Songwriters on Process
In-depth interviews with songwriters about their songwriting process. Nothing else. No talk of band drama, band names, or tour stories. Treating songwriters as writers, plain and simple. By Ben Opipari, English Lit Ph.D.
Episodes
125 episodes
Denison Witmer
Running and poetry are all Denison Witmer needs as a songwriter."When I'm being physically active, my brain opens up," he says. Running is a big part of Witmer's life and plays a big role in his c...
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Episode 124
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46:43
Annie DiRusso
I'm a much better songwriter when I'm reading," Annie DiRusso says. Truer words have never been spoken; a clear through line connects quality songwriting and reading. And the fact that DiRusso loves p...
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Episode 125
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51:06
Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
Benmont Tench is the keyboardist and a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. That’s reason enough to listen to this podcast. I’ve interviewed other icons—Duff McKagan, Johnny Marr, and Je...
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Episode 123
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48:13
James McGovern (The Murder Capital)
"I have no rituals when it comes to writing. I don't want to think something can go wrong if things aren't set up the right way," says James McGovern of The Murder Capital. Indeed, that's the downside ...
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Episode 122
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50:09
Christian Lee Hutson
“My biggest hurdle as a writer is trying to hack my brain to become less critical,” Christian Lee Hutson says. In other words, Hutson wants to get the hell out of his own way when he writes. I've hea...
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Episode 121
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54:55
Eli Hewson and Josh Jenkinson of Inhaler
Eli Hewson of Inhaler usually stays up and writes all night. Come morning, he heads to bed and will sometimes pass his father Bono (yes, that Bono), who is just beginning his day and starting to write. (Al...
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Episode 120
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54:58
Hamilton Leithauser of The Walkmen
Ed Note: Here’s my 2013 interview with Leithauser and my
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Episode 119
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43:14
Cecilia Castleman
If you see Cecilia Castleman browsing the paint aisle at Home Depot, she’s probably not looking for paint. She’s looking for song ideas. Castleman finds inspiration everywhere, but paint nam...
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Episode 118
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37:13
Larkin Poe
Rebecca and Megan Lovell, the GRAMMY-winning sisters who compose Larkin Poe, call themselves “serial idea keepers.” This means they don’t wri...
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Episode 117
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53:30
Flipturn
Flipturn's Tristan Duncan (guitar), Devon VonBalson (drums), and Dillon Basse (vocals) join the pod and go deep into their creative processes....
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Episode 116
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44:57
Phil and Tim Hanseroth (The Hanseroth Twins)
Is Vera, the debut album by Phil and Tim Hanseroth (The Hanseroth Twins), really a debut? After all, they've won three GRAMMYs an...
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Episode 115
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47:17
Phantogram
The last time I interviewed Josh Carter of Phantogram was in 2010, before this site was even a podcast. It was on...
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Episode 114
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45:39
Soccer Mommy
Whenever Sophie Allison (aka Soccer Mommy) puts something out, I know I'll like it. Her new album
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Episode 113
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45:46
Conor Deegan III of Fontaines D.C.
Ed note: Here's my 2022 podcast episode with Fontaines D.C. singer Grian Chatten. Unfortunately, I stopped recording be...
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Episode 112
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52:31
Hello Mary
Hello Mary on the pod today! Stella Wave, Helena Straight, and Mikaela Oppenheimer released their debut album in 2020, when Wave was 19 and Oppenheimer and Straight were 16. The band talks about their...
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Episode 111
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32:52
Mike Einziger of Incubus
"Bravery is underrated when it comes to art," Mike Einziger, guitarist and songwriter for Incbus, told me. In other words, don't be afraid to write the bad stuff. (I'd listen to a guy whose band has sold ...
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Episode 110
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41:25
Jake Duzsik of HEALTH
Here's a sampling of the authors and artists that Jake Duzsik of HEALTH mentioned in our conversation: Pascal, T.S. Eliot, William Blake, Vonnegut, Joan Didion, Truman Capote, Oscar Wilde, Thom...
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Episode 109
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1:05:07
Pete Yorn
Does writer's block really exist? Or is it just a reluctance to write the bad stuff? The writer Anthony Doerr once told me that writer's block is just "a failure of courage." Pete Yorn tends to agree. ...
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Episode 108
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42:51
Jacob Slater of Wunderhorse
Wunderhorse is why you should always get to the show early to see the support act. I was introduced to Jacob Slater's band when I saw them open for Fontaines D.C. (
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Episode 107
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38:30
Kevin Barnes (of Montreal) and Kishi Bashi
It’s always fun to interview two songwriters who have a history together! Before his solo career, Kishi Bashi was a member of Kevin Barnes’ band of Montreal.&nb...
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Episode 106
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46:44
Magdalena Bay
Mica Tenenbaum and Matt Lewin of Magdalena Bay love hybrid cars. While I’m sure they appreciate the environmental benefits, it’s the humming sound the cars make that the duo finds inspiring. In fact, the...
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Episode 105
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47:04
Eva Hendricks of Charly Bliss
"I'm always writing and always creating. I relate to the world by writing," Eva Hendricks of Charly Bliss told me on the podcast. Besides songwriting, she's written a YA novel and is a big journaler. Hec...
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Episode 104
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46:22
Tracyanne Campbell of Camera Obscura
Tracyanne Campbell of Camera Obscura has a superpower: she's able to write entire songs in her head before putting them to paper. If Campbell gets an idea and can't write it down immediately, she'll ...
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Episode 103
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55:30