Hrishikesh Hirway on songwriting, co-writing, and returning to music

Rhett sits down with Hrishikesh Hirway — creator, host, and executive producer of *Song Exploder,* the podcast where musicians break down how their songs came together — for a rare turn on the other side of the microphone. Hrishi recently returned to making music after years away with his new album, *In the Last Hour of Light*, and he and Rhett dig into what pulled him from songwriting into podcasting, the difference between hustle and talent, the mental math of comparing yourself to the artists you interview for a living, and how co-writing over Zoom during the pandemic changed his process.  **About Hrishikesh Hirway:** Hrishikesh Hirway is the creator, host, and executive producer of Song Exploder, the podcast — and Netflix series — in which musicians break down how one of their songs was made; Vulture called it "probably the best use of the podcast format ever." He's also produced and co-hosted Home Cooking with Samin Nosrat and The West Wing Weekly with Joshua Malina, and composed music for the film Companion and Netflix's Everything Sucks!, among other projects. In the Last Hour of Light is his new album. **Guest:** Hrishikesh Hirway — website · Song Exploder · Spotify · Apple Music · Instagram New album In the Last Hour of Light *Wheels Off* is hosted and produced by Rhett Miller. Executive producer is Kirsten Cluthe, Studio Kairos. Music by Old 97's. Episode artwork by Mark Dowd. Show logo by Tim Skirven. Watch the podcast on YouTube and Spotify, and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also ask Alexa to play it. Revisit previous episodes of *Wheels Off* with guests Rosanne Cash, Rob Thomas, Jeff Tweedy, Lucinda Williams, Stewart Copeland, Jennifer Egan, Nick Hornby, and more. New episodes drop bi-weekly. Subscribe wherever you listen. If you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices