40. Mike Skill Discusses The Rolling Stones, Exile on Main St.

You, Me and An Album

A classic artist from the ‘80s (and beyond) joins Al to discuss a classic album from the 70s. Mike Skill of The Romantics provides insight into what makes The Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St. such an important album in their catalog. In a wide-ranging conversation, Mike also explores his Detroit rock ’n roll roots, the great music that has come out of his adopted home of the Pacific Northwest, how two of The Romantics’ greatest hits came to be written and much more.

I referred to an appearance Mike made on the T-Bone’s Prime Cuts podcast. If you want a more in-depth discussion on his work with The Romantics and his solo work, check it out here: https://www.tbpcpodcast.com/episode-3-mike-skill-of-the-romantics/

You can follow Mike on both Twitter and Instagram at @mikejskill.

You can get more information on Mike’s releases on his website, https://www.mikeskill.com/home.

Get Mike’s music on Bandcamp! https://mikeskill.bandcamp.com/music

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

1:23 Mike joins the show

1:30 Al explains how Exile on Main St. was one of the inspirations for this podcast

2:58 Mike explains why Exile is an important album for him

5:36 Mike talks about the circumstances under which Exile was recorded

6:52 Mike has tried to approximate the type of non-linear feel that Exile has in his own work

8:54 Mike has a solo album coming out in October

10:37 Mike describes how What I Like About You was written

12:28 Mike details how Talking In Your Sleep got written

20:16 Mike tells us what is special to him about The Stones

23:25 Mike talks about the Detroit musicians who inspired him

What Mike likes about Exile on Main St.

27:34 Leaving the frayed edges in

29:36 How Mick Jagger came around to Keith Richards’ more spontaneous style

31:10 The blues influence

36:20 How The Stones gave a voice to the estranged of society

41:54 The dirty guitar sound

44:31 Mike talks about how rock ’n roll culture isn’t as prominent as it was

46:57 Mike talks about Detroit and Portland as rock ’n roll towns

53:03 Mike explains how Keith Richards created the guitar magic in the intro to Happy

57:29 The origin of the Ventilator Blues

59:07 Mike and Al like the spooky sound of I Just Want To See His Face

1:02:00 When the album came out, FM stations played a broad range of songs from Exile

1:04:37 Are albums really on the way out?

1:06:28 Final thoughts on Exile and on The Stones in general

1:14:28 Mike gives props to the producer and engineers on Exile

1:18:24 Al has been listening to The Stones differently since Charlie Watts’ death

1:20:41 What is Mike listening to these days?

Outro music is from ’67 Riot by Mike Skill feat. Wayne Kramer

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