“Things as they are, are changed on the blue guitar.”
The Hollywood Film Composers Series
Presented by The Jeremiah Show and Executive Producer Carol Connors
Glen Ballard doesn’t talk like a man keeping score. Even when the résumé is undeniable—massive albums, defining singles, film songs, and stage work—his language stays fixed on something smaller and harder to fake: THE SPARK.
On The Jeremiah Show, the six-time GRAMMY® winner, Hall of Fame songwriter, and producer described a creative life still driven by discipline, and the search for a line or a chord that opens a door.
That instinct was forged early in Natchez, Mississippi—“one of the most magical places on the planet,” Ballard said, complicated history and all. In his memory, music wasn’t a ladder to fame. It was street-corner truth-telling, a way people survived and passed stories forward. His heroes were the guitar players on the street and William Faulkner—no contradiction there. For a writer, he called it “the most nourishing soil you could ever grow up on.” At four, he wrote a tiny tune—“I Wish I Was a Buzzard…”—and never really stopped. Most songs, he admitted, are misfires. That’s the apprenticeship. You keep trying to build a complete story inside a narrow window of attention.
Ballard always wanted to be a storyteller, but he chose songs because of their direct access to the subconscious. In three minutes, he said, a song can change a life—sometimes in ten seconds.
He’s also clear-eyed about the songwriter’s invisibility: the credits often roll past your name, and recognition isn’t the point. The work is. He also gave an uncommonly blunt salute to the business scaffolding behind the art. Publishing, he said, “saved my ass,” especially in the early years when a deal meant a small advance against future royalties and, more importantly, a lifeline of support for writers who are largely unseen.
He breaks down the daily discipline, the creative fear, and the human chemistry that made moments like Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill and the Dave Matthews Band's album Everyday happen fast—and hit hard. Ballard’s catalog spans from era-defining pop and rock to film songs and stage productions—including his ongoing work in live theater, where he believes the future of music lies.
Now, Ballard’s attention keeps tilting toward the stage. Live presentation, he believes, is where music is headed—real voices, real risk, no digital buffer. It’s the same idea he’s carried from Natchez to Hollywood to Broadway: show up, protect the spark, and let the song tell the truth.
THE GLEN BALLARD INTERVIEW IS AVAILABLE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13 -
GLEN BALLARD’S WEBSITE - https://www.glenballard.com/
PHOTO CREDIT: Erik-Melvin
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THE JEREMIAH SHOW Featuring Cyril Morin
“I realized I was working with many, many different cultures… all this culture was coming into my studio.”
The Hollywood Film Composers Series
Presented by The Jeremiah Show and Executive Producer Carol Connors
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Cyril Morin has built a career on a rare skill: finding humanity’s musical score in the distance in between.
The Paris-born, Conservatoire-trained composer—featured on The Jeremiah Show as part of the Hollywood Film Composer Series with executive producer Carol Connors—has scored films that move across borders, languages, and belief systems without losing emotional clarity. His music doesn’t “tour” cultures. It listens and then finds the bridge.
Morin’s credits include The Syrian Bride and Zaytoun, as well as his immersive work on Samsara—projects that ask the same question in different settings: how do people stay connected when the world pulls them apart? Morin’s answer starts with the theme. Rather than “Mickey-mousing” a scene, he prefers to find, then write from the script's spirit first, building motifs for characters and ideas, then shaping them in the edit. It’s a process that prioritizes empathy over excessive explanation.
That ethic extends beyond the studio. Morin spoke candidly about choosing projects with intention—turning down films that feel violent “for no reason,” or stories that don’t align with his vision of the world. His guiding value, he said, is freedom: the inner kind that lets an artist say yes, say no, and change course without fear of the latter.
Now, his output keeps expanding. He’s scoring a documentary about the sport of cricket, writing a new book, and continuing to explore music outside film—including his latest release with his band SUPERCREATIVE by CYMO (a Crew of Pals & Jammers) and the career-spanning collection 25 Years Soundtracks.
Through it all, Morin returns to a simple identity: storyteller first, and the composer as the language he uses to tell it.
THE CYRIL MORIN INTERVIEW IS AVAILABLE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, on
Cyril Morin’s Website: https://www.cyrilmorin.net/
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THE JEREMIAH SHOW
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THE JEREMIAH SHOW - POP CULTURE, MUSIC ICONS, & FOOD GODS
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Host | Executive Producer - Jeremiah D. Higgins
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The Jeremiah Show Airs Monday through Friday, 10 am - 12 pm
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