The Hustle

Stooges guitarist (and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer) James Williamson's sludgy, greasy sound is uniquely his own. Plus, he was a perfect match and co-conspirator for Iggy Pop at just the right time when he took over for Ron Asheton on the Raw Power album and then partnered up with Iggy for a few more years, writing songs, and taking whatever record contracts they could get while totally strung out....

Jane's Addiction might be the most influential and important band of the last 35 years. Think about it - did anyone bridge the alternative rock of the 80s with the grunge sound of the 90s better? They are the link in that transition. Hugely creative, fantastically musical, and tragically dysfunctional, their records may be few, but their power is enormous. Speaking of power, drummer Stephen Perkin...

We're ending 2020 the same way it began, by hearing from a fantastic and accomplished songwriter. Clif Magness has won a grammy, been nominated for an Oscar, and has had songs recorded by everyone from Barbra Streisand to Cheap Trick to Quincy Jones. But some of his biggest successes have been writing "All I Need" for Jack Wagner back in the 80s and working closely with Avril Lavigne on her debut...

It's Christmastime and it felt right to share our conversation with the lovely Leigh Nash of Sixpence None the Richer! Of course SIxpence broke through big when their third album in 1997 launched "Kiss Me" into the public consciousness where it would remain embedded forever and ever and the band has released music when the mood hit them ever since. Along the way, Leigh has forged her own solo path...

We are welcoming back rock doc director Jon Brewer to discuss his recent documentary “Chuck Berry: The Original King of Rock and Roll”. Chuck is on the Mt Rushmore of rock but is also s complicated person. Jon and I discuss the good and bad sides of the man and his legacy. We also are giving away two copies of the Blu-ray so join Patreon to be in the running. Enjoy!   www.patreon.com/thehustlepod

I can't think of another band quite like Modern Romance. They came out of the Blitz scene in the early 80s with bands like Duran Duran, Ultravox and Spandau Ballet and originally sounded like lesser versions of those guys. On their third single, "Everybody Salsa", they adopted big Latin rhythms and stumbled on a unique new sound and a bunch of hits followed - "Best Years of Our Lives", "Ay Ay Ay M...

We close out our recent producer series by talking to the fantastic Tim Palmer! Tim's career goes back 40 years and includes everyone from Ozzy to Kajagoogoo to Heatwave. We hear amazing stories about his time with artists like Tin Machine, Pearl Jam, Dead or Alive, Robert Plant, Tears for Fears, U2, Psychedelic Furs and many others. Tim is still very active today, in fact a recent production of h...

Tis the season! Jon and Jan are joined by friends Ben Montgomery from the Records Revisited podcast and Jon's buddy, regular, podcast-less civilian, Dave Carruth to discuss Christmas music, but also movies, traditions, etc. Hot topics are debated like whether "Wonderful Christmastime" and "Last Christmas" are good or bad, whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie, and a number of other hot takes. We a...

Don't we all miss the 70s? That golden era of soulful singer-songwriters left an impression that has never been replicated and high among them is the great Melissa Manchester. After 50 years in the business, Melissa keeps getting better releasing material in the 2000s that's easily as good as her peak 70s period. We talk openly about her journey, how the glory of the 70s led to the gloss of the 80...

For this Deep Dive we are welcoming Gunnar Nelson to tell us the full story behind the Nelson's blockbuster debut album After the Rain. Few rock albums from that era stand the test of time like this one, helped by several smash hits like "More Than Ever" and "Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection". Gunnar tells us how he and Matthew wrote the songs, the obstacles they had to overcome to rele...

Producer Terry Manning is a Jack of All Trades and Master of Many! Starting out as a pre-teen in Texas, Terry went on to work with everyone from Led Zeppelin to Otis Redding to Bjork and many more in between. After a long relationship with ZZ Top he produced their breakthrough Eliminator and from there was hired to bring similar success to acts like George Thorogood and the Fabulous Thunderbirds....

Steve Stevens and Billy Idol are a pair that goes together like Marr and Morrissey, like Plant and Page, like Scott and Adams, like Pirroni and Ant... you get the idea. This power duo has created some of the most indelible songs and styles of the last 40 years with Steve's identifiable guitar leading the way. In this chat we learn some of the stories behind their dynamic, the albums, his solo work...

The loss of the Outfield's Tony Lewis recently really stings. The Outfield were a consistently excellent band that deserved more and Tony's incredible voice paired with the late John Spink's songwriting was a match made in heaven. To honor Tony we bring back former guest producer William Wittman (ep 215) who did their first two, and biggest, albums, Play Deep and Bangin'. And go back and listen to...

Nick Launay started his career when still in his teens and when John Lyden picked (forced?) him to produce PiL's "Flowers of Romance" in 1981 he was off and running. His resume includes greats like Killing Joke, Talking Heads, Semisonic and even recent albums from Arcade Fire, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I planned to cover these amd many more in our conversation, but instead w...

The Bongos were one of those great early 80s American indie bands, like Violent Femmes or the db's. After having some success and creating a rabid grassroots fanbase, frontman Richard Barone went solo and has had a fulfilling musical career ever since doing whatever he wants. Imagine growing up with people like Lou Reed, Andy Warhol and Tony Visconti as your heroes and then actually befriending an...

Producer/Musician Andy Ross has been in music his entire life. He's served as a session musician, a member of the band Immaculate Fools, and a producer working with artists like Howard Jones. His dad even gave saxophone lessons to a young David Bowie! Andy's just released a hugely ambitious and excellent album The Fear Engine. The album, and the accompanying documentary, explores why people behave...

Producer John Fryer was instrumental in honing the sound of some of the 80s most inventive groups. While working at Blackwing Studios and largely with the 4AD label, his list of accomplishments includes albums by Depeche Mode, Yaz, Cocteau Twins, Fad Gadget, Peter Murphy and many others with the mother of all being Nine Inch Nails' debut Pretty Hate Machine. Over the years he's devoted time to his...

For this Deep Dive we welcome back a favorite of ours, songwriter Martin Page (ep30)! On top of the great songs Martin's written in his career, back in 1985 he was hand-picked by Earth Wind and Fire mastermind Maurice White to oversee his first solo album. Even though the songs are just as strong as what EWF would have put out, the album underperformed and remains fairly obscure to this day. Marti...

Survivor were one of the key rock bands of the 80s. They either defined the sound of the era, or produced some of the finest music that era had to offer. And with hits like "High On You", "Can't Hold Back", and a dozen others including the enduring "Eye of the Tiger" the band's legacy is immortal. Co-founder and guitarist Frankie Sullivan tells us the stories behind many of the hits, including the...

INXS's Andrew Farriss returns to the show to discuss his new EP, Love Makes The World. As we learned in July, Andrew has been readying a country album, but when Covid hit it became fuzzy what the result of this project would be. Love Makes The World is an excellent 5-song album that includes his latest single, "All The Stars Are Mine." Andrew details the thinking behind the release and what to exp...

We lost another legend. Eddie Van Halen was one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. To discuss his life and the impact he had on music we brought back BulletBoys frontman Marq Torien (ep151). Not only did those bands share a producer in Ted Templeman, the BBoys were heavily influenced by Van Halen and were championed by them early on. Marq tells us what Eddie meant to him...

Producer/Musician Youth is one of the most creative and innovative musical minds of the last 40 years. Starting out as the bassist in pioneering doom rock band Killing Joke, he left after three albums and went on to become one of the most important dance music producers the UK has ever created when he formed The Orb and brought genres like trance and dub to the forefront. He also produced landmark...

Months continue feeling more like years, but it's still time for another check-in. Jon and Jan recap the last three month's worth of episodes, announce a cd giveaway, play an important brand new song by a former guest, and answer some listener questions.  https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2g6lorn72wqze12/AABvUFN5R7BeFJiGnyBk9sKKa?dl=0

Many, including me, consider Go West frontman Peter Cox one of the greatest blue-eyed soul singers the UK has ever produced. With musical partner Richard Drummie, Go West competed in the synth pop genre well in the 80s with hits like "We Close Our Eyes" and the gigantic "King of Wishful Thinking". But that partnership, like many others, needed a break so Peter went on to have an excellent and vari...

We close out our series of big time drummers with the great Mickey Curry! Like the others, Mickey has done a lot of fun things that we talk about, but two of his biggest partnerships have been with Hall & Oates and Bryan Adams. We go deep on both artists, his favorite moments and contributions like Live Aid and others. In addition, we discuss his playing with The Cult, Steve Winwood, Carly Simon,...