The Bobby Bones Show - BOBBYCAST - Mumford & Sons on Nearly Breaking Up, Why They Needed a Hiatus, Finding the Fun Again & Working with Chris Stapleton

Episode Date: August 20, 2026

Mumford & Sons sit down with Bobby to talk about the stretch when the band nearly came to an end, why stepping away became necessary, and how the hiatus ultimately helped them come back reenergized. Marcus Mumford and Ted Dwane open up about enjoying the band more than ever, dealing with internet trolls, and why they have no interest in avoiding the songs fans want to hear. They also get into the music that shaped them growing up, the story behind the Mumford & Sons name, and what it was like working with Chris Stapleton and Gracie Abrams as they entered a new era of the band. Watch The BobbyCast on Netflix! Follow on Instagram: @TheBobbyCast Follow on TikTok: @TheBobbyCastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Listen to Solita on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Where's the name come from? It's temporary. I drove past the pub where we sat up our old manager and we were talking about the name and we were like, well, let's just roll with Mumford and Sons for a bit because it's not like we're going to sell any records or like tour internationally or anything like that because we were a pub band. Everybody today, big show, the wonderfully popular. amazing sounding, Mumford and Sons are here.

Marcus Mumford, the band's lead singer, guitarist and drummer, Ben Lovett, vocals and keys, and Ted Duane bass, guitar, vocals. Man, they've had so many massive songs. Formed in London in 2007, millions of records, multiple Grammys. Little Lion Man, Jam. I Will Wait, Jam. The Cave, jam. They're back on the road, they have new music, and so here they are, the great Mumford and Sons.

Give me 30 second answers on these. Let's just do a history. How did you guys meet? Well, school. You guys were at school together. I met him in a pub. Okay. What song did you guys record together,

even before it was released, where you thought, oh, this might be something. We might be something that lasts. I think it was the cave. That was one that I remember distinctly. I have a white-blank page demo in your house. I remember it.

Where's the name come from? It's temporary. I drove past the pub where we sat up our old manager and we were talking about the name and we were like, well, let's just roll with Mufflin's Sons for a bit because it's not like we're going to sell any records or like tour internationally or anything like that because we were a pub band.

And we actually, we grew to love it. We're all session players that got fired from our day jobs and then set up the band. No way. Yeah. And it started. We ran a collection of songs that Marcus had. And we were very used to like backing up a songwriter

and Marcus had always been a drummer in all of these session bands that we were in. And so it was like a novelty that Marcus was sort of stepping to the front of the stage and singing and playing a guitar. And yeah, that was that's why we don't have a drama. Did you guys do much covers? Like when you first started playing, were you playing? You say pub band. To me, I think, bar band here where they play covers. There were some covers, not that many.

So the spots we were playing were like, it was more like the 60s in New York, like the cafes where you'd come if you had a song. I mean, those guys played a lot of covers, to be fair. But it was like, if you had a song, you could jump up and play it. And if it was good, you could play another one. So it was that kind of atmosphere that we grew up in. It meant there were a lot less people in the audience than if we'd done like Sweet Home Alabama and all the things. Yeah, but that was good. Yeah, it started us.

Yeah, started small. Do you think you've ever played Sweet Home Alabama as a band? Good question. No. No, we haven't. We played a lot of Shania Twain, but we've never done. It's one of the few songs we haven't played this. We kind of were talking music before you guys came in.

in. So, County Crows, that's August and everything after that album right there. Massive record. Marcus, what you said. That record, that's my favorite album, I think, ever of all time. It's a very formative record for me, that one. Why so? I think it was one of the first records that felt like mine rather than my older brothers. And I would just play it to death, Mrs. Potter's lullaby, right?

The one with the Fish Bowl had Mrs. Potter's Lullaby. Oh, Stitch Up. Yeah, so that was... Can you pass me the record, please? Yeah, just hand it over to him. That was round here. That was Mr. Jones, the radio songs, but it was also like Anna Begins. Mr. Jones and me.

Yes. That one to me, that one in like this John Mayer record back here, Room for Squares. Like, John Mayer was like the first artist I ever heard Wright that spoke for me. Because, you know, you always heard songs. Yeah. But then finally when someone wrote something and you thought, I feel that, like, that's what John Mayer was to me. I had that experience, too. It was at an age where I really felt like I was finding my own music.

Like you said, you know, your brother obviously gave you a lot of music. My sister gave me a lot of music. And it used to be a lot more fun because you had to physically go and discover it in a record store or whatever. You know, it wasn't quite as algorithmic as it is now. So you guys are doing what I do? I know. I'm starting to beat that guy. He's been that guy since he was 18 years old.

That's the thing. I was thinking about the old days in the old days. the preservationist. And I've hit him a couple times with they just don't make music like they. Yeah. You can't stop saying that make. Like I'm that dude now.

So you had an older sister. Yes, sir. What kind of music did she listen to? She, the first cassette she ever gave me was take that and party because she wanted it. But things got better quite quickly. We used to listen to a lot of Michael Jackson,

which I loved. And then we started going into a bit more of a grungy world. and our shared love was Nirvana for a very long time. You had an older brother. What did he have you listen to? There was a lot of radiohead. A lot of radio head. He was six years older than me.

But he introduced me to Bob Dylan. And that was big. And then I was obsessed. We were talking about this earlier today. I was obsessed with Roger Miller from a very young age because of the Disney version of Robin Hood, which might be my favorite movie of all time. I had a Robin Hood Club when I was four.

And my babysitter was made by and I also think I had. She was probably my first crush, which is a bit weird. You had a Robin Hood what? Robin Hood Club. What's that? Well, I was like in a Robin Hood Club. Oh, you were a member of a Robin Hood Club at four? How many people were in?

There was two, me and the babysitter, yeah. But we had a little notebook and everything, you know. But Roger Miller, really, was like my favorite songwriter as a child that I can remember feeling like connected to his songs. Did you have older siblings? Yeah, three of them. And so what kind of music did they? have you listened to before you found yours?

My sixth birthday party mixtape cassette was 50% was supposed to be a mix tape and 50% was REM. So they were kind of getting me brainwashed on that. And then

I kind of started to veer away. With three older siblings you've got more places to hide. You're not kind of their pet. I think these guys were birthday. You did. Your bedroom in that house was not away from everyone else from the top floor.

Yeah. I went on my own journey. Did you ever go back and have an R-A-M phase again as you got older? Yeah, we actually did on a tour bus the other night. Man.

We went quite deep. It was amazing. We were like, I think it started with one and then we were kind of an hour and a half later still going deeper. And what blew our mind?

I think it was a mutual revelation. Yeah. How many records they made before? Post. Well, yeah, indeed. Yeah, yeah. I think there was like, There was a lot of albums.

There's a lot to go in. There's a great catalog there. I did a whole show on Netflix about greatest alternative songs of all time. And I had like an R.E.M. song in the top five and people were confused. I was no more alternative band than R.A. Like, R.M. was alternative before grunge. Like, you're getting the two a little bit mixed up. But what R.A.M. was doing in freaking Athens, Georgia, that was as alternative as it got.

And I've had a couple different times in my life where I've been in R&M phases. because, oh, once I went in Psalm Live and then to play any hits. Really? Yeah, will you guys ever do that? Or you just give up and play no hits? No, we don't do that. No, we don't do that. If I went to the show...

We're not cool enough to do that. R.E.M. can do that. Nile Young can do that. I don't know. That means mean. You think it's mean? I felt... I didn't need all the hits.

You want to leave Orange Crush out? That's fine. That's fine. You want to leave losing my religion out? Okay, I get it. A little too big. Maybe a little too big. Give me shiny, happy people. Sure.

Give me something. Or a version of. Or a version of. Or take one song and put three hits in it and play a medley just so you can get them all out of your system. Get them out. Yeah. Like, do that for the fans. Yeah, bless them.

But they're so alternative. They're too cool. They got us. What about when you started to pick your own music? Mark, I'll start with you. Like, what's your first own music? What band? It was the miseducation.

Lauren Hill and Kind of Blue by Miles Davis on the same day from the same CD shop in Wimbledon Broadway when I had a drum teacher at the time who was like, you'll go and you'll play what you listen to. So I need you to go and buy Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. So I did that. Almost as like education work and then I bought Miss Education and Lauren Hill for myself. And that was that was the beginning of my record collecting journey, I think. Were they CDs? Yeah. The juxtaposition of those two is interesting. The first two CDs I ever bought were AC

DC DC and Mariah Carey. There you go. At the same time. At the same time. Yeah. That's what used to do. And they had nothing to do with each other. Yeah.

But it did show that you could kind of have music taste that didn't quite hold hands. What about you? You know, I was big in my teen years, went down a pretty pop punk worlds and scar. Love no doubt. But I actually feel like the first record that I kind of lived and cherished with, was an artist that Marks put me on to, which was Ray Lamontaine. And I remember listening to Ray's songwriting. We were probably 18, 19.

Marx had been listening to him for a minute. And then it was like, you've got to check this out. And I remember being, it was kind of a very private experience of like really understanding someone's deeply personal truth and feeling like you can relate to it entirely as if it was your own. And that was like a transformational thing because I kind of, whether it was Blink 182 or no doubt or I'd had moments where I touched it

but I didn't know what it felt like to really be in that until Ray Lamontaine. He really opened up a whole door of songwriting. I was like, that was a life-changing record. What about you? I was just kind of thinking about it because it is quite scattergun really. I think obviously my sister and her like the gift of Nirvana

weirdly sent me on like a deep blues and also like a lead zeppelin-y kind of it was pretty cool and then over here in parallel I had like a very fearsome new metal obsession of corn and limp biscuit and all of the stuff I guess my friends were listening to which is kind of cool in the late 90s at school papa roach yeah a little bit yeah I mean a bit of fear factory it was pretty fierce a lot of it soulfly sepultura a bit of pantera my first ever gig was Ozfest 1998. Gig, you went to or played?

Went to, yeah, I was a kid. So would gig for you guys in your version of English, the proper English, the real English, does gig mean concert you attend? Yes. Not something you do. Because here, if I'm going to go and play a gig, I got work to do.

Yeah, no. Gig is something you attend like a concert, yeah, or a show. Interesting. I want to remember that. Yeah, we got in trouble earlier for using the phrase slagging off, which no one understood. Is that jacking off? No, it's not. That's what I would have thought it was.

Slagging off is insulting behind someone's back. Yeah. You slag someone off, you're insulting them. That's good to know. Therefore, I don't think someone that's slagging me off is doing something I would have thought. What about if you take the piss from someone? Similar.

It's also not jacking them off. That is similar to slagging them off. So you don't take the piss from them. You take the piss out of them. Of them, yeah. Or out of them. Yeah. Don't take the piss out of me.

They take the piss away from them. No. Is piss not urine? Yeah. Yeah, but taking the piss is away. If someone's taking the piss, it means they are taking liberties. They're going too far. They're taking the piss.

Yeah. Why is piss involved? I don't quite know, but we're British, you know. There's always a bit of piss involved. You just experienced the workout. Did you not? Yeah. Kind of.

No. Did it sort of pass you by a little bit? I'm a massive sports guy. I work for the NFL. And I think after this World Cup, were you guys all big... It's more important than anything else in my life, yes. I now think, and I grew up, I love baseball.

I think soccer is more entertaining than baseball, and I grew up diehard baseball fan. Oh, wow. Now, here's why I think that. Thank you for asking. You're welcome. Here's why I think that. If you didn't grow up into every single thing about baseball,

that can be so freaking boring. It's really confusing quite long. And I think people in the States that watch, soccer and we didn't grow up with it at all, we can go, they don't score a lot. But you know how long it takes for a pitch in baseball? Oh my God. I would stab my ear with a pair of scissors if I didn't know what. So I feel like I use critical thinking skills. Well done. And said, I think soccer is more entertaining than baseball, all things even. That's a really big deal. Do you think a lot of people

have had that revelation? No, I think I'm smarter than most people. See, the thing is I don't think it has to innately be like a competition between sport. Just give me more. sports all the time. But you know how we are in the States. Everything has to be a list and we have to compare them. The problem with soccer, as you would call it, is that it's not a statistician's dream in the same way that baseball is. Because there aren't quite so many things to put in a data spreadsheet and build a sort of data career off. Because a lot of it's feel and touch and stuff you can't really put into spreadsheets. Like what Lionel Messi does off the ball, there's no way you can put that in a spreadsheet and that's what makes it so magic. So it's quite hard to do.

He doesn't do much anymore off the ball. He's older, so he just stands around. No, no, he's always walked off the ball. I saw him play against Chelsea in 2012 at Stanford Bridge. And just watching him off the ball, you don't get to see it on TV because they don't follow him because he's just walking around. And then suddenly he'll run. And that's the magic of what he can do off the ball,

which is, I'm trying to explain to my wife. She's not afraid. I did watch more respectfully to you guys football than I ever have in my entire life this World Cup, probably because it was in the States and the time zones worked. It was a good World Cup. too. You know who I liked? Freaking Holland. Yeah. Yeah. He's very luckable. That dude, big leg. Yeah. He didn't do a lot of running. He also

exited very well. Did you notice he was a very good. Exited. Well, that means. When they, got knocked out, he was a very magnanimous loser. Oh, yeah. He also, before they got knocked out, he was going, hey, I don't know if we're going to win. They're better than we are. I thought that was hilarious. He's very funny. Classy. He's very funny. So that's him. That's him. He wears pajamas everywhere, too. I'll see him in silk wherever he goes. Did you guys ever watch Home Improvement? The movie.

No. No, I didn't. What's he called Tim? Yeah. Yeah, wonderful. Chase it. Tim Allen. Tim Allen.

Tim Allen. Tim Allen. Was it in our movie? I thought it was a movie? He's buzz light here, isn't he? Okay, we're boys who are spreading right now. Okay. Oh, no.

We'll take TV shows. No, no, but you're all right. Yeah, fine. Thank you. You're all right. So Tim Allen, and play Tim the Tallman Taylor on Home Improvement. And that was a television show.

He later was Buzz Lightyear. I did not know that. Really? That's a... The guy from home improvement is Buzz Lightyear, right? Literally going to take me weeks to process that information. Yeah. Anyway, where are we going with...

I'm not to keep going. He's also the Santa Claus in that movie. You ever see that? Yeah, sure. That's a good one. Anyway, on that show... What, you didn't know that either? Ted.

to too much slip knot mate that's all right it's done your brain on that show one of the sons has the Holland haircut with his hair up like this and it's the only time

I've ever seen it until he brought it back and I thought dang I wonder if I could pull that off in my 40s yeah it's like it's like long and you shave underneath

it's cool it's quite Viking based yeah it's cool I like that yeah I like that too Ted your hair's different than I thought it was going to be

what would you change nothing it's just not what I expected when you walked in I'm doing the upside down head trick where you've got more hair down here than up here.

But you don't have a, you're not losing your hair. Usually only guys that lose their hair do that. That sounds like quite aggressive. Is this an aggressive look? No. I just do that. I didn't expect that. I didn't expect the short and the long.

Oh, it's something I default to. When my hair gets to a certain length, I'll just literally go into the nearest place and be like, can you buzz this away? We like it. Yeah, a lot of support from the bandmints. I don't not like it. I just said I didn't expect it.

We just referred to it as that, which I felt. I thought it was going to be a little furrier. Yeah, I mean, I have a little furrier. Yeah, I can understand it. Yeah, so when you walked in and I was, because I had big life. Are you worried about me? Like, I'm having like a bit of a midlife. I'm a fan.

I was, freak out. I'm like, no, no. I'm in trouble. I think I'm, I think I'm okay. My personal life is pretty together. I was just talking about, so not, not your personal life, but it puts me on something. I was just talking. about, there's some TikToks out there about me now that say exposing Bobby Bones and it's

supposed to like be secrets about me and I've already shared it all. So you can't really expose anything I've shared. Do you guys see those videos about you ever that's like the things you, about Mufford and said you've never even known? And you're like that everybody knows that. Are they out there? I quit. I quit all the social media stuff a while back. But there was one tweet that I really loved, which said, I have it on good or three. authority that all of the boys in that band are complete cunts. And then I ended my tweet career on just, I saw that and I thought that's absolutely fantastic. Was it Ted's?

Yeah, it's probably Ted's. And then I never looked, I've never, I've never looked back at it. I've never looked back at it. Is there anything that can happen to you now that you would still think is really cool? Yeah, happens all the time. No, I'm serious. Because you guys are, you're monsters now. Like, you've done it all.

I was just kind of looking to see everywhere you've played and all like the month. We finally checked us off the list. Like I feel like you've done it all. No, I completely disagree. I think the last year has been more curious than the first 10 years of the band. I think we're more kind of aware of what's going on now than we were at the beginning, which makes everything that we're doing seem kind of more insane. And when we go out on stage and we get to do the things that we do,

I think there's like a level of, I don't know whether it's like sobriety or appreciation or, you know, being largely drunk. Dads or I don't know what it is. We're just like seeing it. And I'm just like, you know, Marcus said this thing, which I thought was really sweet. And also I completely understand, which is like he's like catching up to the fact that people like the band. I feel like I suddenly have something in common with the audience, which is like, I'm really like this band as well. But it's taking me a while.

And yeah, we're more present to it, I think, than we were. in the early days. I'm more grateful for it, I think. We had quite a long break as well. And then we've come back at it and felt re-energized. And just loving, I'm just really enjoying it. I'm more than ever. So getting to do it again at this scale,

because this year's bonkers particularly, getting to play Fenway and Wrigley and Folsomfield and getting to go deeper into this country and other parts of the world than we ever have before. and then most of our friends and bands ever get to, I think we now see what a unique position we're in an opportunity that we have and genuinely like feeling more gratitude than we ever have to our audience, you know. It's fun, we're having a laugh.

When you took a break, did you ever feel like maybe this break is permanent? Yeah, I think we didn't know until we sat down together to write more songs. And then the songs started coming thick and fast. And within the first few days, it was like, oh yeah, we're going to keep doing this for a very long time. Let's take a quick pause for a message from our sponsor. When I was 14 years old, I was kidnapped and held captive for nine months. I survived, and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are the Survivor Files.

I just remember this low, taunting voice next to my ear saying, shut up, don't say anything. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable. I knew if he woke up, without a doubt, he was going to hurt me. I started feeling that there was someone at the end of my bed, and I just started screaming. They are abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. But these aren't stories about what's taken from them. There's stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to the Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

wherever you get your podcasts. If your bookshelf and your for-you page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. This is Prose Society, the weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for thought daughters, pop culture obsessives, and anyone who thinks pride and prejudice and love island deserve the same level of discourse. I'm Eli Rallo, and every week we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and the conversations everyone can't stop having.

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See you between the pages. On the new podcast Solita, we share the messy reality of traveling alone as a woman. I can wait four hours for the next bus or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle. I chose option B. I'm Julie Pinero, and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word Solita, trading the pity for possibility. Every time I tried to be alone, I kept meeting people. And they were like, you smiled at us.

Not a lot of people smile around here. It's when you're alone that you're most receptive to the world as it is and not the lies you're sold about it. It can be a time where you push your limits, change your mind, or wake up to a new version of yourself. So whether you're a solo travel veteran or you're too nervous to book your first trip, I hope you listen to Solita on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

And we're back on the Bobbycast. How do you guys write songs? Plop them out. Just like, incubate them. Do you know what you're doing right now? You're taking the piss from them. And I'm in your house, so it's not fair.

No, I mean, they're all different. We were discussing our process. It's funny. Each record is sort of unique. And I think, you know, it's a bit of a product of like where we are creatively, who we're working with as a producer. The last record we made prize fighter with Aaron Desner was just like so quick because he really would just come out of working with some other producers who had got us warmed up into

like trusting our creative instincts more and stuff like that. So when we landed in the arms of Aaron who was being a long time friend and collaborator, we would just kind of like, yeah, teed up just to, yeah, trust our instincts. and first idea, best idea, and, you know, be really open collaboratively. I think the more open we are, the better the music is and the quicker it happens. I think sometimes we can get ring-fenced and protective of ideas that we're really proud of or whatever when actually that's the least chance of success that idea is going to have. You know what song I loved?

I feel like was so well-written. I'm biased, but the Stableton song? Like I love Chris anyway, personally, professionally. He's an absolute legend. And so it could possibly affect it a little, but I don't think it does all the way, but I think that's such a well-written song. That's my favorite song we've ever written, I think. I wouldn't go so far as say it's the best because I'm not the judge.

I can't be the judge of that. But it's my favorite we've ever written. I think it says lots of what I wanted, just like in the particular moment, says what I wanted to say. And it was an idea that came about in my garage in Los Angeles when we were living there. And we sat down together the first week writing back together after. COVID basically. It was like, well, it was 23. It was January 23. And I wrote the verse on this sort of wobbly LA, quite cool guitar. And then we came, made a record here in Nashville, Dave Cobb.

Didn't quite work on that record. And then we took it to air and death. And he was like, you're overthinking this. Like, here the cowboy chords. Here's how it should go. And he was so right. And suddenly it just came out. We wrote the bridge. And I said, we've got ascended to Chris Stapleton. We never met Chris. And I called him. I got his number and I called him. And he kindly took the call. we talked for like an hour about everything else other than the song and then and then he said yeah I'll jump in and record it next week and it was just my dream since the song had really come about because he I think he's the voice of a generation I think he's a generational talent

he's one of my favorite voices of all time and he had the kind of world weariness that suited that verse so well that then when he sang I had to go back and redo my heart nominees because he was no way you yeah yeah he just raised the bar you know that's what he does he's so good and then he went back in and read his and Marcus read his it's not yet yeah it's not yeah it's not yeah it's interesting that that week though uh when Marcus brought that song in and you asked before about whether you know we ever considered kind of laying our instruments down and stopping the band that week was kind of the question and that the

answer was in the songs yeah and i were a very distinct memory when marcus played here that it was like oh we have a lot of unfinished business to do and not only in the essence of that song but also the promise of what then became two albums over the next two years it was um we know we were like stealing away to little coffee spots and stuff and mark's had a truck um we're driving around there they in a hot truck. And it was a really beautiful kind of creative spurt, but also like renewal of vows where we just were like, this is what we should be doing.

And that's what that song was too. It was like drawing a line under the first era of the band, really. And like ushering in the next one, which we're in now. We made two records since then. You know, we're doing more shows than we've ever done before and absolutely loving it. but that song felt like a punctuation mark on his, everything that came before,

and then like ushering us into a new thing. But then it came on the second record, which so it jumped around like the timing of the release of it. Because you kept recording it because he said you kept having out to each other. That's right. Because they kept coming in. Shit. I'm a big fan of Gracie Abrams as well.

She's on the record. How'd that come together? She was upstairs at Electric Lady. the day we were still finishing Rushmeer which we made with Dave Cobb here and Aaron and Gracie were upstairs writing and Aaron Texas said

I hear you're in the building come say hi so they came down and we played them a couple things from what we were finishing up on Rushmir but then Aaron was like Gracie went and then Aaron was like let me play a couple things I've been working on it

I was thinking about you guys and he played us the beginning of the banjo song and prize fighter which were two songs that we finished and we're actually the first two songs we started really for Prizefighter. And then Gracie was working on something upstairs, asked me to come up here and I ended up singing on it, which is what if it's right, which is on her new record.

And then she came downstairs and heard us writing the first lyrics on Price Fighter. And then we just kind of stayed in contact, sent each other bits of music and lyrical ideas. And she became like a kind of fairy godmother for this record. She sort of, or sort of midwife for it because she watched the whole process. and was really encouraging all the way.

You know, we've known her for a long time and just love her so much. She's wonderful. Is it weird people just discovering you guys for the first time? That's very exciting to me. That's cool. I think we all did it with other artists

and you forget that, you know, you don't have to be there at the beginning. There's a lot of musicians who I found out about on their fourth, sixth, eighth album. And then the best thing is that you get to go backwards. You don't only have to be there at the beginning

for the bragging rights to your friends to say I was, you know, I think there has become maybe more of that than ever is like the kind of discovery validation or kind of the kudos that comes with that. But we see it at our shows a lot of the time because people are getting younger and younger at our shows and you're like standing there on stage, you're looking out, you know,

this person was probably not born when we were starting the band. But that's really cool to us. I feel like for those that are watching, that may be 12. Sorry about the C-bomb. I feel bad about that now. You can cut that bit out. They did Netflix kids, so he got automatically bleeped on that. Yeah, it's nice.

When you talk about artists that you kind of get into later, when you're talking about that, I think for me it was Tom Petty. That probably when I'm finding my own music and that Wildflower's album came out, and there's so much great before. a couple of songs, but just from the radio. Yeah.

But I fell so in love with that album. Just, you belong, long. And everything about him that I went and it was a deep dive. I learned everything. I bought everything I possibly could. And I was 20 years, 25 years late. I was like that with Willie Nelson. Teatro really got me into him.

And that was late because that record came out in like 96. And I didn't hear it till like properly dive into it for 20 years after. that, you know. And with Willi, it's, like the songwriting. Yeah. Because his voice is so distinct. Yeah. Absolutely. But it's a songwriting. Yeah. For me, they go, like, he was just ahead. I feel like he was ahead of everyone. He kind of set the rules for everyone else. What about you guys? Who did you find later? I'm not racking my brain. I'm so up with contemporary science. I'm late to every party. So it's all, it's all very novel and exciting. Then who's your favorite of all time right now? Like band or just what am I listening to you?

Who creates music that is your number one? I'm like a Bill Evans obsessive at the moment. If I'm at home, I'm listening to music, it's almost certainly Bill Evans. All right, I'm going to have to... That's jazz, I'm afraid. I was going to be honest enough to go, I don't know if that is. Yeah, you should check him out.

He's really good at the piano. He'll be... He's not going to... He's not going to check him out. No, no, I'm being generally serious. But I'm also confident that you're probably not going to check him out. You're not going to judge. No, no, no, no.

You're very eclectic and excellent taste that's displayed here. Oh, I never had a plan of checking out with Elevens. I thought that was in Canada. Oh, you remember who his name is, though. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What's the place in Canada where you go and you get the donuts and stuff? Bill. Is it Bell?

Bill. There's a... Bob Evans. Oh, Bob Evans. Bob Evans. All right. Yeah, that's his brother. Got them mixed up.

I thought you were going to start talking about Jim Hortons. Yeah. Or Tim Hortons. Tim Hortons. Tim Hortons. We're getting there. We're getting there. Okay, your turn.

Tim Allen. It's a tricky one. Just the question is... The question is, who did you get into late? You were so moved by it. You wanted to discover everything about them. I think it was Stevie Wonder. I think Stevie Wonder.

We played Stevie Wonder in cover bands when we were 11 years old. Totally. But you didn't beat. But he hated it. No, no, no, no. I was... Then there was so much as such a rich catalog to like... actually just got better and better over the next 10 years.

And I think, really anyone who's older than us, you could say that you were getting into late in your music evolution, right? But the question of who do I think is the best ever? Who is your favorite? That's a weird question, best ever. Who's your favorite ever? And I like how you qualified it as today. But I think it's probably Bonnie Wright.

because we were talking about can't make you love me and yeah just like there's like there's some people and maybe Carol King as well as another one I did like a deep dive one recently who just

so quality for such a long period of time doesn't feel like it was like a moment that they just held onto for dear life it was just like quality songwriting consistently you know writing standards um those are like aspirational people what about you favorite ever it's still right ahead but bruce springsteen comes in close second see i i never got the bruce thing did you know but the people that i respect do so i have that respect because the people that i

respect the most as songwriters and as just musicians or creators they love them so there's something that I'm not smart enough to get. Huh. I'm a bit like that with R.E.M. Like a lot of my favorite musicians' favorite band, and I've never really done the R&M thing fully. Massive respect. What is it about Bruce to you then?

I mean, just the sheer volume of bona fide, amazing songs that he's written. And the fact that he continues to push creatively. I just really admire his career arc over everyone else is, I think. Because he's like weathered the storms of being cool and then not being cool and then like appearing in an older kind of legacy space and then coming up in the middle of a protest movement and popping up and playing with Tomarillo.

I just think he's, I think he's, yeah, I think he's one of the like truer artists. Did you ever watch the one man show on Netflix or in person? I went, saw it. Oh, damn. Yeah. That's cool. How is that? It was awesome. incredible. It was incredible. Yeah, I saw it when it was on Broadway. Did you ever see Hamilton?

Yes, and I'm going again on Friday in New York. Why? Because my kids. Got it. When I saw it, I went early. No? I didn't know they weren't going to talk. I find that challenging with musicals in general. And my wife will fight me tooth and nail on this one. But I'm like when you're having to sing the story, I think like it's compromising both the story and the singing. I just take a little break, tell us what's going on, and then have another sing.

But we give a pass for Hamilton, though. For Hamilton's banging. Hamilton's amazing. No, yes. But I didn't know they were never going to talk. So I'm going and by myself. My agent's like, hey, you want to go to Hamilton and get you a ticket? He went on your own?

Yeah, I was in New York for work. And I was like, you should go. I get you, we'll get a ticket in our box or whatever. So I go. And I sit down and they start and it's cool. And it's like, yo, we're Washington, D.C. Here we are. He's the dollar.

Everybody. And I'm like, all right, I'm trying to keep up. But they're going to talk soon and tell me what's going on because I'm lost. And then they go to the next song and they're like, find a father, found a fan of forefathers. And I'm like, oh my God. Okay, after they never stopped. About halfway through, I go, they're never stopping. I have to focus.

Yeah, you do have to really listen. They never stop. And then you go away. I think the first time I saw I was just impressed by the whole thing I didn't really understand what was going on a lot of the time and my knowledge of that part of American history

what I like to think of as a temporary tax rebellion is, you know, is not deep and then I went away and listened to the soundtrack so much that I now am really excited to go back and watch it again. Same. I know all the words now. Yeah, exactly. Should we go?

I'm good. Yeah, okay. You need to spend time with your kids, so I'm going to respect that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I didn't, once I understood it was better to me. What percentage of speaking would have made it make more sense to you? I just needed like every three songs to give me a brief overview of what was just wrapped about.

Or if someone would have said before you go in, they're never going to talk. It's an expectation management thing. Yeah. Like when I saw Kinky Boots, they talked, they sang. It caught me up. It was awesome. It was so good, but I just didn't understand. I was just, I was stunned when I went in because I was like, are they not?

And I gave up a little bit. I was like, I'm just going to wait for the songs over. Then the next one started. Okay. But you're right. Do you guys feel like you're our daddy? You what? England.

Do you guys feel like you're our dad? Oh, we're coming back to the temporary tax rebellion thing. Yeah, you could see that. I was fishing. I was fishing, and I didn't get a bite. And I was like, oh, that's boring. Coming back around the boat. Let's go.

Do you kind of feel like, you know, you're our dad. No, I feel like an older cousin. But kind of. I mean, the position of authority, sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what I like? You know what I was born here. I do, in California.

Yes, sir. Yeah, I was told that today. Dual citizen. A bit of both. What age did you leave? Six months. Oh, it only counts for soccer. here.

Came back every, well, I could be, I could run for president. You could. Not for NFL. Came back every year. Well, we have a player on our US team, our team this year. Yeah. His mom was, he was born here by, kind of by accident, but he got to play on the team because he's a citizen.

Yeah. Hold on. Born here by accident. Yeah. What does that mean? It means she was pregnant and wasn't planning to have the child here in the States. Had the child here in the state. Yeah, there is the story out there.

Yeah. And then had... He's got a very, very London accent. I'll tell you that. Yeah. It's great football as well. I'm slightly annoyed that he's classified as an American for soccer purposes, as well as passport purposes, by the way. You could play for the US team.

I could, as long as I hadn't played for the English team beyond a certain level. I think it's like... Which you haven't. Just to it clearly. Okay. Yeah, technically. Yet. But yeah, no, you're right.

Yeah. I could complete in lots of different sports to represent the United States of America. Anyway, I just want to know if you guys always feel like you're our dad. No, I don't think we feel like that. We're a very, very, very small country. But we took your language.

You did certain things with it that have been regrettable, but otherwise, you know. I like MI5 and MI6. That's cool. Totally. There was just a BBC article about why the MI6 is such a like, obsession around the world.

Why did it say? I didn't read it. I just saw the headline. But it was a picture of James Bond in some iteration and I thought, well, that's probably why. Can I tell you why I like it? Excellent marketing from them. I like it because it's easy. MI5, domestic. Yeah, nice.

My 6, international, like CIA. Like we have FBI, CA. We've got to describe what each of them means. Sure. I like M.5. You like number systems. Well, yeah, I like elevate a bigger number. More people. Land.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That does make sense. Yeah, we need that here. We need that here. We get different letters. You don't know the difference in this stuff.

That's fantastic. What do you guys have? No, don't. Circling around. Come on. What's your view of the UK at this point in time? Thank you for asking. You're welcome.

So here's what I thought was crazy. Yeah, go on. You have buildings that are just chilling. double the age of our country. Yeah. Until I went over the first time, and only went over because the episode of Friends where Joey goes over.

Great episodes for a wedding. You did a lot for all my time. Emily, I take the Rachel. Yeah, there you go. And Emily's up there. It's like, oh my God, you guys seen that Friends episode? You went over for a Friends wedding or you went over for that episode.

No, the TV show Friends. And then you came to London because you wanted to have Joey's experience. All right, here we go. Yeah, we're going to rewind it. What? Perfect. So in the show Friends, there's a wedding and they go to London for the wedding. Are you in that episode?

No, but I loved it. That's what I was clarified. You were saying it as if you were. I never went. I grew up so poor, I never went anywhere. And so when I made money, I'm going to where all the TV shows are. So I went to Hawaii for Brady Bunch. I went to Japan for full house, Jesse and the Rippers.

When I went to London, I went to London for friends, not my real friends, but for the TV show friends. I take the Rachel, but it was Emily. So where did we go for home improvement? So we don't. Different universes. But the buildings and the age of things really put into perspective how young of a country we are because you guys have and have held on and have taken care of things

for things so much longer than we've existed. That's my takeaway. When I left there, that's what I thought about. There is some very old shit around. That's quite old, isn't it? My old's really house. More than Ted. Hanging in there, doing great with the interviews and that.

I just thought it'd be furrier. I'm being honest. I just thought it would be furrier. You know? I did. It's, yeah. It's on the beach now. The Bobbycast.

We'll be right back. Experience with Cameron Wickham. Live at the restaurant. Ryan. Ask me how I'll be. You and a pal with flights and two nights in Nashville. To see Cameron Wickham at the legendary Ryman Auditorium. Plus a thousand dollar spending cash.

Just listen to Pure Country for 10 minutes a day on the free IHart Radio app and you're in to win. Cameron Wickham. Stream the new single, Kingdom of Fear. Available now. When I was 14 years old, I was kidnapped and held captive for nine months. I survived and I've spent my life. exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are the Survivor Files.

I just remember this low, taunting voice next to my ear saying, shut up, don't say anything. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable. I knew if he woke up, without a doubt, he was going to hurt me. I started feeling that there was someone at the end of my bed, and I just started screaming. They are abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. But these aren't stories about what's taken from them. There's stories about what it takes to make it out alive.

Listen to the Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If your bookshelf and your For You page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. This is Pro's Society. the weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for thought daughters, pop culture obsessives, and anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island deserve the same level of discourse. I'm Eli Rallo and every week we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and the conversations everyone can't stop having.

I'm going to have to look up this story. I'm obsessed. So I'm obsessed. From bestselling authors and your favorite book talk creators to the latest pop culture moments, nothing is off the table. It's like if you can hide some real. messages inside compelling characters, and that is a Trojan horse. Whether you're looking for literary deep dives, smart pop culture conversations,

or a community of readers who love to think a little too much, you're in the right place. Listen to pro-society on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. See you between the pages. On the new podcast Solita, we share the messy reality of traveling alone as a woman. I can wait four hours for the next bus or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle. I chose option B. I'm Julie Pinero, and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word solita, trading the pity for possibility.

Every time I tried to be alone, I kept meeting people, and they were like, you smiled at us. Not a lot of people smile around here. It's when you're alone that you're alone that you're. you're most receptive to the world as it is and not the lies you're sold about it. It can be a time where you push your limits, change your mind, or wake up to a new version of yourself. So whether you're a solo travel veteran or you're too nervous to book your first trip, I hope you listen to Solita on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Bobbycast. I got three final questions. What's a home show? Where do you go when it's a home show?

London, High Park You're Belinda, California, probably. New York City. Is it? It is. I was explaining to someone the other day. I've lived in New York longer than I lived in London. Wow, have you really?

True story. Yeah, that's mental. Yeah. I mean, I think the band, having been formed in London, makes London a particularly homey type show. But there you go. It's a bit of everything. When we go to Singapore, Ted often tells us how he lived in Singapore.

Right? For seven years, yeah. Seven years, quite long time. Long time. You live in sync? You really did? Yeah. Yeah.

I don't know with you anymore. You can't mess it with me. Like, I don't know if you're, I don't know. Bob Evans, I don't know. Great sax player. Yeah. No, piano player and you might, you might be lying then. Now I don't know.

I'm looking them up. Hold on. Now I got to know before we're going to end this in a minute, but I got to, hold on. Bob. No, Bill. Bill. Bill. No.

Bill. Bill. Oh. I never imagined driving a stake of mistrust between us, man. It's not Bob Evans. No, Bill. Oh, Bob Evans is a restaurant. Bill Dunes.

Bill Evans. Anyone? Tim Horton. Jim Horton. He's a piano player. He's a piano player. All right. He died in 1980.

He was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked as the leader of his trio. That's right. Did he also play on Kind of Blue? He did, indeed. Good knowledge. Legend. Question two of three, before we wrap it up. What song does the crowd sing the loudest back to you?

Depends where we are. He doesn't believe you. He does not believe you. He's a real skeptic. No, true story. It's my fault. I've made him skeptical. I feel like we've been around for a minute

so the band has had different impact at different times at different parts of the world. That's reality. We kind of emerged. Like, go to Australia, Yeah, little lion man all day long. Yeah, that's true. America's probably our wait, partly because of the Grammys moment.

But who knows? I don't know. But it does change. And then sometimes we go to parts of Europe, and our third album was like the one that really made a lot of sense to people. So it's kind of fun for us, because the set list emphasis changes, rather than having that one song. We've never really had a hit,

so we're kind of a mongrel in that way. Hmm You don't think? I do think you've had a hit Based on today's definition of a hit Maybe on 10 years ago's definition I could go I understand that

Okay But today's definition I would say you You now have had many hits Thank you Oh no you don't need me to have a trophy or anything I was waiting for someone I just because there's a difference in what is a hit today

Because a hit today is just getting enough eyes and ears in any capacity whatsoever to be compelled to care. Yeah. Like if you can reach a threshold of people that care. Yeah. About a song. Which is effectively like cultural resonance. Yep.

That is a hit. And I don't think that was considered a hit 10 years ago because it was just a chart. Yeah. So. We've for sure never had a chart topping song. Even on like the weird charts? Yeah, loads of the weird chart ones. Loads of them.

But it's so confusing that I don't know. I mean, you know, I'll meet an artist who's into the chart thing, and they'll be like, yeah, I've had like 19 number ones. And I'm like, what, what do you mean? And then they name some sort of niche category, sort of sports Christian rap. In that case, I've had a few hits myself. There you guys. You've probably won a number of Grammys, haven't you?

No, whamys. I've won Whammies. They're different. Yeah, they're close. They're better. Slightly bigger. Yeah, me and Bob Evans were the leaders. Oh, really?

Whammies, yeah. Jim Allen. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. No, it is Tim Horton. Is it Tim Horton? Tim Horton? It's a store, right?

The restaurant? It's a coffee shop that's all the airports. What's the steakhouse? I can't get it out of my head. It's one of the Canadian coffee shop. Yeah, I know it from being in Canada. Yeah, me too, but I can't remember what it's cool. There's a Jim or Tim.

I think it's Tim. I think it's Tim. See, I was right. Tim. Can you want to explain to me, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. I can explain it. Let me through it, man. Let me explain it.

to you. It freaks me out. Oh, really? Oh, my God. When I, this is me when I was 22. I thought to myself, when I have enough money, I'm going to Ruth's Chris every week. Because that is where people with ties would go. And I always wanted to go eat where people with ties went because they had steaks with, like,

butter that didn't need steak sauce. So that is Ruth's Chris. I mean, I was really inquiring about the name itself. Oh, no idea. Yeah, no idea. Ruth's plural. Let's just look it up before we go. Chris? Let's do one more thing.

It doesn't make any sense. I need the etymology. Okay. I'm just going to say who is Ruth Chris. Roof's. No, it's Ruth. Who is Bill? It's a woman.

Ruth Hortern. Oh, no. Okay, here we go. What did you say? Roofs Chris. Oh, okay, no. I thought you said, I heard a real name. There's no single person named Ruth Chris.

Instead, the name comes from Ruth Fertl, who bought a small New Orleans restaurant named Chris Steakhouse. So it's Ruth's Chris. When a fire forced her to move locations in 1976, her naming contract prevented her from using the original name. So she called it Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. That's crazy. Mate. I can feel your relief. Look at that.

I've been wondering that for years. Look at that. And now we did it. And there we go. Completion. I'm like resonating. a whole different level now. Should we start over?

Well, we actually haven't started recording yet. We're losing so now, right? Yeah, we're good. Let's go. Wait, what was your third question? It was going to be like a down the middle, like real music. Boring, based one here.

Okay. But this record's been out for a bit. A year nearly. Has it really? Yeah, well, no. When did it come out? Like eight months or so. I don't know if I'm not a right guy to ask.

This year, I think. Was it March? When did it come out? February. It came out of February. March, April, May, June, July, August. Yeah, well, sure. I said eight months.

It was six. That's pretty close. That's pretty good. Do these songs still feel fresh to you? Or are you like, you have other ones you've written that you just can't wait to now? No, these are the ones we're on. I'm getting very high on these songs at the moment. Every night.

We're playing five shows a week at the moment. I were playing in New York tomorrow. I cannot wait to play these songs. So I feel, it's my, yeah, my favorite thing we've done. I absolutely love it. And when we were making them, I was like, Like, these are going to be the songs that stay with us. You know, it's always nice to add to your arsenal of songs that you can play

and choose from a set list. I remember watching some, like Springsteen, I think at High Park or something and just thinking like he's got so many songs to choose from, that must be amazing. We headlined Glass and reaffed two albums. I remember my first thought coming off was like, I can't wait to have more records to fill the set list out more. So it's undeniable all the way through. And I feel like this is helping us get that place.

It's really lovely. Well, I'm a fan. I've been a fan for a long time. Thank you, man. Like, you can tell by the music that I like that it makes sense that I like you guys. So I'm not just feeling you guys full of it. Like, I just generally and genuinely, sonically, love what you guys have always done. So I'm a fan. It was super cool to have you guys in. Thank you.

It's been lovely, mate. And I have some jazz to discover tonight. Tim Horton. Tim Horton. He's your guy. How far back should I go in the Horton Records, though? All the way back to Ruth, probably. 1800s, yeah.

Right, yeah. Okay. He did some sick, wax cylinders that are just amazing. Interesting. Final, final question. What are your thoughts on Winston Churchill? I mean, he is one of the greatest, isn't he?

In terms of our prime ministers? I don't know. Yeah, no, he is generally considered to be. I mean, you know, he had some issues. I don't know any of that. I just know he's considered great by you guys. I know he had a cigar. That's all we really need to know.

So that needs to know nothing else. Well, he was in charge of our efforts in the Second World War, which is a big deal. Do you have any American questions for me before we go? What's going on? Great question. What sounds like going? Not great. Okay.

Thank you for asking. You're welcome. I would say the worst ever. We've been thinking about you guys. Yeah, yeah. I would say the worst it's ever gone in the history of time for us. We love you. But thank you for asking.

Give us a shout. All right. There they are. Great mom, Brunszats. Thank you guys so much. This has been excellent. Thanks for listening to a Bobbycast production. I survived nine months in captivity, and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive

what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are the Survivor Files. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable, abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. These are stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If your bookshelf and your For You page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. Pro Society is a weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island to serve the same level of discourse.

Each week, we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and pop culture with your favorite writers, book talk creators, and plenty of overthought opinions. Yeah, I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. Listen to pro society on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the new podcast, Solita, we share the messy reality of traveling alone as a woman. I can wait four hours for the next bus or this random dude is offering me a ride on his

motorcycle. I chose option B. I'm Julie Pinero, and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word Solita, trading the pity for possibility. Listen to Solita on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, this is Hayes Davenport. And Sean Clements. We host the podcast, Hollywood Handbook. Each week, we talk to someone in show business and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us. Everyone has a good time, and no one gets mad at their publicists

for letting them do our show. We've had a lot of great guests like Sarah, Sherman, Adam Scott, Danny McBride, Ben Stillard, and a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us. Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.