Music
9 of the best podcasts hosted by musicians
From Questlove to Jessie Ware to Rick Rubin, music-makers have established themselves as key players in the podcast boom. Here are some of our favourites from the bottomless pool that is pods.
Podcasts have rocketed in popularity in the past few years, but it’s not all true crime and couples’ therapy. Music podcasts – like Song Exploder, Dissect and Hip Hop Saved My Life – have proven that we love to hear people talking about music almost as much as we love listening to the music itself. Perhaps more surprisingly, musicians have turned out to be quite the verbose bunch. And a handful have risen to the top, hosting and interviewing with portfolio aplomb.
Some shows are no longer running, but still worth a retrospective listen. Special mention goes to Mike Skinner and Murkage Dave, whose In The Third Person podcast found heavy hitters from Liam Gallagher to Dizzee Rascal being simultaneously shown love and taken down a peg or two.
Others are still but a promise. Wiley’s threat of a podcast at the end of 2019 – self-coined ‘the podcast that has absolutely no chill at all’ – looms large. We will wait as long as it takes for the Godfather.
Read about the current success stories here, and subscribe below.
1. Table Manners with Jessie Ware
Jessie Ware
© Athena Anastasiou
She’s gone from lending her vocals on post-dubstep bangers to making her own breathy brand of minimal electro-soul. But on this charming and endlessly listenable show, Jessie ditches music entirely for a warm evening in with her mum Lennie, the hilariously outspoken stand-out star of the show. Anybody who has grown up in a food-loving home will recognise the scene. The pair sit around Lennie's dinner table with a randomly chosen star of their choice – expect anybody from Nigella Lawson to Sadiq Khan – bickering whilst eating food, talking about food and considering what to eat next. The shows with a musical guest add an extra layer of joy as Jessie talks industry with the likes Stefflon Don, Riz Ahmed, MIST or Loyle Carner; while her Mum asks hilarious questions about what garage is.
2. Distraction Pieces with Scroobius Pip
Rapper/poet-turned-radio host Scroobius Pip is one of music podcasting’s relative veterans, having launched this show way back in 2014. Distraction Pieces is the kind of show to listen to on a fast run or a slow Sunday. He describes the podcast as “interesting conversations with interesting people” and that about sums it up. The format lends itself to the chatterbox’s go-where-the-wind-blows conversation style, with show lengths varying from 55 minutes to an hour and a half if he feels that there’s enough great material. Some musical highlights include Kano, Mike Skinner and Kate Tempest.
But, like any great interviewer, Scroobius finds common ground with all of his guests, so also check out Louis Theroux, Lolly Adefope and the Safdie Brothers.
3. Questlove Supreme
Questlove at the Red Bull Guest House
© David Cabrera / Red Bull Content Pool
The Roots drummer started his career not as a musician but as a journalist. As such, perhaps it’s no surprise he’s a dab hand at podcasting, interviewing everyone from Jack White to Solange to Michelle Obama on his show Questlove Supreme. A mixture of interviews, humour and music which its creator has described as a "black nerd version of NPR", it’s the ideal thing for scholarly music lovers. Lucky for us in the UK, a mix of the newest and the most classic shows are now available to listen to via Stitcher. Don’t miss Chris Rock (not a boring second in a full 179 minutes) and the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis three-parter.
4. Sodajerker On Songwriting
This podcast isn’t hosted by musicians – but it’s near enough. Liverpool-based songwriting duo Sodajerker meet the people behind some of the biggest hits around; among them Diane Warren (who’s worked with the likes of Celine Dion and Aerosmith, and wrote for A Star Is Born), and Adele and Stormzy collaborator Fraser T. Smith. It's an ideal show for those interested in the craft that goes into some of the biggest hits around, with supremely knowledgeable hosts in the form of Simon Barber and Brian O’Connor and some ridiculously superstar guests including Paul Simon, Paul McCartney and Johnny Marr.
5. Henry and Heidi
A musician-turned-TV personality and political campaigner, Henry Rollins is no stranger to the portfolio career. As such, it’s only natural that the former Black Flag frontman has also hosted his own podcast since 2015. Co-hosted with his manager Heidi May (the duo also share an Instagram account), the rock'n'roll stories here are second to none – like the time Black Sabbath made Henry burst into tears.
6. Broken Record
In hindsight, it should’ve been obvious that Rick Rubin would make a great interviewer. His insanely prolific career as producer for an A-list Rolodex spanning everyone from Johnny Cash to Jay-Z is one that only works if you truly listen to your subject. On this holy grail for music nerds he teams up with wanton contrarian Malcolm Gladwell and music journalist Bruce Headlem for open-ended and meandering musings on music with everyone from a fully baked Run The Jewels to David Byrne on protest songs and Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig. The very first show finds Rubin as Gladwell’s guest the day after he has fled the LA fires, leaving his home and studio to burn; his philosophical outlook is incredibly inspiring.
7. The Joe Budden Podcast
Joe Budden goes it alone in Philadelphia
© Ryan Muir/Red Bull Content Pool
By now it’s safe to say that ‘podcaster’, not ‘that guy who did Pump It Up’ will head up Joe Budden’s biography. This bi-weekly home for all things hip-hop has been going strong since 2015. Alongside co-hosts Rory Farrell and Jamil "Mal" Clay, this is the Loose Women of US hip hop; with the trio gossiping, chatting shit, interviewing megastars and airing as much of the scene’s dirty laundry as possible. Following a stint on YouTube the show is now hosted on Spotify.
8. Have You Heard George’s Podcast?
George The Poet
© Ollie Porter
Activist, poet and spoken-word artist George Mpanga – aka George The Poet – has arguably never been a musician first. This multi-disciplined approach finds its spiritual home in a show that veers thrillingly from poetry to storytelling to news, history and music. And all with the aim of inspiring young BAME kids and teaching the rest of the world what it’s like to be them. Don’t cherry pick episodes here; just start at the beginning and work your way through the back catalogue – honouring the two series like you would a perfectly crafted album.
9. Pirate Copy
Hosted by Sgt Pokes and N-Type, this monthly show is a haven for anybody craving 140bpm specialism. Expect tunes chosen by special guests like L C Y; interviews with the likes of Youngsta and Cimm; exclusive tune drops; and a decidedly pirate energy brought by Pokes’ inimitable MC timbre and the pairs’ magnetic energy. Check out File 2 for a raucous and sozzled roundtable with legendary scene heads and lots of chat about chicken wings.
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