Wheels Off with Rhett Miller

Rhett Miller
  • 4.9 (601)
  • MUSIC
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Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for the Old 97s, hosts “Wheels Off” a show about the messy reality of the creative life. Conversations with musicians, writers, artists, actors, and comedians about the pivotal moments that shaped their work, what it means to create in a digital age and grapple with the challenges, and the joy, of living a creative life.

  1. Jared Mezzocchi on Creativity, Grief, and Building “Impossible” Theater

    3D AGO

    Jared Mezzocchi on Creativity, Grief, and Building “Impossible” Theater

    Theater director, playwright, and multimedia artist Jared Mezzocchi joins Rhett for a conversation about what it means to make ambitious, technology-forward work without losing the human heart of the story. Mezzocchi shares how he’s drawn to projects that seem “impossible” on paper—from a pandemic-era play about content moderation, to a site-specific production about the 1944 Hartford circus fire. He explains why impossibility isn’t a deterrent, but an opportunity for experimentation. The conversation moves into the emotional reality of creative life: the grief of letting go after opening night, the dangerous pull of people-pleasing, and the long work of strengthening what Mezzocchi calls a “sense of self.” He reflects on losing his father at 19, how that shaped his relationship to theater and film, and why mortality, impermanence, and presence sit at the center of his work. Rhett and Jared also talk about AI, technology anxiety, and why friction between machines and humanity may actually clarify what makes art—and people—matter.  Follow Jared @jaredmezzocchi Follow Rhett @rhettmiller Wheels Off is hosted and produced by Rhett Miller. Executive producer is Kirsten Cluthe, Studio Kairos. Music by Old 97’s. Episode artwork by Mark Dowd. Show logo by Tim Skirven. Watch the podcast on Spotify, and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also ask Alexa to play it.   Revisit previous episodes of Wheels Off with guests Rosanne Cash, Rob Thomas, Jeff Tweedy, Lucinda Williams, Stewart Copeland, Jennifer Egan, Nick Hornby, and more. If you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    40 min
  2. Rodney Crowell on Intention, Patience, and the Long Game

    FEB 8

    Rodney Crowell on Intention, Patience, and the Long Game

    Rodney Crowell, often called a “songwriter’s songwriter” and a foundational voice in Americana, joins Rhett for a conversation about intention, craft, and the long game of staying creatively alive. Crowell shares hard-won lessons about process: how spending time on memoir pages puts him in a “workshop of words,” so that when he turns back to the guitar he’s already thinking in language. He talks about patience as the difference between forcing a song and letting it reveal itself, his approach to collaboration, the discipline of revision, and how creative confidence is built the unglamorous way: by showing up for the work, again and again. His new album “Airline Highway” is available now. Follow Rodney @rodneyjcrowell Follow Rhett @rhettmiller Wheels Off is hosted and produced by Rhett Miller. Executive producer is Kirsten Cluthe, Studio Kairos. Music by Old 97’s. Episode artwork by Mark Dowd. Show logo by Tim Skirven. Watch the podcast on Spotify, and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also ask Alexa to play it.   Revisit previous episodes of Wheels Off with guests Rosanne Cash, Rob Thomas, Jeff Tweedy, Lucinda Williams, Stewart Copeland, Jennifer Egan, Nick Hornby, and more. If you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    39 min
  3. Lizzie No on Folk Music, Protest, and Surviving the New Music Economy

    FEB 3

    Lizzie No on Folk Music, Protest, and Surviving the New Music Economy

    Lizzie No makes music rooted in the traditions of blues, folk, and country, filtered through an indie sensibility that resists easy categorization. Often compared to Allison Russell, Rhiannon Giddens, and Adia Victoria, she moves easily between musical worlds, collaborating with artists including Brian Dunne, Pom Pom Squad, and Domino Kirke. In this episode, Lizzie joins Rhett to talk about why folk music is a process rather than a style, and how songwriting, community, and organizing intersect in her work. She also gets practical: how she works through self-doubt, why making records is financially unsustainable for many artists, and how those constraints are pushing musicians back toward live, imperfect, human performances. The conversation also touches on her latest album, Halfsies, an immersive, narrative-driven record that follows the character Miss Freedomland from isolation toward liberation, confronting personal grief alongside an increasingly volatile American political landscape. LIzzie is on tour with the Old 97s beginning in March. Follow Lizzie @lizzie.no Follow Rhett @rhettmiller Wheels Off is hosted and produced by Rhett Miller. Executive producer is Kirsten Cluthe, Studio Kairos. Music by Old 97’s. Episode artwork by Mark Dowd. Show logo by Tim Skirven. Watch the podcast on Spotify, and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also ask Alexa to play it.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    31 min
  4. Hayes Carll on Creativity as a Long Game

    JAN 6

    Hayes Carll on Creativity as a Long Game

    Hayes Carll joins Wheels Off for a wide-ranging, deeply reflective conversation about songwriting as a lifelong practice rather than a race. Speaking candidly about his early obsessiveness, creative doubt, and eventual comfort in his own voice, Carll traces the evolution of his process—from locking himself in a room chasing melodies to learning how to trust silence and timing. The conversation explores how Carll writes songs today, why collaboration has become central to his creative life, and how working across different mediums has sharpened his instincts as a songwriter. He discusses the freedom that comes from not playing it safe, and the idea that creativity is not about speed or output, but about staying curious, present, and willing to be vulnerable. Follow Hayes @hayescarll Follow Rhett @rhettmiller Wheels Off is hosted and produced by Rhett Miller. Executive producer is Kirsten Cluthe, Studio Kairos. Music by Old 97’s. Episode artwork by Mark Dowd. Show logo by Tim Skirven. Watch the podcast on Spotify, and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also ask Alexa to play it.   Revisit previous episodes of Wheels Off with guests Rosanne Cash, Rob Thomas, Jeff Tweedy, The Milk Carton Kids, and more. If you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    42 min
  5. Will Johnson: Songwriting, Collaboration, and the Long Game

    12/23/2025

    Will Johnson: Songwriting, Collaboration, and the Long Game

    Will Johnson joins Wheels Off to talk about making Diamond City on a four-track cassette recorder, touring with Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, and building a creative life that spans music, painting, and writing. A conversation about patience, fearlessness, collaboration, and why the quiet stretches matter just as much as the work. Wheels Off is hosted and produced by Rhett Miller. Executive producer Kirsten Cluthe, Studio Kairos. Music by Old 97’s. Episode artwork by Mark Dowd. Show logo by Tim Skirven. Watch the podcast on Spotify, and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also ask Alexa to play it.   Revisit previous episodes of Wheels Off with guests Rosanne Cash, Rob Thomas, Jeff Tweedy, The Milk Carton Kids, and more. If you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    35 min

  6. 12/09/2025

    Clover County

    Rhett sits down with singer-songwriter Clover County, whose debut record arrives after years of writing, refining, and navigating the rollercoaster of early adulthood in public. From her roots in Athens and Atlanta to discovering her home on the road, Clover talks candidly about identity, ambition, private versus public life, and how she’s learned to trust her instincts as her songs evolve. She breaks down her writing process, shares the epiphany that pushed her out of accounting class and into a touring van, and reflects on the tension between vulnerability and expectation in Nashville’s creative ecosystem.  Clover County’s new album is available now Wheels Off is hosted and produced by Rhett Miller. Executive producer Kirsten Cluthe. Music by Old 97’s. Episode artwork by Mark Dowd. Show logo by Tim Skirven. Watch the podcast on Spotify, and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also ask Alexa to play it.   Revisit previous episodes of Wheels Off with guests Rosanne Cash, Rob Thomas, Jeff Tweedy, The Milk Carton Kids, and more. If you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    29 min
  7. The Bones of J.R. Jones

    11/25/2025

    The Bones of J.R. Jones

    Rhett welcomes Jonathon Linaberry, the creative force behind The Bones of J.R. Jones, for a conversation about music, artistic evolution, and the emotional realities of releasing work into the world. They discuss his new album Radio Waves, life in upstate New York, and the tension between creation and promotion. Jonathon traces his unexpected path from punk bands and art school to becoming a one-man musical entity, reflects on anonymity and identity, and talks candidly about how writing, recording, and performing remain essential ways of processing the world.  Follow Jonathon @thebonesofjrjones Out now! Listen to Rhett’s new album “A lifetime of riding by night” https://rhettmiller.com/ Wheels Off is hosted and produced by Rhett Miller. Executive producer Kirsten Cluthe. Music by Old 97’s. Episode artwork by Mark Dowd. Show logo by Tim Skirven. Watch this episode and more on Wheels Off YouTube and Spotify, listen on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also ask Alexa to play it.   Revisit previous episodes of Wheels Off with guests Rosanne Cash, Rob Thomas, Jeff Tweedy, The Milk Carton Kids, and more. If you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    36 min

  8. 11/11/2025

    David Fleming

    Writer David Fleming joins Rhett to dig into craft, career pivots, and the true story behind A Big Mess in Texas—the wild rise-and-fall of the 1952 Dallas Texans (owned by Rhett’s grandfather). Fleming talks about finding meaning in real life, learning to “disappear” as a writer, managing deadlines without losing your mind, and why the work (not the label) is what matters. It’s a candid, funny, and generous conversation about storytelling, identity, and doing your best work—whether you call it sports writing or just great writing. David Fleming is a Peabody-nominated correspondent for Meadowlark Media, longtime ESPN senior writer, author of Who's Your Founding Father?; Breaker Boys; Noah's Rainbow; and, A BIG MESS IN TEXAS - The Miraculous, Disastrous 1952 Dallas Texans and The Craziest Untold Story in NFL History. Out now! Listen to Rhett’s new album “A lifetime of riding by night” https://rhettmiller.com/ Wheels Off is hosted and produced by Rhett Miller. Executive producer Kirsten Cluthe. Music by Old 97’s. Episode artwork by Mark Dowd. Show logo by Tim Skirven. This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also ask Alexa to play it.   Listen to previous episodes of Wheels Off with guests Rosanne Cash, Rob Thomas, Jeff Tweedy, Stewart Copeland, Lucinda Williams, and many more. If you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    38 min
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Hosts & Guests

4.9
out of 5
601 Ratings

About

Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for the Old 97s, hosts “Wheels Off” a show about the messy reality of the creative life. Conversations with musicians, writers, artists, actors, and comedians about the pivotal moments that shaped their work, what it means to create in a digital age and grapple with the challenges, and the joy, of living a creative life.

Information

  • Creator
    Rhett Miller
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    244
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Studio Kairos • Rhett Miller
  • Show Website
    Wheels Off with Rhett Miller

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