Skip to Content
Talkhouse home
Talkhouse home
Podcast

Steve Albini Talks with Jerry Casale (Devo) for the Talkhouse Podcast

The two music legends share a rich and fascinating conversation backstage at Desert Daze.

Desert Daze sign - Talkhouse Podcast

The Talkhouse Podcast recently headed out to the fantastic Desert Daze festival at Moreno Beach at Lake Perris in Southern California. When we weren't catching sets by Tame Impala, King Gizzard, and My Bloody Valentine, we recorded a trio of great talks; this week, we present the first.

When I saw that both Steve Albini and Devo's Jerry Casale were going to be at Desert Daze giving talks, I knew we had to pair these two icons of alternative music. They're big fans of each other's work, and halfway through their conversation, Steve said, “This is the sort of stuff no one ever talks about. These are the questions I’ve had for 30 years.”

Their fascinating talk takes in the beginning years of Devo’s existence; their complex relationship with Neil Young; Brian Eno’s proclivity for ménage à trois; the differences between poker and making records; and how the name Devo became a category alongside jocks, squares and nerds.

Subscribe now to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast. Feel free to DM me to let me know which artist(s) you’d love to see appear on a future episode.
—Elia Einhorn, Talkhouse Podcast host and producer @eliaeinhorn

This episode was recorded by Keenan Kush at Desert Daze, and by Mark Yoshizumi at Hook & Fade Studios in Brooklyn. It was co-produced by Mark Yoshizumi.

The Talkhouse Podcast’s theme song was composed and performed by The Range.

Big thanks to Desert Daze for hosting the Talkhouse Podcast.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Podcast

Explore Podcast

Charlotte Cornfield

We talk about her great memory for show dates, songs about sandwiches, Rush, studio memories, and making January records.

May 27, 2026

King Tuff

Kyle and Dylan discuss foundational powerpop classics, Bigfoot, UFOs, playing Ringo Starr’s birthday party, and more.

May 27, 2026

All One Song :: Zachary Cale on “Ambulance Blues”

Zachary Cale dives into one of Neil Young's darkest songs.

May 27, 2026

782: Whole Foods Buyers Never Sit Still. We Followed Them to Spain.

We follow Whole Foods buyers to visit Conservas Ortiz, a fifth-generation, family-owned company working the Basque coast since 1891.

May 27, 2026

949. – Kevin Morby

May 27, 2026

Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That: Tatiana Maslany

The Emmy-winning actress, whose new Apple TV series Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed is now streaming, sits down for an in-depth conversation.