ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

This song is one of Joe's absolute favorites he's ever written. It's about feeling stuck, like your ship is waiting to come in and may never arrive. Very autobiographical, the feeling of this song is what Joe was feeling in the exact moment it was written (and even more recently when Joe and Jen recorded this episode). Eric William Morris and Joe Iconis became insta-besties almost immediately when they met during an audition. Katrina Rose Dideriksen and Joe met as NYU Undergrads, both making music that didn't quite fit the mold (then and now.)

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This is a song title in parenthesis so it won't spoil the joke. Once you listen, you'll get it. Sung by Jason SweetTooth Williams, who Joe Iconis is simply in love with, was basically born to sing this song. The episode devolved into a SweetTooth lovefest... but the song at the heart of it all is very much about someone with a secret. Can you figure it out?

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Inspired by the movie Psycho, this song "Normal" was penned in 2010 and first performed a Halloween gig at The Beechman. The idea was writing a cheesy love song from the point of view of Norman Bates. Sung by Lance Rubin, this song only gets better every time he performs it.

http://BPN.fm/Album to get the music.

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Learn how to "pull an Iconis" by listening to this episode. In addition, this song "The Saddest Girl in the World" was written specifically for Kerry Butler, who played a one-legged dancer in a 24-Hour musical Joe wrote with the great Jonathan Marc Sherman. With a lot of fancy people involved, 24 year old Joe felt like the not-so-fancy guy who now wouldn't even think twice about shouting out a lyric if Kerry were to forget the lyrics again.

http://BPN.fm/Album to get the music.

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Initially called "The Buddy Song", this is another tune that Joe renamed to include a slash in the title. As interpreted by Krysta Rodriguez, the song turned into something different from its original intent and Charlie Rosen's period orchestrations provide a reframing that serves the message of the song well. A hidden gem in Joe's massive body of work. 

http://BPN.fm/Album to get the music.

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Based on Stephen King's Misery this is a song that truly gets under your skin and brings the subtext of King's novel to the forefront. A rumination on the cyclical nature of addiction and how it relates to the life of an artist. Be prepared and scared for a brutal performance by Taylor Trensch. 

http://BPN.fm/Album to get the music.

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This is a song in which Joe channels the jealousy and envy he feels toward other musical theater writers and filters it through the lens of Robert Zemeckis's 1992 film Death Becomes Her. A personal song that also doubles as a character piece written from the point of view of Goldie Hawn's character in the film, Lorinda Lisitza performs with a level of ferocity that can barely be contained. And look out for her vocal nod to Goldie.

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"Sympathy for the Killer" is a peculiar little 1920's-style number which repurposes the classic horror film killer-victim scenario as a metaphor for a modern relationship. Sung by the fearless Liz Lark Brown, the song aks the question: who is really pursuing who?

http://BPN.fm/Album to get the music.

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Have you ever wondered what a song inspired by the plight of HALLOWEEN's Michael Myers might be like? Well, Joe Iconis sure did. A nod to his love of Halloween (the day and the movie), "Haddonfield, 15 Years Later (For Judith)" tells a simple story of Mike Myers getting out of the hospital, putting his mask back on, and heading back to his hometown. It also tells the story of a person returning to his suburban hometown and feeling like he no longer belongs. This song is sung by madman Jared Weiss and features a choir arrangement by lunatic Joel Waggoner. 

http://BPN.fm/Album to get the music.

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As a kid, the disappointment of dropping an ice cream on the ground feels like the end of the world. As an adult, the circumstances of our disappointments change, but the feeling is the same. "Building a Fort" is sung by Harrison Chad, who is always able to embody youth and adulthood. It was originally written for a musical that Joe got fired from.

http://BPN.fm/Album to get the music.

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