In 2014, I tried to revive Crush On Radio as a one-on-one interview show. I produced six episodes for Constellation.fm, interviewing a few of my favorite Internet people about the albums that shaped their life. Sadly, due to a number of outside factors, I had to cancel the show, and the archives fell off the web, not long after. Two years later, I’m finally bringing them back online, to sit along the two seasons of Classic CoR with Matt and Andrew.
The first episode was my proudest moment: a chat with the legendary Merlin Mann about an album that changed his life: The Meadowlands by The Wrens. It was an incredible experience, and I’m happy to share it with you all again.
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Original Show Notes:
On the inaugural episode of the new Crush On Radio, Richard Anderson is joined by Friend of the Internet, Merlin Mann, to discuss The Meadowlands by The Wrens, and a whole host of ratholes and related discussion on making art and being an adult.
0:00:00 Introductions
0:02:53 The Meadowlands
Merlin gives the back story of The Wrens, and the theme of the album.
- The Wrens Official Site
- The Wrens on Wikipedia
- The Meadowlands on iTunes
- The Meadowlands on Wikipedia
- Exhausted – kung fu grippe
- The Meadowlands on Pitchfork
- Void Vision
0:10:53 The Back to Work Part
How hard it is to make art, lack of nets, and how hard it is to understand that. There’s no guarantees of success, even when you’re good—and there never has, even now.
- Monster of rock: Allen Klein swindled The Stones and broke up The Beatles and is still rock ‘n’ roll’s most ruthless Svengali
- The Wrens – This Boy Is Exhausted
0:15:15 Saudade
Merlin talks about The Wrens live shows, rare as they are, and how much they put into it. Finally, some talk about the album itself: how it works as a cohesive whole, for example. Also, lyrics, and the rhythm and sound of language, and articulating the struggle of living.
0:29:20 A Trailer for an Album
The difficulty of talking about and sharing what you love, be it music, movies, comics, or whatever, and the concept of a song as a trailer for an album. Also, the the little tricks that impress us in music, the emotional connection, the human elements, and what gets the hook in.
- The Godfather Restaurant Scene
- She Sends Kisses Fan Video
- Ex-Girl Collection
- Everyone Choose Sides
- Godspeed You! Black Emperor
- LCD Soundsystem – Someone Great
- Hüsker Dü – New Day Rising
0:44:40 The Job of Being an Evangelist
Sharing what you love, and the reason for The Show. The difficulty of finding new stuff, now more than ever, and circling back to sharing what you love. Side one and side two on records, and the difficulty of track sequencing. Discovery algorithms, vs human sharing, and how the former can’t beat the latter. Finally, our own discovery process, and growing in and out of music.