Completely Conspicuous

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we dissect the disaster that was Van Halen III. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Check out Brian's comics podcast The Hour Cosmic - Jumping into an 8-minute epic snoozer - Rumors that the VH brothers had jammed with Ozzy around this time - Nuno Bettencourt has been touring with Rihanna - Jay happens to have issue of Guitar World from '98 nearby - The joys of the Columbia House Record Club - Michael Anthony's MIA for most of the album - Eddie compared his singing voice to Roger Waters meets Tom Waits - DLR says they're working on new VH album for mid-2015 - Brian: VH III was bad in a different way than expected - Jay: Almost an Adult Contemporary sound - Jay: Also haven't heard anything from VH's Balance, the last Hagar album - Record sales from the '90s were ridiculous; nearly everything sold well - Bizarre cover of Balance was actually PhotoShopped pic of Wolfgang VH - Putting shitty albums in your iTunes - The latest VH album was what Ae

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we dissect the disaster that was Van Halen III. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Check out Brian's comics podcast The Hour Cosmic - An addendum to our look at 1998 - VH III featuring Gary Cherone on lead vocals - Jay hasn't heard the album, Brian's heard it twice - Last VH album with Michael Anthony - Many long songs - Produced by TV theme composer Mike Post - Pleasant acoustic instrumental to start album - Mission statement: We will wuss you - Cherone sounds a lot like Hagar - Brian: "Without You" not as bad as I remember - Eddie needed an editor - Tough position for Cherone to be in - EVH played some bass on album - Restrained drum sound from Alex VH - Songs drag on way too long - The "go get a beer" song - Extreme acquitted themselves well at Freddie Mercury tribute concert - Mike Post produced artists like Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton - Severe lack of kickassery - Jay saw both Van Hagar and DLR in the summer of '86 - Brian saw Pixies rec

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1998. I've also got music from Screaming Maldini, Brawlers and Grass is Green. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Check out Brian's comics podcast The Hour Cosmic - Brian's #3 - Sean Lennon was considered the poor man's Beck - Yuka Honda was married to Lennon, now married to Nels Cline - Jay's #3 - Totally slept on QOTSA in '98 - Homme's first post-Kyuss band - The greatness of Them Crooked Vultures - Brian and Jay have same #2 - Frank Black got dropped by a major label - First album by major arist commercially released online - Jay: Pete Townshend made some great solo albums in early '80s - Brian's #1 - Billy Bragg and Wilco covering Woody Guthrie - Jay's #1 - Sloan has four talented songwriters - Paul Stanley's stage raps - The end of The Best Show on WFMU - Mourning a great radio experience - Next up: 1984 Music: Screaming Maldini - Soweto Brawlers - Instagram Famous Grass is Green - Vacation 2.0 Completely Co

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1998. I've also got music from Built to Spill, Guillermo Sexo and Bill Janovitz. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Check out Brian's comics podcast The Hour Cosmic - Remember Blues Brothers 2000? - Goo Goo Dolls went Hollywood - Brian: QOTSA released its debut - Rob Halford came out; first prominent metal dude to do so - In retrospect, '80s heavy metal was steeped in gayness - Bubbling under albums - Jay: Fugazi, GVSB, RFTC - Brian: Elliott Smith, The Catholics, Flin Flon, Tortoise, The Lounge Lizards - Jay: Pearl Jam, Neutral Milk Hotel, Pulp, Beasties, Tragically Hip, Cat Power - Brian's #5 album - Hello Nasty is the last classic Beasties album - Jay's #5 and Brian's #4 - Beck does a 180 from Odelay - Later Beck material rehashes older sounds - Jay's #4 - Afghan Whigs fully embrace soul and R&B - Greg Dulli can do no wrong - 1965 was the last Whigs album...until this year - To be continued Music: Built to Sp

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1998. I've also got music from Johnny Foreigner, Fuzz and The Dismemberment Plan. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Check out Brian's comics podcast The Hour Cosmic - The Pixies' ongoing bass situation - Brian: Zwan was underrated - Pixies have become the butt of jokes - In 1998, Jay was 30, Brian was 16 - We both had just started dating the women we would marry - In '98, being eclectic became cool - JK: Was getting into more funk and soul - Big year for pop - TRL started in '98 - Lots of one-hit wonders: Eagle Eye Cherry, Chumbawumba, New Radicals - The New Radicals featured former child actress in band - JK: Saw Fastball open for Matthew Sweet in a tiny pub in Portland, Maine - Semisonic's drummer wrote book about the record industry - The MP3 revolution began in '98 with MP3.com - MP3.com got sued by the labels before Napster - BS: Beginning of Latin influence and the height of the short-lived swing dance craze

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Lewandowski as we discuss his latest bold career move. I've also got music from She Sir, Protomartyr and Red Fang. Show notes: - Recorded at BGL HQ - Sometimes you like the people more than the job - BL stayed to raise his daughter for a while - Now situation is different - The time to restart is now - Is this all there is? - Pressure's on to succeed now - Trying to get disciplined - The Secret is good for finding parking spaces - Finding that elusive "dream job" - Acting is an interesting but difficult pursuit - Job misery can cause physical pain - Working overnights - The future is unwritten - BL: It's not exactly what I thought it would be Music: She Sir - Condensedindents Protomartyr - Scum, Rise! Red Fang - Behind the Light Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review! The She Sir song is on the album Go Guitars on Shelflife Records. Download the song for free at Largehearted Boy. The Proto

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Lewandowski as we discuss his latest bold career move. I've also got music from School of Seven Bells, Sadie Dupuis and Dead Stars. Show notes: - Recorded at BGL HQ - Momentous life decision - BL was working as a web guy at a Boston hospital - Commuted four hours each day - Didn't get promotion and decided to quit - BL: I just hated what I did - Haven't felt urgency to find something new - JK: Got a job right out of college and never stopped - Taking chances - BL: Played it safe early on and missed out on working on MTV's The Real World - Getting encouragement from friends not many kindred spirits - Layoffs are a different thing entirely - Going back to a job you left - The very brief heyday of CMGI - The ever-changing world of venue names - BL: Need to figure out next move by February - Commute is a huge factor - Cramming into crowded trains gets old fast - BL's been doing standup part-time the last few years - Hosting a standup show that's growing slo

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2013. I've also got music from Speedy Ortiz, Mudhoney and METZ. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ - JB's #1 - Speedy Ortiz jumped to Carpark Records - Sadie Dupuis is an actual poet - JK's #1 - Queens of the Stone Age went to interesting places on ...Like Clockwork - Matador's first #1 record - Favorite live shows - JB saw Lilys in a tiny venue - Whirr and Nothing at Great Scott made Breitling's brain shake - Krill, Speedy Ortiz record release shows - Saw Soccer Mom several times - JK: Golden Gurls, Soccer Mom and Reports at TT's - Clicky Clicky benefit was great - Saw Titus Andronicus twice - Obits and Pile at TT's - Just got ticket for Rocket From the Crypt reunion show in April - Mission of Burma and Reports at the Sinclair - JK: Vinyl continued to make comeback - JB: The reality of YouTube as a legit streaming music service - No sympathy for the record industry - We're in a pop-driven era - No

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2013. I've also got music from Los Campesinos!, Superchunk and Krill. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ - JK's #6 - New Bowie album was kept secret until it came out - Cover art's either brilliant or lazy...or both - JB's #5 - Los Campesinos! perserveres through lineup changes - JK's #5 - The Chunk keeps bringing the rock - Jon Wurster's the busiest guy in rock - R.I.P., The Best Show on WFMU - JB's #4 - The long-awaited MBV album - Getting the album was a chore - Kevin Shields took his time - JK's #4 - Strong leap forward for Speedy Ortiz - New EP on the way - Memories of Epitonic - JB's #3 - Veronica Falls' album sounds like a singles comp - JK's #3 - Back to Philly with Kurt Vile - Vile was a frequent guest on The Best Show - JK's #2 - Krill first released album on USB stick in ball of mozzarella - JB: My default setting is to hate everything - JK's #2 - Arctic Monkeys' sound has evolved - Wen

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2013. I've also got music from Guillermo Sexo, Calories and Savages. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ - Breitling's working on a new catchphrase - Zeppelin's on Spotify - Brought to you (not really) by Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale - When did year-end lists begin? - Breitling: Listen to Bandcamp and Soundcloud all day - Olive the dog nearly causes technical difficulties - JB's albums that just missed his top 10: It Hugs Back, Bent Shapes, Kal Marks, Slowdim - JK's bubbling under albums: Iceage, Diarrhea Planet, Deer Tick, Swearin', Mudhoney, YLT - JB's #10 - Joey Sweeney's second solo album - JK's #10 - Great return to form for Barrence Whitfield - JB's 9 - Guillermo Sexo album was picked up by Midriff Records - JK's #9 and JB's #8 are the same - Ovlov plays the hot rock - Exploding in Sound label had a monster year - Music scene in the Boston area is terrific right now - JK's #8 - Future of the Le

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1980. I've also got music from Shy Boys, Dog Day and PUP. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Jay's #3 - Bowie's last great album? - Jay: Tin Machine was an interesting experiment - Brian's #2 - Sandinista! is a bloated, but great, album - The Clash went to great lengths to keep price down - A little better than Extreme's triple album - A case study of success going to a band's 'head' - TV theme producer Mike Post produced VH III - Jay's #2 pick is Brian's #1 - Brian: "Once in a Lifetime" is one of the stranger smash hits of all time - Great albums created after a serious case of writer's block - Jay's #1 - Pretenders debut is flawless - Band only formed two years earlier - Half the band was dead within three years - Crappy recording techniques hadn't started yet in 1980 - Next up: 1998   Music: Shy Boys - Is This Who You Are Dog Day - Wasted PUP - Reservoir   Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1980. I've also got music from The Harmonica Lewinskies, Idiot Genes and Tame Impala. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Roller disco was once a thing - Brian: Mainstream American rock was in a slump - Just missed Brian's top 5: Queen's The Game - Lennon's Double Fantasy and McCartney II - The legend of Linda - Peter Gabriel's Melt, the debut of the Lounge Lizards - Jay: Blizzard of Ozz, Permanent Waves, Heaven and Hell, Empty Glass - Townshend's writing style had changed - Max Webster's Universal Juveniles - Band combined Rush and Zappa influences - 1980 was one of four years in Zappa's recording career he didn't release an album - Brian's #5 - Pretenders' debut was amazing - Jay's #5 - Back in Black was surprising given Bon Scott's death months earlier - The expanding umbrella of classic rock - Brian's #4 - Ozzy's solo debut reinvented his image - Singers who don't write lyrics - Jay's #4 - Jay: Melt is my favorit

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1980. I've also got music from Calories, Shearwater and Mark Kozelek. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Brian: 1980 was a much better year for music than our last choice, '87 - Jay: Was living in Toronto in '80 - Brian: Was -2 years old, but really dig the music of 1980 - Jay: New wave and post-punk really came into their own: B-52s, Talking Heads, U2, Pretenders - Brian: Arena rock bands like Queen and Rush took different paths - New sounds on the radio - Brian: Guitar rock was strong with VH, Ozzy, Sabbath, AC/DC - Poor Bob Daisley - New Wave of British Heavy Metal: Maiden, Leppard, Motorhead all influenced thrash scene that emerged a few years later - Worst musical moments: Wuss rock like Christopher Cross and Air Supply thrived - Brian: Blues Brothers movie came out - Put spotlight on music that was considered unhip at the time - Early hip-hop in the mainstream: Kurtis Blow, Blondie's "Rapture," Sugarhill Gang's

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we discuss a pair of 1970s hitmakers. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from Little Big League, Soft Focus, Idiot Genes and Wavves. Show notes: - Recorded at More Lost Time world HQ - "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" - Tony Orlando and Dawn got their own variety show - Telma Hopkins of Dawn went on to appear in several sitcoms - Renewed popularity during Gulf War - Actually about coming home from prison - Was "Knock Three Times" a swingers' anthem? - By the late '70s, Tony Orlando was forgotten - "He Don't Love You" was another big hit - In praise of KC and the Sunshine Band - Tales of KC's pratfall in Vegas - "Please Don't Go" was a major hit for KC - "I'm Your Boogie Man" was funky, great stuff - Learning about music as a kid in the '70s - Young Ric saw the Sex Pistols on Howard Cosell's "Saturday Night Live" - Good bands played on "Fridays" on ABC - Dick Clark was a brilliant businessman, not necessarily a music lover - Check out

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we discuss an unlikely number one single from 1973. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from Pixies, Quasi, The Julie Ruin and Ghost Wave. Show notes: - Recorded at More Lost Time world HQ - Talking about Vicki Lawrence's "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" - We forgot to watch the movie - This was her only hit - Written by Bobby Russell - Lawrence was already a regular on The Carol Burnett Show - Later starred in Mama's Family and her own talk show - Very confusing story song about murder and infidelity - Song was offered to Cher but Sonny Bono nixed it - Later covered by Reba McEntire - Ric: Should've been an animated movie with animals - Revenge and death throughout - We're confused - Casey Kasem would've been annoyed - Bobby Russell had two top 40 songs of his own - "1432 Franklin Pike Circle Hero" hit #36 - Could've used an oompah band - Satire on suburban life - "Saturday Morning Confusioon" got up to #28 in 1971 - Merging Charlie Rich

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss horror flicks and rooting for the bad guy. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from Fu Manchu, Pissed Jeans and JEFF the Brotherhood. Show notes: - Movies we watched before we were ready - Jay: Psycho at age 8 - Matt: Monster movies always freaked him out - The reinvention of Jackie Earle Haley - Swamp Thing vs. Man-Thing - Sympathizing with unsympathetic characters - Liam Neeson is the new Charles Bronson - Watch out for giant deformed hillbillies - Cool TV shows that didn't last long - American Horror Story is pretty wacky - Bates Motel is good - Rooting for the charismatic bad guy: Tony Soprano, Vic Mackey, Loki - Bad guy roles are more fun to play - Watching crappy movies like 2012 - Amazing acting on In Treatment - The varied and great career of the Coen Brothers - Cormac McCarthy, horror writer? - Stephen King keeps adding to old books - Matt wearing clown makeup freaks people out - People like to be scared - Boneh

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss Halloween and horror flicks. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from Dead Meadow, The Cloud Room and The Beatings. Show notes: - Salem, Mass., is Halloween Central - Just a straight-out fun holiday - Can be frustrating for those who live in Salem - Old-school newspaper pro-tip: Keep booze in yer desk - "Write drunk, edit sober" - As a kid, Matt was excited to dress up on Halloween - Jay: All about the candy - In NH, rural location meant we didn't have trick-or-treaters - Don't get that many now - Matt's costumes over the years: Robin, Julius Caesar - Jay: Moses, Don King, Bootsy Collins - Matt has a Batman mask this year - When kids are scared of your costume - Enjoyed Halloween more as an adult - The Lunchlady and the Flasher - Scary movies are fun - Matt: Blair Witch had a great gimmick, not a great story - So much more scary watching movies by yourself - Matt: The Saw movies are terrible, but creepy - Zombie movies ar

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss benefit concerts. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from The So So Glos, Grooms, Black Hearted Brother and Slowdim. Show notes: - Recorded at Casa Breitling before a live studio audience - Breitling's hosting the 2nd annual Community Servings benefit show on Nov. 3 at TT the Bears in Cambridge, Mass. - Featuring K. Heasley of Lilys, Soccer Mom, The Hush Now and Earthquake Party - Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz will provide DJ sets - Providing meals to the chronically ill - Roger Waters held huge benefit show in Berlin in 1990 - Breitling was in Germany at the time - The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert was huge in '92 - Two big post-9/11 concerts in NYC - SARS benefit concert in 2003 was the biggest show in Canadian history, with the Stones, AC/DC, Rush - Live 8 in 2005 was actually eight concerts in eight cities on the same day - Pink Floyd reunited with Waters - Did benefits have more impact in the past? - Increased capac

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss the benefit concert he's organizing. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from Shearwater, Deer Tick, FIDLAR and Come. Show notes: - Recorded at Casa Breitling before a live studio audience - Breitling's hosting the 2nd annual Community Servings benefit show on Nov. 3 at TT the Bears in Cambridge, Mass. - Featuring K. Heasley of Lilys, Soccer Mom, The Hush Now and Earthquake Party - Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz will provide DJ sets - Olive sniffs the recorder - Get tickets now - Providing meals to the chronically ill - Last year's event featured Johnny Foreigner - Rock benefits have been happening for decades - They seem less impactful now - Live Aid was a huge event in 1985 with shows in Philly and London - Controversy over charity administration - The Concert for Bangaldesh in '71 was the first big charity concert - The Secret Policeman's Ball was run by Amnesty International - Sting's Rock for the Rainforest benefit has b

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1987. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from Sebadoh, The Men and The Besnard Lakes. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Jay's #2 album of '87: The Cult's Electric - Used to crank it while working supermarket night shifts - Brian's #2: R.E.M.'s Document - Mike Mills is the band's secret weapon - R.E.M. was burdened by U2 comparisons - Stipe and Mills formed Automatic Baby with U2's Clayton and Mullen - Jay's #1: GNR's Appetite for Destruction - Paved the way for rawer hard rock - Brian's #1: Pixies' Come On Pilgrim EP - New Pixies is okay but nowhere near the old one - Teenage metalhead Jay also dug Joe Satriani's Surfing With the Alien - Enjoying That Metal Show - Terrible moments in '87 music - Jay: Bruce Willis releases an album - Brian: Pink Floyd's post-Waters output - "That's What Friends Are For" - Jay: Terrible movie soundtrack music, like Bob Seger's "Shakedown" - "Shakedown" was nominated for a