Bill Callahan with Michael Imperioli

Bill Callahan with Michael Imperioli

From Talkhouse Podcast by Talkhouse

April 30, 2026 · 42 min

About this episode

Bill Callahan and Michael Imperioli discuss their artistic journeys and experiences in the arts.

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast, we’ve got an interesting pairing—two guys that hadn’t met before, and who come from different parts of the arts world, and who are both pretty damn great at their jobs. It’s Bill Callahan and Michael Imperioli. Bill Callahan made music under the name Smog for about 15 years, releasing an incredible catalog of gorgeous, mostly minimal, often wandering songs delivered in his unmistakable baritone. He’s one of the most profound lyricists of the past 30 years, crafting careful little worlds that are often funny and heartbreaking at the same time. In 2005, he dropped the Smog moniker and started releasing records under his own name, but there’s no obvious break in the continuity. It’s a fantastic body of work and you can start almost anywhere: I’d recommend 1999’s Knock Knock as an entry point, or maybe 2007’s A River Ain’t Too Much Too Love, which comes up in this chat. But you could just as easily jump in with Callahan’s fantastic new one, My Days of 58, which was finished after a scary cancer battle. In spite of that—or maybe because of it—it’s one of Callahan’s most relaxed and charming ever. Check out “Why Do Men Sing” right here. Today’s other…

People in this episode

Guests: Bill Callahan, Michael Imperioli

Topics covered

  • music
  • interviews
  • lyricism
  • film
  • cancer
  • artistic collaboration

Keywords

  • Bill Callahan
  • Michael Imperioli
  • Smog
  • The Sopranos
  • music
  • lyricist
  • cancer
  • interview

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Smog, Knock Knock, A River Ain’t Too Much Too Love, My Days of 58, The Sopranos, Goodfellas, Summer of Sam

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