Talkhouse Podcast

On this week's Talkhouse episode we’ve got four guys who have tons in common—including lots of soundtrack work— but who, surprisingly, hadn’t met before. It’s Son Lux and Dan Deacon. Son Lux started out as the solo electronic project of Ryan Lott back in 2008, but by 2015 he’d been joined by fellow travelers Ian Chang and Rafiq Bhatia, expanding the group’s sound into something reviewers loved to...

On the latest episode of Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That, Nick Dawson sits down with actress and writer Kathryn Grody, who previously appeared on the podcast with her husband, Mandy Patinkin. In a wide-ranging, funny and sometimes emotional conversation timed to a new run of Grody’s new one-woman show The Unexpected 3rd, Grody talks about: the joys of wandering, a very memorable biking vacation throug...

Bloomberg journalist Ashley Carman sits down with Jad Abumrad (Fela Kuti: Fear No Man, Dolly Parton's America, Radiolab) for a career-spanning conversation. Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠. Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more. Sign up for our newsletter. Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Threads...

On the latest episode of Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That, Nick Dawson sits down with popular comedian and actor Jaboukie Young-White, who is currently starring in the romantic comedy The Love Hypothesis. In a very funny and wide-ranging conversation, Young-White opens up about a diverse array of topics, including the French cultural quirk that he recently became addicted to, his wild dream about dung...

This week’s Talkhouse episode is a special deep dive for me, as it features two bands whose records from the ‘90s I was super into, talking about a really important record label, their various successes and failures, the steamroller of a bigger band called Oasis, and much more. It’s Mark Gardener and Pete Fij. Mark Gardener was—and is, in fact—one of the two singer-guitarists for the band Ride, wh...

On the first episode of the new season of Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That, Nick Dawson sits down with the hugely gifted actress Vicky Krieps, who is currently starring in Ryan Murphy’s Netflix true crime series Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story. In a fascinating conversation largely focused on Krieps’ unique perspective on life and the world, she talk about the restorative value of time in the wilds wi...

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast we’re doubling the usual number of speakers for a two-on-two battle of wits between Joe and Greg of the band Protomartyr and Jeremy and Brohan of Kiwi Jr. They are all pals, and there was sass exchanged. Protomartyr is a Detroit band that’s been around for about 15 years, sharpening their literate post-punk attacks over the course of seven great albums—a number tha...

On this week's Talkhouse Podcast we’ve got two guys who stepped away from their bigger bands and made an incredible record together 10 years ago. The occasion for this conversation isn’t just that album’s anniversary, but also the announcement of the duo’s first real tour behind it later this year. It’s Hamilton Leithauser and Rostam. In 2016, when I Had A Dream That You Were Mine was released, Le...

On this week’s short but sweet Talkhouse episode—I might even call it a mini-sode—we’ve got a couple of guys at interesting points in their interesting careers. Both have been flirtatious with the mainstream, but not exactly in it. It’s Jakob Nowell and Yelawolf.  Jakob Nowell was still an infant when his dad, Bradley Nowell, died at just 28. Bradley was the frontman for the Southern Californ...

On this week’s episode, we’ve got a pair of absolute legends and friends who’ve both been on the show before, but never together. It’s Ben Gibbard and Bob Mould. I’m not sure if either of these guys needs an introduction at this point, but here goes. Ben Gibbard is the singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter for the band Death Cab For Cutie, with whom he’s been making thoughtful, gorgeous, heart...

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast, we’ve got a pair of fantastic music makers who also happen to be… women in music. That’s their joke, not mine—you’ll hear. It’s Johanna Samuels and Madison Cunningham. Though she’s from New York, Johanna Samuels’ music has always had West Coast vibes—it makes perfect sense that she now calls Los Angeles home. Her latest album, Sorry, Kid, just came out, and it’s g...

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast, we’ve got two guys who might seem miles apart musically, but who are fans of each other’s work nonetheless. It’s Sondre Lerche and William Basinski. Lerche is the Norwegian pop master who’s released a ton of amazing records over the past couple of decades. He’s flirted with jazzy sounds and more straightforward chamber pop, and he’s also spent time doing soundtrac...

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast, we’ve got a pair of powerful songwriters—one you surely know, one you may not yet—who recently toured together, and who both have great new albums out. It’s Melissa Etheridge and Maggie Rose. I’ll try and fail to do justice to Melissa Etheridge’s incredible life and career in one short paragraph: She’s sold millions of records, written and performed massive hit so...

On the latest episode of Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That, Nick Dawson sits down with writer-director and actor Avalon Fast, a queer auteur whose excellent second feature, the lulling, fairytale-like Camp, hit theaters earlier this summer. In a fun and often surprising conversation, Fast opened up about ego death, musical imposter syndrome, exploring and mapping the dream world version of their childho...

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast, we’ve got a Talkhouse favorite in conversation with a guy who’s spent a lot of time behind the scenes on some incredible records. It’s M.C. Taylor and Josh Kaufman. Taylor has been making music under the curious name Hiss Golden Messenger for two decades now, and he’s amassed an incredible—and incredibly varied—catalog of music that’s never easy to pin down. There...

On the latest episode of Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That, Nick Dawson sits down with writer-director Nicolas Winding Refn, the cinematic iconoclast behind such movies as Drive and The Neon Demon, whose latest release, Her Private Hell, is in theaters now. In a fascinating and unique conversation, he touches on turning his dyslexia, color-blindness and other “untreated diagnoses” into creative advantag...

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast, we’ve got a great chat between two rockers whose bands tuck classic-sounding songs into punk-inspired packages: It’s Brian Fallon of the Gaslight Anthem and Greg Barnett of the Menzingers. The Menzingers are one of those bands that are sort of easy to take for granted: They’ve released a steady string of punk anthems for 20 years, and their songs are as reliable a...

On the latest episode of Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That, Nick Dawson sits down with Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay Goldstein, who are both the lead singers of the band July Talk and now the stars of the unconventional new romantic comedy Middle Life, which is in theaters from this Friday. In a thoughtful and very connected conversation, the two open up about generational trauma, loss, learning to trust...

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast we’ve got a couple of dynamic frontmen who’ve brought a ton of personality to rock and roll over the years: It’s Pelle Almqvist and James Smith.  Pelle Almqvist, aka Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist, is the singer for the Swedish band the Hives, who make garage rock, punk rock, or simply rock and roll, depending on who you’re talking to—that question comes up in this co...

On the latest episode of Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That, Nick Dawson sits down with the legendary writer-director Abel Ferrara, the filmmaker behind such iconic movies as Driller Killer, King of New York and Bad Lieutenant. In a conversation that’s candid and often profound, Ferrara opens up about bad acid trips, his fascination with writing code, his addiction to social media (including following pe...

This episode originally aired on June 26, 2026. Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠Summer Album / Winter Album⁠⁠. Tonight on Summer Album / Winter Album: Ritual de lo Habitual. 1990. Our special guest: Hamilton Leithauser of The Walkmen. Craig Finn is arguing Summer, Jody Avirgan is arguing Winter. Jody won the coin toss. He is presenting first. Weigh in and find lots more on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and cli...

On the latest episode Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That, Nick Dawson talks with Magnetic Fields frontman, Stephin Merrit, who was recently (and rightly!) named by the New York Times as one of the 30 greatest living songwriters. In a sprightly, wide-ranging conversation, the two discuss such divergent topics as Brian Wilson’s warning about caffeine and creativity, falling asleep at the movies, the hilari...

On the latest episode of Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That, Nick Dawson sits down with writer, director, actor and memoirist Desiree Akhavan, the Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning filmmaker behind such films as The Miseducation of Cameron Post and Appropriate Behavior. Over the course of a very connected and open conversation, Akhavan talks about her evocative first memory of learning to swim, writing h...

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast we’ve got a deep, enlightening conversation between two talented wordsmiths who also happen to be admirers of each other’s work: Mick Jenkins and Aja Monet. Mick Jenkins first found some notice a little over a decade ago with a mixtape called The Waters, a sophisticated, politically minded group of songs that sounded wiser than his years and got him tons of attenti...

On the latest episode of Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That, Nick Dawson sits down with comedian John Early, whose excellent debut feature as writer-director-star, Maddie’s Secret, is now in theaters. In an engrossing and very funny conversation, the two talk about one of the most unlikely anagrams of all time (and its deep resonance in Early’s life), the pros and cons of death by anvil, why Early’s shoe...