Show Notes
Bret. Brit? Britney? Oscar and Grammy-winning Flight of the Conchords star, composer, musician and actor Bret McKenzie is back with his new album Freak Out City, a lush, psychedelic trip of a record that takes its cues from The Beatles and ELO. In this episode, he regales Roisin with tales of his touring misadventures (heard the one about the tour manager who misplaced $5,000?), explains why bakeries are dangerous territory for a Conchord ("baguette?") and reveals how a mischievous Sir Ian McKellen got him scolded by Peter Jackson on the set of The Hobbit. He and Roisin also discuss the perils of dating in a small town, the weird briefs he gets while composing music for Hollywood blockbusters, and whether he and Jemaine Clement are working on a FOTC reunion...
Subscribe to The Independent's music newsletter, Now Hear This here, to get your weekly dose of the latest news, music and artists grabbing Roisin's attention. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Roisin O'Connor's Good Vibrations
Can you believe it's been almost 25 years since Will Young triumphed in the inaugural series of Pop Idol? In this episode, Will opens up to Roisin about the circus that was his battle against fellow contestant Gareth Gates, navigating fame and scrutiny into his personal life, and the failed attempt by the tabloids to "out" him as a gay man. They also chatted about his passion for gardening, modern dating and their mutual experiences of being in unhealthy relationship patterns, Will's experiences of being single in his forties and the wonderful relationship he's in now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rising soul singer Nectar Woode has already been championed by Sir Elton John and collaborated with the legendary singer-songwriter on her latest project, Naturally. She and Roisin chat about her whirlwind summer, her musical influences, the Mercury Prize shortlist and today's soul scene, as well as a huge milestone with her biggest headline show to date. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dinosaur Jr have a new album - There Near - and it's brilliant. An unusually talkative J Mascis dives into everything from his love of skiing to getting into the straight edge subculture of punk in the Eighties, playing on the same stage with GG Allin and his favourite films, not least the 1971 classic Harold and Maude. Also, an unexpected and transcendental moment he had while on a spiritual journey, the boredom he experienced living in New York, and the unusual way he met his wife. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Roisin and pop singer Baby Queen become fast friends as they dive into the South African-born British pop singer's new album, I Hope You Don't Remember Me, and its themes of heartbreak, anger and confusion. They also chat about her being mentored by Courtney Love, the weirdness of rom-coms, partying in LA and the perils of modern dating!
The Independent returned to Montreux Jazz Festival for its 60th edition and conversations with some of the incredible lineup. In this double episode, Roisin speaks with Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan about the band’s fantastic new album Splat!, their extraordinary history with Montreux, and why they have no plans of retiring any time soon.