60 Songs That Explain the '90s TV On The Radio — “Wolf Like Me”
30 snips
Apr 8, 2026 Bartees Strange, genre-blending singer-songwriter known for inventive indie rock, chats about TV on the Radio and why “Wolf Like Me” hits so hard. He recalls discovering the Letterman performance, explains why the song’s live power eclipses the studio, and discusses covering it to explore otherness and musical identity.
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9/11 Fueled TV on the Radio's Urgency
- Post-9/11 dread and urgency deeply shaped TV on the Radio's early output and ethos.
- Rob cites Tunde saying they decided to make what they wanted because 'who's keeping score now,' framing their creative urgency.
The Album Opening Line Became A Touchstone
- 'I was a lover before this war' became a defining, multi-meaningful opening line for Return to Cookie Mountain.
- Rob highlights how that lyric reads politically and personally, anchoring the album's tension between love and conflict.
Record Intro Versus Live TV Power
- Rob argues the recorded intro of Wolf Like Me is life-changing on headphones, but the Letterman live version is superior overall for its raw TV energy.
- He points to the recorded rising distortion versus the televised pure-velocity performance.
