That's How I Remember It

Robyn Hitchcock is my best on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. Robyn has a great new book out called Stranded in the Future, which details his life in the years between 1968 and 1978. He also has an excellent new record The Confuser, which is his 25th solo record. We talked about all of that as well as his ability to remember birthdays, astrology, writing hungover, Trout Mask Replica, see...

Mike Campbell is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. Mike is the legendary Heartbreakers guitar player who stood beside Tom Petty for decades, and he’s also played with many other rock giants - Bob Dylan, George Harrison, more. His book last year Heartbreaker is possibly the best book I’ve ever read on band dynamics, and he’s just released a cool new record with his band The Dirt...

WILL JOHNSON is my guest on this week’s episode of That’s How I Remember It, and it’s a special one to me. I love Will as a friend and an artist. I’ve said as much in the new book “Patience For The Ride”, which features essays about the man and his music from illustrious folks like Patterson Hood, Jim James, and Jason Isbell. For the past few years he’s been a member of The 400 Unit and also front...

Charlotte Cornfield is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. Charlotte first came on my radar through her great 2023 record Could Have Done Anything, which I wore out after millions of listens. She’s back with another great one, Hurts Like Hell. We talked about making that record as well as her great memory for show dates, songs about sandwiches, Rush, studio memories, and making J...

Joshua Ray Walker is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. Joshua is a great singer-songwriter from Dallas, Texas, and in 2023, he was diagnosed with cancer. He was told at one point that his situation was dire. So, he went to work. He is now cancer-free, but has put out three records in a twelve-month period, which he calls “The Cancer Trilogy.” We talked about the most recent rel...

Kevin Drew from Broken Social Scene is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. I met Kevin years ago at some festivals our bands played together, and have always really enjoyed speaking with him, so I was thrilled to have him on the show. We talked about the great new BSS record as well as AC/DC, losing a parent, Rosie Grier, not having children, Dinosaur Jr., and the Broken Social S...

José González is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. José is a fantastic guitarist and songwriter who just released a great new record Against The Dying of Light. We talked about his prior studies in biochemistry, pushing away intrusive thoughts when playing live, his roots in punk and hardcore, Quicksand, Richard Dawkins and ending on a hopeful note. Really great conversation, w...

Buck Meek is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. Buck is, of course, a member of the incredible Big Thief band. He also makes excellent solo records including the recently released one titled The Mirror. We talked about making that record as well as sense memory, feedback loops, icehouses, influential guitar teachers, the connection between grief and love, and trusting songs. Thi...

Julia Steiner from the band Ratboys is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. Ratboys originated in the dorms at the University of Notre Dame and have put out six albums since forming in 2010. This year's release, Singin’ to an Empty Chair, is an absolutely fantastic rock record, and we talked about making that as well as watching Super Bowls as a band, having a personal stake in yo...

Milo Aukerman from the Descendents is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. In summer 1987, I went to a Descendents show at First Ave in Minneapolis for what was to be the band’s final tour. Halfway through the show, the band announced they were recording a live album. That album became the classic Liveage! record, in my mind an all time great live record. Milo and I talked about t...

Courtney Marie Andrews is my guest on the first That’s How I Remember It of 2026. Courtney is a great songwriter, poet, painter - a true artist who does a lot of things. We talked about love and grief on her great new record Valentine as well as light affecting memory, Marin County, the musical Annie, playing covers, Warren Zevon’s Preludes, and poetry vs. songs. Really enjoyed this and happy to b...

For Those I Love is a project by Irish artist David Balfe, and he is the guest on this week's episode of That’s How I Remember It. I first became acquainted with David from his self-titled 2021 record that went on to win the prestigious Choice Music Prize for "Irish Album of the Year." He’s back with another great record called Carving the Stone and we talked about both LPs as well as recording co...

Rhett Miller is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. The Old 97s frontman has a cool new solo record A Lifetime of Riding by Night, which came out in October. We talked about that as well as remembering lyrics, teaching songwriting, persistence, The Kingston Trio, vocal surgery, Strangeways Here We Come, chain wallets, our mutual trip to Joshua Tree in 2012 and the time we met at...

Ryan Miller of Guster is the guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. We recorded it live this past August at One Longfellow Square in Portland, Maine as part of Guster’s very inspiring On the Ocean Festival. It was an amazing day and great to sit down with Ryan and talk about the last Guster record Ooh La La, The Scorpion’s “Still Loving You”, high school bands, writing songs on new ins...

Dave Hause is the guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. I first met Dave as a member of the band The Loved Ones, and we went on an epic tour of the States in 2008 together. Since then, he’s made a bunch of solo records, including the very excellent Dave Hause and the Mermaid LP, which came out in September. We talked about the new record as well as The Hooters, Billy Joel’s “Angry You...

This November, I'm going out on tour with my friend Patterson Hood. We're calling it the Devil in the Details tour, and we're gonna be appearing on the same stage at the same time playing our songs with one auxiliary musician, a guy named Ben Hackett. This tour is gonna be magical, and I'm already excited about it. In fact, I'm so excited about it that I decided to dig into the vaults and re-air t...

Conor Oberst is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. I’m very excited about that because I’m a huge fan. I talked to the BRIGHT EYES songwriter about his excellent last record Five Dice, All Threes as well as Don McLean’s "American Pie," La Bamba the movie, 120 Minutes, Billy Joel, signing to Grass Records as a high school student, his creative relationship with Alex Orange Drink,...

Matt Berninger from The National is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. Matt checked in from a tour bus at the End of the Road festival in the UK and we talked about his great solo record Get Sunk, lyric monitors, Rizzo from Grease, roller skating, hotel bars, reading novels to plot your future, memory as fantasy and collage, writing about childhood, early 2000s NYC, and Nabokov...

Dan Wriggins from the band Friendship is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. I’ve been a big fan of Dan’s band and his writing for the last few years, and I think I’ve listened to the new Friendship record Caveman Wakes Up more than anything else this year. We talked about this great record as well as basement shows, Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War,” Dave Eggers movies, writing in As...

Margaret Cho is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. Margaret is, of course, a comedy legend, but she’s so much more - a writer, an actor, a singer/songwriter, etc. I met her over a decade ago at a tribute to Bob Mould out in LA, and I was thrilled that we reconnected on this episode. We talked about Lucky Gift, her record from last year, as well as Benzodiazepines, perfume memori...

Nick Carpenter makes music as Medium Build and he is my guest on this week’s That’s How I Remember It. In 2024, he released a great record called Country, and we talked about that as well as memorizing lyrics, Crocs, “Renegade” by Styx, Alaska, being obsessed by geography, dreaming about Marc Maron, Lou Vega’s “Mambo No. 5,” and missed connection ads being like songs. I had a great time talking to...

Chuck Cleaver and Lisa Walker, the principal songwriters in the band Wussy are my guests on this episode. It was recorded live in June in front of a great audience at Club 603 in Baltimore. Wussy put out a fantastic record called Cincinnati, Ohio last year which dealt a lot with losing their bandmate John Erhardt. We talked about that as well as the TV show Mannix, Celine Dion’s Stevie Wonder cove...

Jeff and Steven MacDonald from Redd Kross are my guests on this episode of That’s How I Remember It, and I couldn’t be more psyched. These brothers are the subject of a fantastic recent book, an amazing documentary film, and they put out a great double record last year. I’ve been obsessed with them going back to the 80s, and we talk about that here. We also talk about them trading VHS tapes with Q...

Ezra Furman is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. I’ve been a massive fan since I heard her 2013 release Day of the Dog, and her new record Goodbye Small Head might be her best yet. We talked about that as well as music taking the place of religion, rituals, The Waterboys, community, the top ten hits of 1961, early songwriting attempts, memory from a trans perspective, and so mu...

The case of Evan and Chris, best friends who love playing music together. But after the band suffers a terrible tragedy, they find themselves unable to regain their momentum. We pair them up with another musician who’s all too familiar with the neverending drama that comes with being in a band with friends.  From the episode:  Listen to The Superweaks and the single "Blindside" from their new reco...