Life Elsewhere

Liran Einav & Amy Finkelstein - We’ve Got You Covered: Rebooting American Health Care

Few of us need convincing that the American health insurance system needs reform. But many of the existing proposals focus on expanding one relatively successful piece of the system or building in piecemeal additions. These proposals miss the point. As the Stanford health economist Liran Einav and the MIT economist and MacArthur Genius Amy Finkelstein argue, our health care system was never deliberately designed, but rather pieced together to deal with issues as they became politically relevant. The result is a sprawling yet arbitrary and inadequate mess. It has left 30 million Americans without formal insurance. Many of the rest live in constant danger of losing their coverage if they lose their job, give birth, get older, get healthier, get richer, or move. Einav and Finkelstein suggest it's time to tear it all down and rebuild, sensibly and deliberately. Marshaling original research, striking insights from American history, and comparative analysis of what works and what doesn’t from systems around the world, The authors argue for automatic, basic, and free universal coverage for everyone, along with the option to buy additional, supplemental coverage. Their wholly original argument and comprehensive blueprint for an American universal health insurance system will surprise and provoke. Amy Finkelstein is an engaging guest who manages to explain not only complex but often daunting facts with an effortless charm and grace.

⁠Maureen Callahan - American Predator

Most people have never heard of Israel Keyes, one of the most ambitious and terrifying serial killers in modern history. The FBI considered his behavior unprecedented. Described by a prosecutor as “a force of pure evil,” Keyes was a predator who struck all over the United States. He buried “kill kits”–cash, weapons, and body-disposal tools–in remote locations across the country. Over the course of fourteen years, Keyes would fly to a city, rent a car, and drive thousands of miles in order to use his kits. He would break into a stranger’s house, abduct his victims in broad daylight, and kill and dispose of them in mere hours. And then he would return home to Alaska, resuming life as a quiet, reliable construction worker devoted to his only daughter. When journalist Maureen Callahanfirst heard about Israel Keyes in 2012, she was captivated by how a killer of this magnitude could go undetected by law enforcement for over a decade. And so began a project that consumed her for the next several years–uncovering the true story behind how the FBI ultimately caught Israel Keyes and trying to understand what it means for a killer like Keyes to exist. A killer who left a path of monstrous randomly committed crimes in his wake–many of which remain unsolved to this day. Norman B talks with Maureen about American Predator - The Hunt For The Most Meticulous Serial Killer Of The 21st Century. “The most horrific book I have ever read!” He tells Ms. Callahan, adding, “But, I loved every page!”

⁠Andrew Bird - Epilogue⁠

“Most of these were made without any intention of making an album, just improvisations on simple themes. I mostly write lyrics with a guitar in my hand on the couch late at night but to find the real musical language of an album, I go outside with my amp and looping pedal and spin out hours and hours of improvisation”. Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, whistler and songwriter, Andrew Bird talking about his latest album, Outside Problems. The Chicago- based artist picked up his first violin at the age of four and spent his formative years soaking up classical repertoire completely by ear. As a teen Bird became interested in a variety of styles including early jazz, country blues and folk music, synthesizing them into his unique brand of pop. Outside Problems shows that  the subtle economy of Bird’s compositions are captivating.

Blue Honey - Sick & Tired

We begin with Sick & Tired a cut from a well-crafted album by Perth-based, Blue Honey. Five members here if you don’t count the two teddy bears I spied in their PR photo. Sick & Tired is an LP I certainly recommend, plus top marks for the impressive drumming.

⁠Mary Jane Dunphe - Stage Of Love⁠⁠

Stage Of Love is from the album of the same name by poet, songwriter, vocalist, performer and video artist, Mary Jane Dunphe. Based in New York, Mary Jane has collaborated in diverse projects and says her work is an idiosyncratic assemblage of crooning and danceable avant-pop songs, full of longing, a love letter to no one in particular. I just discovered Mary Jane's video for Stage Of Love, oh my, please don't break the spell.

⁠Marumaru - Phantom Falling⁠⁠

Avery Hutley presents as Marumaru with Phantom Falling from a double-sided single. Originally from Sydney, Averyis now living in Tokyo, translating manga and recording music at home. Phantom Falling is deceptively alluring, it sounds familiar yet completely new. This is hardly surprising as Marumaru says, “My music is for those ghostly moments when reality falls so far short of fiction, full to bursting with the fear that you feel nothing at all”. Excellent artwork by Emily Husmann.

⁠R. Missing - My Time As A Ghostly Someone Else

New York based vocalist Sharon Shy, who along with musician Toppy present as R. Missing. As you listen to Sharon Shy’s almost deadpan vocals you’ll know there is a story going here with My Time As A Ghostly Someone Else. The smart electro music-bed carries the song along perfectly. For some reason, the song and production conjurs up a futuristic-city vista for me. What do you see?

Current Affairs - No Fuss⁠

OK, I’ll be clear about this one - it’s fantastic! Joan Sweeney, Andrew Milk, Gemma Fleet and Sebastian Ymai, queer activists involved with visual art, festivals, club nights and live art have created an exceptional album with Off The Tongue. These lovely folks out of Glasgow have an energy, a vibrancy I’m always on the look-out for. It was difficult to select just one cut to play, even though No Fuss is truly amazing. Now here is a band I would love to see live and had a sneak peek in the studio when this record was being made. Top marks and Current Affairs are on the brilliant Tough Love imprint, so there.

⁠Tetra Hydro K - Alone Inside (part 1)

Now here is a cut you can dance your socks off to. Tasty production from a French duo who shared this info, “Tetra Hydro K is the name of a laboratory based in a secret location, run by Doctors Kanay and Krilong. Their research concentrates on experimenting with organic elements (live musical instruments) in a computer-generated environment. When testing these musical concoctions, specialists have been left scratching their heads with unanswered questions: Is it electronic? Acoustic? Dub? Dubstep? Drum and Bass? Why can’t I stop dancing?” Now, if you believe any of that, I have a bridge to sell you, although, some of that does sound sort of reasonable. Love it!

⁠Witch Prophet - I’m Scared⁠ 

Ah, knock me down with a feather. This is so good. I’m Scared is a beautiful song from an exceptional album. Ayo Leilani is Witch Prophet, a Toronto based, singer-songwriter who uses a soundscape of vocal layers, loops, raps and harmonies on a bed of hip-hop, jazz and soul-inspired beats produced by her wife and business partner, Sun Sun. Gateway Experience is a stunning album, focused on the connection with the human brain, dreams, seizures, god and otherworldly abilities. The title of the album is an ode to the released CIA report where they studied the use of sound tapes to manipulate brainwaves with a goal of creating altered states. Examples include out of body experiences, remote viewing, psychic abilities and the ability to heal ones body. Plus, you must take note of the fabulous videos and photography. 

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Chuck Collins - Alter To An Erupting Sun

Altar to an Erupting Sun is a near-future story of one community facing climate disruption in the critical decade ahead. Rae Kelliher is a veteran environmental activist and pioneer in the death-with-dignity movement. Facing a diagnosis of terminal illness, she engages in a shocking suicide murder, taking the life of an oil company CEO for his role in delaying responses to climate disruption. Seven years later, Rae’s friends and family gather at her Vermont farm community to try to understand her violent exit and the rapid social transformations around them. Altar to an Erupting Sun focuses attention on the decades-long culpability of the fossil fuel industry in funding denial movements, blocking change. and locking us on course to an uninhabitable earth. Altar lifts up the history of several important movements over the last forty years including the grassroots anti-nuclear power, Central America solidarity, and effort to shut down the School of Americas.  Rae Kelliher, the lead character in the story, is also part of anti-eviction movements in Boston and efforts to stop construction of a fracked gas pipeline. Collins also depicts real time tactical debates among climate change activists about direct action, destruction of property, and how to focus attention on the leaders of the fossil fuel industry.

⁠Jennifer Ackerman -⁠ ⁠The Bird Way: A New Look At How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent and Think

“There is the mammal way and there is the bird way.” But the bird way is much more than a unique pattern of brain wiring, and lately, scientists have taken a new look at bird behaviors they have, for years, dismissed as anomalies or mysteries –– What they are finding is upending the traditional view of how birds conduct their lives, how they communicate, forage, court, breed, survive. They are also revealing the remarkable intelligence underlying these activities, abilities we once considered uniquely our own: deception, manipulation, cheating, kidnapping, infanticide, but also ingenious communication between species, cooperation, collaboration, altruism, culture, and play. Drawing on personal observations, the latest science, and her bird-related travel around the world, from the tropical rainforests of eastern Australia and the remote woodlands of northern Japan to the rolling hills of Lower Austria and the islands of Alaska’s Kachemak Bay, Jennifer Ackerman shows there is clearly no single bird way of being. In every respect, in plumage, form, song, flight, lifestyle, niche, and behavior, birds vary.

TLK - A Signal To The Living⁠

Bristol-based producer and vocalist TLK’s says her Primed For Loss EP explores the nuance of maternal loss in early childhood. Her music stretches the thin fabric of selfhood, leaning deeply into the ethereal realm. Fluid in genre and form, and emphasising improvisation as a core tenet for psychological processing, the enchanting sound of TLK is permeating the Bristol scene.  

Setting up a Zoom conversation with three people you have not met before could be really daunting. Do they all have sound and lighting that works properly?  Will we have to spend ages in edit sweetening the audio? What happens if they talk over each other? We shouldn’t have worried. There was singer, guitarist Jen White in Las Vegas, lounging comfortably in a cozy corner of a sofa, ensconced with with plaid blankets, wearing a rakish cap and beaming smile - while over at his studio in Swindon, Wiltshire, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, Stu Rowe sat calmly - and XTC co-founder, Andy Partridge grinned as he leaned over the back of a chair surrounded by walls of books in an undisclosed, secret location. The sound and the visuals were perfect for a conversation with The 3 Clubmen. 

The release of the trio’s debut 4-track The 3 Clubmen EP prompted this get-together. Playing the music and waxing lyrical about how their EP doesn’t tidily slot into any genre is important, but we wanted to know more. How did this project come together? What’s the process for writing songs from different locations? And, the name, there has to be a story behind that? (Little did we expect a Roaring Donkey would be involved). Big thanks to Andy, Jen and Stu for a conversation with The 3 Clubmen.

Norman B.

Talk Show Reel

Kris Berle & Skydrips - Keep An Eye On You

Skydrips a live DJ act from Berlin, Germany teams up with artist and musician, Kris Berle for a nice gentle hip-swayer, Keep An Eye On You. They say, the song is a dialogue between the Moon and The Earth as a way to find a deeper meaning in life. Sounds fair enough. The other side is equally as good. 

⁠Hyroglifics - Hotwire (ft. Liza Jane)⁠⁠

Staying in a subdued rhythmic mode we head on over to the English west country city of Bristol where it does seem that a massive amount of cool releases emanate…Matt Harris aka Hyroglifics know for his drum ’n’ bass outings gives us a selection of grime, hip hop, techno and ambient with debut album, I’ll Wait, I Guess. About the theme of his LP, Mattsays, “I believe that good things happen with time, however, I also wanted this album to depict the realities of waiting for something and how seemingly hopeless it may seem at times”. And, we are advised that the album download includes mobile phone wallpapers. Nice.

⁠Lwendo - Season And Love⁠⁠

Out of South Africa comes multifaceted artist, Lwendo with his self-titled album. With Season And Love, Lwendomakes it clear he isn’t mimicking anyone, instead setting his own unique style. Tasteful, competent work going on here.

⁠Mike Gale - Summer Be Gone⁠⁠

As this one was playing I had to reread the accompanying promo notes a couple of times, ‘cause I thought, perhaps I was listening to the wrong cut. The Southampton-based artist says this about Summer Be Gone, “It’s loosely based around my dislike of the hot summer months and how I prefer being cocooned inside while it's dark and cold outside. I'm not really a fan of crowds, so I appreciate winter and the way there seems to be more space between folks in that season”. Now that sounds at odds to me as this lilting song unfolds. But then, Mike Gale adds, "I'm naturally introverted and have never enjoyed being onstage in front of people, so performing live was always my least favourite part of making music. Now I'm solo I feel no pressure to perform live at all, maybe one day but for now I'm happy.” So, it’s not all doom and gloom with Mike, although I suspect giving him a kind smile on a hot sunny day may brighten his mood, a little.

⁠Fred Abong - Father⁠⁠

The name Fred Abong has popped up so many times over the years while listening to alternative and indie music. Fredbegan his musical career in the 1980’s on Rhode Island as a drummer, bassist and guitarist in various hardcore punk bands. Then he spent the early 1990s playing bass for Throwing Muses and then Belly. Later he put music as a profession on hold for academic pursuits, earning a PhD in Humanities and serving as a professor at various universities for eight years before returning to music. Apart from his work as a solo artist, Fred Abong is also currently bassist in the Kristin Hersh Electric Trio. Now Fred has a new solo album, Fear Pageant on Seattle’s Disc Drive label. We selected, Father for this volume, it’s a reflective song in keeping with the theme of this LP. Don’t overlook this one.

⁠Wreckless Eric - The Old Versailles⁠ 

I’m so pleased to have spent many hours in the company of Eric Goulden, better know as Wreckless Eric, in part because he is a very funny man, full of dry British sarcasm, but Eric is also a brilliant observer and commentator on our topsy-turvy world. His latest album, Leisureland is Eric at his Wreckless best, that is to say, this is a serious rock ’n’ roll record, his heritage, his passion, his love of a pounding good riff are all here. Turn The Old Versailles up way loud and then pop on over here listen to our recent conversation. An honest work by a lovely geezer.

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Ahmed White: Under the Iron Heel: The Wobblies and the Capitalist War on Radical Workers

In 1917, the Industrial Workers of the World was rapidly gaining strength and members. Within a decade, this radical union was effectively destroyed, the victim of the most remarkable campaign of legal repression and vigilantism in American history. Under the Iron Heel is the first comprehensive account of this campaign.

Founded in 1905, the IWW offered to the millions of workers aggrieved by industrial capitalism the promise of a better world. But its growth, coinciding with World War I and the Russian Revolution and driven by uncompromising militancy, was seen by powerful capitalists and government officials as an existential threat that had to be eliminated. In Under the Iron Heel, Ahmed White documents the torrent of legal persecution and extralegal, sometimes lethal violence that shattered the IWW. In so doing, he reveals the remarkable courage of those who faced this campaign, lays bare the origins of the profoundly unequal and conflicted nation we know today, and uncovers disturbing truths about the law, political repression, and the limits of free speech and association in class society.

Ahmed White’s dramatic, deeply researched account of how legal repression and vigilantism brought down the Wobblies—and how the destruction of their union haunts us to this day is an important book. Ahmed is a terrific, informative and considerate guest. He is the Nicholas Rosenbaum Professor of Law at the University of Colorado in Boulder. 

⁠Erich Schwartzel:⁠ ⁠Red Carpet - Hollywood, China, and the Global Battle for Cultural Supremacy⁠

Erich Schwartzel has written a fascinating book, Red Carpet - Hollywood, China, and the Global Battle for Cultural Supremacy. His story-telling reads like the screenplay for a Netflix documentary, designed to binge-watch. If there were such a category, then Schwartzel’s book would come under the heading binge-read. He takes the reader back in time to early Hollywood while filling in the gaps in the movie industry in China. There are generous amounts of anecdotes and tantalizing details all perfectly placed to make Red Carpet a page-turner. Erich’s depiction of dubious characters, American and Chinese who validated a curious relationship between Hollywood and China suggests the narrative is not only about the movie business but the state of our world. Erich Schwartzel is an engaging conversationalist, you won’t want to miss.

Golden Vessel & Filous - Great Big Warm House

We begin by heading down to beautiful Bondi Beach where the dedicated crew at Mammal Sounds work 24/7 to release exceptional work, here we have top-rated Australian artist Golden Vessel who has teamed up with Austrian artist Filousfor their new single Great Big Warm House, the first cut from their collaborative EP scheduled for release in August.This one delivers a little twist toward the end. Most enjoyable.

Maria Uzor - Ventolin⁠⁠

Apologies to Ms. Uzor if I completely messed up the pronunciation of her name. It would seem that after all these years of living in the USofA I manage to scramble my Englishness into American speak, which results in a hybrid that’s almost a language of its own. Norwich-based Maria Uzor says this about Ventolin, "This was actually the first song I wrote for the album back in November 2022, it came together really quickly, like 10 minutes or something, and the final version isn’t much different from the demo, just with added guitars. It’s a playful tongue-in-cheek nod to my fellow asthmatics."Fair enough. Maria’s debut album, Soft Cuts should be investigated. 

⁠Pittsburgh Slim and The Bawl Slant - Lonely Boy Sunday⁠⁠

Down on England’s Southern Coast, Brighton to be exact, there you could bump into Nico, the energetic chap behind Shoredive Records. His latest venture is the intriguing collaboration between Pittsburgh Slim a rapper from NYC, formerly signed to Jay-Z's Def Jam recordings and self-proclaimed Swedish Grunge band, The Bawl Slant. The result is a healthy take on some recognizable riffs completing the much-too-be admired, Lonely Boy Sunday, from the lad’s Falling album. Smartly conceived.

Soft Punch - Here / Now⁠⁠

This is the work of Rye Thomas out of Washington DC, working under the very apt moniker of, Soft Punch. Rye knows his way around at producing carefully crafted music. There’s a lot going on here on Here / Now, not least of all Rye’sintelligent overdubbing his voice to full effect. Recommended.

⁠Vhinz - Le Passage (ft. Margot Ferro) 

Ever since Serge Gainsborough and Jane Birkin pretended to copulate in front of a microphone for Je T'aime,...Moi Non Plus, whispering in French over a rhythm track has definitely been a way to capture my attention. Here, producer Vhinz and Margot Ferro on vocals go further, after all the lyrics on Le Passage are more interesting. Vhinz shows off his production skills with some quirky electronics on the LP, Belvedere, where you’ll find additional vocalists. This one is available on Citizen Records by way of Dijon, France. Spicy!

⁠Nevaris - Disruption⁠⁠

Occasionally I discover an instrumental that fits into the mix, here is Nevaris, a percussionist, keyboardist, vocalist, composer and visual artist  who teamed up with legendary bassist-producer Bill Laswell for the album, Reverberation. Combining dub, funk, Afro-Latin rhythms, turntablism and extended improvisation, Nevaris and Laswell have created an album that would work well in any manner of situations. Surprise your dinner guests with this one. Disruption is an excellent place to start.

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Before I pressed record, I shared this true story with Steve Turner. Bruce and John of SubPop came to me and said, “You know John Peel, right? Could you send him some of our records?” I did know Peel and I did send him a package of early SubPop releases - Green River, Tad, Nirvana etc. Peel played this new music on his legendary and highly influential show, not just once, but night after night. Now you need to understand, this was way before the days of instant communication, the internet and email were far in the future. Some weeks went by, then, one day, John Peel calls me, “Norman, what’s all this amazing music from Seattle all about, tell me more, send me more!” Meanwhile the UK music press had taken note of Peel’s enthusiasm for this new music out of the Pacific Northwest. Articles were written and eventually a journalist was dispatched to the Emerald City. The rest is, as they say, is history. By the way, SubPop never did reimburse me for the postage.

Mud Ride - A Messy Trip Through The Grunge Explosion by Steve Turner and Adam Tepedelen is a down-and-dirty chronicle of the birth and evolution of the Seattle grunge scene—from amateur skate parks and underground hardcore clubs to worldwide phenomenon. In the late 80s and early 90s, Steve Turner and his friends—Seattle skate punks, hardcore kids, and assorted misfits—started forming bands in each other’s basements and accidentally created a unique sound that spread far beyond their once-sleepy city. Mud Ride offers an inside look at the tight-knit grunge scene, the musical influences and experiments that shaped the grunge sound, and the story of Turner's bands, Green River and Mudhoney, which went from underground flophouse shows to selling out stadiums with Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Including stories about the key moments, musicians, and albums from grunge's beginnings to its come-down from the highs of global success and stardom, this is the first account of the musical phenomenon that took over the world from someone who was there for it all. 

In our conversation, Steve and I recall people, places and venues all so important to his story, and yes we do go off on tangents sometimes. Turner is an engaging guest, his slight self-effacing demeanor underplays his importance as a guitarist. Aficionados of Grunge will delight in his storytelling and so will everyone intrigued by rock ’n’ roll.

As Wreckless Eric he needs little introduction — he wrote and recorded the classic Whole Wide World and had a hit with it back in 1977. Since then it's been a hit for countless other artists including The Monkees, Cage The Elephant and Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day. Eric’s version featured in the 2022 Expedia / Superbowl / Ewan MacGregor travel ad, and the Cage The Elephant version is the new theme tune for the podcast Smartless. As Eric Goulden it's a little more complicated - a musician, artist, writer, recording engineer and producer, he didn’t like either the music business, the mechanics of fame, or the name he’d been given to hide behind, so he crawled out of the spotlight and disappeared into the underground. He went on to release twenty something albums in forty something years under various names - The Len Bright Combo, Le Beat Group Electrique, The Donovan Of Trash, The Hitsville House Band, and with his wife as one half of Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby, finally realising he was stuck with the name Wreckless Eric.

This new album, Leisureland, marks a return to his more ramshackle world of recording -  guitars and temperamentally unpredictable analogue keyboards, beatboxes and loops in conjunction with a real drummer, Sam Shepherd, who he met in a local coffee shop in Catskill, New York. He was delighted to find that Sam lived around the corner and could easily drop by to put drums on newly recorded tracks. The recording methodology may have been Contemporary American but the subject matter is almost entirely British. It also contains more instrumentals than any of his previous albums. 

In our conversation, Eric talks about the process of making Leisureland, which came about during the Covid lockdown and his near death experience. In his dead-pan, yet jocular way, Eric recounts how he wasn’t aware of his critical state, laying in a hospital bed while everyone around him thought he was about to die. When asked how he is doing, Eric’sretort is, “It’s great to be alive!” You can hear his verve, his reflection on still being here in Leisureland. This is Wreckless Eric recognizing who he is, sharing a lifetime of ideas and observations. Wreckless Eric Is Wreckless Eric, Again. 

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