The Sound of Success with Nic Harcourt

by Nude & Ginger

Season 2

Teenaged John Roderick rode box car trains across the U.S; Aged 30 he walked from Hook of Holland to Istanbul. He was surprised to find he liked Coldplay & If he could only listen to one song for the rest of his life he'd pick Elliot Smith's Waltz #2

Nic's guest on this episode is musician, singer, songwriter, podcaster, John Roderick. John is the lead singer and guitarist of the Seattle band The Long Winters and co-hosts the podcasts Roderick On The Line with Merlin Mann and Omnibus with former Jeopardy! champion and current host Ken Jennings, but that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of his remarkable life. Nic had a great time talking with John, and as a result this episode clocks in at a TSOS record 1hr 58 mins!

S2 · E8

Mar 27, 2025

1:57:31

On Gail Ann Dorsey's ninth birthday, her godmother and neighbor Edith gave her a Kay parlor guitar. The first album she bought was 'Slayed' by Slade, and Isaac Hayes was the first artist she saw live in concert.

Explicit

Accomplished songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and one of the most highly regarded bass guitar players working today, Gail Ann Dorsey is Nic's guest on this episode. As a session musician Gail's work has graced recordings and performances by numerous artists. including The National, Lenny Kravitz, Bryan Ferry, Boy George, The The, Gwen Stefani, Seal, Charlie Watts, Gang of Four, Ani DiFranco, Indigo Girls and Tears For Fears, PLUS she played in David Bowie's band, from 1995 thru his last tour in 2004! Aside from playing bass with Bowie, she sang lead vocals on live versions of "Under Pressure" (taking the part originally sung by Queen frontman Freddie Mercury) and dueted with Bowie on a whole host of other songs and contributed bass and or backing vocals on his albums 'Earthling', 'Heathen', 'Reality', and 'The Next Day.' Gail has also released three solo albums: 'The Corporate World ' (1988), 'Rude Blue' (1992), and 'I Used To Be...' (2003). Bass Player magazine gave her a Lifetime Achievement Award In December 2021,

S2 · E7

Dec 18, 2024

1:19:45

The Spice Girls loom large in Lauren Mayberry's musical DNA & she thinks that Missy Elliott has made some of the best music videos of all time. George Michael or Whitney Houston will get her dancing & maybe, there's a Broadway musical in her future.

Explicit

Lauren Mayberry is the lead singer of the Scottish band Chvrches. She has played the piano since she was a child and drums since she was a teenager. Before her music career took off Lauren completed a four-year undergraduate law degree at the University of Strathclyde and earned a master's degree in journalism leading to her first gig in music as a freelance music journalist. In Chvrches she co-writes and co-produces the bands material with Iain Cook and Martin Doherty. At the time of this conversation at the end of October 2024 Lauren is readying the release of her debut solo album 'Vicious Creature'.

S2 · E6

Dec 3, 2024

45:25

B-52's founding member Kate Pierson's first music purchase was Sheb Wooley's "Purple People Eater", her first concert? The Doors (Jim Morrison dropped his pants) in Chicago, and the music of Neil Diamond is a guilty pleasure.

Kate Pierson's band the B-52s, who formed in Athens Georgia in 1976, have a long list of bona fide hits, including "Rock Lobster" "Planet Claire" "Party Out of Bounds" "Private Idaho "Love Shack" and "Roam". Her distinctive mezzo-soprano vocal range is a trademark of the B-52s' unique sound. Outside of her work with the band she has appeared in films and TV shows, including "The Flintstones" (with the BC-52's) and "Flight of the Conchords". Kate has collaborated with many artists throughout her career including The Ramones, Iggy Pop, David Byrne and R.E.M. At the time of our conversation in August 2024 Kate talks about her musical journey and discusses her second solo album "Radio and Rainbows".

S2 · E5

Sep 18, 2024

40:45

Thurston Moore wrang glorious sounds from his electric guitar through his work with Sonic Youth, who in 1981 emerged from the experimental No Wave art & music scene in New York before evolving into arguably the most influential independent band ever

Nic is joined on this episode by guitarist, singer, songwriter and author Thurston Moore, who is probably best known as a member of the groundbreaking and highly influential band Sonic Youth. Outside of that band Thurston has a long list of side projects and credits, including work with John Zorn, Richard Hell, Lydia Lunch, Yoko Ono, Dave Grohl. REM, and Beck! He has also made 9 solo albums, the most recent of which 'Flow Critical Lucidity' is set for a September 2024 release. In 1981 he founded the Ecstatic Peace! record label which has released more than 200 LPs, cassettes, 7"s, and CDs, of both established and fledgling artists. His creative palette has included writing and performing music for film, narrating documentaries for the National Geographic channel, a residency at the Louvre, and teaching writing at Allen Ginsberg & Anne Waldman’s Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Boulder’s Naropa University. He is an honorary professor at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, Denmark.

S2 · E4

Sep 11, 2024

1:01:31

Musician. curator and composer Camilo Lara grew up in the Mexico City neighborhood where Trotsky lived. His earliest musical memory is XTC's album 'English Settlement', his first concert, The Cure In San Diego on their 'Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me' tour.

Camilo Lara is perhaps best known for music that he releases under the name Mexican Institute of Sound, with six full-length albums released since 2006 and a recent compilation 'Algo Ritmo Hits 2004 - 2024'. He is also a highly sought after producer and his list of collaborators is long and impressive, Sly and Robbie, Tom Tom Club, Gaby Moreno, Calexico, and Norah Jones are just a few. Camilo is in high demand as a remixer, having worked on tracks by many artists including Metallica, Run The Jewels, Beck, Madness, Beastie Boys and Julieta Venegas. He works in Television and Film as a music supervisor and composer, with credits including Showtime's 'Californication', and Netflix’s 'Narcos Mexico' and movies like 'Y Tu Mama Tambien', Pixar’s 'Coco' and Disney’s 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'. Camilo recently picked up an Emmy for his work on the Apple TV show 'Home'. He is also a part of Daniam Albarn’s Africa Express project that facilitates collaborations between African, Middle Eastern and Western musicians.

S2 · E3

Jun 14, 2024

36:59

Neil Finn's first musical memory is of his mother singing while washing dishes. The first album he bought was Donovan's 'Fairy Tale', his first live show was Elton John at Western Springs in Auckland & he's a fan of ethnomusicologist David Fanshawe.

Neil Finn is best known for being in two of the most important bands to come out of his homeland of New Zealand. Split Enz, a band in which he shared writing and lead duties with his brother Tim, That band had a string of hit's including "I Got You", "History Never Repeats" and "Message to My Girl". After that band broke up he was a founding member of Crowded House whose hits include "Don't Dream It's Over", "Weather with You" and "Fall at Your Feet". He has collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Paul Kelly and his brother (Tim) as the Finn Brothers. He has released four solo records and has also been a member of Fleetwood Mac since 2018. At the time of this conversation in May of 2024, Neil was readying the release of Crowded House’s 8th studio album "Gravity Stairs” and a world tour.

S2 · E2

May 22, 2024

34:30

Stuart Murdoch is the lead singer and songwriter of the band Belle and Sebastian which began as a project at the University of Glasgow. His early music purchases included albums by Simon and Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder and the Welsh metal band Budgie.

Musician, writer and filmmaker Stuart Murdoch is the lead singer and songwriter for the Scottish band Belle and Sebastian. The group's first album 'Tigermilk' was released to critical claim in 1996; sparking a career that has seen them put out a series of singles, 9 ep’s and 12 albums, the most recent, 'Late Developers was released in 2023'. Stuart says "We definitely wouldn't describe ourselves as a 'rock band', we aspire toward what we would call 'classic pop music.'" They highlight pop records from 1979 onwards as the style that unites the passions between the band members.

S2 · E1

Apr 18, 2024

38:22

Season 1

Jason Schwartzman's earliest musical memories are his mom playing the tape of the musical 'Into the Woods' in the car, and listening to Michael Jackson's thriller on his Boombox; the first album he bought with his own $ was Nirvana's 'Nevermind'.

Actor, writer, and musician, Jason Schwartzman began his acting career in 1998 when, at the age of 18, he starred in Wes Anderson’s 'Rushmore'. Since then he has taken roles in an eclectic array of both film and television projects. His movies include, 'Marie Antoinette', 'Saving Mr. Banks', 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' and 'The Polka King', his most recent films are Wes Anderson’s 'Asteroid City' and 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Among his television credits are 'Mozart in the Jungle', 'Fargo' and 'The Righteous Gemstones'. Jason has musical roots; when Nic first met him, he was the drummer in Phantom Planet. More recently he has released solo material under the Coconut Records moniker.

S1 · E73

Dec 20, 2023

50:36

Alexi Lalas played hockey before soccer. His love of music came from his mom, who was in a group of madrigal singers, and sent him to piano lessons and taught him basic guitar chords. His first live music experience? Pat Benatar.

Former USMNT soccer star, Alexi Lalas exploded onto the international stage during the 1994 FIFA World Cup, a summer in which Americans embraced the world's most popular sport. He went on to become the first American to play in Italy's Serie A; and when Major League Soccer kicked off in 1996, he returned to the US and spent the rest of his playing career helping launch the league, with stints at the New England Revolution, Kansas City Wizards, and LA Galaxy; where he won numerous competitions, including the MLS Cup, before retiring from playing in 2002. His post playing career included gigs as general manager of the San Jose Earthquakes, New York Red Bulls, and LA Galaxy. He currently works as an analyst for Fox Sports and hosts the State of the Union podcast. Last year, he released his eighth album of music, 'Melt Away'. In this episode Nic get's to speak about two of his favorite things, soccer/football and music!

S1 · E72

Dec 7, 2023

47:00

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