landscape and advocates for fairer conditions. She also emphasizes the importance of community in music appreciation and encourages deeper connections beyond just streaming.

On this episode, Marc talks with Brendan Greaves, author of “Truckload of Art: The Life and Work of Terry Allen,” published in March of 2024. It’s a thorough and compelling biography of artist, musician, and performer Terry Allen, whose art has crossed lines from museum-hosted visual art to outlaw country to work that no genre can contain. Greaves, who runs the record label Paradise of Bachelors, met Allen many years ago and reissued many of his classic albums, forging a relationship in which really only he could tell such an intimate and honest story of Allen and his many colleagues and friends.As Greaves writes, “Terry Allen occupies an utterly unique position straddling the disparate, and usually distant, worlds of conceptual art and country music. I’m not sure you could say the same about anyone else, ever, and certainly no one with the same aplomb, acclaim, and prestige in each discipline–not to mention the same lacerating, self-effacing sense of humor about it all.”We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Brendan Greaves!

On this episode, Marc talks with Jim Saah, author and illustrator of “In My Eyes: Photographs 1982-1987,” originally published in 2021 and out in a second edition now. It’s a huge, beautiful book of black and white photographs taken by Saah of an astounding array of punk and post-punk groups, from the Ramones to Black Flag to Fugazi to Pavement. It also includes Saah’s interviews with artists who work at the cross sections of music and imagery, including J. Robbins, Jon Langford, Shepard Fairey, and Ian MacKaye.As Jim writes, “I went through thousands of negatives to choose the hundreds of photos in this book. It was a joy to revisit all these images and remember how I felt and why I took them in the first place. I took these photos because I had to.”We hope you enjoy Marc’s conversation with Jim Saah!

On this episode, Marc talks with Marcus J. Moore, author of “High and Rising: A Book about De La Soul,” published today, November 19. It’s a biography of the legendary rap trio that also weaves in Moore’s own story as well as the evolution of rap from the 80s, when De La Soul started, to today. It's a follow up to Moore's first book, “The Butterfly Effect,” about Kendrick Lamar, which came out in 2020.As Marcus writes, “High and Rising doesn’t just tell the story of De La Soul; it unpacks the birth of hip-hop and the evolution of alternative rap. It’s also a memoir about my own travels through life and the environment, and how their music helped me grow as a person and creator in a landscape that doesn’t always understand differing viewpoints of artistry.”We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Marcus J. Moore!

On this episode, Marc talks with Laura Davis-Chanin and Liz Lamere, co-authors of “Infinite Dreams: The Life of Alan Vega,” a deep and thorough portrait of the man most know as half of the innovative duo Suicide, but who also had an amazing career as a visual artist and poet. Laura and Liz weave a compelling narrative of his life with extended quotes from many people whose lives were affected by him, as well as an amazing wealth of images from along his entire, massively-productive career.As Liz writes, "Alan Vega lived his life through the lens of creation, tapping into the full spectrum of human emotion...Many have heard the legends of the intense stage persona; far fewer have a deeper knowledge of the full spectrum of creative pursuits and sphere of influence of the man himself.”We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Laura Davis-Chanin and Liz Lamere!

On this episode, Marc talks with Steve Wynn, author of “I Wouldn't Say It If It Wasn't True: A Memoir Of Life, Music, And The Dream Syndicate,” published in August of 2024. It’s an entertaining and insightful memoir of his music-obsessed life, from his childhood biking to the store to buy records, to his days as a record store clerk and radio DJ, to his co-founding of the Dream Syndicate, the LA band  whose debut album “Days of Wine and Roses” is a classic of 80’s post-punk.As Wynn writes, “I had somehow and against all odds gone from being a music-obsessed record-store clerk making songs in his father’s basement to being an underground sensation navigating a major label bidding war, theater tours with the coolest bands on a similar but loftier ascension, and then descending to a contentious flameout and the ultimate crash and burn, all within those three short years.”We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Steve Wynn!

On this episode, Marc talks with Jonathan Grasse, author of “Jazz Revolutionary: The Life and Music of Eric Dolphy,” due out on October 15. It’s a thorough history of the legendary jazz multi-instrumentalist, who produced an impressive body of work both on his own and in groups led by John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Oliver Nelson, and many more, before his tragic death in 1964 at age 36. Grasse crafts the first truly comprehensive biography of Dolphy by tracing nearly every step of his music career, as well as delving deep into the releases he appeared on. As he writes, “Jazz Revolutionary approaches the artist’s recordings as essential cultured artifacts, as primary texts..[Dophy had] a warrior-monk dedication to exploring diverse musical resources beyond what the extant jazz vocabulary provided.”We hope you enjoy Marcs conversation with Jonathon Grasse!

On this episode, Marc talks with Corey duBrowa, author of “An Ideal For Living: A Celebration of the EP,” published in early 2024. It’s an overview of some of the best EP’s from the 1950s until the present, with decade-themed chapters containing entries on individual releases by a wide range of writers. In addition, duBrowa wrote an opening chapter on the history of the format, and put together a final chapter of what he and his friends deem the best EPs of all time. There’s also an intro by Spoon’s Britt Daniel and an epilogue by former Guided By Voices member Chris Slusarenko.As duBrowa writes, “With an immediacy that flies in the face of an LP’s “grand concept,” an EP turns out to be a great way for an artist to write a few songs and get them out quickly, without fanfare or pomp.”We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Corey duBrowa!