380. Jon Hiatt biographer Michael Elliott on ‘Bring the Family’ (1987)

<p>Today I’m bringing you a fascinating conversation with the <strong>Michael Elliott</strong>, author of the new and definitive <strong>John Hiatt</strong> biography ‘Have A Little Faith’. We dive deep into ‘Bring the Family’, the 1987 classic that broke open Hiatt’s career after years of struggle. We talk about the album being an alternative to the dominant production of the late 80s, how it presaged Americana music, how Hiatt assembled <strong>Ry Cooder</strong>, <strong>Nick Lowe</strong> and <strong>Jim Keltner</strong> as his dream band for the sessions (and how Lowe almost didn’t make it), the adult subject matter of the lyrics, <strong>Bonnie Raitt</strong>’s cover of <em data-stringify-type="italic">Thing Called Love</em>, how <strong>James Cameron</strong> used <em data-stringify-type="italic">Alone in the Dark</em> in True Lies and how Hiatt proves that sobering up and getting your life together can produce a songwriter’s best work.</p>