Best Barney Hoskyns Podcasts (2024)

1
"... we've been Song by Song" - Final Season Specials 1:49:39

5M ago1:49:39

1:49:39

Aaaaaaand finally... we're delighted to welcome Sam Clements to the show for an extended farewell to the podcast, discussing the process involved in producing a weekly music show for 8+ years. Martin and Sam fess up to a few things, talk about the work involved behind the scenes, and consider what a project like this affects the people involved. It…

1
The Old Favourites pt 2 - Where did we end up? - Final Season Specials 49:07

5M ago49:07

49:07

Having gone through all of Waits's music Song by Song, we're obviously well-placed to say which ones are best... or maybe least-worst... perhaps just from our perspective... subjectively good in these two people's opinions... but then who are we to say? Anyway, in this penultimate episode, Sam and Martin have a little chat about The Old Favourites …

1
The Old Favourites pt 1 - Where do you begin? - Final Season Specials 38:05

5M ago38:05

38:05

Having done the work, put in the hours and carefully considered all the options, Martin and Sam discuss exactly where they think a new listener to Waits's music might want to start, considering the various angles and perspectives one might have, as well as a little discussion of Tom's compilation albums. website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @son…

1
Music Videos pt 2 (1999-2012) - Final Season Specials 1:00:02

6M ago1:00:02

1:00:02

Our second set of music videos brings Philippa back to Martin and Sam for the last decade-and-change of Waits music videos. Sampling the work of Jesse Dylan, Matt Mahurin and various others, we consider what these videos mean in a post-YouTube world, as well as Waits's filmed promos in the 21st century. website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @song…

1
Music Videos pt 1 (1979-1992) - Final Season Specials 1:03:21

6M ago1:03:21

1:03:21

Continuing our season of specials on material outside the show’s main remit, Philippa Spanos returns to help Martin and Sam consider the creative and commercial aspects of Waits’s music videos. Starting with a long-overlooked animation experiment from the 70s, we chart how these films function in relation to the music, the commercial purpose of a v…

1
Mailbag Episode #7 1:12:53

6M ago1:12:53

1:12:53

Our final season wouldn't be complete without a look at the emails sent in by you, dear listeners, covering some errors and omissions, new theories, questions about remasters and several lovely well-wishes as we head towards the end of the show. website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpod e-mail: songbysongpodcast@gmail.com Music extract…

1
"He's a real Mensch" - Barney Hoskyns on the music of Tom Waits - Final Season Specials 1:33:23

6M ago1:33:23

1:33:23

We're delighted to bring you an extended interview with the man who literally wrote the book on Tom Waits, Barney Hoskyns. Bouncing through a selection of Waits's material from the 70s to the present day, we discuss what it's like to interview and write about artists, what changed (and stayed the same) in Waits's music, and how you should always ta…

1
True Orphans pt 7 (2010-2023) - Final Season Specials 40:11

7M ago40:11

40:11

Just imagine... at one point we thought this surprisingly epic True Orphans series might fit in two episodes, HA! Anyway, for this final episode Martin and Sam consider the Waits material from 2010 to the present day, including several contributions to tribute albums, a few live recordings, and his beautiful-yet-flawed farewell to David Letterman. …

1
True Orphans pt 6 (2000-2009) - Final Season Specials 45:38

7M ago45:38

45:38

As we enter the new millennium, Waits pushes into new sonic territory with various collaborations, covers and spoken word pieces, including nostalgic re-inventions and some more full-blooded engagement with hip hop music. website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpod e-mail: songbysongpodcast@gmail.com Music extracts used for illustrative/…

1
Christmas Break 2023 0:47

7M ago0:47

0:47

Just a brief FYI that Song by Song is taking a (previously unannounced) seasonal break for two weeks. We'll be back on January 10th 2024 with the penultimate episode of our True Orphans series. Have a lovely Winterval everyone!By Song by Song podcast

1
True Orphans pt 5 (1992-1999) - Final Season Specials 34:16

8M ago34:16

34:16

Rounding out the second half(?) of the 1990s, Waits explores collaborations with old friends and some unusual covers, as well as the building of experimental musical instruments, including his own mouth. It's a weird one, no doubt about it! website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpod e-mail: songbysongpodcast@gmail.com Music extracts use…

1
True Orphans pt 4 (1990-1992) - Final Season Specials 26:15

8M ago26:15

26:15

Into the 1990s, Martin and Sam return for more unreleased Waits tracks, splitting the decade into two more manageable chunks. This first episode sees some repurposed music, a few live songs, as well as Waits delivering heart-felt advice alongside Thelonius Monster. website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpod e-mail: songbysongpodcast@gma…

1
True Orphans pt 3 (1980-1989) - Final Season Specials 52:28

8M ago52:28

52:28

More discussions of Waits's unreleased recordings brings us to the 1980s, featuring several demos, a bunch of covers, and significant collaborations with other musicians, both big and small. Highlights this week include his contribution to a poetry documentary, a live Ewan MacColl cover, and his evening of collaborations with The Replacements. webs…

1
True Orphans pt 2 (1977-1979) - Final Season Specials 42:08

8M ago42:08

42:08

Our second episode dealing with the non-album work of Tom Waits (and our second from the 1970s) brings a variety of covers, live performances, outtakes and re-uses from studio sessions... including the Hokey Pokey. Check the show notes for versions of everything we're discussing, and hopefully you'll find some new favourites. website: songbysongpod…

1
True Orphans pt 1 (1971-1977) - Final Season Specials 44:49

8M ago44:49

44:49

Having determined not to waste everyone's time with a comprehensive coverage of ALL of Waits's recordings... Sam and Martin return to the podcast to do exactly that. Sorry? In this first of several episodes, we consider some of the most prolific years of Waits's career, covering as many recordings as we can find between 1971 and 1977. website: song…

1
After You Die, Bad As Me, Tom Waits [429] 37:31

10M ago37:31

37:31

WE DID IT! Just over 8 years and several hundred episodes since Ol’ 55, we’ve songed all the songs there are to Song by Song. Along with a little look back at Bad As Me, Kirk, Sam and Martin also give this alphabetically-first-but-chronologically-last track full consideration, and quickly check in to see how The Eagles have been doing. Plus - BONUS…

1
Tell Me, Bad As Me, Tom Waits [428] 25:14

10M ago25:14

25:14

A quintessential and sincere song of advice and experience for Kirk, Martin and Sam this week, perhaps also bordering on the sentimental? We discuss the paired imagery in the lyrics, more rhythmic shifting, and examine the questions these songs are asking (along with the answers they suggest). website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpod …

1
She Stole The Blush, Bad As Me, Tom Waits [427] 23:32

10M ago23:32

23:32

Diving into the three bonus tracks from the Bad As Me Deluxe edition, Sam and Martin welcome Kirk Hamilton of the Strong Songs podcast to explore isolated sax stabs, irregular rhythmic structures and sparse arrangements. We consider Waits's continued vocal experimentation, the oblique details of his lyric writing, and the politics and history of da…

1
New Year’s Eve, Bad As Me, Tom Waits [426] 27:55

11M ago27:55

27:55

At the end of the album-proper, Andrea, Martin and Sam consider the festive season as well as all its associated traumas. We return to Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Rickie Lee Jones as well as 1970s Tom Waits, debating possible autobiographical elements, poverty tourism, and which lullaby is best used to ring in the new year. website: songbysongpodcast…

1
Hell Broke Luce, Bad As Me, Tom Waits [425] 26:38

11M ago26:38

26:38

With serious discussion of disturbing events from the start, Andrea illuminates for Sam and Martin some of the context for this song of military trauma. We consider musical presentation of problems and solutions to injustice, sonic and lyrical density, and Waits’s political engagement more broadly website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysong…

1
Last Leaf, Bad As Me, Tom Waits [424] 26:46

11M ago26:46

26:46

We’re heading towards conclusions, both in albums and in life, as Andrea Warner joins with Martin and Sam to examine another Tom and Keith team up. The hubris of Waits’s sentiments, the juxtaposition of humour and pain in music, and a consideration of vestigial tails all feature in this week’s discussion. website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @so…

1
Satisfied, Bad As Me, Tom Waits [423] 30:55

11M ago30:55

30:55

Another Keith Richards collaboration brings Waits to a full confrontation with the Rolling Stones, as Song by Song engages with this cryptic track from the second half of Bad As Me. Determination in music and sports, the sexual or metaphorical interpretations of bullets and guns, and the lunacy of Harry Smith all feature in our third conversation w…

1
Kiss Me, Bad As Me, Tom Waits [422] 28:55

12M ago28:55

28:55

Waits's yearning for a new (or at least newness in) love brings Sara, Martin and Sam to some inherent features of popular music as well as human nature in general. We have conversations about changing affection in art itself, dig into the truths and lies we tell about the shape of life, and begin an extended consideration of the presence of limeren…

1
Bad As Me, Bad As Me, Tom Waits [421] 47:26

12M ago47:26

47:26

We’re delighted to welcome John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats for this special extended episode listening to the title track from Bad As Me. Diving into the history of Waits’s musical evolution, John, Martin and Sam consider the value of originality, Waits's reasons for producing this album after a 7 year hiatus, and some of the philosophical que…

1
Back In The Crowd, Bad As Me, Tom Waits [420] 28:28

12M ago28:28

28:28

Joined by long-hoped-for guest Sara Gran, Sam and Martin shuffle back into the crowd of emotional songs of loss and yearning, flanked by Waits in a sorrowful mode and Roy Orbison full of powerful declamatory emotion. Some lyrical interpretation, a little passive-aggression, and the question of how lonely a voice sounds all occupy our discussion, as…

1
Pay Me, Bad As Me, Tom Waits [419] 33:33

1y ago33:33

33:33

With a brief digression into Beyoncé’s oeuvre, Kerry-Jo, Martin and Sam discuss some of the oddities in the writing of Pay Me, and what story Waits is trying to tell. We consider stories of theatrical life, where to find the end of the world, and specificities in the writing of Stephen Sondheim. website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpo…

1
Face to the Highway, Bad As Me, Tom Waits [418] 24:04

1y ago24:04

24:04

Back with Sam and Martin, Kerry-Jo has some opinions about the honesty of Waits’s reasons for departure, as well as the comprehensibility of his Sweetums voice. We discuss the inevitability and/or duality of his departure, styles of poetic writing in both tracks, and the various ways that we get “stuck” in situations and relationships. website: son…

1
Get Lost, Bad As Me, Tom Waits [417] 24:28

1y ago24:28

24:28

We welcome Kerry-Jo Reilly to the show, joining Martin and Sam for songs of travel, departure and longing by Tom Waits, Larry Taylor, and their various associates. There’s discussion of the value of 60s/70s blues-rock, Waits’s various relationships over the years, and his attitude towards The King. website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbyson…

1
Talking at the Same Time, Bad As Me, Tom Waits [416] 28:12

1y ago28:12

28:12

Waits pulls on some (possibly) contemporary references this week, as Bryce, Sam and Martin consider the various meanings that “everybody talking” may relate to. Considering the tone and quality of the song, the applications to various political concerns of various eras, and taking a step into popular music of 2022, the conversation continues throug…

1
Raised Right Men, Bad As Me, Tom Waits [415] 24:33

1y ago24:33

24:33

Shambling on from Chicago, Waits lays down some relationship advice for Bryce, Martin and Sam to pick apart and interpret, with some mixed attitudes towards partners’ and parents’ influence over right and wrong men. We chat about the work of Aretha Franklin, overlap with Nick Cave, and of course the looming influence of Snagglepuss. website: songby…

1
Chicago, Bad As Me, Tom Waits [414] 24:46

1y ago24:46

24:46

Back for the beginning of our final(?) season, Bryce Halliday joins Sam and Martin for a journey toward the great unknown of Illinois. We examine the era of the song’s setting, the power of Mavis Staples’s singing, and the reliability of moving to "better" places. website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpod e-mail: songbysongpodcast@gmai…

1
Sarah Lee 53:06

1y ago53:06

53:06

Guardian/Observer staff photographer Sarah Lee first watched Dont Look Back whilst perched on a crowded bed in a Camden flat with a struggling rock combo called Coldplay. As she’s now a BAFTA photographer, Sarah checks plenty of other names in this episode, including Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston, Austin Butler and Cate Blanchett. On celebrity photogr…

1
Glitter & Doom Live, Tom Waits [395-413] 53:36

1y ago53:36

53:36

One more Megamix before we hit the final straight, with Martin and Sam taking the opportunity to consider the penultimate release of Waits, the 2009 live album Glitter & Doom Live, bouncing through the 17+ tracks at an approximate minute-per-track. We consider the different energy and interpretations of these recordings compared to studio originals…

1
Flixwatcher Teaser - Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves 1:52

1y ago1:52

1:52

A second week’s break, but there’s another discussion celebrating Flixwatcher’s 300th episode, this time digging into the 1991 classic that is Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves. And fear not, Sam and Martin will be back in just one short week for the Glitter & Doom megamix! https://flixwatcher.tv/episode-300-part-ii-robin-hood-prince-of-thieves-with-ma…

1
Flixwatcher Teaser - The Irishman 1:54

1y ago1:54

1:54

A week off for Martin and Sam... but never ones to rest on laurels, they've headed over to Flixwatcher to guest-host for Helen and Kobi's 300th episode, discussing the Martin Scorsese epic "The Irishman". While you build anticipation for Glitter & Doom, why not head over and take a listen. https://flixwatcher.tv/episode-300-part-i-the-irishman-with…

1
Tom Waits Film Cameo Compilation pt.3 [F24c] 53:46

1y ago53:46

53:46

Our third cameo compilation episode concludes Song by Song's journey through the film work of Tom Waits, with Leigh, Martin and Sam touching on the last decade of his screen appearances. This week considers Twixt (2011), The Laughing Heart (2003/2012), The Simpsons (2013), Citizen (2016), The Moon's Milk (2018), The Ultra City Smiths (2021), Licori…

1
Rebecca Slaman 50:53

1y ago50:53

50:53

Rebecca Slaman, writer and social media guru, is a fan of Bob Dylan’s “perfect random meme humour.” Twitter? “Girls lust after him! But I’ve seen some pretty egregious stuff. Old people don’t understand the platform.” Dylan’s 1987 film Hearts of Fire? “He cannot act. How can he not act? He’s been acting his whole life. So bad - but so entertaining!…

1
Tom Waits Film Cameo Compilation pt.2 [F24b] 55:33

1y ago55:33

55:33

Moving on through the shorter film appearances of Tom Waits, Leigh, Sam and Martin find some of the sparkling (and less-than-sparkling) gems from his movie roles of the 90s and into the 2000s, discussing Queen’s Logic (1991), The Fisher King (1991), Until The End Of The World (1991), Domino (2005), The Tiger and The Snow (2005), The Book of Eli (20…

1
Tom Waits Film Cameo Compilation pt.1 [F24a] 57:52

1+ y ago57:52

57:52

Song by Song embarks on a roundup of Waits’s many film cameo appearances, with Sam and Martin ably abetted by film critic Leigh Singer. With discussions of his smallest early film appearances (and several of his film absences), we take this first episode to discuss Paradise Alley (1978), Wolfen (1981), The Stone Boy (1984), Candy Mountain (1987), G…

1
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (film, dir. Coen Bros, 2018) [F22] 59:14

1+ y ago59:14

59:14

It’s story time again, with Waits giving an almost-solo turn in the “All Gold Canyon” segment of The Coen Brothers’ anthology film The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Rico Galliano of the MUBI Podcast joins Sam and Martin to consider all six of the film’s stories, its fatal themes, and Waits’s talent for shouting at owls. website: songbysongpodcast.com t…

1
Tom Waits For Kids [394b] 19:06

1+ y ago19:06

19:06

We welcome Eadie and Melia to the podcast, presenting five songs from Waits aimed at younger listeners, and discovering how the junior contingent of Song by Song feel about them. We discuss creepy voices and creepier sheds, the feeding habits of Golden Eagles, and the deep trauma of poor WiFi connectivity. website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @s…

1
Bettye LaVette 50:23

1y ago50:23

50:23

In the 61st year of her singing career, five-time Grammy nominee Bettye LaVette warns us that our chat will be “straight, no chaser”. And she lives up to that promise. Bettye describes her surprise backstage meeting with Bob Dylan: “He kissed me on the mouth. It was no big deal. I’ve kissed Otis Redding and David Ruffin”. Working with Keith Richard…

1
Orphans Summary [394a] 32:48

1+ y ago32:48

32:48

Sam and Martin conclude the 22nd season of Song by Song, bringing thoughts on the 60+ tracks, 21 episodes, 10 guests and many musical influences we’ve considered over the last 5 months of the show. We talk over the album order, it’s purpose for both Waits and his listeners, and attempt to form a Best Of list by making a few “adoptions”. website: so…

1
Simon Munnery 46:26

1+ y ago46:26

46:26

Like his main man Bob Dylan, comedian Simon Munnery knows a few things about heckles: aside from being arrested in Edinburgh for heckling Arthur Smith, he met his future wife when she heckled him in Australia. When not on the road, Simon joins his local Morris Men in Bedfordshire pubs, serenading fellow drinkers with his version of Blind Willie McT…

1
No One Can Forgive Me / Mathie Grove / Silent Night, Orphans, Tom Waits [392/393/394] 34:39

1+ y ago34:39

34:39

A final set of bonus tracks brings us to the end of season 22, with Christa, Martin and Sam enjoying a demo-style blues number, an extended bit of acapella storytelling, and Waits’s duet with a children’s choir. We conclude with some exaggerated masculinity, the Elizabethan-equivalent of Reservoir Dogs, and a bit of Christmas charidee. website: son…

1
Pray / Young At Heart / Missing My Son, Orphans, Tom Waits [389/390/391] 34:34

1+ y ago34:34

34:34

Musician and writer Christa Couture joins Martin and Sam for the final few Orphans, including a Book of Knots collaboration, the tale of an unpaid grocery bill, and a bit of ol’ Blue Eyes. Our penultimate episode for the season includes a celebration of youth, silly storytelling, and a surprise vocal cameo by the one and only Kathleen. website: son…

1
Cannon Song / Jayne's Blue Wish / Dog Treat, Orphans, Tom Waits [386/387/388] 38:18

1+ y ago38:18

38:18

Heading into the final tracks from Orphans, Tim, Martin and Sam discuss the ruinous junkyard dog that is Waits’s music, with another track from Brecht/Weill’s Threepenny Opera, some nursery rhyme cribs, and a bit of spontaneous(?) comedy. Waits delivers some aggressive anti-war sentiment, a song slightly lacking in specificity, and then finishes wi…

1
Diamond In Your Mind / Danny Says / On The Road, Orphans, Tom Waits [383/384/385] 34:31

1+ y ago34:31

34:31

We welcome writer and podcaster Tim Clare to Song by Song, for more Orphaned songs about the significance of imaginary diamonds, sound-check deadlines, and a collaboration with Primus. We discuss reinterpretations of The Ramones, another version of Kerouac’s song On The Road, and a very valuable belt. website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songby…

1
Helen Barrett 53:48

1+ y ago53:48

53:48

Journalist Helen Barrett was lullabied to sleep as her mother sang Mr. Tambourine Man; she had it played at her mother’s funeral (“the Dylan version, not the Byrds cover”). To top it off, Baby, Stop Crying was the soundtrack to her Dylan-loving parents’ divorce. Helen analyses Dylan’s clothes (“John Lennon wasn’t given to copying people, but he cop…

1
Crazy 'Bout My Baby / Down There By The Train / King Kong, Orphans, Tom Waits [380/381/382] 35:08

1+ y ago35:08

35:08

Having dealt with all the Brawlers, Sam and Martin dig into the bonus disc of Orphans with a Fats Waller cover, music first performed by Johnny Cash, and a synopsis of King Kong. We discuss Waits’s capability as a pianist, his treatment of history’s villains, and consider his cover of an iconic outsider-artist musician. website: songbysongpodcast.c…

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Barney Hoskyns Podcasts

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