Shoes, the now-legendary power-pop band from Zion, Ill., is the most democratic of groups, with each album presenting equal servings of smart, hooky, well-sung songs from brothers John and Jeff Murphy and their childhood friend Gary Klebe. In Part 1 of a two-parter, John Murphy revisits the band’s formation—when none of them played an instrument and he had to learn bass—and tells how Shoes recorded three DIY albums before its first official release, 1977’s Black Vinyl Shoes. For that one John designed the original (and soon replaced) cover art and wrote the first Shoes song to gain wide attention, “Boys Don’t Lie.” Then came the band’s signing with Elektra, which hoped Shoes would follow in the footsteps of its breakthrough artists Queen and the Cars, though confusion over the first singles, “Too Late” and “Tomorrow Night,” didn’t help. How did that all shake out? Also covered: the John song featured prominently in Mannequin Two: On the Move.

Palmyra Delran was a veteran East Coast pop-punk rocker when previous Caropop guest Stevie Van Zandt offered her a hosting gig on his Little Steven’s Underground Garage Sirius XM channel. His instinct was dead on, as she turned out to be a natural, super-lively storyteller and record-spinner, especially when she’s dusting off her Trash Pop Treasures. She traces her love of 45s back to her aunt’s corner-store jukebox in New Jersey, where she grew up and developed her passion for drumming. She recalls her stints in the bands Pink Slip Daddy and the Friggs and her solo work with the Doppel Gang, including their new cover of Joey Ramone’s “Spirit in My House.” She also discusses forming the Coolies with the late Kim Shattuck and tells how she puts together her Underground Garage shows. Is she playing her own records? Does Van Zandt have to approve her playlists? And how did Nancy Sinatra come to record the “Trash Pop Treasures” intro?

How did David Byrne go from being a twitchy art-rock frontman to one of our most beloved artists? At age 74, he’s got a new book, Sleeping Beauties: Why Good Ideas Go Dormant and How They Wake Up, plus associated live events; an ongoing immersive experience with Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, Theater of the Mind; the new Sirius XM pop-up channel Talking Heads Radio; an upcoming Talking Heads Fear of Music deluxe package; and a recently completed, dazzling live tour spotlighting his latest album, Who Is the Sky? Byrne discusses all this and more, including whether music needs movement; what he’s learned from Theater of the Mind; how Jonathan Demme and Spike Lee treated point-of-view while directing Stop Making Sense and American Utopia, respectively; what everyday people don’t understand about band dynamics; how involved he is in the Talking Heads-related projects; whether he would enjoy playing music with his ex-bandmates in an empty room; and which song of his is the biggest Sleeping Beauty of them all.