Humans in Love ft. Zachary Stockill

Even though the art of disc-jockeying is nearly one hundred years old, with modern DJs selling out stadiums and celebrated like rock stars the world over, there remain many misconceptions about DJs, and the art of djing.

Perhaps the most egregious of these misconceptions is that djing is easy, and anyone with half a sense of rhythm and the ability to push a button can do it—this is, to put it mildly, absolutely, patently, violently untrue.

For the most talented DJs know how to read and feel a room better than anyone on the planet, digging deep into their unique musical knowledge to spin records that will, above all else, create a vibe, get people moving, and feeling good. This is not easy, and I write to you today as a DJ who is learning this more and more.

I imagine that dancing at a club with a good DJ must feel something like how going to a religious festival feels for the religious. This life-affirming experience of spiritual renewal is possible, and only possible, with a DJ who possesses hard-won skill, sensitivity, rhythm, creativity, curiosity, and above all else, the ability to create a unique atmosphere, and play directly to the dance floor’s often unconscious yearnings. 

To help me understand all of this better, I wanted to speak to one of the foremost historians of djing.

A talented and widely-respected DJ himself, Bill Brewster is the co-author of Last Night a DJ Saved My Life, the definitive history of the art form, while also contributing to The Guardian, The Independent, and many other publications. Bill also hosts a popular podcast called DJ History, and tours the world spinning the records he loves.

In today’s episode of Travels in Music, Bill and I talk about his personal history in dance music, the art and history of DJing, why disco is so important to modern dance music, the secrets of the world’s best DJs, and much more.

Regardless of whether or not you’ve attended a club in your life, I don’t think you’ll want to miss sitting in on this fascinating conversation with the author and world traveling DJ, Bill Brewster.

Also available via Stitcher Radio

Mentioned in this episode:

* Last Night a DJ Saved My Life by Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton (Amazon)

* “The Love” by Linus Loves, from Bill Brewster’s Late Night Tales Presents After Dark (Amazon / iTunes)

* An oral history of the beginning of disco (Vanity Fair)

* “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor (Amazon / iTunes)

* A “60 Minutes” story on disco from 1978 (YouTube)

* An excellent DJ set by Bill courtesy of Boiler Room (

The Canadian singer-songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen has written some of the most eloquent, powerful, and important popular songs of the past half century.

Although many members of the younger generation are only familiar with his modern day hymn “Hallelujah,” that’s really just skimming the surface of Cohen’s brilliance. For the man who wrote “Hallelujah” has also given us “Suzanne,” “So Long, Marianne,” “Anthem,” “Closing Time,” “If It Be Your Will,” and several dozen other songs that musicians will still be covering in twenty, fifty, one hundred years time.

Leonard Cohen is, arguably, my country’s greatest living songwriter—and an artist deserving of a thoughtful, eloquent, and comprehensive biography. Thankfully, my guest today has provided music fans with just that.

Sylvie Simmons is a longtime rock critic and music writer whose 2012 biography of Cohen, I’m Your Man, was the rare hotly anticipated music biography that lived up to the hype.

Written over several years with the support, if not the official endorsement of its subject, I’m Your Man is an engrossing and moving read, inspiring to Cohen fans as well as anyone who does anything creative for a living. Leonard Cohen’s 80-plus years on this planet have been fascinating, occasionally tumultuous, and complex, and his biographer—herself a longtime fan—has honoured and celebrated Cohen’s life with her book.

In today’s episode of Travels in Music, Sylvie Simmons and I discuss her personal encounters with Cohen, what his music has meant to her and so many others, Cohen’s reputation as a ladies man, salacious Canadian journalism, and much more.

I was privileged for her to join me, and I hope you enjoy sitting in on my conversation with the author of I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen, Ms. Sylvie Simmons.

Also available via Stitcher Radio

Mentioned in this episode:

* I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen by Sylvie Simmons (Amazon)

* “Suzanne” by Leonard Cohen (Amazon / iTunes)

* The Best of Leonard Cohen (Amazon / iTunes)

* Sylvie Simmons performing “Famous Blue Raincoat” (YouTube)

* Tom Waits interviewed by Sylvie Simmons

* “You Are In My Arms” by Sylvie Simmons (

Binkey is a Chicago-born, Chiang Mai-based poet, musician, MC, and teacher. He’s also a man with many different interests, ideas, and opinions, and he and I go deep in this episode of Travels in Music.

As my first sit-down, in-person interview (so much more fun than Skype), in today’s episode Binkey and I discuss growing up in Chicago, the Chicago music scene, artistic competition, racism, hip hop, police violence, winning arguments with your girlfriend, Kanye West, Black Lives Matter, slavery, Dave Chappelle, and much more. Binkey also tells me about life as an African-American in Thailand, and how life in Chiang Mai differs drastically from life in Chicago.

I was pleased to have him as my guest, and I think you’ll enjoy this episode of Travels in Music featuring Binkey.

Mentioned in this episode:

* “The Light” by Common (Amazon / iTunes)

* “Have You Seen Her?” by the Chi-Lites (not the Delfonics, Zach) (Amazon / iTunes)

* The bizarrely clad hippie mecca of Pai, Thailand

* Dave Chappelle on Kanye West (YouTube)

* 8 Mile (Amazon)

* “The Case for Reparations” by Ta-Nehisi Coates

* The Black White Supremacist (YouTube)

* The Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes Project

* “Blush” by Adam Ness (Amazon / iTunes)

Learn more about Binkey at:

* His Facebook page

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My guest today is a founding member of one of the most unique, interesting, and eclectic groups on the world stage.

Back in 2006, Delhi 2 Dublin began as a side project for vocalist Sanjay Seran. As the band name suggests, Sanjay and fellow founding member Tarun Nayar began playing a fusion of North Indian bhangra and Celtic music with a healthy dose of electronica thrown in for good measure.

I remember that when the band first appeared on the Canadian music scene ten years ago, they sounded like nothing else: it was exciting, it was intriguing, and more than anything they made you want to move. This remains true today, though over the years, their sound has evolved to increasingly feature elements from bass electronic music.

The band’s latest album, We’re All Desi, has garnered Delhi 2 Dublin some of the strongest reviews of their career, and their audience, in their native Canada and beyond, continues to grow. These days, Sanjay and his bandmates tour on multiple continents, finding a particularly eager and appreciative new audience for their sound in India.

I wanted to talk to Sanjay to better understand what it’s like being a part of such a unique musical project, the challenges he’s faced as a result, and what he envisions for Delhi 2 Dublin’s future. In today’s episode of Travels in Music, Sanjay and I have a wide-ranging discussion about all of these issues, as well as discussing what it’s like touring in India, fatherhood, the challenges of trying to make it in the 21st century music business, and more.

I hope you enjoy sitting in on my conversation with Delhi 2 Dublin vocalist, Sanjay Seran.

Also available via Stitcher Radio

Mentioned in this episode:

* “Voodoo Selekta” by Delhi 2 Dublin (Amazon / iTunes)

* Apache Indian (Wikipedia)

* Vancouver Folk Festival

* Delhi 2 Dublin’s India documentary (YouTube)

* We’re All Desi by Delhi 2 Dublin (Amazon / iTunes)

* “TumbiWOW” by Delhi 2 Dublin (Amazon / iTunes)

Learn more about Delhi 2 Dublin at:

* The band’s official website

When we think about the roots of rock n’ roll, we generally tend to think about people like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Buddy Holly. For reasons owing to politics, race, and the various prejudices of historians and music journalists, many of the earliest African-American blues, jazz, and r n’ b pioneers, such as Louis Jordan and Roy Brown, are often confined to the footnotes of rock history. My guest today is trying to change that.

Preston Lauterbach is the author of The Chitlin Circuit and the Road to Rock n’ Roll, a Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, and NPR book of the year.

The chitlin’ circuit is the name given to a string of performance venues, mostly throughout the Southern US, which was safe and acceptable for African-American entertainers to perform in during the age of racial segregation. “The circuit” was the incubator for many of the most important rock musicians of the 20th century, including Little Richard and BB King, along with a host of lesser known, but no less important blues and rock pioneers.

Still, the history of the chitlin’ circuit is largely unknown, and it is a fascinating history involving savvy businessmen, organized crime, female impersonators, scandalous lyrics, and more than anything, incredible musicians. To put it simply, the early chitlin’ circuit represented rock n’ roll in its earliest, purest, and possibly most exciting form. In today’s episode of Travels in Music, my guest and I go deep into this remarkable story.

I hope you enjoy sitting in on my conversation with the author of The Chitlin’ Circuit and the Road to Rock n’ Roll, Preston Lauterbach.

Also available via Stitcher Radio

Mentioned in this episode:

* The Chitlin’ Circuit and the Road to Rock n’ Roll by Preston Lauterbach (Amazon)

* Beale St. Dynasty: Sex, Song, and the Struggle for the Soul of Memphis by Preston Lauterbach (Amazon)

* “Good Rockin’ Tonight” by Roy Brown (Amazon / iTunes)

* “Good Rockin’ Tonight” by Elvis Presley (Amazon / iTunes)

* “Candy Licker” by Marvin Sease (

Think about your all-time favourite musician. Someone you’ve been following since you were very young. Someone whose music touches you like no one else’s.

Now imagine being invited into that person’s world, watching them rehearse behind closed doors, spending time with them, sharing drinks on their plane, taking in their concerts from the side of the stage.

My guest today had the rare opportunity to live out this teenage fantasy.

Today, Rich Cohen is an award-winning author and contributing editor at Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone. But in the early 90s he was a young music journalist blessed with the opportunity of a lifetime: to spend several weeks covering a band he’s loved since childhood, the Rolling Stones, spending time with them as they rehearsed in preparation for a world tour.

Rich has authored around ten books, including the widely lauded The Fish that Ate the Whale. He is also the co-creator of Vinyl, the HBO series directed by Martin Scorsese. In today’s episode of Travels in Music Rich and I have an in-depth discussion about his new book The Sun & The Moon & The Rolling Stones, which provides a gripping overview of the band’s history, as well as an intimate personal history of his love for the Stones, and his encounters with Jagger, Richards, and company.

Rich and I also talk about tracing the band’s travels around the world, the nature of fame, the deterioration of Mick and Keith’s friendship, incurring the wrath of Mick Jagger’s publicist, and what makes the Stones, in his view, the greatest rock and roll band of all time.

So sit back, pour yourself a finger or two of Jack Daniels, and enjoy sitting in on my discussion with the author of The Sun & The Moon & The Rolling Stones, Rich Cohen.

Also available via Stitcher Radio

Mentioned in this episode:

Rich’s new book, The Sun & The Moon & The Rolling Stones (Amazon)

“Beast of Burden” by the Rolling Stones (Amazon / iTunes)

“Soul Survivor” by the Rolling Stones (Amazon / iTunes)

The 1970 Stones documentary Gimme Shelter (Amazon

Refugee Week takes place every year across the world in the week of World Refugee Day on the 20th of June. In the midst of the current refugee crisis, Refugee Week is a nationwide programme of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrate the contribution of refugees to the UK, and encourages a better understanding between communities.

Refugee crises are nothing new in history, and there are rarely easy answers or solutions. Depressingly consistent throughout history are those who seek to deny entry to those fleeing persecution, and seeking asylum.

Perhaps the most well-known and shameful example of this type of behaviour is the denied entry of European Jews seeking refuge in America, Canada, and other ports throughout the world before and during the Holocaust. The current European refugee crisis is enormously complex, and again, it appears as if there are no easy answers or solutions. However, as a student of history, one thing seems clear to me: history has repeatedly judged those who seek to build walls, rather than bridges, harshly.

And when you consider the big picture, you realize that the crisis is not about foreigners, or outsiders, or so-called illegal aliens. It’s about people. People fleeing unimaginable persecution, chaos, extremism. People who simply want to be able to go about their lives without constantly fearing for them. And people who, in many cases, just want to be able to play, and sing, and share the music they love in peace, just like the rest of us.

To commemorate Refugee Week, my guest today is Lis Murphy, the Director of Music Action International. 

Lis has pioneered the use of singing and songwriting to help war and torture survivors find peace through personal expression and collective experience.  Lis is also a professional performing musician, supporting artists such as New Order and Billy Bragg.

In today’s episode of Travels in Music, Lis tells me about her work with Music Action International, and shared a number of moving stories about the incredible healing power of music, the challenges faced by refugees in the UK, and how sharing music with war and torture survivors has changed her life, and her musicianship.

In commemoration of Refugee Week, I hope you enjoy sitting in on my conversation with the Director of Music Action International, Lis Murphy.

Also available via Stitcher Radio

Mentioned in this episode:

* Lis’s organization, Music Action International

* Refugee Week

* World Refugee Day

* “War” by Bob Marley & the Wailers (Amazon / iTunes)

* “I Be So Glad… When The Sun Goes Down” performed by Alan Lomax (YouTube)

* “Sorrow, Tears, and Blood” by Fela Kuti (

If you’re someone who regularly listens to this podcast, chances are good that you’re well acquainted with the rock and roll revolution of the 1960’s.

For a generation, rock n’ roll defined youth culture in the West, and was an integral part of the political, social, and cultural revolutions occurring at the same time. For many, rock n’ roll represented freedom, undoing the shackles imposed by previous generations, and doing one’s own thing.

Now I’m sure this isn’t news to you. But have you ever wondered how the rock n’ roll explosion of the 1960’s reverberated around the world, beyond Europe and North America? For several years now, I have. And I wanted to speak to my guest today to learn more about how the extremely poor, and newly independent nation of India experienced the rock revolution of the 1960’s and 70’s.

Sidharth Bhatia is an esteemed Indian journalist, and author of India Psychedelic: The Story of a Rocking Generation.

In the book, Sidharth shares the never-before-told story of the Indian rock music scene of the 1960’s and 70’s. According to Sidharth, it was not the music that was important, but instead the fact that Indians were ready to break free from the traditionally conservative Indian culture and society, and assert their own voice. The impact of the Beatles was deeply felt by young Indians, and for many, rock and roll represented a journey toward self-discovery, and an attempt to break free from age-old attitudes and values.

In today’s episode of Travels in Music, Sidharth tells me how rock n’ roll changed the lives of young Indians, what it was like trying to survive as an Indian rock band in the 60’s and 70’s, and the many challenges faced by Indian rock musicians.

We also talk about Led Zeppelin’s visit to India, the modern Indian rock scene, broader themes in Indian history, as well as Sidharth’s groundbreaking work as the co-founder of the award-winning website The Wire, which has quickly become one of the most important voices in Indian political news.

So relax, brew yourself a cup of chai, and enjoy sitting in a fascinating conversation with the journalist and author, Sidharth Bhatia.

*Please forgive the occasional car horns and chirping birds in the background. My guest was speaking from his flat in Mumbai, a notoriously boisterous—however beautiful—city.

Also available via Stitcher Radio

Mentioned in this episode:

* India Psychedelic: The Story of a Rocking Generation by Sidharth Bhatia (Amazon)

* “Obsessed ’77” by Atomic Forest (Amazon / iTunes)

* Sidharth’s story on Led Zeppelin’s journey to India

* The Simla Beat Contest

Paul Saltzman is a two-time Emmy-award winning TV producer, film director, and accomplished humanitarian. In 2008, he wrote and directed the wonderful documentary Prom Night in Mississippi starring Morgan Freeman.

But in 1968, Paul was a fresh-faced 24 year old traveling solo through India. And through a strange combination of heartbreak, good fortune, and sheer coincidence he found himself at an intimate meditation retreat with the biggest rock stars on the planet. In today’s episode of Travels in Music, Paul shares his remarkable story of healing, self-discovery, and meditating with the Beatles in India.

In addition to his work in television and documentary films, Saltzman is also widely recognized for taking the best photographs of the Beatles in India, and in 2006 he authored a beautiful book on the subject, The Beatles in India. In recent years, he has hosted a series of Indian tours, taking members of the public on an intimate journey throughout his favourite destinations.

In today’s episode, Paul talks about his love for India, and shares the story of the painful though fortuitous chain of events that led to him traveling to India in 1968, and meditating with the Beatles. He also offers intimate recollections of some valuable life lessons he received from John Lennon and George Harrison at their retreat.

The word I find myself returning to again and again as I write this introduction is “intimate,” for this was truly one of the more intimate and revealing conversations I’ve had for this podcast.

So if you’re at home as you listen, might I suggest that you brew yourself a cup of good tea, sit back, and enjoy sitting in on my conversation with Paul Saltzman.

Mentioned in this episode:

* Paul’s book The Beatles in India

* “Raga Kedara” by Ravi Shankar (Amazon / iTunes)

* “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” by the Beatles (Amazon / iTunes)

* The Beatles by The Beatles (Amazon / iTunes)

* Paul’s India tour

Learn more about Paul at

* His Beatles in India website

This episode contains what some might call offensive language, and mature subject matter. So if there are small children within earshot, or you don’t want to hear some serious profanity, it’s probably best for you to skip this one.

Wheeler Walker Jr. is the alter-ego of American comedy writer and performer Ben Hoffman (The Ben Show, Comedy Central), who recently released his first album, Redneck Shit.

Incredibly, the self-released Redneck Shit, which Wheeler describes as his “fuck you” record, debuted at number 9 on the Billboard Country charts.

Now, this is not entirely surprising—the music on Redneck Shit is tight, traditional, and immaculately played by some of the most talented musicians working in Nashville today. However, on the album Wheeler frequently sings about topics such as cunnilingus, masturbation, and homosexual encounters, and there is a prominent “Parental Advisory” label on the front cover, carrying on a tradition of subversive country in the vein of David Allen Coe. 

Redneck Shit includes titles like “Better Off Beatin’ Off,” “Sit On My Face,” and “Eatin’ Pussy, Kickin’ Ass,”—and these are among the cleaner titles on the album. All of this is to say, Wheeler Walker Jr. both is, and almost certainly is not your parents’ country music.

Wheeler is currently enjoying a surge in popularity spurred on in part by his appearances on the enormously popular podcasts WTF with Marc Maron, and the Joe Rogan Experience. But he is also drawing an audience for his traditional-non-traditional music as a result of a widespread disgust and dissatisfaction with the state of modern country.

Wheeler reserves particular scorn for Florida Georgia Line and Sam Hunt, whom he recently quoted Steve Earle in describing as “rap music for people who are scared of black people.” (Look up Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise” on YouTube, and you’ll start to see what he’s talking about.)

In today’s episode Wheeler and I discuss how he’s preparing for his upcoming “Eatin’ Pussy, Kickin’ Ass” tour, his debut album and songwriting process, and the state of modern country. He also told me about growing up in Kentucky, getting into a Twitter war with Wynonna Judd (!), his recently strained friendship with singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson, and much more.

You won’t want to miss sitting in on my conversation with the controversial country music sensation Wheeler Walker Jr.

Mentioned in this episode:

* Redneck Shit by Wheeler Walker Jr. (Amazon / iTunes)

* Bootleg Series Volume 4 by Bob Dylan (Amazon / iTunes)

* Wheeler’s recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience

* Wheeler’s allegations against Sturgill Simpson on the JRE

Learn more about Wheeler at:

* His official website