Hey, this is the moment I'm Brian Coppelman, thanks for listening.

My guest today is John Mallincamp.

If you would have told me that in 1982, when I was basically walking around wearing his

t-shirts and going to the magazine store to see if there was another article on him, I

remember John when cream magazine did this article as American fool was about to come out,

about the precipitous moment you were in in your life.

I was so connected to your music and what you were doing, and I kind of wouldn't believe

that I'd end up talking to you, so thanks so much for doing this.

Well, that only tells me one thing, that you must have been as foolish as me.

Yeah, man, ten-eight-a-half of it, really and truly.

And folks who were listening, if you hear my voice, I was diagnosed, I have COVID.

But we're going to just power through because John wouldn't let some fucking COVID test

stop him from performing.

John, man, I think you know, you've never made a bad album.

You're one of the few artists that I make it a point.

When you put a record out, I carve out the time and I listen to it in proper conditions.

No matter what, and I truly have since I was 15 or 16 years old.

Well, I think you'd probably get an argument from some people about that, but thank you

for the compliment.

Well, yeah, I'm saying, I guess, since the real albums that you consider your albums,

but I even want to talk about before that because they're great songs throughout.

And don't worry, I'm not going to, like, sit here and blow smoke.

...