Hrishikesh Hirway: Song Exploder podcast allows 'fanboy moments'

For Hrishikesh Hirway, the host of Song Exploder,  one of the benefits of hosting a podcast about the creative process behind your favourite songs is getting to speak with your idols. 

U2, Björk and Spoon have all been featured on the podcast, which has a musician deconstruct one of their songs in each episode.

Most of the episodes that I'm doing are with people I admire. [Stephin Merritt] was just someone that I had admired for so very long.- Hrishikesh Hirway, host of the podcast Song Exploder

There is one episode that Hirway was especially excited for — with Stephin Merrit of The Magnetic Fields.

"Most of the episodes that I'm doing are with people I admire. [Stephin Merritt] was just someone that I had admired for so very long," Hirway told Podcast Playlist's Lindsay Michael.

He admitted the interview with Merritt "was a little bit of a fanboy moment for me."

"He has a very dry sense of humour, and so I was pretty sure he was joking … most of the time."

Merritt spoke with Hirway about his approach to song writing and deconstructed the process behind the song "Andrew in Drag."

The episode features a powerful clip from Merritt's isolated vocals on the song. Hirway says, taking apart a song in this way can give you a better appreciation for a song.

"It's sort of like getting to try all the ingredients in a dish, before you have the dish. Most of the time, as a listener, you just get the finished thing. You just get that dish. But, here's a chance to be like, 'Oh, this what saffron tastes like' and 'This is what tarragon tastes like.' " 

Listen to the audio to hear the full interview with Hrishikesh Hirway.

Tune in to Podcast Playlist on December 31st to hear a condensed version of this interview and the episode featuring Stephin Merritt.

Song Exploder was also featured in Episode 5: Nerding Out.