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This week on The Moment, Brian Koppelman talks to John Moreland, the masterful singer-songwriter best known for his albums In the Throes (2013) and High on Tulsa Heat (2015). Fresh off his European tour with Jason Isbell, John joins us in the studio to talk about writing songs on the road and why nowadays, it’s more difficult to find the right melody than the right words (7:20). Plus, John describes how he first fell in love with music (12:20), why he chooses to not idolize the greats (31:15), and how his goal as a writer is to build what Bob Dylan would call “sturdy songs” (34:00).
Stick around at the end of the show for a performance of “Nobody Gives a Damn About Songs Anymore” by John Moreland.
And also, check out John’s performance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert by clicking here.
Topics mentioned:
- High on Tulsa Heat by John Moreland
- In the Throes by John Moreland
- Earthbound Blues by John Moreland
- “Nobody Gives a Damn About Songs Anymore” by John Moreland
- “Shiny Happy People” by R.E.M.
- “Stand” by REM
- “White Flag” by John Moreland
- “Elephant” by Jason Isbell
- “Step Inside This House” by Lyle Lovett
- “One Headlight” by the Wallflowers
- “Rich Man’s War” by Steve Earle
- “Hearts Too Heavy” by John Moreland
- “Hang Me in the Tulsa County Stars” by John Moreland
- Heartworn Highways
- Don’t Look Back
- Old No. 1 by Guy Clark
- Dublin Blues by Guy Clark
- Live at the Old Quarter by Townes Van Zandt
- Run the Jewels
- “Bad Liver and a Broken Heart” by Hayes Carll
- World Gone Wrong by Bob Dylan
- “Sing Me Back Home” by Merle Haggard
- Son of Anarchy
People mentioned:
- John Moreland
- Edgar Cayce
- Jason Isbell
- Harry Nilsson
- Tom Petty
- Bruce Springsteen
- Jason Molina
- Lightnin’ Hopkins
- ZZ Top
- Guy Clark
- Townes Van Zandt
- Red City Radio
- Banner Pilot
- Randy Newman
- Aaron Lee Tasjan
- John Prine
- Christian Lee Hutson
- Toby Keith
Twitter: @BrianKoppelman
iTunes: itunes.com/themoment
Podcast production by Jayson De Leon.
