Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Blondie, Billy Idol, The Police, Danny Elfman - All On My "The Story Behind The Song" Podcast (Which Celebrates 2 Years!)
I Interview These & Other Music Icons About Their Fascinating Stories In 28 Episodes
Two years ago, my “The Story Behind The Song” podcast series launched on the Consequence podcast network (Consequence reaches well over 10 million monthly). True to its name, my podcast features interviews with the most iconic artists of the past decades discussing the genesis of their most iconic songs - from moment of inspiration, to moment of vindication. What started with classic 80’ band Men At Work lead singer Colin Hay giving me the story behind his iconic song “Down Under” (i.e., how he woke up with the song in his head and laid it all out in 30 minutes), just led me to interviewing Stewart Copeland of The Police (discussing “Roxanne” and how he has come to realize that Sting is a “fucking genius” in an episode that goes live on July 17th).
28 episodes in all to date, ranging from interviews with some of the biggest bands of all time (Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Def Leppard) - to New Wave classics (Blondie, Billy Idol, Tears For Fears, Devo) - to big personalities (Rick Astley, Boy George, Danny Elfman, Shirley Manson of Garbage) - to some of my contemporary favorites (Silversun Pickups, Manchester Orchestra, Metric).
I’ve covered a lot of ground in these interviews that will frequently surprise you, and will ALWAYS fascinate and entertain. These are true artists discussing the stories behind many of the most iconic songs of the past 50 years, as well as their own personal journeys (including candid discussions of their highs and lows over the years). So many true artists on my list - and an endless string of other great music icons coming in the months ahead. So find them. Enjoy them. Rate them. Share them.
For me, these interviews of my music legends feed my soul - and are absolutely priceless. They are one of the things about which I am most proud in my overall passion fueled career. I’ve always loved music. And - somehow - I found a way to make music a central part of both my personal life - and my professional life.
Here’s the full episode list - all of which you can find for your own listening pleasure by searching for my “The Story Behind The Song” podcast on Apple, Spotify, and all other major podcast platforms. You can also watch them either on YouTube or on my podcast’s page on Consequence. Consider this my special treat for all of you to chill out (and tune out from 4th of July holiday activities if needed).
Episode 1: Colin Hay of Men At Work - “Down Under”
Episode 2: Gary Numan - “Cars”
Episode 3: Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac - “Tusk”
Episode 4: Roland Orzabal of Tears For Fears - “Mad World”
Episode 5: Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie - “Rapture”
Episode 6: Neil Finn of Crowded House - “Don’t Dream It’s Over”
Episode 7: John Doe of X - “Los Angeles”
Episode 8: Judy Collins - “Send In The Clowns”
Episode 9: Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra - “The Silence”
Episode 10: Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - “Home”
Episode 11: Rick Astley - “Never Gonna Give You Up”
Episode 12: John Linnell of They Might Be Giants - “Birdhouse In Your Soul”
Episode 13: Sheila E - “The Glamorous Life”
Episode 14: Shirley Manson of Garbage - “Only Happy When It Rains”
Episode 15: Lykke Li - “No Rest For The Wicked”
Episode 16: Alan Sanford and Jim Lindberg of Pennywise - BeachLife Ranch Festival
Episode 17: Brian Aubert and Nikki Monninger of Silversun Pickups - “Lazy Eye”
Episode 18: Emily Haines of Metric - “Help I’m Alive”
Episode 19: Buck Dharma of Blue Oyster Cult - (“Don’t Fear) The Reaper”
Episode 20: Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo - “Dead Man’s Party”
Episode 21: Billy Idol - “White Wedding”
Episode 22: Butch Vig (Producer of Nirvana) - “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
Episode 23: Mike Score of A Flock of Seagulls - “I Ran (So Far Away)”
Episode 24: Gerald Casale of Devo - “Whip It”
Episode 25: David Paich of Toto - “Africa”
Episode 26: Howard Jones - “New Song”
Episode 27: Joe Elliot of Def Leppard - “Pour Some Sugar On Me”
Episode 28: Nick Mason of Pink Floyd - “Time”
UPCOMING
July 2023: Stewart Copeland of The Police - “Roxanne”
August 2023: Boy George of Culture Club - “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me”
September 2023: Graham Russell of Air Supply - “I’m All Out Of Love”
So which one was my favorite interview? Probably Stewart Copeland or Boy George … but, don’t tell anyone!