Arsalan Mohammad, host of Album to Album preview

Arsalan Mohammad is a journalist, writer, and podcast producer whose David Bowie: Albumtoalbum podcast offers an in-depth examination of Bowie’s discography, discussing each album on its own terms through conversations with musicians, critics, writers, artists, and, at times, Bowie collaborators themselves.

I have wanted Arsalan on as a guest almost from the start of when I launched my own Bowie interview show. I greatly admire his knowledge of the subject, his ease as a conversationalist, his nearly hypnotic voice, and his great roster of guests. I wanted (and still aspire to) have a show as good as his, but not to have what would inevitably be a poor imitation. I do think our shows are pretty different, despite their surface similarities.

The premise of Album to Album (sometimes stylized as ALBUMTOALBUM) is that Arsalan brings on guests to dissect specific Bowie albums. Some of his guests had personal involvement with the albums, such as musicians who played on them, but others are noted Bowie commentators like Nicholas Pegg and Leah Kardos. The discussions usually go deep into each song on the album, and sometimes the discussions spill over into multiple episodes. As much as I know about Bowie, I almost always learn something from listening to the show.

Bowie makes for an enduring and compelling topic of discussion for many reasons, including that, as I often say, he left us something to do. I suppose it would be easy for fans to discuss which songs they like and dislike for any musician, but Bowie’s lyrics contain cryptic references, what he’s doing musically is often innovative, and even the stories behind the making of albums usually have their own drama.

Arsalan’s show is made all the more special because episodes are not released on a regular schedule. When they are released, it’s an event. I was glad to hear that he plans to keep the show going in perpetuity (and was surprised to hear which albums haven’t yet been featured—you’ll have to listen to the episode to find out).

So, as much of a thrill as it is whenever a new episode of Album to Album drops, it was even more thrilling to talk with Arsalan Mohammad. Be sure to check out the interview tomorrow.