Maggie Baird on How Music Can Save The World | Episode 1

In the first episode of How Music Can Save the World, a new podcast from Drowned in Sound, Shain Shapiro meets Maggie Baird, the mother of Billie Eilish and Finneas and founder of Support + Feed.

They start with her musical childhood, from falling asleep to Guys and Dolls to Quadrophenia at Christmas, and how music, as an instrument for change, amplifies ideas.

Shain finds out how Support + Feed began during COVID as a way to feed people, plant-based of course, and how it has since gone on tour with Billie, Finneas and other artists such as Hayley Williams. They also discuss how it has changed how stadiums and arenas deal with waste, food and water.

The conversation gets into why a musician has a direct line to their fans that no actor or director has, the storm that cancelled and rescheduled a show in Mexico City, and a letter Maggie wrote when she was about eight asking a drive-in to keep Cat Ballou for one more week.

Maggie quotes Joan Baez, "Action is the antidote to despair", and that is where her hope starts.

Afterwards, DiS founder Sean Adams, who produced the episode, joins Shain to reflect on access, ticket prices and The Ticket Bank, a food bank for culture that has now given out more than a million tickets.

We spoke to Jack from Tickets for Good about how it works here: youtu.be/nHT-5nGNtok and you can find out more or sign up at ticketsforgood.com/uk/the-ticket-bank

Shain runs Sound Diplomacy and the Center for Music Ecosystems.

His book of the same name is out on 9 February 2027 from Duncan Baird Publishing, part of Penguin Random House. Pre-order it here: shainshapiro.com/how-music-can-save-the-world

Support + Feed: supportandfeed.org

The intro and outro were recorded at The Shure Experience Centre, London.

How Music Can Save the World is part of the Drowned in Sound Podcast Network: thesounding.org

Sign up to the DiS newsletter: drownedinsound.org