Caropop Ep210-Guitarist Marc Ribot on playing with Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and organizing

I first noticed Mark Ribot on ‪@tomwaits‬’ Rain Dogs. What was that slinky, spiky guitar sound, and who was playing it? Rain Dogs was a professional breakthrough for Ribot, and his collaborations with Waits continued for several more albums, including Franks Wild Years, Mule Variations and Waits’ most recent studio album, 2011’s Bad as Me. But before then Ribot had been playing for a while already. He was a member of the Lounge Lizards with John Lurie, had played soul-jazz in Brother Jack McDuff’s band and had backed ‪@chuckberryofficial‬, Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke and others. Ribot would go on to tour and record with ‪@elviscostello‬ on Spike, Mighty Like a Rose and Kojak Variety. He also played on ‪@RobertPlantOfficial‬ & ‪@AlisonKraussOfficial‬’s Raising Sand, ‪@EltonJohn‬ and ‪@LeonRussellOfficial‬’s The Union, and albums by previous Caropop guest Sam Phillips, ‪@YokoOno‬, ‪@OfficialDianaKrall‬, ‪@JohnZornChannel‬ and many more. Did Ribot initially set out to be a studio musician? Was he intimidated to meet or play with anyone? How much creative leeway did Waits, Costello and others give him? What impact did producers such as T Bone Burnett and Hal Willner have on his work? Ribot also traces the strong influence of Latin-American music on his playing. He relates being a left-handed person who learned to play guitar right-handed. He recalls the instrument he learned before guitar—and how he was enlisted to play it on stage many years after he’d put it down. And he discusses the very long gestation period for his 2025 album Map of a Blue City, his first album featuring his lead vocals, released at age 71. Also, he's a steering committee member of the Music Workers Alliance, the outspoken Ribot is at the forefront of the battle for indie musicians’ rights. He digs into economic, copyright, AI and other issues that, in his view, require urgent action. There may be nothing more inspiring and entertaining than relaxed, candid conversations among creative people. Mark Caro, a relentlessly curious journalist and on-stage interviewer, loves digging into the creative process with artists and drawing out surprising stories that illuminate the work that has become part of our lives. Caropop is for anyone who wants to dig deeper into the music, movies, food and culture that they love. #MarcRibot #tomwaits #elviscostello #dianakrall #LoungeLizards #chuckberry #wilsonpickett #SamPhillips #yokoono #SolomonBurke #JohnZorn #HalWillner #MusicWorkersAlliance #TBoneBurnett #robertplant #alisonkrauss #eltonjohn #leonrussell #Caropopcast #MarkCaro Subscribe & donate at https://www.caropop.com/caropopcast