Return of the Funk Guitar: Cory Wong Breaks Down Dua Lipa, Jessie Ware and Nile Rodgers

Switched on Pop

Vox Media Podcast Network

Music Interviews, Music History, Music, Music Commentary

4.6 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 23 March 2021

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Cory Wong is a Minneapolis native and Vulfpeck collaborator known for pushing rhythm guitar from a background instrument to the star of the show. Wong’s a walking encyclopedia of funk guitar, and he takes us through the riffs and styles—from Nile Rodgers to Quincy Jones—that power modern bops such as Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” and Jessie Ware’s “Step Into My Life.” For Cory, rhythm guitar isn’t just a source of propulsive joy, but a sound that’s intimately connected to different regional scenes: change one note in a riff and you’ve moved from Philadelphia to Cincinatti. Every bubble and chuck speaks to a history of musical innovation - a history Cory mines on his new album-slash-variety show, Cory and the Wongnotes. Mixing comedy sketches, massively funky performances, and interviews, Cory’s project imagines what happens when the bandleader takes over as late night host. Songs Discussed (it’s a long one) VULFPECK - Cory Wong Doja Cat - Say So Mark Ronson - Uptown Funk (Audio) ft. Bruno Mars Dua Lipa - Levitating Chic - Good Times Earth, Wind & Fire - Shining Star Ohio Players - Love Rollercoaster Prince - I Wanna Be Your Lover Maroon 5 - Moves Like Jagger feat. Christina Aguilera Morris Day & The Time - The Bird Bootsy Collins - Stretchin' Out (In a Rubber Band) Gap Band - I Don't Believe You Want To Get Up And Dance (Oops Up Side Your Head) James Payback - The Payback Sly & The Family Stone - Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) Jessie Ware - Step Into My Life Chic - Le Freak David Bowie “Modern Love” Duran Duran “Notorious” Diana Ross - I’m Coming Out The B52’s “Love Shack” Avicii “Lay Me Down” Diana Ross - Upside Down Sister Sledge - We Are Family Sister Sledge - Thinking Of You Sister Sledge - He’s The Greatest Dancer Steve Winwood “Higher Love” chorus Stevie wonder - Higher Ground Michael Jackson - Billie Jean Michael Jackson - Thriller Daft Punk - Get Lucky (Feat. Pharrell Williams) David Bowie - Let's Dance Madonna - Like a Virgin Eminem - Lose Yourself Miley Cyrus - Party In The U.S.A Stevie wonder - Higher Ground Michael Jackson - Billie Jean Michael Jackson - Thriller Daft Punk - Get Lucky (Feat. Pharrell Williams) David Bowie - Let's Dance Madonna - Like a Virgin Eminem - Lose Yourself Miley Cyrus - Party In The U.S.A Cory Wong - Tiki Hut Strut Cory and The Wongnotes - Episode 4, “Genre (ft Grace Kelly)” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Welcome to Switched On Pop.
0:14.1	I'm musicologist Nate Sloan and I'm very excited today to welcome into our virtual
0:20.0	studio, a guitarist you may know from Volfec or as the host of the new Variety Show,
0:27.0	Corey and the Wong notes. It's Corey Wong. What's up everybody?
0:32.8	Corey we're excited to have you here because we're fans. We're also hoping you can give
0:39.3	us some insight into a subtle musical phenomena that is permeating the top 40. But with that
0:48.1	cliffhanger, before we get there, let's get to know you a little better. You're known
0:53.3	as a rhythm guitarist with the floppiest right hand in the game. I think you can hear
0:59.4	this inimital technique on a track like the eponymous Corey Wong by Volfec.
1:15.2	We have a guest here who is uniquely positioned to enlighten one of the subtler phenomena of
1:22.4	modern pop that undergird songs from Doja Katz say so. To Bruno Mars World beating uptown
1:35.8	funk. The driving secret ingredient that propels a track forward and into your brain forever,
1:47.6	it's rhythm guitar. That's my game dude. That's where I live. Corey let's take it from
1:53.2	the top. What is rhythm guitar?
1:56.9	Rhythm guitar to me is the majority of the job of a guitar player often neglected. Now
2:04.3	to me like you said, rhythm guitar is something that propels a song forward when that's
2:11.2	called for. Now of course the main ingredient for that is the drums and bass and percussion
2:17.4	elements. But I think the role of the guitar can be wrapped into that role and can fill
2:25.0	the role of like a musical bongo. Not that bongos aren't musical on their own, but pitched
2:34.0	bongos, pitched tambourine. I think it can kind of float in its role because the attack
2:41.5	on the instrument can be so strong, but it can also layer in pad things or sustaining
2:48.3	elements. So for me rhythm guitar is a driving rhythmic momentum that loosely outlines the
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Vox Media Podcast Network, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Vox Media Podcast Network and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.