380. Jon Hiatt biographer Michael Elliott on ‘Bring the Family’ (1987)
Today I’m bringing you a fascinating conversation with the Michael Elliott, author of the new and definitive John Hiatt biography ‘Have A Little Faith’. We dive deep into ‘Bring the Family’, the 1987 classic that broke open Hiatt’s career after years of struggle. We talk about the album being an alternative to the dominant production of the late 80s, how it presaged Americana music, how Hiatt assembled Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe and Jim Keltner as his dream band for the sessions (and how Lowe almost didn’t make it), the adult subject matter of the lyrics, Bonnie Raitt’s cover of Thing Called Love, how James Cameron used Alone in the Dark in True Lies and how Hiatt proves that sobering up and getting your life together can produce a songwriter’s best work.