Birdy joins Simon and Brian for a chat about her most personal album to date, Young Heart, the art of co-writing, and the influence of Joni Mitchell. Birdy also describes how she challenged herself by going to write in LA and Nashville, and how this helped her to develop her confidence and work through writer’s block.
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Singer-songwriter David Gray chats about his beautiful new album Skellig, the social and political leanings that underpin his music, and classic songs from his monumental hit White Ladder. David also remembers the time he spent in Liverpool as a young man and explains how his current lifestyle challenges his creativity.
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Paul Smith and Duncan Lloyd of Maxïmo Park discuss their latest album Nature Always Wins and how they recorded the album remotely during lockdown. The pair provide an in-depth account of their creative process and how they strive to avoid clichés when writing about topics like childhood, parenting, ageing, and the social politics of tragedy.
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Like so much of Paul McCartney’s vast post-Beatles catalogue, it took those outside of his devoted fanbase quite some time to appreciate the eccentric brilliance of 1971’s RAM. For many, me included, it remains his greatest solo achievement. Actually credited to ‘Paul & Linda McCartney’ – making it unique in the Macca oeuvre – RAM sees Paul firing on all creative and musical cylinders; from the opening strains of ‘Too Many People’ to the triumphal fade of ‘The Back Seat of My Car’, he sounds buoyant, vital and – perhaps spurred on by the lukewarm response to his first solo effort, McCartney, released a year prior – determined to deliver the goods. And boy does he deliver the goods.
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Singer-songwriter and producer Róisín Murphy breaks down the creative processes behind her album Róisín Machine and explains how she develops tracks, lyrics and remixes across a range of electronic music styles. Róisín also talks about collaborators like Richard Barratt (DJ Parrot/Crooked Man) and Eddie Stevens, and her hits for Moloko created with Mark Brydon.
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One of our all-time favourite guests, singer-songwriter and producer Mike Viola returns to the podcast to discuss his fantastic new album Godmuffin. During the conversation, Mike explains how he makes time for creativity, how the past informs his present, and how he is coping with the loss of his friend Adam Schlesinger. Mike’s first appearance on the show was in episode 20.
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Distinguished songwriter and composer Nitin Sawhney shares insights into the writing of his latest album Immigrants, and its relationship to his acclaimed breakthrough Beyond Skin. During the chat, Nitin also talks about the poetry and mathematics of Indian classical music, collaborating with Paul McCartney, and how he has continued working during lockdown.
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Enduring Singer-songwriter Don McLean discusses the writing of songs from throughout his extraordinary career including ‘American Pie’, ‘Vincent’, ‘Wonderful Baby’, ‘The Legend of Andrew McCrew’, ‘Prime Time’, ‘Sea Man’ and ‘When July Comes’. In the conversation, Don teases out the importance of artists like Fred Astaire, Bob Dylan and The Beatles, and explains why he wants to write songs that are useful to people.
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The New Bohemians singer-songwriter joins Simon and Brian for a chat about the band’s excellent album Hunter and the Dog Star, her approach to lyrics and melody, and the music that inspired her. During the conversation, Edie also reflects on her time away from music, her work with Steve Martin, and a potential collaboration with her husband Paul Simon.
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Legendary R&B writer and Muscle Shoals figurehead Dan Penn discusses his recent album Living On Mercy and timeless classics like ‘The Dark End of the Street’, ‘Do Right Woman, Do Right Man’ and ‘I’m Your Puppet’. During the conversation, Dan talks about his time at FAME Studios, his collaborations with the likes of Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding, and why he’s not trying to tell his own story through his songs.
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In this special episode, legendary singer, songwriter and philanthropist Jon Bon Jovi joins Simon and Brian to discuss his recent album 2020, and his incredible hits through the years. During the conversation, Jon talks about writing topical songs, collaborating with people like Desmond Child and Dave Stewart, and why he keeps coming back to a guitar named Bob. If you enjoy this episode, be sure to check out the JBJ Soul Foundation which is dedicated to long-lasting solutions to hunger and homelessness.
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Singer-songwriter and producer Steven Wilson joins Sodajerker to discuss his terrific album The Future Bites, why he hates songwriting, and what it was like collaborating with Elton John. Steven also describes his work remixing classic albums and explains how he finds it important to divorce himself from his love for other artists in his own songwriting.
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Episode 295 – John FogertyAugust 22, 2025
Episode 294 – Finn WolfhardAugust 20, 2025
Episode 293 – Sharon Van EttenAugust 6, 2025
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