Top 100 interview: Vampire Weekend (No. 5)

Vampire Weekend started out having a pretty good year. And then it just kept getting better.

The band was already gaining major buzz when it released its self-titled debut, but then the blogosphere seemed to explode with positive reviews for its African- and pop-influenced sound. (They rank at No. 5 on my list of the Top 100 People of 2008.) Songs like Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa and Oxford Comma became breakout hits, and the group spent the year touring the world.

This week, I chatted with drummer Chris Tomson about VW's experiences and its plans for a follow-up record:

Me: Hey, Chris. Where are you right now?

Tomson: Right now I'm in my apartment in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. We just finished touring on Sunday, so we returned home on Monday and are quite giddy about the possibility of a couple weeks off.

So you don't have to work on New Year's Eve?

We talked about that, but then we kind of figured that we'd played a couple hundred shows this year, and it would be OK if we took that night off.

So I guess you've already heard this Hot Chip/Peter Gabriel cover of Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa. What do you think of it?

Yeah, well, I remember the genesis of that. (Laughs) Actually, I use that word ... that wasn't very clever, but I guess it turned out to be. I remember we didn't meet him, but Peter came to one of our shows in London in May, and I guess he enjoyed the song. We obviously had a thing, like, "Please, if you have any interest whatsoever, feel free to do what you want." And then Hot Chip got involved.

I feel like I heard a version of it a couple months ago, and for whatever reason, it kind of got held up. But I guess it finally got cleared up, and we were finally able to meet Peter for real a couple weeks ago at a charity thing in New York. So yeah, we were very excited about the concept. And when we heard it, it was exciting.

What did you guys say to each other when you met?

It wasn't a personal, really get-to-know-each-other audience. But we had a good little chat, and he talked about how he enjoyed what we were doing and wished us the best. Obviously, we're big fans.

We're talking today because you guys are one of my top people of the year. Who were some of the most interesting people you met in 2008?

Well, a lot of people you meet, and it's a small-talky situation. But we met a lot of cool and interesting people when we played Saturday Night Live -- that was just very, very exciting. We had just come home from a European tour. And I'm not sure if this happens with everybody, but we found out (we were going to be on the show) five or six days before.

I remember as we were doing the camera run-throughs on Saturday, looking up at the empty audience and seeing this guy that looked very familiar. It turned out that Paul Simon actually checked us out for the rehearsals. He's very good friends with Lorne Michaels and has appeared there many times. So that was very exciting, and he was very gracious and sat with us when we were eating dinner for 10, 15 minutes. So I remember that being very surreal.

Do you have a favorite moment of the year? I'm guessing that ranks up there.

Definitely playing SNL was a real treat and an unexpected thrill. But I think a mental image that I'll remember forever, no matter what happens, is when we played Glastonbury, which is kind of the biggest in number of festivals in Europe. You know, we're playing at 2:30 in the afternoon or something. Kind of a grayish day. And you walk out onstage, and there's, like, 40,000 people there, and that's a very weird feeling.

Not to sound too hokey, but I remember recording a lot of the drum parts on this album in my friend's basement, or I remember Ezra (Koenig) recording the vocals in my apartment where I'm sitting now. And then to go out and play these songs for a ridiculous amount of people was very ... you're kind of in the moment, you're concentrating, you're trying not to f--- up, but then when you get offstage and look at that crowd, it was incredible.

Top 100 interview: 'SNL' star Kristen Wiig (No. 25)

Comedian Kristen Wiig -- No. 25 on Pop Candy's list of the Top 100 People of 2008 -- is becoming one of the most popular faces of Saturday Night Live. This year, she continued to perfect her library of original characters (Aunt Linda, the Target Lady, Judy "just kidding" Grimes) while impersonating celebrities like Suze Orman and Nancy Pelosi.

SNL won't return with new episodes until Jan. 10 -- Neil Patrick Harris is hosting -- but Kristen was kind enough to answer a few questions about her stellar year and what lies ahead:

If you had to pick one favorite moment of the year, what would it be?

Easy. Obama winning the election.

You were in several movies this year. What was the best film you saw in theaters?

The best film I saw this year was The Wrestler. The way it was shot, the performances, all the tights ... Just kidding about the tights, but I do love '80s metal.

One great thing about watching you on the show is that your characters are all so different. Is there any accent/type of character you absolutely can't do?

I have tried to do a Tony Soprano mob boss-type character. Cannot get that accent down! Oh boy, did not sound good. But I will continue to find a way where I play a little man with a mustache, holding a gun.

Viewers love the Target Lady, but honestly, when was the last time you shopped at Target, and what did you buy there?

I love Target! I go there every time I'm near one. There's not one in Manhattan, so that sucks.

Now that Amy Poehler is gone, does that mean we'll be seeing even more of you on SNL next year?

I still haven't grasped the fact that she's leaving. I can't imagine the show without her.

Have you spent much time with the new cast members, Abby Elliot and Michaela Watkins?

They are both so amazing and nice. I love having more ladies on the show! I'm so excited to be on the show with them, and watch them grow and work with them.

How are you spending your holiday break until the show returns?

Sleeping, eating, seeing family, sleeping, going to movies and museums. I want to be in New York as much as possible.

What are your favorite things to watch on TV?

Flight of the Conchords, 30 Rock. And I love Gangland ... so fascinating. I'm pretty hardcore.

And finally, what are some of your goals for 2009?

To not worry as much.

Top 100 interview: Comedian Kristen Schaal (No. 45)

Kristen Schaal has several acting roles and comedy projects on her resume, but she's best known for playing Mel, the sole, rabid fan of Flight of the Conchords on HBO's cult series. (Note: The second season premieres online today at FunnyorDie.com. It airs Jan. 18.)

Schaal also popped up this year on a series of funny Daily Show segments devoted to "women's issues." This year she won the Barry Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, starred in the web series Horrible People and posted installments in Penelope Princess of Pets.

The comedian -- No. 45 on my list of the Top 100 People -- managed to find some free time to call me. We chatted about her busy year, the holidays and FOTC:

Hey, Kristen. How are you?

I'm nursing a cold. It's frustrating, but otherwise, I'm pretty good!

Oh, no! That's too bad.

The problem is, I haven't been feeling good for the last couple nights, but I've been like, "F--k it!" (Laughs) It's the worst week to have a cold, 'cause there's so much going on.

Well, we're talking because you're one of my top people of the year.

Oh, that's so exciting!

If you don't mind being a little reflective, do you have a favorite moment of the past year?

It was a huge year. I think my favorite moments ... most of them were out of the country. I enjoyed winning the Barry Award in Melbourne -- that was exciting. And then doing the Edinburgh Festival was pretty sweet, too. Those were huge events. And then filming the show ... yeah, this year was awesome.

The season premiere of Flight of the Conchords goes online today. Can you give a preview of what we can expect in these new episodes?

Well, I feel like the show gets even more surreal and fantastical. It's gonna be an adventure. (Laughs) I'm proud of the second season, because I do think it goes down a fantastical line. I think it becomes even more into its own than last season.

Does Mel get any episodes of her own? Are you in the spotlight at all?

Yeah, the last episode that we filmed, one of the main storylines was around Mel. And then in another episode, Mel gets to sing her own song. I won't ruin it ... you'll just have to wait to hear the magic. And Mel gets more involved, I think. You find her here and there more.

Were you nervous at all to sing?

I was excited for Mel to get her own song, but for singing I was pretty nervous. I don't consider myself a singer, and I wouldn't ever ask anyone to pay me money to sing. But they were really supportive, and they said I sounded good. But after I recorded this song, I was like, "Wow. If there are any people out there who find me annoying, this is gonna push them over the edge." (Laughs)

There were some reports saying this season could be the show's last. Is that true?

I'm just as in the dark as you about it. It could be true, and everyone sort of feels 50/50 about it. I don't get to know that either, which is really unfortunate, since it's my job, but yeah, I'm in the dark. I don't know.

So have you guys already finished filming?

Yeah, we just wrapped Friday night and had a wrap party on Saturday. It's in the can. I think the editing is still going.

Do you know when your next appearance on The Daily Show will be?

I don't know. I'm leaving the country for a couple weeks in January, and also it really depends on what happens in the news, because Jon Stewart is interested in having me represent the female perspective. So whenever something comes up in the news, if I can figure out a good angle and pitch it to Jon Stewart, and if he likes it, then I get to do it. I'd like to do a piece on high heels, but I don't know if it fits in the news.

Pro or against?

Against. Big time!

Top 100 interview: Actor Danny McBride (No. 60)

If you went to see Tropic Thunder and Pineapple Express this summer, then you got a double dose of Danny McBride, an actor who only seems to get funnier with every role.

McBride gained attention with his performance in the 2006 indie flick The Foot Fist Way, which he also wrote. Upcoming projects include the big-screen adaptation of Land of the Lost with Will Ferrell and East Bound and Down, an HBO series premiering Feb. 15.

"I play a major league pitcher who has lost his fastball, and he's spent all his money and he's just down on his luck," says McBride, who ranks at No. 60 on this year's list of Pop Candy's Top 100 People of the Year. "So he comes back to the town that he grew up in and crashes with his brother."

Last week Danny and I chatted on the phone about his big year, what's ahead and, oddly enough, our shared hometown:

Hey, Danny. Well, we're talking because you're one of my top people of the year.

(Laughs) I am thoroughly surprised.

Do you feel like you accomplished everything you hoped to in 2008?

You know, I looked back at my resolutions for last year, and it was just to lose five pounds. So I think I've exceeded what I set out to do for this year.

So if you had to single out one favorite moment from the year, what would it be?

There was a lot. I mean, I had a blast working on Land of the Lost with Will Ferrell earlier this year. There were many nights in Indian gaming casinos with me and Ferrell playing blackjack and taking the casinos down -- that's probably one of my favorite moments of the year.

And who was the most interesting person that you met all year?

Man, I don't know ... Oh, Sid and Marty Krofft. I'm not trying to keep plugging Land of the Lost, but it was pretty incredible to meet them for the first time. I was a big fan of all their shows when I was a kid, so it was cool to see the demented minds who had created all that stuff.

So you appeared in two of my favorite movies this year. What were some of your favorite films?

Besides Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder ...

Yeah, besides your own movies ...

(Laughs) Yeah, I loved The Dark Knight. That was probably my favorite movie of the year, probably of the last few years. I recently saw Slumdog Millionaire and dug that a lot.

And you know, I think we might be from the same town, or we at least went to high school in the same town. I grew up in Fredericksburg, Va.

Bulls--t, that's exactly where I'm from! I actually still have a place back there, I'm getting ready to go back there next week.

No way! Are you going there for Christmas?

Yeah, my family still lives there, and I have a place in downtown Fredericksburg that I haven't been to ... I've been there, like, two weeks this whole year. But I try to get back there whenever I can. When did you graduate over there?

In '95.

Hey, that's the same year I graduated. Our teams probably played each other in football.

I'm sure, and if I went to any of those football games, I might've seen you there! That's crazy. Well, it must've influenced you -- I mean, I see The Foot Fist Way and I think our town had to have an impact on you and your writing.

Most definitely. You know, a lot of those angry sort of Southern man characters that I've been doing are based on different people I might've had as, like, a soccer coach or as a teacher. It's definitely influences of growing up in a town like Fredericksburg. Hanging out at Spotsylvania Mall ... you know the routine.

Oh, yeah. Cruising the parking lot at Taco Bell ...

... All the way down to the Roses parking lot and then back up. (Laughs)

You know, I have high-school kids who read my stuff, and sometimes they ask for advice. I don't know about you, but I spent a lot of my time in high school trying to get out.

I was the same way. You know, Fredericksburg was pretty limited. I definitely was ready to get out of there and my time had come. But once I got out of there and moved to L.A. and stuff, I sort of missed some of the more charming things about the town.

So how do you tell kids -- I mean, sometimes then it's hard to imagine you'll ever escape. So how does someone leave a small town, go to L.A. and have a movie career? How did you do it?

I think you just, like, steal some money from your parents, hitchhike, hop on a train, hopefully it'll take you to someplace in L.A. You can live under a bridge for awhile and resort to hard narcotics, prostitution. And hopefully with all that you can save up for a security deposit and move into an apartment. That was the path I took.

You know, I don't know ... it didn't seem like it was too hard to get out. I just went away to college and then I was like, "You know, I'm not going to move back to Virginia when I get out." So I just came out here to Los Angeles with a bunch of buddies I had gone to film school with. You know, for better or worse, we just tried to slug it out here. So I guess the moral is: Learn to read. Study hard.

Podcast: Hear Ed Asner, CMJ artists and more

Yesterday I shared my interview with legendary actor Ed Asner. Today you can hear it in the Pop Candy podcast.

Asner reflected on his favorite roles, talked about future projects and made me laugh quite a bit. You can see him next week in a TV movie called Generation Gap, which airs Oct. 25 on the Hallmark Channel.

Aside from that chat, this podcast is chock full of music you must hear! Above all else, I want you to listen to my current obsession, 19-year-old Jessica Lea Mayfield. The first time I heard her, I could've sworn she was from Tennessee, but it turns out the singer/songwriter hails from Kent, Ohio. I think I've listened to Kiss Me Again every day for the last two weeks, and I'm anxious to see her at CMJ. Mayfield's new album is called With Blasphemy So Heartfelt, and it was produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys.

I also play a new tune by Gang Gang Dance, another band that will perform at the CMJ Music Marathon. I think their new album, Saint Dymphna, is their best yet. It comes out Oct. 21.

You'll hear a live track from Mavis Staples and a song from hip duo Herman Dune as well.

Put this in your ears, and you won't regret it:

- Download the free podcast from iTunes

- Stream the podcast

Thanks for listening!

A Q&A; with ... Ed Asner

To know me is to understand my various obsessions: I like a certain kind of shoes. I like mustaches and pimento cheese sandwiches. And I like Ed Asner.

Asner's long, impressive body of work includes his years as Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Lou Grant. He has won seven Emmys and continues to work steadily in TV and film as both a comedic and dramatic actor.

During our conversation last week, I literally did not want to get off the phone. Ed was very kind and chatted about his life and career:

Ed Asner: Hello?

Me: Hi, this is Whitney Matheson from USA TODAY ...

Not the Whitney Matheson. I'll be damned!

Haha, yes. Is this the Ed Asner?

Ahh, lemme check. Where's my mirror?

I'm so excited, you have no idea.

Well, don't be. I'm a decrepit old fogey.

So where are you right now?

Now that I'm talking to you, I'm in heaven. Where am I? I'm in Valley Village, Calif.

I can't believe that you have any free time, because it seems like you're working constantly.

If the paychecks reflected that, that would be nice. What you probably see are free donations of my time or reruns.

Well, you have a lot of stuff coming up ...

I've got a few things. I did a movie (Gigantic) with John Goodman and Zooey Deschanel and Paul Dano and Jane Alexander. It's a very good script, and of course, they're wonderful performers. But I don't know what kind of distribution deal it got. Then I've got this Hallmark thing at the end of the month (Generation Gap, airing Oct. 25 on the Hallmark Channel). Then I'm working on a Pixar picture (Up), which will be out May 29. And a big company has decided to put my Pope John XXIII on DVD. That got the highest rating in Italy ever, but they couldn't sell it over here for broadcast, so I'm delighted it's going to DVD. And I did a cartoon feature, and I guess it'll be out by Christmas, because it's a Christmas cartoon.

And have you also been politically active lately?

Not a lot. I'm going out to San Bernardino to campaign for the guy running against Jerry Doolittle -- eh, Jerry Lewis.

I did want to ask you, out of all the things you've done in your long career, what work are you most proud of?

Well, the 12 years of being a person called Lou Grant has to stand by itself. Rich Man, Poor Man to me ... I had an epiphany there. I loved -- what the hell was the name of the Henry Denker play I did with Dan Travanti? -- A Case of Libel. Family Man, a picture I made with Meredith Baxter and Ann Jackson. A black comedy called Heads. Daniel, JFK, even Fort Apache the Bronx.

Did you start out being a comedic actor?

Not at all. I was afraid of it -- I did it when I had to. Not until I did The Mary Tyler Moore Show was my fear lessened by constant repetition in learning how to do it. You're never totally comfortable: I always cite the Edmund Gwenn story where's he's dying in the hospital in an oxygen tent, and the director George Stevens comes to visit him. He says, "How goes it, Eddie?" (Gwenn) says, "I'm dying, George." He says, "I know, Eddie. How do you find that?" He says, "It's hard, George. But not as hard as comedy."

Chatting with ... Girl Talk, aka Gregg Gillis

When Girl Talk's Feed the Animals was released this summer, it caused quite a frenzy: For one thing, the album was offered as a "pay what you want" download. (You can still get it via Illegal Art's website, or you can stream it on MySpace.)

But what got more people talking was the work itself. Feed the Animals consists almost entirely of samples -- about 300 of them, if you dare to count. Though they are used without the original artists' permission, so far no legal action has been taken against Girl Talk, aka Gregg Gillis.

A CD release of Feed the Animals is set for Oct. 21, and a fall tour kicks off next month. I chatted with Gillis about his work, his legendary performances and his future. For more of this interview, please listen to this week's podcast:

- Download the free podcast from iTunes
- Stream the podcast as a .wma file

Below is a portion of our conversation:

Me: Your shows are getting pretty popular. Do you feel the need to take them to an even bigger level?

Gillis: Yeah, to a small degree. For Lollapalooza, I had a couple people onstage in policemen uniforms doing live visuals with toilet paper and confetti. They're going to be coming on tour with me. ... Last time I did a full U.S. tour, I had a guy helping out with visuals -- like actual overhead projections -- so he'll be there as well. For most of the year when I do the weekend (shows), I'm usually alone. I think a lot of people can get into it because of how simplistic and raw the setup is. It's just a guy playing a few computers. So I don't feel any pressure to have a million dollar light show or anything like that, but I'm doing my best to step it up when the shows are getting a little bigger.

How much time do you spend worrying about possible legal action? Because, frankly, I worry about it for you.

You sound like my mom. (Laughs) I mean, it's not something I wake up and think about. I talk to people about my work and my music just about every day, and it's something where leading up to releasing an album, it's on my mind. I believe it should be legal, and I don't think we're technically violating anything because of the fair use doctrine. As the days roll by, you stop stressing about it as much.

How much do you think Feed the Animals is worth to a consumer?

I don't know, I guess that depends on what you make. I really enjoy buying albums, and I come from the world where CDs are worth $10 or $15 typically, so that's what I think it would be worth for a physical product. ... But that's completely different for different people, and I understand that. I think a lot of young kids grow up having no money and are used to having access to the Internet and getting music for free. That's their world, and I don't really think there's a problem with that.

So are there any samples that you really wanted to use but couldn't, or do you always find a place for everything?

I'd say the majority of samples I want to use I do not find a place for. I always just sample songs without knowing what I'm going to do with them. On this album there are 300 samples, but going into it I probably sampled 2,000-3,000 songs. So yeah, most of the time I'm working is just failure after failure. ... I really wanted to use samples from the Cars song Drive, which is one of my favorite jams. I've used that in my live show a lot, it just happened to not work with the energy that I wanted in that particular point in the album.

Are you always keeping up with new music, or do you tend to go back and listen to older stuff?

I'd say maybe 75% of my time is spent listening to older music these days. Right now I have a boombox in my bathroom, and every day I wake up and turn on the oldies station and jump in the shower.

A Q&A; with ... 'Office' and 'Pineapple' star Craig Robinson

I enjoyed a lot of things about Pineapple Express: the title song by Huey Lewis, the teepee on Saul's bed, every scene with Red.

But one of my favorite parts of the movie has to be that Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg decided to name one of their villains "Matheson." Craig Robinson (Darryl on The Office) plays him to perfection, all the while adding another blockbuster comedy to his rapidly growing resume.

I called Craig recently to chat about Pineapple, The Office and his career. You can also see him in the Office webisodes over at NBC.com.

Me: So first off, I'd just like to say I think you did all Mathesons proud with Pineapple Express.

Robinson: (Laughs) Well, thank you very much. I appreciate that.

You were in Knocked Up as well, so now you're definitely in that Judd Apatow group of actors. How did you get hooked up with them?

I was introduced to Judd by Allison Jones, a casting director who cast many of his movies. She brought me in -- actually, I think I met Judd the first time on 40 Year Old Virgin, which I didn't get! Then I went back for Knocked Up, and the rest is history.

You have a lot of stuff coming up right now -- don't you have a part in the new Kevin Smith flick, too?

Yes. I play a character named Delaney, who is a financier or producer of porno that Zack and Miri and I are making, who are (played by) Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks.

I've noticed you definitely have a certain style to your comedy -- I mean, you're only in Knocked Up for that one scene, but the way you deliver those lines makes me laugh so hard every time I see it.

I appreciate that. I've always been a fan of deadpan, or a fan of Leslie Nielsen, when they're just acting like nothing's going on. One of the main things about Judd is he stresses reality. He's like, "Keep it real, make it real." So that was the focus on that last scene -- I think's what played more than anything else, was the reality of the situation.

Do you think film may allow you to showcase your style in a different way than TV?

You get to be a little freer. But I come from the comedy stage of stand-up, so I've been working on transitioning how I can bring the magic of stand-up without (having it) turn into acting. I think they both have their differences, but once the cameras are rolling -- especially nowadays, shooting The Office, which shoots like a movie, and I was on a show before called Lucky on FX that shot like a film: single camera, we didn't go directly in order of the script. So it's all different ways to showcase.

When I saw you in Scranton (for the Office Convention), you were performing music onstage. Do you play a lot during your free time?

Yeah, actually, I have a band in L.A., and we travel sometimes. It's really an extention of my comedy, because I play the keyboards in my comedy set. I've met some incredible players. So yeah, we'll do some parties as a band or whatever. It's a lot of fun.

By now you must get recognized quite bit. What do people say when they come up to you?

It's kind of funny, because you can almost tell who's an Office fan. Their face lights up -- it's really cute to watch. The comments I'll get are like, "You don't understand. No, I'm the biggest fan." They just love it, and it's an amazing thing to be a part of. The airport is crazy now, because so many different people from different places are appreciating it. It's a fun ride, I'll tell you what.

Are there any shows that give you a similar feeling?

I'm a big fan of Seinfeld. But stuff I can quote? I'm a big fan of Family Guy. I'm a cartoon kind of guy. So if I saw Peter Griffin walking down the street, I would probably freak out.

So what other projects are you working on, aside from The Office?

Have you heard of this sketch-comedy group The Whitest Kids U' Know?

Oh, yeah.

Well, Zach (Cregger) and Trevor (Moore) wrote a movie called Playboys, and I was cast as a rapper, so that's gonna be a wild one to look out for next year. And also, I got a part as a DJ in The Goods with Jeremy Piven, directed by Neal Brennan next year.

So wow, you're staying really busy.

Well, that's the goal, to stay busy for as long as you can. I had a couple years in there where I wasn't busy at all, so I'm very excited and happy to be busy.

Podcast: Saul Williams talks music, art and 'Tardust'

I'm pretty excited about this week's podcast, which features my interview with hip-hop/spoken word/industrial/insert your favorite adjective artist Saul Williams.

Williams has been on the scene for awhile; some may remember him in the 1998 film Slam, in which he played a slam poet. (That was hardly a stretch, since he's an accomplished poet himself.) Last year, he made headlines when he released The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust!, an album produced by his pal Trent Reznor. Instead of going the normal route, Williams put the record online and allowed fans to pay what they wanted. In return, the move exposed many new listeners to his work.

In recent months, Williams has received increased media attention that includes a song in a Nike commercial (List of Demands) and a slot on the upcoming Lollapalooza lineup. We chat about his artistic collaborations, acting aspirations and more.

A sample:

Me: Every time I listen to this record I feel like I'm waking up -- it's a good album to listen to on my way to work. Is that your intention in any way, to wake people up?

Williams: In a sense, you could say that, definitely. I think that so many of us willingly submit and surrender to so many things that we're born into or socialized to believe in, whether that's an idea of race or an idea of musical genre. Or we believe that because of our race, we're supposed to listen to a particular musical genre. All of these things that are social constructs and have no real weight in the actual question of who we are. And I wanted to inspire people, challenge people to think outside of the box, by creating music that was outside of the box with lyrics that spoke to a broader concept of identity beyond what you hear every day. So definitely, it's a wake-up call.

Also in this podcast: I play a tune from Apollo Sunshine, which has an album coming out digitally Aug. 5 called Shall Noise Upon. You'll also hear a tune from Perhapst, a group that features Decemberists drummer John Moen. Stephen Malkmus appears on the new self-titled record.

Listen now:

- Download the free podcast from iTunes

- Stream the podcast

Thanks for listening! Williams' Niggy Tardust! CD is in stores now and features bonus tracks and album artwork. Check it out.

Podcast: A conversation with Aimee Mann (and more!)

In this week's podcast, I chat with the very talented Aimee Mann, whose new album, @#%&*! Smilers, is now in stores. (Every time I type that album title, it takes forever!) She'll be touring through the fall, so check to see if she's coming through your town.

I was looking forward to this interview, especially because I'd heard from several friends of mine that Mann's music career wasn't the only thing keeping her busy these days. The singer-songwriter is also a big comic-book fan, and she's been keeping a sketchbook and hanging out with cartoonist pals like Joe Matt and Ariel Schrag. Could a graphic novel be in the works? We can only hope.

On drawing: "It's not like I'm so great at it anyway, but it's a fun thing to do. Really, what's fun is to practice something and get better at it. And I like cartooning because it's like songwriting, which is a medium that seems sort of deceptively simple."

On her song 31 Today: "I have a couple friends who just turned 31, so I was kind of thinking about that and using that as a jumping-off point. But it's really that the music sort of reminded me more of living in Boston at a certain time and I remember feeling that sort of drifty feeling of like, "Man, I should really have my life together more than this."

On The Big Lebowski: "I think it's great, and it's funny, and, you know, The Dude is awesome. But my (role) was three seconds, so I was there for about three hours or something."

Aimee also told she'll have a cartoon appear in Vogue's upcoming "Fashion Rocks" special issue. Look for that in August.

In the meantime, listen to the podcast right now:

- Download the free podcast from iTunes

- Stream the podcast

You'll also hear new music from Neil Halstead -- he plays in the band Mojave 3, but his new solo record, Oh Mighty Engine, arrives July 29. I play a good song from The Lovely Sparrows as well, and their album (Bury the Cynics) is out today.

P.S. Some of you who heard last week's podcast with John Waters have asked me about the beautiful Fiona Apple-esque song I played. The name of the singer is Ximena Sarinana. She's terrific, and her debut is called Mediocre.