The Sound of Success with Nic Harcourt

Teenaged John Roderick rode box car trains across the U.S; Aged 30 he walked from Hook of Holland to Istanbul. He was surprised to find he liked Coldplay & If he could only listen to one song for the rest of his life he'd pick Elliot Smith's Waltz #2 27.03.2025 1val 57min

Nic's guest on this episode is musician, singer, songwriter, podcaster, John Roderick.John is the lead singer and guitarist of the Seattle band The Long Winters and co-hosts the podcasts Roderick On The Line with Merlin Mann and Omnibus with former Jeopardy! champion and current host Ken Jennings, but that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of his remarkable life. Nic had a great time talking with John, and as a result this episode clocks in at a TSOS record 1hr 58 mins!

On Gail Ann Dorsey's ninth birthday, her godmother and neighbor Edith gave her a Kay parlor guitar. The first album she bought was 'Slayed' by Slade, and Isaac Hayes was the first artist she saw live in concert. 18.12.2024 1val 19min

Accomplished songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and one of the most highly regarded bass guitar players working today, Gail Ann Dorsey is Nic's guest on this episode. As a session musician Gail's work has graced recordings and performances by numerous artists. including The National, Lenny Kravitz, Bryan Ferry, Boy George, The The, Gwen Stefani, Seal, Charlie Watts, Gang of Four, Ani DiFranco, Indigo Girls and Tears For Fears, PLUS she played in David Bowie's band, from 1995 thru his last tour in 2004!Aside from playing bass with Bowie, she sang lead vocals on live versions of "Under Pressure" (taking the part originally sung by Queen frontman Freddie Mercury) and dueted with Bowie on a whole host of other songs and contributed bass and or backing vocals on his albums 'Earthling', 'Heathen', 'Reality', and 'The Next Day.'Gail has also released three solo albums: 'The Corporate World ' (1988), 'Rude Blue' (1992), and 'I Used To Be...' (2003).Bass Player magazine gave her a Lifetime Achievement Award In December 2021,

The Spice Girls loom large in Lauren Mayberry's musical DNA & she thinks that Missy Elliott has made some of the best music videos of all time. George Michael or Whitney Houston will get her dancing & maybe, there's a Broadway musical in her future. 03.12.2024 45min

Lauren Mayberry is the lead singer of the Scottish band Chvrches. She has played the piano since she was a child and drums since she was a teenager. Before her music career took off Lauren completed a four-year undergraduate law degree at the University of Strathclyde and earned a master's degree in journalism leading to her first gig in music as a freelance music journalist. In Chvrches she co-writes and co-produces the bands material with Iain Cook and Martin Doherty. At the time of this conversation at the end of October 2024 Lauren is readying the release of her debut solo album 'Vicious Creature'.

B-52's founding member Kate Pierson's first music purchase was Sheb Wooley's "Purple People Eater", her first concert? The Doors (Jim Morrison dropped his pants) in Chicago, and the music of Neil Diamond is a guilty pleasure. 18.09.2024 40min

Kate Pierson's band the B-52s, who formed in Athens Georgia in 1976, have a long list of bona fide hits, including "Rock Lobster" "Planet Claire" "Party Out of Bounds" "Private Idaho "Love Shack" and "Roam". Her distinctive mezzo-soprano vocal range is a trademark of the B-52s' unique sound. Outside of her work with the band she has appeared in films and TV shows, including "The Flintstones" (with the BC-52's) and "Flight of the Conchords". Kate has collaborated with many artists throughout her career including The Ramones, Iggy Pop, David Byrne and R.E.M. At the time of our conversation in August 2024 Kate talks about her musical journey and discusses her second solo album "Radio and Rainbows".

Thurston Moore wrang glorious sounds from his electric guitar through his work with Sonic Youth, who in 1981 emerged from the experimental No Wave art & music scene in New York before evolving into arguably the most influential independent band ever 11.09.2024 1val 1min

Nic is joined on this episode by guitarist, singer, songwriter and author Thurston Moore, who is probably best known as a member of the groundbreaking and highly influential band Sonic Youth. Outside of that band Thurston has a long list of side projects and credits, including work with John Zorn, Richard Hell, Lydia Lunch, Yoko Ono, Dave Grohl. REM, and Beck! He has also made 9 solo albums, the most recent of which 'Flow Critical Lucidity' is set for a September 2024 release. In 1981 he founded the Ecstatic Peace! record label which has released more than 200 LPs, cassettes, 7"s, and CDs, of both established and fledgling artists. His creative palette has included writing and performing music for film, narrating documentaries for the National Geographic channel, a residency at the Louvre, and teaching writing at Allen Ginsberg & Anne Waldman’s Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Boulder’s Naropa University. He is an honorary professor at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Musician. curator and composer Camilo Lara grew up in the Mexico City neighborhood where Trotsky lived. His earliest musical memory is XTC's album 'English Settlement', his first concert, The Cure In San Diego on their 'Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me' tour. 14.06.2024 36min

Camilo Lara is perhaps best known for music that he releases under the name Mexican Institute of Sound, with six full-length albums released since 2006 and a recent compilation 'Algo Ritmo Hits 2004 - 2024'. He is also a highly sought after producer and his list of collaborators is long and impressive, Sly and Robbie, Tom Tom Club, Gaby Moreno, Calexico, and Norah Jones are just a few.Camilo is in high demand as a remixer, having worked on tracks by many artists including Metallica, Run The Jewels, Beck, Madness, Beastie Boys and Julieta Venegas. He works in Television and Film as a music supervisor and composer, with credits including Showtime's 'Californication', and Netflix’s 'Narcos Mexico' and movies like 'Y Tu Mama Tambien', Pixar’s 'Coco' and Disney’s 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'. Camilo recently picked up an Emmy for his work on the Apple TV show 'Home'.He is also a part of Daniam Albarn’s Africa Express project that facilitates collaborations between African, Middle Eastern and Western musicians.

Neil Finn's first musical memory is of his mother singing while washing dishes. The first album he bought was Donovan's 'Fairy Tale', his first live show was Elton John at Western Springs in Auckland & he's a fan of ethnomusicologist David Fanshawe. 22.05.2024 34min

Neil Finn is best known for being in two of the most important bands to come out of his homeland of New Zealand. Split Enz, a band in which he shared writing and lead duties with his brother Tim, That band had a string of hit's including "I Got You", "History Never Repeats" and "Message to My Girl". After that band broke up he was a founding member of Crowded House whose hits include "Don't Dream It's Over", "Weather with You" and "Fall at Your Feet". He has collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Paul Kelly and his brother (Tim) as the Finn Brothers. He has released four solo records and has also been a member of Fleetwood Mac since 2018. At the time of this conversation in May of 2024, Neil was readying the release of Crowded House’s 8th studio album "Gravity Stairs” and a world tour.

Stuart Murdoch is the lead singer and songwriter of the band Belle and Sebastian which began as a project at the University of Glasgow. His early music purchases included albums by Simon and Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder and the Welsh metal band Budgie. 18.04.2024 38min

Musician, writer and filmmaker Stuart Murdoch is the lead singer and songwriter for the Scottish band Belle and Sebastian. The group's first album 'Tigermilk' was released to critical claim in 1996; sparking a career that has seen them put out a series of singles, 9 ep’s and 12 albums, the most recent, 'Late Developers was released in 2023'. Stuart says "We definitely wouldn't describe ourselves as a 'rock band', we aspire toward what we would call 'classic pop music.'" They highlight pop records from 1979 onwards as the style that unites the passions between the band members.

Jason Schwartzman's earliest musical memories are his mom playing the tape of the musical 'Into the Woods' in the car, and listening to Michael Jackson's thriller on his Boombox; the first album he bought with his own $ was Nirvana's 'Nevermind'. 20.12.2023 50min

Actor, writer, and musician, Jason Schwartzman began his acting career in 1998 when, at the age of 18, he starred in Wes Anderson’s 'Rushmore'. Since then he has taken roles in an eclectic array of both film and television projects. His movies include, 'Marie Antoinette', 'Saving Mr. Banks', 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' and 'The Polka King', his most recent films are Wes Anderson’s 'Asteroid City' and 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Among his television credits are 'Mozart in the Jungle', 'Fargo' and 'The Righteous Gemstones'. Jason has musical roots; when Nic first met him, he was the drummer in Phantom Planet. More recently he has released solo material under the Coconut Records moniker.

Alexi Lalas played hockey before soccer. His love of music came from his mom, who was in a group of madrigal singers, and sent him to piano lessons and taught him basic guitar chords. His first live music experience? Pat Benatar. 07.12.2023 47min

Former USMNT soccer star, Alexi Lalas exploded onto the international stage during the 1994 FIFA World Cup, a summer in which Americans embraced the world's most popular sport. He went on to become the first American to play in Italy's Serie A; and when Major League Soccer kicked off in 1996, he returned to the US and spent the rest of his playing career helping launch the league, with stints at the New England Revolution, Kansas City Wizards, and LA Galaxy; where he won numerous competitions, including the MLS Cup, before retiring from playing in 2002. His post playing career included gigs as general manager of the San Jose Earthquakes, New York Red Bulls, and LA Galaxy. He currently works as an analyst for Fox Sports and hosts the State of the Union podcast. Last year, he released his eighth album of music, 'Melt Away'. In this episode Nic get's to speak about two of his favorite things, soccer/football and music!

Grace Potter's first instrument was piano (her mom taught piano). Before she made money from her music she installed sheet rock and painted houses. Ace of Base are her musical guilty pleasure and Esquivel's Mucha Muchacha is her dance jam. 16.11.2023 53min

Beginning with her debut album 'Red Shoe Rebel' in 2002, Singer-songwriter and musician Grace Potter has released 5 albums under her own name, and another four with her band Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. At the time of this conversation in October of 2023, her most recent release 'Mother Road' finds Grace deconstructing her deepest fears and darkest regrets, charting the fallout with brutal honesty and emotional daring. Grace talks with Nic about the four cross country trips that inspired the songs on the album, her evolution as an artist, and dividing her time between her hometown of Waitsfield, Vermont and Topanga, California.

Johnny Marr's first musical memory is of his mum and aunt playing and dancing to 'Walk Right Back' by The Everly Brothers. His first music purchase was 'Jeepster' by T.Rex and his first concert was Slaughter & the Dogs at the Manchester Forum in 1976 01.11.2023 39min

Musician, songwriter, and singer Johnny Marr was the guitarist and co-songwriter of The Smiths (from 1982 thru 1987). He has at one time or another been a member of The Pretenders, The The, Electronic, Modest Mouse, The Cribs; as well as becoming a prolific session musician. In the last decade he has worked in film, collaborating with Hans Zimmer on scores for movies such as 'Inception', 'The Amazing Spiderman 2' and 'No Time to Die', whilst carving out a successful solo career with a series of critically acclaimed albums. He is also a published author, his autobiography 'Set the Boy Free', was published in 2016; and his new coffee table book 'Marr’s Guitars' was released in October of 2023, when this episode was recorded.

Ghanaian/Australian musician Genesis Owusu's earliest musical memories are the Kriss Kross song 'Jump' & watching the Michael Jackson 'HIStory' DVD and trying to learn the dance moves to the 'Thriller' video with his cousins. His first concert? Kanye 18.10.2023 37min

When he was just two years old musician, Kofi Owusu-Ansah (known professionally as Genesis Owusu) and his family emigrated from Ghana in West Africa to Australia's capital city, Canberra. In a town where his family were the only black people he knew, he immediately found himself an outsider and had to learn as he says, "how to be myself from a young age." His early efforts at music included collaborations with his older brother Kojo, who releases music as Citizen Kay; before self releasing a series of singles that led to his debut album in 2021 'Smiling with No Teeth'. At that year's ARIA Music Awards, (Australia’s Grammys) he won four trophies for Album of the Year, Best Hip Hop Release, Best Independent Release and Best Cover Art. His follow up, 'Struggler' is catching ears around the world and Nic caught up with him in Los Angeles, where he recorded the bulk of the new album.

Emily Haines is the lead singer, keyboardist & songwriter of the band Metric, and a member of the musical collective Broken Social Scene. Her first concert was seeing Corey Hart & her favorite video is The Strokes' 'Ode To The Mets' (Dir. Warren Fu) 05.10.2023 56min

It was perhaps inevitable that Emily Haines would become a writer/lyricist and musician; her dad (Paul Haynes), was a revered Avant Garde poet and musician. Emily formed her first band at age 15 (Edith's Mission) with school pal Amy Millan (STARS). She spent her University years in Vancouver (UBC) and Montreal (Concordia) before meeting James (Jimmy) Shaw in 1997 and forming the band that would become Metric. 2023 finds the group celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album 'Old World Underground, Where are You Now' and releasing their ninth full length LP, 'Formetera II'.

14 year old Natalie Merchant spent her babysitting money on 8 track cartridges of 'cut out' albums by Brian Eno, Roxy Music and David Bowie from her local drugstore and her first live show was seeing the Styx Grand Illusion tour at Buffalo Auditorium 14.09.2023 30min

Singer, songwriter and composer Natalie Merchant got her start when she joined the band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 at age 17, becoming the lead vocalist and primary lyricist for the group. She made seven albums with the band before setting out on a solo career and in 1995; her debut album 'Tigerlilly' was an immediate success with singles 'Carnival', 'Wonder' and 'Jealousy' helping the album sell over 5 million copies. She has since released nine studio albums as a solo artist exploring a diverse range of musical styles. At the time of our conversation, her most recent album is 'Keep Your Courage'.

Roger Bennett's first musical purchase was Simon & Garfunkel's 'Sounds of Silence', his first live show was Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark at the Liverpool Empire and his favorite video is for the Talking Heads song 'Once in a Lifetime'. 31.08.2023 50min

Liverpool born, Manhattan based broadcaster, podcaster, and filmmaker Roger Bennett hosts multiple podcasts and TV shows focussing on soccer/football through his Men in Blazers Media Network. He’s also a published author releasing his memoir 'Reborn in the USA: An Englishman's Love Letter to his Chosen Home' in 2021; which debuted at #1 on The New York Times Bestseller List.

Lyle Lovett thinks The Milk Carton Kids are a modern day Smothers Brothers, his first musical memory is seeing Nat King Cole on TV, his first album was 'The Monkees' and he found his first backing band in Luxembourg! 20.07.2023 1val

Lyle Lovett began performing by playing acoustic sets at bars just off of the Texas A&M University campus, while studying for bachelor degrees in German and Journalism. His career has been typically associated with country music and he’s won four Grammys, including awards for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Album. He’s also incorporated gospel, blues, jazz and swing into his body of work and acted in television and film; most notably in four movies for the late director, Robert Altman.

Noel Gallagher's first musical memory is Elvis' death. His first show? the Damned at Manchester Apollo in 1980; 88-90 Acid House is his dance jam, he digs U2's 'Joshua Tree' videos and he likes routine! 05.07.2023 21min

This week's guest is songwriter, producer, (and let’s just say it) rockstar, Noel Gallager. Noel was the main songwriter, lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the band Oasis (the most popular and successful UK band of the 90's) from 1991 until their split in 2009. He has written nine UK number-one singles and ten UK number-one studio albums. After leaving Oasis, he formed Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, who have put out four albums; the most recent 'Council Skies' was released June 2, 2023 (two weeks before this conversation was recorded). He is widely considered to be one of the most influential songwriters in the history of British rock music. Nic caught up with Noel on his US tour backstage at the Greek theater in Los Angeles

Portugal The Man's John Gourley grew up in the Alaskan wilderness listening to his parents' Motown records. His first musical memory is hearing The Beatles 'Here Comes The Sun', The Aphex Twin will get him dancing & his favorite live band is Pantera. 21.06.2023 57min

John Gourley is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the band Portugal. The Man, a group who after five independently released albums and another three on Atlantic Records, found crossover success around the world with their 2017 album ‘Woodstock’ and it's hit song "Feel It Still” which scored the group a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group performance in 2018. Like many in the creative community the band’s career was put into neutral during the pandemic, but they are back on the road this summer (2023) with a new album 'Chris Black Changed My Life'.

Lucinda Williams talks about her memoir 'Don't Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You', and shares the music that inspired her. From Peter, Paul and Mary, Bob Dylan & Joan Baez to John Coltrane, James Brown & Prince. 08.06.2023 43min

Lucinda Williams is one of the most celebrated singer-songwriters of her generation. Her first two albums 'Ramblin' on My Mind' and 'Happy Woman Blues', recorded in 1979 and 1980 respectively, received critical acclaim. Her 1988 self titled release opened the doors to a career that has has seen her mix of Rock, Blues, Punk and Country Americana establish her own unique lane in the music business. Her 1988 release 'Car Wheels on a Gravel Road' earned her a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album; the follow-up, 'Essence' released in 2001, hit the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 28, and garnered three Grammy nominations, winning the award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for the single "Get Right with God”. Other albums include 'Blessed', 'The Ghost Of Highway 20', 'Good Souls', 'Better Angels’ and at the time of our conversation she was readying the release of her 16th studio album, 'Stories from a Rock n Roll Heart’. Lucinda recently published her first book, a memoir, 'Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You’.