{"podcast":{"title":"Talkhouse Podcast","slug":"talkhouse-podcast-862006","podcast_index_feed_id":862006,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/THI1720663445","website_url":"https://www.talkhouse.com/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/67cf2bf0-01a0-11eb-bb55-774eb3875d8a/image/TH-Podcast-Art-2023.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Talkhouse","episode_count":631,"summary":"Your favorite musicians, filmmakers, and other creative minds one-on-one. No moderator, no script, no typical questions. The Talkhouse Podcast offers unique insights into creative work from all genres and generations. Explore more illuminating shows on the Talkhouse Podcast Network.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-14T18:22:59.493138+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/talkhouse-podcast-862006"},"episode":{"title":"Matt Berninger with Eric Bachmann","slug":"matt-berninger-with-eric-bachmann","published_at":"2026-02-26T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/talkhouse-podcast-862006/matt-berninger-with-eric-bachmann","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/talkhouse-podcast-862006","url":"https://pdst.fm/e/tracking.swap.fm/track/8fvJdZ1Y8SQ0SkCuaYDp/traffic.megaphone.fm/THI8261085606.mp3?updated=1772076546","audio_url":"https://pdst.fm/e/tracking.swap.fm/track/8fvJdZ1Y8SQ0SkCuaYDp/traffic.megaphone.fm/THI8261085606.mp3?updated=1772076546","summary":"This week’s Talkhouse episode is particularly exciting for me, since my two guests are also two of my favorite songwriters and singers ever—and they happen to be big fans of each other. It’s Matt Berninger and Eric Bachmann. Eric Bachmann was a massive part of the ‘90s indie-rock explosion as the snarling voice behind Archers of Loaf, a band that released four incredible albums in its relatively short run. But Bachmann ditched most of that genre’s signifiers afterward and has spent the last quarter-century writing and recording incredible songs both under the name Crooked Fingers and under his own. His records are more in line with Tom Waits or Townes van Zandt than Pavement, and his deep catalog is worth a deep dive. You could start pretty much anywhere, so it might as well be with the brand new Crooked Fingers album Swet Deth. It’s the first time Bachmann has dusted off the Crooked Fingers name in more than a decade, I’m assuming because it sounds like a more fleshed-out affair. He also invited some friends to provide backing vocals on a few tracks, including Superchunk’s Mac McCaughan, Sharon Van Etten, and today’s other guest, Matt Berninger of the National. Check out the Crooked Fingers song “From All Ways,” which features Berninger’s distinctive voice. Fun fact: When the first two Crooked Fingers albums were reissued about 10 years ago, Bachmann asked two of his biggest fans to write the liner notes. One, I’m proud to say, was me, and the other was Matt Berninger, the intense baritone frontman of the National. As you’ll hear in this chat, Matt has been a fan of Eric’s since back in the Archers days. Berninger of course has had an incredible career in roughly that same timeframe, leading the National from small clubs to huge venues with a thoroughly unimpeachable…","meta_description":"This week’s Talkhouse episode is particularly exciting for me, since my two guests are also two of my favorite songwriters and singers ever—and they happe…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3267,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/talkhouse-podcast-862006/episodes/matt-berninger-with-eric-bachmann/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/talkhouse-podcast-862006/matt-berninger-with-eric-bachmann.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}