A (Mostly) 80s Music Podcast: What Difference Does It Make?

1986 was quite a year for collaborations: Aerosmith and Run DMC, Siskel & Ebert, Tom Cruise and his need for speed. It all adds up to another year to remember. And let's not fail to acknowledge it was the year of Hands Across America, and that guy who's not a doctor but plays one on TV. It all happened in 1986. We dive into many of our favorite touchstone moments that helped define the year.

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We welcome back music journalist and friend-of-the-show, Craig Rosen, into the What Difference Does It Make garage with a toast to the new year. Craig is hitting a milestone year, so we ask the author of The Billboard Book of Number One Albums, "What was the number one album the year you were born?”. Craig guides us through his top albums of 2022, and we also remember the extraordinary work of Terry Hall. And what would a visit by Craig be without talk about Costco? What could possibly be Craig's "Pick Of The Year" at his favorite warehouse club store?

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David Wild steps out of his comfy zone writing for The Grammy Awards and the upcoming TV salute to Paul Simon (airing on CBS on December 21), and enters into the wild of our studio/garage. David faces the hard-hitting questions, like "Which rock stars are shorter than he is?" and tries to understand why we can't remember the host of last year's Grammys (Spoiler: it's Trevor Noah. He's also hosting next year.).  We also pay tribute to Christine McVie, salute the brilliance of Paul Simon, and try to understand why the ladies love LL Cool J, but LL seems to love David Wild.

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Mark Thompson grew up loving radio, comedy, and with an appreciation for the absurd. These qualities made Mark uniquely qualified to create one of the most iconic morning radio shows in history. The Mark & Brian show started out in Birmingham, Alabama, but within a year, made its way to Los Angeles and 95.5 KLOS. It quickly became the #1 morning show in the #2 market. Mark & Brian were inducted into the Radio Hall Of Fame in 2020. Mark's memoir, Don't Bump The Record, Kid: My Adventures with Mark & Brian is out now, and he steps into our virtual studio to regale us with some of his (mis)adventures.

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If you're still "high as a kite" from watching Elton John's final US show at Dodger Stadium, we just might have the podcast episode for you. Gillian Gaar has authored a beautiful coffee table book, Elton John @75, examining Sir Elton through the lens of 75 career accomplishments and life events. Gillian steps into our virtual studios to say so much about Sad Songs and much more related to the Rocket Man. 

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What is the What Difference Does It Make podcast?

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Michael Lockwood has lived a full musician's life. Starting out with the band Lions & Ghosts, he lived the dream of getting signed to a major label, and releasing two albums in the 80s. Following the dissolution of the band came work on movie soundtracks and collaborations with Aimee Mann, Carly Simon and Fiona Apple. He now runs Sparkle Plenty Records, and one of the first orders of business is to finally give a proper re-release of Lions & Ghosts debut album, Velvet Kiss, Lick Of The Lime. We get deep into Michael’s history, and the ins-and-outs of the music business as we welcome Michael to the What Difference Does It Make Podcast.

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Steve Rapport's camera has taken him on quite a journey, from the very beginning, shooting Robert Plant's Honeydrippers while he was at University, to being in the camera well at Live Aid, getting shots of Freddie Mercury and Bono. His journey continues now in New Orleans where he has the good fortune to capture Amy Schumer and Arcade Fire in action. And WE have the good fortune to talk with Steve about his life and career today on the podcast.  

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We continue our two-part look at Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets with two guys from the band. One guy is Guy Pratt. He's played with Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Madonna, The Smiths, Echo & The Bunnymen, Tears For Fears, and the list goes on. We also have a friend of the show, Gary Kemp. You know him as the guitarist and principal songwriter for Spandau Ballet. Currently, they are spending their time with Nick Mason, recreating the music of Pink Floyd circa 1967-1972. We get into all the secrets this week on the What Difference Does It Make podcast. 

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Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason is bringing early Pink Floyd music back to life by taking it on the road with his band, Saucerful of Secrets. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member steps into our virtual studios to talk about the music he created with Pink Floyd from 1967 to 1972, and the all-star band he assembled to recreate these iconic songs.

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