DBWS 2.9 “Are You Sleepy?” with The Gerbils While not as prominent as some other bands, the Elephant 6 Movement owes a great deal of its foundation in Rustin, Louisiana to an astoundingly great band called The Gerbils. Try not to smile, laugh, cry, and just tap your toes to the music and words of this charmingly naive band that greatly exceeds their limitations. Plus this episode from our first season, re-edited with more music, is both entertaining and full of insider information regarding the early days of the E6 world. Keep your fingers crossed we can bring them back for an episode on the band’s other album “The Battle of Electricity”.

DBWS 2.8 “The Apples in Stereo” with author Josh Bloom In this episode, Mathew and Patrick are speaking with author Josh Bloom about his long time friendship and working relationship with Robert Schneider and other members of The Apples in Stereo. He’s written a pretty detailed insider’s look at the band and it’s coming out just in time for the holidays! You can pre-order or purchase a copy of the book here (to be released Decenber 9, 2025): https://linktr.ee/theapplesbook

DBWS 2.7 “Don’t Swim Too Close” with Benjamin Crum of Great Lakes This episode marks the second appearance of Benjamin Crum on the show and we’re discussing the new Great Lakes album “Don’t Swim Too Close” on Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records. You can purchase a copy of “Don’t Swim Too Close” on vinyl or digital download here: https://greatlakesbencrum.bandcamp.com/album/dont-swim-too-close

DBWS 2.6 “Explanation II” with Will Cullen Hart This episode is a re-packaging of a season one episode that originally appeared behind the Discograffiti paywall on Patreon. One year ago, on November 23rd, hosts Rudy Fischmann and Mathew Bell were joined for the first time by new co-host Patrick Tape Fleming for what none of us knew would become one of the most meaningful conversations in the history of “Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts”. That day, Will Cullen Hart—pop visionary, experimental mastermind, and undisputed 4-track wizard—sat down with us to talk about “Explanation II”, the ambient companion piece originally released with the first CD pressing of “Dusk at Cubist Castle” back in 1996. That was the plan, anyway. In true Will fashion, he quickly steered us towards several directions. Mostly about his current obsession with Stereolab. No Seat Belts Needed for this ride. But what unfolded was a warm, hilarious, and beautifully wandering interview where we tried—mostly unsuccessfully—to get Will to talk about himself. Instead, we got something better: pure Will. Joyful. Curious. Generous. Brilliant. Shortly after we recorded this session, Will passed away. This conversation now stands as a document of his charm, his creativity, and the enormous heart behind his music. He left us with decades of art (and yes, more still to come. soon), with his unmistakable warmth, and with one last instruction: Go listen to Stereolab.

Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts episode 2-5: Black Foliage by Olivia Tremor Control with John Kiran Fernandes” This episode is a free re-broadcast of our very first episode which appeared behind a paywall as part of the Discograffiti music podcast's Patreon account. Special thanks goes out to Dave Gebroe for being cool with us re-releasing these episodes so we can share these really compelling discussions with the artists themselves. So kicking things off was John Kiran Fernandes talking about the Olivia Tremor Control record that many overlook as being the best place to start with OTC. But, come on, it’s their best and most accessible record as well as the group’s most realized. It just is, lol.

DBWS 2.4 “Proverbs” with The Shut-Ups This is a band with an immense catalog and their latest release… “Proverbs”, a double-album, does not fail to confound just like all their previous efforts. And despite their efforts to dissuade any serious evaluation of their work, we at “Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts” feel like we made some inroads into helping the world better understand the enigma that it is… The Shut-Ups. You can purchase a copy of “Proverbs” here: https://shutups.bandcamp.com/album/proverbs You can find Bored Music Geek Radio and its wide array of programming here: https://live365.com/station/Bored-Music-Geek-Radio-a13080 You can find old episodes of “Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts” (these will all eventually be re-aired on Bored Music Geek Radio in repackaged form) here: https://www.patreon.com/c/discograffiti/posts Speaking of, Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts also has a Patreon!!! Wait! Come back! It’s not like that! Our show is free, and will remain that way. However! Joining the Patreon, and pledging at the Reckless Driver level ($1 monthly) allows you to participate in our monthly giveaways. There will always be at least one giveaway per month, often there will be two or more per month, and each giveaway will include at least one piece of physical media (cd, cassette, or vinyl record.) There will be times that the winner can choose the format of the media that they receive, but as long as the album was pressed on vinyl there will always be that option available for the winner (we’re vinyl fanatics here at DBWS.) Sometimes it could be just the album in question, and other times there will be quite a few things included (t-shirts, stickers, artwork, etc..) We aren’t looking to turn a profit off of your donations, but they will definitely help us handle the shipping costs for the prizes, and various other production costs. https://www.patreon.com/dontbotherwearingseatbelts

Some artists look death straight in the eyes and refuse to flinch. Henri Matisse, confined to a wheelchair after cancer surgery, reinvented his process entirely, cutting bold, life-affirming shapes from paper when his hands could no longer guide a brush. Georgia O’Keeffe, nearly blind from macular degeneration, refused surrender, dictating color and form to assistants, painting what she could still feel when she could no longer see. Their creativity became defiance, proof that art is not a luxury of health, but a necessity of spirit. That same unbreakable drive runs through Athens, GA resident Chris McKay. Recovering from traumatic brain injury, Ehlers-Danlos complications, and emergency surgery that left him unable to stand or speak, McKay turned to AI not as a gimmick but as a lifeline. Through it, he painted sound pictures when his body could no longer cooperate, transforming limitation into liberation. Like Matisse with scissors or O’Keeffe with voice and vision fading, McKay found a new tool to stay alive through art. His work reminds us that creation is often the final rebellion against pain, the last way to prove we’re still here.

DBWS 2.2 Giant Day’s “Alarm” zOMG zOMG!!! We can’t be excited enough about Giant Day’s new release “Alarm” out September 10, 2025 on the Elephant 6 Recording Company imprint. Seriously, it’s really good. But so is this discussion with the band. We talk about everything from the ins and outs of recording this record to Mutt Lange’s marital history. It’s got literally everything you could ever want from an episode of “Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts”.

DBWS 2.1 Jardin Botanique’s “Isthmus” Welcome to the second season of “Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts”, the podcast that explores the extensive world of the Elephant 6 Movement with the artists behind it yesterday, today, and tomorrow. This episode marks the beginning of the show’s second season, now out from behind a paywall and a part of Bored Music Geek Radio. Our premiere on this new platform is not with a band from Athens, Georgia as some might expect, but from Montreal, Canada. They’re discussing their new ambient album “Isthmus” which was released in September of 2025 on Cloud Recordings and is a collaboration with E6 OG John Kiran Fernandes. You can purchase a copy of the album here: https://cloudrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/isthmus You can find Bored Music Geek Radio and its wide array of programming here: https://live365.com/station/Bored-Music-Geek-Radio-a13080 You can find old episodes of “Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts” (these will all eventually be re-aired on Bored Music Geek Radio in repackaged form) here: https://www.patreon.com/c/discograffiti/posts