Matthew Logan Vasquez has been living the pirates life of a touring musician for decades, eternally on the road or in the studio. He gained notoriety with his band Delta Spirit, who's heartfelt, bombastic American rock and roll found larger and larger audiences, forming one super group, Middle Brother, with Deer Tick's John McCauley, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, and Johnny Fritz aka Johnny Corndawg and then another, Glorietta, with Nathaniel Rateliff, Noah Gunderson, Adrian Quesada, Kelsey Wilson, and more. When Delta Spirit took a break, Vasquez didn't slow down, releasing solo albums and continuing onward, city to city, town to town, relentlessly yet joyfully chasing the only dream he's ever had.

We discuss touring, balancing life as a devoted musician, his haunted studio, why it's hard to be a new bad trying to break through and how the industry has changed since he started, partying his way across the country, how becoming sober impacted his art, and more.

James talks to long time Life Magazine Editori-In-Chief Bill Shapiro about how being a life long Deadhead has impacted his career, having access to Life Mag's legendary archives, championing young and unknown artists, and how a cold call led to co-authoring a children's book with Keith Richards.

James talks to his friend and former Daily Beast colleague Olivia Nuzzi to discuss their shared love for music and art, the lack of collective experience, pivoting to video, how living in a simulation may not be what you think, Purple Mountains and the Mount Rushmore of final albums, growing up in New Jersey, creative processes, writing, cultural criticism, and making things just for the sake of making things.