← Takin' A Walk - Music History with Buzz Knight
Takin' A Walk - Music History with Buzz Knight
"Footsteps & Man on the Moon : Fitz Talks the latest"
00:30:28
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- [00:01]
Buzz Knight
Taking a Walk I'm Buzz Knight, the host of the Taking a Walk podcast and imagine strolling down a sunlit street, the pulse of the city in your ears. Then suddenly you hear the unmistakable beat that makes you want to move. Today on Taking a Walk, we're going to step into the rhythm and soul of Fitz and the Tantrums. The band that turned retro grooves into modern anthems and made dancing in the street cool again. From chart topping hits to electrifying live shows. Fits in. The Tantrums have redefined what it means to blend old school soul with new school pop. So lace up your sneakers and join us as we take a walk with the band that's been keeping us on our feet and on our toes ever since their first infectious hook. Hang out a couple minutes, we'll pay some bills and be right back with Fitz.
- [00:53]
Janae Cheekies
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:58]
Michael Fitzpatrick
We finally switched to T Mobile because they know that those of us here and there want to stay well connected.
- [01:03]
Janae Cheekies
Let's watch a movie Charity.
- [01:05]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Thanks to T Mobile we get Netflix included so we can all enjoy our.
- [01:08]
Buzz Knight
Favorite shows and movies.
- [01:09]
Agusto Podcast Host
Quinta lista bacanissima Perro jalari.
- [01:12]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Now the hard part is getting them to agree on a movie.
- [01:14]
Janae Cheekies
Switch today and get a Samsung Galaxy.
- [01:15]
Michael Fitzpatrick
S25 plus with Galaxy AI on us. Plus your plan prize is guaranteed for five years. Save today, guarantee for tomorrow. Tap the banner to learn more or visit a store. Guarantees monthly price of contacts and data exclusions like taxes and fee supply. See exclusions and details t mobile.com hello, I'm John Lithgow. We choose to go to the moon.
- [01:32]
John Lithgow
I want to tell you about my new fiction podcast, One Small Step for Man about Buzz Aldrin, one of the true pioneers of space.
- [01:40]
Buzz Knight
You're a great pilot, Buzz.
- [01:43]
John Lithgow
That's the story you think you know. This is the story you don't. Buzz Starring me, John lithgow on the iHeartRadio app Apple Pod. Wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:58]
Agusto Podcast Host
What's up guys? Welcome to the Agusto Podcast. The go to spot for everything musica Mexicana. We're proud Mexican Americans who live and breathe this music. We started this podcast to share and discuss our views of musica mexicana. Whether you like to vibe to Peso Pluma los Alegres del Varanco Aracho or Po Ivan Cornejo. When you get in feels then this podcast is for you. Well actually Peso was supposed to be on Chinito's album. The song with Drake was supposed to be with Peso. Listen to Agusto on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
- [02:29]
Janae Cheekies
Hey guys, it's Janae AKA Cheekies from Cheekies and Chill Podcast. And I'm bringing you an all new mini podcast series called Sincerely Janae. Sure, I'm a singer, author, businesswoman and podcaster, but at the end of the day, I am human. And that's why I'm sharing my ups and downs with you in real time and on the go. Listen to Jiggies and chill on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or. Or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [02:58]
Agusto Podcast Host
I always had to be so good. No one could ignore me, carve my.
- [03:02]
Buzz Knight
Path with data and drive. But some people only see who I am on paper. The paper ceiling, the limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back.
- [03:12]
Agusto Podcast Host
Over 70 million stars.
- [03:14]
Buzz Knight
Workers skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through barriers and@taylorpaper ceiling.org brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council.
- [03:30]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Taking a Walk.
- [03:31]
Buzz Knight
Oh, Fitz, it's so great to be with you on the Taking a Walk podcast. Thank you.
- [03:35]
Michael Fitzpatrick
No, thanks so much for having me. Pleasure to be here.
- [03:38]
Buzz Knight
So, before we get with the festivities and we talk about man on the Moon and the tour, which I'm so excited for you and the band, I want to ask you our opening question, since we call the podcast Taking a Walk. If you could take a walk with somebody, living or dead, associated with music, more than likely, who would you take a walk with and where would you take that walk?
- [04:08]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Me and my family were huge fans of going to Europe every summer. Just got back from there, so that's still fresh in my mind. Walking through ancient European cities streets is pretty magical experience. So I would say walking through somewhere in like en Provence in the south of France with, let's see, Jimi Hendrix or Jeff Buckley, one of those two. Those are my two picks.
- [04:36]
Buzz Knight
Oh, I love that. I love that. That's quite a range, my friend.
- [04:42]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Absolutely. Well, I mean, Jeff beikley, obviously, as a singer, I bow to that man. I think he's one of the most amazing singers of all time and also one of the greatest songwriters in them. Just as a sheer freak shredder, Jimi Hendrix, I mean, you gotta think he'd have a good night out with him.
- [05:04]
Buzz Knight
That would be awesome. Jeff's father was not too bad of a musician either, don't you say?
- [05:10]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Oh, yeah. I mean, Tim was an incredible musician. It's interesting to see their Sort of competitive, estranged relationship. I think it's part of the reason why Jeff Buckley was so brilliant.
- [05:27]
Buzz Knight
You know, I think Tim Buckley and Jeff Buckley are both very under appreciated by the masses.
- [05:37]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Oh, for sure.
- [05:39]
Buzz Knight
So Fitz, what inspired you way at the beginning to form Fitz and the Tantrums? Tell me how this all first came together.
- [05:48]
Michael Fitzpatrick
You know, for me, you know, I've been a singer my whole entire life. Came out of the womb singing, driving my parents crazy. My whole life just always been a singer. But, you know, I think it took me a long time to kind of find my true natural voice. And you know, I had many, many projects, many bands where I was a singer, sometimes, sometimes just a producer making beats behind a singer. You know, I had so many bands before this one and nothing ever worked out. And I kind of had to put down the dream and pick it up like two or three different times. But every time I couldn't let the idea go because I just felt like it was what I always kind of visualized as what my life would be. And just, you know, when you're somebody making music, for me, it's never been a choice, it's been a calling. And if I don't do it on the regular, I don't feel balanced as a human being being. And I just couldn't let the idea go. And so, you know, I had branched out into writing music for film and television, started a company doing music for advertising, done all these things because I kept getting outright rejected by the music business, couldn't get arrested, nobody cared, nobody wanted to hear any of it. And ultimately, you know, I came back to it one more time. And this time it was just like I think I was finally had found what felt like, you know, when you're a singer in your whole life, you can sing in many different styles. And then the question really becomes, what is your authentic voice if you can imitate many styles as a trained vocalist? And it was really only with those first songs that I started to write that I really found that. And those were the songs that became Fits in the Tantrums. I think a lot of the projects I had done before, they tried to include all of my different tastes all in one EP or lp. And this time I was trying to be much more vigilant about staying true to this one vision. And that was easy because I've really found that my voice exploded when I sang in a soulful style. It's where my voice sang out the best and where I felt the most at ease and natural about it. So I just really made that first record trying to be true to that one vision. And after 15 years of no's, all of a sudden the universe started saying yes. And it felt supremely different than any other experience I had ever had before. And that just kind of fed me to believe that I should, you know, at 38 years old, take one more swing at trying to be in a band and, you know, got my first record deal when I was 40, 41, something unheard of, you know, and here I am, you know, days away from turning 55 and releasing my band's sixth studio album on a major record label. You know, did two solo records as well during that time. So this is my eighth album coming out in the last 16 years, and it's pretty, pretty incredible. And I'm super proud of this new album.
- [09:36]
Buzz Knight
I'm so privileged that I've got to hear it all. And I have the chills with gratitude just thinking about it, and it's just so wonderful. But I have to ask you, going back again to what you were talking about, where did you get instilled in you this incredible resilience that kept you on this path that you're still on today?
- [10:01]
Michael Fitzpatrick
You know, honestly, anybody that's in these kinds of fields, whether it's trying to be a movie maker, a songwriter with a band, or an actor, there's so much of your life is waiting for somebody else to say yes to your dreams. And that's honestly also why I switched, because I also went to film school. Why switch from film back to music? Because at least with the way that the convergence of technology happened, I could make a song in my room by myself. I didn't need 30 people to go make a movie. Take months to do it. I could wake up in the morning with nothing, and by the evening, I could be driving around listening to a song that I just created out of Thin Air. And that. That was a drug to me, that. That experience of creation from nothing to something and having something to show at the end of the day was so rewarding to me. And it just kept me. It kept me going. And at every turn, I just couldn't deny what I knew I wanted to do. And I just kept persevering and taking one more swing and taking one last swing. When my life was very comfortable, successful company, I basically risked everything. I took my whole entire savings and float threw it into the band while we toured the world, you know, with Sharon Jones and The Dab Kings, Maroon 5, all these amazing things. But I was doing, paying for the whole thing at the beginning, and it was just one huge leap of faith. But I will say again that I knew what rejection felt like because I had felt that for so many years, record labels passing on my projects and stuff, that this, the universe was just saying, there's a magic happening. And there was this whole word of mouth. This was at the height of Facebook exploding. There was this whole word of mouth where people were just like, you have to go see this band. Fits in the tantrums live. It's like going to the church of music. It's like nothing I've ever experienced. And we just set this high energy show celebration. Come let your hair down get crazy with us. And that word of mouth traveled via the Internet and helped propel us to the point where we could get a record deal and get the support and keep going. You know, I'd say for me, work ethic, that's, you know, I'm modestly talented and incredibly hardworking.
- [12:33]
Buzz Knight
What? Modestly talented. I know, hardworking. But you're incredibly talented and you have incredible vision. And what I love about this particular project is how you had this vision to throw caution to the wind. So talk about the genesis of man on the Moon and the comfort that you, you know, had in that process.
- [13:02]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Yeah, well, I think, you know, one being our sixth studio album, you know, I don't feel like I have much to prove to anybody anymore. But also, you know, I went through so many different album cycles with so much pressure for radio singles and this, that and the other. You know, I mean, the thing is, is once you have a couple hit songs on the radio, it's a pretty amazing experience to see how that can travel around the world and show up and everybody knows your music. It's amazing experience, but that's where the bar is there. And then you always have to maintain that. And anything less than that, it's going to feel like a failure or be perceived by the label or whoever as that. And just with the way that the whole world has changed, the way people consume content and media with TikTok and Instagram Reels and all that stuff, there's just such a different way that people are integrating with that that it's really turned the whole music business on its head. There's nobody really able to dictate or even know what necessarily is a hit anymore. There's very few of those anymore. And so you look at some of the biggest songs of last year, and there's no way that any label would have backed that as a song. But Guess what? The people decided it, the interwebs, the Internet decided it, and it was a hit. And so I think in that going into this record, I was free from the burden of trying to take a very specific swing that's kind of like a part of being on a major label, you know, And I think I was just able to have that freedom to just do whatever the hell I wanted. And I didn't want to go. You know, we write in big songs we love. I love pop music, I love an infectious melody. But on this album, I wasn't so concerned with, like, trying to go with a one listen hit song radio single, you know, Like, I could care less about that. Jonas Jerberg, who I did a lion's share of the record with, we sat down at the beginning and talked for hours and listened to my whole catalog and really had a discussion of what felt like it was working and, you know, honest conversation about, like, what songs didn't work or what, you know, what parts of this album could have been better or what kind of, in retrospect was not the right choice. Being pretty critical about some of the past stuff, you know, and just saying that we wanted to really set this bar where no line was a disposable lyric, no part was just an afterthought that everything was challenged and held to a standard of just being a vibe, of being an experience. Did we feel something? And who. Who gives a shit whether it sounds like a radio song or not? We're just gonna make a record of atmosphere and mood and feelings and things that make us feel something and feel like that deep conversations and that compass that we said at the beginning really set a great path and map for how to make the record.
- [16:29]
Buzz Knight
Well, you've just laid out a masterclass in creativity, so thank you first of all for that, but thank you for this, for this release. Do you think about the live performance aspect of a new release when you're putting it together? My guess is from what you just said, you don't, you know, it's all going to fall together. But do you think about the live performance piece?
- [16:56]
Michael Fitzpatrick
I mean, I would say for us, because our live show has become such an experience for us and such an expectation from our audience. We set the bar like here, you know, I am belting and dancing my ass off for an hour and a half every night. Noel is going absolutely crazy. You know, we don't ever do anything here energetically, and it's been a part of what's made our show so fun. So there's never not an experience where we're thinking how is this gonna tie into our show? And that honestly was some of the like challenges. Like our set is so high and now six albums in, we are able to cherry pick the best moments from every album and put it into one set. And it's just a punch in the face from the beginning to the end. And on this new album there's some vibe here, tracks, some mid tempo tracks, some tracks that aren't on adrenaline and at level 10. And so it's been really interesting to see slotting those into the live set. We've played a couple of them and it's been an amazing experience to see people already gravitating to those songs. And honestly, it's like just a nice hills and valleys for a set for a live night. We'll be right back with more of the Taking a Walk podcast.
- [18:27]
Janae Cheekies
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- [19:28]
John Lithgow
Hello, I'm John Lithgow.
- [19:29]
Michael Fitzpatrick
We choose to go to the moon.
- [19:31]
John Lithgow
I want to tell you about my new fiction podcast that's One Small Step for Man. It's about Buzz Aldrin, one of the true pioneers of space.
- [19:41]
Buzz Knight
You're a great pilot, Buzz.
- [19:43]
Michael Fitzpatrick
As far as I'm concerned, the best I've seen.
- [19:45]
John Lithgow
That's the story you think you know. This is the story you don't predisposition.
- [19:50]
Michael Fitzpatrick
To depression, alcohol abuse and suicide.
- [19:53]
John Lithgow
We'll see Buzz try to overcome demons.
- [19:56]
Michael Fitzpatrick
What do you say, Buzz?
- [19:57]
John Lithgow
Another beer and triumph over addiction.
- [20:00]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Who's to you? Buzz Aldrin.
- [20:03]
John Lithgow
Good luck to you and become a true hero.
- [20:05]
Buzz Knight
Buzz and I will proceed into the.
- [20:07]
John Lithgow
Lunar module not because he conquers space, but because he conquers himself.
- [20:14]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Buzz we intercepted a Soviet radio transmission.
- [20:16]
John Lithgow
Starring me, John Lithgow.
- [20:18]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Can you put it through?
- [20:20]
John Lithgow
Can you Translate on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [20:26]
Agusto Podcast Host
Colombia what's up guys? Welcome to Agusto Papa, the go to spot for everything Musica Mexicana. We're proud Mexican Americans who live and breathe this music. We started this podcast to share and discuss our views on musica mexicana. Whether you like Peso Pluma, Los Alres del Barranco, Ariel Camacho or Ivan Cornejo, when you get in your fields, then this podcast is for you. We deep dive into music reviews. First of blew my show last year. Everything was a 10 out of 10. Fashion and lifestyle inspired by the roots of musica Mexicana, the craziest controversies and Cheesemans.
- [20:58]
Michael Fitzpatrick
I don't have nothing against Puerto, you know, and I don't think Joe Peach.
- [21:00]
Buzz Knight
Should be mad at me.
- [21:01]
Agusto Podcast Host
Song and artist comparisons, competition in the scene. There is competition, there is sides to this. There's special Pluma, Double P and there's J O P Street Mob. I think at the end of the day it's business, it's all competition and of course, our personal stories and opinions along the way. This isn't just a podcast. It's a movement for fans who live Musica Mexicana every single day. Listen to Augusto Papa as part of the Michael Tura Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [21:30]
John Lithgow
A murder happens, the case goes cold. Then, over a hundred years later, we take a second look. I'm Paul Holes, a retired cold case investigator.
- [21:39]
Michael Fitzpatrick
And I'm Kate Winkler Dawson, a journalist and historian.
- [21:42]
John Lithgow
On our podcast Buried Bones, we re.
- [21:44]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Examine historical true crime cases using modern forensic techniques. We dig into what the original investigators may have missed. Growing up on a farm, when I heard a gunshot, I did not immediately think murder.
- [21:56]
John Lithgow
Unless this person went out to shoot squirrels.
- [21:59]
Michael Fitzpatrick
They're not choosing a.22 to go hunting out there. These cases may be old, but the questions are still relevant and often chilling.
- [22:08]
Buzz Knight
I know this chauffeur is not of concern. You know, it's like, well, he's the.
- [22:13]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Last one who saw her alive, so.
- [22:15]
Buzz Knight
How did they eliminate him?
- [22:16]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Join us as we take you back to the cold cases that haunt us to this day.
- [22:21]
John Lithgow
New episodes every Wednesday on the exactly right network. Listen to Buried bones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [22:31]
Michael Fitzpatrick
So what happened to Chappaquiddick well, it.
- [22:33]
Janae Cheekies
Really depends on who you talk to.
- [22:35]
Michael Fitzpatrick
There are many versions of what happened in 1969 when a young Ted Kennedy.
- [22:39]
Buzz Knight
Drove a car into a pond and.
- [22:41]
Janae Cheekies
Left a woman behind to drown. There's a famous headline, I think, in.
- [22:46]
Michael Fitzpatrick
The New York Daily News, it's teddy escapes, Blonde drowns.
- [22:49]
Janae Cheekies
And in a strange way, right, that sort of tells you the story really became about ted's political future, Ted's political hopes.
- [22:57]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Will Ted become president? Chappaquiddick is a story of a tragic death and how the Kennedy machine took control.
- [23:03]
Janae Cheekies
And he's not the only Kennedy to survive a scandal.
- [23:06]
Michael Fitzpatrick
The Kennedys have lived through disgrace, affairs.
- [23:09]
Buzz Knight
Violence, you name it. So is there a curse?
- [23:11]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Every week we go behind the headlines and beyond the drama of America's royal family.
- [23:16]
Janae Cheekies
Listen to United States of Kennedy on.
- [23:18]
Michael Fitzpatrick
The iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever.
- [23:21]
Janae Cheekies
You get your podcast.
- [23:29]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Welcome back to the Taking a Walk podcast.
- [23:33]
Buzz Knight
So I want to talk about a couple of the songs and get your ripple reflection on them. First of all, the title track, man on the Moon. Absolutely love that. Love the. The whole feel of it. But talk about what that song means to you and the creative process behind it.
- [23:54]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Yeah, well, you know, I mean, I think that song was just a very of the moment experience just with everybody sort of coming into the studio every day, working, looking at their ph, scrolling through this insanity of news where you're just in shock about everything you're reading every day. You know, just trying to. That just kind of kicked off the first lyrics of that song. I feel too much. I want to get out of this place. You know, there's just too much information also, because I'm not sure how much worse or better the world is, but what I do know is that every human being is consuming like gigabytes worth of information every day in a way that no human being has ever. So is the world on fire or are we just reading about every fire? That's always been happening in the world, but now we're reading about it. So the world feels on. You know what I mean? It feels very intense and overwhelming and doom scrolling is not a healthy activity. And I think we can all get sucked very easily into it because guess what? The algorithm loves a doom scroll because they've kept all of our attention for that much longer.
- [25:12]
Buzz Knight
Like me. Do you really sometimes curse the person that invented the infinite scroll?
- [25:20]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Yeah, I find myself trapped in it. I've found my attention span has been affected by it. I have kids. I have to really pay attention to how I consume it and how they see me consume it. And if either me or my wife are in the house and we turn on a screen or we scroll once and they hear one little sound bite, they literally are like flies to, you know, moths to a flame. They're just all around me, all look. Trying to see what that little dopamine hit is. You know, I'm not sure where we're all headed as a society with the way that we're consuming all this content, but it's, you know, having just took a substantial little break of seriously detoxing from being in front of it for the last few weeks on vacation, I can see the difference mentally that it has in terms of how you perceive the world. World. And not sure we would have the same world we are living in right now without this form of content and the division we have in this world. All of this stuff, it's. It's insane. It's all algorithm based, tailor made living for all of us, you know?
- [26:29]
Buzz Knight
Yep. The album opens up with one of my other favorites, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Maybe you could talk about that one.
- [26:41]
Michael Fitzpatrick
You know, I love this whole record because there's a lot of full circle moments back to our first record that had a lot of 60s soul influence to it. And this one has a lot of that. Not in the exact same way, it's got a little more of a twist to it, but I just love that song because it just makes me think of just all the amazing. Just spaghetti westerns, you know, it just has that vibe to it. I just love the energy of it. It's such a mood and I love singing it. It sits in that special yet again. Another soulful song that really lets me sing that one. Belt it hard.
- [27:22]
Buzz Knight
Another amazing one. They're all amazing. But another one that absolutely I adore is withdrawals. Maybe you can talk about that one.
- [27:32]
Michael Fitzpatrick
That was. That was a real strong one and a special one because when we were starting to write for the album, that was one of the first ones that came out of the songwriting process. And it was at a moment where I wasn't totally sure. I was like, can I go this far back into our history to go back full circle to this very soulful 60s moment? And I was a little trepidatious at first, but we had had our conversation and took the leap of faith and just leaned into it, you know, and it was just like as soon as I got in the vocal booth and started laying down the vocal track, I was like, come on, this Is like, made for my voice, this song.
- [28:24]
Buzz Knight
It feels like the entire work of this project that you and the band really in the zone. Is that a fair analogy?
- [28:35]
Michael Fitzpatrick
The.
- [28:36]
Buzz Knight
The feeling of being in the zone, just like athletes and everybody talk about as well?
- [28:41]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Yeah, I. I think so, you know, and I notice it, you know, I mean, because I have made a lot of records. This was my eighth between my. These six band and two solos. This is my eighth record, you know, and I've played thousands of shows. And I think about it all the time when I'm performing live, too. It's like, I have a great time out there, but I'm so comfortable out there because I've done it so much now that I'm like, oh, wow, this is Beyond Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hours. This is more like 30, 40,000 hours. And wow, what an experience to be actively working, doing this thing and just feeling like all that work, all those shows, all those records, all those songwriting, it's all culminated into a very, you know, seasoned performer who, you know, it's like I rarely get stage fright or nervous anymore. You know, it's like it's nothing to me. And that's a crazy thing from where I started. This petrified little kid walking around on a stage, you know, talk about what.
- [29:50]
Buzz Knight
It means to see that community when you're out playing live, all united in a place where everybody's forgetting their troubles, they're forgetting the way the world is or the way their personal life is. And you're out there with the band performing, and you're looking out and you're seeing the impact that you've made in that little community on that particular event. Describe that feeling for someone who's never experienced it, myself or others who haven't.
- [30:24]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Yeah, you know, I mean, it's. It's a really humbling thing, especially, I think. I think I. I'm specially placed in that it took so long for my dream to come true that I came into it with a little bit more wisdom and maturity just invariably through my age and to get to really experience, witness what that power is. I never have taken too seriously myself as an artist or that my songs are that great. But what I do have reverence for is the fact that once you put a song out into the world, people will take that song and make it theirs and put meaning into it, and it becomes something for them. And that experience of getting to see and meet people out on the road that pull me to the side and they say, you know, I was in such A dark place. Personally, I was suicidal last year. And your album, literally, I like put it on every morning and forced myself to go running. And your music brought me out of one of the darkest periods of my life. And you're like, holy, holy crap. It just gives me chills even talking about it. And it's not that I wrote such an amazing song, it's that I created something. I put my heart into it. Somebody else listened to it and it meant something to them. And that experience, you know, we've met, you know, going to a show and get an email from a family saying, hey, you're coming to Texas. Can we come backstage and meet you? Our daughter just finished doing chemotherapy and hand clap was her warrior song to get through all the treatments. And we're like, of course. And we're all parents and stuff. And meeting this kid and just all weep and trying to not just shed buckets of tears as we look into those parents eyes and they say with so much sincerity, like, thank you for what this song provided to our daughter. It's just so humbling. So I never take even a silly pop song, even something with a silly. I never take it lightly or for granted the effect or the power that that stuff can have for other people and how they experience it. And then you take that and you play those shows live and you see the joy on people's faces. We've never tried to be the coolest band in the world, but we've always tried to just give people a safe space to. To let their hair down, have a weird, ugly dance session on the dance floor and get crazy with us and just sing and have fun and celebrate a moment. Because life is stressful, life is hard. And being on the road is not the funnest thing. It's 23 hours of grind for one hour of fun. Sometimes when you're not frigging totally exhausted, it's a lot of work. So that joy that you see on people's face sometimes is the only thing getting you to somehow find the energy to do that level of show that we do every night of the week. It's very hard to pull off. And so that joy that you see and experience sometimes is the only thing that's keeping you going.
- [34:08]
Buzz Knight
How do you keep the balance when you're on the road? You know, because it is such a grind.
- [34:15]
Michael Fitzpatrick
You know, I've been doing it for so long now, and I've spent so much time on the road that ultimately I have a very regimented routine. I wake up me and two of the other guys. We go to the gym, we work out, we get or first. Sorry, first we find the best twisty mustache cup of coffee we can in whatever town we're at, have way too much caffeine. Then we go to the gym, we work out, come back, have dinner, do the show, and then get in the bus and drive to the next town and it's on repeat. As a singer, I gotta take supreme good care of myself. I'm the best shape of my life on the road because I'm working out every day and I'm doing a super high intense workout show, live show, while belting the whole time. So my resting heart rate at the end of Tour is like 43. And I'm not even joking.
- [35:10]
Buzz Knight
I love it. I absolutely love it. What would we be surprised at that's on your personal playlist?
- [35:20]
Michael Fitzpatrick
I don't know. I mean, people don't know. I'm a, you know, I'm a sucker for. For a big pop song, for a Dua Lipa pop song or, you know, this summer with my family, it's been summer of sza, so we've just been. We like big R B pop songs and stuff like that. I don't know. I don't know if that would surprise anybody. I also grew up in a house full of classical music and opera, so I like to put that on sometimes. Calms the children and is nostalgic for me.
- [35:54]
Buzz Knight
What is your take on the evolution of pop and soul music today?
- [36:01]
Michael Fitzpatrick
You know, I mean, I think technology has created so much innovation and independence, the amount of music is impossible to even comprehend how to even begin to consume 1/100th of it when there are millions of songs coming out every week. But there is some pretty amazing stuff. And I think like I was going back to the inspirations or the freedom of what today is for music. I'm not sure anybody knows anymore what's fully pop or not or what is the thing. I mean, there's always the standards, but I feel like people are saying yes to those sort of contrived pop songs less and less. It's user generated now and it can be for the weirdest reason. Having been a band that had, you know, has had several hit songs and have one of them out of my league, which is already 12 years old, is, you know, about to hit a billion streams here and it's streaming like crazy because it's on its third or fourth viral TikTok Instagram moment, whatever that means. The Internet giveth and the Internet taketh. I Love it and hate it all at the same time.
- [37:27]
Buzz Knight
Congratulations, Fitz, on the new album man on the Moon and the upcoming tour. And I'm so grateful that you took the time to be on the Taking a Walk podcast.
- [37:38]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Oh, thanks. My pleasure. It was such a great interview. I appreciate you. Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts.
- [38:02]
John Lithgow
Hello, I'm John Lithgow.
- [38:04]
Michael Fitzpatrick
We choose to go to the moon.
- [38:05]
John Lithgow
I want to tell you about my new fiction podcast about Buzz Aldrin, one of the true pioneers of space.
- [38:14]
Buzz Knight
Your great pilot, Buzz.
- [38:17]
John Lithgow
That's the story you think you know. This is the story you don't. Buzz. Starring me, John Lithgow on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [38:32]
Agusto Podcast Host
What's up guys? Welcome to the Agusto Papa Podcast. The go to spot for everything Musica Mexicana. We're proud Mexican Americans who live and breathe this music. We started this podcast to share and discuss our views of music. Whether you like to vibe to Peso, Pluma Los Al Camacho, or put Ivan Cornejo, when you get in your feels, then this podcast is for you. Well, actually, Peso was supposed to be on Chinito's album. The song with Drake was supposed to be with Peso. Listen to Agusto on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast.
- [39:03]
Janae Cheekies
Hey guys, it's Jana, AKA Cheekies from Cheekies and Chill Podcast. And I'm bringing you an all new mini podcast series called called Sincerely Janae. Sure, I'm a singer, author, businesswoman and podcaster, but at the end of the day, I am human. And that's why I'm sharing my ups and downs with you in real time and on the go. Listen to jiggies and chill on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [39:31]
Buzz Knight
When your car is making a strange.
- [39:33]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Noise, no matter what it is, you can't just pretend it's not happening. That's an interesting sound.
- [39:41]
Buzz Knight
It's like your mental health. If you're struggling and feeling overwhelmed, it's important to do something about it. It can be as simple as talking to someone or just taking a deep, calming breath to ground yourself. Because once you start to address the.
- [39:53]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Problem, you can go so much further.
- [39:56]
Buzz Knight
The Huntsman Mental Health Institute and the Ad Council have resources available for you.
- [39:59]
Michael Fitzpatrick
At loveyourmindtoday.org A body, a suspect, and 100 years of silence. Buried Bones is a podcast about the forgotten crimes history tried to leave.
- [40:11]
John Lithgow
Common misperception about serial predators is that.
- [40:16]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Every single time they commit a crime, they commit it the same way. The past has a way of talking, if you know what to listen for.
- [40:25]
John Lithgow
New episodes every Wednesday on the Exactly Right Network.
- [40:28]
Michael Fitzpatrick
Listen to Barry bones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [40:35]
Janae Cheekies
This is an iHeart podcast.