Nakedly Examined Music Podcast

Dan was the bass player and one of four lead singers in the NYC band Hypnolovewheel, which released five albums and an EP 1987-1993 and is now re-releasing these, starting with a new compilation called Parallel Universe. Since 1994, he has fronted Hoboken’s The Special Pillow, which has now had nine releases (three being EPs). Dan also played bass on two albums by XL Kings, fronted by Hypnolovewheel’s Stephen Hunking.

We discuss “Fond and Foggy” from The Special Pillow Meets the Space Monster (2024 EP), I Woke Up, also by The Special Pillow, from World’s Finest (2020), and “Wow” by Hypnolovewheel from Angel Food (1992). End song: “Automatic Doom” from Inside the Special Pillow (2003). Intro: “Sabrina (Open Your Window)” by Plastic Device (1983), unreleased until E Pluribus Plastic (2019). To hear more, look up these three bands on https://bandcamp.com/.

Hear all of “Sabrina (Open Your Window).” Watch The Special Pillow live. Watch some videos they made at their YouTube channel.

Watch Hypnolovewheel with Dan singing live at their recent reunion. Watch the MTV video for “Wow“; some other videos from back in the day include “I Dream of Jeannie” and “Bridge Because.”

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After playing lead guitar for a couple of years in rock bands, Bruce has released 34 solo albums between 1970 and the present. He’s a very accomplished finger-picker and often plays entirely solo but has also written rock, jazz, Christian, and 80s syntho songs.

We discuss “Louis Collins” (written by Mississippi John Hurt in 1928) from The Blood of Others (2026), “Look How Far” from Breakfast in New Orleans Dinner in Timbuktu (1999), and Let’s Go Laughing” from High Winds White Sky (1971). End song: “Café Society” from Bone on Bone (2017). Intro: “If I Had a Rocket Launcher” from Stealing Fire (1984).

Watch the video for “Rocket Launcher”; some of his other hits with videos include “Lovers in a Dangerous Time,” “If a Tree Falls,” and “Call it Democracy.” A much more recent one is “Put It in Your Heart.” Watch others on Bruce’s Vevo channel.

Watch a recent live solo set, here’s a live set from his band in 1986, and here’s a set from 1979. Watch an old live recording of his other biggest hit, “Wondering Where the Lions Are.” See a recent performance of “Let’s Go Laughing.”

Hear a song Bruce wrote for one of his pre-solo bands, The Children, back in 1966. Hear Mississippi John Hurt perform “Louis Collins.”

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Joan Wasser started as violinist/support member in the 90s for The Dambuilders and then for Mind Science of the Mind and Antony and the Johnsons. In the mid-90s, she co-led a band called Black Beetle that released nothing, but taught her songwriting. She’s had 13 solo releases (7 original albums, 2 of covers, 2 collaborations, 1 live, 1 EP), as she has continued to guest and tour with major artists including Iggy Pop, Gorillaz, Rufus and Martha Wainwright, John Cale, Sheryl Crow, Elton John, and Lou Reed.

We discuss “Eternal Flame” from Real Life Evolution (2026), “I Defy” from Real Life (2006) (a duet with ANOHNI), and “Full-Time Heist” from Lemons, Limes and Orchids (2024). Intro: “The Magic” from The Deep Field (2011). End song: “Valid Jagger” from Damned Devotion (2018). More at https://joanaspolicewoman.com/.

Experience all of “The Magic.” Hear one of Joan’s songs with Black Beetle before her first solo EP (“Vanish”). The single off that initial EP was “My Gurl.”

Watch a live, recent performance of “I Defy” and “Eternal Flame” from the same session. Hear the full new version of “I Defy” and the full old version of “Eternal Flame.”

Watch “Full Time Heist” played live solo. Here’s the official video. Watch a video for her collaborative project The Solution is Restless.

Hear one of Joan’s songs with Black Beetle before her first solo EP (“Vanish”). Watch Joan in 1995 playing violin live with Mary Timony (her bandmate in Mind Science of the Mind). Here she is very liberally covering The Beatles.

Watch more video on Joan’s YouTube channel.

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Jacqui rose to fame with the Australian electronic dance band Single Gun Theory (three albums released 1987, 1991, 1994), did some one-off collaborations (e.g. singing for Delirium), and released her first solo album in 2008. After some solo singles (and an album as one half of CiiVE), she’s now released her second solo album, Desiderium.

We discuss “Planet” (co-written with Brian Connelly) and listen at the end to “Cycles” from that new album, plus “Myriad” from Auraphonic (2008), and “The Sea of Core Experience” by Single Gun Theory from Flow, River of My Soul (1994) (the core song including lyrics written by Kath Power, with synths added by Pete Rivett-Carnac; Jacqui would add her vocals to create the final version). Intro: “Take Me Back” by Single Gun Theory from Millions, Like Stars in My Hands, The Daggers in My Heart Wage War (1991). Learn more at https://jacquihunt.net/.

Watch the video for “Cycles” and one for “Planet.” Hear the title track from the new album. Here’s a video for “Connect” from her first solo album. Her 2017 band CiiVE with Brian Conolly also had a couple of videos: “Feather & Down” and “Stationized.” Watch a video for her appearance with Delirium: “Euphoria (Firefly).” Here’s a song she sang for Paul Mac.

Hear all of “Take Me Back.” Here’s a playlist of Single Gun Theory’s other various videos. As Jacqui said, they didn’t often play live, and I’m not able to find any live footage of their tour with Sarah McLachlan or other shows, though according to the description, this is a live audio recording.

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Glenn was a central figure in the Hoboken punk scene, fronting the band “a” in the late ’70s (no released albums) and then The Individuals (one album and an EP) in the early ’80s. His next band, Rage to Live (two albums), was the first release from Bar/None records in 1986, and Glenn then joined the label as a partner and signed They Might Be Giants, Yo La Tengo, etc. He started recording his own music again in the early 2010’s and has now released three albums as Glenn Morrow’s Cry for Help.

We discuss “Sweater Weather” (and listen at the end to “That’s That”) from Our Final Album Vol. 1 (2026), “Our World” by The Individuals from Fields (1982), and “Swimmer” from the self-titled album (1986) by Rage to Live. Intro: “Yellowed Pages” from 2 (2020). More at https://glenn-morrow.com/.

“Sweater Weather” was inspired by the Richard Brautigan 1967 poem “All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace.”

Watch Cry for Help playing “Our World” live. Here they are promoting their first album, and in an acoustic format. Watch a whole live-stream from Freedy Johnston’s. Watch The Individuals live.

They’ve released a couple of videos: “Other Side of the Dream,” “Forever and a Day,” and here’s one for “Sweather Weather.” Hear all of “Yellowed Pages“.

Hear more Nakedly Examined Music at https://nakedlyexaminedmusic.com/. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/nakedlyexaminedmusic.

Dan was Ben Vaughn’s sound-man and released his first solo album of Americana rock in 2004. We discuss “Busted” from his eighth album (produced by Vaughn), the just Dan-and-his guitar effort Dispatches from the Desert, then “Beaumont” from Cast-Iron Songs and Torch Ballads (2023), “Favorite Color” from Rosetta, Please (A Love Story) (2006). End song: “Lookin’ for a Fight” also from the new album. Intro: “Always” from Man from Out of State (2004). More at https://danmontgomery.bandcamp.com.

Hear all of “Always,” and a couple of the drug songs we refer to near the beginning: “Phenobarbiedoll” and “Crack Home.” See Dan’s full, recent band live, and again here. See him play live as an acoustic duo. Here he is live 17 years ago. Hear his early band Drugs Before Breakfast.

Hear more Nakedly Examined Music at https://nakedlyexaminedmusic.com/. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/nakedlyexaminedmusic.

Hear my previous interview with Ben Vaughn.

With his roots in folk, Josh released three rock albums in the ’90s before his big hit “Camera One,” from Useful Music (2001), which is getting a Silver Anniversary rework/reissue (The intro music for this episode is the newly recorded version). He has released seven albums since then, typically as The Josh Joplin Group, but sometimes as Among the Oak & Ash.

We discuss “Goodbye Berlin” from GpYr (2025), “History of I Do” from Figure Drawing (2023) (music by Wes Langois), “Juniper” from Boxing Nostalgic (1997), and conclude by listening to “High, Low & Wide” from the self-titled album by his folk unit, Among the Oak & Ash (2008). More at https://joshjoplingroup.com/.

Watch the original video for “Camera One” and the silver-anniversary new recording/video. Hear the big-budget, Josh-rejected version of what would have been his second single from that album, “I’ve Changed.” There’s also a video for the solo version. Watch him back in the day playing the song on Letterman, and with just a guitar at a cafe in 2008.

Watch the Josh Joplin Group live recently, and as a duo with Wes Langois. Watch him talk and perform with Garrison Starr as Among the Oak and Ash. Watch that full band live in 2010. That band did lots of folk standards, but also a Smiths cover.

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Bruce started as guitarist for the ’90s for Vulgar Unicorn and started Pineapple Thief as a solo project in 1999, though it quickly became a full band (and has for the last several albums been a true 4-way collaboration featuring King Crimson/Porcupine Tree drummer Gavin Harrison). He’s released 16 studio albums with Pineapple Thief and four solo albums (plus a collaboration album with Jonas Renske from Katatonia). More at https://brucesoord.com/ and https://pineapplethief.com/.

We discuss “Pillars” from Ghosts in the Park (his 2026 solo album) and some Pineapple Thief tracks: the title track from It Leads to This (2024), “Clapham” from 10 Stories Down (2005), remixed for 3000 Days (2008), plus to conclude “Alone at Sea” from Magnolia (2014). Intro: “Private Paradise” by from Abducted at Birth (1999, originally called Abducting the Unicorn).

Hear all of “Private Paradise.” There’s an official video for “Pillars.” Here’s one for another new song “Meet Me On the Downs.” Watch Bruce live solo, and live with his “solo band.”

Watch the latest Pineapple Thief video, and here’s a nice one from 2020. Here they are live with Gavin. Here’s a whole live show from 2017 shortly after Gavin joined. Watch Bruce talk about his gear. There’s much more at their YouTube channel.

The Vulgar Unicorn albums are Under the Umbrella (1995), Sleeps With the Fishes (1996), and Jet Set Radio (2000). They also put out an album as Persona Non Grata (not released until 2004). Bruce’s partner in that band was Neil Randall, who currently puts out music as Niederrad 16.

Hear more Nakedly Examined Music at https://nakedlyexaminedmusic.com/. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/nakedlyexaminedmusic for access to more Linsenmayer/Soord interaction viaour bonus 2018 partial interview.

Michael is the songwriter and guitarist for the Canadian band Cowboy Junkies (featuring two of his siblings and a childhood friend), with whom he’s released 20+ studio albums and several live albums since 1989.

We discuss “Throw a Match” from Such Ferocious Beauty (2023), “He Will Call You Baby” from More Acoustic Junk (2025), remade from One Soul Now (2004), and “Rock and Bird” from The Caution Horses (1990). End song: ” Unanswered Letter” from The Wilderness-The Nomad Series, Vol. 4 (2012). Intro: “Misguided Angel” from The Trinity Session (1988). More at https://cowboyjunkies.com/.

Follow along in Mark’s notes (Google has inexplicably decided that the file looks dangerous and might warn you of this, but it’s just the same as all the rest of them; you can ignore the warning.)

Watch the video for “Misguided Angel.” Here’s that video/alternate version of “Rock and Bird” featuring Bruce Hornsby (my previous guest!) as depicted in the video by Stephen Wright. Hear the original version of “He Will Call You Baby.” Hear the acoustic version of “The Wilderness.” Hear their tune with John Prine.

Watch a full live set from 2008. Watch them live on Carson in 1989, on Leno in 1994 and on Letterman in 1996. Here’s a video for one of their cover tunes (a David Bowie tune!).

Watch the video for a tune by one of Michael’s side projects, Lee Harvey Osmond (the singer is Tom Wilson). Listen to one of Michael’s solo album improvisations. Here’s his film soundtrack from 2017. Here’s his 1983 band with Alan, Germinal, and his even earlier band Hunger Project.

Hear more Nakedly Examined Music at https://nakedlyexaminedmusic.com/. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/nakedlyexaminedmusic.

Teddy, golden-voiced son on Richard and Linda, is more tied to ’50s/’60s rock and country than he his to his parents’ folk influences, and he’s recorded ten solo albums of tuneful, straightforward but highly idiosyncratic rock and country tunes since 2000.

We discuss “Come Back” (and listen at the end to “So This Is Heartache”) from Never Be the Same (2026), “Move At Speed” from Heartbreaker Please (2020), and “I Should Get Up” from Separate Ways (2006). Intro: “In My Arms” from A Piece of What You Need (2008). More at https://www.teddythompson.net/.

Watch the video for “In My Arms.” Another song from the new album that I mention is “Not What I Need,” and its great closing tune is “Same Old Song.” Teddy’s previous album is My Love of Country. Hear the song Teddy mentions, “No Way to Be,” featuring his father and Garth Hudson.

Watch Teddy play “I Should Get Up” solo live. Here’s a whole, very recent live solo show. Watch Teddy and Richard sing “Persuasion” (the great song Richard wrote with Tim Finn) live in 1999 (here’s the studio version, and here’s Tim’s version). Here’s the tune he wrote with his mother for her most recent album (she has vocal issues now, so a series of guest vocalists sing all the tunes). Here’s a trailer for the Family album by Thompson (2014).

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Richard joined the British art-rock band Japan in 1975, playing with them through their five albums, 1982 break-up, and 1991 one-off reformation (as Rain Tree Crow). He continued to collaborate with Japan drummer Steve Jansen, recording four instrumental ambient albums with him (and one pop album in 1987 as Dolphin Brothers), between 1985 and 1995, adding Japan bassist Nick Karn for a couple more albums, plus 1994 album with No-Man singer Tim Bowness and two albums (’12-’13) with Marillion singer Steve Hogarth. In 1995 he joined Porcupine Tree, and this has been his main gig, recording 25+ albums with them. In 2004 he finally released his first solo album, a second one in 2008, and then a steady stream of albums and EPs since 2017 (so around eight solo albums’ worth of material in total).

We discuss “A New Simulation” from Hauntings (2026), “All Fall Down” from Stranger Inside (2008), and “Sleepers Awake” by Steve Jansen and Richard Barbieri from Stone to Flesh (1995). End song: “Waiting to Be Born” by Steve Hogarth and Richard Barbieri, recorded 2015 and released as the lead track to an EP by that name in 2023. Intro: “The Experience of Swimming” by Japan, a B-side from Gentlemen Take Polaroids (1980). More at https://richardbarbieri.bandcamp.com/.

Hear all of “The Experience of Swimming.” A more famous Japan song from just after that which Richard contributed heavily to is “Ghosts.” Watch the band’s final show from 1982.

Here’s a live version of “Sleepers Awake.” (Actually, the live version I was referring to is from the live album Lumen; since he said it was only played live once, these may well be the same performance.) Here’s a song Richard co-wrote for Porcupine Tree. Here’s another he also co-wrote, but played live.

Here’s one he recorded with his wife Suzanne in 1997 as Indigo Falls. You can hear the full 1987 Dolphin Brothers album that Richard says was kind of a mistake. Here’s a tune Richard played synth on for David Sylvian’s 1984 solo album (he was the singer for Japan). Here’s one of the Rain Tree Crow (1991) songs he is credited with co-writing.

Watch a cool “360 degree” video of one of his recent instrumentals, “Serpentine.” Here’s another cool one along the same lines. The song we briefly discuss with virtuoso bassist Percy Jones is “Path Not Taken.” Watch Richard playing live solo. Watch him messing around with gear. Here’s an older tune with Steve Hogarth and one with Tim Bowness.

For more general info about LFOs (low-frequency oscillators), here’s a video.

Hear more Nakedly Examined Music at https://nakedlyexaminedmusic.com/. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/nakedlyexaminedmusic.

Tom was an integral member of the Greenwich Village early '60s folk scene (playing originals regularly before Bob Dylan did). His tunes have been covered by Dylan, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Harry Belafonte, and many others. He received a lifetime achievement Grammy in 2009.

We talk about "Rebel Gal" from Together Again (2026) (a collaborative album with John McCutcheon), "If the Poor Don't Matter" from Redemption Road (2015), "Mr. Blue" from Morning Again (1968), and "The Death of Stephen Biko" (with Anne Hills and Bob Gibson) from Best of Friends (live in 1984, released in 2004; the song was originally recorded for Heroes, 1978). Intro: "I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound" from Rambin' Boy (1964). More at https://tompaxton.com/.

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Alan released two albums with folk-rock band Knots and Crosses in the early 90s, put out one solo album, then became a recording engineer and earned a PhD in ethnomusicology. He released three albums between 2010-2019 fronting Birdsong at Morning and put out two more solo albums.

We discuss "Just Like Water" (and listen at the end to "Somewhere There's a Train") from Floating on the Dreamline (2026), "The Great Escape" by Birdsong at Morning from A Slight Departure (2015), and the title track to Curve of the Earth (1993) by Knots and Crosses. Intro: "Neon Dreaming," originally from Evidence (1994). More at https://alanwilliamsevidence.com/.

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Hear more Nakedly Examined Music at https://nakedlyexaminedmusic.com/. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/nakedlyexaminedmusic.

Bill is a singer/songwriter who recorded five albums of catchy tunes between 1989 and 1991, then retired but came back a vengeance in 2014. He's now just released his 13th album, Haunted, and we talk about "Perpetual Tourist" and listen at the end to the title track from that, "Trentham" from A Trip to the Coast (2014) and "Pigalle on a Tuesday is Charming" from Parce Que (1988). Intro: "Tommy & Co," from Three Months, Three Weeks and Two Days (1989). More at https://billprichardmusic.com.

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Kavus began in dual-guitar London math-rock bands in the '90s, joined The Cardiacs for their final lineup. His band Knifeworld released the first of its four albums in 2009, he released solo albums in 2020 and 2024, and since 2014 he has released six albums with legacy prog-rock band Gong. He has also released four studio albums with electronica band The Utopia Strong since 2019.

We discuss "Stars in Heaven" by Gong from Bright Spirit Haulix (2026), "Send Him Seaworthy" by Knifeworld from The Unraveling (2014), "You Broke My Fall" by Kavus Torabi from Hip to the Jag (2020), and "Wise Guy" by The Monsoon Bassoon, a 1998 single. Intro: "Ditzy Scene" by The Cardiacs, a 2007 single eventually released on LSD (2025).

Hear more Nakedly Examined Music at https://nakedlyexaminedmusic.com/. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/nakedlyexaminedmusic.

Lande started in the 2010's in the British punk-pop group Muncie Girls, with six releases (mostly EPs), and began her solo career in 2019. We discuss "Coming Home" (and listen at the end to the title track) from her fourth solo album Lucky Now (2026), "80 Days of Rain" from Going to Hell (2011), and "Learn In School" by Muncie Girls from From Caplan to Belsize (2016). Intro: "Gay Space Cadets" from House Without a View (2022).

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John has released at least fifteen albums, more than half of these under the name King Missile, but even this name covers three different bands, since John until recently didn't play any instruments, so his music is always collaborative with one or more music writers. Apart from his various musical projects, he's published around 50 books of poetry and publishes poems every day on his Facebook page.

We discuss "Her Cock is True" from the yet-to-be-released King Missile album Quest for Fire, "Eating People" from The Psychopathology of Everyday Life (2003), and "Sensitive Artist" from Fluting on the Hump (1987). End song: "Garden" by You, Me and This Fuckin’ Guy from Garden Variety Fuckers (2020). Intro: "Detachable Penis" from Happy Hour (1992).

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Folky singer/songwriter and psychotherapist Robert started in the '80s but considers 1994 his professional debut and has now released his seventh album since then, The Space Between Us.

We discuss "Attic of Desire" (and the intro is "The Forest From the Tree") from that album, plus "Uncertain" from Beloved (2017), the title track from Earthside Down (1998). End song: "Rock A Bye" feat. Victoria Williams from Days Like These (1994). More at https://robertdeeble.com.

Watch Robert's video for "The Forest From the Tree." The previous version of "Attic of Desire" was called "A Formal Apology" from Thirteen Stories (2003). Watch Robert and his band play "Earthside Down" live in 2002.

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Ontario guitarist Darren has released six albums of concise instrumentals since 2019, often using metal guitar tones and tropes, but with a great range of tones and often catchy melodies.

We discuss "The Day Beneath Yesterday" (and listen at the end to "Dangerous Curves") from Perpetual Night (2025), "Broken Glass and Disappointment" from Thoughts and Scares (2022), and "The Earth is B Flat" from Lifting the Curse (2019). Intro: The title track from Wonders of the Invisible World (2020). More at https://darrenboyd.com/.

Hear more Nakedly Examined Music at https://nakedlyexaminedmusic.com/. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/nakedlyexaminedmusic.

In a special holiday episode, we get to meet musician and podcaster Roger Heathers, who edits this show. Together, Roger and I discuss how we make the show and share some highlights and challenges re. recent guests.

At the beginning and the end of the show, you get to hear two tracks from his soon to be released Upward Spiral: "Guard Dogs" and "Hopefully." They both feature a warm, holiday-like glow.

You can listen to him at https://rogerheathers.bandcamp.com/, or check out The Weekly Song Podcast.

Hear more Nakedly Examined Music at https://nakedlyexaminedmusic.com/. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/nakedlyexaminedmusic.

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