The Record Player – Details, episodes & analysis

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In picking her favorite album, author K.L. Doty let us know up front that she couldn't settle on just one -- something which we're all familiar with as music fans, right? So we talk about a lot of different music. But in regards to Disintegration by the Cure, specifically, she shared a thought that will land with many of us who have grown up (I guess that's all of us) and made our way out into the real world, which can maybe be the first real moment where you learn about things like compromise. Prior to the interview, K.L. told us the reason for her love of Disintegration comes back to this: "It reminds me of dreams and all the things I wanted as a child that I ultimately left to go chase."

Her story is an interesting one, because she's been chasing a lot of different things for a good amount of time. There's been both happiness and heartbreak -- that's life in a nutshell on some days -- but also, redemption and discovery. Her newest project found her spending the past few years helping former Great White vocalist Jack Russell put his memories on paper and her book was the result of the hours of conversations they had. The True Tale of Mista Bone: A Rock + Roll Narrative was released this summer and is an unvarnished look at Russell's life and career. Through Doty, Russell puts it all out on the table. We enjoyed talking with K.L. to learn about how the book came together, but also, we spoke about her general life journey that has brought her to this point and what's ahead. We hope you enjoy this conversation!

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You might know Brian Wecht as Ninja Brian. Or maybe you know him as Trey Magnifique. Perhaps, you just know him as Brian and that's fine too. Matt and Jeff were just thrilled to have him on the podcast to talk about Al Jarreau's mighty fine Breakin' Away album. But there were conditions. First, an impromptu 20 minute discussion about Kenny G. You'll see. Is there a Chicago reference followed by some scathing condemnation? You know there is.

As it happens, Brian, er, Trey Magnifique has a new holiday EP, Let it Blow, available now as you're listening to this. We talk about that and you should buy it and give Brian some of your hard-earned money that you were planning to spend on Christmas cookies. Was Jim Morrison on the receiving end? What does it all mean? I guess it means that we had a really fun and extremely random conversation with Brian that covers a lot of different topics. Which frankly, it feels like that's exactly what needed to happen.

Our thanks to Brian for spending time talking tunes with us. We look forward to having him back on the podcast soon! Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, but also follow him on BlueSky. You know he has a podcast, right? It's called Leighton Night and you can listen here.

P.S. This episode has some filthy language. You kind of expected that, didn't you?

P.S.S. Jeff and Matt are on BlueSky as well.

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Our latest Bonus Track features a great conversation with the legendary Leland Sklar and director Denny Tedesco regarding his film, The Immediate Family. That's right, someone finally made a movie about Lee Sklar, Danny Kortchmar, Waddy Wachtel and Russ Kunkel. If you're a liner notes nerd, you know those names!

Here's one example:

Jackson Browne's Running on Empty album was one where the music fans got to be part of the process. Because it was recorded live on stage in concert -- and at other points along the touring trail, backstage, in hotel rooms and even on the tour bus - it was a unique and often chaotic experience for those involved in the recording.

As Sklar told me, Running on Empty was unlike anything he had ever been a part of. While bands and artists are very used to the uncomfortable nature of playing new material in front of an audience that's just there to hear the hits, Running on Empty captured moments with Browne and the band where they were playing new songs that the audiences hadn't even had a chance to get on an album yet, because they hadn't been recorded.

For Sklar, it was just one experience of many songs and albums that he's played on across the decades. While he's worked with countless names, there were a few that kept coming up -- guitarist Waddy Wachtel, guitarist Danny Kortchmar and drummer Russ Kunkel. The four became known as The Section, the '70s heir apparent to The Wrecking Crew of the '60s. Collectively and often together, they've played on thousands of albums.

In more recent years, they've acquired a new moniker, one which fits well with their connection to the legendary albums they played on by Warren Zevon, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, Don Henley and many others -- The Immediate Family. Adding vocalist Steve Postell to their ranks, they've put out several albums.

But it was Tedesco who decided to tell the story of the guys, through the words of their famous employers and associates. He's well-suited for the task, having put out a film about The Wrecking Crew, the group of session musicians that featured his father, guitarist Tommy Tedesco. He saw the natural throughline that connected that collective with what Kortchmar, Wachtel, Sklar and Kunkel continued with the Section.

The Immediate Family is a fascinating journey, one which weaves together valuable history as recounted by those who were there. The film was recently released on DVD and Blu-ray and continues to screen nationally. You can find further details at immediatefamilyfilm.com.

I loved chatting with Denny and Lee -- and it was exciting to hear some details from Denny about his next project, a movie about Wolfman Jack that's currently in process! Can't wait!

P.S. I mention it during the episode, but here's a direct link to Leland's YouTube channel.

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Jackyl's Jesse James Dupree is with Matt to discuss his upcoming appearance as one of the experts on The Booze, Bets and Sex That Built America, the new series that premieres Sunday night (06/12/22) at 8pm Eastern on The History Channel.

We also talk about the new Jackyl song, "Get All Up in It (Another Round of Mother Funker)." Watch the music video here.

Jesse shares additional Jackyl news, an Aerosmith story and reflects on the inspiration he took from Metallica. Our thanks to Jesse for the time as always.

Follow us on Twitter @RecordPlayerPod and if you enjoy these episodes, consider joining our Patreon! We appreciate the support!

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Author and journalist Mitchell Cohen joins Jeff and Matt to discuss Willie Nile's 1980 self-titled debut on Arista Records. The Buffalo, N.Y. singer-songwriter has enjoyed a long career that has been especially prolific in the last decade. Mitchell helps us trace the early days of Nile's career and how it all began.

We also discuss Mitchell's new book, Looking for the Magic: New York City, the '70s and the Rise of Arista Records, which is a fascinating read covering the birth of the label and its initial history as an independent venture. Along the way, we dig into a few additional chapters of Cohen's A&R career including his experiences with Savage Garden and he shares his thoughts on Milli Vanilli.

You can find the show notes for this episode right here.

If you enjoy the Record Player, consider joining our Patreon and become a member of the Record Club. You'll receive additional bonus content related to these episodes as well as early access to the shows as we record them. We appreciate your support!

Visit @RecordPlayerPod on Twitter and find our complete episode archive here. Thanks for listening!

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Howard Jones joins Jeff and Matt to discuss the 30th anniversary of his album, In the Running. It was his fifth release and marked a departure from his signature synth-driven style. There was a vulnerability to both the sound and the songwriting which made the record a really engaging listen. To date, it's probably one of his most underrated releases, so it was a pleasure to get a chance to discuss it with Howard.

We also dig into the stories regarding Dialogue, his newest album, which will be released in September. Dialogue is the third album in a planned four album series and Jones tells us about how the series of work developed and has evolved.

Howard Jones will be on the road this summer beginning in June for a series of concerts with Midge Ure. Both artists are touring with a band and this is a bill not to be missed. Visit Howard's website for details on both the tour and the new album.

If you enjoy this podcast, please consider joining our Record Club on Patreon to support what we do. We greatly appreciate it!

You can follow us on Twitter @RecordPlayerPod.

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It's been a minute since Jeff and Matt have gotten together for a Cassingle. With a holiday weekend looming, it was good to get together and discuss a busy week of new releases. Bruce Hornsby, Def Leppard, Wilco and others have new albums out. Top Gun: Maverick is in the theaters and the fourth season of Stranger Things has just been released.

Find the show notes for this episode right here.

If you enjoy this podcast, consider joining our Patreon. Become a member of the Record Club and receive early access to episodes as they are recorded, bonus content related to the shows and lots more. We appreciate your support!

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Singer-songwriter Bill Deasy joins Jeff and Matt to discuss Jackson Browne's third album, 1974's Late for the Sky. The discussion leads to the songwriting muse, how long to spend on a song before moving on and how Bill's own writing has changed.

We also dig into the details behind If The Creek Don't Rise, the latest solo release from Bill. He discusses his past work with the Gathering Field, meeting Michael Stanley and co-writing with a wide range of artists including Maia Sharp, Kim Richey, Howard Jones, Jane Wiedlin and more. You can hear a sample of material from Bill's album at the end of the episode.

Show notes for this episode can be found here.

Find us on Twitter @RecordPlayerPod and if you enjoy what you hear here, please support this podcast by joining our Patreon for additional bonus content and interviews related to these episodes. We appreciate your support!

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Today's Bonus Track features a trio of short conversations. First, Kelly Carlin joins Matt to discuss George Carlin's American Dream, the new documentary from Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio which premieres this weekend in two parts on HBO Max beginning on Friday, May 21.

'80s rocker Corey Hart shares the stage with the Go-Go's, Soft Cell and Charli XCX as part of a special virtual concert happening on June 23 presented by Doritos and Stranger Things.

Finally, we spoke with Triumph's Rik Emmett briefly to discuss the new documentary, Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine, which has a special limited streaming engagement on Nugs.net through May 31.

If you enjoy our podcast, please consider supporting our Patreon and becoming a member of the Record Club. We greatly appreciate your support!

The Record Player is on Twitter @RecordPlayerPod

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In his early days as a singer-songwriter, Dan Miraldi met Matt. While the wise thing would have been to run away screaming, Dan did one better than that -- he moved to New York City. But in the years since that initial meeting, Dan and Matt continued to cross paths occasionally and one thing that was always consistent was that they were guaranteed to spend some time nerding out about music.

Today, we continue that tradition, digging deep into Dan's latest album, Radio Friendly Darling. But we also discuss a wide variety of additional subjects, from Ben Kweller and Radish to KISS. It was a blast speaking with him and hopefully you'll enjoy our chat.

We reference a lot of different things and you'll find links to many of them in the show notes.

Dan has shows coming up soon in both Cleveland and the New York area. Visit his website for all of the details.

If you enjoy The Record Player, please consider supporting our Patreon by joining our Record Club. We appreciate it!

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