#021 Six Questions with Jason Thompson

#026 Six Questions With Jon Carroll

Jon Carroll [https://joncarroll.org/] is the sort of guy who lights up a room. Sure, he’s a world class piano player, singer, and arranger. He’s been a long-time musical collaborator with Mary Chapin Carpenter’s touring outfit. You might even know him as a founding member of the Starland Vocal Band. Despite his talent and experience, the first thing you notice about Jon is his ebullient persona. Jon is a born storyteller, and when two talkers such as he and I collide, you can be sure it’ll be a lengthy conversation. As much as we tried to stick with the five minute limit, it was too hard to contain Jon to just a half an hour for his myriad thoughts and ideas. I promise you that every minute in this deep and delightful chat is worth the time. During these six queries on film, Jon and I cover a massive amount of cinematic ground. We follow a terrifying Robert Mitchum through a black and white wilderness of terror. Jon takes us through the machinations of Paul Newman’s greatest performance, and winds us through the tender world of filmmaker, James L. Brooks. This is a wonderful conversation with one of my very favorite people to talk to. Here now are me, Jon Carroll and six questions about cinema. Let’s get into it. Cheers, Matty C - - - - - - - - End Credits Thank you so much to Jon for joining me. You can find out all about him and his work at https://joncarroll.org [https://joncarroll.org] Six Questions With Matty C is a production of What Am I Making. The show is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C.  Our theme music was written by the great Pete Coe. You can subscribe to all of our work today at whatamimaking.substack.com [http://whatamimaking.substack.com].  Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com [http://whatamimaking.substack.com].  You can email the show us at whatamimakingblog@gmail.com [whatamimakingblog@gmail.com]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking [http://speakpipe.com/whatamimaking] Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe [https://whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

#025 Six Questions With Barry Hummel

This week, I welcome back my old friend and frequent What Am I Making guest Barry Hummel [https://substack.com/profile/101088563-barry-hummel] for a sextet of musical conundrums. Barry is, of course, one half of the great Pops on Hops [https://popsonhopspod.substack.com] podcast, where he and his daughter Abigail discuss music and beer and so much more. In addition to Barry’s terrific work at Pops On Hops, he has also recently taken to writing on Substack about the world at Pops On Hops and covering his exploits as a long distance runner. During our half dozen queries, Barry and I cover his childhood episode with mumps and the adjacent musical memories that are entwined with that time in his life. We take a trip to the most famous rooftop show in the history of rock music and Barry shares how he was awakened to the realities of race in America with the help of a young female singer/songwriter. Barry shares his connection with a terrific North Carolina band that he wished had garnered a larger audience in their day, and then regales us with an emotional tale of seeing one of the biggest bands of all time during a time of national mourning. We then wrap things up very near where we began as we discussed the musical catalog that would be the last to leave Barry’s record collection. This episode is rather special as Barry and I were able to record it together in person at an event we were both attending in Las Vegas back in April. We recorded the episode on the patio of a restaurant, so the audio may sound a tad different than our usual episode, but the quality is still quite good for a location recording. So, here we are together again, this time in-person. It’s me and the great Barry Hummel with six questions. Let’s get into it. Cheers, Matty C - - - - - - - - End CreditsThank you so much to Barry for joining me. You can find out all about him and his work at https://popsonhopspod.substack.com/ [https://popsonhopspod.substack.com/] Six Questions With Matty C is a production of What Am I Making. The show is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C.  Our theme music was written by the great Pete Coe. You can subscribe to all of our work today at whatamimaking.substack.com [http://whatamimaking.substack.com].  Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com [http://whatamimaking.substack.com].  You can email the show us at whatamimakingblog@gmail.com [whatamimakingblog@gmail.com]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking [http://speakpipe.com/whatamimaking] Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe [https://whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

#024: Six Questions With S.W. Lauden

Remember The Lightning [https://rememberthelightning.substack.com/] is a love letter to guitar pop. Its author and our guest, S.W. Lauden [https://open.substack.com/users/1333108-sw-lauden?utm_source=mentions], has been firmly in the grasp of rock and roll since he can firstremember. S.W. has truly lived a life in rock trenches and lived to tell the tale. He’s not only spent a life writing about rock and roll, he played drums in one time major label darlings, Tsar [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2Jx7jww5wU], as well as in his current band The Brothers Steve [https://bigstirrecords.com/the-brothers-steve]. Lauden’s writing on music has been a lifelong love affair culminating in several non-fiction books [https://www.amazon.com/stores/S.W.-Lauden/author/B01320CTOE?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true] on the subject, and with a series of punk rock detective novels [https://www.amazon.com/stores/S.W.-Lauden/author/B01320CTOE?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true] featuring musical PI, Greg Salem. S.W. has even collected the best writing from his Substack along with several guest contributors for an annual pair of physical books on the subject of guitar pop and its various iterations and purveyors. On today’s episode of Six Questions, S.W. and I pored through a half dozen musical conundrums, covering his earliest home recordings, a mercurial English mastermind, the overwhelming impact of one particularly raucous band from the midwest and so much more. Please note that there are some audio imperfections in this particular episode. You’ll likely notice a slight hum during much of my chat with S.W., and the recording quality of my mic is not its usual pristine clarity. My apologies for the digital garble, but it shouldn’t prevent you from enjoying the chat. Let’s get into it. Cheers,Matty C Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe [https://whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

#023 Six Questions with Bill Boyle

On this week’s episode of Six Questions with Matty C, I welcome in my friend and previous WAIM pod guest Bill Boyle into the Sheddio for six sonic riddles. I first got to know Bill Boyle from his insights and analysis at Stand Up with Pete Dominick [https://standupwithpete.com/]. While Bill’s day job is owning and running a series of parking garages around the DC Metro area, his real genius is breaking down complex information into discernible chunks. I have learned as much from him about the war in Ukraine as I have from any single news outlet. Bill is not a journalist, and would never promote himself as such, but he has an insatiable curiosity about the world around him. He’s incredibly well read, well researched, and well traveled. He has also had the good fortune not only to see much of the world, but he also possesses the curiosity and background to genuinely understand the stories behind that travel. During our six musical queries, Bill covers a great deal of ground from a broken nose in a college cafeteria to a Cambodian rock legend, and a ton of sonic territory in between. We start things off with a bit of roving discussion before jumping into the six questions. I decided to keep the entire chat because it actually does a wonderful job setting up the meat of the conversation. So, enjoy this rather inflated installment of Six Questions with me and Bill Boyle. Let’s get into it. Cheers,Matty C ------------------------ End CreditsThank you so much to Bill for joining me. You can listen to his first appearance on the WAIM pod at https://whatamimaking.substack.com/p/what-am-i-making-017-travel-talk?utm_source=publication-search [https://whatamimaking.substack.com/p/what-am-i-making-017-travel-talk?utm_source=publication-search] Six Questions With Matty C is a production of What Am I Making. The show is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C.  Our theme music was written by the great Pete Coe. You can subscribe to all of our work today at whatamimaking.substack.com [http://whatamimaking.substack.com].  Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com [http://whatamimaking.substack.com].  You can email the show us at whatamimakingblog@gmail.com [whatamimakingblog@gmail.com]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking [http://speakpipe.com/whatamimaking] Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe [https://whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

#022 Six Questions with Robert C. Gilbert

On this week’s episode of Six Questions with Matty C, I welcome in music writer and Substacker, Robert C. Gilbert [https://www.listeningsessions.ca/] for a half dozen sonic queries. Robert kicks us off with a trip back to one of the true origin points in the history of rock and roll. We talk about an icon whose legacy has often overshadowed his actual work, and we explore the dark, mysterious power of first wave rock and roll in the mind of a youngster. We travel on to New York in our next query for a legendary concert that happened in February of 1964, just down the street from where the Beatles were making their famed appearance at Carnegie Hall. In our third query, we take a deep dive into the life and work of a musical mastermind that Robert describes as someone who makes art that makes the audience more empathetic. Question four finds us exploring the work of a misunderstood and often overlooked singer/songwriter with a powerful, singular voice. There is talk of a 2011 show featuring one of Robert’s lifetime idols playing in his home city. That concert even ended with something of a personal interaction with the artist for Robert, and led to a night he will remember forever. And we wrap things up in the same spot where we began as Robert’s listening habits come full circle. Here now are me and Robert C. Gilbert with Six Questions. Let’s get into it. Cheers,Matty C ---------------- End Credits Thank you so much to Robert for joining me. You can find his terrific Substack, Listening Sessions at https://www.listeningsessions.ca/ [https://www.listeningsessions.ca/] Six Questions With Matty C is a production of What Am I Making. The show is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C.  Our theme music was written by the great Pete Coe. You can subscribe to all of our work today at whatamimaking.substack.com [http://whatamimaking.substack.com].  Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com [http://whatamimaking.substack.com].  You can email the show us at whatamimakingblog@gmail.com [whatamimakingblog@gmail.com]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking [http://speakpipe.com/whatamimaking] Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe [https://whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]