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Available Episodes

5 of 64

064 Jason Schneider on "Hey Joe"
On this episode Marc talks with Jason Schneider, author of "That Gun in Your Hand: The Strange Saga of ‘Hey Joe’ and Popular Music’s History of Violence," published in June of 2025. It's a fascinating look at the way the song "Hey Joe" has weaved its way through music over the course of the past six decades, from its origin in the hands of a singer and guitarist named Billy Roberts, through its height of fame when covered by Jimi Hendrix, through numerous different covers, interpretations, and re-imaginings. As Jason writes, "Great art, even in the form of a three-and-a-half- minute song, exists because of its ability to withstand attempts at dissection. “Hey Joe” is still being performed and recorded today because its expression of raw human emotion remains undiminished."You can buy "That Gun in Your Hand" here.We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Jason Schneider!
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063 Brian Anderson on the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound
On this episode, Marc talks with Brian Anderson, author of "Loud and Clear: The Grateful Dead’s Wall of Sound and the Quest for Audio Perfection," published in June of 2025. It's a detailed and compelling tale of how the Grateful Dead, over the first decade of their existence, continually created and expanded their own sound system into a gigantic tower of speakers known as the Wall of Sound. Scores of techs, roadies, and other fascinating figures worked on this monstrous array of gear, which delivered clear, almost mystical sound throughout the venues to which the Dead hauled it.As Brian writes, "Our world has been radically shaped by the Dead, regardless of one's own relationship with the band. And their fabled PA of the early 70s is perhaps the most striking example of that outsized influence."You can buy "Wall of Sound" here.We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Brian Anderson!
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062 Dean Van Nguyen on Tupac Shakur
On this episode, Marc talks with Dean Van Nguyen, author of "Words for My Comrades: A Political History of Tupac Shakur," published in May of 2025. It's a fascinating look at the socially-conscious life of rapper 2Pac, developed while growing up around radical black activism, particularly that of his mother Afeni Shakur of the Black Panther Party. This includes a thrilling opening section which serves as a kind of miniature history of the African-American left in the 60s, 70s, and beyond. As Dean writes, "Words for My Comrades is the story of how Tupac Shakur came to exemplify radicalism and revolution...How did a man who made music to dance to find himself elevated to a status that's commonly the realm of civil rights leaders and guerrilla warfare commanders?"You can buy "Words for My Comrades" here, and we hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Dean Van Nguyen!
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061 Niko Stratis on Dad Rock
On this episode, Marc talks with Niko Stratis, author of "The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman," published on May 6, 2025. It's a memoir of Stratis's many experiences and life changes, explored through music that has greatly affected her, with each chapter focused on a specific song. Stratis expertly mixes her own story with the stories of these songs and how those two things intertwine, along the way carving out her own definition of Dad Rock that speaks to who she is, who her own dad is, and how life can be shaped and guided by the music we love.As she writes, "So much of my relationship to music is driven by what it says about who I am. What the things I collect and adore can possibly say about the parts of myself I am desperate for people to see."You can buy Niko's book here.We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Niko Stratis!
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060 Jon King on Gang of Four
On this episode, Marc talks with Jon King, author of "To Hell With Poverty / A Class Act: Inside the Gang of Four," published in April of 2025. It's an engaging, fast-paced memoir by the lead singer of legendary UK band Gang of Four, whose classic lineup also included guitarist Andy Gill, drummer Hugo Burnham and bassist Dave Allen. King's tales of his youth up through the formation of Gang of Four and the four albums they released between 1979 and 1983 are written in the present tense, as if we're there with him experiencing it all, giving To Hell With Poverty a rushing excitement as life moves quickly both for the band and King himself.You can buy Jon's book here or here.We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Jon King!
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