And The Writer Is...with Ross Golan

Today's guest is the frontman of Bush, one of the defining voices of '90s alternative rock and the "feral," self-flagellating songwriter underneath them, who still claws through every blank page 30 years in and can't tell you how he does it.

From a broken home at 12 to painting dentists' offices after he'd already made 16 Stone, Gavin carries three things simultaneously that most rock legends never figure out how to hold at once: the craft of a lifelong student who still writes out scales to get better, the conviction to bet on analog human perspective in the age of AI, and the contrarian refusal to romanticize any of it — "it's a perpetual UFC octagon."

This is one of the more honest conversations about longevity, survival, and what it actually costs to keep creating after the era that made you has moved on — and buried some of the people who defined it. When the confidence and the insecurity are the same engine, who do you become?

And The Writer Is... Gavin Rossdale!

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A special thank you to our sponsors for making these conversations possible.
Our lead sponsor, NMPA — the National Music Publishers' Association. Your support means the world to us.

Hosted by Ross Golan
Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

And The Update Is…a weekly beat on the industry . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's guest is Brittany Howard — four-time Grammy winner, the voice of Alabama Shakes, and one of the most singular artists of her generation. But her real story isn't the accolades or the sold-out rooms. It's a single-wide trailer, a junkyard full of animals, and a garbage truck — and a woman who never once chased any of it.

From a Cotton Patch trailer park to Paisley Park, Brittany built a career by refusing to do it the way you're supposed to. She carries three things simultaneously that most artists never figure out how to hold at once: an obsessive craftsman's ear (she'll stab an amp with a screwdriver to find a tone), an unbudging authenticity (she showed up to the deal that changed her life hungover, in her pajamas, in a mail truck), and a total indifference to the machine (0% involvement in her own charts, streams, and licensing).

This is one of the more honest conversations we've had about staying true to yourself in music.

And The Writer Is... Alabama Shakes!

Hit subscribe and turn on notifications. Every week, we go deep with the most interesting creatives in music.

Follow us on socials: @andthewriteris

A special thank you to our sponsor, NMPA — the National Music Publishers Association. Your support means the world to us.

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
2:09 Is hunting for tone a fool's errand?
4:02 "Happy accidents" — taste vs. preference
6:22 Stabbing an amp with a screwdriver for the perfect tone
9:02 Born in a single-wide in Cotton Patch trailer park
10:53 "Are we rich now?" — a junkyard, 96 cats, 26 dogs
12:53 Picking up guitar out of necessity (she wanted to play bass)
17:00 Recording songs at 12 on Audacity, alone in the woods
18:45 The At the Drive-In shirt — meeting Zach
19:33 Mom: "I didn't know you could sing" / "Me either"
20:46 Her first song ever
28:59 The label meeting: hungover, in pajamas, in a mail truck
32:22 Writing "Hold On" in a garbage truck
33:27 Making up the whole song live on stage at The Brick
37:06 How a record deal did (and didn't) change how she lived
44:01 "Do I have any money?" — buying her first house
46:07 Meeting Shawn Everett & Blake Mills for Sound & Color
52:51 Talking to Prince on the phone — and his list of rules
54:17 Playing "Gimme All Your Love" with Prince — "did he change his mind?"
56:49 How Alabama Shakes came back together
59:15 Rapid fire + "Leave music to the people who love music"

Credits
Hosted by Ross Golan
Produced by Joe London & Jad Saad
Edited by Jad Saad
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

And The Update Is…a weekly beat on the industry . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

And The Update Is…a weekly beat on the industry . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.