Skip to content
Sign in
Artwork for Caropop
MusicMusic HistoryMusic Interviews

Caropop

Mark Caro

There may be nothing more inspiring and entertaining than relaxed, candid conversations among creative people. Mark Caro, a relentlessly curious journalist and on-stage interviewer, loves digging into the creative process with artists and drawing out surprising stories that illuminate the work that has become part of our lives. The Caropopcast is for anyone who wants to dig deeper into the music, movies, food and culture that they love.

Play
Open in
  • 23 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 59 min
  • English

Episodes 23

NewestOldestLongest
All20Unplayed20In progress0Played0
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • S1 · E238
    Thursday · 1 hr 6 min

    Susan Orlean

    Susan Orlean has a brilliant talent for crafting compelling narratives from idiosyncratic topics that have piqued her interest: orchid poachers in Florida for The Orchid Thief, a movie star dog for Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend and the Los Angeles Central Library for The Library Book, among others. Last year she shifted the focus to herself for a revealing, inspirational memoir, Joyride, that celebrates pursuing one’s curiosity into odd corners. Here Orlean, who preceded me at the Boston Phoenix by a few years, discusses when she knows a topic has reached critical mass to become a book, whether she does all of her reporting before she begins writing, how she decides how much of herself to put into a story, whether she can write whatever she wants now and how her life was affected by Meryl Streep portraying a fictionalized version of her in Adaptation. (Photo by Chloe Aftel.)

  • August 13 · 1 min

    Caropop Summer Recess 2026

    We're going on break! We'll be back the Thursday after Labor Day! In the meantime, you can listen to this message and catch up on old Caropop episodes (no way you've heard all 237!) and check out what we've posted on our Caropop YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@Caropopcast. Please hit "subscribe" while you're there. Enjoy your late summer, and we'll be back with you soon!

  • S1 · E237
    August 6 · 55 min

    Laura Benanti

    Laura Benanti is a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical star who noticed some things while looking back on her life and career. She has channeled these observations—about being a perpetual people-pleaser and evolving from The Sound of Music-starring ingenue to a fortysomething singer, actor and mother—into a one-woman comedy-musical show Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares (which plays at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Aug. 6-9). Here she talks about how she created the material and co-wrote the songs, how different cities and audiences affect her performances, whether she grew up preferring singer-songwriters or musical soundtracks, how she connected with Stephen Colbert and crafted her Melania Trump impersonation on The Late Show, how she’d like to keep scratching her comedy itch, how television factors into her plans and what it might take to get her back onto a Broadway stage. (Photo by Heather Gershonowitz)

  • S1 · E236
    July 30 · 1 hr 5 min

    Michael Hampton (Funkadelic/Parliament)

    Michael Hampton earned the nickname Kidd Funkadelic as the hotshot guitarist who at age 17 joined the Funkadelic/Parliament universe after wowing P-Funk leader George Clinton with his rendition of Eddie Hazel’s epic “Maggot Brain” solo. Hampton eventually made “Maggot Brain” his own and turned in much more head-spinning guitar work, including on Funkadelic’s relentlessly funky “(Not Just) Knee Deep.” Hampton takes us along for the concurrent run of classic 1970s Parliament and Funkadelic albums, such as Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome and One Nation Under a Groove. When he entered the studio, did he know which band's session it was? Was the scene as much of a party as it sounded like? Did that atmosphere help or get in the way or both? Hampton also discusses his new mini concept album, King Kong, and how, with and without P-Funk, he continues to make his guitar sizzle and sing. (Photo by Philip Samuel Smith)

  • S1 · E235
    July 23 · 1 hr 8 min

    Urge Overkill/Exit the Dragon

    Urge Overkill appeared to be riding high after the critical triumph of its 1993 album, Saturation, and the prominent appearance of its Neil Diamond cover, “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon,” in Pulp Fiction in 1994. But by the time the alt-rock trio reunited with producers the Butcher Bros. to record the follow-up album, expectations and circumstances had changed. As singer-songwriter-guitarists Nash Kato and Eddie “King” Roeser recall here in stark detail, the two of them were in different places personally and musically, drummer Blackie Onassis was fighting his own demons, and an unhealthy environment developed around the Butcher Bros.’ new studio outside Philadelphia. Exit the Dragon, the resultant album that recently marked its 30th anniversary, is a dark, slithery, ragged work that has achieved a lasting power amid its tattered nerve endings. What happened here, and why did Exit the Dragon turn out to be the final Urge Overkill album featuring Kato, Roeser and the late Onassis? (Photo: Jerod Herzog)

  • S1 · E234
    July 16 · 1 hr 13 min

    Jason Ringenberg (Jason and the Scorchers/Still Standing)

    Jason and the Scorchers (née Jason and the Nashville Scorchers) were cowpunk trailblazers before anyone was talking about alt-country or Americana. Frontman/songwriter Jason Ringenberg and his bandmates, including fiery guitarist Warner Hodges, infused country music with punk energy to thrilling effect. After EMI America signed the band and added its high-octane cover of Bob Dylan’s “Absolutely Sweet Marie” to its 1983 EP, Fervor, hopes were high. The first album, Lost & Found, generated rave reviews, yet when it came time to make the follow-up, the band had reached a pivot point. To mark the 40th anniversary of that second album, Still Standing, Ringenberg digs deep into the life-altering experience of making it and its aftermath. How did his songwriting change? Why did they hire Cheap Trick producer Tom Werman? Was the plan always to release a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “19th Nervous Breakdown” as the first single? How did Ringenberg get from a downstate Illinois farm to this point? Bonus: There are baby chicks. (Photo by Marty Howell)

  • S1 · E233
    July 9 · 56 min

    Glenn Morrow (Bar/None, Cry for Help)

    Glenn Morrow owned and ran Bar/None Records for decades, signing acts such as They Might Be Giants, Yo La Tengo, Freedy Johnston, Alex Chilton, Ezra Furman and the Feelies. Morrow previously was a writer/editor at the influential punk/new wave magazine New York Rocker, and he fronted bands: “a” was the first to play at the late, great Maxwell’s in Hoboken; the Individuals boosted the power-pop scene; Rage To Live was Bar/None’s first signee; and Glenn Morrow’s Cry for Help, his current group, is about to release Our Final Album Vol. 1. Morrow reflects on his intertwining roles as journalist, label owner and musician. What made Maxwell’s such a special club? How did Bar/None seem like an extension of New York Rocker? How did he feel when Bar/None artists "graduated" to major labels? What’s next for this 70-year-old newly retired music executive still making music?

  • S1 · E232
    July 2 · 45 min

    Liberty DeVitto (Billy Joel), Pt. 2

    In Pt. 2 of this lively, insightful conversation with Liberty DeVitto’, Billy Joel’s longtime drummer revisits the challenge of drumming in the synth-driven 1980s; the making of Joel’s albums The Bridge, Storm Front and River of Dreams; the creation of the smash single “We Didn’t Start the Fire”; the reason DeVitto plays on only one River of Dreams song; and his irate fax that wound up on that last album’s control room wall. DeVitto also addresses his high-profile split from Joel and subsequent lawsuit against the singer-songwriter. How did they reconcile, with Joel writing the foreword to DeVitto’s memoir, Liberty: Life, Billy and the Pursuit of Happiness? Have DeVitto and Joel played together since then? Why or why not? What did DeVitto say that got left on the cutting-room floor of the two-part HBO documentary: Billy Joel: And So It Goes? He recalls playing with Karen Carpenter and Paul McCartney as well. (Photo: Petra den Tenter)

  • S1 · E231
    June 25 · 45 min

    Liberty DeVitto (Billy Joel), Pt. 1

    Hired when Billy Joel wanted “a New York-style drummer,” Liberty DeVitto laid down indelible parts for the singer-songwriter-pianist’s music from 1976’s Turnstiles onward. In part one of a lively two-part conversation, this big-talent, big-personality drummer takes us from his early years, when his and Joel’s teenage bands crossed paths, through their shared success with The Stranger, 52nd Street, Glass Houses, The Nylon Curtain and An Innocent Man. Which Joel song does DeVitto call “the hardest to play and be happy about it”? How did Joel introduce and develop songs with the band? What impact did producer Phil Ramone’s arrival have? On which song did Ramone and DeVitto butt heads over a disco beat? How did the band arrive at the jazz interludes on “Zanzibar”? How much were they listening to the punk/New Wave of the time? Which Nylon Curtain song may be DeVitto’s favorite by Joel? What circumstances drove Joel’s hit throwback album An Innocent Man?

  • S1 · E230
    June 18 · 1 hr 13 min

    Rachel Lichtman

    Rachel Lichtman grew up listening to 1970s AM radio and watching local TV—a world of soothing music, tacky ads, eye-grabbing graphics and reruns galore. A keen-eyed and -eared graphic artist, comedian and filmmaker, Lichtman evokes the humor and beauty of that era in Programme 4, her would-be-station-turned-film she is touring alongside live musical/comedy performances. Based in fictional Golden Sands, Programme 4 presents opening credit sequences for TV shows that should have been (The William Joel Show, A Man Named Brady, Brooker) plus ads, short films and killer jokes revolving around harpsichords, the Rhodes electric piano and steamy brown coffee. Aimee Mann, Ted Leo and Dag Juhlin are among an all-star cast that has contributed to the Easy AM 66 (“Your Beautiful Music Station”) playlists and performs at the variety shows. Where did Lichtman’s love for this vibe and aesthetic come from? How did she conjure up the vision and develop the skills to pull off this unique project?

  • S1 · E229
    June 11 · 54 min

    Swamp Dogg

    Swamp Dogg turns 84 on July 12, making him 24 days younger than Paul McCartney, yet he’s still on the rise. He’s been gaining new fans through the 2024 documentary Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted; his 31st album, Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife, is out June 19; and then there’s his cookbook, If You Can Kill It, I Can Cook It. Formerly known as Jerry Williams and Little Jerry Williams, Swamp Dogg is an all-time talent and character. The cover of his 1971 album Rat On! is hall-of-fame worthy itself, but he also has written, performed and/or produced about 2,000 songs while working with hundreds of artists on close to 500 albums. Speaking from his now-famous house, Swamp Dogg reflects on his seven decades of making music; the ways politics and race affected his career; his friendship with John Prine; his role in the 1983 album Beatle Barkers (!) and his ability to keep his songwriting, voice and sense of humor sharp. (Photo by Cooper Davidson.)

  • S1 · E228
    June 4 · 1 hr 12 min

    Ike Reilly

    Singer-songwriter Ike Reilly has been reaching critical mass. He shared a microphone with Bruce Springsteen in January, has gained new fans with the 2024 documentary Don’t Turn Your Back on Friday Night (as well as his SiriusXM show), and is wowing more listeners than ever with his longtime band the Ike Reilly Assassination. He has made music his family business, with his three sons performing with him while his oldest son, Shane, is featured on his new album, Blind and Surrounded, out June 12. Reilly’s sharply observed songs can rouse you and/or break your heart, and he’s quite a storyteller. Here he reflects on how his sons relate to him as a band leader vs. father, and he discusses his friendships with fellow Libertyville, Ill.,, native Tom Morello and Cracker’s David Lowery and Johnny Hickman, among others. A former gravedigger and employee-of-the-year Park Hyatt doorman, Reilly also recalls getting stiffed by a future President of the United States—and what he did in response.

  • S1 · E227
    May 28 · 1 hr 2 min

    Tom "Grover" Biery (Pet Sounds)

    To mark the 60th anniversary of the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, Interscope-Capitol has released a limited-edition Definitive Sound Series One Step version of this landmark album. Tom “Grover” Biery, who oversaw the project, tells of its unusual sourcing, which involves the 1972 master of Pet Sounds that was released as part of a double LP with the then-new Beach Boys album Carl and the Passions “So Tough.” Why was that 1972 Pet Sounds so revered, and how did it come to be used here instead of the original 1966 mono master? How does this DSS version differ from the mono/stereo Pet Sounds that Universal's Vinylphyle series just released? Do people buying these new Pet Sounds versions already own multiple copies? (Raises hand...) Biery also produced One-Steps from Dr. Dre, Beck, R.E.M. (as previously discussed on Caropop), Tom Petty, Green Day and Prince and the Revolution, and he explains why the quality justifies the price.

  • S1 · E226
    May 21 · 1 hr

    Bill Million (The Feelies)

    Bill Million’s percussive strumming propels the Crazy Rhythms of the Feelies, who are playing their only two 2026 shows—and perhaps their final shows ever—May 22 and 23 in Jersey City, New Jersey. As the band marks its 50th anniversary, Million reflects on his songwriting partnership and dueling guitar sounds with lead singer/guitarist Glenn Mercer. How did Mercer and he decide which guitars to play, and did Million always see himself as a rhythm guy? Did they know the Feelies would return, even with a different lineup, during the six-year period between Crazy Rhythms and The Good Earth? What was Million doing while the Feelies weren’t playing between 1992 and 2008? Does Million feel more magic in the studio or on stage? Who sets the rhythm and tempo when the Feelies perform live? What are the Feelies’ plans for recording new material—and how might their instrumentals-oriented alter-ego, the Willies, fit in?

  • S1 · E225
    May 14 · 51 min

    Dave Gregory 2026, Pt. 2 (XTC)

    Part 2 of this splendid conversation with XTC guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Dave Gregory picks up with the band’s ill-fated 1982 trip to the U.S. and the end of its touring days. How did he deal with the financial ramifications? Was it necessary for XTC to stop touring to reach its subsequent creative heights? Was the studio Gregory’s happy place, or did he long to be back on stage? How did he balance virtuosity vs. trying to play the perfect part for each song? Which XTC songs did he most regret not being able to play live? Could he still play a frenetic song like “Scissor Man”? Are more “Live Boots” recordings coming? Gregory also revisits his exit from the band and relates the current state of XTC and grudge-holding. Did he see Colin Moulding’s and Terry Chambers’ TC&I project or Chambers’ EXTC tribute band? And does he think the XTeeHee parodies on YouTube are by none other than Andy Partridge?

  • S1 · E224
    May 7 · 55 min

    Dave Gregory 2026, Pt. 1 (XTC)

    We’re so happy to welcome back to Caropop one of our favorite musicians, XTC guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Dave Gregory. The occasion is the Record Store Day release—and upcoming CD—of XTC’s fast, furious performance on Live Boots: Emerald City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, 17th April 1981. In Pt. 1 of this two-parter, Gregory discusses why the band played everything at such breakneck speed and whether he admires or regrets that approach now; what he thinks of the “bootleg” sound quality; how XTC approached concerts differently in the U.S. and U.K.; whether XTC might have lasted longer as a live band if frontman Andy Partridge didn’t throw himself so intensely into each performance; how (or whether) Gregory’s ears survived the tour; which guitars he took on the road; and how the band’s live attack differed on 1982’s abortive English Settlement tour. We also go down a Rickenbacker rabbit hole.

  • S1 · E223
    April 30 · 1 hr

    Zev Feldman/Jazz Showcase

    Joe Segal, who would have turned 100 on April 24, recorded 8- to-10,000 shows at his own Jazz Showcase and other Chicago clubs. In 2011, “Jazz Detective” Zev Feldman began visiting Segal and exploring his vast archive. Joe Segal died in 2020, but Feldman continued to work with Segal’s son, current Jazz Showcase owner Wayne Segal, and on Record Store Day, live-at-the-Jazz-Showcase albums were released from Joe Henderson, Ahmad Jamal, Yusef Lateef and Mal Waldron, plus an earlier Segal-recorded performance from Terry Callier. Feldman here describes the archive, the tapes’ condition (reel-to-reel? cassettes?), the recordings’ quality and why a digital step was used to prepare them for release. He also discusses why these performances were chosen for release first and what else is in store. And he tells how he wound up with 11 Record Store Day releases this year, including acclaimed ones by Freddie King and Buster Williams. (Photo by Zak Shelby-Szyszko)

  • #222
    April 23 · 49 min

    Brendan Hunt (The Movement You Need, Ted Lasso)

    Brendan Hunt, a.k.a. Coach Beard on Ted Lasso, is back in his hometown of Chicago to open a one-man show at Steppenwolf Theatre: The Movement You Need. The title comes from “Hey Jude,” and Hunt’s subject is how his mother and he bonded over the Beatles amid more troublesome aspects of their relationship. Here we bat around the Beatles and their appeal to parents and kids, all while so little current music sounds like them. Hunt also discusses the motivation and process of creating a one-man show, with Broadway in his sights. This emotionally loaded gig, with its eight performances a week, certainly requires much more talking than the laconic Coach Beard. Hunt reflects on his longtime collaboration with friend Jason Sudeikis; they’re Ted Lasso co-creators/co-writers who previously worked together in the Amsterdam-based improv troupe Boom Chicago. Given that Sudeikis and Hunt initially characterized Ted Lasso as a three-part journey, how did they recalibrate to create the upcoming Season 4? (Photo by Robyn Von Swank)

  • S1 · E221
    April 16 · 1 hr 10 min

    Tim Peterson/Squeezebox (Record Store Day)

    It's time to get the record store perspective on Record Store Day (April 18) from Tim Peterson, owner of Squeezebox Books & Music in Evanston, Ill. That’s where I line up each RSD morning, so I visited Peterson to hear him explain how it all works. How does he determine which and how many records to order? Does he usually get what he wants? Is it worse to over- or under-order? Do the first-in-line customers tend to be flippers or just big fans? When Taylor Swift has an RSD offering, does that boost other sales? Which of this year’s releases will be most in demand? What are the sleepers? What percentage of the store’s annual sales come from Record Store Day? We also dissect the types of RSD offerings, such as live albums (and the inevitable Grateful Dead box); picture discs and zoetropes; collections of demos, alternative versions and rarities; deluxe album editions; represses of albums you’ve never heard of; and various-artists compilations.

  • S1 · E220
    April 9 · 1 hr 11 min

    Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill, Topolobampo)

    Chef Rick Bayless worked in his parents’ Oklahoma City BBQ restaurant before he found his passion exploring Mexico’s regional foods. When he and his wife Deann opened Chicago’s game-changing Frontera Grill in March 1987, he wowed the ever-packed dining rooms with complexly flavored Mexican dishes featuring hard-to-source ingredients. The chef pushed the boundaries of fine dining two years later by opening Topolobampo, which, like Frontera Grill, would win the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Restaurant award, with Bayless previously named Outstanding Chef. Topolobampo became a favorite date spot for Barack and Michelle Obama, who invited Bayless to prepare a White House state dinner. Speaking in a conference room above Frontera Grill, Bayless reflects upon all that plus his experience winning Top Chef Masters; his other restaurants that include Xoco, Bar Sótano and the Tortas Fronteras outlets that serve O’Hare International Airport’s best food; the Frontera retail ventures and what happened to my favorite granola; his efforts to combine cooking and acting on stage; and the post-pandemic state of business, with Frontera’s 40th anniversary approaching.

Showing 1–20 of 23 episodes