WAIM #133: Dan Nordheim from 'Life Of The Record'

Dan Nordheim’s amazing podcast Life Of The Record is a treasure trove for record nerds like me. On each episode, Dan focuses on one important album in the annals of rock history. But these episodes are far more than a simple academic rehash of famous records and rock star exploits. Nordheim conducts in depth interviews with the people that made these records to get the truth of where these artists were in their personal and professional lives when they made these groundbreaking albums.

The stories told on Life Of The Record come directly from the mouths of the folks who lived it. There are no talking heads or historical perspectives, just first person accounts of what really happened. Nordheim deftly weaves his excellent interview footage with song snippets to create a gorgeous aural history. For his part, Nordheim takes a behind the scenes approach. His voice only appears on the pod during the intro, allowing him to remove even his own persona from the finished product, letting the record and the artist stand on their own terms.

Life Of The Record’s impressive catalog now features more than 60 episodes that play like full length audio documentaries. During that run, Nordheim has helped to share the fascinating stories behind records from beloved acts like Tom Petty, A Tribe Called Quest, Bonnie Prince Billy, Richard & Linda Thompson, My Morning Jacket, The Jesus & Mary Chain, and many more. In cataloging these stories, Nordheim is preserving a wide swath of rock history in audio form. Every episode and interview offers a wealth of information, insight, and enlightenment about some of your favorite albums of all time.

So, come join me and Dan Nordheim for a dive into how some of the greatest LPs of all time were constructed, and some of the lessons that have been learned along the way.

Let’s get into it.

Cheers,
Matty C