Margaret Cho is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. Margaret is, of course, a comedy legend, but she’s so much more - a writer, an actor, a singer/songwriter, etc. I met her over a decade ago at a tribute to Bob Mould out in LA, and I was thrilled that we reconnected on this episode. We talked about Lucky Gift, her record from last year, as well as Benzodiazepines, perfume memories, ditto machines, going to see the GoGos on the Vacation tour, her early act, Lilith Fair, pub rock, and so much more. Really a fantastic talk, Margaret is truly a joy to speak with and I’m so glad she spent the time. Listen and subscribe.

Nick Carpenter makes music as Medium Build and he is my guest on this week’s That’s How I Remember It. In 2024, he released a great record called Country, and we talked about that as well as memorizing lyrics, Crocs, “Renegade” by Styx, Alaska, being obsessed by geography, dreaming about Marc Maron, Lou Vega’s “Mambo No. 5,” and missed connection ads being like songs. I had a great time talking to Nick, he’s funny and insightful and I was thrilled to meet him in person a few weeks later when we both opened for Tyler Childress. Huge thanks to him for joining me. Check it out, listen and subscribe.

Chuck Cleaver and Lisa Walker, the principal songwriters in the band Wussy are my guests on this episode. It was recorded live in June in front of a great audience at Club 603 in Baltimore. Wussy put out a fantastic record called Cincinnati, Ohio last year which dealt a lot with losing their bandmate John Erhardt. We talked about that as well as the TV show Mannix, Celine Dion’s Stevie Wonder cover, the origins of their band, Club 603, breaking bones, seeing ghosts, and finding dead bodies. It’s an excellent and funny conversation. Huge thanks to Chuck and Lisa and Club 603 for hosting. Listen and subscribe!

Jeff and Steven MacDonald from Redd Kross are my guests on this episode of That’s How I Remember It, and I couldn’t be more psyched. These brothers are the subject of a fantastic recent book, an amazing documentary film, and they put out a great double record last year. I’ve been obsessed with them going back to the 80s, and we talk about that here. We also talk about them trading VHS tapes with Quentin Tarantino, seeing REO Speedwagon and Ohio Players at a live recording of Don Kirchner’s Rock Concert, Jeff seeing the Beatles at age 2, sharing a memory as brothers, Kiss Dynasty, The Replacements, Syd and Marty Krofft, and of course I brought up the Bay City Rollers. Amazing episode, listen and subscribe!

Ezra Furman is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. I’ve been a massive fan since I heard her 2013 release Day of the Dog, and her new record Goodbye Small Head might be her best yet. We talked about that as well as music taking the place of religion, rituals, The Waterboys, community, the top ten hits of 1961, early songwriting attempts, memory from a trans perspective, and so much more. I have been hoping to have Ezra on the show for a long time, and it was everything I hoped it would be. A fantastic conversation, check it out and subscribe!

The case of Evan and Chris, best friends who love playing music together. But after the band suffers a terrible tragedy, they find themselves unable to regain their momentum. We pair them up with another musician who’s all too familiar with the neverending drama that comes with being in a band with friends. 

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S.G. Goodman is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. She’s got an amazing record dropping in the next few days called Planting By The Signs and we talked about that as well as survival mode, pandemic isolation, losing her dog Howard, our modern relationship with nature, a breakup being like an addiction and letting a song “go about it’s business.” It was a really great talk with a fantastic writer. I enjoyed it immensely. Listen and subscribe!

Cassandra Jenkins is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. Cassandra is an amazing and inspiring songwriter and musician. She’s also a friend that I’ve made music with. We talked about growing up in a musical household, steel drums, “I Want to Dance With Somebody,” saving voicemails, our 2019 tour, her decision to re-record her most recent album, working in a flower shop, and so much more. Cassandra is super insightful, and I was so happy to finally have her on the podcast. Listen and subscribe!

Alex Orange Drink, Alex Levine, is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. I’ve know Alex for a while now, and did a UK/Euro tour with him and his brothers’ great band The So So Glos. He also makes records as a solo artist, including a great new one called Victory Lap #23 which details the battle with cancer that he faced after being diagnosed in 2023. We also talked about Chuck Berry, Michael Jordan, living with Homocystinuria, writing with Conor Oberst and Tim Armstrong, and so much more. I was extremely happy that Alex was able to join me here. His story is inspiring. Listen and subscribe!

Bartees Strange is my guest on this episode of That’s How I Remember It. In February, Bartees released a great record called Horror, and he’s on the road now in support of it. We talked a lot about the record and also about Christian rock bands, which horror movies scare him, Bon Iver’s song "Skinny Love," writing short songs on purpose, hardcore as an inspiration, and so much more. Great talk, I was really happy to get to speak to Bartees. Listen and subscribe!