Bonus Edition!

This is what we used to call a “shameless plug,” though now that we live in the Post-Shame Era, I’m just going to call it a “plug.”

Last fall, I was introduced to Connecticut Public Radio’s The Colin McEnroe Show, which bills itself as “public radio’s most eclectic and eccentric show.” Having now listened to many episodes of the WNPR program over the past few months, I can confirm that it is both eclectic and eccentric, and appealingly so.

In my recent mode of seeking out new and interesting creative projects to pursue, I reached out to Colin and the fine folks at the show last fall, pitching a few episode ideas. They graciously invited me to produce one with them, and the final product — about band breakups and the challenges musicians face in keeping their bands together — aired yesterday.

You can listen to it here or on your favorite podcast app.

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The backstory to the topic is that last fall, I was thinking a lot about bands breaking up. I was taking a class on the Beatles that focused on each member’s work individually, both within the group and as solo artists; and I was re-watching Peter Jackson’s documentary series, The Beatles: Get Back, which shows a tenuous moment during the band’s road to demise. (George: “I’m leaving the band now.”)

On the other hand, I was also thinking a lot about what keeps bands together. I was reading Bono’s new memoir, Surrender, which traces more than 40 years of U2 history; and I was reading rock writer Steven Hyden’s new book, Long Road: Pearl Jam and the Soundtrack of a Generation, which examines how and why Pearl Jam has endured for more than three decades.

So I thought having discussions from a few different angles on these topics might make for an interesting and entertaining hour of radio.

The episode is divided into three segments. In the first, Steven Hyden joins Colin to discuss these ideas from a cultural standpoint. In the second, we convene a panel of musicians including Nerissa Nields (The Nields), Jim Chapdelaine (many bands and projects over the years), and Jay Russell (Hot Rod Circuit, The Split Coils) to share their band stories. And in the final segment, NYC-based therapist and former longtime band member Heather Ferguson shares with Colin how she and her colleagues help bands and musicians in need.

(This is the project that led me to the Metallica documentary I wrote about two weeks ago.)

If any of this sounds interesting to you, please give the episode a listen!