Sodajerker On Songwriting

On Friday 4 September 2026 we're running the first Sodajerker Songwriting Lab at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, with acclaimed songwriters Sacha Skarbek and Ben Parker of the Skarbek Songwriting Academy. The workshop will feature a live Sodajerker interview with our guests, then a day of writing in small groups with guidance and feedback from Sacha and Ben. Places are limited, so have a listen to the announcement and decide whether you'd like to join us!
To enrol for the Sodajerker Songwriting Lab visit https://sodajerker.com/lab

On this very special episode, the legendary Phil Collins joins Sodajerker to mark the 45th anniversary of his solo debut Face Value, which arrives as a deluxe reissue in September. Phil explains how songs like 'In the Air Tonight' grew out of "mucking about" in his home studio, and why intuition counts for more in his writing than formal technique. He also discusses writing with Genesis, working with Brian Eno, Lamont Dozier, and the Earth, Wind & Fire horns, and creating the Oscar-winning 'You'll Be in My Heart' for Disney's Tarzan.

Singer-songwriter and producer Beth Orton joins Simon and Brian for a conversation about the writing of her latest record The Ground Above. Beth shares how she turns instinctive first ideas into finished songs, the independence that came with producing her own records, and the influence of two formative relationships: her early collaborations with William Orbit and her guitar lessons with Bert Jansch.

Songwriter and producer Linda Perry discusses Let It Die Here, her first solo album in over 25 years, and its accompanying documentary, which offers a candid look at her life and creative process. Linda explains the ways that grief and the loss of her mother are bound up in the work, the role of vulnerability in songwriting, and what she's looking for when she collaborates with an artist in the studio.

Sean Ono Lennon joins Sodajerker to discuss The Great Parrot Ox and the Golden Egg of Empathy, the new sci-fi concept album from the Claypool Lennon Delirium. Sean talks about collaborating with Les Claypool, creating characters and mythology for the record, and exploring the dangers of artificial intelligence. We also examine the duo's use of wordplay, Sean's eclectic musical influences, and the lessons he absorbed from his parents.