Briston Maroney Performs From Latest Album JIMMY

Summary

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All Of It with Alison Stewart (WNYC)

Episode: Briston Maroney Performs From Latest Album JIMMY

Date: August 21, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode of “All Of It” features Nashville-based singer-songwriter Briston Maroney, who joins the WNYC studio for a live acoustic set and an in-depth conversation about his third album, JIMMY. Host Alison Stewart and producer Jordan Loff guide a warm, insightful chat on Maroney’s evolving sound, his Southern roots, navigating artistic pressure, and his creative process, punctuated with live performances from the new record.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction and Album Sound Evolution

• Background and Booking Briston
  • Jordan Loff expresses admiration for Maroney’s growth:

    “I especially liked his sort of more sad and slow, reflective indie music. And then I listened to this new album and it starts off, like, pretty upbeat and rockin and has this whole new sound for him.” (00:27)

  • The performance was simple—just Maroney and his guitar. A technical glitch (guitar unplugged) was rescued thanks to engineer Irene’s backup mic, a testament to the team’s professionalism. (00:58)

2. Live Performance: “Land of Light”

• Maroney opens with an acoustic rendition of “Land of Light,” a song reflecting hope, friendship, and memory.
  • Notable lyric:

    “Let my legacy be these friends of mine / Blowing in the wind just like fishing line.” (02:00–05:23)

3. The Making of JIMMY: Intentions & Joy

• A Shift in Approach
  • Maroney explains his main goal:

    “To finally enjoy the process a little bit… I wanted it to feel good.” (05:36)

  • Previous albums were “internally intense,” but for JIMMY, he sought to recapture the cathartic reasons he began making music, aided by reconnecting with old friends and embracing imperfection. (05:41, 06:05)
  • Growing up in the South made him crave authentic connection and understanding through music:

    “I started writing songs...to try to speed up the process of being understood in a community that I didn't feel totally understood in growing up in the South.” (06:17)

4. Who Is “Jimmy”?

• The Album Title’s Namesake
  • “Jimmy” is an amalgam of colorful Southern characters from his upbringing, especially in Tennessee and Florida:

    “The idea of this Jimmy character...is basically just like an amalgamation of a lot of the people that I grew up around… extreme characters...almost cartoonish.” (06:59)

  • With references to “Florida man” and “funny old Jimmy Buffett motorcycle riding dudes,” Maroney evokes a sense of regional nostalgia and humor. (07:41)

5. Evolving His Sound: From Folk to Rock

• Exploring Alternative and Grunge Influences
  • Maroney opens up about the “permission” he needed to try rocking out:

    “I've been very drawn to alternative rock and heavier stuff… my dad was a huge grunge head and put me on all the 90s classics.” (08:22)

  • The energy and freedom of alternative rock inspired him, and only now does he feel “confident enough to maybe give it a swing.” (08:57)

6. Simplicity and Boundaries: The Flip Phone

• Why a Flip Phone?
  • Maroney reveals he actually uses a flip phone now, to manage stress and escape the constant influx of notifications:

    “I cannot handle the immense reality that comes along with carrying the iPhone all the time.” (09:03)

  • Music’s lack of fixed work hours makes it easy to let anxiety take over via endless phone use.

    “Trying to draw a heavier line in my life of like, art being a human, dividing the two things very intensely, if possible.” (09:08)

7. The Pressure of Selling Your Music

• Facing Industry and Internal Demands
  • Maroney candidly discusses the anxiety around staying relevant:

    “There’s always this voice in the back of your head that’s telling you that it'll all go away at any second.” (10:09)

  • Accepting impermanence has helped him find peace:

    “If that happens, then like, so be it… a bit of acceptance.” (10:53)

8. Redefining Success: Fun and Authenticity

• Letting Go of People Pleasing
  • Allowing himself to have fun has improved both his music and well-being:

    “I'm a lot less conscious of… some people not liking it. It's taken me… almost 30 years of my life to accept that you can't make everybody happy.” (11:03)

  • On not needing universal approval:

    “Dude, you don't want to make everybody happy. Good Lord. That's a lot. Yeah. That's a lot of weight.” (11:26)

  • Maroney says being true to himself made him feel “so much lighter.” (12:06)

9. Songwriting Process

• “I’m a squirrely cat.”
  • Maroney prefers spontaneity, letting inspiration “catch him off guard” instead of scheduled writing sessions:

    “I'm not a very… I don't sit down and deliberately try to, like, put pen to paper… I like to be caught off guard by a song.” (12:40)

  • He structures his days to foster inspiration naturally, doing unrelated activities like grocery shopping or rock climbing. (12:40)

10. Album Art: Collaborating with Scout Smith

• Personal Connections in Visuals
  • The cover art was created by longtime friend Scout Smith, who is a tattoo artist. Their collaboration adds another layer of intimacy and authenticity:

    “When it came time to make the art for this record, I was like, oh, dude, I want this to feel like something that I would want tattooed on my body. And I literally have trusted this person to do that…” (14:08)

11. Live Performance: “Be Yourself”

• Album’s Closing Message
  • Maroney sets up the last song:

    “This is the closing track on the record. I would say this is kind of the summation of the whole—the whole mission, baby.” (14:34)

  • Lyrics and performance underscore the album’s themes of self-acceptance and struggling with authenticity:
    • “I just want to be myself / so tired of hiding it, yeah” (15:34)
    • “And if everything is nothing, then I guess I’ve got everything, yeah.” (16:38)
  • Maroney shows vulnerability and gratitude, admitting:

    “I’m glad people can’t see how red my face is. I’m really nervous, but I’m having a lot of fun.” (14:45)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Enjoying the Process:

  “To finally enjoy the process a little bit.”
  — Briston Maroney (05:36)

• On Being Understood Through Music:

  “I started writing songs and started playing music to try to speed up the process of being understood in a community that I didn't feel totally understood in growing up in the South.”
  — Briston Maroney (06:17)

• On Flip Phones and Boundaries:

  “I cannot handle the immense reality that comes along with carrying the iPhone all the time.”
  — Briston Maroney (09:03)

• On Accepting Impermanence:

  “There's always this voice in the back of your head that's telling you that it’ll all go away at any second.”
  — Briston Maroney (10:09)

• On People-Pleasing:

  “Dude, you don't want to make everybody happy. Good Lord. That's a lot. Yeah. That's a lot of weight.”
  — Briston Maroney (11:26)

• On Songwriting:

  “I'm a squirrely cat. It's like, I like to be caught off guard by a song.”
  — Briston Maroney (12:40)

• Album Art Collaboration:

  “I want this to feel like something that I would want tattooed on my body. And I literally have trusted this person to do that multiple other times.”
  — Briston Maroney (14:16)

• On Album’s Message ("Be Yourself"):

  “This is the closing track on the record. I would say this is kind of the summation of the whole—the whole mission, baby.”
  — Briston Maroney (14:34)

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Live Performance Timestamps

• “Land of Light” (acoustic) – 02:00–05:23
• “Be Yourself” (acoustic) – 15:00–17:38

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Episode Tone

The conversation is candid, relaxed, and sincere. Maroney is disarmingly honest about his anxieties, creative evolution, and desire for authenticity. Stewart and her co-hosts match his warmth, making space for laughter and heartfelt reflection. The mood is lighthearted, supportive, and often marked by a shared understanding of the music industry’s pressures and the joys of letting go.

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Summary Conclusion

This “All Of It” episode is both a celebration of Briston Maroney’s new material and a thoughtful meditation on what it means to grow, stay true to yourself, and find joy and fun in the creative process. Listeners are treated to a window into Maroney’s musical journey, enriched by stories of Southern life, artistic struggle, and self-acceptance, all delivered in his own engaging voice—and with two standout stripped-down performances.

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Transcript

[Alison Stewart]

Foreign.

[Host (WNYC Producer or Host)]

You're listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. We finished this producer pick show with some music and with our producer, Jordan Loff. So, Jordan, tell us why you wanted to book Bristin Maroney.

[Jordan Loff]

Yeah. So Bristen Maroney is a singer and songwriter who I've been a fan of for a long time. I really like his music. I especially liked his sort of more sad and slow, reflective indie music. And then I listened to this new album and it starts off, like, pretty upbeat and rockin and has this whole new sound for him. So I thought it would be interesting to talk to him about experimenting with a new sound and changing his music, but still keeping that introspective lyricism and thoughtful music.

[Host (WNYC Producer or Host)]

Lovely guy.

[Jordan Loff]

Very lovely.

[Host (WNYC Producer or Host)]

It was just him and his guitar.

[Jordan Loff]

It was.

[Host (WNYC Producer or Host)]

But there was a mistake.

[Jordan Loff]

Yes. So this is really. This story is really a shout out to our amazing engineer, Irene, who does pretty much all of our music segments on the show. So Briston had unplugged his guitar from one of the recording devices in between Soundcheck and the live interview and had forgotten to plug it back in, which, in maybe another person's hands would have meant that we couldn't hear the guitar at all. But Irene always thinks ahead and had a backup microphone pointed at the guitar just in case such a thing happened. And so for the first song, his guitar wasn't plugged in, but you can't even tell. You can't hear the difference. And in the middle of the interview, she runs in and plugs back in his guitar. And at the end, he was like, oh, my gosh, I forgot to plug it in. I'm so sorry. And she said, no worries. That's why I have it in his backup. So shout out to Irene, who's truly the best, and it sounded great no matter what happened.

[Host (WNYC Producer or Host)]

Here's a live performance and interview with Brisson Maroney about his new album. J. Jimmy.

[Briston Maroney (performing)]

I woke up late I went outside and I looked real hard at my little life I love to laugh I love to cry I know someday my soul will fly I'll be sitting in the sun in the land of light where you never run out a fishing line Let my legacy be these friends of mine Blowing in the wind just like fishing line I stood up straight I dried my eyes Everybody will live but some folks never die if you found love then you found life and someday soon your soul will fly I'll be sitting in the sun in the land of light where you never run out A fishing line Let my legacy be these friends of mine Blowing in the wind Just like fishing line I can see it all when I close my eyes those were the days the best of my life I hope you know I can see your soul it's the greatest story ever told I hope you know I can see your soul it's the greatest story ever told I'll be sitting in the sun in the land of light where you never run out A fishing line Let my legacy be these friends of mine Blowing in the wind Just like fishing line.

[Interviewer 2]

That was gorgeous.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

Oh, thank you.

[Interviewer 2]

That was Briss Maroney with a live performance of Land of Light from his album Jimmy who? This your third album?

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

Yeah, third album.

[Interviewer 2]

What was the goal of this third album?

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

To finally enjoy the process a little bit.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

Making. Making records for me has always been a very somewhat internally intense process. So this time around, I wanted to kind of try to take a little bit of that edge off and just to just sit back and try to enjoy it. For the reasons that I got into making records were cathartic, and I'd kind of drifted away from that. So with this record, I wanted it to feel good.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Host (WNYC Producer or Host)]

How did you sit back and just relax?

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

With the help of a lot of really good friends, the help of a lot of really good mentors, a lot of. A lot of folks in my life who just really reminded me of, like I said.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

Why I got into this to begin with. So I started writing songs and started playing music to try to speed up the process of being understood in a community that I didn't feel totally understood in growing up in the South. And, yeah, I realized I had sort of drifted away from that core principle of, like, I'm doing this to try to understand the human experience more. And this isn't about, you know, trying to be perfect or trying to check any boxes. So, yeah, just kind of getting in touch with the people who were there for those. Those days, the early days of why I started doing this all.

[Host (WNYC Producer or Host)]

You named the album Jimmy.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

Who's Jimmy?

[Host (WNYC Producer or Host)]

Is Jimmy somebody I should know?

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

The million dollar question. I like to say Jimmy is a person that we. We all know in some roundabout way. So I know I keep talking about growing up in the south, but so I split time between Tennessee and Florida. My mom was in Florida. And the idea of this. This Jimmy character, this Jimmy person, is basically just like an amalgamation of a lot of the people that I grew up around. There's a very specific. You know, the phrase Florida man obviously has a connotation to it. And I do think that is applicable here. You know, I kind of in. In reflecting on my childhood, realized I was around so many people that were just like extreme characters and extreme. Kind of cartoonish almost.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

Representations of what growing up in that region looked like. And so I was so inspired by just the sense of humor and the freedom that was exuded by these people that I was around a lot. You know, just that bonfires or oyster roasts, you know, in my backyard at my parents place. Like some funny old Jimmy Buffett motorcycle riding dudes that like. Yeah, you know. Jimmy, Jimmy, you know.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah, you know.

[Host (WNYC Producer or Host)]

My guest is Briston Maroney. You know, you have a singer, songwriter vibe. That's what people describe you as. But on this new album, you rock out a little bit.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, yeah.

[Host (WNYC Producer or Host)]

Oh, yeah. On Tomatoes and on Real Good Swimmer.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

Totally.

[Host (WNYC Producer or Host)]

Why did you want to try a different sound and how did you go about it?

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

I feel like a lot of it had to do with permission. I think I've always loved. I've been very drawn to alternative rock and heavier stuff, and I'm very inspired by just the spine within that music and the messaging that comes with the intensity of something like punk rock or alternative rock. So my dad was a huge grunge head and put me on all the 90s classics growing up, so it was in my blood. But I think it took until this point in my life where I felt confident enough to maybe give it a swing myself. And yeah, like I said earlier, just kind of try out an impression of those bands that I love.

[Host (WNYC Producer or Host)]

In the song Tomatoes, you talk about having a flip phone.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, yeah.

[Host (WNYC Producer or Host)]

Do you have a flip phone?

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

I sure do.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Host (WNYC Producer or Host)]

Okay, tell me why you have a flip phone.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

Because I cannot handle the immense reality that comes along with carrying the iPhone all the time. I mean, it's pretty new. I just got into it for this tour, honestly. So, yeah, I did it for a long time in college and it was awesome. Like, I think forcing myself to take a break from the constant influx of. With this career path, like doing music, there's no defined hours, so anxiety a lot of times for me will manifest by way of working. So if you know it's the middle of the night and instead of just letting my thoughts race, I'll pick up my phone and try to do something, quote, productive, which always ends up being counterproductive. So trying to draw a heavier line in my life of like, art being a human, dividing the two things very intensely, if possible.

[Host (WNYC Producer or Host)]

You write about that on the Album on the song, bs, the radio version, how you really hated the pressure of selling your music. Where was the pressure coming from?

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

I think it was from a couple different sources. I think internally maybe was the strongest. I mean, the folks that I work with. I feel really lucky to be around some very genuine people in the music industry. But there's just kind of the looming cloud. I mean, I'm sure in any media format there's always this voice in the back of your head that's telling you that it'll all go away at any second. And so I think those. Yeah, that's always been a fear of mine. And so I think I built up a real concept that if I was not constantly two steps ahead, that all of this would disappear. And in writing this record, I tried to really swallow the pill that that is a reality and it is technically possible. And if that happens, then like, so be it. You know, I just. A bit of acceptance.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

How did it change your music? Just sort of alleviating yourself of that pressure.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

I'm having more fun, I think, to put it simply.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

I'm a lot less conscious of. There's less fear involved with the idea of some people not liking it. It's taken me, yeah. Almost 30 years of my life to accept that you can't make everybody happy. But it's a daily effort to practice that.

[Interviewer 2]

But it's okay. It's okay not to make everybody happy.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

Dude, you don't want to make everybody happy. Good Lord. That's a lot. Yeah. That's a lot of weight.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

Also, I think if you make everybody happy, you sort of become sort of like the mean. Like there's nothing. It's nothing to like or to dislike. It's just sort of like, eh.

[Alison Stewart]

Eh. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

I feel like I spent two years being that just like the most two dimensional. Like, hey, how are you? Yeah, like, you know, I felt like no depth as a human being at all.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

And being down to just be true to yourself, I feel like is so. It just relieves that pressure that must.

[Interviewer 2]

Have meant so much to you personally, aside from your guitar and your career, just you as a human being.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

Oh my God.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

That was like. I think that honestly.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

That. That should have been my answer to that question. It's like it's kind of a survival thing. I think. I. It's impossible. I don't. I have so much respect for the folks who can balance their existence at the same time as their, you know, commercial success. Like, it's those two Things are just, like, not congruent to me and my soul. So, yeah, I feel so much lighter knowing that I'm, like, doing what I, you know, want to do.

[Interviewer 2]

My guest is singer songwriter Brista Maroney. His new album Jimmy is out now. What's your songwriting process like for you?

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

It's pretty squirrely. I'm a squirrely cat. It's like, I like to be caught off guard by a song. I'm not a very. What's the word? I don't sit down and deliberately try to, like, put pen to paper. I like to set up a day. It's like, okay, Saturday. I would love to write a song on Saturday. So I'm gonna plan on going to the grocery store, gonna go for a jog. I'm gonna go to the rock climbing gym. I'm gonna do whatever. Just something completely unrelated to music and wait for inspiration to strike at a time where I'm, you know, my eyes are 180 degrees the other direction. Like, I'm typically kind of grabbed by stuff when I'm. When I'm not thinking about writing.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

The COVID art for your album is kind of amazing.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

Thank you.

[Interviewer 2]

All right, so it's a portrait of you. You've got a blue hat on. There's all kinds of things coming out of your hair, car keys, a pencil. Who's the artist? How did you come up with the concept?

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

Yeah, the artist behind that album art is a really good friend of mine named Scout Smith. She and her dad both contributed to the final piece, but we went to high school together. We were in an art class together. I think we were two years apart, and we chatted every now and then, but we were both pretty shy, and we never really connected. But then we ended up reconnecting a few years ago over tattooing. So she's an incredible tattoo artist, and she gave me a couple pieces. So she gave me my handpiece and this little fishing lure that I have.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

So we connected over that. And when it came time to make the art for this record, I was like, oh, dude, it's. You know, I want this to feel like something that I would.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

Want tattooed on my body. And I literally have trusted this person to do that multiple other times. So let's go for it.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

All right. We're gonna hear one more song from you. It's gonna be Be Yourself from Jimmy. Do you want to set this up?

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

Yeah, absolutely. This is the. This is the closing track on the record. I would say this is.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

Kind of the summation of the whole. The whole mission, baby.

[Interviewer 2]

My guest has been singer songwriter Briston Maroney. His new album, Jimmy is out now. This is Be Yourself. Thank you for being with us.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

My pleasure. Thanks for having me. I feel like I'm stuck. I'm glad people can't see how red my face is. I'm really nervous, but I'm having a lot of fun. Thanks for having me.

[Briston Maroney (performing)]

Stuck my head out the window or in this case, the ceiling. Oh, I wish I I wish I had the perfect word for this imperfect feeling. All my life I've been told to look after myself all my life I have lived like I'm somebody else Put.

[Briston Maroney (performing backup vocals or harmonies)]

My foot on the pedal and I.

[Briston Maroney (performing)]

Fired up the vestibule Wasted days doing things other kids said were cool can't tell if I'm scared if I'm excited I just wanna be myself so tired of hiding I just wanna be myself.

[Briston Maroney (performing backup vocals or harmonies)]

So tired of hiding I just want to be myself so tired of hiding it, yeah and when I wake up.

[Briston Maroney (performing)]

Yeah I don't feel like I slept Every secret that I'm keeping is a.

[Briston Maroney (performing backup vocals or harmonies)]

Secret best kept Wasting so much time being somewhere I'm not Never getting into it Always stay scared of being caught There's a hand on my throat and it's stronger than God Some days I'm ready to give up what I got but right when I feel that hand start to tighten I remember all the birds I hear singing in the morning and I fight with my muscles push them away Stand up tall like the birds I sing La la la la la la la.

[Briston Maroney (performing)]

And if everything.

[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

Is.

[Briston Maroney (performing)]

Nothing Then I guess I've got everything, yeah if everything is nothing.

[Briston Maroney (performing backup vocals or harmonies)]

Then I guess I've got everything, yeah I just want to be myself I just want to be myself, yeah I'm so tired of high and I just want to be myself I'm so tired of high and I just want to be myself Just wanna be myself and I'm so.

[Briston Maroney (performing)]

Tired of hiding it yeah.

[Host (WNYC Producer or Host)]

That was Brisson Maroney with live performances from his new album, Jimmy. And that's all of it for today. We'll be back tomorrow with a show curated by our producer, Malik. Until then, I appreciate you listening and I appreciate you. I'll meet you back here tomorrow.

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[McDonald's Cashier]

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[McDonald's Cashier]

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[Briston Maroney (speaking)]

Bada ba ba ba.