BV Interviews: A Podcast About Music

This week we've got an interview with The Darkness' Justin Hawkins that is just now making its podcast debut, but was actually recorded in early 2025 as The Darkness were getting ready to release their eighth album, Dreams on Toast. We discussed guitar solos, how he can still hit all those notes two decades on, his Justin Hawkins Rides Again YouTube channel, and more.

 

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Credits:

Hosted & produced by Bill Pearis

Mixed and mastered by Nick Gray

Theme music by Michael Silverstein

Darkness photo by Simon Emmett

This week we're talking to comedian, actor, writer, and series creator Jon Glaser who you may know from Parks & Recreation ("Jeremy Jam"), Girls ("Laird"), as a writer and performer on Late Night With Conan O'Brien and his own shows like Delocated and Jon Glaser Loves Gear. His new comedy special "Jon Glaser Live at The Bell House" will stream live on VEEPS on July 18. 

 

We talked about what to expect from his comedy special before diving back into his long career which included Second City in Chicago, working on the infamous and influential The Dana Carvey Show and Conan in the '90s, Delocated, Jon Glaser Loves Gear, his album Jon Glaser's Soothing Meditations for Solitary Dogs, his new Substack, sports, sandwiches, drums, and more. We also discuss how he got to open for Slipknot and Belle & Sebastian -- not the same show -- in the 2000s.

 

You can order the Jon Glaser: Live at the Bell House VEEPS livestream HERE.

 

If you live in the NYC area you can get ticket see Jon Glaser Live At The Bell House HERE.

This week we're talking Kelley Stoltz, who has been making amazing DIY pop out of San Francisco for over 25 years for such labels as Sub Pop, Third Man and John Dwyer's Castle Face. His latest is If You Don't Know Me, Buy Now! and is his first of possibly three albums out this year. In addition to his own music, Kelley also spent time as an auxiliary member of Echo & The Bunnymen and Robyn Hitchcock's band, and also produces other artists' albums (Sonny and The Sunsets, Thee Oh Sees).

 

We talked about how his new album works could work as an entry point for the uninitiated, and how he thinks he's only truly found his own sound in the last decade. We also talked about his time living in New York City in the '90s where one of his jobs was sorting Jeff Buckley's fan mail, his path to home recording, the unique sounds of the Ebow, how he went from being a Echo & The Bunnymen superfan -- who had his own tribute band that include Pavement's Spiral Stairs -- to being an actual member of the Bunnymen, and how he ended up playing in Robyn Hitchcock's band. Plus: five records he thinks everyone should own and lots more.

This week we're talking to Doublespeak, a synthpop supergroup featuring Vince Clarke of Erasure, Yazoo and Depeche Mode, Neil Arthur of Blancmange, and producer and synthesizer expert Benge. They've just released their self-titled debut album which features electropop covers of songs by The Carpenters, The Magnetic Fields, David Essex, Young Marble Giants, ABBA, and more.

 

We talked separately with Vince Clarke first, and then Neil and Benge together and we all talked about how the project came to be, how they picked which songs to cover and which were the most difficult to do. We also discussed the projects future, including writing and recording a few Doublespeak originals, plus updates on new albums from Erasure, Blancmange, and Benge's band Wrangler, plus a little food talk, five records they think everyone should own, and more.

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Credits:

Hosted & produced by Bill Pearis

Mixed and mastered by Nick Gray

Theme music by Michael Silverstein

This week we're talking Glenn Donaldson who is the man behind San Francisco's funny, charmingly gloomy The Red, Pinks & Purples. His latest album Acknowledge Kindness is his first for Fire Records and his most accomplished Reds Pinks and Purples record yet.

 

Glenn and I discuss the making of the album, its musical inspirations and lyrical themes, how Bandcamp helped him return to songwriting after a few away from the music biz, and the very local artwork for his records. We also talk about balancing sincerity and humor, the exaggerated version of himself that exists on his songs, the current crop of Bay Area indie bands, why The Reds Pinks & Purples haven't played New York, five albums he thinks everyone should own and more.

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Credits:

Hosted & produced by Bill Pearis

Mixed and mastered by Nick Gray

Theme music by Michael Silverstein