Best Kenneth Womack Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 65: Rob Sheffield on "Rubber Soul" and everything Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift have in common 37:04

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1d ago37:04

37:04

Rob Sheffield joins host Kenneth Womack for a spirited discussion on "Rubber Soul," the Beatles' songwriting, and everything Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift have in common. Sheffield is a longtime writer and critic for Rolling Stone magazine, where he started in 1997. He is the author of the 2024 New York Times bestseller "Heartbreak Is the Nationa…

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Episode 64: Jake Clemons on Clarence, the Beatles and protest songs 33:08

23d ago33:08

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Born in February 1980, Jake has been a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band since 2012, when he was tapped to play saxophone in place of his late uncle, the renowned Big Man himself, Clarence Clemons. Jake has toured extensively with Springsteen and the E Street Band, handling saxophone, percussion, and backing vocal duties on the Wrecking B…

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Episode 63: "Rocky Horror" cast on the one thing they have in common with the Beatles 24:17

1M ago24:17

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The longest-running theatrical release in film history, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is celebrating its 50th anniversary with original cast members Barry Bostwick (who played the iconic Brad Majors), Nell Campbell (who played the effervescent Columbia) and Patricia Quinn (who played the incomparable Magenta). They join our host, Kenneth Womack, …

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Episode 62: Max Weinberg on The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and his own first band 40:48

2M ago40:48

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This episode's guest is E Street Band drummer and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Max Weinberg. In 1974, Max Weinberg answered an ad requesting a drummer capable of playing R&B and jazz for an audition. Weinberg had never seen Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and was unfamiliar with their material, but the skill, acumen, and attentiveness he dis…

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Episode 61: Nellie McKay, singer-songwriter, actor, and comedienne 32:19

2M ago32:19

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Known for her genre-bending music, sharp social commentary, and activism for animal rights and social justice, Nellie McKay was born in London and raised in the United States, where she studied jazz at the Manhattan School of Music. Her performances at various New York City music venues, including the Sidewalk Cafe and Joe's Pub, drew attention fro…

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Episode 60: Psychedelic rockers Blac Rabbit, creators of our theme song "Seize the Day" 39:19

3M ago39:19

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Joining host Ken Womack on the first episode of season 7 is Blac Rabbit — familiar voices to our listeners. In 2018, Blac Rabbit released their first LP, "Interstella," which included the debut single "Seize the Day," which has served as the "Everything Fab Four" theme song since our very first episode featuring Steve Lukather in September 2020. In…

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Episode 59 (Bonus): Singer-songwriter Peter Wolf on his musical upbringing: "It took me a while to warm up to the Beatles" 37:32

9M ago37:32

37:32

On this episode of Everything American singer-songwriter Peter Wolf joins host Ken Womack to discuss Wolf's life in music and his earliest musical influences. A native of the Bronx, Wolf spent his youth soaking up New York City's music scene, especially the Apollo Theater's array of soul, rhythm & blues, and gospel performers. After moving to Bosto…

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Episode 58 (Bonus): Paul Reiser's father "tolerated" the Beatles on Ed Sullivan 35:23

1y ago35:23

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On this episode of Everything Fab Four, actor and comedian Paul Reiser joins to discuss his first memories of the Beatles on Ed Sullivan and share the Beatles song that "still kills [him]." Reiser began his career as a stand-up comedian, breaking into film with Barry Levinson's 1982 movie Diner. Reiser starred in the sitcom My Two Dads in the late …

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Episode 57: Guitarist George Benson on what makes Beatles' songs so special: "They had great stories" 44:56

1+ y ago44:56

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On today's episode, American jazz fusion guitarist and singer-songwriter George Benson drops by to discuss what gave the Beatles "prestige" and how the band helped Black musicians succeed. Benson recorded his first album The New Boss Guitar, at 21, and followed it up with It's Uptown with the George Benson Quartet. In 1969, he recorded his homage t…

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Episode 56 (Bonus): How the Beatles inspired these 1970s television icons 42:31

1+ y ago42:31

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On this bonus episode of Everything Fab Four, we trace two television icons from the 1970s—both very different in terms of target audience, but united in the inspiration that they drew from the Beatles. First is the New Zoo Revue, the children's TV show that was broadcast from 1972 through 1977. Designed as a musical comedy, it ran for 196 episodes…

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Episode 55: Rosanna Arquette on growing up with the Beatles: "I always loved 'Revolver'" 34:48

1+ y ago34:48

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On this episode of Everything Fab Four, actor and activist Rosanna Arquette shares her favorite Beatles song and recounts where she was when John Lennon died. As part of a large show business family—including siblings Patricia and David Arquette—Rosanna began acting as a child. Her father, character actor Lewis Arquette, was well known as "J.D. Pic…

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Episode 54: Jamie Bernstein says her father Leonard Bernstein was "almost as obsessed with 'Sgt. Pepper' as I was" 35:42

1+ y ago35:42

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Author and filmmaker Jamie Bernstein joins Everything Fab Four to discuss growing up with a world-famous father, and why Leonard Bernstein chose Beatles songs to explain musical concepts. Jamie Bernstein's 2018 memoir, Famous Father Girl, traces the story of growing up with composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein, and pianist and actress Felicia Monte…

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Episode 53: Darius Rucker on the Beatles' legacy: "Everybody else has to line up behind them" 37:01

1+ y ago37:01

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On this episode, legendary singer-songwriter Darius Rucker joins Everything Fab Four to share how he first discovered the Beatles at five, and which Beatles album he thinks is the "most perfect album ever made." Rucker first achieved multi-Platinum status in the music industry as lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the GRAMMY Award-winning band Hoo…

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Episode 52: Joan Osborne on how the Beatles inspired her to try different musical styles 39:29

1+ y ago39:29

39:29

Grammy-nominated American recording artist Joan Osborne joins Everything Fab Four to talk about hearing "Revolution 9" at a makeout party and how her music career began. Osborne moved to New York City to attend film school at NYU in the late 1980s, dropping out after becoming involved in the city's downtown music scene. In 1991, Osborne formed her …

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Episode 51: Jeff Daniels got a "lesson in fame" from George Harrison 51:23

1+ y ago51:23

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On this episode, acclaimed actor and Beatles fan Jeff Daniels joins "Everything Fab Four" to discuss his experience filming a movie scene with George Harrison and getting his guitar signed by the Quiet Beatle. Across his five decade-long career, Jeff Daniels has worked with some of the world's most revered filmmakers. He made his screen debut in Mi…

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Episode 50: Billy Idol: The Beatles breaking up was "like a death in the family." 32:30

1+ y ago32:30

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English-American music icon Billy Idol joins Everything Fab Four to discuss the exhilaration of being a Beatle fan "in real time" and how his voice was mistaken for Paul McCartney's. Billy Idol began his rock n roll career as the guitarist for Chelsea, subsequently achieving renown on the London punk rock scene in the 1970s, when he performed as th…

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Episode 49 (Bonus): The Beatles' first Ed Sullivan performance, 60 years later 33:32

2y ago33:32

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To celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the Beatles' first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, our guests revisit the evening that the Beatles graced their living rooms for the first time, on this special episode of Everything Fab Four. These Beatles lovers include Steven van Zandt from Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, R&B singer Darlene Love, a…

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Episode 48 (Bonus): Brian Ritchie of the Violent Femmes on how "My Sweet Lord" inspired him to play guitar 36:42

2y ago36:42

36:42

Brian Ritchie, bassist for the folk punk band the Violent Femmes, joins host Kenneth Womack on this episode to chat about his first Beatles records and the 40th anniversary of the Femmes' debut album. Ritchie co-founded the Violent Femmes with percussionist Victor DeLorenzo in 1981, and the duo were later joined by singer-songwriter Gordon Gano. Ri…

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Episode 47 (Bonus): Joan Baez on the Beatles' biggest thrill coming to America: "A Coca-Cola machine you didn't have to put any money in." 24:05

2y ago24:05

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On this episode, Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and activist Joan Baez joins host Ken Womack to share her memories of meeting the Beatles for the first time and witnessing their final live concert. Baez's time-eclipsing folk music often champions songs of protest and social justice. Over the years, she has recorded 30 albums in gen…

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Episode 46: Sophie B. Hawkins on why fans still trust the Beatles: "They didn't exploit us as an audience" 45:44

2+ y ago45:44

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Sophie B. Hawkins, the Grammy-nominated American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter, joins host Kenneth Womack on the season five finale episode of "Everything Fab Four." Hawkins started her Beatles journey as a kid with "Revolver," and remembers playing along with tennis racket guitars and couch cushion drums. "Even as a non-mu…

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Episode 45 (Bonus): How the Beatles really got booked on "The Ed Sullivan Show" 33:56

2+ y ago33:56

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This week's guests are Margo Precht Speciale and Andrew Solt, who join host Kenneth Womack for a special episode devoted to celebrating the 75th anniversary of The Ed Sullivan Show and its lasting impact on American culture, including Beatles fandom. The granddaughter of Ed Sullivan, Precht is a documentary filmmaker, as well as a UCLA graduate wit…

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Episode 44: The Boxmasters, Billy Bob Thornton and J.D. Andrew 43:48

2+ y ago43:48

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On this episode, the Boxmasters — an American rock band comprised of Grammy Award-winning recording engineer J.D. Andrew and Academy Award-winning actor Billy Bob Thornton — join host Ken Womack for a spirited discussion of songwriting, recording, and what Thornton says is "the most difficult thing about being a Beatles fan." Formed in 2007, the Bo…

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Episode 43: Jazz guitarist Dan Wilson on urgency in "Eleanor Rigby" and what genius actually looks like 33:46

2+ y ago33:46

33:46

Ken Womack's guest this week is Grammy-nominated American jazz guitarist Dan Wilson. Hailing from Akron, Ohio, Wilson made his recording debut with pianist Joe McBride and performed to worldwide acclaim with Joey DeFrancesco and Christian McBride's Tip City, eventually recording his debut as a band leader with "To Whom It May Concern" in 2012. Over…

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Episode 42: Madison Cunningham: "It's really hard to write a joyful song well" 40:54

2+ y ago40:54

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In this episode, Ken Womack talks with Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Madison Cunningham. She made her recording debut in 2014 with the self-released gospel album "Authenticities," which reflected her exploration of faith. In 2017, Cunningham joined the cast of American Public Media's "Live from Here." In 2019, she released her breakthrough…

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Episode 41: Ian Hunter of Mott the Hoople on the Beatles, playing with Ringo and how to follow a David Bowie hit 32:18

2+ y ago32:18

32:18

Legendary singer-songwriter, author, and rock 'n' roll star Ian Hunter's illustrious career is now in its seventh decade. His rock 'n' roll life has long been marked by collaboration, from the golden age of Mott the Hoople to his fabled partnership with Mick Ronson and 21st-century renaissance with his crack backing combo, the Rant Band. Over the y…