Shows
What Am I Making PodcastWAIM #090: Matt Berenson - Archive EditionWhen my longtime friend and musical sherpa Todd Stonehouse handed me his copy of Secret Stars, the Greatest Underdogs Of The Rock n Roll Era, he grinned and said, “You are gonna love this.” Just looking at the ten bands listed on the book jacket, I knew I had found one of my new sacred texts. Inside the blazing red cover lay chapters on Nick Drake, Robyn Hitchcock, Elliott Smith, Big Star, and more. These were my secret stars too! I’d not only found someone writing about these bands in any way, I had found someone writing...2025-06-021h 06
What Am I Making PodcastWAIM #046 - Matt Berenson Ranks R.E.M. With Matty CWhen author and producer, Matt Berenson first published his list ranking all of the fifteen albums in the R.E.M. canon, I felt one more cosmic connection to him and his fandom for the most famous band from Athens, GA. I was thrilled to read Matt’s piece and see how the LPs stacked up in his estimation. Furthermore, I began to wonder where I would differ and where our ideals on the perfect R.E.M. record might converge. I accepted my own challenge, and I was off. Throughout November and December, I published my own...2024-01-011h 57
What Am I Making PodcastWAIM #033 - Matt BerensonThe first time that I invited Matt Berenson on the pod, I was desperate to talk with him about his book, Secret Stars: The Greatest Underdogs of the Rock 'n' Roll Era. For this installment, I wanted to talk about a secret star not included in Berenson’s book; David Berman of Silver Jews, as well as get Berenson’s perspective as a producer on the writers’ and actors’ strikes, and how they’re affecting his day to day life.Although I just met Matt a few months ago, and only virtually met at that, sitting do...2023-09-251h 34
What Am I Making PodcastWAIM Podcast #021 - Matt Berenson - Part TwoLast week, my guest Matt Berenson and I dove deep into the heroes in his book, Secret Stars, the Greatest Underdogs Of The Rock n Roll Era. From Elliott Smith to Nick Drake to our beloved Guided By Voices, we spent the better part of an hour waxing poetic on the genius of these under-appreciated icons. In this episode, we take a look at Matt’s career as a film producer. From his huge hit Daddy Day Care to prestige work like Place Beyond The Pines, Berenson has seen the ups and downs of a fickle industry. ...2023-06-191h 04
What Am I Making PodcastWAIM Podcast #020 - Matt BerensonWhen my longtime friend and musical sherpa Todd Stonehouse handed me his copy of Secret Stars, the Greatest Underdogs Of The Rock n Roll Era, he grinned and said, “You are gonna love this.”Just looking at the ten bands listed on the cover, I knew I had found one of my new sacred texts. Inside the blazing red cover lay chapters on Nick Drake, Robyn Hitchcock, Elliott Smith, Big Star and more. These were my secret stars too! I’d not only found someone writing about these bands in any way, I had found someone writing about...2023-06-141h 14