What Am I Making
What Am I Making Podcast
WAIM #049 - S.W. Lauden
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WAIM #049 - S.W. Lauden

Writer, drummer, and fellow substacker S.W. Lauden drops by for a jam-packed chat on cultural inheritance, rock going back underground, and the ins and outs of modern day guitar pop.

Remember The Lightning is a love letter to guitar pop. Its author,

has been firmly in the grasp of rock and roll since he can remember. Steve’s truly lived a life in rock trenches and lived to tell the tale. He’s not only spent a life writing about rock and roll, he played drums in one time major label darlings, Tsar, as well as in his current band The Brothers Steve

Lauden’s writing on music has been a lifelong love affair culminating in several non-fiction books on the subject, and with a series of punk rock detective novels featuring musical PI, Greg Salem. He is even collecting the best writing from his Substack along with several guest contributors for an annual pair of physical books on the subject of guitar pop and its various iterations and purveyors. Volume Three is presently in the works.

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Some of S.W. Lauden's impressive bibliography.

BUY S.W. LAUDEN'S BOOKS

During our eclectic and varied chat, we hit upon the idea of cultural inheritance and how we all rebel against it. Steve and I discuss how guitar based rock music has ceased to be the dominant force in music any longer, and why it needed to go back underground to get relevant once again. 

There are forays into the lasting legacy of the Beatles, the waning influence of rock and roll, and the glory of growing up with older brothers who were more like cool uncles. Of course we also tackle the overuse of the term power pop and the nerds that try to neatly define it. 

This is a great chat with a terrific writer who has lived a life deep in the guitar pop salt mines, seen his share of rock history, and a dude who still has much to say about where the artform of guitar pop might be headed, and why it still matters. 

Cheers,

Matty C

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What Am I Making
What Am I Making Podcast
Hey there. I’m Matty C. For the formally inclined folks in the crowd, the official designation is Matt Carlson.
I am a 50 year old musician, songwriter, and graphic designer that's spent the Covid era pondering deep and meaningful questions about music, film, literature and art in the 21st century.
It seems as though we’re living in age where musicians have to give their music away, content is around every corner and we don’t seem to really value much of any of it the way we used to.
What is it really like to make a living pursuing a life in the arts these days? Why are we seeing a lower percentage of artists in the workforce than at anytime in 100 years?
Now, I’ve reached a point of massive change in my life and I am preparing to spend more of my time, and hopefully, generating a portion of my income from my creative endeavors. That’s a terrifying endeavor, but it’s also incredibly exciting.
I’ll be discussing these ideas and a whole lot more of my own curiosity and creative endeavors on this platform using the written word, videos, podcasts, music and probably some other assets I learn along the way. I’ll be seeking out smart, and fascinating creatives as they build their own lives while fighting an ever-growing series of new challenges and opportunities.
All of these journeys and detours are an effort to share my exploration of culture in the modern world, and to help shine a brighter light on the work I have been doing for years as a musician, designer and podcaster.
This discussion is at the very center of our civilization, what it means to be human andhow to find a meaningful way to connect through that shared humanity in the form of artistic expression. Art is at the core of the relationship. Let’s explore it with that context, and that incalculable value, in mind.
If you enjoy what you hear on the show, please subscribe to my Substack where I also I post this podcast as well as a variety of essays, video and recordings regularly in my search to find out what art really matters to people right here and right now, and they are willing to do to invest in our culture.
Thank you so much for being here. It’s wonderful to have your support.
https://whatamimaking.substack.com