The Art of Longevity

The Art of Longevity

Author: The Song Sommelier Language: English Episodes: 95
The Art of Longevity, hosted by The Song Sommelier, sits at the crossroads of music, history, and the often-unseen business behind it. This isn't a typical interview podcast; it's a series of candid, in-depth dialogues with artists who have built careers spanning decades. Each conversation explores the real journey-how these musicians have weathered the industry's constant shifts, creative droughts, and commercial pressures to not just survive, but to continue evolving and connecting with audiences. We get into the specifics: the collaboration that saved a career, the business decision that changed everything, the fanbase that grew quietly over years. The discussions move fluidly between past triumphs, current projects, and future ambitions, always grounded in the artist's personal definition of success. It's about the resilience required to make art for a lifetime. Tune in for these uniquely honest reflections on what it truly means to last.
Episodes
Season 7 preview, with Dave Rowntree [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:15
It has taken Dave Rowntree ages to make his first non-soundtrack body of work outside of Blur, especially when you consider their last album Magic Whip, is almost a decade old. Then again, perhaps it explains why Radio S…
The Art of Longevity Season 6, Episode 7: Bush, with Gavin Rossdale [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:39
Gavin Rossdale doesn’t think that Bush's longevity story in the music business as high drama - even though they have had their share of industry shenanigans, let-downs and, for nearly eight years, a split, until the band…
The Art of Longevity Season 6, Episode 6: Editors [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:58
The egoless band can go a lot further than most bands. A strong element of that is embracing creative changes of direction - agreeing on it and being brave about it. Let’s face it, something we know about longevity is th…
The Art of Longevity Series 6, Episode 5: Gaz Coombes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:13
Let’s face it, there is a patchy record for solo artists that began in popular 90s bands. Some crossed the rubicon to a credible solo career and some didn’t. While Gaz Coombes enjoyed the full glare of the spotlight of t…
The Art of Longevity Season 6, Episode 4: Rumer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:12
Rumer’s arrival struck a similar chord to that of Norah Jones some six years earlier i.e. refreshingly out of time. Those singles Slow, Aretha and their host album Seasons of My Soul arrived so fully formed although (as…
The Art of Longevity Season 6, Episode 3: The Delines [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:27
The Delines’ world is a sprawling, blue collar soap opera. Flawed characters, aimless drifters, chancers and grifters, barroom fights, beat-up cars, parking lots, convenience store robberies, messed up relationships and…
The Art of Longevity Season 6, Episode 2: Blancmange [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:22
In this episode, Fenner Pearson chats to Neil Arthur about his writing process and how he works on the Blancmange albums, with Benge acting as his foil and producer, and his collaborations with Fader and Near Future. Art…
The Art of Longevity Season 6, Episode 1: Aqualung [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:33
After fading from view in the UK after "Strange And Beautiful" (a top 10 hit in 2002), Aqualung was hardly consigned to the legend of the one hit wonder. Instead Matt Hales went to make his name and build his career in t…
The Art of Longevity Season 5, Episode 7: Suede, with Brett Anderson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:34
Suede (or, The London Suede for our friends in the USA) has reached 30 years in the business (well, minus the seven years the band was officially split in 2003). As singer Brett Anderson hits mid-50s, you cannot accuse h…
The Art of Longevity Season 5, Episode 6: Death Cab For Cutie [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:26
How to characterise an American indie band over almost three decades and 10 albums, each with a subtly different flavour? One recent review I read described Death Cab For Cutie as “masters of dreamy, emo-tinged Americana…