The Interview Show with Scott Wood 2019

Here's the story behind Tokyo Police Club's latest album TPC: In the last few years, the band grew apart and started to consider a "slow fade." During the 10 Year Anniversary tour for their 2010 breakthrough EP, A Lesson in Crime, one member made a passionate plea for the the band to continue. All four members agreed and they rediscovered their love of making music together, re-enlisting producer Rob Schnapf to help rekindle the enthusiasm of making 2010's endlessly charming Champ.

I had dinner and a few drinks with Graham Wright and Josh Hook from Tokyo Police Club in Vancouver's Rumpus Room the last time the band came thru Vancouver. We talked about nearly breaking up, being in a band after ten years and had a few laughs about mid-career band press release cliches. 

What strange dishes and drinks did the guys order? What's it like to re-evaluate your life after 10 years playing in a band? Why did the band nearly break up? Who wanted the band to continue? Why did Graham and Josh decide to double-down on Tokyo Police Club? What's it like to try to recapture the magic? Which old songs do they guys miss playing live? Which song on the new record makes Graham feel like a guitar god? How many Eminem references will there be in this interview? You'll have to listen to find out.

Tracks played on the podcast edition of the show...

1) Tokyo Police Club, TPC (2018) "Hercules" 
2) Tokyo Police Club, TPC (2018) "Simple Dude" 
3) Tokyo Police Club, TPC (2018) "New Blues" 
4) Tokyo Police Club, Champ (2010) "Gone"
5) Tokyo Police Club, TPC (2018) "One of these Days" 

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The Interview Show

The Interview Show with Tokyo Police Club (podcast edition) #288

Here's the story behind Tokyo Police Club's latest album TPC: In the last few years, the band grew apart and started to consider a "slow fade." During the 10 Year Anniversary tour for their 2010 breakthrough EP, A Lesson in Crime, one member made a passionate plea for the the band to continue. All four members agreed and they rediscovered their love of making music together, re-enlisting producer Rob Schnapf to help rekindle the enthusiasm of making 2010's endlessly charming Champ.

I had dinner and drinks with Graham Wright and Josh Hook from Tokyo Police Club in Vancouver's Rumpus Room the last time the band toured thru Vancouver. We talked about nearly breaking up, being in a band after ten years and had a few laughs about mid-career band press release cliches. 

What strange dishes and drinks did the guys order? What's it like to re-evaluate your life after 10 years playing in a band? Why did the band nearly break up? Who wanted the band to continue? Why did Graham and Josh decide to double-down on Tokyo Police Club? What's it like to try to recapture the magic? Which old songs do they guys miss playing live? Which song on the new record makes Graham feel like a guitar god? You'll have to listen to find out.

Tracks played on the radio edit of the show...

1) Tokyo Police Club, TPC (2018) "Hercules" 
2) Tokyo Police Club, TPC (2018) "Simple Dude" 
3) Tokyo Police Club, TPC (2018) "New Blues" 
4) Tokyo Police Club, Champ (2010) "Gone"
5) Tokyo Police Club, TPC (2018) "One of these Days" 

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The Interview Show with Tokyo Police Club (radio edit) #288

I met Danish punk rock band Iceage on the humid Toronto curb after an incredible show at NXNE festival. Their set was incredible. They writhed around the stage like a bunch of vengeful serpents trying to escape a religious snake-handling ceremony. Outside the club, I struck up a conversation with them as they lit cigarettes, eventually gaining enough courage to ask them for an interview. Instead the band started furiously making out with each other.

I got another chance to hang out with Iceage when they came through my hometown, Vancouver. I started out interviewing Dan, Elias and Jakob, but everyone quickly lost interest in chatting, wandering off, leaving singer Elias to talk with me as he smoked. Every once and a while I meet a band that are so solid in their conviction that interviews must happen completely on their own terms. 

What brand of cigarettes do Dan, Elias and Jakob smoke? How did the band balance doubt and perfection while making their record? Why does Elias consider a sense of urgency important when making music? How did Iceage avoid the snakes that inhabit the music industry? Which songs from the older records do Iceage still play in the live show? You'll have to listen to find out!  

Tracks played on the podcast edition of the show...

1) Iceage, Plowing Into the Field of Love (2014) "The Lord's Favorite" 
2) Iceage, Plowing Into the Field of Love (2014) "How Many" 
3) Iceage, You're Nothing (2013) "Ecstasy" 
4) Iceage, New Brigade (2011) "New Brigade" 
5) Iceage, You're Nothing (2013) "Morals" (partial/background)
6) Iceage, Plowing Into the Field of Love (2014) "Forever"  

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The Interview Show with Iceage (podcast edition) #289

I met Danish punk rock band Iceage on the humid Toronto curb after an incredible show at NXNE festival. Their set was incredible. They writhed around the stage like a bunch of vengeful serpents trying to escape a religious snake-handling ceremony. Outside the club, I struck up a conversation with them as they lit cigarettes, eventually gaining enough courage to ask them for an interview. Instead the band started furiously making out with each other.

I got another chance to hang out with Iceage when they came through my hometown, Vancouver. I started out interviewing Dan, Elias and Jakob, but everyone quickly lost interest in chatting, wandering off, leaving singer Elias to talk with me as he smoked. Every once and a while I meet a band that are so solid in their conviction that interviews must happen completely on their own terms. 

What brand of cigarettes do Dan, Elias and Jakob smoke? How did the band balance doubt and perfection while making their record? Why does Elias consider a sense of urgency important when making music? How did Iceage avoid the snakes that inhabit the music industry? Which songs from the older records do Iceage still play in the live show? You'll have to listen to find out! 

Tracks played on the radio edit of the show...

1) Iceage, Plowing Into the Field of Love (2014) "The Lord's Favorite" 
2) Iceage, Plowing Into the Field of Love (2014) "How Many" 
3) Iceage, You're Nothing (2013) "Ecstasy" 
4) Iceage, New Brigade (2011) "New Brigade" 
5) Iceage, You're Nothing (2013) "Morals" (partial/background)
6) Iceage, Plowing Into the Field of Love (2014) "Forever"  

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The Interview Show with Iceage (radio edit) #289

Ibeyi is the music project of twin sisters Lisa-Kaindé Diaz and Naomi Diaz. The duo sings in English, French, Spanish and Yoruba (a Nigerian language spoken in West Africa by their ancestors before being taken to Cuba as slaves in the 1700s). In Yoruba, Ibeyi (Ìbejì) means "twins". Their father was the famed Cuban percussionist Anga Díaz, who was also a member of Buena Vista Social Club.

I hung out with the sisters and their mom who is their tour manager (or momager) backstage at Vancouver's Fortune Sound Lounge. 

Which Ibeyi track was written on the way home from a concert? Do the sisters like being asked about being twins? Who is the unofficial third member of the band? What does Yoruba culture mean to the sisters? What was it like working with XL Recordings record label founder and music legend Richard Russell? Which Ibeyi track is a tribute to a failed relationship? How is the first tour going? You'll have to listen to find out. 

Tracks played on the radio edit of the show...

1) Ibeyi, Ibeyi (2015) "River" 
2) Ibeyi, Ibeyi (2015) "Mama Says"
3) Ibeyi, Ibeyi (2015) "Oya" 
4) Ibeyi, single (2015) "Exhibit Diaz" (Jay Electronica "Better In Tune With the Infinite" cover)
 
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The Interview Show with Ibeyi (radio edit) #290

Dan Mangan is Vancouver's indie music golden boy. He started from humble beginnings and now tours the world and tells stories about that time he hung out with Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg and members of Radiohead. I was kind of geeking out when I met Dan Mangan in the backstage area of the Vogue Theatre and of course he was a really down to earth guy--he even gave me an Easter Egg. 

Which musicians make Dan Mangan geek out? Did he turned down a chance to smoke up with Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg? What was it like getting his band Blacksmith back together after a long break? Is Dan always writing songs--even during interviews? What is his idea for a sequel to his fan-favorite song "Robots"?  How does he react to people saying that he's left his singer-songwriter roots behind? You'll have to listen to find out! 

Tracks played on the podcast edition of the show...

1) Dan Mangan + Blacksmith, Club Meds (2015) "Vessel" 
2) Dan Mangan + Blacksmith, Club Meds (2015) "Kitsch" (background/partial)
3) Dan Mangan + Blacksmith, Club Meds (2015) "Pretty Good Joke" (background/partial)
4) Dan Mangan + Blacksmith, Club Meds (2015) "Mouthpiece" 
5) Dan Mangan, Nice, Nice, Very Nice (2009) "Robots"  
6) Dan Mangan + Blacksmith, Club Meds (2015) "Kitsch" 
7) Dan Mangan + Blacksmith, Club Meds (2015) "Vessel"  

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The Interview Show with  Dan Mangan (podcast edition) #291

Dan Mangan is Vancouver's indie music golden boy. He started from humble beginnings and now tours the world and tells stories about that time he hung out with Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg and members of Radiohead. I was kind of geeking out when I met Dan Mangan in the backstage area of the Vogue Theatre and of course he was a really down to earth guy--he even gave me an Easter Egg. 

Which musicians make Dan Mangan geek out? Did he turned down a chance to smoke up with Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg? What was it like getting his band Blacksmith back together after a long break? Is Dan always writing songs--even during interviews? What is his idea for a sequel to his fan-favorite song "Robots"?  How does he react to people saying that he's left his singer-songwriter roots behind? You'll have to listen to find out! 

Tracks played on the radio edit of the show...

1) Dan Mangan + Blacksmith, Club Meds (2015) "Vessel" 
2) Dan Mangan + Blacksmith, Club Meds (2015) "Kitsch" (background/partial)
3) Dan Mangan + Blacksmith, Club Meds (2015) "Pretty Good Joke" (background/partial)
4) Dan Mangan + Blacksmith, Club Meds (2015) "Mouthpiece" 
5) Dan Mangan, Nice, Nice, Very Nice (2009) "Robots"  
6) Dan Mangan + Blacksmith, Club Meds (2015) "Kitsch"  

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The Interview Show with Dan Mangan (radio edit) #291

I hung out with Meredith Graves, Ray McAndrew and Shaun Sutkus from  Syracuse, New York punk band Perfect Pussy one windy summer day as the band took a smoke break. The band tour van was noticeably dented from a collision, so we sat on the grass in the sun.  

Perfect Pussy began as a "fake band" that singer Meredith Graves pulled together for her film director friend Scott Coffey's 2013 film,  Adult World. But Perfect Pussy ended up becoming a real project and the band were quickly touring North America. Lead singer Meredith Graves was also very vocal about the abuse of power by older men in the music industry--when it was something that people were afraid to do. https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/515-sun-kil-moon-yells-at-cloud-war-on-drugs-suck-my-cock-and-the-language-of-male-violence/   

What happened to the tour van? Why did Meredith choose that band name? What was it like to get such quick success? How did Meredith react to pressure to be the focal point of the band? Which song does everyone think about is about sex (when it's really about something else)? What was it like for the band when Meredith decided to call out bad behavior in her hometown music scene? Which Perfect Pussy song is "the hard one" to play? Which song did Ray want to sound like Sonic Youth's "Daydream Nation"? What is "band feelings time"? Which Perfect Pussy song is the first Meredith duet with... Meredith? You'll have to listen to find out.

Tracks played on the podcast edition of the show...

1) Perfect Pussy, Say Yes to Love (2014) "Driver" 
2) Perfect Pussy, Say Yes to Love (2014) "Dig" 
3) Perfect Pussy, Say Yes to Love (2014) "Advance Upon the Real" 
4) Perfect Pussy, I Have Lost All Desire for Feeling (2013) "i" 
5) Perfect Pussy, Say Yes to Love (2014) "Interference Fits"  
6) Perfect Pussy, I Have Lost All Desire for Feeling (2013) "iii" 

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The Interview Show with Perfect Pussy (podcast edition) #292

I hung out with Meredith Graves, Ray McAndrew and Shaun Sutkus from  Syracuse, New York punk band Perfect Pussy one windy summer day as the band took a smoke break. The band tour van was noticeably dented from a collision, so we sat on the grass in the sun.  

Perfect Pussy began as a "fake band" that singer Meredith Graves pulled together for her film director friend Scott Coffey's 2013 film,  Adult World. But Perfect Pussy ended up becoming a real project and the band were quickly touring North America. Lead singer Meredith Graves was also very vocal about the abuse of power by older men in the music industry--when it was something that people were afraid to do. https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/515-sun-kil-moon-yells-at-cloud-war-on-drugs-suck-my-cock-and-the-language-of-male-violence/   

What happened to the tour van? Why did Meredith choose that band name? What was it like to get such quick success? How did Meredith react to pressure to be the focal point of the band? Which song does everyone think about is about sex (when it's really about something else)? What was it like for the band when Meredith decided to call out bad behavior in her hometown music scene? Which Perfect Pussy song is "the hard one" to play? Which song did Ray want to sound like Sonic Youth's "Daydream Nation"? What is "band feelings time"? Which Perfect Pussy song is the first Meredith duet with... Meredith? You'll have to listen to find out.

Tracks played on the radio edit of the show...

1) Perfect Pussy, Say Yes to Love (2014) "Driver" 
2) Perfect Pussy, Say Yes to Love (2014) "Advance Upon the Real" 
3) Perfect Pussy, I Have Lost All Desire for Feeling (2013) "i" 
4) Perfect Pussy, Say Yes to Love (2014) "Interference Fits"
5) Perfect Pussy, I Have Lost All Desire for Feeling (2013) "iii"    

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The Interview Show with Perfect Pussy (radio edit) #292

You might remember Ryan Karazija as the frontman of the Oakland, California indie rock band Audrye Sessions. Just as that band was starting to see some success, Ryan got divorced and relocated to Reykjavík, Iceland. Next, he started a new dream pop band, called Low Roar. You might have heard Low Roar's track  "I'll Keep Coming" in a trailer for the Death Stranding video game.

I had a few drinks with Ryan in his deluxe tour van one hot summer night. The van had a leaky roof and one seat needed a bucket to collect water when it rained. Things got pretty sweaty. 

Which band member has to sit in the leaky seat? What made Ryan decide to leave the Bay area indie rock music scene? What was it like to start over in a new country? Was it easy to find a new music community? Does Ryan ever get tired about being asked about Iceland? Which song title as taken by the first thing Ryan saw when he looked up from saving the file? What's the story behind my favorite Low Roar song? You'll have to listen to find out! 

Tracks played on the podcast edition of the show...

1) Low Roar, Remix EP (2015) "Breathe In" (Carmen Rizzo Remix) 
2) Low Roar, Low Roar (2014) "Friends Make Garbage (Good Friends Take It Out)"  
3) Low Roar, Remix EP (2015) "Vampire On My Fridge" (Farao Remix) 
4) Low Roar, 0 (2014) "Dreamer"  

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The Interview Show with Low Roar (podcast edition) #293

You might remember Ryan Karazija as the frontman of the Oakland, California indie rock band Audrye Sessions. Just as that band was starting to see some success, Ryan got divorced and relocated to Reykjavík, Iceland. Next, he started a new dream pop band, called Low Roar. You might have heard Low Roar's track  "I'll Keep Coming" in a trailer for the Death Stranding video game.

I had a few drinks with Ryan in his deluxe tour van one hot summer night. The van had a leaky roof and one seat needed a bucket to collect water when it rained. Things got pretty sweaty. 

Which band member has to sit in the leaky seat? What made Ryan decide to leave the Bay area indie rock music scene? What was it like to start over in a new country? Was it easy to find a new music community? Does Ryan ever get tired about being asked about Iceland? What's the story behind my favorite Low Roar song? You'll have to listen to find out! 

Tracks played on the radio edit of the show...

1) Low Roar, Remix EP (2015) "Breathe In" (Carmen Rizzo Remix) 
2) Low Roar, Low Roar (2014) "Friends Make Garbage (Good Friends Take It Out)"  
3) Low Roar, 0 (2014) "Dreamer"  

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The Interview Show with Low Roar (radio edit) #293

36? started as Taylor Cochrane's solo project when he was a teenager. As he says, "36? emerged at a very difficult and incomprehensible time in my life. I existed in a constant state of medically induced psychosis. I wrote and recorded songs on a daily basis, a mechanical imagination running wild in a zombie suit. Appearing as a hazy shell of a human being to the outside world, a blank dead eyed slate sitting at the back of the classroom, but on the inside I was in a constant state of creation." 36? has evolved since it's 2006 beginnings and now Taylor has folded many of his Calgary music scene friends into the band. They've recently released a new record Milk Mountain. 

The last time 36? were in Vancouver, I had a few drinks with Taylor and his new bandmates Kerry and Laura Hickli. When I brought up one of the first songs Taylor wrote for the project "So what if I feel like bondage?" it turned out Kerry and Laura had never heard the song before--so I get their reaction after hearing the track for the first time! 

How do you pronounce "36?" Why does Taylor find it strange observing the many ways people move on from a broken heart? How did Taylor cope with his mental health issues? Which other "crazy artists" does he admire and why? Why record a piano version of a punk rock song like "So What?" Which 36? song requires a power tool? You'll have to listen to find out! 

Tracks played on the podcast edition of the show...

1) 36?, Vic single (2019) "Vic" 
2) 36?, Milk Mountain (2019) "I Think My Dog Knows I'm High" 
3) 36?, So what? single (2019) "So what?" (piano version) 
4) 36?, love.hate.bondage (2006) "So what if I feel like bondage?" 
5) 36?, Milk Mountain (2019) "Sell U Love / Rip U Off"     

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The Interview Show with 36? (podcast edition) #294

36? started as Taylor Cochrane's solo project when he was a teenager. As he says, "36? emerged at a very difficult and incomprehensible time in my life. I existed in a constant state of medically induced psychosis. I wrote and recorded songs on a daily basis, a mechanical imagination running wild in a zombie suit. Appearing as a hazy shell of a human being to the outside world, a blank dead eyed slate sitting at the back of the classroom, but on the inside I was in a constant state of creation." 36? has evolved since it's 2006 beginnings and now Taylor has folded many of his Calgary music scene friends into the band. They've recently released a new record Milk Mountain. 

The last time 36? were in Vancouver, I had a few drinks with Taylor and his new bandmates Kerry and Laura Hickli. When I brought up one of the first songs Taylor wrote for the project "So what if I feel like bondage?" it turned out Kerry and Laura had never heard the song before--so I get their reaction after hearing the track for the first time! 

How do you pronounce "36?" Why does Taylor find it strange observing the many ways people move on from a broken heart? How did Taylor cope with his mental health issues? Why record a piano version of a punk rock song like "So What?" You'll have to listen to find out! 

Tracks played on the radio edit of the show...

1) 36?, Vic single (2019) "Vic" 
2) 36?, So what? single (2019) "So what?" (piano version) 
3) 36?, love.hate.bondage (2006) "So what if I feel like bondage?" 
4) 36?, Milk Mountain (2019) "I think my dog knows I'm high"     

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The Interview Show with 36? (radio edit) #294

I chilled out backstage at Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom with Taylor Rice and Kelcey Ayer from Silver Lake, Los Angeles, indie rock band Local Natives. It was the first night of their Spiral Choir Tour 2019  and they were on the road to promote the new record, Violet Street. 

It's always great to hang out with bands on the first night of a tour. Everything is fresh, everyone is well-rested, and bands are excited to hit the road to see their fans again. While we chatted, opening act Middle Kids finished their soundcheck and Taylor and Kelcey admitted they hadn't even met Middle Kids yet. 

Where does the tour title "Spiral Choir Tour" come from? Which song is about Taylor's relationship with his wife? How does Kelcey's partner feel about him writing about her? Does the new record Violet Street focus on "the unsung upkeep of relationships?" What is an "emotional check in" and how do they keep Local Natives a well-functioning band? What gross habits did Taylor and Kelcey have when they lived together in that band house, Gorilla Manor? Why does the band post all their song stems on their SoundCloud page? What is the band's secret pre-show ritual? You'll have to listen to find out!

Tracks played on the podcast edition of the show...

1) Local Natives, Violet Street (2019) "When Am I Gonna Lose You" 
2) Local Natives, Violet Street (2019) "Megaton Mile"   
3) Local Natives, Violet Street (2019) "Tap Dancer"  
4) Local Natives, Sunlit Youth (2016) "Dark Days" (featuring Nina Persson) 
5) Local Natives, Gorilla Manor (2010) "Wide Eyes" 
6) Local Natives, Violet Street (2019) "Shy"  

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The Interview Show with Local Natives (podcast edition) #295

I chilled out backstage at Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom with Taylor Rice and Kelcey Ayer from Silver Lake, Los Angeles, indie rock band Local Natives. It was the first night of their Spiral Choir Tour 2019  and they were on the road to promote the new record, Violet Street. 

It's always great to hang out with bands on the first night of a tour. Everything is fresh, everyone is well-rested, and bands are excited to hit the road to see their fans again. While we chatted, opening act Middle Kids finished their soundcheck and Taylor and Kelcey admitted they hadn't even met Middle Kids yet. 

Where does the tour title "Spiral Choir Tour" come from? Which song is about Taylor's relationship with his wife? How does Kelcey's partner feel about him writing about her? What gross habits did Taylor and Kelcey have when they lived together in that band house, Gorilla Manor? What is the band's secret pre-show ritual? You'll have to listen to find out!

Tracks played on the radio edit of the show...

1) Local Natives, Violet Street (2019) "When Am I Gonna Lose You" 
2) Local Natives, Violet Street (2019) "Megaton Mile"   
3) Local Natives, Gorilla Manor (2010) "Wide Eyes" 
4) Local Natives, Violet Street (2019) "Shy"  

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The Interview Show with Local Natives (radio edit) #295

Dear White People started as a 2014 American comedy-drama indie film, written, directed and co-produced by Justin Simien. The film focuses on escalating racial tensions at a fictitious, prestigious Ivy League college from the perspective of several black students. The film was a big hit, so Netflix commissioned a TV series and Justin remained behind the wheel of the new show. I got to hang out with him in the beautiful Rocky Mountains while he was at the Banff World Media Festival 2019 promoting the upcoming third season of Dear White People. 

Which member of the X-Men does Justin want to meet? Was it difficult to make the original film's story an open-ended TV series idea? How has the changing political landscape in the US changed the show? Which TV series does Justin watch when he begins a new relationship? What lesson did the TV series Breaking Bad teach him? Is campus radio and alternative media important to Justin? What is Justin proud about in season three of Dear White People? You'll have to listen to find out!

Track played on the radio edit of the show...

1) Michael Kiwanuka, Love & Hate (2016) "Love & Hate"  

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The Interview Show with Netflix's Dear White People (radio edit) #296

British TV writer Jed Mercurio is well-known for his medical drama, Bodies and cop show, Line of Duty. Last year, his six-part political thriller Bodyguard was a huge ratings winner for the BBC. Bodyguard stars Richard Madden as a war veteran assigned to protect the ambitious Home Secretary, played by Keeley Hawes, whose politics he despises. Like Jed's other shows, Bodyguard kept viewers on the edge of their seats with surprise twists and turns. I got a chance to hang out with Jed while he attended the Banff World Media Festival 2019. 

Did Jed have Bodyguard's crazy twists in mind from the beginning? What does Jed remember fondly about watching Star Trek as a kid? How much does audience reaction play into planning the next series? Does Jed want to do an American version of one of his UK TV series? Will there be a second series of Bodyguard? You'll have to listen to find out!

The Interview Show with Jed Mercurio creator of UK's Bodyguard & Line of Duty (podcast edition) #297

The Interview Show producer and host Scott Wood climbs into the tour van to hang out with your favorite indie bands. This podcast covers all kinds of music--anything from electronic to hip hop to indie to punk to metal. Listen!

The Interview Show with Scott Wood 2019

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