Stereo Embers The Podcast 0015: Ben Vaughn

“Ben Vaughn Loved Music So Much, He Didn’t Care If He Made Money Doing It”

Growing up, Ben Vaughn loved music so much he didn’t care if he made money doing it. In fact, he figured he wouldn’t ever make money doing it. He committed himself to the creative life,
followed his own artistic impulses, toured with his band and kept making records. In 1995 with grunge still dominating the charts and Britpop ascending, Vaughn did the only logical thing a musician could do: he made an instrumental album. Although on the face of it, it was
the least commercially viable thing he could have done, it turned out that it was THE most commercially viable thing he’d ever done. He explains how Instrumental Stylings changed his fortunes and launched his career into a whole new stratosphere. Ben also talks about Van Morrison, The Gun Club and sharing a van with the Dead Milkmen. Also, he and Alex re-write “Marrakesh Express” and Ben remembers signing a poster for Alex when he was a 17 year old punk. Alex was the punk, by the way…