Show Notes
Kurt Wagner from Lambchop is here to discuss Punching the Clown, not working from home, his close collaborators Ryan Olson and Andrew Broder and the inclusion of drops, producer tags, and dramatic, powerful choral singers, which might surprise some listeners and why surprises are a great thing, why he appreciates happenstance noises and thoughts making it onto his recordings, what prompted his recent interest in lined out singing and how Justin Vernon of Bon Iver wound up playing banjo on this record, why the film Punching the Clown resonated with him so much, pondering Larry David, upcoming shows, other future plans, and much more.
EVERY OTHER COMPLETE KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO PATREON SUPPORTERS STARTING AT $6/MONTH. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks!
Thanks to Blackbyrd Myoozik, the Bookshelf, Planet Bean Coffee, and Grandad’s Donuts. Support Y.E.S.S., Pride Centre of Edmonton, and Letters Charity. Follow vish online.
Related episodes/links:
Win You’ve Changed Records by Fiver and G̱amksimoon in August 2026! Ep. #1116: Robyn Hitchcock Ep. #970: William Tyler All Things Konsidered: The Beatles Anthology Ep. #587: Vic Berger IV & DJ Douggpound Ep. #562: Bill Callahan Ep. #481: David Berman Ep. #48: Ben Blackwell of Third Man Records Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/kreative-kontrol. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Kreative Kontrol
James Brandon Lewis returns to discuss Calling Antonín, his well-deserved, award-winning 2026, how William Parker got him involved in a special project with the Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theater Company and how their productions are exactly what they sound like, studying the life and work of the nineteenth century Czech composer Antonín Dvořák, why he paid special attention to the album artwork, liner notes, and music on this album, structuring records to have the audio analog of opening and closing movie credits, also paying tribute to the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar via an imagined historical meeting, pondering being prolific and taking a break, upcoming shows, other future plans, and much more.
Josh Rouse is here to discuss Museums and Women, swimming in Nashville, early inspirations like the Cure and Neil Young, being raised by a drill sergeant and a hippie, whether Nebraskans are partial to Bruce Springsteen’s album Nebraska, making a cheerful record in a dark time, how living life in Spain has impacted his perspective on life and music-making, why this new record is story and character-driven, upcoming shows, other future plans, and much more.
Robert Dayton is here to discuss his book Cold Glitter: The Untold Story of Canadian Glam, our favourite record stores and venues in the conjoined cities of Kitchener-Waterloo, the time Mike Wallace visited that area for a 60 Minutes story and called it “a suburb of Toronto,” what inspired Robert to write this book, some background about the subversive aspects of Canadian glam and how Bryan Adams figures into it, conservatism in Canadian cultural institutions, an anecdote about Gregg Turkington, Mike Love, and Charles Manson, waking up after sleeping on Goddo, future plans, and much more.
Spencer Burton returns to discuss his poignant new self-titled album, his young son’s shocking illness and his road to recovery, the varied experiences the Burton family had in the Canadian medical system and the kindness and support they received as well, how spending months in hospitals and rehab clinics inspired Spencer to write songs for and about his family, why the Canadian prairies figure so prominently on this record and why he made it in Vancouver, writing and releasing new songs, upcoming shows, other future plans, and much more.
Richard Thompson returns to discuss Hippies, Thugs and Heroes, making things work with his current music collaborators, including his grandson, inheriting talent and genetic predispositions, being a creative conduit, the fulfillment he gets from teaching at his annual Frets and Refrains songwriting and guitar camp near Woodstock, NY, observations about how music students learn to play via the internet, the significance of acquiring knowledge, being patient, and displaying empathy, the reflective nature of his new album and why we might be learning a lot about him from these songs, whether he may write another book, how a Fairport Convention anniversary may be celebrated in 2027, many solo and band tour dates, other future plans, and much more.