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Smoke On My lip I wrote a song yeah Some people said I was doing that wrong yeah but check out my hands My chiming chord's on a gold tall man to land guitar. World's been melting in front of my eyes, yeah My baby girls, they keep me high, yeah Ain't on no trips though no LSD True love is the pure drug for me yeah. Jump in my whip my engine winds you zigzag my way Downlink and drive you puck on my lip Feel I can fly for a while. Wow. Wow, yeah. Smoke from my ears My brain is burning My candles burnt I'm never learning Watch as my life breaks down Just as a song breaks down. Smoke on my lip I wrote a song, yeah Some people said I was doing that wrong yeah but check out my hands My chiming chords On a gold tone mandelin guitar Smoke from my ears My brain is burned My candles burnt I'm never learning Watch as my life breaks down Just as a song breaks down all right. Thanks.
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All right.
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Every time I look at you Sparks fly Fly from my eyes I caught that price Guess I knew what to do. Seasons come and seasons go but my mind is surely growing into something more whole Er, think I'm getting smarter too. But you always were and you always
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are
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and I am so proud
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of
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what you've become as well Always growing,
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always,
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always showing A little spark Round the world from whence you walk.
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Now walk.
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I flew close to the sun
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and
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I had a whole lot of fun Then I guess I had to calm down Punishment fit in the crime well, made a few friends out there
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on
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the moon in the clouds Had a whole lot of laughs Hell, I'm still laughing now so look who's laughing now. But you all was always were
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and
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you always are and I am so proud of what you've become as well and always growing, Always shining show When a little spark round the world from whence you walk. A little spark, a little spark around the world from whence you walk. That's right, Walk.
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Now
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you.
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I'll take it.
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Cut.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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Well, I drove on up to New York City Deep down, well, life was shitty, though. From Philadelphia is where I'm from
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Guess
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we come in for a shot of glamour not that I don't live where I love in fact, I know that it's better by the trees, but less people, though. And sometimes, well, a man gets lonely and needs a hit of the high life, so.
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Sam. Whoo.
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Thanks.
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Ladies and gentlemen, Kurt Viall. Give it up for him. The new album, Philadelphia, has been good, too. Me. You can clap again if you want. How you doing? Good. You just played. It was phenomenal.
C
I'm great. I love. I'm excited to be here. I'm only excited for this, to be honest.
A
Really? Yeah. What do you have to do after this?
C
No, nothing today. But I've been excited to come on the show, and I love your set. And I always thought you were, like, the good kind of weird. So glad to be here.
A
Thank you. Like, geek chic, kind of. Yeah, I get that a lot. So, Yeah, I guess. Just first off, tell us about the new album, how you feel. I listened last night. I enjoyed it quite a bit. When is it out? Is it out?
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It is out.
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It's out. No, it's not out. May 29th.
C
29th. May 29th.
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May 29th. And is there any symbology behind that number? Numerology?
C
No.
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You got the 2, you got the 9, then you get 11, then you get Maeve. That's 5. And then you get 16. No. Oh, no.
C
I just.
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So I listened to the album last night. It's like. It's got a lot of Neil, I feel like. Is that safe to say?
C
Neil?
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Neil.
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I've always got. There's always Neil.
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Yeah, there's always.
C
Are you a Neil guy?
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I'm Neil.
C
Yeah. Did you see him live?
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I saw him with Crazy Horse.
C
Oh, this time. Oh, that was incredible. Yeah, I saw him in Philly, like, the day I got home from a tour, I saw him in Philly with Crazy Horse. Yeah, this last time with Crazy Horse. And then I. I was so addicted. I was just scheming and scheming, and I was like, I gotta see it again. So then I drove up to Massachusetts to see it again. It took some convincing because I'm a family man, you know, I got two daughters and a wife and such.
A
So you lied to them?
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No, I told them what I wanted to do, which was I gotta go up. Yeah, I wanna go up to Massachusetts where my tour manager is so he can get me these record shelves so I can clean up my house so I can see Neil Young and Crazy Horse.
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Okay, fine. Yeah. Yeah.
C
And that's what I did. And then a couple shows.
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Your wife is like, you've been rocking on the road and you're so addicted to rock. You have to go rock more up in Massachusetts.
C
And I'm so glad I did because Neil canceled. They cut that tour off like a couple shows later. So I sell that Crazy Horse twice.
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Have you met the man?
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I met the man a few times, but only this last time. The last time I saw Neil was in Toronto. My buddy Travis from the Sadies is an incredible guitar player. In fact, I was playing his guitar earlier when I was shredding. And he's buddies with Neil, and Travis is the first person ever. Even though one time I opened for Neil and they thought I was a crazy fan, they almost tackled me.
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Really?
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But even though I opened up.
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So you're wearing a Neil Young T shirt, Neil Young hat.
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I jumped off the back of the stage to, like, give him actually a Sadie ct. I thought that was my aunt, you know? And this whole entourage of cool old guys were like. And they, like, held up their arm like, they're gonna check me, like, beat
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off by old guys almost. And it was Levon Helm.
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It was Elliot Roberts, his OG manager, almost tackled me. So, yeah, anyway, Elliot Rodger. Elliot Roberts was his. Never mind his manager. He managed. I think he started his career managing Joni Mitchell.
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Yeah, I was gonna guess that was a guess. Yep. If I said it quicker, that would have been a good guess. Yeah.
C
But anyway, yeah, Travis was like the first person to be like, neil, this is Kurt. He's played with you before. Everybody else is just like, don't give this guy. Don't give this guy any in with Neil.
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Why? What's so wrong with you? You're a nice guy. You're in the business. You should be. I know this is a good connection. My mom told me when I moved to New York, she's like, just, why don't you find Jerry Seinfeld's address? And you could knock on his door and say, I'm a young Jewish comedian. And I'm like, mom, what are you talking about?
C
I love that.
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Yeah. So I went to Epstein's mansion. I'm just.
C
That reminds. When you said that, it reminded me of. I wish we had that pedal.
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Seinfeld pedal.
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Yeah, like Sarah Sherman's Seinfeld pedal where she's.
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Have you ever watched the video of the guy making it? It's also. It's a synthesizer. It's not bass.
C
Yeah, I would.
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You did you know that?
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I'm. I'm just not surprised. That era, that early 90s, I thought
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a bass guitar, slap style bass.
C
That's true. It sounds.
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It sounds like a slap style bass.
C
That Is actually. That's good information. Yeah, good information to know for sure.
A
But he. There's a video of him on YouTube doing it live to the show. Yeah. And it's like he did it every episode. I had like, yeah, yeah. What is that?
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It's like in the background. I was like, Wow, the horns.
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You notice that? Yeah, that's a real professional right there. Get it up. It's like when you notice the fucking. The Uncomfortably Numb. The symphonic part.
C
Uncomfortably Numb, Yeah.
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I felt like I had heard it a million times. And then you noticed that little symphony phonic track. And you're like, now I'm extra smart at music.
C
How's that part go?
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And it's like, you want to hear it? Isolated. Yeah. It's so beautiful. Rick Beato does a video about it. And me and my friend. My girlfriend and his girlfriend were both out of town and instead of partying, we just went. Watched Rick Beato videos and we're. We were like high fiving each other to the Beato. Why? This song is great on Comfortably Numb. And then my girlfriend called me and she's like, what are you doing? I was like, I'm watching a. A YouTube video about pink Floyd. She's like, I'd rather that. She's like, that's pathetic. I'd rather. I'd rather be cheating on me right now.
C
Yeah, I'd rather. Yeah.
A
Wait, keep. Okay, so now I'm gonna find. So this is in the background the whole time. We.
C
How do you.
A
Let's just talk about Ping. Oh, no, this is. This is not it. That's not it. Orchestra track. Here it is. Yeah. So you get all those. I don't know what instrument that is to make the seagull noise, but that's. I'm assuming that's the, you know, orchestra. Oh, yeah. So like as the. As it goes. So it's like all those, like, dark.
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Hello?
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Hello?
C
Oh, yeah, sure.
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Okay.
C
Oh, right. Of course.
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Yeah. You know that. Great. Bad. Check them out. Pink Floyd, especially the song Comfortably Numb. It's. They used that moment. Scorsese probably used it.
C
Exactly. I was literally gonna say, fuck me like a cop.
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Me like a cop. That's a great sex. One of my favorites. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They have sex in the kitchen. Yeah. The.
C
In the Departed.
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Yeah, yeah. Leo and his therapist. And she's like, me like a cop.
C
Did she say that?
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Yeah.
C
Wow.
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Which is like, hey, if I. I just sit in therapy all the time, just be like, why can't. Never mind. Anyway, so let's get into It. So you saw Neil. Wait, tell us about meeting him. What did he say to you? Hey, man.
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He did something like that.
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Real cool, man.
C
No, he never really. The most memorable time is like, I told him, I was like, I've seen you a million times and this was the best by far. When you played down by the river, which was like a 30 minute version, I was like, you know, he would like be messing with the crowd. He'd be like. You'd think he was. He'd be jamming out the middle section forever. The coolest space jams ever. And then you'd think he was going to go and sing the last verse and then he would come up to the mic finally and be like, be on my side. And then go back to outer space again. Just the first.
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Yeah.
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So anyway, I told him I was like, this down by the river was the best I've seen you do. I was like, it was like, you're underground. As in if it was like organic, but in outer space. You're underground in outer space at the same time. And then he just looked at me, he's like, oh, yeah, we can go to outer space whenever we want. And then he said it again. We can go out of space whenever we want.
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During COVID do you remember when he became an American citizen so he could vote for Bernie? Do you remember that?
C
Oh, that's pretty awesome.
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Yeah. And then he did that like, Covid concert where he was like, hey, Bernie. And I was like, I remember that. I started crying. I was like, both my ghosts recognizing each other. I can't believe it. Are you Neil? Is Neil your number one guy?
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Neil, I love Bernie, too, but Bernie, I would say number one, but Neil. No, I love Bernie. But Neil, I like Neil better than Bernie.
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Yeah, yeah, yeah. What the hell has Bernie ever done?
C
I love Neil.
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Yeah, yeah. So wait, so did you record after those. Like, how long have you been working on this album? And like, what went into it?
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Okay, I've been working on this album. I'd say, okay. I put out my last full length album. It's called Watch my movement in 2022 on Verve Records. And this is my second full length on Verve Records, New York.
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Verve Records.
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I'm proud to be label mates with the Velvet Underground and Stan Getz.
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Uh huh. Yeah.
C
And that's it. Us three. But anyway, honestly, I'd say ever since I turned that record in, it came out in 2022, when I'd get off the road, I'd be working on this record. But hardcore in the Studio the last couple of years.
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Yeah.
C
But, yeah, it's half recorded in my basement, just like the previous album. And then also some in LA with my buddy Rob Schnapp, who did a lot of my stuff, and Doug Easley. This really. Some of my favorite records in the 90s, like Silver Juice, Starlight Walker and Pavement. Wowie Zowie, Sonic Youth, Washing Machine were all done at Doug Easley studio in Memphis. So I worked there. This is Doug Easley? No, that's me. That's Doug Easley. That's Rob Schnapp in la. That's me. And then, yeah, my drummer, Kyle, records some in Athens. But that's how we do it. We just. We go on the road, come back, and you get ideas, hit the studio.
A
How collaborative is it? Like, it's.
C
Well, it's collaborative in that people show up, people figure out how, like, they can play their parts and figure it out as they go. I'll tell them if I don't like it, but I wrote the song. I don't care how much anybody else puts into it. I'm the songwriter.
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Yeah. Yeah, that's fucking right. That's fucking right. And don't forget it. You fucking.
C
I mean, everybody. I mean, everyone makes their own rules.
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But I. Have you ever.
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I was smart enough to make that rule.
A
Have you ever had a bez in your beds? What? A bez, like from Happy Birthday.
C
Oh, I love the Bez.
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Yeah. Yeah. Have you just. That guy that does tambourine and. Just as fun. Did you read his maracas? Yeah. He wrote a book. How could he write a book?
C
It's called Freaky Dancing.
A
He knows how to write the.
C
Is it Freaky Dancing at all or Funky Dancing?
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Funky Dance. Yeah. Yeah.
C
He actually.
A
He's Maracas. Right?
C
The one video I have out.
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Yeah.
C
He dances and he's their drug dealer and chemist.
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Yes. Sells him drugs and he dances with maracas. Yeah.
C
The video for Step on is priceless. He steals the show.
A
Bez, he's the best.
C
But the one video that came out for this album called Chance To Bleed, that's the first single. There's a person in the video that's influenced by Bez, actually, it's my buddy.
A
How'd I pull that out of my ass?
C
Ethan Buckler from Ken. King Kong. King Kong. His first band was Slint, and he left Slint because he thought the production was really weird on the first record, so he started his own band. But anyway, he's the bez in that Chance To Bleed video, which is a really Good video, I should say.
A
I wonder if Bez got paid like the other guys. It would have been annoying, actually, if I was like a synth player or a drummer. And I'm like, he's doing. It's easy, right?
C
Yeah. Well, wait, you do play though, right? What do you play?
A
Guitar? Yeah. Shut up, dude.
C
No, I.
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Not. Well, yeah, but you're, like, making I like songs.
C
We talked about music on the phone.
A
I know, dude.
C
And the first thing I ever.
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I'll send you a demo if you want.
C
I want to say the first.
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Hello, my name is Adam Friedland. This is my demo cd. Yeah, I was planning on the networking period after this thing, dude, I wanted to play it. Play it cool. No, no, yeah, I do. Yeah, I play a little bit of whatever.
C
Yeah, that's cool. I'm excited to hear your music.
A
So you have a song called Hoagies song called Wawa. Do you think that. Do you think that George Harrison was writing about Wawa? The gas. The man.
C
That's fucking mind blowing.
A
Have you ever watched it?
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Have you ever.
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Have you ever listened to Beware of Abaco, the demos from All Things Must Pass?
C
Beware of Abaco?
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Yeah, it's like a bootleg, but it's all the demos of George and Phil Spector, who I need to find out more about. I can't wait to find out more about this guy Phil Spector I just found out about.
C
That reminds me of. Did you see the Get Back documentary?
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Yeah, it's. It changed my life.
C
Heartbreaking, but also funny. Like, George literally playing the most beautiful songs, like, out of his pocket. He's like, everyone has choice when to.
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And not to raise the voices.
C
It's you that decides.
A
And they're so mean to him.
C
Paul and John aren't even listening.
A
They're not even listening. And then he's like.
C
And then George literally says. He goes, I don't care if you use it. I'll just put it in me musical.
A
I'll put it in me musical. It's like. It's so crazy because first of all, you forget how young they were. They were like 27 or something. Yeah, yeah. And he's still the younger kid from school. He's still like, dude, you're a freshman. Shut up, dude. Shut up, freshman. We're gonna fucking give you a swirly and pants you. And he's like, yes or no? That was wrong. Okay, let me run that again. He was like, here comes the sun. I don't know. Okay, cut all that. Okay. Did you ever saw Paul McCarty says yesterday came to him in a dream.
B
Right.
A
Did you ever have a song come to you in a dream?
C
I did. Especially around the pandemic times. I definitely had really pretty ethereal songs in my head. And then I'd wake up and sing him into a recorder. But, yeah, I never actually recorded that side into my recorder.
A
You know, I wonder if Enter Sandman came to them in a dream. That'd be cool. Yeah. I was talking about it before how Metallica is just baby. How about Spooky, Scary Dreams? Did you like Goblins and Ghouls? Did you like that documentary Some Kind of Monster? Yeah. Yeah. So good. You do look a little Dave Mustaine a little bit.
C
That's what people say.
A
Yeah. Yeah, yeah. The therapy scene with Dave Mustaine where he's like, you hurt me. They're, like, all crying. It's amazing. Yeah.
C
Actually, I got my manager, Renny, who's one of my best bros, but I gotta say, I think it was sometime we were on the road kind of high or whatever, and I was like, renny wasn't some Kind of monster the worst documentary you've ever seen in your life? And he, like, paused. He's like, no, he's like, those guys couldn't even talk to each other. And then they made this movie that got them back together and they, like, crushed once again. And I was like, good point.
A
And then.
C
But what I remember. I do remember when I first saw it, though. It was so long and it was cringey, but it was. The thing is, it's the first of cringy. It's the first of the cringy. Like.
A
Yeah.
C
Like, you have the audacity to get this therapist and, like, look this. Like, this sad in front of people.
A
Often Never Never Land songs, you're like, we need a therapist. This is too much pressure.
C
But. But then it's like.
A
Yeah. I don't know.
C
Then it's.
A
It's so funny. It's one of the funniest movies I've ever seen in my life.
B
That's what I mean.
C
It aged really well.
A
It ages great. Yeah. If you. If you smoke a little. I actually. I can't smoke weed anymore. We were talking about it. No. So I heard that you're. This is a list I have of your. Of your influences going into this album. Okay.
C
Okay.
A
Neil, John Prine, Terry Allen, Doom, DJ Screw and the Avalanches. Wow. Yeah. Is that. Does that sound like bullshit or is that correct? That's true.
C
That's depressed. They're all really good. Ones. Do you like the Avalanches? Yeah, you know them? Oh, my God.
A
Since I left you. I said I've had.
C
It's really pretty.
A
Do they have. They had a. They released another album, didn't they? There was just one, right?
C
I thought there was just one. And then it took them like 13 years or something to put out a follow up.
A
They're like Stanley Kubrick. Yeah.
C
Yeah. And then like, people. Cool guests like David Berman came out of hiding from Silver Juice to do like a spoken word thing.
A
Did you know him?
C
I. I did. I mean, I grew up influenced, like one of my number one.
A
He's one of my number ones, too. I. I was at. In D.C. i was at their last concert at the Black Cat ever. Wow. Yeah. His grandma came out on stage.
C
That's so awesome. Yeah.
A
That last album is the Purple Mountains is just devastating.
C
Devastating.
A
Yeah.
C
And yeah, you know that he cut through, like, his lyrics and I guess his vocal timbre and like the production, everything that he stood for. He was like the effortless Bob Dylan or whatever of our generation.
A
Yeah. And I would say you're more. More. I would say, is you now?
C
Well, yeah, David, I've. I like. We repent pals a little bit. Like, because I heard he was a fan of my song. Somebody told me he was a fan of my song Society is my Friend. And then I wrote him and sure
A
enough, like an email though, right?
C
I emailed him.
A
And then he penned you.
C
No, we emailed.
A
Oh, you were actually. You didn't spray perfume and kiss it, right? Not. Not. That'd be cool if you were doing letters, but yeah.
C
I don't know. Then my family, I was with my wife and two daughters when they were younger and we. At the end of a tour, we drove through Tennessee and I visited David and he was really sweet and his wife at the time, Cassie, and he was really sweet. And yeah, I was so stoked for him with that record when it came out and I was gonna plan to see him for sure.
A
Yeah, it's kind of like he's. The lyrics are like, of that last one. He's like telling us. Yeah, well, I was like, I wish I should. I should have done. I don't even know him, but I wish I did. I should have done something. I got so sad.
C
That is sad.
A
Imagine that album coming out while you're going through a breakup. Well, I certainly couldn't.
C
I will say that's the. I don't. I can't listen to that record. I listen to Silver Juice a lot, but I haven't listened to that one since he passed.
A
Yeah, in 27 years, I drank 50,000 beers, dude. How much so us, dude, Scotch and penicillin.
C
I'm allergic to penicillin.
A
Yeah. Are you?
C
Yeah.
A
Why did you say that earlier? Dude, fucking you should say, dude. It's a little bit weird that you didn't say that.
C
Yeah, like you're supposed to list your allergies when you come in.
A
Well, I just. Yeah, you filled out the medical form before doing tafs unplugged. I have no idea why you wouldn't say that you're allergic to penicillin because we put it in your drink. Folks, anyone that knows me knows that I love a good dad bod. But with summer coming up in just a couple months, I've been thinking about getting into a little better shape. Problem is that my body doesn't just snap back into shape like it did in my 20s. I'm working out the the same amount, eating mostly the same stuff, but the fat around my stomach just sticks around. A lot of people think that the classic dad bod just comes from drinking more beer or eating worse. But for a lot of guys, it's actually not the whole story. As men get older, our bodies reprogram themselves and we naturally start storing more fat and losing muscle faster. And the main reason for this is testosterone. Most men's testosterone levels start dropping as early as their 30s. And when that happens, it becomes easier to gain fat, especially around your stomach. And here's the frustrating part. The more body fat you gain, the more your body converts testosterone into estrogen, which makes it even easier to gain more fat. So it can turn into a really tough cycle for a lot of guys. That's why I started using this. Mars Men. Mars is a natural supplement designed to support healthy testosterone levels, which can help your body burn fat more efficiently and build lean muscle. When your hormones are working the way they're supposed to, a lot of things can get easier. Workouts, energy, Eva saying lean. It's basically helping your body get back to running like it did years ago. No weird stimulants or synthetic hormones. It's just real natural ingredients like tong cat, ali shin shield, a zinc boron, and more that support healthy T levels, weight management and exercise performance. And the quality is legit. It's made in the USA and every batch is third party tested. Ever since I started taking this, I have more consistent energy, stronger lifts, better focus, and it is helping me shed my dad bod. I'm excited to go into the summer looking like the best version of myself and even better than when I was in my 20s. What else am I noticing? I'm noticing steady all day drive, less cravings, better gym recovery. So 90 day money back guarantee there's no risk. Worst case, you don't absolutely love it and you get your money back. But over 91% of users report higher energy levels. Thousands of guys are feeling incredible results and check out the reviews on their website just to see for yourselves. For a limited time, our listeners get 50% off for life plus free shipping and three free gifts@ Mengotomars.com that's Mengotomars.com for 50% off and three free gifts when you check out. After you purchase they will ask you where you heard about them. Please please support our show and tell them that we sent ya. This message is brought to you by Apple Card Apple Card is a no fee credit card that you can apply for right from the Wallet app on your iPhone, subject to credit approval. Variable APRs for Apple Card range from 17.49% to 27.74% based on creditworthiness rates as of January 1, 2026. Existing customers can view their Variable APR in the Wallet app or@card.apple.com Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City branch terms and more at applecard.com Tired of overpaying with DirecTV? Dish offers a reliable low price every month without surprises. Get the TV you love and start watching live sports news and the latest movies, plus your favorite streaming apps all in one place. Switch to dish to dish and lock in the lowest price in satellite TV starting at 89.99amonth with our two year price guarantee. Call 888 add dish or visit dish.com today I'm here on the job site with Dale who's a framing contractor. Hey, good morning. Dale traded up to Geico Commercial Auto Insurance for all his business vehicles. We're here where he needs us most. Yep, they sure are. We make it easy for him to save on all his insurance needs all in one place with coverage that fits his business and bottom line. Oh, I shouldn't have looked down. It's all right. We're so far up here. Look at me. Take a deep breath. No, I'm good. So good. Get a commercial auto insurance quote today@geico.com and see how much you could save.
C
It feels good to Geico.
A
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C
When I was making music, you mean?
A
Yeah. And then you were kind of part of that moment. And then it seems like now, like, you're like. Do you feel like you're a survivor of that moment? You're still around, like there. I imagine there were a ton of bands that just aren't around anymore, I guess.
C
Yeah. That's interesting. Yeah, I. I feel. I'm glad that I'm still doing it. I got no choice. It's what I'm gonna do. But I. I do see these younger kids sometimes, and I'm like, man, I paved the way for these fucking kids.
A
Yeah. Yeah.
C
Makes me mad.
A
Yeah. But.
C
No, not really, but. Yeah. But then we were just talking about Neil Young.
A
They, like. Like guitars again.
C
Yeah, that's.
A
I was saying this crap forever.
C
I know. Even I was influenced. Like, there was a hot minute for a few years there where, like, I wasn't hearing no guitars in my head either because there was all this Charlie XCX and Caroline Polachek shit going.
A
You don't like? No, I like that a lot. I like that a lot. I love it. Yeah. You're a big Charlie fan.
C
I do love.
A
She's one of your goats.
C
Oh, absolutely.
A
Really?
C
Absolutely.
A
Wait, who are your goats? That's a Mark Meritson question. Who are your guys, man? Who are your guys, man? He was mad at me, by the way.
C
Why is he mad at you?
A
He was. But Tom sharply squashed the beef. Oh. Cause on my old podcast, I think we were making fun of him, laying down a solo on Instagram. Like, look at this guy. And I was like. I was like, Mark. Like, I was like a child. We hated everything. I love you. Aww. Yeah. Yeah. Tom sharply. I was like, give me his phone number. I was like, I will make this right. I was like, I love you, sir.
C
Tom is the best.
A
He's the best.
C
Tom Sharpling is the goat.
A
He's the goat. In fact, one of our goats.
C
That's funny, because I was at Tom's wedding not that long ago, and Tom Sharpling got married, and one of my
A
Favorite things is to start an applause. I used to do it at school assemblies and stuff. Yeah.
C
And Marc Maron was there, and I was with a friend who never met Marc Maron. I was on his show once, but I hadn't seen him in a long time. He's like, oh, my God. There's Marc Maron. There's Marc Maron. I was like, oh, yeah, it's true. And then he walked up to me in his suit, and the first thing he said was, he. What's up, genius?
A
Oh. So that made me look cool in
C
front of my friends.
A
Well, everything's good. Marc Maron. I've invited you about 73 times on the show, and now I'm officially announcing, even though you have not agreed that Marc Maron will be on the Adam re. Legend. No, I love him, dude. When I first. Before I even started saying him, I was listening to his podcast.
C
Wait, he was mad at you because you teased his jam?
A
Because he heard a clip about us teasing his jam. And guess what? I wish I. I wish I. Yeah,
C
you wish you didn't do it.
A
I'm too shy to play. To play my music.
C
I love that.
A
Honestly. That's why I love music more than this. Whatever the fuck this is.
C
That made me like you.
A
That's why I could do it.
C
That made me like you because the first one I saw was your Julian Casablancas. And then you fed him this song. You fed him your song. You made him listen to.
A
Yeah. Make him listen to a demo. Yeah. And he was like, that's intense, man. I'm like, you could have said the best song ever. I don't know why you're saying it. That's intense because everyone else has said the best song ever, and probably you're a genius musician. You don't need to be doing this, demeaning yourself, Adam, on YouTube. You could be fucking. I don't know. Paul McCartney. Yeah. Have you ever met Paul McCartney?
C
No.
A
Have you ever met John Lennon? No.
C
Oh, I wish.
A
Who it, like, who have. You're like, I guess, like heroes. They say never meet your heroes, obviously. Yeah. What interactions have you had that, like, through music that you're like, whoa. But beyond Neil.
C
Beyond Neil. Like, because I saw. I. I signed a matador records in 2009. I was on that. That label till, like, 2020 or something. So a lot. A lot by nepotism. I got to meet the bands that I grew up on. But even so, like, early on, my first Matador album called Childish Prodigy came out, and, like, like, it didn't like on the Pit in the Pitchfork or whatever. Not that this matters, but, like, they didn't get it. But like All My Heroes, it was their favorite record that year. Jay Maskus from Dinosaur junior Invited me on tour. Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth was her favorite album. And even people like, I don't know, Bradford Cox, Deer Hunter, it was his favorite album. But anyway, yeah, people like that. Steve Malkimus for sure from Pavement, or Kim Gordon and Jay Mascis. That's like the big three or four friends of mine, you know? But I grew up dreaming of something like that. I'm trying to think of, you know, that I'm a fanboy, like, every. I do.
A
You get nervous.
C
I get nervous. I'm a Brick fanboy no matter what. And, like, that's. That's how I always feel. I always feel nervous to talk to somebody. That's my hero.
A
I have so many heroes in that Neil story. I'm like, this guy was shitting his pants and Neil was like, what the fuck is that? Yeah, I hope that we can. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's scary to meet those guys. Yeah, I'm nervous. I have a brunch I'm going to, and I heard that David Letterman might be at it. Oh, yeah.
C
What are you going to say to him?
A
Anti Semite?
C
Is he.
A
I don't know. That's what came out. When you see I'm going to fuck up, I don't know. That's the first thing that came out. What's wrong with. Why are you such an anti Semite? So I guess, like, do you feel like an elder statesman these days?
C
No, not really.
A
No.
C
I'm glad because you look great. Really?
A
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you look like you're a youthful statesman.
C
Yeah, you look. You look better.
A
But thank you.
C
But thank you. No, I honestly, I do look at myself.
A
We are both like a looking kind of guys.
C
You still look all right.
A
Yeah.
C
You don't look as good as you used to, per se.
A
Yeah, fine at all. How are you going to. Yeah, but we have her hair, too.
C
But I like the modern times. Yeah, that's true. The modern times. I like playing music. I like playing to the crowds. I like in a different way. Ten or more plus years ago, I was a trained wreck on stage, like, elusive to technology. So I feel like this is sort of my Neil Young moment. I know we keep talking about Neil, but, like, if you see him live now with Crazy Horse, it's just like them. It's in another way. It's like more Intense.
A
There's something about it where it's like, you know, in the moment. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
C
That's what I'm excited about. Live music.
A
Bob Dylan is still touring and he's. I don't know if you've seen him.
C
Oh, yeah, he's locked in. He's locked in.
A
Yeah, it's. It's. It's really actually like.
C
I wonder.
A
It's like, why, you know, I guess, like, why those guys are doing it. Because they're fucking old.
C
They gotta be.
A
No offense. I mean, they're friends, but they're old as. You know, like, they're nasty looking. No, but it makes me sick how. No, no, but. But no, in reality, it's like these guys are like, you know, Bob's over 80, I think. Yeah. Like. And I think about, like, your interaction with Neil is like. I think that that's like a place like their whole, like Bob Dylan's whole life, like, everyone's trying to have. Has walked up to him and tried to say the dopest thing they've ever said. And then she just walked away. And they're like, fucking loser. Fucking pussy. You know? And it's like, it has to be so lonely at the end of the day, right? And I think that, like, maybe they're just like, on stage, it's a time where they just, like, you know, they're like, this is something that I feel like I could do me in a way that's comfortable.
C
I think that's exactly right.
A
Yeah.
C
Like, that's their moment sucked, dude.
A
Young bulls walk up to you and they're like, you know, the third album? Yeah. Do they do that? Your past.
C
Yeah, your past is your own worst enemy. Is. That's another Neil Young quote. Like, he puts out. He puts out. He puts out like all these classic records and then he puts out this new record and it sounds different than the old stuff. And everybody's comparing it to the old, old stuff.
A
Going back to this. Yo, go ahead, sir. The pastor's your own worst enemy. Oh, sick of the street. Yeah. Going back to sharply that, you know, rot rock rule. Yeah. Where he's saying that he's only into the 80s. Yeah.
C
Yeah.
A
He's only into the 80s.
C
80s, Neil.
A
Such a good joke. Yeah. Only the. But the rest, I don't. I could take or leave. But the 80s stuff. Yeah, yeah. Which was a real shit. It was a total turds deal. What were you going. Were you. You became a robot for a decade. A rockabilly robot.
C
I still laugh.
A
No one's laughing. And now I feel mean. Neil, I love you. I love you. Yeah, I guess. Let's talk about Philly.
C
Okay.
A
So, yeah, I guess that, you know, you're a. Do you feel like you're Phillies guy?
C
I am. I am Phillies guy.
A
You're Phillies guy.
C
I'm not the only one, but I've been.
A
You're more than Bradley. Bradley Cooper, Would you say?
C
Yes.
A
Yeah. More than Shane Gillis. He's not even from. He's from Harrisburg.
C
First of all, I don't think they're in Philly and I am still.
A
Yeah, that's true.
C
That's part of it. I'm holding it down in Philly and I wanted to even in my first album was called Constant Hitmaker, but that's short for Philly's Constant Hit Maker. So I've been holding Philly down since, I guess the early aughts. When I 2003, I put out my first CDR under my own name, but I just wanted to put it in writing. And also there's a title track on here. You know, Philly's Been Good to Me, which is a nod to a Tom Petty song, which. Which California's been good to me.
A
Yeah.
C
But anyway, I wanted to call it out.
A
Have you ever gotten 12 o' clock on a motorcycle?
C
What's that like Papa Wheelie?
A
No, he's not Philly at all, dude. He knows nothing about.
C
Is that Philly?
A
Yeah, that's philly dude going 12 o'. Clock.
C
Oh, like those.
A
Like the kids. Yeah.
C
Oh, that's intense. Yeah, yeah, I remember.
A
Did you lick poop after the Eagles won the Super Bowl?
C
No, I didn't.
A
This guy's. He's trying to act like he's Benjamin Franklin. He's trying to be. He think. He think he Benjamin Franklin. Yeah. I don't know why I said it that way.
C
I like it.
A
No, yeah. I mean, I guess you. You. You take shots at Bruce though, right? You have bars that are. You call out Bruce.
C
I love Bruce.
A
You better be covered. You better be careful. After his Kendrick Drake thing, the other.
C
Yeah, I've covered a few Bruce Springsteen songs in my day and record them, but he. He's got the song called Philadelphia and then Neil Young's got the song City of Brotherly Love. But they're both on the soundtrack to the movie Philadelphia. But even so, because that.
A
You would have been young, actually. I think I would have been young. Yeah.
C
Yeah, but.
A
And also the chicken man. The chicken man, yeah. They blew up the chicken man in Philly.
C
Last.
A
Was that a real guy?
C
Yeah, some mobster.
A
Yeah,
C
affiliate.
A
Wait, so you think that because Bruce Springsteen was born. I mean, it's not his. His parents lived there. He was born in New Jersey. Right. He has no right to have Philly's name in his motherfucking mouth. Well, I mean, it's kind of arbitrary. I didn't say it's no.
C
Right.
A
Yeah.
C
Yeah, but I'm really. I'm really from there, so.
A
And it's offensive. And is it so I can sing
C
about Philly and mean it? That's all.
A
So the streets of Philadelphia, it hurt when you heard that song?
C
No, I like it. But in the moment when I wrote those lyrics, I was thinking about it.
A
And, you know, Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks also are not from Philadelphia. How do you feel about that?
C
You know what that reminds me of? That reminds me of when I was younger. I was working at Philadelphia Brewing Company, and this kid.
A
This kid,
C
my hair was, like, long and shaggy, and then I got it cut way too short. And this kid got on my nerves. And it was the weekend, and I wouldn't even seen him. But then I saw him at a party, and he took one look at him.
A
The weekend?
C
No, it was the weekend, so we weren't at work. And I got my hair cut, and I was all, like, shy, maybe a little stoned. And I was like, fuck, I got this bad haircut. And then I took one look at this guy, and he saw me, and he took one look at me and he said, he looks just like Tom. Tom Hanks. I was so pissed.
A
You kind of do look like short hair. Wow. And you look like Dave Mustaine with long hair, I guess. God, what a. What a false modesty. You look like the two most handsome guys on Earth. Yeah.
C
But neither of those people I want to look like, to be honest.
A
Really?
C
I'll be.
A
Oh, yeah. People say I look like Mick Jagger. It's really annoying.
C
You look like Mick Jack.
A
Yeah, I get it all the time. And I'm like.
C
I'm just.
A
I'm just doing me, dude. I'm not trying to do him.
C
I could see that.
A
You really?
C
Did you make that up?
A
I've been going for it for a while. I finally got it. Got it under my thumb. Do you like Stones?
C
Yeah, of course.
A
Best, in fact.
C
Yeah, like what I said. I called myself Philly's constant hitmaker. I stole that from the Stones album. England's newest hitmaker.
A
Oh. So, guys, May 29, go get the album. It's got a gatefold Yep. Yeah. Listen, guys, you get two. Listen, I know you're gonna, like, see this in the record store. You'll be like, ugh, I don't want to buy one. Vinyl. That's such a ripoff. You got two, folks.
C
Yep.
A
That's how much he cares about you. Kurt Vile, everyone, Mike. Foreign, Wherever you go, whatever they get into, from chill time to everyday adventures, protect your dog from parasites with Cridellio Guatro. For full safety information, side effects and warnings, visit Cordelia. Consult your vet or call 1-888-545-5973. Ask your vet for Cordelio Quattro and visit Quattro Dog.
C
Com.
Podcast: The Adam Friedland Show
Episode: TAFS Unplugged: Kurt Vile
Date: May 17, 2026
Guest: Kurt Vile, musician and songwriter
This episode of The Adam Friedland Show is an unplugged, freewheeling conversation and mini live set with indie rock luminary Kurt Vile. Blending music and banter, the episode covers Kurt’s new album "Philly’s Been Good to Me", his deep musical influences (especially Neil Young), stories from the road and the studio, reflections on the indie music scene’s evolution, and his complex pride as a Philadelphia native. The tone is intimate, funny, and musically literate, with both deep fan energy and dry, self-aware humor.
"Smoke on My Lip" (03:21-06:14):
Kurt opens with a lyric-heavy, mood-drenched performance rooted in everyday poetry—blending raw honesty and reflections on love, creativity, and personal burnout.
"My baby girls, they keep me high, yeah / Ain't on no trips though, no LSD / True love is the pure drug for me."
(Kurt Vile, 04:07)
Second Song ("Sparks Fly") (06:34-10:08):
Another original, dreamy ballad about love, self-reflection, and maturity.
Philly Road Song (10:42-12:34):
A loose, storytelling number touching on NYC, Philly roots, and the allure/alienation of the "high life."
(12:50-23:16)
Release Details:
Neil Young Influence:
"I told them what I wanted to do, which was...I wanna go to Massachusetts where my tour manager is so he can get me these record shelves so I can clean up my house...so I can see Neil Young and Crazy Horse."
(Kurt Vile, 14:49)
Meeting Neil Young:
"He’d be jamming out the middle section forever. The coolest space jams ever...then he would come up to the mic finally and be like: ‘be on my side,’ and then go back to outer space again."
(Kurt Vile, 21:01)
"He just looked at me, he’s like, ‘Oh yeah, we can go to outer space whenever we want.’ And then he said it again. ‘We can go to outer space whenever we want.’”
(Kurt Vile, 21:44)
(21:55-22:28)
"Neil, I love Bernie too, but Neil, I like Neil better than Bernie." (22:24)
(22:29-24:32)
Describes writing and recording process:
Collaboration:
“People show up, figure out their parts...I’ll tell them if I don’t like it, but I wrote the song. I don’t care how much anybody else puts into it. I’m the songwriter.”
(Kurt Vile, 24:05 & 24:25)
(24:33-29:51)
Bez of Happy Mondays, music video references:
Adam quizzes Kurt about band members like Bez (the maracas/shaker guy) and whether he made a living just dancing. Kurt:
“The video for ‘Step On’ is priceless. He steals the show.” (25:05)
Kurt’s friend Ethan Buckler plays “the Bez” in Kurt’s own new music video.
Beatles & Musical Dreaming:
Metallica + Dave Mustaine (“Some Kind of Monster” doc):
(30:31-33:45, 41:03-43:44)
Cites Neil Young, John Prine, Terry Allen, DOOM, DJ Screw, The Avalanches as album influences (30:32)
The Avalanches—discussed as cult favorites who “took 13 years to release a follow up.”
Reminisces about Silver Jews/David Berman:
"That last album...Purple Mountains is just devastating...I can't listen to that record. I listen to Silver Jews a lot, but I haven't listened to that one since he passed." (33:17, 33:23)
On being a “survivor” of the indie scene of the late ‘00s and ‘10s:
“I'm glad that I'm still doing it. I got no choice. It’s what I'm gonna do. But I do see these younger kids sometimes, and I'm like, man, I paved the way for these fucking kids.” (41:19, 41:35)
(43:48-47:45)
Stories of awkwardness and awe—meeting or sharing bills with Jay Mascis, Kim Gordon, Steve Malkmus.
“Even now, I always feel like a nervous fanboy.” (46:17)
Adam shares a story of Marc Maron bristling after some gentle podcast teasing; both hosts agree Tom Scharpling is among their "goats" (greatest of all time—42:53).
(50:49-54:54)
Adam presses Kurt on being "Philly’s guy," more authentic than Bradley Cooper or Shane Gillis—
“First of all, I don't think they're in Philly and I am still. That's part of it. I'm holding it down in Philly and I wanted to even in my first album was called Constant Hitmaker, but that's short for Philly's Constant Hit Maker. So I've been holding Philly down since...2003.” (51:01)
On Springsteen singing about Philly:
“I love Bruce...but I'm really from there, so...I can sing about Philly and mean it. That's all.” —(53:26)
Jokes about "looking like Tom Hanks" after a bad haircut, reliving working-class Philly oddities.
(47:13-50:02; 54:08-55:06)
“It's a time where they just...can do ‘me’ in a way that's comfortable.” (49:31)
"We can go to outer space whenever we want." (21:44)
“I get nervous. I'm a brick fanboy no matter what...I always feel nervous to talk to somebody. That's my hero.” (46:17)
“When you see [Letterman], I'm going to fuck up, I don't know, that's the first thing that came out, what's wrong with—why are you such an anti-Semite?” (46:49)
“I'm holding it down in Philly...I just wanted to put it in writing.” (51:01)
| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|--------------------------------------------| | 03:21 | First Song: "Smoke on My Lip" | | 06:34 | Second Song: ("Sparks Fly") | | 10:42 | Philly Road Song | | 12:50 | Interview: New Album, Neil Young | | 14:47 | Neil Young stories, meeting Neil | | 21:44 | "We can go to outer space" moment | | 22:29 | Album process & collaboration | | 24:33 | Band anecdotes, music nerdery (Bez, etc.) | | 27:07 | Beatles/George Harrison, songwriting dreams| | 30:31 | Influences on new record | | 31:15 | Silver Jews/David Berman memories | | 41:03 | Indie "survivor" talk | | 43:48 | Fanboy nerves, meeting heroes | | 50:49 | Philly pride and rivalries | | 54:08 | Bad haircut, “Tom Hanks” story | | 55:03 | Homage to Stones as influence |
This episode blends soulful unplugged performances, music history geekery, fan confessionals, and loving trash talk about indie music, legacies, and Philadelphia pride. Kurt Vile feels simultaneously at home and in awe—a fan who became a peer, but never stopped being giddy about his heroes or his city. The conversation is fluid, open, and alternately hilarious and earnest, giving fans a vivid sense of both the man and his scene-spanning career.
Highly recommended for: