The Self Portrait Gospel :: Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

On this episode of The Self Portrait Gospel Podcast, we sit down with the wizard behind the flowing crimson curtains of all things Uknown Mortal Orchestra, Ruban Nielson, to talk about his favorite cult classic horror films and how the unique process and trailblazing approach to some of those classics from the 1980s have inspired him on his melodic journey from the group's monumental 2011 self titled debut to their most recent EP "CURSE." Over the years, Nielson has kept a humbling philosophy on how he deals with the sonic success, and overall reality of being in a band that has not only transcended the cultural confines of "indie rock," but continues to create, and establish, exciting new melodic methods to bring out the best within.

Having recently stepped into the wide and winding world of jam band culture and the tonal tenacity of the tape trading subculture that iconically came about during the Grateful Dead's radical reign on society, Nielson eagerly encourages fans to document UMO shows by using analog equipment such as film cameras, reel-to-reel machines, and other various tape recording instruments to not only capture the essence of the band live, but to be a part of something much bigger than the band istself.

On this terrifyingly spooky and melodically macabre episode-well, not actually that terrifying at all-of The Self Portrait Gospel Podcast, we had the wonderful privilege to sit with the great Cass McCombs to discuss his brilliant new effort, "Interior Live Oak," and other atmospheric anecdotes such as how West Coast skateboard culture adopted him, made him one of the thier own, his late friend and musician Travis Graves (Mt. Egypt), recording the labum on both the West and East Coast, his cosmic connection with songstress Chris Cohen, life on the road, the importance of music overall, and much more.

Jack Cooper is one of those musicians you follow no matter the artistic anatomy of the individual's journey into the universally unknown. His atmospheric approach is organic and built on the brilliance of his peers, while bravely bridging the gap between the contagious contents of the 1980s and 1990s soundscapes. From his time in Mazes, The Beep Seals, and everything he eagerly evaulated, and put all his poetic power into his latest outfit, Modern Nature. 

On this episode of The Self Portrait Gospel Podcast, we speak to Cooper about his rural upbringing in the UK, the influences of bands such as Oasis, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, to name a few, the critical conditions of the world, and our place in it, and eventually forming Modern Nature. Releasing a series of titles on Bella Union, Cooper has returned to the sonic stratosphere with perhaps the band's most epic effort yet, "The Heat Warps."

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From his homeland in New Zealand to the Big Apple, to Boston, where he formed one of the most influential bands, Galaxie 500, to the sophisticated sounds of Luna with his now wife Britta Phillips, Dean Wareham has accomplished so much in his forty-plus-year career. Settling in New York in the mid to late 1970s, the veteran musician caught some of the most anarchic acts of the decade, such as The Ramones, and Richard Hell and the Voidoids, before relocating to the city's sister scene in Boston to attend HU, where he met his future friends, and bandmates Naomi Yang, and Damon Krukowski, and the rest is, well you get the idea. 

With one foot forward, a swift wind of whispering words left in his wake, Wareham doesn't look back. His poetic prolificacy is pure, passionate, and personal, and nothing is more liberating than keeping the tonal truck running. For this season premiere of The Self Portrait Gospel Podcast, we're honored to have Wareham on to tell his sonic story, while simultaneously exploring the past, present, and future of music and melodic memory. We touch on our shared obsession with Dylan, his new album "That's The Price Of Loving Me," returning to his home in LA, and certain events that have taken place, the legacy of Galaxie 500/Luna, and much more.

In this episode of The Self Portrait Gospel Podcast, we wrap up the 7th season of the show with the wonderful oppurtunity to finally sit down with one of our harmonic heroes, the great Will Oldham of Bonnie "Prince" Billy. Someone who needs no introduction, Oldham has been on our hearts, and minds for many years as we spin a youthful yarn of memories and reflection on some of the world's greatest artists who are no longer with us, such as David Berman and Michael Hurley. Oldham breaks down his latest masterpiece "The Purple Bird," which was released earlier this year on No Quarter, as well as the back-to-back "High and High and Mighty," and the brilliant "Hear The Children Sing The Evidence" with fellow friends and musicians Nathan Salsburg and Tyler Trotter.

We prasie our mutual friend, and incredible inspiration Ryan Davis, Bill Callahan, and cover Willie Nelson's abstract approach to guitar playing at this stage in his career. Oldham remains one of the most intense and softly sophisticated songwriters of his generation, with a career that has challenged the mind, body, and soul in ways that still stir the evidence of something extraterrestrial. We couldn't be more honored to occupy the same frame in history as him, and so many others out there doing brilliant work. 

In this episode of The Self Portrait Gospel Podcast, we speak with British-born, Chicago-based musician, producer, and all-around man of the times, James Elkington, a household name in Chicago's rich and complex music history. From his early days with the math rock outfit Elevate back in the UK to joining Thrill Jockey's long-running supergroup Brokeback, led by the legendary Douglas McCombs of Tortoise, Elkington has navigated a challenging landscape of hard work, unwavering dedication, and a keen eagerness to learn and explore the endless possibilities found in music's melodic memory bank.

With a solo career steeped in radical descents into the poetic psyche, Elkington's atmospheric ability to evoke both the past and present is showcased in release such as "Ever-Roving Eye," "Me Either," and 2025's "Pastel De Nada." Reflecting critical changes in today's music, art, and culture, Elkington discusses the contrast between writing and recording his music versus producing others, generational gestures from one person to another, the Golden Era of 1980s culture, future works, and much more..

"GWW, "A Life Of Scare," The New Man, and much more"

Just like our little operation, Evan Laffer and Ian Grant first launched their podcast, Jokermen, during the paralyzing pandemic to not only shed lyrical light and spin an endless yarn on the liberating legends that stand as their subjects but to find perfect peace and creature comfort in their harmonious heroes during one of the most horrendous times in contemporary history. Revealing the melodic meditation and stunning zeitgeist of some of the greatest minds in music, art, and cosmic culture, from The Beach Boys to Lou Reed, Van Morrison, Randy Newman and, or course, our subliminal soothsayet and sonic savior, Bob Dylan, Laffer, and Grant have provoked the ultimate unity by focusing on these legends in a way that is both tasteful and wildly addicting. 

Laffer, who is also a poet, first found soalce in Dylan's work some years back and has since dedicated a great deal of his life, time, and radical research to the complex chameleon and his ever-changing landscape of lyrical liberation and esoteric energy. While this episode acts as a meeting of the minds of two people who are indefinitely obsessed with the "Great White Wonder," it will also mostly likely provoke a series of creative conversations and "Dylanistic" digestion into the daring depths of society's subconscious without a lifeguard in sight. Join us as we begin to peel back these lysergic layers of history by introducing a more abstract approach to a world that hass been scoured by scholars, where a "Simple Twist Of A Fate" will take you much further in this life of tremendous twilight that you ever could have imagined. 

From the intimacy of Iranian culture and its historical heritage, New York-based musician and artist Rahill Jamalifard grew up in Michigan in a family who vauled music with great admiration. Having placed herself in the creative core of her community's music scene, Rahill fell in love with the land of Lou Reed on a simple trip to "The City Of Dreams" before deciding to move there indefinitely over a decade ago.

Influenced by her surroundings and their anciet teachings, Rahill pulled from the great Brion Gysin and his Dream Machine while effortlessly embodying the city's atmosphere and befriending its poetic population. While occupying a gig in the fashion industry, she began fronting bands such as Habibi and Roya before embarking on a wonderful solo career that has shapped her into a fierce force of soulful sound and a destination for melodic meditation. While a huge Spring tour supporting La Luz is on the horizon, Rahill has established an electrifying entry in music that will age gracefully as time progresses.

We're back after having lain dormant since our last episode back in December, and we're thrilled to announce our return to the streaming stratosphere with Susan Dietrich, known to many within the Outer Rim as The Space Lady. A colleague among the brave cosmos, Dietrich has lived many lives since first immersing herself in the disillusioned depths of creative culture in the 1960s. While busking under the sun and moon with poetic perserverance to evade the cruel draft of the Vietnam War alongside her partner, Dietrich's story is uniquely universal, filled with a wealth of inspiration, hardships, and melodic reflections that have carried her singing spirit to hell and back. Now in her early 70s, The Space Lady's legend has come full circle as she performs worldwide, driven by planetary performance and sonic storytelling.