ENCORE PERFORMANCE: 'BE HERE TO LOVE ME - A Film About Townes Van Zandt' w/ BRIAN STACK

Welcome to our bi-monthly ENCORE PRESENTATION of classic REVOLUTIONS PER MOVIE episodes from the vault! Today, as we frustratingly say goodbye (for now) to Stephen Colbert on Late Night, I bring you the sweetest and most honest discussion from The Late Show With Stephen Colbert writer & performer, the legendary Brian Stack. Not only did we discuss his love and passion for Townes Van Zandt (whose documentary he chose to discuss), but he was also really open about his time at Late Night With Conan O'Brien and his transition to working on Colbert's show, offering a fascinating glimpse into the world of late-night.

Hope to see you again soon, Dr. Frankenstein's Monster!

(Episode 104 originally aired on July 17th, 2025).

This week, I am joined by one of the greatest late-night writers & performers of all time, BRIAN STACK (Late Night With Conan O’Brien, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert), who picked a beloved music documentary to discuss: Be Here To Love Me - A Film About Townes Van Zandt.

We discuss the differences between working on Conan and Stephen’s shows, the last-minute panic of doing a late night show, my experience performing on Conan, accidental mistakes turning into magic, how many of Brian’s characters are tragically musical, band banter, the melancholy edge of the best comedy, how musicians who write the best sad songs are often the funniest people, the creation of the band Slipnutz, how Townes' music came into both our lives later in life, songs that tear you heart out, being a musician’s musician, The Stooges, Aimee Mann, Dave Alvin, The Chelsea Hotel being the headquarters of Zandt’s record label, how Townes is his own storyteller in this documentary, self-destructive tendencies in comedy and music, Dylan and Townes relationship, our Chris Elliott obsessions, being under-heard and misunderstood, Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth trying to help Townes make a record, the documentary Heartworn Highways, Neko Case, Mick Jagger’s country accent, writing songs in your dreams and so much more.

So let's laugh through the pain on this week's episode of Revolutions Per Movie.

BRIAN STACK: https://teamcoco.com/celebs/brian-stack

REVOLUTIONS PER MOVIE: Host Chris Slusarenko (Eyelids, Guided By Voices, owner of Clinton Street Video rental store) is joined by actors, musicians, comedians, writers & directors who each week pick out their favorite music documentary, musical, music-themed fiction film, or music videos to discuss. Fun, weird, and insightful, Revolutions Per Movie is your deep dive into our life-long obsessions where music and film collide.

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