Songwriters on Process
In-depth interviews with songwriters about their songwriting process. Nothing else. No talk of band drama, band names, or tour stories. Treating songwriters as writers, plain and simple. By Ben Opipari, English Lit Ph.D.
- Update frequency
- every 9 days
- Average duration
- 46 minutes
- Episodes
- 157
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2025
Devendra Banhart
"If you're writing alone, you're still collaborating," Devendra Banhart says on this episode of the podcast. I love that idea: even in solitary writing, you're always running ideas by yourself. Is it…
M.C. Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger
“Surprising yourself is the only way to stay inspired,” M.C. Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger says in this episode of the podcast. This is the second time I've interviewed Taylor, and here are three t…
Blondshell
Sabrina Teitelbaum (aka Blondshell) wants more joy in her songs. But that can be a problem because happiness is not a productive state for her songwriting process. "When I'm happy, I don't feel the …
Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads
At some point in my interview with Jerry Harrison, guitarist and keyboardist for Talking Heads, I asked him to respond to a quote by the iconic Beat poet Allen Ginsberg. Harrison told me that Ginsber…
Jenny Owen Youngs
Jenny Owen Youngs had me at "Shitty First Drafts."
This is the Anne Lamott essay espousing the idea that the first draft of anything is supposed to be atrocious. Just get it down, dammit. "Almost all…
Bethany Cosentino
ED note: I mispronounced Cosentino’s name in the podcast intro: the first “o” should be long (as in snow), but I used a short “o” (as in top). I’m sorry Bethany!
If you have plans to meet Bethany Cose…
John McCauley & Ian O'Neil of Deer Tick
John McCauley and Ian O’Neil of Deer Tick stop by talk about what makes for an effective songwriting process. In no particular order: laundry rooms, a kitchen, a nice rug, running shoes, recumbent bi…
Emile Mosseri
Academy Award nominee Emile Mosseri stops by the podcast to talk about the challenges that come with writing a solo album when all you’ve known is collaboration (his time in The Dig) and film & telev…
Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter stops by Songwriters on Process to declare that while we like to think he writes with a quill pen, he actually writes almost all of his lyrics on his phone. That's a first: many songwrite…
Jess Williamson
"I'm pretty much always thinking about lyrics every day of my life." That quote represents the energy that Jess Williamson brings to this episode of the podcast. Her level of introspection and enthus…
Etta Friedman & Allegra Weingarten of Momma
"We don't write on lined paper. That's a big no-no." This episode with Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten of Momma goes deep. We dig into the whys of the writing process, not just the hows. We als…
Dave Lombardo of Slayer, Testament, Mr. Bungle
"A washing machine with a clumpy pair of shoes can be a beautiful thing."
Legendary drummer Dave Lombardo, a founding member of Slayer, finds beauty in the mundane. And also in the annoying: "Even the…
Joseph
Sisters Natalie, Allison, and Meegan from Joseph talk about their individual and collective songwriting processes in this episode. And in that discussion, they each learn something about the others …
Eric D. Johnson of Fruit Bats/Bonny Light Horseman
"I'm a wrong hallway person. I like to make wrong turns."
Eric D. Johnson of Fruit Bats and Bonny Light Horseman makes a lot of mistakes. And that's a good thing, he says, because that's when the good…
Amy Ray (Indigo Girls) and H.C. McEntire
"I've written whole songs on dog walks," says Amy Ray of The Indigo Girls. "I write a lot when I'm on the lawnmower, says H.C. McEntire.
What a great time this was listening to these two friends and…
Alex Skolnick of Testament
(NOTE: This interview is from December 2020. I've converted the video to podcast form. You can watch the interview here.)
It's like opening a time capsule now when I listen to songwriters talk in 2020…
Shana Cleveland of La Luz
"All the time in the world is too much pressure."
Shana Cleveland of La Luz prefers a good deadline when she writes songs. And with a toddler in the house, her day is nothing but deadlines, which are …
Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek
I first interviewed Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek in 2013, and this latest conversation reminded me why she is one one of my favorite interviews. The thoughtfulness and introspection she brings to thi…
Philip Selway of Radiohead
Philip Selway, Radiohead's drummer, says that his best writing happens when "I'm looking the other way. My songs come along when they choose." But while Selway may prefer to wait for the muse, there …
Liz Stokes of The Beths
I love The Beths! So talking to Liz Stokes was a blast. The band's new album Expert in a Dying Field was on almost every 2022 year-end "best of" list. Listen to Stokes talk about the importance of j…