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Let It Roll

Let It Roll

Pantheon Media 603 Episodes Jul 24, 2026

"Let it Roll" is a podcast about the history of popular music from the 19th Century to the 21st. It is part of Pantheon, a podcast network for music lovers.

Episodes

The musics of Europe and Africa collided in Cuba: Let It Roll From the Beginning...to the End 5
The musics of Europe and Africa collided in Cuba: Let It Roll From the Beginning...to the End 5 Jul 24, 2026 2597 We're relaunching Let It Roll by reposting every episode in chronological order by subject matter. In this episode, Nate Wilcox and author Ned Sublette have the first of several conversations about Ned's book "⁠Cuba and Its Music: From the First Drums to the Mambo⁠." This episode focuses on the cultural collisions and cross-pollination triggered when Europeans enslaved Africans and dragged them
The Ancient Repertoire the Folk Genre Built On: Let It Roll From the Beginning...to the End 4
The Ancient Repertoire the Folk Genre Built On: Let It Roll From the Beginning...to the End 4 Jul 22, 2026 2655 We're relaunching Let It Roll by reposting every episode in chronological order by subject matter. In this episode,Nate Wilcox and author Dave Thompson discuss the first chapter of Dave's book An Evolving Tradition: The Child Ballads in Modern Folk and Rock Music. This episode originally dropped in 2024. GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
The Cultural Blend That Made New Orleans Music Unique: Let It Roll From the Beginning...to the End 3
The Cultural Blend That Made New Orleans Music Unique: Let It Roll From the Beginning...to the End 3 Jul 20, 2026 2649 We're relaunching Let It Roll by reposting every episode in chronological order by subject matter. In this episode, host Nate Wilcox welcomes Ned Sublette, author of "The Cultural Blend That Made New Orleans Music Unique: Let It Roll From the Beginning...to the End 3." Sublette's book is "a tale of imperial war, religious conflict, the search for treasure, the spread of slavery, the Cuban conne
Music as a Magical, Subversive Power: Let It Roll From the Beginning...to the End 2
Music as a Magical, Subversive Power: Let It Roll From the Beginning...to the End 2 Jul 18, 2026 2827 We're relaunching Let It Roll by reposting every episode in chronological order by subject matter. Hosts Nate Wilcox and Yuri Campbell look back at Nate's discussion with Ted Gioia about his book "Music: A Subversive History" and what we learned about the uncontrollable, dangerous power of music, music as magic, and how authorities always try to tame musical revolutions and never quite succeed.
The History of Music is Subversive, Not Respectable: Let It Roll From the Beginning...to the End 1
The History of Music is Subversive, Not Respectable: Let It Roll From the Beginning...to the End 1 Jul 15, 2026 2524 We're relaunching Let It Roll by reposting every episode in chronological order by subject matter. This episode goes back to the beginnings of human culture and features Ted Gioia discussing his book ”Music: A Subversive History.” Ted and Nate discuss the tension between the social outsiders who’ve always been the source of musical innovation and the mainstream academicians who borrow their ideas.
Chula Fronteras Documented Tejano Legends Like Lydia Mendoza, Narciso Martínez and Flaco Jiménez
Chula Fronteras Documented Tejano Legends Like Lydia Mendoza, Narciso Martínez and Flaco Jiménez Jul 13, 2026 2580 Hosts Nate Wilcox and Justin Bankston take it back to Tejas for the final installment of the first series of "We Dig Rock Docs" with a discussion of Les Blanks' classic 1976 film Chula Fronteras. This episode originally dropped in 2022. GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -- The final 15 m
Grunge Bands Like Nirvana Drew All Eyes to the Seattle Music Scene
Grunge Bands Like Nirvana Drew All Eyes to the Seattle Music Scene Jul 10, 2026 2861 Hosts Nate Wilcox and Justin Bankston discuss "Hype!" the masterful telling of what happened when Seattle's happy little underground scene became an international pop culture sensation, attracting thousands of wannabes and hundreds of reporters to the city. This episode originally dropped in 2022. GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
The Time Nirvana Opened For Sonic Youth and Made a Movie About It
The Time Nirvana Opened For Sonic Youth and Made a Movie About It Jul 8, 2026 2518 Just before the release of Nevermind and "Smells Like Teen Spirit", Nirvana toured Europe opening up for mentors Sonic Youth. Hosts Nate Wilcox and Justin Bankston look back on this iconic moment from their youth in their discussion of the documentary "1991 - The Year Punk Broke." This episode originally dropped in 2022. GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
The Sex Pistols Launched Punk Rock in London & Triggered a Huge Backlash
The Sex Pistols Launched Punk Rock in London & Triggered a Huge Backlash Jul 7, 2026 2717 Hosts Nate Wilcox and Justin Bankston continue our series on rock documentaries with a discussion of two very different takes on the Sex Pistols story, -- The Great Rock & Roll Swindle and The Filth and the Fury -- both films directed by Julien Temple. This episode originally dropped in 2022. GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
The New York Dolls' Punky Glam Was Too Much, Too Soon
The New York Dolls' Punky Glam Was Too Much, Too Soon Jul 4, 2026 2646 New York Dolls bassist Arthur "Killer" Kane was the focus of Greg Whiteley's 2005 documentary which told the story of his final months in Los Angeles and an unexpected Dolls reunion in London. Hosts Nate Wilcox and Justin Bankston also discuss the meteoric rise and tragic fall of the Dolls in New York and London in the 1970s. This episode originally dropped in 2022. GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTAC
ZZ Top Took Marshall Amps and Remade Boogie-Blues as Heavy Rock
ZZ Top Took Marshall Amps and Remade Boogie-Blues as Heavy Rock Jul 1, 2026 2579 Hosts Nate Wilcox and Justin Bankston continue their discussion of rock documentaries. with a look at the alchemy of ZZ Top through the lens of the 2019 Netflix documentary "ZZ TOP: THAT LITTLE OL' BAND FROM TEXAS." This episode originally dropped in 2022. GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
The MC5's Combination of Hard Rock and Radical Politics Was Too Volatile to Last
The MC5's Combination of Hard Rock and Radical Politics Was Too Volatile to Last Jun 29, 2026 2529 The MC5 pioneered punk, heavy metal and high energy mid-western rock in late 1960's Detroit and paid a heavy price. Hosts Nate Wilcox and Justin Bankston continue their discussion of rock documentaries. The discussion is based on the unreleased documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwg7d4xtXyc. This episode was originally dropped in 2022. GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE F

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