Mark Caro
banner
markcaro.bsky.social
Mark Caro
@markcaro.bsky.social
Caropop podcast host, Medill Local News Initiative editor, The Foie Gras Wars author, former Chicago Tribune long-timer, dedicated vinyl listener
Your Friday Cage Match: Sushi vs. Sashimi. Discuss.
February 6, 2026 at 10:38 PM
The Michael Shannon/Jason Narducy R.E.M. project, Sunshine Boys, Poi Dog Pondering, the Slugs -- Dag Juhlin has had many musical lives and revisits them all on the new Caropop.
www.caropop.com/caropopcast/...
February 5, 2026 at 4:42 PM
It's time to Guess Tomorrow's Caropop Guest!

Hint #1: He's currently the frontman in one band and guitarist in another.
February 5, 2026 at 12:06 AM
I don't know how I got through decades of TV watching without helpful "Here's how to watch" news stories.
February 1, 2026 at 3:29 PM
Catherine O'Hara. RIP, damnit. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsKa...
After Hours (1985) - Phone Call Scene (8/9) | Movieclips
YouTube video by Movieclips
www.youtube.com
January 31, 2026 at 2:48 PM
Your Friday Cage Match: Goose vs. Geese. Discuss.
January 30, 2026 at 10:22 PM
On the new Caropop, guitarist/songwriter/studio musician Marc Ribot reflects on his love of Latin American music; the creative leeway that Tom Waits and Elvis Costello gave him, his decision to start singing, and his fight for indie musicians’ rights. www.caropop.com/caropopcast/...
January 29, 2026 at 1:52 PM
it's time to Guess Tomorrow's Caropop Guest!

Hint #1: His distinctive guitar playing has elevated many artists' albums as well as his own.
January 28, 2026 at 11:59 PM
Your Friday Cage Match: Pepperoni vs. Sausage. Discuss.
January 23, 2026 at 10:54 PM
The beauty of writing a sports movie is that you can have the announcers shout obvious exposition at the audience the entire time. (Yes, I just watched the one best picture nominee I didn't predict--and if I'd seen it ahead of time, I still wouldn't have predicted it.)
January 23, 2026 at 3:44 AM
Your Friday Cage Match: One Battle After Another vs. Marty Supreme. Discuss.
January 16, 2026 at 10:18 PM
Reposted by Mark Caro
On the new Caropop w/Mitch Easter & Don Dixon, I said the Murmur "Radio Free Europe" sounds "snare-y," and Easter explained that the band's recording lacked snare so he recorded and mixed in a track of him just banging a snare. Did @remhq.bsky.social know about this? www.caropop.com/caropopcast/...
January 15, 2026 at 10:05 PM
On the new Caropop w/Mitch Easter & Don Dixon, I said the Murmur "Radio Free Europe" sounds "snare-y," and Easter explained that the band's recording lacked snare so he recorded and mixed in a track of him just banging a snare. Did @remhq.bsky.social know about this? www.caropop.com/caropopcast/...
January 15, 2026 at 10:04 PM
This new Caropop episode reuniting producers Mitch Easter and Don Dixon includes revelations about the making of R.E.M.'s Murmur that blew this longtime diehard fan's mind. You'll never hear "Radio Free Europe" or "Perfect Circle" in the same way... www.caropop.com/caropopcast/...
January 15, 2026 at 1:30 PM
It's time to Guess Tomorrow's Caropop Guests!

Hint #1: They worked together on one of rock's greatest debut albums.
January 14, 2026 at 10:13 PM
Your Friday Cage Match: Playing Guitar Sitting Down vs. Playing Guitar Standing Up. Discuss.
January 9, 2026 at 10:02 PM
In the first Caropop of 2026, Robyn Hitchcock bats around the music of 1967 and whether it would have had such an outsized impact on his own music if not for where, how and at what age he experienced it. www.caropop.com/caropopcast/...
January 8, 2026 at 1:16 PM
Oops, I forgot to cue up Guess Tomorrow's Caropop Guest. Well, if you happen to see this...

Hint #1: His most recent album is all covers except for one original.
January 8, 2026 at 2:01 AM
Turned on NPR while driving, and they're playing this extended James Austin Johnson bit. That guy is uncanny.
January 3, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Your Friday Cage Match: Crème Brûlée vs. Flan. Discuss.
January 2, 2026 at 9:51 PM
Topic I'm pondering this morning: Colors.

How important is it to get your preferred color when buying, say, a car? Guitar? Bike? Toothbrush? Or if you find the right model, are you happy no matter the color?
December 22, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Your Friday Cage Match: The Kinks vs. The Who. Discuss.
December 19, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Reposted by Mark Caro
Where does John Wesley Harding stop and Wesley Stace begin (or vice versa)? On the new Caropop, the English singer-songwriter-turned-U.S. citizen discusses his dual identities, his Frank Capra title-mining and his reaction to Elvis Costello snark. www.caropop.com/caropopcast/...
December 18, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Where does John Wesley Harding stop and Wesley Stace begin (or vice versa)? On the new Caropop, the English singer-songwriter-turned-U.S. citizen discusses his dual identities, his Frank Capra title-mining and his reaction to Elvis Costello snark. www.caropop.com/caropopcast/...
December 18, 2025 at 1:49 PM
It's time to Guess Tomorrow's Caropop Guest!

Hint #1: He has done work under a pseudonym and his own name.
December 17, 2025 at 10:55 PM