Foo Fighter Chris Shiflett Sits Down With Nile Rodgers

by | Sep 18, 2023

On the newest episode of the Shred with Shifty Podcast, Foo Fighters guitarist and Honky-Tonk frontman Chris Shiflett sits down with the musical legend himself, Nile Rodgers, the many responsible for writing hits like We Are Family, Like A Virgin, and Le Freak. The two guitarists get into the weeds on Nile’s influences, gear, path to stardom, and of course take a deep dive into music and lyrics for Diana Ross’s I’m Coming Out, a song written and produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. The duo had tried the song’s drumbeat on other tracks previous to this one, even nicknaming it “the hesitation waltz.” But, its playful rhythm didn’t land until I’m Coming Out.

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Chris Shiflett of "The Churnups" @ Glastonbury Festival 2023 (Kalpesh Patel)
Chris Shiflett of "The Churnups" @ Glastonbury Festival 2023 (Kalpesh Patel)

“I’m a very hook-oriented guy,” Rodgers reveals. “I believe in reinforcing the thing that is melodically the motif that the house is built on.” With Rodgers, it all started with classical music and woodwinds, specifically the flute and clarinet, but as Rodgers tells it, a major turning point was a chance encounter with a crew of Los Angeles hippies, that led to a two-day LSD party soundtracked by The Doors’ first album.

Shred with Shifty is produced by Jason Shadrick, Chris Shiflett, leading music podcast company Double Elvis, and Volume.com along with Premier Guitar. Full video episodes will be available exclusively on Volume.com. Audio versions of every episode will be available on all major podcast platforms. Go to Volume.com/shifty and follow to get alerts as new video episodes are released.

In addition to Nile Rodgers, recent guests of Chris Shiflett have included Lindsay Ell, Rivers Cuomo, and Alex Lifeson.

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