NBC News' Brian Williams Embraces Inner "Music Freak" as Rock Video Blogger

You know Brian Williams as the trusted, avuncular news anchor of NBC's Nightly News, but did you know that he's a hardcore indie-rock nerd, too? This week, Williams launched his new Web-only show BriTunes, where he'll sit down semi-regularly to interview some of his favorite groups. In the debut show, he chatted up Rhode Island garage-rockers Deer Tick. The biggest surprise? The dude is as pro interviewing rock stars as he is, say, foreign dignitaries or presidents. So we called up Williams to chat about his new project.

What made you want to do a Web-only show about music?
I'm just like everybody else. I love music. If you ask my wife and kids, they don't necessarily know the guy they see for a half-hour on the nightly news. They know me as a music freak. Electronics and the Internet has made it an incredible age for music. You can hear an emerging bar band from Moscow or an emerging bar band from Red Hook, Brooklyn. Red Square or Red Hook — it's all there.

Do you feel awkward as a serious news anchor interviewing musicians?
I'm sure all of it looks incredibly dilettantish but I hope these artists that I approach for interviews know that I'm a serious fan. It's motivated by my absolute love of music.

How do you discover new music?
I always hit iTunes after midnight on Monday nights, when everything drops. I love the popularity bars. It's like the Futures market! It's fun. I also skitter around on the Web. I actually still read the reviews in Rolling Stone. The star system still has sway in our household.

Do you ever get to go out to see shows?
Not as much as I want. That's what I don't have, is a lot of elective time. I have four events this week after work, they're all for charity ventures. In this line of work, that fills your time. I have a wife and two children and a house and a two-car garage and a dog. No one should fear me becoming a tragic hipster. I may be a hipster, but never tragic. I'm not going to bars in Brooklyn and drinking PBRs. I did that when I was 18. I was a fireman on the Jersey shore and I have a huge advantage because we stalked a new band then called Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Those were great days.

How many albums do you own?
Oh, jeez. My music library — albums are boxed up, like so many people. I flipped out for the CD era. My regular iPod carries 5,600. I carry a full library. I keep another current playlist that's about 780 songs. I had an iPod Touch but I just got a Nano. The technology moves so fast that having a Touch these days is like having a toaster.