The wonderful Sean O’Hagan joins us to chat about the new High Llamas record Hey Panda, and his songwriting process. The acclaimed artist, producer, and arranger explores a wealth of topics including his formative work in beloved Irish band Microdisney, writing about his own life and experiences, and his insatiable appetite for new music.
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Gossip’s Beth Ditto and Nathan ‘Brace Paine’ Howdeshell discuss the creative process behind their excellent new record Real Power. The pair reflect on their near telepathic musical relationship, the ethereal mysteries of songwriting, and collaborating with the great Rick Rubin.
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Brittany Howard talks with Simon and Brian about her arresting new record What Now and how she approaches songwriting. The singer and guitarist discusses taking risks in the studio, experimenting with rhythm, and her encounters with the legendary Prince.
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Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney join Sodajerker to discuss their fantastic new record Little Rope and their songwriting process. The influential duo talk about song structure and arranging, their strange guitar tunings, and collaborating with producers like John Congleton and Annie Clark.
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Singer-songwriter and producer Bill Ryder-Jones joins Sodajerker from his West Kirby studio to discuss his new record Iechyd Da, and his creative process. The Merseyside-based artist also talks about collaborating with the likes of Mick Head, taking lyrical inspiration from TV’s Eurotrash, and writing bad songs in his sleep.
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Leslie Feist joins Simon and Brian to discuss her songwriting process and recent record Multitudes. The award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter talks about taking part in a ‘Song-A-Day’ challenge, bypassing judgement when writing, and how she has developed songs through live performance.
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Thomas Walsh of Pugwash and The Duckworth Lewis Method joins Sodajerker to discuss his new album The Rest is History and his songwriting process. In this in-depth conversation, the Irish power pop legend talks about his origins in music, his collaborations with The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon, and his reverence for his musical heroes like Michael Penn and Jeff Lynne.
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We’re delighted to announce that Sodajerker On Songwriting won Best Music Podcast at the Independent Podcast Awards in London on Monday 30th October, 2023.
It has been a tremendous privilege to make the show for the last 12 years, so we offer our sincerest thanks to the organisers and the judging panel for the recognition. Heartiest congrats also to the other winners and nominees. It’s an honour to fly the indie pod flag with you all. ❤️
Simon & Brian
Eric Cantona joins Simon and Brian to discuss his new EP I’ll Make My Own Heaven, and his songwriting process. The actor, artist and former footballer talks about his need to express himself, using mistakes to create better moments, and how to rely on instinct.
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Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips chats with Simon and Brian about the band’s classic album Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots and his songwriting process. The veteran artist talks about the writing of beloved tracks like ‘Do You Realize??’, working intuitively, and responding with pure emotion to song ideas.
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Kevin Rowland joins Simon and Brian to discuss his creative process and the writing of the new Dexys record The Feminine Divine. The acclaimed singer and songwriter talks about where inspiration comes from, the importance of trust when co-writing, and why he likes to write notes on his lyric sheets.
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Simon and Brian are joined by beloved singer-songwriter Stephen Duffy to discuss writing the new Lilac Time record Dance Till All The Stars Come Down and much more besides. Stephen touches on a range of subjects including the influence of W. H. Auden, how therapy changed his writing style, and his collaborations with artists like Steven Page and Robbie Williams.
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Episode 299 – Labi SiffreOctober 12, 2025
Episode 298 – Mike ViolaOctober 4, 2025
Episode 297 – Graham NashSeptember 26, 2025
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