SongWriter: Sarah Hepola + Matt the Electrician Discuss Unpredictable Inspiration

SongWriter is a podcast of stories and “answer songs” featuring Amanda Shires, Mary Gauthier, Joyce Carol Oates, George Saunders, Roxane Gay, and Michael Ian Black.

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For the new episode of SongWriter, musician Matt the Electrician wrote a brand new song in response to Sarah Hepola’s memoir, Blackout. Below is an edited version of the conversation Matt and I had about that experience, and about his perspective on alcohol, adulthood, and the unpredictability of inspiration. Matt’s new album We Imagined an Ending is out November 5th.

Ben Arthur: I’ve been asking folks that come on my show how they think of themselves, because I find that sometimes my picture of who they are is different –– sometimes subtly, sometimes vastly –– that how they think of themselves. So…how do you think of yourself?

Matt the Electrician: I’ve always thought of myself as kind of a half-assed Renaissance man. It’s like, I’ve never really focussed on any one thing long enough to get really, really good at it.

BA: I know from our conversations that you are sober, and that –– like Sarah Hepola [author of Blackout] –– you had a long and complicated relationship with alcohol. You even had some blackout moments yourself, right?

MtE: I definitely in my former drinking life had some blackout moments…there was one that occurred at a party. I remember a lot of the day, but there was a point in the day when I came to and I was holding a shovel, and I was trying to attack one of my best friends with a shovel. That was a startling moment, not knowing how you got there, and maybe in that moment realizing that you had to pretend you knew how you got there.

BA: That’s really intense. Was that the moment you knew you needed to get sober?

MtE: My rock bottom was getting very wasted and coming home very late and yelling at my pregnant wife. It wasn’t specifically violent…but it was enough. Waking up that next morning and having that image in my head. I just remember waking up and thinking, I can’t do that. That’s not a man; I’m just a child. 

BA: You actually ended up writing two songs for this episode, which is the first time that’s happened on SongWriter. What was wrong with the first song?

MtE: I liked the first song that I wrote. But I wrote it based on this excerpt from a book I hadn’t read. And then I found Sarah’s book on our bookshelf, so I read the whole thing and I was just so inspired by the book as a whole. So I wrote a separate song that I felt spoke to some of the things from the book but also kind of my own experiences. 

You can hear an excerpt from Sarah Hepola’s Blackout and the song Matt wrote in response on the newest episode of SongWriter. Ben Arthur’s most recent song is “After the War,” and you can follow him @MyHeart on Twitter.

Fear and political polarization: Beth Macy + Palmyra – SongWriter turns stories into songs

Journalist and bestselling author Beth Macy (Dopesick) reads a piece she wrote to accompany her new memoir Papergirl, about her family's struggle with opposing political views. She describes a slow process of reconnecting with her conservative brother through simple things like fly fishing and the love of music. The University of Virginia’s Dr. Rachel Wahl talks about how hard it can be to break through polarization, and gives some simple advice for people struggling with the issue. The band Palmyra –whose guitarist and singer is Beth’s youngest child – talks about trans rights, and plays a song written in response to Beth's story titled “Appalachian Adam’s Apple Smile.”Chapters:00:01:36 Distorted Connections: Beth Macy tells a story about family and political polarization, and the power of music00:15:46 Breaking Polarization: Dr. Rachel Wahl discusses ways to engage, even across tremendous divides in politics and even facts.00:25:29 The Conduit of Music: the members of Palmyra discuss identity, the ways that music connects us, and the exhaustion and overwhelm of today.00:43:54 "Appalachian Adam's Apple Smile," the new song by PalmyraSongWriterPodcast.comInstagram.com/SongWriterPodcastFacebook.com/SongWriterPodcastTikTok.com/@SongWriterPodcastYouTube.com/@SongwriterPodcastSongWriter is a music and songwriting podcast that turns stories into songs. Host Ben Arthur invites writers, poets, and musicians to share a story or poem, then pairs it with an original song written in response. Along the way, the show explores the creative process through intimate conversations and performances. Guests have included Questlove, Susan Orlean, David Gilmour, David Sedaris, George Saunders, and many more. Distributed by PRX, SongWriter also appears on the syndicated radio program Acoustic Café and in Paste Magazine. Learn more at SongWriterPodcast.com. Season seven is made possible by a grant from Templeton World Charity Foundation

1. Fear and political polarization: Beth Macy + Palmyra 49:11
2. Season 7 Trailer 01:21
3. Ben Okri + Matshidiso 01:06:50
4. Sarfraz Manzoor + SK & the Kings 45:12
5. Asli Perker + Tuna Kiremitçi 40:26