The Hustle

It's a couple of straight shooters this week.  First up is punk legend John Doe. John's been exploring the intersection of punk and rockabilly for over 40 years now (X's 2020 album Alphabetland is an incredible return to form), but his solo career is often much quieter, more Americana. His new album, Fables in a Foreign Land is maybe his best yet. Here we discuss the Hispanic influence on parts of...

Guitarist Lenny Kaye has positioned himself as the ultimate tour guide through the history of rock and roll. Of course he's best known for being Patti Smith's enabler and co-conspirator, having been by her side since day one. He's also a producer helping artists like Suzanne Vega, James, Kristen Hersh and Soul Asylum find their best selves. He's a noted music historian, having curated the indispen...

When you think about music from the late 70s, chances are good you think about Leo Sayer. He practically owned that period with hits like "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing", "When I Need You" and "More Than I Can Say". Unfortunately, bad management robbed him of his career (and all his money) and he's had to build it all back up, which he's done successfully for decades. The last few years have been...

The Hustle turns seven this week and to celebrate we welcome Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and the "King of Rock" Darryl "DMC" McDaniels of Run-DMC! Darryl recently published a children's book called "Darryl's Dream" about an awkward kid with big glasses growing up in the hood with an interest in comic books and cartoons. That kid grew up to join forces with Run and Jam Master Jay and form Run-DMC,...

The new book by Graeme Thomson answers many of the questions Simple Minds fans have had for decades. In Themes For Great Cities, Thomson explains (with participation from almost all band members past and present) how their artistically challenging beginning gave rise to their commercial peak in the mid-80s. What were their influences, how were songs like "I Travel" and "Love Song" even constructed...

Guitarist Brinsley Schwarz, in his own little way, changed music. When his namesake band came on the scene in the early 70s, they popularized a sound (along with bands like Dr. Feelgood, Clover and Status Quo) that would forever be known as "Pub Rock". British bands emulating the American roots music they were hearing, while adding their own spin. After a few albums, the hyper talented Nick Lowe l...

This week is another two-fer! First up is the legend herself and one of the greatest voices in rock history, Heart's Ann Wilson! Ann and Nancy have been doing their own thing the last few years and Ann has a brand new solo album called Fierce Bliss coming out on the 29th. To me, it sounds the closest to the heavy rock sound of the 70s that Heart and their influences like Led Zeppelin and Bad Compa...

Imagine being one of the hottest tickets in Hollywood in the early 80s. The parties. The celebrities. The glitz and glam. The BusBoys lived that life for a while. As most people know, they were captured for eternity thanks to their appearance in the movie 48 Hours, which cemented a friendship with Eddie Murphy that continues to this day. Frontman Brian O'Neal and the guys are finally back with new...

This time Jon is joined by Hustle CMO Any Schaal to recap the last three month's of episodes. Lots of behind the scenes stories, what's working and what isn't, some parenting experiences, Jan's new podcast (!), recent concerts and more. Enjoy!  www.patreon.com/thehustlepod

Is Robin Guthrie one of the most influential guitarists ever? Going back to his days with the Cocteau Twins, up to his stellar solo work the last 25 years, his shimmering, reverb-heavy style pretty much kicked off the Shoegaze and Dream Pop movements. Not to mention, it inspired every bedroom player to mess with the pedals and knobs to find that perfect sound. Robin has spent the last couple decad...

Author Ben Wardle has pulled off what, until a few years ago, would have been impossible. He's written a brand new book detailing the life of the late great, and intensely private, Mark Hollis of Talk Talk. A Perfect Silence includes interviews with many people who worked closely with Mark and helps us get as close as possible to understanding the man who walked away from music (and public life) a...

Good ol' Dave Wakeling. Still out there keeping the flame of English Beat and General Public alive. Sadly, after the passing of his old buddy Ranking Roger three years ago, the mantle sits squarely on his shoulders. In this conversation (that's the best word for it) Dave and I discuss the ups and downs of his relationship with Roger, his approach to songwriting, his non-starting solo album, their...

Would Lady Gaga, Madonna and New Wave music in general be what they became without the stylistic influence of Dale Bozzio and the guys in Missing Persons? Not only did the band establish a template for the new wave sound with their debut album Spring Session M in 1982, but Dale otherworldly look married substance and style in a way that hadn't been done before. Dale writes about her wild life in h...

Almost exactly 30 years ago, Curtis Stigers had it all going for him. His first album is hitting big thanks to the song "I Wonder Why" climbing the charts, his cover of "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" is included on The Bodyguard soundtrack (famously making Nick Lowe a rich man) and he's working with legends like Carole King. But, after a few more years, Curtis makes the bo...

This week we're welcomed by rock royalty. Tim Finn is one of the most consequential artists of the last 50 years, especially for music lovers Down Under. As one of the founding members of Split Enz, he brought New Wave closer to the mainstream and pushed boundaries for others. Then his wonderful solo career, dalliances with Crowded House and collaborations with brother Neil as well as Phil Manzane...

Australia's Hoodoo Gurus are releasing their first new album in 12 years, Chariot of the Gods on March 11th. Lead singer Dave Faulkner returns to the pod to discuss the state of the world that inspired a lot of these songs. the idea that it might be the band's final statement, and the status of their world tour. Also, the band will be performing the whole album on a livestream the day before the r...

Thanks to the effective and entertaining documentary from 2020, the Go-Go's are enjoying a much-deserved resurgence. The revolutionary group of gals even made it into the Rock Hall last year, finally! Drummer Gina Schock released the beautiful coffee table picture book/memoir called Made In Hollywood last year. With all that's going on, it's time for Gina to tell her story. In this chat we expand...

If all you know about Men Without Hats is their eternal hit "Safety Dance" you're missing out. The Canadian synthpop outfit tried other styles and broadened their sound (1987's Pop Goes The Worldbeing a high point), including a grunge album few have heard, but it's been "Safety Dance '' that has never gone away and for good reason, it's still as fresh as it was in '82. Frontman Ivan Doroschuk has...

First time author Bradley Morgan felt compelled to compare the political world that encircled U2's creation of the iconic Joshua Tree album with the state of the country today. Bradley dissects the album track by track, retelling the inspiration behind each song, and paints a vivid picture of what inspired four Irish punks to make a definitive statement of Reagan's America. Additionally, how does...

No Rock Doc is complete without an appearance from esteemed British rock writer Mick Wall. Mick's career goes way back to the 70s working promotion and PR for many of the great New Wave bands, but he quickly realized the real action was in Heavy Metal. This led to gigs writing for Kerrang! and Classic Rock magazines (among many others) and penning books on Zeppelin, GnR, Meat Loaf, Ozzy, Maiden, S...

Here's my conversation with label honcho, political blogger, gay activist and more Howie Klein. In the 70s Howie was a DJ and concert promoter in San Francisco when he started 415 Records. That story was told brilliantly in Bill Kopp's new book Disturbing the Peace that we showcased last week. When 415 was sold to Columbia, it kicked off Howie's long career as a mover and shaker in the music biz....

One could argue that producer Beau Hill is the architect of the sound of 80s Hair Metal. Just as his nascent producing career is getting started, Ratt hit the jackpot with Out of the Cellar and "Round and Round" and from there he (along with Bob Rock and Ron Nevison) becomes THE go-to-guy for that sound. That leads to huge commercial success with bands like Warrant, Winger, Twisted Sister, Europe...

Author Bill Kopp has gifted music lovers with a fantastic piece of history. In his new book, Disturbing The Peace, Bill tells the story of San Francisco's influential 415 Record label started by Howie Klein and Chris Knabb. The story recounts how this upstart label even got off the ground, the key venues that built the scene, and, of course, the many excellent bands, many of which have been lost t...

Rocker Mark Seymour is one of Australia's greatest gifts to music. From his many years fronting the mighty Hunters & Collectors to his last couple decades putting out quality solo work, Mark has fought the good fight and inspired millions of others to do the same. In our conversation we discuss the difficulty of being the main songwriter for a large band with strong opinions as well as their chang...

Jon and Jan look back at 2021, discuss life without their dads, the state of the world and more. We also recap the last three month's worth of episodes with any behind the scenes stories, and countdown our Top 10 eps of the year, as well as the listener picks. And lastly, we answer some listener questions (hope we got most of them). Thanks for sticking with us!