Brandi Carlile
Episode of Good Hang with Amy Poehler · March 31, 2026 · 1 h 13 min
Amy Poehler talks with Brandi Carlile about solitude, singing with her heroes, aging, sleep and stage mistakes, with an opening chat with Maren Morris.
Summary
Amy Poehler opened the episode with Maren Morris, who described meeting Brandi Carlile at a Nashville awards event, being recruited by phone to join The Highwomen alongside Amanda Shires and Natalie Hemby, and performing at Newport Folk Festival with Dolly Parton. Morris said Parton exceeded her expectations, arrived early, and still sings her songs in their original keys. Her question for Carlile concerned how a working musician integrates family as her daughters grow older.
Carlile and Poehler discussed her album "Returning to Myself," which Poehler heard as an argument for solitude. Carlile said she has yet to figure out who she is when alone, dismissed the idea of a silent retreat, and described spending a day off caulking window trim in near-silence with an old bandmate as her preferred kind of company. She traced her musical awakening to hearing the Indigo Girls on the "Philadelphia" soundtrack, and she and Poehler sang a few lines of "Closer to Fine" together. Carlile recounted first performing at age eight at the Northwest Grand Ole Opry and immediately feeling she belonged on stage.
The pair talked about performing under pressure, with Carlile arguing that one mistake in a show draws an audience to a performer's side while two suggests unpreparedness. She said she no longer drinks while working, and recalled a Las Vegas show where a "Pick of Destiny" reference about a "cock push-up" fell flat. She described working with Elton John, Dolly Parton and Joni Mitchell, and helping teenage singer Benicio Bryant recover from freezing during a late-night TV performance of "The Joke" — which Poehler later corrected to Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Other subjects included hair as an expression of queer identity and authenticity, aging (both said their fifties were their best years), tour routines, sleep habits including a BioMat given to Poehler by Alanis Morissette and Poehler's CPAP machine, and Carlile's habit of buying mattresses for everyone she knows. Carlile said her daughters are more interested in her fame and the politics of her music than in her singing, and that she would like to make another Highwomen record for her children to see.
Chapters
- 2:04
Maren Morris on meeting Brandi and The Highwomen
Maren Morris, backstage in Manchester, recalls meeting Carlile in Nashville, joining The Highwomen, and performing with Dolly Parton.
- 5:08
Dolly Parton's professionalism
Morris describes Parton arriving early, in full glam, and still singing her songs in their original keys.
- 9:00
Maren's question about working motherhood
Morris asks how Carlile's daughters relate to her shows as they get older, and Poehler frames it as a working-mother question.
- 10:19
Solitude, chaos and trim carpentry
Carlile discusses her album's theme of being alone, her dislike of silent retreats, and a day spent caulking trim in silence with a friend.
- 19:21
Musicians, comedians and performing under pressure
The two compare the risks of comedy and music, and Carlile explains she fears the 15 seconds between songs more than the songs.
- 21:42
The Indigo Girls and singing together
Carlile traces her fandom to hearing the Indigo Girls in 'Philadelphia,' and she and Poehler sing part of 'Closer to Fine.'
- 27:22
First stage and the value of mistakes
Carlile recalls performing at eight at the Northwest Grand Ole Opry and argues that one on-stage mistake rallies an audience.
- 32:47
Drinking, the Pick of Destiny story and aging
Carlile explains why she stopped drinking while working, tells the Las Vegas 'cock push-up' story, and both say they prefer being older.
- 38:24
Working with Elton John, Dolly Parton and Joni Mitchell
Carlile describes the sacredness of befriending her heroes and the complexity of learning Joni Mitchell's music.
- 44:08
Benicio Bryant and hair as identity
Carlile recounts a young singer freezing on late-night TV and then discusses cutting her hair as stepping into her authentic self.
- 50:57
Touring, sleep and mattresses
They compare tour routines, bedtime debriefs, BioMats, CPAP machines, and Carlile's habit of buying friends mattresses.
- 1:01:22
Daughters, competition and favorite comedy
Carlile says her daughters care more about her politics and fame than her singing, denies being competitive, and names her go-to comedies.
Key points
What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.
Linked moment · 3:16Skip to 3:16 using a listen link in the info box.
Maren MorrisMorris describes the Highwomen experiences as among the career moments she treasures most.
“a lot of these really major career moments like that I treasure that are my crown jewels are the High Women experiences”
- Maren Morris
Morris says Carlile phoned her to propose a group with Amanda Shires and Natalie Hemby framed as an extension of the Highwaymen, and she agreed immediately.
“She calls and she's like, I'm putting this girl group together. And I want to know if you want to be a part of it. It's going to be me, Amanda Shires and Natalie Hemby”
- Maren Morris
Morris says Dolly Parton still sings every song in the original key it was recorded in, unlike many aging singers.
“she sings every one of her songs in the original key of the year it came out”
- Maren Morris
Morris says women's voices mature around age 35 or 36 and many performers must lower their keys as they age.
“sometimes women, our voices mature at like, I think they say like 35 or 36”
- Brandi Carlile
Carlile says her new record is about who she is when alone, something she has not yet figured out.
“Well, it's definitely about who am I when I am alone”
- Brandi Carlile
Carlile says she finds the idea of a multi-day silent retreat appalling.
“It just really turns me off. Me too. I just find that appalling. I do. It's like, what? Eight days of no talking?”
- Brandi Carlile
Carlile describes spending a day off doing trim carpentry in silence with an old bandmate as her preferred form of companionship.
“I had the day off yesterday and I just spent six hours caulking window trim”
- Amy Poehler
Poehler offers a theory that comedians wish they were musicians while musicians think they are comedians.
“Every comedian wishes they were a musician, and every musician thinks they're a comedian”
Listen from 20:03 · Stage fright and performing under pressure
- Brandi Carlile
Carlile says she is confident about singing regardless of stakes but fears the spoken moments between songs.
“It's the 15 seconds in between the songs of what I have to say in that moment. That's what I'm afraid of”
Listen from 21:20 · Stage fright and performing under pressure
- Brandi Carlile
Carlile says she first heard the Indigo Girls on the 'Philadelphia' soundtrack and was struck by voices that sounded neither male nor female and aimed at a different audience.
“Well, I heard their voices first in that film, Philadelphia. They were covering that Rod Stewart”
- Brandi Carlile
Carlile recalls that her first stage appearance at age eight, singing 'Tennessee Flat Top Box' at the Northwest Grand Ole Opry, convinced her performing was where she belonged.
“This is the safest, most understood and loved place I could, I could ever, I could ever be like, this is my job now”
- Brandi Carlile
Carlile argues performers need a lack of contextual intelligence and a repetition of stupidity that lets them shrug off failures.
“it's like that repetition of stupidity is what gives us our gift”
Listen from 30:31 · Stage fright and performing under pressure
- Brandi Carlile
Carlile contends one onstage mistake makes an audience rally behind a performer, while two suggests a lack of preparation.
“So one mistake does that in a performance or a song. Two mistakes is like she's not prepared”
Listen from 32:14 · Stage fright and performing under pressure
- Brandi Carlile
Carlile recounts telling a Las Vegas audience she would do a 'cock push-up' after a fall, assuming they had all seen The Pick of Destiny.
“Nobody knew why Brandy was telling, you know, a couple thousand middle-aged lesbians that she was going to do a cock push-up”
- Brandi Carlile
Carlile says she enjoys each year of getting older more than being younger and would picture the last five years if her life flashed before her.
“Every year I get older, I love being older more than I loved being younger”
- Amy Poehler
Poehler, 54, says her fifties have been her favorite decade and that people don't talk enough about how life can improve with age.
“The 50s have been my favorite decade”
- Brandi Carlile
Carlile says she still experiences fan-like awe with her heroes and that staying in touch with it keeps her accountable to her audience.
“staying in touch with that part of myself keeps me honest in my responsibility within my job”
- Brandi Carlile
Carlile describes Elton John as having reached iconic status without narcissism and as genuinely curious about other people.
“maybe the most iconic status that you can possibly reach with absolutely no trace of narcissism”
- Brandi Carlile
Carlile recounts persuading a late-night show to allow a retake after teenage singer Benicio Bryant froze, turning the failure into a triumph.
“that mistake, that failure, that moment of, you know, catastrophe turned into like a total triumph”
- Brandi Carlile
Carlile says she felt she stepped into her authentic self when she cut her hair.
“without even thinking about it, said when I cut my hair,”
- Brandi Carlile
Carlile says her bedtime routine involves a heating pad, a melatonin gummy and a nightly debrief with her wife that she considers head-cleansing.
“I get on the heating pad and I take a melatonin gummy. Nice. And I talk with my wife and we do the debrief of the day”
- Brandi Carlile
Carlile says the first thing she did after earning money was buy everyone she knew a Tempur-Pedic mattress, some of them financed.
“The very first thing I did when I made any money was buy every single person I know a mattress”
- Brandi Carlile
Carlile says she wants to make another Highwomen project, partly so her daughters can watch the group work.
“it's something I think we should do again”
- Brandi Carlile
Carlile says her daughters are more interested in her fame and in how her music intersects with politics than in her singing.
“They're more interested in the fact that I'm a little bit famous than whether I'm a good or bad singer. And they're very interested right now in the way my music interfaces with politics”
- Brandi Carlile
Carlile says she is driven but not competitive, and feels happy for others who beat her for awards within seconds.
“I'm driven, but I'm not competitive”
- Brandi Carlile
Carlile names Tommy Boy, Bridesmaids, Tenacious D films and Sisters as her go-to comedies and says she never misses SNL.
“I mean, I love Tommy Boy. Oh my God. I love... Tommy Boy. I mean, Bridesmaids. Everything Tenacious D. I loved Sisters”
People
In the conversation
- Amy PoehlerAmerican actress, comedian and podcast host, formerly of Saturday Night Live
- Brandi CarlileAmerican singer-songwriter and member of The Highwomen
- Maren MorrisAmerican country singer-songwriter and member of The Highwomen
Discussed
- Dolly PartonAmerican country music singer-songwriter who recorded with The Highwomen
- Elton JohnBritish singer-songwriter and collaborator of Brandi Carlile
- Joni MitchellCanadian singer-songwriter cited as an example of fame as a means to an end
- Kate McKinnonAmerican comedian and former SNL cast member, previous guest on the podcast
- Kristen WiigAmerican comedian and former SNL cast member known for her Liza Minnelli sketch
- Benicio BryantYoung singer who performed 'The Joke' with Carlile on late-night television
- Seth MeyersAmerican comedian and host of Late Night with Seth Meyers
- Alanis MorissetteCanadian-American singer-songwriter known for the 1995 album Jagged Little Pill
- Amanda ShiresAmerican singer-songwriter and member of The Highwomen
- Natalie HembyAmerican songwriter and member of The Highwomen
- Jack BlackAmerican actor and musician of Tenacious D
- Nick OffermanAmerican actor and woodworker
- Tina FeyAmerican comedian who toured with Poehler
- Rachel DratchAmerican comedian and former SNL cast member
- Howard SternAmerican radio host on whose show Stallone's parents argued in 1992
- Catherine ShepherdBrandi Carlile's wife
- Gracie AbramsAmerican singer-songwriter and Joni Mitchell fan
Topics
- The Highwomen
- Stage fright and performing under pressure
- Returning to Myself
- Indigo Girls
- Saturday Night Live
- Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny
- Aging
- Sleep hygiene and bedtime routines
- Concert touring
- Hair and queer identity
- Working motherhood
- Grand Ole Opry
- Newport Folk Festival
- Closer to Fine
- The Joke (song)
- Solitude
- Fame
Related episodes
Brandi Carlile helps us say goodbye to Bill Kurtis!Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! · May 23, 2026 · 47 min
Peter Sagal and panelists Negin Farsad, Luke Burbank, and Paula Poundstone play news games with guest Brandi Carlile as Bill Kurtis ends his 12-year run.
More from Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Paul McCartneyOct 13, 2026 · 1 h 17 min
Amy Poehler talks with Paul McCartney about the Beatles, Wings, songwriting, his new album Boys of Dungeon Lane, family, and SNL, with questions from Stella McCartney.
- Marcello Hernández
Oct 6, 2026 · 1 h 16 min
Amy Poehler talks with SNL cast member Marcello Hernández about his Miami upbringing, college soccer, stand-up, SNL, Spanish-language comedy, and accepting compliments, after a preview from Sarah Sherman.
- Andrew Garfield
Sep 29, 2026 · 1 h 11 min
Amy Poehler talks with Andrew Garfield about work ethic, grief, method acting, directors he admires, his film The Uprising and playing Roy Horn, with a pre-interview from Lin-Manuel Miranda.
- Ashley Padilla
Sep 22, 2026 · 1 h 16 min
Amy Poehler talks with SNL cast member Ashley Padilla about her mother, a teenage arrest, working for Diane Keaton, Groundlings, sketch craft and impressions.
- John Cena
Jul 21, 2026 · 1 h 7 min
Amy Poehler talks with John Cena about growing up in West Newbury, building his mother a house, wrestling improvisation, retirement, charity work, and his film Little Brother.
From the publisher
Brandi Carlile is buying everyone she knows a mattress. Amy hangs with the singer-songwriter and talks about how 'The Pick of Destiny' got her in trouble on stage, her favorite 'SNL' era, and getting a BioMat from Alanis Morissette. Host: Amy PoehlerGuests: Marren Morris and Brandi CarlileExecutive producers: Bill Simmons, Amy Poehler, and Jenna Weiss-BermanFor Paper Kite Productions: Executive producer Jenna Weiss-Berman, coordinator Sam Green, and supervising producer Joel LovellFor The Ringer: Supervising producers Juliet Litman, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin; video producers Jack Wilson and Aleya Zenieris; audio producer Kaya McMullen; social producer Bridget Geerlings; video editor Drew van Steenbergen; and booker Kat SpillaneOriginal music: Amy Miles Use coupon code ‘EATCESAR10’ at Cesar.com for 10% off Check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds: https://Allstate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 27, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.