Side Projects: Michael Gira On The Beggar

I’ve got a great episode of Side Projects here! Michael Gira of Swans returns to talk about their latest album, The Beggar. Swans never got to tour their last album, Leaving Meaning. So The Beggar, while not a continuation of Leaving Meaning, does have some connections to it. It also means that Swans, who are not known for looking back, reminiscing, and playing older songs from their back catalog, will be playing music from Leaving Meaning AND The Beggar, plus possibly a NEW song or two. Michael has not only created another powerhouse of an album, but he also threw me for a loop when I read the credits and realized that there are a bunch of podcast guests on it, like Dana Schecter, Lucy Kruger, and Laura Carbone. Michael discusses how he met Lucy & Laura and how he visualizes new music and who he invites to participate on the albums. Speaking of writing, he also tells me why repetition is important to him and that while the isolation of Covid may have ruined his touring plans, it really didn’t change his writing style at all. What did influence the album, though, was the sequencing. Sequencing was the spark that caused him to write the epic track The Beggar Lover. And I wrap everything in a nice bow by messing up the questions I have about the album cover art. You’ll see what I mean. Order the album from https://younggodrecords.com/ or Bandcamp. Follow Swans @swans_official on Instagram. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on Instagram & Twitter. Reach out there or [email protected]. Coffee from ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety is appreciated. Merch is available at performanceanx.threadless.com. And now I present Michael Gira on Swans’ The Beggar on Performance Anxiety, part of the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices