Show Notes
A fresh new episode of And Introducing! On it, we talk to Ryan Dusick, Maroon 5's founding drummer, about his new book Harder To Breathe: A Memoir of Making Maroon 5, Losing It All, and Finding Recovery. Ryan's story is extremely wild: an impossibly long pre-stardom grind as part of Maroon 5 leading up to their smash (sort of) debut album Songs About Jane, overwhelming "overnight" success, and a stunning reversal where a physical breakdown hindered his ability to play drums to the point of his dismissal from the band. We get into all of that, plus pop stardom's inherent body-and-brain-rattling stress, the 1990s Los Angeles music scene, being a musical athlete slash athletic musician, and much more...so have a listen! We missed you!!
Songs played: Maroon 5 - "Harder To Breathe" (8-Bit Arcade Version) Kara's Flowers - "Soap Disco" Maroon 5 - "Harder to Breathe" Maroon 5 feat. Megan Thee Stallion - "Beautiful Mistakes"
More from And Introducing
Oops! We podded again. We are ever so slightly back with a fresh episode on…Britney Spears’ ‘The Woman In Me’! Along with Black Bubblegum Podcast’s Jasmine Danielle, we get into Brit’s chaotic Southern Gothic childhood, her ‘cosmic consciousness’ and paranormal experiences, her misguidedly Method acting for Crossroads, and the conservatorship that almost took her down.
And Introducing film correspondent, Blank Check pod & the Atlantic’s David Sims returns for two more recent musician biopics: James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown & Michael Gracey’s Better Man. Two very different movies about very different musicians that nonetheless explore similar themes on the nature of fame, talent & musicianship. We talk Timmy, Bobby, Robbie & more, and see if there’s still juice to squeeze from the biopic genre. Plus of course: does the monkey play?
Welcome to the Willenium, baby! We’re joined by YouTube’s Todd in the Shadows to look at the musical career of Will Smith. From growing up under the influence of his demanding father, to discovering his performing (and lying) abilities in school, clicking with Jazzy Jeff, indulging in “chicken wings,” his super-star turn to acting & extremely self-conscious return to hip-hop, we track Will’s music & celebrity up to “the slap” and beyond from his 2021 memoir Will. As Todd says, may be one of the weirdest guys he’s ever encountered.
And introducing…on lead vocals, it’s Serj Tankian! We delve into the life of turn of the millennium metal icons System of a Down’s frontman Serj Tankian. Repping Armenia via Glendale, Serj’s life covers everything from founding software companies to composing whale-themed orchestras. We look into his politics, nu-metal in general, a passion for espresso, his signature growls and yelps, and revolutionary participation, as with SOAD’s wild musical success along the way.
It's part 2 of our excavation of Phil Collins' memoir Not Dead Yet: The Memoir. We've reached the mid-1980s and the boy is absolutely everywhere...can he sustain the breakneck pace of being one of the most celebrated (and oversaturated) Brits in pop music history? We cover his stressful transcontinental Live Aid experience, his Disneyfied '90s, his vibrant but turbulent romantic life, his big band era, and much much more.