After 20 years with Her Vanished Grace, NYC songwriter-producer, Charlie Nieland established himself as a solo artist rich on nuanced songwriting and sonic exploration. Nieland’s backstory is extensive, having written, performed and produced music for decades. He has written for and produced such artists as Debbie Harry, Rufus Wainwright, Blondie and Scissor Sisters, as well as scoring the feature film The Safety of Objects (with Glenn Close), Showtime’s pilot episode of The L Word and the VH-1documentary NY77: The Coolest Year in Hell.  Charlie now presents a visceral blend of post punk, glam, dream pop and progressive rock with his latest album, Stories From The Borderlines. Here we have atmospheric, sweeping melodies, restless rhythms and unique soundscapes showcasing Nieland’s continued evolutions as an artist and producer.  Charlie says “The track Shame was fueled by the obsessive lust and repulsion that has been weaponized against the queer community. We eroticize what we despise”. Charlie continues, “I wrote this song for The Bushwick Book Club when we read Hugh Myers‘ book When Brooklyn Was Queer:  A History.  In the late 19th century, before the word “homosexual” even existed, there was a thriving hedonism on the waterfront in Brooklyn, with male and female drag performers – known as inverts – entertaining a crowd that mingled in backrooms and filled the cabarets.  After Freud popularized the actual diagnosis, the idea to arrest and imprison gays swept in with a vengeance and a special penitentiary built nearby.  The word made it real.” The album’s lead track, Win is described by Nieland as a “post-punk mini-epic” including a spectacular turn by Staten Island activist / rapper Spiritchild. 

Later in the show, we go back in time for a conversation with the late Walter Lure who was the co-frontman of The Heartbreakers, along with the original founder, Johnny Thunders. The Heartbreakers were short-lived but immensely influential in the annals of rock ’n’ roll.  The Heartbreakers were at the forefront of punk as recounted by Walter who shares his memories of supporting the Sex Pistols on their 1976 Anarchy Tour of the UK. This notable conversation with Walter Lure was recorded circa 2015, at the time Walter claimed the moniker of “The last surviving member of The Heartbreakers”. Sadly, Walter Lure died in 2020.