Two legendary songwriters, two very different approaches, and both talking with Kyle Meredith about what keeps the creative spark alive decades in. Joan Armatrading joins Kyle to discuss her 21st album, Not Too Far Away, why writing about love never runs out of angles, and her decision to write all the lyrics first so the emotion would lead the music. She also talks about keeping songs gender-neutral so more people can see themselves inside them, programming her own drums, and fully embracing the solo process. Then The Waterboys’ Mike Scott calls in to break down the ambition behind the double album Out Of All This Blue, his “no filler” rule inspired by classics like Exile On Main St, and how new love, fatherhood, and even making up songs for his daughter fueled a flood of creativity. He also dives into bringing funk and hip-hop textures into the mix and expanding The Waterboys into a nine-piece live band with two drummers.

Please take the time to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.

Mike Patton joins Kyle Meredith to talk about the unexpected collaboration with The Avett Brothers on their 2025 release AVTT/PTTN, a record that started as a remote experiment and quickly became what Patton calls a “third personality” with its own DNA. He dives into learning how to fit his voice into the brothers’ blood-bound harmonies, discovering Scott Avett’s lyrics felt eerily personal, and how most of the writing felt “frighteningly organic.” Patton also teases the 2026 tour kicking off in Louisville, promising a sprawling set that includes the full album, Avett staples, selections from Faith No More and Mr. Bungle, and some unexpected covers, all while reflecting on the idea that none of his projects are “side” gigs—they’re all the main event.

Listen to Mike Patton chat about all this and more or watch it on YouTube. Please take the time to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.

Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato stop by to talk with Kyle Meredith about their latest HBO Max documentary Murder In Glitterball City, a true-crime story that hits especially close to home since it was shot in Louisville, just blocks from where Kyle’s sitting. The World of Wonder founders (the same duo behind The Eyes Of Tammy Faye and Party Monster) dig into why this case — involving a body found in a Victorian mansion basement and two lovers blaming each other — demanded a different kind of true-crime approach, one that looks beyond the crime itself and into community, queer history, addiction, mythmaking, and the ghosts a city carries with it. Bailey and Barbato also talk about expanding beyond the source book, finding unforgettable local characters, navigating the responsibility of telling difficult LGBTQ stories honestly, and why this case still haunts them long after filming wrapped.

Listen to Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato chat about all this and more or watch it on YouTube. Please take the time to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.

Maia Mitchell and Susie Porter join Kyle Meredith to talk about Season 2 of The Artful Dodger, the Hulu and Disney+ series that finds Lady Bell and Lady Jane in much heavier territory. Mitchell discusses Belle’s six-month offscreen transformation — surviving surgery, fighting to save Jack from the noose, and losing some of her innocence along the way — while Porter shares what it’s like stepping back into Lady Jane’s privileged but evolving perspective, especially as the show tackles poverty, sexism, and class in 1850s Australia. They also get into the ultra-realistic medical scenes (complete with prosthetic torsos and live “artery” blood pumps), including the now-infamous belly button moment that Mitchell calls the worst thing the show has ever made her do.

Listen to Maia Mitchell and Susie Porter chat about all this and more or watch it on YouTube. Please take the time to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.

Actress Haley Lu Richardson sits down with Kyle Meredith to unpack the brilliantly bonkers ride that is Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die, the first film in a decade from director Gore Verbinski, and one she admits she devoured in a single sitting. Richardson gets into how the script landed in her lap, why Ingrid instantly clicked as a character, and what it’s like anchoring a movie she calls everything-but-the-kitchen-sink genre-wise (Verbinski’s own term: “psychotic opera”). She also shares stories from set with Sam Rockwell, including helping him prep his now-iconic scene for The White Lotus, plus the realities of living in a handmade princess dress for an entire shoot.

Listen to Haley Lu Richardson chat about all this and more or watch it on YouTube. Please take the time to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.

Kyle Meredith catches up with David Thewlis and Thomas Brodie-Sangster to talk Season 2 of Hulu’s The Artful Dodger. Thewlis points to Fagin’s new status (wealthier, unhingier, and no longer Dodger’s underling) and the arrival of Inspector Boxer — a “bad guy” who’s inconveniently ethical, educated, and annoyingly handsome. Brodie-Sangster says they’re basically done worrying about Dickens now (“our source material becomes season one”), talks about having to “find the voice again” after the break, and admits the medical jargon goes in one ear and out the other. Also: Brodie-Sangster wants more running and action; Thewlis wants less running, more head-shaving (which he calls “liberating”). He also reveals that he kept an actual beard diary to time his facial hair around other gigs.

Listen to David Thewlis and Thomas Brodie-Sangster chat about all this and more or watch it on YouTube. Please take the time to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.

Two of the most influential hitmakers of the last half-century sit down with Kyle Meredith for a wide-ranging conversation about what it means to write songs that outlive their moment. Desmond Child talks about finally stepping center stage with his first live release, Desmond Child Live, revisiting decades of world-dominating songs, and how writing his autobiography, Livin On A Prayer: Big Songs Big Life, pushed him to reflect on legacy, mentorship, and the emotional weight songs like “Livin’ on a Prayer” still carry. Alongside him, David Foster digs into his own retrospective project, breaking down the theatrical instincts behind his biggest productions, the famous studio moments with Whitney Houston and Celine Dion, and how he’s shifted his creative focus toward Broadway and long-form storytelling, including the Betty Boop musical. Together, the two songwriters reflect on adapting to changing eras, choosing when to step back from chasing radio, and why the stories behind the songs may ultimately matter as much as the hits themselves.

Show your support for Kyle Meredith With by making sure to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.

Maynard James Keenan digs into the fifth Puscifer album Normal Isn't, unpacking how the record functions as a kind of cultural status report—part political frustration, part tech anxiety, part dark humor. Keenan explains why the band feels like it’s finally being “discovered” years after the fact, how this album leans harder and hits sharper than its predecessors, and why observation—not preaching—is the real job here. The conversation also gets into the creation of the new character Bellendia Black, the expanding world of videos and graphic novels, the uneasy usefulness of AI, and why being the underdog still matters. Along the way, there’s talk of Bowie, language as satire, and why Normal Isn’t feels less like rebellion for rebellion’s sake and more like an inevitable reckoning.

Listen to Maynard James Keenan chat about all this and more or watch it on YouTube. Please take the time to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.