Transmissions

Epizode

• All One Song :: Matt Sweeney on "Barstool Blues" 03.06.2026 55min

  Hello and welcome back to All One Song, a Neil Young podcast presented by Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions with your host Tyler Wilcox. We’ve covered a lot of Shakey ground so far during seasons one and two, leaping from decade to decade, from era to era, from album to album. It’s easy to do when you’re dealing with a body of work that is so vast, spanning 60 years now. But somehow, we’ve yet to talk about any songs from Zuma. Neil fanatics — like our hero — can be an ornery, contrarian bunch. It would be tough to get them to agree on anything. But I think I’m safe in saying that everyone loves Zuma. If you don’t … well, you’re crazier than Crazy Horse.   Here to help us unpack "Barstool Blues," one of the album's high points, is Matt Sweeney. Sweeney is one of those guys who is impossible to sum up. He’s a musician who has been a part of so many great bands, projects and records over the years — Superwolf, Chavez, Guided by Voices, the Hard Quartet, Iggy Pop, Current 93, Cass McCombs, Andrew WK … the list goes on and on. He’s a consummate collaborator, perhaps the only person alive to have played with both Johnny Cash and Endless Boogie…with both the Dixie Chicks and Baby Dee … with both Adele and Six Organs of Admittance. Matt also hosts the excellent Guitar Moves web series, which gets into fascinating discussions with a wide array of guitarists. Definitely dial it up when you get a chance; even if you don’t play, it is always a blast. So pull up a stool and belly up, here's Matt Sweeney on "Barstool Blues."
• All One Song :: Zachary Cale on "Ambulance Blues" 27.05.2026 1h 16min

  As the second season of All One Song rolls on, we’re talking to some of our favorite musicians and writers about their favorite Neil Young songs. And we have got a doozy of a Neil Young song to talk about today — “Ambulance Blues." First appearing as the closing track on Neil’s 1974 masterpiece On the Beach, this is one of the man’s major works, a long, dark dirge that surveys the surreal mid-1970s landscape, from Patty Hearst to Richard Nixon, all accompanied by a brilliantly skeletal musical backdrop from Ben Keith, Rusty Kershaw, Ralph Molina and the mysterious Joe Yankee. It’s a towering tune, haunting and haunted, but also with a glimmer of hope shining through.  Here to help us decode the mysteries and metaphors of “Ambulance Blues” today is NYC-based singer-songwriter Zachary Cale. Zach has been making terrific records for more than two decades now, all centered on his expert guitarwork, sweet vocals and piercing lyrics. His latest album, however, doesn’t feature any of the latter element. Love’s Work is a purely instrumental affair, with Cale joined by bassist Shahzad Ismaily, percussionist Jeremy Gustin, pedal steel-ist JR Bohannon and pianist Robert Boston for a collection of gorgeous pieces. But throw a dart anywhere in Zach’s growing discography and you’ll find great sounds, guaranteed.  So! Without further ado, here’s Zachary Cale on All One Song … 
• All One Song :: Jerry David DeCicca on "From Hank To Hendrix" 20.05.2026 1h 21min

  In case you haven't caught on already, All One Song host Tyler Wilcox loves talking about Neil Young. And he's always fascinated by where these free-form conversations go, whether it's deep dives into lyrical obsessions, personal history, chord progressions, Shakey lore … or some indefinable blend of all of that.  This week’s episode is no different! We’re back in the 1990s this time around, taking a look at a song from Harvest Moon — “From Hank To Hendrix.” It’s a song that has been a regular setlist inclusion ever since it first appeared in late 1991. Young usually does it solo acoustic, and it feels like a fairly straightforward statement of intent from Neil, an acknowledgment of his restless nature, his refusal to stay in the same place for too long, the joys and dangers of duality. A simple song, right?  Well, probably not. Nothing is ever completely simple when it comes to Shakey. And here to plumb the depths of “From Hank To Hendrix” today is Texas-based singer-songwriter Jerry David DeCicca. Like Neil, Jerry’s songs are often made out of seemingly simple materials, but the more you listen to them, the deeper they become, simplicity transforming into something wonderfully complex. For example, one of his best songs deals with the cosmic pleasure of watermelons. Jerry’s albums are all awesome — if you need an entry point, go ahead and start with the most recent one, Cardiac Country from 2025, which Aquarium Drunkard writer Jennifer Kelly praised for detailing “the sweet transitory pleasures of living here on earth with an awareness of the unknowable beyond.” Jerry doesn’t have a new album coming out this year, but he is also an active producer, with great records by Ed Askew, Chris Gantry, Bob Martin and more under his belt. His latest production effort is the debut album by 83-year-old living legend Frank “The Wild Jalapeño” Rodarte, entitled, naturally, The Return of the Wild Jalapeño. It’s a fantastic listen, featuring tunes written by Jerry, alongside killer covers of songs by Bill Callahan and Greg Cartwright of Reigning Sound. It’s soulful, spiritual, strange and an album that could only have been made in Texas. But hey, back to Neil Young. Tune in to hear Jerry David DeCicca on All One Song … 
• All One Song :: Matthew Specktor on "T-Bone" 13.05.2026 1h 11min

  The second season of All One Song rolls. Throughout seasons one and two, we’ve jumped from era to era, from style to style, from album to album. But no one has had the guts yet to tackle one of Neil’s true masterpieces, his most visionary set of lyrics, his most powerful statement. That’s right, friends, we're talking about “T-Bone.”  Released in 1981 on Re*ac*tor, “T-Bone” is perhaps the most boneheaded, monomaniacal tune in Neil’s entire discography, a grinding, nine-minute three-chord Crazy Horse jam that features only these words to guide us: “Got mashed potatoes, ain't got no T-bone.” Our guest today is far from boneheaded, however. Matthew Specktor is a novelist, a memoirist, a critic, a screenwriter, an editor and much more. His most recent pieces of nonfiction, Always Crashing the Same Car and The Golden Hour are fascinating blends of autobiography, Hollywood history, cultural criticism and more. Specktor brings bygone years and characters to vivid life, finding emotional resonance and insight in unexpected zones, and delivering biting wit and hard-earned wisdom on every page. These books are also terrifically entertaining—check ‘em out, you will not be disappointed! And hopefully you will not be disappointed as Matthew makes a five-course meal out of “T-Bone.”
• All One Song :: Simon Joyner on "After The Gold Rush" 06.05.2026 1h 12min

  Hello and welcome back to All One Song, a Neil Young podcast presented by Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions with your host Tyler Wilcox, a longtime Aquarium Drunkard contributor and Neil Young fanatic. And I’m guiding you through a second season of talking with some of our favorite musicians, writers and artists about their favorite Neil Young song.  Pretty much every one of our guests complain about one thing: having to pick just one Neil Young song. His is a catalog of such consistency and strength that it can feel virtually impossible to have just one favorite. So as a disclaimer, all of our guests could’ve chosen maybe a dozen other songs. Or more. We just cruelly forced them to whittle it down to one.  But we wonder: what is Neil Young’s favorite Neil Young song? Maybe it’s just the newest song he’s written. But if you look at songs that Neil’s performed most over the years…well, maybe that’s a clue of some kind. “After the Gold Rush” is certainly up there in terms of live outings; the crucial Neil head website sugarmtn.org tells us that, as of today, he’s played it 698 times since its debut in the fall of 1970. He’s rarely left “Gold Rush” out of setlists for very long over the decades — it’s definitely a fan favorite. But hey, maybe Neil just really likes it too.  And why shouldn’t he? The title track to After the Gold Rush is a total classic. And it has so much packed into a relatively compact space. In just three compact verses, it takes the listener on an incredible trip: past, present, future. It’s an ecology song, a dream song, a myth song, a burnout song, a time-travel song, a sci-fi song, an apocalypse song. And no matter how many times we hear it, “After the Gold Rush” still seems to contain untold mysteries within.  Today, our guest is Simon Joyner, who chose "After the Gold Rush" to discuss. The Omaha-based singer-songwriter has a career stretching back to the early 1990s; you might call him a songwriter’s songwriter—at least he’s got a ton of peer admiration. But even if he remains somewhat under the radar, trust me that if you pick up any one of Simon’s many albums, you’ll be rewarded with heartbreaking melodies, cut-to-the-quick lyrics and imaginative arrangements. Simon has a new one coming out—his 19th studio album — on May 22. It’s called Tough Love, and it’s full of everything that makes Joyner one of our best voices. But before that, don’t miss Simon’s very own beautiful cover of “After the Gold Rush,” which we’ll play for you at the end of our conversation. It’s part of a newly recorded Lagniappe Session from Simon and friends — and guess what? It’s all Neil Young songs.
• All One Song :: Micah Nelson on "Change Your Mind" 29.04.2026 1h 13min

  Hello and welcome back to All One Song, a Neil Young podcast with your host, Tyler Wilcox. Though he's never spoken with Neil himself, over at Aquarium Drunkard you can check out Wilcox's interviews with several of Neil’s associates: Guitarist Frank “Poncho” Sampedro; bassist Billy Talbot; and multi-instrumentalist Nils Lofgren. Chatting with these musicians, who have spent a good portion of their lives onstage or in the studio with Neil, offers a look behind the curtain into Shakey’s creative process. And now, add Micah Nelson to that esteemed list. Since 2014, Nelson has served as one of Neil’s closest collaborators, playing guitar first in the Promise of the Real, then in Crazy Horse, and now in the Chrome Hearts. He’s toured all over the globe with Young, delivering epic, deep-cut heavy sets. During that time, he’s appeared on such records as The Monsanto Years, Earth, The Visitor, Fuckin’ Up and last year’s Talkin to the Trees. And oh yeah, he also happens to be Willie Nelson’s kid.  Micah’s work with Neil stretches beyond music; as we get into in our conversation, he was the creative force behind the recent Trans animated film, which brought Young’s misunderstood 1982 LP to life. Micah also makes music on his own under the Particle Kid moniker, and he’s currently working on a new, artists-first streaming and social media platform called The Flow. For his All One Song appearance, Micah selected “Change Your Mind.” This 14-plus-minute tune from 1994’s Sleeps With Angels is a rich text, and one that Micah feels a strong personal connection, as you’ll hear this week on All One Song.
• All Song Song :: Scott Bunn on "Boom Boom Boom" 22.04.2026 58min

  Welcome back to All One Song. We're spending the spring of 2026 talking to some great musicians, writers and artists about their one favorite Neil Young song. But even if the concept is simple, one thing is for sure: these conversations go all over the place, kind of like a long Old Black solo on “Like Hurricane.” And that’s how it should be, right?  Now, host Tyler Wilcox has been contributing to Aquarium Drunkard for well over a decade now, serving as the site’s resident Neil Young aficionado. But he's got competition! Scott Bunn is one of AD’s excellent writers, and his Shakey knowledge is extensive.  Over on his Recliner Notes blog, Scott has written a bunch of perceptive and insightful essays that dig into the undiscovered corners of Neil’s catalog. Go over to ReclinerNotes.com.   For his All One Song appearance, Scott picked a truly deep cut: “Boom Boom Boom.” This is a song that you might know better … though not much better…as “She’s A Healer,” which closed out Neil’s 2002 LP Are You Passionate?, recorded with Booker T and the MG’s. But “Boom Boom Boom” is the original Crazy Horse version of the song, which was cut in the year 2000. It collected dust (or rust?) in the vaults for more than two decades, but eventually showed up as a highlight of Toast, the legendary lost Neil and Crazy Horse album that was finally released in 2022. It’s all a little confusing … and hopefully our conversation doesn’t muddy the waters even further.  But “Boom Boom Boom” is a good reminder that there are so many different and diverse eras of Neil’s career; some may be more fruitful and enjoyable than others, but the journey itself is the point. As we look back over 60-plus years of output, it’s a blast to put the pieces of the puzzle together, to see what weird pictures emerge. 
• All One Song :: James Jackson Toth on "Thrasher" 15.04.2026 1h 9min

  Hello and welcome back to season two of All One Song, a Neil Young podcast presented by Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions with your host Tyler Wilcox, a longtime Aquarium Drunkard contributor and Neil Young fanatic. We’re spending some time this spring traveling deep into the Shakey-verse, talking with some great artists about their favorite Neil Young songs. On a recent episode, Brigid Mae Power and Wilcox went deep into Neil’s classic lament “Albuquerque”—both agreeing Neil nailed the stark, lonesome vibe of the American southwest in that song. If you’re going to try to evoke those kinds of landscapes, you don’t need to use a lot of words, right? Right. But also … wrong?  A few years after Neil wrote “Albuquerque,” he found himself on a long road trip from Taos, New Mexico, back to the west coast. And as he rolled through the desert, he wrote “Thrasher.” In contrast to “Albuquerque,” the lyrics of this song are rich and poetic, as images of ancient rivers, timeless gorges, crystal canyons and dinosaurs in shrines all float before the listener’s eyes. “Thrasher” unfolds like a stoned, rapturous daydream as Neil muses on lost friendships, the specter of mortality, and of course, that great Grand Canyon Rescue episode. First appearing on Rust Never Sleeps in 1979, it’s one of Young’s most satisfying songs.  And here to talk with us about “Thrasher” is James Jackson Toth, a terrific songwriter whose career matches Neil in terms of eclectic, exploratory and highly personalized vibes. He’s been a man of many monikers over the years; there are records under his own name, there are records under the ever-morphing Wooden Wand designation; there’s DUNZA, there’s James and the Giants, there’s One Eleven Heavy and more. Whatever you end up checking out, you’re guaranteed to be transported to strange, funny and powerful places. Toth has carved out his own singular niche over the years; like Neil, you can’t put him in one particular box.  And that similarity is no accident! As we talk about in our “Thrasher” ramble, James has a tattoo that asks that all-important question: “What would Neil Young do?” Always a good thing to ponder, whether you’re writing a song or buying groceries.   So! Without further ado, here’s James Jackson Toth on All One Song. 
• All One Song :: Brigid Mae Power on "Albuquerque" 08.04.2026 52min

  Neil Young's "Albuquerque." A Ditch Era classic, it was recorded with the Santa Monica Flyers in 1973 and released on 1975's Tonight's the Night. Like the Southwestern town its named for, "Albuquerque" is stark, beautiful, and lonesome—leaving in its wake melancholy and a craving for fried eggs and country ham. Joining us to discuss the various landscapes of "Albuquerque" is Brigid Mae Power. Since her debut a little over a decade ago, the Galway-based singer songwriter has built up a visionary and cosmic discography. Tune in as we explore the contours of yet another number in the ever-rolling "All One Song" saga.
• All One Song :: Ira Kaplan (Yo La Tengo) on "Big Crime" 01.04.2026 53min

  Hello again! Welcome back to All One Song, a Neil Young podcast presented by Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions. Last summer, we spent a couple months talking to some of our favorite musicians, writers, and artists about their favorite Neil Young songs … and it was so much fun that we’re doing it all over again with a bunch more great guests. Put on your Rust-o-Vision glasses, Neil freaks … we’re going deep into the Shakey-verse one more time.  Our guest today selected what is the newest Neil Young song—as of this recording—that has made it out into the world: “Big Crime.” This angry, brutal and unsparing attack on ICE, Trump and the MAGAsphere was debuted last summer on the US leg of Neil’s tour with the Chrome Hearts. And he’s played it at every one of his shows since. “Big Crime” pulls no punches. Last year, the long-running trio Yo La Tengo kicked off their epic eight-night Hanukkah run at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City with a blistering version of “Big Crime,” likely becoming the first band to cover it. So of course, we’re honored to have Yo La Tengo guitarist and vocalist Ira Kaplan on All One Song today to talk about this new Neil song.  Yo La Tengo — do they need an introduction? In our opinion, they are simply the best American rock band of the last four decades. Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew have built up a consistently wonderful body of work. Like Neil, it’s a career filled with twists and turns, side quests and sideways moves. But it’s all purely Yo La Tengo, whether they’re breaking your heart with hushed ballads or stretching out on feedback-fueled jams. Their latest album, 2023’s This Stupid World, is yet another masterpiece. And of course, they have a long history with Neil Young … the b-side of their second single was a sweet cover of “For The Turnstiles.” 
• Transmissions at Big Ears: Thurston Moore & Kramer 26.03.2026 1h 5min

  Transmissions is back with a special episode: Tyler Wilcox in conversation with underground music lifers Thurston Moore and Kramer. On May 1, the duo release their new album together, They Came Like Swallows - Seven Requiems for the Children of Gaza, out on Ethan Miller’s Silver Current Records, and ahead of their appearance this week at Big Ears Music Festival in Knoxville, Wilcox caught up with them to discuss the new collaboration, their storied history together, and that time the Butthole Surfers freaked out Alex Chilton. Speaking of Big Ears, Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions will be there too, with our Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions morning show livestream. Broadcasting March 27, 28, and 29 from Old City Java and Wild Love Bakery 9-11 AM EST, we'll be discussing highlights from the previous evening, acts we plan on catching that day, as well as drop-ins from special guests. We hope you will tune in via Instagram and YouTube in collaboration between Aquarium Drunkard, Big Ears, and Talkhouse.
• Transmissions :: Cochemea 17.12.2025 1h 3min

  This week’s conversation with Cochemea Gastelum brings our season to a close. The saxophonist and bandleader joins us to discuss his beautiful LP Ancestros Futuros, out now on Daptone Records. Mining his Indigenous roots, soul jazz, and funk, it's a fantastic album, and it completes a trilogy that began with 2019’s All My Relations, continued with 2021’s Baca Sewa, and now concludes.  Cochemea’s resume is lengthy. He worked extensively with the late soul singer Sharon Jones as part of her Dap Kings ensemble and has played with the Budos Band, Antibalas, Robert Walter’s 20th Congress, Archie Shepp, Public Enemy, the Roots, David Byrne, and more. Genre-hopping comes naturally to the San Diego-raised saxophonist, but the cultural conversation that occurs on these records is especially unique, and it was a pleasure to have him join us to discuss it.  Transmissions is created in partnership with the Talkhouse Podcast Network. We’re brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aquarium Drunkard⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, an independent music media crew headed by Justin Gage. Over at Aquarium Drunkard, you’ll gain access to 20 years of music writing, playlist, essays, mixtapes, radio special, podcasts, videos and more.
• Transmissions :: Mike Ayers (The Untold Story of '90s Jam Bands) 10.12.2025 1h 15min

  The '90s were a strange time. From Gregorian chants to swing bands, you never knew what would make it onto the radio. But some of the strangest groups to improbably infiltrate the mainstream came from the post-Grateful Dead jam band scene. Our guest today is Mike Ayers, author of ⁠Sharing in the Groove: The Untold Story of the '90s Jam Band Explosion and the Scene that Followed. ⁠ The book, an oral history, is really a blast. It covers all the big players of the era: Phish, Blues Traveler, Spin Doctors, Widespread Panic, Dave Matthews Band, but Ayers takes it to the next level by expanding the definition of "jam band" to include Medeski, Martin and Wood, Greyboy and the acid jazz scene, New Orleans funk band Galactic, and John Zorn and the Knitting Factory downtown NYC scene, and much more. This episode, guest host (and Transmissions audio editor) Andrew Horton, Jason P. Woodbury, and Ayers sit down to hash out the era in which even Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo embraced their jammiest free improv tendencies. What are the limits of the whole "jam band" thing really? Come along with us as we dig into Sharing in the Groove. Transmissions is created in partnership with the Talkhouse Podcast Network. We’re brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aquarium Drunkard⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, an independent music media crew headed by Justin Gage. Over at Aquarium Drunkard, you’ll gain access to 20 years of music writing, playlist, essays, mixtapes, radio special, podcasts, videos and more.
• Transmissions :: Steve Wynn (The Dream Syndicate) 03.12.2025 1h 10min

  Welcome back to Transmissions with Jason P. Woodbury. This week on the show, a return guest: Steve Wynn of The Dream Syndicate and solo fame. He last joined the show part of a trio: in 2018, we taped with him, Howe Gelb of Giant Sand, and Robyn Hitchcock live at the KXCI studio at Hotel Congress in Tucson Arizona. That talk also made it into the Transmissions feed again in 2020.  This time, Steve is with us to discuss the 40th anniversary reissue of The Dream Syndicate’s second album, 1984’s Medicine Show, which has been reissued in expanded form by Fire Records. Produced by Blue Öyster Cult and Clash associate Sandy Pearlman, the album found the Syndicate jumping from the smaller Slash indie label to A&M. But it also found Wynn shifting his songwriting approach into darker territory, embracing a kind of pulp fiction, hardboiled crime aesthetic that paired well with the group’s rangy, intense sound, which had been amplified and solidified during the tours that followed the band’s debut,  1982’s The Days of Wine and Roses.  Wynn is a tremendous conversationalist, and this convo opened us up to plenty of fascinating terrain, from record store lore to interactions with bands like R.E.M. and U2, as well as lots of behind the scenes info on Medicine Show. Transmissions is created in partnership with the Talkhouse Podcast Network. We’re brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aquarium Drunkard⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, an independent music media crew headed by Justin Gage. Over at Aquarium Drunkard, you’ll gain access to 20 years of music writing, playlist, essays, mixtapes, radio special, podcasts, videos and more.
• Transmissions :: Steve Von Till 26.11.2025 1h 32min

  Welcome back to Transmissions. This week: Steve Von Till, of sludge legends Neurosis, the tribal ambient spin-off Tribes of Neurot, solo albums under this own name, and the psych folk project Harvestman. He runs the independent label, Neurot Recordings. And as if all that isn’t enough, he’s also a poet, and an educator—when he’s not playing music, he’s bringing knowledge to the next generation, working as a fourth grade teacher in North Idaho. If you’ve been listening to Transmissions for awhile, you know that we’re hardly dogmatic when it comes to genres, but we don’t often feature artists who could be classified as metal. But that’s part of what makes Von Till such an interesting guest—his own music certainly qualifies as “heavy,” but it’s shot through with influences from very much within the AD canon: krautrock, ambient, folk, haunted country rock. His latest is a solo LP, the piano and synth drenched Alone in a World of Wounds. It is full of songs that, to hear Von Till put it, work as expressions of his soul, his heart, mind, his “earthly being and the whatever unearthly bits…connect with it all.” In addition to his work with Neurosis and Harvestman, this talk focuses in on the connection between humans and their natural surroundings, his work with the indigenous suicide prevention campaign Firekeeper Alliance, and some reflections on how his early punk days made him peers with Green Day and Operation Ivy—not often bands you hear mentioned in relation to Von Till. We are pleased to share this conversation as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, a time to reflect on our place in relation to each other and to the land itself. We hope you enjoy it. Transmissions is created in partnership with the Talkhouse Podcast Network. We’re brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aquarium Drunkard⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, an independent music media crew headed by Justin Gage. Over at Aquarium Drunkard, you’ll gain access to 20 years of music writing, playlist, essays, mixtapes, radio special, podcasts, videos and more.
• Transmissions :: Kate Pierson (The B-52s) 19.11.2025 57min

  This week on Transmissions, Kate Pierson, vocalist and keyboardist of The B-52s. Writing about the legendary Atlanta band, AD founder Justin Gage says, “The B-52’s 1979 debut album ushered in a practically fully formed sound/band. No one else was doing this…whatever ‘this’ was.” Indeed, The B-52s created a one-of-a-kind sound, blending punk, funk, and art-pop, and while they broke into the mainstream with ubiquitous radio hits, they never sacrificed their avant-garde edge. This fall, the band embarked on a co-headlining tour with Devo—we recorded this talk just before they departed on the jaunt—and last week, Kate Pierson released a cover of Patti Smith’s “People Have The Power!” featuring the Uniting Voices Chicago teen choir. Benefiting the choir and the anti-gun violence organization Sandy Hook Promise, the recording reifies Pierson’s radical bonafides.  Pierson joins us for a loose chat about her life in art, solo projects, and the band’s longtime association with Devo. Along the way, we get into their status as queer icons and reflected on the passing of Julee Cruise, the Twin Peaks vocalist who also served as a member of The B-52s. Transmissions is created in partnership with the Talkhouse Podcast Network. We’re brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aquarium Drunkard⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, an independent music media crew headed by Justin Gage. Over at Aquarium Drunkard, you’ll gain access to 20 years of music writing, playlist, essays, mixtapes, radio special, podcasts, videos and more.
• Transmissions :: Gary Lachman 12.11.2025 1h 13min

  This week, we present a conversation with writer, rock & roller, and esoteric scholar Gary Lachman, author of a new memoir, Touched By the Presence: From Blondie’s Bowery and Rock and Roll to Magic and the Occult. In it, Lachman charts his journey from a young New Jersey misfit immersed in comic books and paperback fiction to his days playing bass in Blondie as the band rose to stardom from the New York City punk underground. Blondie would go on to have a top-ten hit with his composition, “(I’m Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear” penned about telepathic communication Lachman experienced with this then girlfriend, the film actress and rock writer Lisa Jane Persky.  From there, the book details his days with Iggy Pop, fronting his own band, The Know, and eventually, his immersion in consciousness studies and the occult, which has informed the dozens of books he’s written since, including The Return of Holy Russia, Maurice Nicoll: Forgotten Teacher of The Fourth Way, Dark Star Rising, and Beyond the Robot: The Life and Work of Colin Wilson, written about his mentor and primary esoteric inspiration.  Touched by the Presence is available now from Inner Traditions, and it was a treat to join Lachman to talk about the consciousness altering power of comic books, his time with Blondie and Iggy, and glean a little of his humor-filled and lowkey wisdom. Transmissions is created in partnership with the Talkhouse Podcast Network. We’re brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aquarium Drunkard⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, an independent music media crew headed by Justin Gage. Over at Aquarium Drunkard, you’ll gain access to 20 years of music writing, playlist, essays, mixtapes, radio special, podcasts, videos and more.
• Transmissions :: DM Hotep (Sun Ra Arkestra) 05.11.2025 1h 17min

  Though he departed this earthly realm in 1993, Afrofuturist and free jazz icon Sun Ra’s cosmic tones continue to echo through the spaceways. A composer, poet, and some might even say a prophet, Ra seemed to understand that his work would outlive him, staging:  “In some far off place, many light years in space, I’ll wait for you. Where human feet have never trod, where human eyes have never seen. I’ll build a world of abstract dreams and wait for you.”  This week on the show, we sit down with Sun Ra Arkestra guitarist DM Hotep, who, under the leadership of 101-year-old saxophonist Marshall Allen, continues the work of Ra. When the Arkestra was called overseas in 2022, Allen was advised by doctors not to accompany the group. But music is a way of life and though he was required to stay stateside, Allen still wanted to play. So DM Hotep, aka David Middleton, reached out to the Philadelphia-based arts org Ars Nova Workshop to stage a series of concerts in Philadelphia. In May of 2025, a collection of these live performances from Solar Myth was released under the title Marshall Allen’s Ghost Horizons, which finds the saxophonist joined by Hotep and guests like Wolf Eyes, James Brandon Lewis, Yo La Tengo’s James McNew, and others. Including both Ra classics and new material, Ghost Horizons demonstrates how the currents of Ra’s philosophy and artistic ethic continue to the present day, pointing toward uncertain futures.  DM joined the Arkestra in 2000, meaning he didn’t play under Ra’s tutelage. Still, he provides keen insight into the Arkestra’s meta-mythic mission and cosmic scope. He joined us to discuss his tenure in the band, Ra’s ideas and concepts, his roots in funk and soul, and the driving force behind Ghost Horizons.  Transmissions is created in partnership with the Talkhouse Podcast Network. We’re brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aquarium Drunkard⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, an independent music media crew headed by Justin Gage. Over at Aquarium Drunkard, you’ll gain access to 20 years of music writing, playlist, essays, mixtapes, radio special, podcasts, videos and more.
• Transmissions :: Emmylou Harris 29.10.2025 37min

  Welcome back to Transmissions, a weekly interview podcast created and curated by Los Angeles online music magazine Aquarium Drunkard. This week on the show, host Jason P. Woodbury speaks with a living legend, and one of our all-time favorite vocalists and songsmiths: Emmylou Harris.  On November 7th, New West Records will re-release an expanded edition of her 1998 live album Spyboy, back in print after 27 years. Recorded in the wake 1995’s Wrecking Ball, an LP that redefined Harris for a whole new generation, Spyboy finds Harris and her band—Buddy Miller, Brady Blade and Daryl Johnson—on the road and stretching out into feverish new territory for the storied singer. Harris released her first album in 1970, and along the way, she’s collaborated with artists like country rock pioneer Gram Parsons, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and countless more. But as she settled into the ‘90s, she felt that country radio no longer made space for voices like hers—prompting a shift into a new direction with producer Daniel Lanois, who crafted a spectral, haunted sound for Wrecking Ball, placing her voice at the dreamy center. The resulting era introduced Harris to new ears—and we were thrilled to speak with her about it for this episode. Transmissions is created in partnership with the Talkhouse Podcast Network. We’re brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Aquarium Drunkard⁠⁠⁠⁠, an independent music media crew headed by Justin Gage. Over at Aquarium Drunkard, you’ll gain access to 20 years of music writing, playlist, essays, mixtapes, radio special, podcasts, videos and more.
• Transmissions :: Pam Grossman 22.10.2025 1h 10min

  Welcome back to Transmissions, a weekly podcast series from Aquarium Drunkard. This week on the show: Pam Grossman, host of The Witch Wave podcast and author of a new book, Magic Maker: The Enchanted Path to Creativity. This show, at its core, is about the relationship between magic and art. What do we mean by magic? Let’s turn to Grossman's book for a helpful take. She writes that magic is quote, “a way of shifting one’s entire mode of being in the direction of Creative Force and interacting with it…When magic is working properly, there is a feeling in the body of being activated. Power is raised. Ideas flow. Something outside of our egos is allowed entrance, and we respond to its visitation in kind.” We recently caught up with a jetlagged Grossman after she spoke at at the first ever Witch Summit in Phoenix, Arizona, making this one of the first podcasts in years that we've taped live and in person. So special thanks to Michael Krassner at Cibo for allowing us use of his space. We cover a lot of ground, from the work of visionary artists like Joanna Brouk and Laraaji to the witchy elements at play in the Fleetwood Mac discography, but most of all, we focus in on what happens when we get out our own way and let something flow through us. You might call it something else, but these days, we're calling it magic. Here's why, this week on Transmissions. We’re brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠Aquarium Drunkard⁠⁠⁠, an independent music media crew headed by Justin Gage. Over at Aquarium Drunkard, you’ll gain access to 20 years of music writing, playlist, essays, mixtapes, radio special, podcasts, videos and more.