Episode 243 - Michael Penn
Sodajerker On Songwriting
Sodajerker
4.9 • 885 Ratings
🗓️ 31 December 2022
⏱️ 42 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Composer and songwriter Michael Penn talks with Sodajerker about his "former career" in songwriting, meeting Bob Dylan as a kid, and why he doesn't co-write with his partner, the equally brilliant Aimee Mann. The acclaimed film/TV composer also reflects on his relationship with performing, his approach to melody writing, and his love for The Chamberlin keyboard.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | And the Hello and welcome to Soda Jaker on songwriting. I'm Simon joined as always by my co-conspirator Brian and with us today for our final episode of 2022 is an American musician, singer-songwriter and composer. |
| 0:30.7 | Though he initially made his name in the late 80s as a performing and |
| 0:34.0 | recording artist, he's latterly established a successful second career writing music |
| 0:38.0 | for TV and film. However, earlier this year he graciously agreed to chat |
| 0:41.6 | with us about, as he he calls it his former job. |
| 0:44.0 | We're very happy to welcome the excellence Michael Penn to the show. |
| 0:47.0 | Michael was born in 1958 in Greenwich Village, New York City, |
| 0:51.0 | but his family moved to LA when he was still a baby. |
| 0:53.7 | While his younger brothers, Sean and Chris, took after their parents, Leo Penn and |
| 0:57.4 | Eileen Ryan and pursued acting, our guest very much gravitated towards music. |
| 1:01.9 | A youthful obsession with the Beatles and Bob Dylan led to him picking up the guitar, as well as messing around on the Spinnett his parents had at home and teaching himself piano by ear. Michael was also highly intrigued by the mysterious process of record making from an early age. |
| 1:15.0 | He played in a number of bands in junior high and Santa Monica High School, |
| 1:19.0 | initially performing Bowie, Cream and Stones covers, but eventually incorporating his own material. |
| 1:23.5 | Along with keyboardist and future close collaborator Patrick Warren, Michael later joined |
| 1:28.0 | the 80s Los Angeles post-New Wave outfit, Doll Congress. |
| 1:31.8 | Having left the band in 1986, our guest first came to the attention of the |
| 1:35.1 | wider American public the following year when his brother Sean hosted an episode of Saturday Night |
| 1:39.6 | Live, during which Michael performed his song This and That with his backing band The Pull. |
| 1:44.0 | I was watching that performance earlier actually and Sean introduces him as the guy |
| 1:48.6 | Marr always loved best. That's quite sweet actually. Having signed to RCA he he enjoyed breakout chart success with the top 20 single No Myth, |
| 1:57.0 | taking from his critically acclaimed 1989 debut album March, |
| 2:01.0 | as well as winning an MTV Award for Best New Artist. |
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