Bonus: “Waiting for Britney Spears” and Jeff Weiss’ Surrealistic Account of Pop Stardom (Allegedly)
Music journalist Jeff Weiss recently wrote a book titled Waiting for Britney Spears, documenting the pop stars rise and fall from the public eye. But the book isn’t a historical account, it’s an “allegedly true” story that blurs fact and fiction, putting Weiss himself in the middle of the action. His writing takes a playful tabloid-style tone — a commentary on the tabloid-style news that moved her story along and his own experience working in that industry. KEXP’s Martin Douglas talked with Weiss about how Britney Spears not only influenced modern music, but also symbolized a collective loss of innocence among millennials. “I wanted to tell the story of the death of the millennial American dream,” Weiss says in the interview. “Who more symbolic than Britney Spears? She was such a martyr for our cultural sins in so many respects. All the themes that Britney Spears embodies, we’re still grappling with in the eye of pop culture today." Photo Credit: Krista Schlueter Support the show: kexp.org/deeperSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
--------
22:54
--------
22:54
Sea Lemon’s Shoegaze Captivates Ben Gibbard, Seattle, and Beyond
Natalie Lew, also known as Sea Lemon, released her debut album Diving for a Prize in June 2025 on Luminelle Recordings. Across 12 songs, reverb-heavy guitars wash underneath vocals that allude to made-up stories and unhealthy obsessions. For example, “Stay” draws inspiration from the real-life antics of an elderly security guard at a thrift store while “Rear View” pulls from Lew’s original fiction about a naive baseball player’s failing career. She proudly likens her sound to shoegaze pioneers Cocteau Twins. KEXP’s Roddy Nikpour talks with Sea Lemon about launching her music career in New York and moving back to her hometown of Seattle. She has since opened for American Football in two sold-out shows and collaborated with Northwest music legend Ben Gibbard — all within five years of picking up a guitar for the first time. “I was an insanely big Death Cab fan as a kid,” Lew says in the interview. “Ben reached out to me over Instagram. Somehow, he had found my music outside of realizing the fact that I was in Seattle. Then we played a show together, and we did a song together, ‘Crystals,’ which was the first song that I recorded for my album. It all came together so funnily, and it felt like the smallest world.” Support the show: kexp.org/deeper Photo Credit: Rachel BennettSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
--------
31:06
--------
31:06
Meet Carl the Collector, the PBS Kids Show with “Synth and Soul"
Max Perla and Vincent John make up Eraserhood Sound, the duo that scores the animated PBS Kids series Carl the Collector. In the spirit of Vince Guaraldi’s signature sound in Peanuts cartoons, show creator Zach Ohora says that Eraserhood’s “synth and soul” formula provides the perfect soundscape for the everyday happenings of an autistic raccoon and his neurodiverse friend group in Fuzzytown. KEXP’s Roddy Nikpour spoke with Perla, John, and Ohora to learn more about the show, their shared interest in collecting vinyl, and how their pride as fellow Philadelphia-based artists led them to creating the show’s low-stimulus soundtrack. “You know that opening scene from Reservoir Dogs when they’re walking down the alleyway?” Ohora says in the interview, describing one of the music cues. “It’s like that for four-year-olds. It’s like, ‘This is my gang that I want to hang out with, and they’re the cutest, nicest, fuzziest animals.’” Support the show: kexp.org/deeperSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
--------
40:00
--------
40:00
“Youth Revolution Now”: Sharp Pins on Chicago’s DIY Scene
Sharp Pins is the solo project of 20-year-old Kai Slater, who also runs a zine called Hallogallo. Based in Chicago, he started the zine during the height of the coronavirus pandemic as a teenager, overwhelmed and frustrated with a life dominated by screens. So, both his music and zine are analog, made with tape recorders, photo copiers, and type writers. KEXP’s Dusty Henry talks with Slater about his music and the thriving DIY scene in Chicago. “The way that you remain young is by staying in touch with your creative side,” Slater says in the interview. “If I were to stop that, I would surely die,” he adds with a chuckle. Sharp Pins’s album Radio DDR came out March, 21 2025 on Perennial Records. Support the show: kexp.org/deeper photo by Jolie M-ASupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
--------
27:44
--------
27:44
Outer Spaceways Incorporated Honors Sun Ra’s Cosmic Legacy
The Kronos Quartet — founded in Seattle, now based in San Francisco — has shaped modern classical music for more than 50 years. Their 2024 album Outer Spaceways Incorporated reimagines the work of the trailblazing American jazz pianist, Sun Ra, featuring covers and collaborations with artists like Jlin, Armand Hammer, and others. In addition to recorded testimonials from Laraaji, Georgia Anne Muldrow, and longtime Arkestra leader Marshall Allen, KEXP’s Larry Mizell, Jr. spoke with one of the Kronos Quartet’s founding members, David Harrington. “The more I’ve learned of Sun Ra, the more I’ve realized we’re like brothers or something,” Harrington laughs in the interview. “The question I have been asking all these years is: What’s next? What can music be that it hasn’t been so far? How might I become a better musician? How might I learn more about the world through music, with music, because of music?” Support the show: kexp.org/deeper photo via Impulse! Records and ABC/Dunhill Records Support the show: kexp.org/deeper Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On A Deeper Listen, host Emily Fox and other storytellers from KEXP talk with artists about the stories behind their songs and the experiences that inform their work. Through each conversation, we uncover the humanity behind the music, allowing us to hear it in a whole new way.
South Africa