Completely Conspicuous

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about movie fandom. Show notes: - Recorded while driving to Tree House Brewery - Watching scary movies as a kid - The Shining still holds up - Favorite directors: Kubrick, Scorsese, Tarantino - Jay: After Hours is a fun movie; similar plot to Into the Night, which came out around the same time - The current state of prestige TV is giving movies a run for their money - Better Call Saul is the latest great show - The early days of the pandemic led to watching lots of movies - Great time to catch up on old favorites and things you missed - The greatness of The Decline of Western Civilization, Part 2 - U2 was riding high until they released the movie Rattle and Hum - Lots of movies filmed in our area - Jay: After we had kids, didn't go to an adult movie in the theater for years - Movie dates used to be a big deal when we were younger - Don't do it that much anymore - The movie viewing experience at home is much better than it used to be - Phil hasn't been to a mov

Celebrating the show's 16th birthday with part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our love of movies. Show notes: - Recorded while driving to Tree House Brewery - Phil remembers seeing "Bambi" in the theater and "Halloween" a little early - The interesting career beginnings of Kurt Russell - Jay: Watched a lot of Disney movies as a kid - Drive-in theaters were fun - Getting into James Bond movies - Jay's early favorites: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Close Encounters - Getting scolded during E.T. - Date movies: Titanic was a weepy scene - In recent years, Jay takes his daughters to MCU movies - Sandler movies run the gamut - Seeing an R-rated movie with a friend's family - Watching adult content with your parents is seriously awkward - Jay became a Mel Brooks fan as a pre-teen - Watching old movies during the early days of the pandemic - Eddie Murphy's '80s standup wouldn't fly today - To be cont

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1993. Show notes: - Jay's non-top 5s: Urge Overkill, Living Colour, Matthew Sweet, The Pursuit of Happiness, Paw, Fugazi - Some good comps and soundtracks: No Alternative, Sweet Relief, Judgment Night - Phil's #5: Belly with a strong debut - Jay's #5: Dinosaur Jr. straddles the line between alt- and classic rock - Jay's #4 and Phil's #3: Smashing Pumpkins break through on sophomore effort - Jay's #3: Electrifying, raw second album from PJ Harvey - Phil's #2: U2 takes an interesting left turn with Zooropa - Jay's #2 and Phil's #4: Nirvana's abrasive followup to Nevermind - Phil's #1: Liz Phair with an audacious debut out of nowhere - Jay's #1: A dark look at modern romance from the Afghan Whigs - Favorite songs: "Mesmerize" (Phil), "Debonair" (Jay) Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a rev

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1993. Show notes: - In 1993, Jay turned 26, Phil turned 24 - Jay moved to Middleton, Mass. - Phil saw the Breeders, Belly, Lenny Kravitz - Jay saw Nirvana and the Breeders, Midnight Oil, Lollapalooza - Big year for hip hop - Hair metal was dead - Phil's non-top 5s: Pearl Jam, Lenny Kravitz, Breeders, PJ Harvey, Radiohead, Afghan Whigs, Uncle Tupelo, Frank Black, Juliana Hatfield, Morphine, Velvet Underground, Bjork, Cracker, Mazzy Star, Dinosaur Jr., Big Head Todd and the Monsters    - To be continued Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the first half of 2022. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ - Breitling's #5: Papercuts with a solid effort featuring gratuitious Mellotron - Kumar's #5: Spoon serves up a quality dollop of Spoon - Breitling's #4: Elvis Costello in his occasional rock mode - Kumar's #4: The Smile fills the gap between Radiohead albums with a pretty damn good album - Kumar's #3: Oceanator brings the heat with revved-up guitar attack and a Doofenshmirtzian name - Kumar with the prog-rock contacts - Breitling's #3: WEMA is a London-based Tanzanian electronic act playing hypnotic worldbeat - Kumar's #2: Superchunk with a strong but restrained effort looking at life during a pandemic - Breitling's #2: Debut EP from SF act Neutrals that pushes shorter indie rock songs into long songs - Kumar's #1: Toronto punk-pop act PUP with a great concept album about

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the first half of 2022. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ - Breitling's laptop is acting up - Concerts are mostly back - Kate Bush sees a resurgence in popularity - R.I.P., the iPod - RL Mathews discovers the new stuff - Breitling's honorable mentions: Graveyard Club, David West, Big Cream, Peaness, Golden Apples, Stomptalk Modstone, Pillow Queens, Pinchpoints, Flash Hits - Kumar's HMs: Papercuts, Kurt Vile, Savak, Sasami, Kids on a Crime Spree, Yard Act, Adulkt Life, Mister Goblin, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Elvis Costello - Good reissues from Pavement and the Flashing Lights - Kumar's #10: Pink Mountaintops bring the psych/sludge/synth pop - Breitling's #10: Lo Fi Legs, a musical band with a terrible name and good indie rock - Kumar's #9: Dan Bejar brings a little more danceability to the latest Destroyer joint - Kumar's #8: Jon

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1992. Show notes: - More of Phil's non top 5s: Soul Asylum, Screaming Trees, Kyuss, Jayhawks, Grateful Dead, Rage Against the Machine - A few more from Jay: Helmet, Faith No More - Phil interviewed hockey players who liked RATM - Jay's #5 and Phil's #4: Buffalo Tom hones their craft with their third album - Phil's #5: Neil Young turns down after a few years of extreme volume - Jay's #4: Beastie Boys with a killer album distinguished by more instrumentation from the boys themselves - Jay's #3: The Tragically Hip's best album gives off a distinctly Canadian vibe -  Phil's #3: The Singles soundtrack captured the Seattle sound - Jay's #2: Pavement brings the slacker rock on their debut - Phil's #2: R.E.M. at the peak of their commercial powers - Jay's and Phil's #1: Bob Mould starts a new chapter with Sugar - Favorite songs: "Hoover Dam" (Phil), "Summer Babe" (Jay) Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe an

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1992. Show notes: - In 1992, Jay turned 25, Phil turned 23 - We both worked at local newspapers - The so-called grunge explosion kicked into full gear - Jay: Saw lots of great shows, including Lollapallooza, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Mudhoney - "Bohemian Rhapsody" was back on the singles chart thanks to Wayne's World - Metal was phasing out - Keeping the band brand going - Jay's non-top 5s: Afghan Whigs, Sloan, Rollins Band, Black Crowes - Phil's non-top 5s: Luscious Jackson, Phish, Lemonheads, Cracker, PJ Harvey, Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Lou Reed, Sonic Youth, Bettie Serveert, Mudhoney - To be continued Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gra

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1991. Show notes: - Phil's #5: The debut of an unknown band called Pearl Jam - Album had a slow build, didn't really get big until spring '92 - Jay's #5: Smashing Pumpkins' debut is a guitar feast - Phil's #4: Prince's last great album, according to Phil - Jay's #4: Under-the-radar power pop genius from Scotland - Gene Simmons sued over the album cover - That time Simmons covered "Firestarter" - Phil's #3: Lenny Kravitz peaks on this second album - Phil's #2: U2 changes their image and sound - Shifted from Americana to German electronic sounds - Jay's #2: Soundgarden blasts into the stratosphere - Pissing off old people - Jay's #1: Matthew Sweet breaks through with a power pop classic - Great guitarists guesting, including Robert Quine and Richard Lloyd - Phil's #1 and Jay's #3: Nirvana's revolutionary sophomore effort - Suffers from overexposure on classic rock stations now - Favorite songs: "Divine Intervention" (Jay), "Breed" (Ph

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1991. Show notes: - In '91, Phil graduated from college; Jay worked at the Peabody Times newspaper - A big year for rock, although a lot of the impact wasn't felt until the following year - Seeds for alt-rock explosion had been sown in the previous few years - Still a lot of classic rock, hair metal and pop on the charts - Freddie Mercury died, Lollapallooza tour started - Bryan Adams was in full balladeer mode - The evolution of Marky Mark - Clapton still sucks - Neither of us was a fan of the Use Your Illusion albums - Albums were way too long in the CD era - Phil's non-top 5 albums: Temple of the Dog, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Mudhoney, Dinosaur Jr., Pixies, A Tribe Called Quest, My Bloody Valentine, Tragically Hip, Neil Young, Massive Attack, Primal Scream, R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers - Jay's non-top 5s: Elvis Costello,

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1990. Show notes: - Our top 5 albums of '90 - Phil's #5: Jane's Addiction with a sprawling classic - Jay's #5: Sophomore release from Living Colour explored a lot of different styles - Phil's #4: Sinead O'Connor blows up with her second album - Her SNL appearance in '92 caused serious controversy - Sinead is alive and well - Jay's #4: Kim Deal goes out on her own with the Breeders - Phil's #3: Phish comes into their own with second album - The jammier acts played the Northeast college scene in the late '80s/early '90s - Jay's #3: Public Enemy blasts through with a strident, political album - Phil's #2: Sonic Youth streamlines their sound on their major label debut - Jay's #1: Fugazi continues sticking it to The Man on their first full-length album - Phil's #1 and Jay's #2: Neil Young and Crazy Horse crank up the amps and embrace feedba

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1990. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as"). Show notes: - Recorded in person at CompCon World HQ - In '90, Jay turned 23 and Phil turned 21 - Phil's short career in foodservice - Jay was a newspaper reporter in Peabody, Mass. - Controversies over 2 Live Crew, Milli Vanilli and Madonna - Lots of scenes happening: Alternative, New Jack Swing, Madchester, Seattle - The era of the Jock Jam - Albums that didn't make Phil's top 5: Uncle Tupelo, Allman Brothers, Pretenders, Living Colour, Breeders, Alice in Chains, Mother Love Bone, Pixies, World Party, Happy Mondays, Ride, Mazzy Star, Sundays, Cowboy Junkies, Replacements, INXS, Social Distortion, Bob Mould, Black Crowes - Questions around the November Rain video (which came out in '91) - Jay's non-top 5s: Afghan Whigs, Flaming Lips, Midnight Oil, Mark Lanegan, Robert Plant - To be continued   Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcas

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1989. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom during a blizzard - Our top 5 albums of '89 - Phil's #5: Tom Petty finds renewed success with a solo album -Jay's #5 and Phil's #4: Nirvana's sludgy debut hints at future success - Jay's #4: The Beasties go sample crazy and blow up the sophomore slump - Phil's #3: Phish with an auspicious debut - Jay had a run-in with a pre-fame Trey Anastasio at the UNH newspaper - Jay's #2: Bob Mould shifts gears in his solo debut and launches new phase in his career - Phil's #2 and Jay's #1: Pixies follow up a stone cold classic with another one - Phil's #1 and Jay's #3: Neil Young triumphs after a rough decade - Favorite songs: "Hangin' on a Limb" (Phil), "Wave of Mutilation" (Jay) Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Complet

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1989. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom during a blizzard - In '89, Jay turned 22 and graduated from college, Phil turned 20 - Early seeds of Seattle and Manchester sound - GNR became huge - Milli Vanilli was enjoying some short-lived success -Big year for pop - Phil's non-top 5 albums: Bob Mould, The Cure, B-52s, Stone Roses, The Ocean Blue, XTC, De La Soul, Replacements, Joe Jackson, Galaxie 500, Fugazi, RHCP, Lenny Kravitz, Tragically Hip, Indigo Girls, Bonnie Raitt, Tin Machine, Lou Reed, Dylan, McCartney, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Stones, Grateful Dead - George Jefferson, prog fan - Phil saw Stones, Who, McCartney, the Dead, the Cure, B-52s; Jay saw R.E.M., Elvis Costello - Jay: Faith No More, Soundgarden, Elvis Costello, Cult, Mudhoney, Buffalo Tom, Nine Inch Nails - To be continued Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcast

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1988. Show notes: - Recorded while driving home from Trillium Brewing in Canton, Mass. - Phil's #5: Sonic Youth focuses their sound  - Jay's #5: J. Mascis and Dino Jr. get more melodic while still delivering a heavy sound - Phil's #4: U2's first controversial album still provides a lot of memorable moments, overshadowed by the movie - Jay's #4 and Phil's #3: Living Colour's debut showed off their many talents - Jay's #3: Debut from Toronto's The Pursuit of Happiness combined hard rock, neurotic singer and girl group backing vocals - Phil's #2: R.E.M.'s last album before they became superstars - Jay's #2: Public Enemy at the peak of their powers - Phil's and Jay's #1: Los Pixies creates the template for the '90s alt-rock explosion - Favorite songs: "Gigantic" (Phil), "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" (Jay) Completely Conspicuous is availa

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1988. Show notes: - Recorded while driving to Trillium Brewing in Canton, Mass. - In 1988, Jay turned 21 and Phil turned 19 - Jay: 21st birthday was pretty rough - Phil tells tales of good decision-making - Jay's long, strange trip to the Monsters of Rock show: Long drive, short show - Big year for pop artists on the charts - Phil's Whitesnake story - Big soundtracks: Cocktail, Dirty Dancing - Phil's non-top 5 albums: Keith Richards, Mudhoney, Jerry Harrison, Jane's Addiction, Cowboy Junkies, Brian Wilson, Smithereens, Smiths, Pogues, Waterboys, Dinosaur Jr., Tracy Chapman, Public Enemy, Traveling Wilburys - Jay's non-top 5s: Fishbone, Bobby Brown, Iron Maiden, Robert Plant, The Church, Metallica - To be continued Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Co

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our top albums of 2021. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ - On to the top 10 - Breitling's #10: The Reds, Pinks and Purples with an ephemeral pop release on Slumberland - Kumar's #10: Raw collection of rippers from Juliana Hatfield - Breitling's #9 and Kumar's #8: Instant classic from Ovlov - Kumar's #9: IDLES shifts gears with some stylistic changes - Breitling's #8: Chime School with a quality jangle-rock album - Breitling's #7: More Slumberland goodness from the Umbrellas - Kumar's #7: St. Vincent digs into a late '70s vibe - Breitling's #6: Toronto's Ducks Ltd. with an excellent Feelies-esque record - Kumar's #5: Baltimore hardcore screamers Turnstile explores different sounds - Breitling's #4 and Kumar's #2: Dino Jr. continues to kick ass - Kumar's #4: Kiwi Jr. is another Toronto act working the '90s slacker rock vibe - Breitling's #3: MBV-esque sh

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2021. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ - Fully boostered podcast - We've been to concerts - Some shows have been postponed or canceled - Physical media is disappearing - Vinyl shortage - We're still doing our Internet radio shows (Parcheesi Radio, Stuck In Thee Garage) - Tiktok is becoming a way to break music - What the f are NFTs? - Our favorite music, starting with the ones that didn't make our top 5 - Breitling: Mogwai, Lilys reissue, Fievel Is Glauque, Spirit of the Beehive - Kumar: Ducks Ltd., Courtney Barnett, Jeff Rosenstock, Black Country New Road, Dry Cleaning, Fiddlehead - Breitling: Stomp Talk Modstone, Floating Points/Pharoah Sanders/London Sympathy Orchestra, Palberta, Kiwi Jr., Colleen, Fog Lake - Kumar: Chubby and the Nuts, Mdou Moctar, The Bevis Frond, Sleaford Mods, Colleen Green, TV Priest, Bachelor, Shame - To b

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss rock stars and retirement. Show notes: - Recorded recently via Skype - Will we see KISS JR.? - Will bands bring in replacements after the original members are all retired/dead? - Plenty of good cover bands out there who can probably outperform the originals - The "officially licensed cover band" - Hologram concerts are still trying to get off the ground - Fan base is also getting older - The big money these days is in hip hop, pop and country - Meanwhile, revered indie artists like Lou Barlow are playing living room/backyard shows - Who's going to stadium shows? - We don't like large venues - Bands like VH should release archival live shows like Neil Young - Sammy Hagar's living the good life - Bands that are outstaying their welcome - When bands you like are disappointing - Checking out Canadian classic rock radio - Nobody in 1991 would have predicted Dave Grohl would be

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss rock stars and retirement. Show notes: - Recorded recently via Skype - David Lee Roth recently announced his retirement - Should more aging rock stars retire? - Robert Plant isn't trying to be the Golden God anymore - Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford can still deliver high-energy metal performances - Shut it down, Clapton - Ozzy's been doing retirement tours for 30 years - KISS keeps playing "final" tours - DLR actually predicted his retirement in a 1991 video - Jay: Never saw Dave play with VH - VH changed the hard rock game - Dave and Sammy are different kinds of clowns - Dave only did a few solo albums after 1991 - DLR's image radically changed as his looks did - Bands keep touring into their 70s and 80s - Grant Hart looked pretty rough toward the end of his life, but kept touring - Similar to athletes who don't know when to hang it up - Ringo Starr has the right idea: L