S8E428 - Microdisney 'Everybody Is Fantastic' with Alexei Shishkin
Hailing from Cork, Ireland, songwriters Cathal Coughlan and Sean O'Hagan formed the band Microdisney in 1980. After relocating to London in 1983, the band recorded six Peel Sessions for BBC Radio and released their debut album for Rough Trade called 'Everybody Is Fantastic'. This week's guest, musician, filmmaker, podcaster and radio host Alexei Shishkin, joins us to discuss the band and that record. The duo's combination of lushly orchestrated pop paired with wryly poetic, at times biting lyrics were right up Alexei's musical alley, and we're here for it!
Songs discussed in this episode: Dear Rosemary - Microdisney; Disco Elysium, Tiki Taka - Alexei Shishkin; Palm Of My Hand - The Pale Fountains; Horse Overboard - Microdisney; Pack Yr Romantic Mind - Stereolab; Blues For Ceausescu - The Fatima Mansions; McCardle Brown - Sean O'Hagan; Idea, A Few Kisses, Escalator In The Rain - Microdisney; Half A Person - The Smiths; Dolly (Live, Barbican sessions 2018), Dolly - Microdisney; The King Of Rock 'N' Roll - Prefab Sprout; Dreaming Drains, I'll Be A Gentleman, Moon, Sun, Sleepless, Come On Over and Cry, This Liberal Love, Before Famine, Everybody Is Dead, Everybody Is Dead (Peel session) - Microdisney; Ode To Carl Dennis - Alexei Shishkin
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Musician / Filmmaker
Self-described “DIY nobody of the internet void,” Alexei Shishkin is a musician, podcaster, filmmaker and radio host, based in Richmond, Virginia.
Ever-prolific, 2024 saw the release of ‘Play By Ear,’ his debut feature documentary, as well as three distinct musical releases. Most recently, Shishkin issued ‘Good Times,’ his eleventh full-length album.
Released via Rue Defense, this record saw Shishkin set himself another challenge as he sought to create the album from scratch in just a four-day session at Big Nice Studio in Rhode Island.
In addition to producing podcasts on topics like film, comedy, politics, tech, and soccer, Shishkin also hosts ‘The World Cloud,’ a weekly show on Brainrot Radio, where under the name “Swampbug,” he themes his playlists around a word of the week.
His latest venture, the Rue Defense Tape Club, was launched in July, and combines a mixtape-centric podcast with a Substack and cassette subscription service.