Norman Westberg On Swans, Grand Funk Railroad, Working w/Other Bands, & Creating Ambient Music

Norman Westberg is my guest today. This episode went to a few places I wasn’t expecting. At first we discuss his entry into music and how he really wanted to play drums. But a photo of Mark Farner from Grand Funk Railroad made him rethink that idea. But he started off playing bass in his bands. Until The Stooges made him realize that he really could play guitar in a band.
This is where we take a left turn. Norman joined Swans when original member Sue Hanel left. Her story is a mystery and Norman and I talk about how she slowly disappeared. But once we get back on track, Norman tells me that his favorite gig was an early one and why it’s his favorite. We also touch on a lot of his other projects like Hidden Rifles, SugarTime, Five Dollar Priest, & more. And how Thor Harris made him a guitar out of mahogany. Much of Norman’s solo work is ambient and he tells me how he started in that genre and about his process of writing, recording, and performing the music live. Find him on Facebook or bandcamp. Check out his albums on Etsy, as well; especially if you like bespoke packaging. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on social media. You can help support the show at performanceanx.threadless.com or ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. And look for us on the Wisdom app, too. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Norman Westberg on Performance Anxiety, part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.