225. Ben Vaughn Discusses Alex Chilton, Like Flies on Sherbert

Send us Fan MailSinger, songwriter, musician, producer, TV and film composer, radio show host and podcaster Ben Vaughn drops by to introduce Al to Alex Chilton’s 1979 debut solo album Like Flies on Sherbert. Ben talks about the negative impression he got the first time he was exposed to Chilton, when he appeared on a local 1960s television show in Philadelphia, and how he eventually became a fan, friend and collaborator of Chilton’s. He explains why he thinks Like Flies on Sherbert is Chilton’s best album, digging into several of the album’s tracks and discussing the circumstances under which the album was recorded. Ben also talks about his recently-launched podcast Straight From The Hat, as well as his upcoming album with Deer Tick.Follow Ben on Instagram! He’s at @benvaughnmusic.You can also learn more about Ben and his work on his website https://benvaughn.org/.Ben also mentioned that Straight From The Hat has a website. Check out episodes and the extra goodies that Ben talked about at straightfromthehat.com.Be sure to sign up for the YMAAA Newsletter at youmealbum.ghost.io. The first eight episodes of Bonus Tracks—YMAAA’s subscriber-only podcast series—are now available at patreon.com/youmealbum. More monthly episodes and other good stuff are soon to come. Please consider subscribing! Your support will make it possible for Al to keep this podcast going.To keep up with You, Me and An Album, please give the show a follow on Instagram at @youmealbum.1:48 Ben’s introduction3:00 Ben revisits his earliest memories of Chilton6:59 Ben shares the story of how he got introduced to Big Star9:27 Ben explains how he first heard Like Flies on Sherbert14:43 Ben talks about the circumstances under which Like Flies on Sherbert was made, as he learned from Chilton himself18:09 Ben discusses the eclecticism of the album21:06 Al talks about the album’s different versions23:33 Al shares his reaction to the album25:17 Ben talks about the musicians who played on Like Flies on Sherbert and the challenges they must have faced27:48 Ben discusses the mysterious quality of the title track30:10 Ben and Al talk about how the album feels unfinished32:10 Ben explains why he thinks the album resonated with him33:38 Ben talks about how he became friends with Chilton and how he and Chilton wound up working with Alan Vega43:12 Chilton’s music used to be hard to find49:53 Ben discusses the origins of his new podcast Straight From The Hat57:21 Ben shares news of an upcoming release with Deer TickOutro music is from “Magdalena ’94 (live)” by Ben Vaughn.Support the show