music discussion

Mark is joined by returning NEM guest Don Rauf (from Life In a Blender), singer/songwriter/cartoonist David Heatley), and writer/musician Dave “Diggy” Dawson aka Dave Philpott.

Is funny music necessarily less sincerely emotional, and so a failure at what music is supposed to do? We discuss rock star personas, ironic use of genre, humor in musical gesture, Zappa, Spinal Tap, and more.

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It’s a new, discussion-only format, just for this episode (and perhaps some rare ones in the future)! When we write, how much is planned vs. improvised? How much is inspirational vs. double-or-triple checked? How does this factor weigh into how much music we release, how eclectic our sound is, and how well we improvise with others?

This discussion features three returning guests:

• Roger Joseph Manning Jr. was the keyboardist/singer for Jellyfish and Imperial Drag, and more recently as a solo artist and with the Likerish Quartet. Hear his solo episode. The end song on this episode “I’m Startin’ a Band” from his Radio Daze EP (2023).
• David Christian is the singer/guitarist for Britain’s Comet Gain. Hear his solo episode. The intro music to this discussion is “Love and Hate on the Radio” from Radio Sessions 1996-2011.
• Portland-based Rachel Taylor Brown has released 10 solo albums. Hear her solo episode. Her song choice relevant to this discussion was “Stagg Field.”

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