Ever since hearing the title track of Slow Turning back around 1990, I’ve been curious about John Hiatt and his career, but never did much actual exploring. I am fortunate to have Michael Elliott, author of Have a Little Faith: The Story of John Hiatt, join me for this episode to walk me through one of Hiatt’s most important and critically-acclaimed albums, Bring the Family. Michael talks about his roughly 30 years of work in the radio industry, the process behind writing his Hiatt biography and his thoughts about the featured album.
You can follow Mike on Twitter and Instagram at @mikejelliott.
As Mike mentioned, if you visit his site, michael-elliott.com, you’ll get to see what he has been up to, with links to his blog and latest pieces in No Depression, Pop Matters and several other publications.
Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.
1:22 Michael joins the show
3:37 Michael talks about his career in radio
9:19 Al and Michael geek out over King Crimson
10:09 One of Michael’s sons introduced him to mashups
12:35 Michael and Al bemoan radio’s diminishing role in helping people discover music
15:04 Al learned about John Hiatt at a time when many others did, too
17:28 Michael explains how his book on Hiatt came to be
23:30 Michael’s book gave Al an appreciation for Hiatt’s contributions to music
25:40 Michael illustrates why Bring the Family holds a key place in Hiatt’s discography
29:50 The themes of Bring the Family reflect a new level of maturity, introspection and vulnerability for Hiatt
Breakdown of the album’s tracks
35:29 Stood Up
39:58 Your Dad Did
40:59 Michael explains how Hiatt got the band he had for Bring the Family
47:23 Have a Little Faith in Me
48:22 Learning How to Love You
50:58 Memphis in the Meantime
53:51 Your Dad Did (again)
54:57 Thing Called Love
59:09 Alone in the Dark
1:01:06 Lipstick Sunset
1:03:58 Thank You Girl
1:05:29 Tip of My Tongue
1:08:18 Michael talks about playing in cover bands
1:11:10 Michael discusses his current projects and future plans