After ages of them just providing bite-sized pieces, the full podcast of PRI’s The World is now available each weekday. Previously, PRI’s partner, the BBC, had nixed using their contributions to the show, so only selected segments were available. I’m not sure what happened, although the BBC is fully on board with podcasts themselves, so that likely played into it.
In any case, The World is a good solid half-hour news show with a good mix of national, international, financial, technology and cultural news coverage.
This is a few days old, but I never got around to posting it: Liz Phair talked to Billboard magazine about changing record companies, the 15th anniversary re-release of Exile in Guyville, the accompanying documentary and more:
I missed being on an indie. I never wanted to go to a major in the first place, but Matador basically sold me to Capitol, and when they divested, I was left there. It has been a long time since I could do what I wanted. When I was on Capitol, I tried to adapt and make the best of it, but I can honestly say, for the first time in 15 years, I feel creative. I don’t have to start with a mindset that thinks about how to sell the record and works backward.
The re-release was actually ATO’s idea initially, but I did realize that we’d never done the 10th anniversary edition, and it seemed like a good thing to do. I jumped on the idea because I wanted to work on the DVD and revisit the scene that happened around “Guyville” in 1993. I wanted to bring that moment back to life, and it was also a good way for me to establish my independence.
I was recording demos all winter, after taking a few years off, which I needed. The demos were all super cheap, and my friends all lent me their time and got involved. I’m going to start recording in mid-April and hopefully bang this puppy out. I have a strong vision that I can’t quite articulate yet, but I’m hoping it’ll be clear on the album.
