The Sound of Success with Nic Harcourt

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The Sound of Success with Nic Harcourt

Fascinating folks of note, from writers and musicians/artists to business and tech leaders, are interviewed by well-known LA radio DJ Nic Harcourt about the songs, bands, and concerts that have influenced their lives from childhood to now. What are the tracks they return to over and over, and what new artists have they embraced in recent years? Would they be the person they are today without this music? With the Sound of Success, Harcourt turns his legendarily expansive knowledge of music to host revealing and relatable interviews about the artists and sounds that have meant the most to a wide range of people.

  1. 6 DAYS AGO

    On Gail Ann Dorsey's ninth birthday, her godmother and neighbor Edith gave her a Kay parlor guitar. The first album she bought was 'Slayed' by Slade, and Isaac Hayes was the first artist she saw live in concert.

    Accomplished songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and one of the most highly regarded bass guitar players working today, Gail Ann Dorsey is Nic's guest on this episode. As a session musician Gail's work has graced recordings and performances by numerous artists. including The National, Lenny Kravitz, Bryan Ferry, Boy George, The The, Gwen Stefani, Seal, Charlie Watts, Gang of Four, Ani DiFranco, Indigo Girls and Tears For Fears, PLUS she played in David Bowie's band, from 1995 thru his last tour in 2004! Aside from playing bass with Bowie, she sang lead vocals on live versions of "Under Pressure" (taking the part originally sung by Queen frontman Freddie Mercury) and dueted with Bowie on a whole host of other songs and contributed bass and or backing vocals on his albums 'Earthling', 'Heathen', 'Reality', and 'The Next Day.' Gail has also released three solo albums: 'The Corporate World ' (1988), 'Rude Blue' (1992), and 'I Used To Be...' (2003). Bass Player magazine gave her a Lifetime Achievement Award In December 2021,

    1h 20m

  2. DEC 3

    The Spice Girls loom large in Lauren Mayberry's musical DNA & she thinks that Missy Elliott has made some of the best music videos of all time. George Michael or Whitney Houston will get her dancing & maybe, there's a Broadway musical in her future.

    Lauren Mayberry is the lead singer of the Scottish band Chvrches. She has played the piano since she was a child and drums since she was a teenager. Before her music career took off Lauren completed a four-year undergraduate law degree at the University of Strathclyde and earned a master's degree in journalism leading to her first gig in music as a freelance music journalist. In Chvrches she co-writes and co-produces the bands material with Iain Cook and Martin Doherty. At the time of this conversation at the end of October 2024 Lauren is readying the release of her debut solo album 'Vicious Creature'.

    45 min

  3. SEP 18

    B-52's founding member Kate Pierson's first music purchase was Sheb Wooley's "Purple People Eater", her first concert? The Doors (Jim Morrison dropped his pants) in Chicago, and the music of Neil Diamond is a guilty pleasure.

    Kate Pierson's band the B-52s, who formed in Athens Georgia in 1976, have a long list of bona fide hits, including "Rock Lobster" "Planet Claire" "Party Out of Bounds" "Private Idaho "Love Shack" and "Roam". Her distinctive mezzo-soprano vocal range is a trademark of the B-52s' unique sound. Outside of her work with the band she has appeared in films and TV shows, including "The Flintstones" (with the BC-52's) and "Flight of the Conchords". Kate has collaborated with many artists throughout her career including The Ramones, Iggy Pop, David Byrne and R.E.M. At the time of our conversation in August 2024 Kate talks about her musical journey and discusses her second solo album "Radio and Rainbows".

    41 min

  4. SEP 11

    Thurston Moore wrang glorious sounds from his electric guitar through his work with Sonic Youth, who in 1981 emerged from the experimental No Wave art & music scene in New York before evolving into arguably the most influential independent band ever

    Nic is joined on this episode by guitarist, singer, songwriter and author Thurston Moore, who is probably best known as a member of the groundbreaking and highly influential band Sonic Youth. Outside of that band Thurston has a long list of side projects and credits, including work with John Zorn, Richard Hell, Lydia Lunch, Yoko Ono, Dave Grohl. REM, and Beck! He has also made 9 solo albums, the most recent of which 'Flow Critical Lucidity' is set for a September 2024 release. In 1981 he founded the Ecstatic Peace! record label which has released more than 200 LPs, cassettes, 7"s, and CDs, of both established and fledgling artists. His creative palette has included writing and performing music for film, narrating documentaries for the National Geographic channel, a residency at the Louvre, and teaching writing at Allen Ginsberg & Anne Waldman’s Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Boulder’s Naropa University. He is an honorary professor at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, Denmark.

    1h 2m

  5. JUN 14

    Musician. curator and composer Camilo Lara grew up in the Mexico City neighborhood where Trotsky lived. His earliest musical memory is XTC's album 'English Settlement', his first concert, The Cure In San Diego on their 'Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me' tour.

    Camilo Lara is perhaps best known for music that he releases under the name Mexican Institute of Sound, with six full-length albums released since 2006 and a recent compilation 'Algo Ritmo Hits 2004 - 2024'. He is also a highly sought after producer and his list of collaborators is long and impressive, Sly and Robbie, Tom Tom Club, Gaby Moreno, Calexico, and Norah Jones are just a few. Camilo is in high demand as a remixer, having worked on tracks by many artists including Metallica, Run The Jewels, Beck, Madness, Beastie Boys and Julieta Venegas. He works in Television and Film as a music supervisor and composer, with credits including Showtime's 'Californication', and Netflix’s 'Narcos Mexico' and movies like 'Y Tu Mama Tambien', Pixar’s 'Coco' and Disney’s 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'. Camilo recently picked up an Emmy for his work on the Apple TV show 'Home'. He is also a part of Daniam Albarn’s Africa Express project that facilitates collaborations between African, Middle Eastern and Western musicians.

    37 min

  6. MAY 22

    Neil Finn's first musical memory is of his mother singing while washing dishes. The first album he bought was Donovan's 'Fairy Tale', his first live show was Elton John at Western Springs in Auckland & he's a fan of ethnomusicologist David Fanshawe.

    Neil Finn is best known for being in two of the most important bands to come out of his homeland of New Zealand. Split Enz, a band in which he shared writing and lead duties with his brother Tim, That band had a string of hit's including "I Got You", "History Never Repeats" and "Message to My Girl". After that band broke up he was a founding member of Crowded House whose hits include "Don't Dream It's Over", "Weather with You" and "Fall at Your Feet". He has collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Paul Kelly and his brother (Tim) as the Finn Brothers. He has released four solo records and has also been a member of Fleetwood Mac since 2018. At the time of this conversation in May of 2024, Neil was readying the release of Crowded House’s 8th studio album "Gravity Stairs” and a world tour.

    35 min

  7. APR 18

    Stuart Murdoch is the lead singer and songwriter of the band Belle and Sebastian which began as a project at the University of Glasgow. His early music purchases included albums by Simon and Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder and the Welsh metal band Budgie.

    Musician, writer and filmmaker Stuart Murdoch is the lead singer and songwriter for the Scottish band Belle and Sebastian. The group's first album 'Tigermilk' was released to critical claim in 1996; sparking a career that has seen them put out a series of singles, 9 ep’s and 12 albums, the most recent, 'Late Developers was released in 2023'. Stuart says "We definitely wouldn't describe ourselves as a 'rock band', we aspire toward what we would call 'classic pop music.'" They highlight pop records from 1979 onwards as the style that unites the passions between the band members.

    38 min

  8. 12/20/2023

    Jason Schwartzman's earliest musical memories are his mom playing the tape of the musical 'Into the Woods' in the car, and listening to Michael Jackson's thriller on his Boombox; the first album he bought with his own $ was Nirvana's 'Nevermind'.

    Actor, writer, and musician, Jason Schwartzman began his acting career in 1998 when, at the age of 18, he starred in Wes Anderson’s 'Rushmore'. Since then he has taken roles in an eclectic array of both film and television projects. His movies include, 'Marie Antoinette', 'Saving Mr. Banks', 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' and 'The Polka King', his most recent films are Wes Anderson’s 'Asteroid City' and 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Among his television credits are 'Mozart in the Jungle', 'Fargo' and 'The Righteous Gemstones'. Jason has musical roots; when Nic first met him, he was the drummer in Phantom Planet. More recently he has released solo material under the Coconut Records moniker.

    51 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Fascinating folks of note, from writers and musicians/artists to business and tech leaders, are interviewed by well-known LA radio DJ Nic Harcourt about the songs, bands, and concerts that have influenced their lives from childhood to now. What are the tracks they return to over and over, and what new artists have they embraced in recent years? Would they be the person they are today without this music? With the Sound of Success, Harcourt turns his legendarily expansive knowledge of music to host revealing and relatable interviews about the artists and sounds that have meant the most to a wide range of people.

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