The Music Book Podcast

On this episode, Marc talks with Seth Neblett, author of "Mothership Connected: The Women of Parliament-Funkadelic," published in September of 2025. It's a fascinating oral history of the female members of Parliament and Funkadelic, particularly those in the P-Funk sister groups Parlet and the Brides of Funkenstein: Mallia Franklin, Lynn Mabry, Dawn Silva, Debbie Wright, and Shirley Hayden. Seth is the son of Mallia Franklin, who, along with being an important musician in the P-Funk story, was responsible for the inclusion of many members of the collective; most famously, she introduced Bootsy Collins to George Clinton and convinced him to include Bootsy in P-Funk. As Seth writes, "The Brides of Funkenstein and Parlet, were, along with Bootsy Collins, the most successful groups to come out of the P-Funk Empire. The women sang and contributed to all the organization's in-house projects...In an era of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, detouring through disco, and cresting on punk and new wave of the eighties, this critical "female" piece of the music history puzzle is as important as any other."You can buy "Mothership Connected" here.We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Seth Neblett!

On this episode, Marc talks with Josh Bloom, author of "The Apples In Stereo," published in December of 2025. It's all about the Denver band The Apples in Stereo, who began in the early 90s and were part of the Elephant 6 Collective alongside Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control, of Montreal, and more. Josh has known members of the band for decades, particularly their main leader Robert Schneider, and his book is a mixture of informational bio and first-person narrative, written in a conversational, often humorous tone. As he writes, "Because Robert and I have a history as on-off-on again friends, I can speak from personal experience to complete a picture of him as the more emotionally complex person, and therefore, songwriter, recording artist, and producer I know him to be."You can buy Josh's book here.We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Josh Bloom!

On this episode, Marc talks with Al Shipley, author of "Tough Breaks: The Story of Baltimore Club Music," published in August 2025. It's a thoughtful, detailed, and revealing look into a music movement that grew organically in Baltimore clubs, radio stations, and record stores, with beats and other musical ideas passed around quickly so that the styles and sounds morphed constantly. Though it may not have gotten a lot of play outside of the city, was as innovative and important as any club music scene in America.As Al writes, ""Local" is sometimes seen as a shameful or insulting word in music media, but treating the music that’s made in your neck of the woods with curiosity and respect is incredibly rewarding, and too many music writers have never even tried it. Fun music and dance music deserve thoughtful journalism and critical analysis as much as more conventionally “serious” art."You can buy Tough Breaks here. We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Al Shipley!

On this episode, Marc talks with Simon Raymonde, author of "In One Ear: Cocteau Twins, Ivor, and Me," published in America in November of 2025. It's a sharp, enthusiastic, and funny memoir of Raymonde's life as a musician, member of the legendary UK band Cocteau Twins (with Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie), and owner of the vital indie record label Bella Union. Simon also delves into his relationship with his father Ivor, who was himself a renowned musician, producer, and arranger. It's all told with a sense of humor and wisdom that makes Simon's words practically leap off the page.As Simon writes, "It seems that my own past is no longer just a shoegazey blur of distant lights receding in the rear-view mirror; it is clearly visible in my present too. Cocteau Twins have never been as popular as we are now, almost three decades after we stopped making music."You can by Simon's book here.We. hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Simon Raymonde!

On this episode, Marc talks with Howard Weulfing. He's the author of Descenes and Discords, an anthology of two fanzines he edited in the early 1980s, documenting the burgeoning underground rock scene in DC at the time. Descenes featured interviews, record reviews, live reviews, and more, with most of the focus on DC. Discords also covered scenes around the country, publishing reports from writers such as Gerard Cosloy in Boston, Jim Testa in New Jersey, Tesco Vee in Michigan, and John Foster in Olympia.This new anthology includes explanatory introductions by Howard for each zine issue, as well as a conversation between Howard and Ian MacKaye, reminiscing about what things were like in DC back then.As Howard writes, "Our contributors were out in this community and readily accessible. We were playing shows, running record stores, simply hanging out. We got plenty of letters of criticism, clarification, and sometimes praise. We tried to process it constructively: broadening the coverage, questioning our judgements, while keeping the tone conversational and direct though often with tongue planted firmly in cheek."You can buy Descenes and Discords here.We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Howard Wuelfing!