In this Song Imploder edition of our show (borrowing a format from the podcast Song Exploder), Carl (who records as A.C.) Newman walks us through “Whiteout Conditions”, a song created when his sister was dying of cancer but when he had to get into the studio.

Seems like it’s safe to say that when people are in a terrible mental state, they are least equipped to do something as creative as writing songs. But Carl isn’t like most people. The leader of the Canadian group The New Pornographers says that he simply can’t stop writing songs. There’s nothing elective about it. He has 50 songs in various states of completion all loaded up on the computers in his Woodstock, New York home.

He also talks about how despite battling depression and anxiety his whole life, he’s still able to get up on stage and sing and lead a band. It helps, he says, having Neko Case in his band because he thinks audiences figure if Neko’s okay with him then he must be an acceptable guy.

Purchase your copy of the Whiteout Conditions album at The New Pornographer's website or on Apple Music. Follow A.C. Newman on Twitter @ACNewman and The New Pornographers @TheNewPornos. 

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