On this episode, Marc talks with Bill Janovitz, author of "The Cars: Let The Stories Be Told," published in September 2025. It's a deeply researched, deftly crafted story of the Boston band, led by Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr, who started peppering the charts with hits from their self-titled 1978 debut album, and kept making great music and selling tons of records for the next decade. Drawing on extensive interviews with the group's surviving members Elliott Easton, Greg Hawkes, and David Robinson, Janovitz digs deep into their creative and personal dynamics. As Bill writes, "In the late 1970s, rock and roll resisted premature pronouncements of its demise. The Cars were crucial in that resuscitation. They grew to a towering presence and provided the soundtrack for the 1980s."You can buy "Let the Stories Be Told" here.We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Bill Janovitz!
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071 Joe Bonomo on Writing Essays About Music
On this episode, Marc talks with Joe Bonomo, author of "Play This Book Loud: Noisy Essays," published in May of 2025. It's a collection of pieces Bonomo wrote for various publications, primarily the website The Normal School, covering a wide range of music subjects and formats. Among the topics explored are the Cramps, the Who, the Stooges, the Jam, an exploration of the history of the song "Tobacco Road," a delving into a early 70s compilation sponsored by Dick Clark, and even a thorough examination of a 7-inch that 7-11 gave out to customers in the late 60s called "Dance the Slurp."Joe is the author of several other books including Sweat, a biography of the Fleshtones, an entry in the 33.3 series on AC/DC's Highway to Hell, and a previous collection of essays called Field Recordings from the Inside.You can buy Play This Book Loud here.We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Joe Bonomo!
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070 Sahan Jayasuriya on Die Kreuzen
On this episode, Marc talks to Sahan Jayasuriya, author of "Don't Say Please: The Oral History of Die Kreuzen," published in August of 2025. It's a thorough look at the band who began in the early 80s as one of the most vital and unique hardcore groups, but quickly evolved past that tag toward mixture of punk, metal, and proto-grunge that influenced many indie-rock bands of the 90s. Sahan tells the Die Kreuzen story through interviews with band members, people who worked with them and helped them, and many musicians who admired them both then and now.As he writes, "It's debatable whether Die Kreuzen could have ever happened at any other time or in any other place besides the American Midwest during the 1980s... In hindsight, Die Kreuzen’s eventual formation feels inevitable: four wildly talented individuals with shared influences who were seemingly made to play music together."You can buy Don't Say Please here.We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Sahan Jayasuriya!
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069 Ellen Koskoff on Gamelan Angklung Cremation Music
On this episode, Marc talks to Ellen Koskoff, author of "Bittersweet Sounds of Passage: Balinese Gamelan Angklung Cremation Music," published in July of 2025. It's a fascinating look into a specific kind of gamelan music in Bali that is an essential part of cremation ceremonies, performed by village members who don't even consider themselves musicians. Koskoff learned to play this music herself by living in Bali and joining in with ensembles there, revealing a tradition that is unlike anything in Western culture. In the process, she captures the perspective of the people playing in these groups, who regard the music as essential to the dharma that sustains all things.As Ellen writes, "The history and meaning of gamelan angklung and its importance to contemporary Balinese cremations is hazy; written sources, recordings, and other forms of scholarship are almost nonexistent...yet, this music, most often performed by everyday villagers, is considered by all Balinese to be a necessary component of village life and death."You can buy Ellen's book here.We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Ellen Koskoff!
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068 Pat Blashill on The Birth of Texas Punk
On this episode, Marc talks with Pat Blashill, author of "Someday All the Adults Will Die!: The Birth of Texas Punk," released in September of 2025. It's a narrated oral history of the early days of punk in Texas, exploring the many bands and figures who created a distinct strain of punk rock in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, including Big Boys, the Dicks, MDC, and Butthole Surfers. Pat weaves the voices of musicians, journalists, venue runners, fans, and more to paint a picture of a scene that used punk to break punk's rules.As Pat writes, "If punk gave many of us a way to understand the word, it also became a way for us to explain Texas and Texans to the rest of the planet. Punk didn't flourish in the Lone Star State in spite of local conditions but because of them."You can buy Pat's book here.We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Pat Blashill!
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