And the Hello and welcome to Soda Jerker on Songwriting, episode number 137.

Joining us today is an American singer, songwriter and musician,

and co-founder and frontman of one of the most acclaimed and enduring US

bands of the last quarter century, Spoon.

We are delighted to welcome the excellent

Britt Daniel to the show.

This interview is one we've had in our arsenal for a while.

Brit and the band were touring in support of their most recent album, Hot Thoughts, and

were swinging through our hometown of Liverpool to perform at the Art Club venue on Seal Street,

and we got to chat to Brit backstage before the show, and he was very, very cool.

He was indeed.

Our guest was born in Galveston, Texas, 1971.

Galveston of course immortalized in the Jimmy Webb song and grew up in the town of Temple. He came into possession of a copy of Prince's 1999 album,

aged 11, leading to a lifelong obsession with the purple one. Other early influences were The Stooges, Paul

Simon and The BeegGs, the latter indirectly inspiring the formation of his first band, the Zygotes in high school. Via a couple of other bands, Brit joined the Alien Beat a few years later in 93 where he first met

Jim Eno with whom he formed Spoon that same year and they've been the

bands two mainstays ever since. Spoon signed to Matador in 1995 and released

their debut album Telephono in 1996.

A much rockier and heavier record in comparison with the later stuff

which has more of an art rock bent and is more sparse and minimalist and

dare I say popier?

I don't know dear you.

...