BV Interviews: A Podcast About Music

Flogging Molly's Dave King Opens Up About Near-Fatal Brain Injury

Flogging Molly leader Dave King opens up for the first time about the traumatic brain injury that he suffered earlier this year that doctors say nearly ended his life. He was told by doctors as he was leaving the hospital that he was a “miracle.”
During our conversation, Dave spoke about the scary incident that required him to undergo three brain surgeries and led to him spending three weeks in a coma, and the road to recovery he’s been on every since. His mood was nothing but positive and uplifting, and he says that, considering what he’s gone through, he’s doing really well.
As he steadily recovers, he’s preparing to make his return to the stage at the October 2026 edition of Flogging Molly’s Salty Dog Cruise. He also mentioned potential plans to play Warped Tour in 2026 and he told us that he’s already been writing new Flogging Molly songs. He also reminisced about the band’s memorable first Warped Tour appearance, working with Steve Albini, and more.
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Credits:
Hosted & produced by Andrew Sacher
Mixed and mastered by Nick Gray
Theme music by Michael Silverstein
Cover photo by James Richards IV

Geoff Barrow (Portishead), John Minton & Marc Bessant on their new thriller 'GAME'

This episode is a little different as we're talking to three of the people behind new film GAME. It's the first feature from Invada Films, the movie arm of Invada Records, the label co-founded by Geoff Barrow of Portishead and Beak>. Barrow has scored many films and TV  series over the last 15 years, including Ex Machina, Annihilation and more but this is his first foray as a producer and co-writer.
Helping him out are two old friends and collaborators -- director John Minton who has done live visuals and videos for Portishead, and artist and actor Marc Bessant who did the album cover for the second Portishead album. 
Both Marc and John also get story credit for GAME, which is a thriller set against the early '90s rave scene. Marc plays David an aging partier who crashes his car in rural England after a rave and is found by a poacher in the woods played with menace and humor by Sleaford Mods frontman Jason Williamson. Things do not go as you might expect and we'll leave it at that.
We talked to Geoff, John and Marc about the film, the difficulties of making it with a very small budget, writing new '90s-sounding acid house songs for the soundtrack, and more. Plus Geoff talks about his final tour with Beak> which wrapped up earlier this year, what's next for Invada, the future of Portishead, and lots more.
Just so you know, we keep the first half of our conversation spoiler free but at the 34 minute mark we do start talking about specifics of the film, so if you haven't seen GAME skip ahead to the 54:40 minute mark for talk of Portishead, Beak>, and more.
 
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Credits:
Hosted & produced by Bill Pearis
Mixed and mastered by Nick Gray
Theme music by Michael Silverstein

New Podcast Alert! BV Weekly

Have you subscribed to BV Weekly yet?
BrooklynVegan now has two podcasts! There's this one, BV Interviews (formerly known as The BrooklynVegan Show), as well as BV Weekly, a recently launched podcast in which BV founder Dave Levine and longtime editor (and original BV Interviews host) Andrew Sacher chat weekly about the biggest stories and trending topics in music, new albums, live shows, and more. New episodes go up every Friday morning.
Like and subscribe now!https://linktr.ee/bvweekly

Midlake's Eric Pulido

This week we're talking to Eric Pulido of Denton, TX baroque folk-rock greats Midlake who just released A Bridge To Far, their sixth album overall and second since coming back from a nearly 10-year hiatus. Our conversation happened back in September, and we talked about recording the album with producer Sam Evian and how that differed from working with John Congleton on 2022's For the Sake of Bethel Woods, and how this might be their Midlake-iest album yet.
 
Other topics of conversation include getting Ted Lasso actor James Lance to star in the video for "Days Gone By" which was shot in one take on the streets of New York's Lower East Side, other songs on the record, upcoming tour plans, the difficulties of covering The Beatles, five records he thinks everyone should own and more.
 
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Credits:
Hosted & produced by Bill Pearis
Mixed and mastered by Nick Gray
Theme music by Michael Silverstein

The Charlatans' Tim Burgess

This week we welcome Tim Burgess of long-running Manchester band The Charlatans who just released their 14th album, We Are Love. We talk about working with producer Dev Hynes of Blood Orange on the album, and recording at famed Rockfield Studios in Wales for the first time since 1997's Tellin' Stories and the first time since original keyboardist Rob Collins died in a car crash during the making of the album. Other topics include the return of so many '90s bands this year, Tim's pandemic-era Twitter Listening Parties, DJing a David Lynch tribute, five records Tim thinks everyone should own, and more.
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Credits:
Hosted & produced by Bill Pearis
Mixed and mastered by Nick Gray
Theme music by Michael Silverstein

Soulwax talk new LP, remixes, 2ManyDJs, Despacio, more

This week we've got Stephen and David Dewaele of Belgian dance-rock greats Soulwax, not to mention 2ManyDJs, Despacio and DEEWEE Records fame. Soulwax just released All Systems Are Lying, their first album in seven years, and we talk about that and how it differed from the last two records. Our wide-ranging conversation also hit on their approach to remixes, interviewing Prince on Belgian television, what makes Belgian music sound Belgian, the mid-'80s Belgian New Beat scene, their mobile club Despacio with James Murphy, Soulwax's infamous 2006 gig at Brooklyn club Studio B, working with Marie Davidson on her album City of Clowns, what DEEWEE Records has coming out next, and lots more. 
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Credits:
Hosted & produced by Bill Pearis
Mixed and mastered by Nick Gray
Theme music by Michael Silverstein

Super Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys

This week we've got Welsh indie rock legend and Super Furry Animals frontman, Gruff Rhys who just released his ninth solo album, Dim Probs, which is also his first for Mogwai's Rock Action label. We discussed the bleak themes of the album and the Welsh DIY music that inspired it, his recent US tour celebrating the 10th anniversary of his album American Interior, missing the Oasis reunion shows in Cardiff, that time Super Furry Animals toured with Oasis 20 years ago, raves in the Welsh countryside, working with illustrator Pete Fowler for Dim Probs and the merch opportunities with the album's artwork, plus five records he thinks everyone should own, and more.
 
It should be noted that this interview happened before Super Furry Animals announced they were reforming for shows in 2026 and you can hear Gruff successfully dodge the question of SFA's status.
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Credits:
Hosted & produced by Bill Pearis
Mixed and mastered by Nick Gray
Theme music by Michael Silverstein

Cate Le Bon on 'Michelangelo Dying,' producing Wilco, touring & more

This week we've got Welsh iconoclast Cate Le Bon who just released the wonderful, if heartbreaking new album, Michelangelo Dying. We discussed how the album was not the record she intended or wanted to make; her creative partnership with producer and engineer Samur Khouja; working with musicians Dylan Hadley, Valentina Magliati, Stephen Black and Euan Hinshelwood on the album; her other career as a producer making records with Wilco, Dry Cleaning, Horsegirl and more; her 2026 tour plans; her new dog, and more.
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Credits:
Hosted & produced by Bill Pearis
Mixed and mastered by Nick Gray
Theme music by Michael Silverstein

Fred Armisen on '100 Sound Effects,' Steve Albini, Uncle Fester spinoff, more

Comedian, actor and musician Fred Armisen has just released a new album: 100 Sound Effects and yes it's exactly that -- a old school sound effects album, but one only Fred Armisen could make. We talked to Fred about how he came to make it, how the late Steve Albini played a part in it, and the unexpected difficulties there were in creating his own sound effects. Along the way there are digressions into '80s "marimba wave" and Sophistipop, singing Foreigner in an episode of Wednesday, the show's upcoming Uncle Fester spinoff, five records Fred thinks everyone should own and more.
 
PS in the episode there is mention of making a "marimba wave" playlist and you can listen to that here.
 
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Credits:
Hosted & produced by Bill Pearis
Mixed and mastered by Nick Gray
Theme music by Michael Silverstein
 

The Hives' Howlin' Pelle on Microphone swinging disasters, Mike D & more

Swedish garage rock greats just released THE HIVES FOREVER FOREVER THE HIVES, their terrific seventh album which was co-produced by longtime collaborator Pelle Gunnerfeldt and The Beastie Boys' Mike D, with additional productions by Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme.
We talked to Hives frontman Howlin' Pelle Almqvist about the new album, working with Mike D and Josh Homme, microphone swinging disasters, Def Leppard, the best Swedish band of the 2000s who weren't The Hives, playing outdoor shows in bad weather, their upcoming 2026 tour opening for My Chemical Romance, and more. Plus: five records he thinks everyone should own, unusual bingo in Austin, and more.
 
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Credits:
Hosted & produced by Bill Pearis
Mixed and mastered by Nick Gray
Theme music by Michael Silverstein