Vicki Peterson

Wheels Off with Rhett Miller

Rhett Miller

Arts, Performing Arts, Music

5.0 • 596 Ratings

🗓️ 28 October 2025

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Bangles’ lead guitarist talks about making a new record with John Cowsill, why she’s a “serial band member,” the magic of songwriting, imposter syndrome, and running your art like a business. Vicki Peterson—lead guitarist and occasional lead singer of The Bangles—joins Rhett to unpack Long After the Fire, the new record with her husband John Cowsill, and a lifetime spent in bands. She talks writing alone vs. collaborating, owning covers you love, combating self-doubt, and why musicians should treat creativity like a job (with a 10 a.m. start time). She also shares what she unexpectedly learned from Paul McCartney. Out now! Listen to Rhett’s new album “A lifetime of riding by night” https://rhettmiller.com/ Follow Vicki Peterson @vickiandjohnmusic Wheels Off is hosted and produced by Rhett Miller. Produced by Kirsten Cluthe, Studio Kairos. Music by Old 97’s. Episode artwork by Mark Dowd. Show logo by Tim Skirven. This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also ask Alexa to play it. Revisit previous episodes of Wheels Off with guests Rosanne Cash, Rob Thomas, Jeff Tweedy, The Milk Carton Kids, and more. If you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Vicki Peterson is best known as the lead guitarist and sometimes lead singer of the Bengals.
0:14.0	She's done a lot of stuff. Right now she's got a great new record out long after the fire with her husband
0:21.1	John Cowsell. So it's Vicki Peterson and John Cowsell. It's their first music they've released
0:27.8	together despite having been a married couple for over two decades. But she's done a lot. She's
0:33.4	been in a lot of bands. Continental Drifters, briefly in the cow sills, which is pretty
0:40.3	funny.
0:41.3	She's great. She's so fun to talk to. I mean, she's a band person. You know, she's spent
0:48.8	her life in bands. And boy, I just feel such a kinship to that kind of a person.
0:55.0	And she's fun and she's funny.
0:57.0	I grew up loving her music, not just the bangles, but the bangs as well.
1:02.0	And I think she's just really cool and really open and fun.
1:07.0	And I'm so glad that I got to speak to her and with her for this new episode of Wheels Off.
1:14.2	I think y'all are really going to dig it.
1:16.3	If you wind up seeing the old 97s doing a show with Vicky and John Cousill,
1:22.4	then you'll know it all started during the course of this Wheels Off.
1:25.9	As so many things do, You know, I feel very lucky
1:29.7	to get to have these conversations and meet these new people and make these new friends. And I
1:34.6	really appreciate you guys tuning in because that's what makes it all possible. Please enjoy
1:39.0	this episode of Wheels Off. Welcome the great Vicki Peterson.
1:48.6	Welcome to Wheels Off, Vicki Peterson. Thank you so much for joining me. How are you?
1:52.0	Thank you for having me. I'm doing very well today. Hope you are as well.
1:57.5	I am. I'm great. For the edification of our listening audience, where are you logging in from?
	...

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