John Phillips vs. Television (feat. Matt Sweeney)

Freehand guitarist Matt Sweeney (heard in the Red Dead Redemption 2 soundtrack, Skunk, Chavez, and more) guests on this episode of CrossFade! He picked “John, the Wolf King of L.A.,” the first solo record from The Mamas & The Papas founder John Phillips, because of its hauntingly beautiful arrangements and its dark underbelly. The discussion focuses on how such sunny-sounding music can hide such sinister stories, and what that says about the man who embodied it all.

Host Matt Helgeson chose “Marquee Moon,” the debut album of American rock band Television – a true guitarist’s record and a through-and-through groundbreaking rock album that would help shape punk, pop, and art rock through the late 1970s and ‘80s. It opened both Helgeson and Sweeney’s eyes to the depths that rock riffs can plumb – there’s stuff on this record that even they can’t figure out to this day.

Support MinnMax on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/minnmax/

Listen to the CrossFade Community Playlist of our community’s favorite music: https://spoti.fi/3aRRgox

Follow Matt Sweeney at https://twitter.com/theheavyjamz

Listen to the Red Dead Redemption 2 Housebuilding EP on Spotify at https://spoti.fi/3cYSW3k and look for it wherever you get vinyl records

Pre-order Superwolves from Matt Sweeney and Bonnie “Prince” Billy, out April 30, 2021, at https://bit.ly/31ZXUXw

To jump to a particular discussion, check out the timestamps below…

02:04 - How Matt Sweeney came to work with Rockstar

18:27 - John Phillips - “John, the Wolf King of L.A.”

21:59 - “April Anne”

26:41 - “Someone’s Sleeping”

31:12 - “Topanga Canyon”

34:25 - “Malibu People”

38:09 - “Drum”

40:45 - “Holland Tunnel”

45:56 - Television - “Marquee Moon”

50:30 - “See No Evil”

56:15 - “Venus”

59:52 - “Marquee Moon”

1:08:55 - “Elevation”

1:12:54 - “Guiding Light”

1:17:01 - “Friction”

1:21:42 - Community Questions

1:39:30 - Parcels - “IknowhowIfeel” (suggested by MinnMax supporter whitemex)