Better To... Podcast with D. M. Needom

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This week Jack Grisham, vocalist for the punk rock band T.S.O.L. (True Sounds of Liberty) and Joykiller stops by the show. We talk about his latest project, Jack Grisham and the Life Undone with Lars Triesch. We also discuss his involvement over the last  four decades—in literature, film work, and most importantly independent music—with over 70 million streams and over 2,000 live shows under his belt. Grisham remains a constant figure in and beyond the American punk scene.
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Grisham is known as the frontman of TSOL and later The Joykiller. He has been active for over four decades—in literature, film work, and most importantly independent music—with more than 70 million streams and over 2,000 live shows under his belt. Grisham remains a constant figure in and beyond the American punk scene. Triesch comes out of the German ’90s punk and hardcore scene, later moving into indie with his band Profession Reporter.So how did these two end up making one of the coolest alternative rock records in recent years?For the last 15 years, Lars has been running a store for vintage furniture and design in Berlin. He’s also involved in the occasional arts project. Last year he was in Las Vegas doing research for an Edward Colver photo book. Lars is friends with Edward, who is friends with Jack, who were together at the Punk Rock Museum.If this sounds like one of those right-place-at-the-right-time things, it is.Lars and Grisham started chatting it up, and somehow a “we should make a record” statement got tossed out. Now, there is some disagreement about who said it, but Jack swears it wasn’t him, because he’d recently “walked” away again from what Hunter S. Thompson called “...a business that is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs.”Ah, if only the addict knew how to stay away from things that hurt him—did I mention Grisham has been clean and sober for over 36 years? Apparently he forgot about the pain and suffering, and it was on...again.But as you know, talk is cheap, and there are about 6,000 miles from Grisham’s home in Huntington Beach, California, to Triesch’s home in Kleinmachnow, outside of Berlin.Enter Zoom and the internet.
Screw the 9-hour time difference. Grisham and Triesch wrote online every day for the next few months. Although, the first few weeks were mainly spent on translation problems. The Germans don’t have a B note in the scale—it’s called an H—and they also don’t understand why Americans would call a bald man “curly”—“But he has no hair at all.”Translation issues aside, the songs were written, and Grisham flew off to Germany to record at the Triesch residence.Now before you start thinking that the record was tossed together in Lars’s bedroom, let me tell you about the house—a beautiful modern home designed by architect Ray Kappe (another strange California connection), with a basement recording studio space filled roof to ceiling with equipment supplied by Neumann.Grisham and Lars were joined by Trevor Lucca—a guitarist known for his onstage work with Dick Dale and T.S.O.L.—and the whole project was guided by the production team of Kurt Ebelhäuser and Michel Wern.Thirteen tracks were laid down in ten days—the bulk of the album—and additional vocal and keyboard recordings were done in Los Angeles at Kitten Robot Studios, engineered by Paul Roessler.
Novels: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jack-Grisham/author/B004P9TEDG?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1790530983&sr=8-1&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=8a9f548c-06f5-468e-b829-0e32b0beeb19

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If you would like to contact the show Dauna@betertopodcast.com
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©2026 Better To...Podcast with D. M.Needom
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This week on the podcast, the fashion designer who is known as the “King of Pants,” Alvin Valley, stops by the show. We talk about where he picked up the moniker, how his first runway show came with a little help from Kathy Hilton, and so much more.
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Named the “King of Pants” by The New York Times, designer Alvin Valley's journey revolves around Miami and, of course, pants. Born in New York City, and educated at the University of Miami, where he studied architecture, Valley’s designer roots are firmly planted with Miami fashionistas. Back in 1995, Valley dressed Miami’s social scene with his eponymous label, which was sold at his Coconut Grove boutique nestled on Commodore Plaza. Best-known for crafting the best-fitting pants for women, New York socialites beckoned him to the Big Apple to open a SoHo atelier. “In 2000, I packed my bags and left for New York to pursue a wider audience,” Valley says of his move. And a great decision. Valley showed regularly during New York Fashion Week with a presence in over 250 stores worldwide. His doors included well-established retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Intermix, and Fred Segal.
Hollywood embraced him, too. “I’ve always interacted directly with consumers,” Valley says of his business technique. He forged close relationships with his clients, including Kate Winslet, Jennifer Lopez, Sharon Stone, Gwyneth Paltrow, Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon, Zoë Saldana, Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, Cindy Crawford, Madonna, Cher, Cameron Diaz, Celine Dion, Jennifer Garner, and more.
In 2007, the Moret Group acquired the Alvin Valley brand, expanding its distribution to Nordstroms, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and even QVC. 
“I’m going back to the basics and bringing back my amazing pants. I’ll be making visits around the U.S. to reconnect with my customers and I can’t wait to visit Miami — because my career started there,” Valley says. “I feel like my life is coming full circle.”
Check out his designs here: https://alvinvalley.com/
Follow him on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/alvinvalley/
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If you would like to contact the show Dauna@betertopodcast.com
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©2026 Better To...Podcast with D. M.Needom
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Fergal Lawler stops by the show to discuss, The Cranberries, Fame, Grief and more. 
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There's a pivotal moment when a promising young band goes from having a big debut to being launched into the mainstream stratosphere... For The Cranberries, this live album Live At The Long Astoria II, 1994 is that moment. 

Live At The Long Astoria II, 1994 was recorded in London after their debut Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? had been released and the band returned from the U.S., having spent a hefty few months doing grueling promo. With their massive singles "Linger" and "Dreams" off that album setting the stage for even more greatness, The Cranberries were just getting started.

Still working on their sophomore follow-up and road-testing some new songs, the Irish quartet felt they needed to reconnect with their fans in a much more intimate setting (they had played some massive venues in the States), and so they chose the London Astoria II (capacity: 1,000).

With their second album No Need To Argue still cooking (it would be released later that year), they played a handful of brand new songs that would subsequently be included on the next record: “Daffodil Lament,” “Empty” and, of course, the single that would turn them into global superstars, “Zombie."
Grab your copy here: https://thecranberries.lnk.to/LiveAtLondonAstoria
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If you would like to contact the show Dauna@betertopodcast.com
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V. Torres stops by the show to discuss her new Album Woman. We also discuss how she once was on track to be a basketball player, but realized that the pressure was leading to burn out. We also talk about grief, the pressure of being a woman and more. 
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Woman is a seven-song collection that moves fluidly through transformation and renewal. 
Written during one of the most profound chapters of her life and co-produced alongside longtime collaborator Steve Aguilar, Woman marks a significant creative milestone as the first full-length album Torres has co-produced herself. The project embraces the expansive genres of indie rock, Americana, desert psychedelia, Latin textures, and cinematic storytelling, creating a record that feels both deeply intimate and sonically adventurous. Across its seven tracks, Torres explores endings and beginnings, heartbreak and liberation, grief and healing, all while arriving at a greater understanding of herself.
Following the release of "That Night," Torres will bring these songs to the stage with two Southern California performances: August 8 at The Studio in Hermosa Beach (tickets/info) and September 9 at The Mint in Los Angeles (direct support for acclaimed blues guitarist and vocalist Sue Foley - tickets/info). The performances offer audiences an early opportunity to experience the emotional power of Woman live.
Watch the video for Woman : https://youtu.be/ISjias_rVcM?si=Zsfx_d2BCsvi4ZBu
Etch the video for Winter Solstice : https://youtu.be/lfgXRqBKSVQ?si=GxIkhtckc4kdzBrr
Watch the video for That Night :  https://youtu.be/utbP6rzgX9M?si=7PimQMzwHEH_9AFI
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If you would like to contact the show Dauna@betertopodcast.com
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Wendy Stonehenge of the Candy Whips returns to the show to discuss his cover of the classic Heaven 17 song, "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang', Tour Life, Fatherhood and much more.
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"After the doo-wop covers EP Moonlight that I released last year, I wasn't planning on doing more covers for a while. But I was listening to Heaven 17, the pertinence of the lyrics really jumped out at me,” says Wendy Stonehenge, mastermind behind the electro/New Wave-inspired project CANDY WHIPS, about their new single “(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang.” "This song was originally released 45 years ago, and it's more relevant than ever. I decided it needed to be given a new life."

Candy Whips interpretation of the classic percolating ‘80s hit slows down the tempo slightly but amplifies the dance groove, allowing the very timely lyrics to breathe. "I knew I had to really reinvent this song in order to pull it off,” explains Stonehenge. “I mean, I couldn't do a faithful cover even if I wanted to. The basslines of Heaven 17’s John Wilson are insane. My version is much more stripped down but also even more danceable..this is the first time I've made a straight up dance track. It was a fun challenge to work outside of my usual comfort zone."
“(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang” follows Candy Whip’s cover EP Moonlight, which features doo wop versions of The Flamingos’ “I Only Have Eyes For You,” Marvin and Johnny's “Cherry Pie,” and the Chordettes/Pat Ballard's girl group classic "Mr. Sandman." Moonlight was my way of connecting with those roots of yore,” Stonehenge explains. “Modernizing these songs helped me to be a stronger writer.” Ripe with vocal effects, drum machines, and synths, he breathed new life into the songs by dusting them off and polishing them with modern flourishes. "If I could turn young people on to this older music, that would be amazing," he adds.

Known as an established member of the well-known Northern California glam rock band Glitter Wizard, Stonehenge formed Candy Whips as a side project during the pandemic. Using this project as an outlet for music that didn’t fit his other band’s glamrock mold, he explored synthpop in a more focused way, fusing punk and electronic.

Candy Whips is the solo project of Wendy Stonehenge. The new single "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" is out now and is available via Kitten Robot.
Website: https://kittenrobot.com/artist/candy-whips/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glitterwizardwagon/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candy.whips/?hl=en
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPgCq_P0e-xj84tFAiTXI3A
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If you would like to contact the show Dauna@betertopodcast.com
Follow us on Social Media
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX0ETs2wpOHbCuhUNr0XFTw?view_as=subscriber
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Support the podcast here: https://www.patreon.com/bettertopodcastwithdmneedom

©2026 Better To...Podcast with D. M.Needom

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