Badass Records

Brett Batliner.

Whew. It's even a mouthful to type.

I kid, I kid.

Brett Batliner cooked for me a dozen years ago, and we've somehow managed to stay in quasi-contact since. What fun times those were, too. Me. The fearless leader amongst a dozenish 19-year-olds. Yikes.

Anyway...Brett's a great guy. He's a son and a brother and a boyfriend and a pet lover and a guitarist and a rapper. And unfortunately for Brett, he's also a service-industry guy. Run, Brett! Run far and fast!

My conversation with Brett for Episode #57 was a hoot, though. We talked family and musicianship and recording. We talked about that ski-bum life and skateboarding, and, of course, Brett's favorite band of all time: 311.

This is the third episode to feature a different 311 record (which may be rivaled only by Wilco here on the Badass Records Podcast), and Brett's choice was Transistor (1997). We had a good time breaking it down, and I think it's safe to say that we both enjoyed the conversation as a whole.

Thanks for stopping by, and please be sure to buy Brett a Jager Bomb if you see him out there on them streets.

Cheers.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the intro/outro audio. They are samples from a track called, "Countach" by Ratatat, which is off of their 2015 record, Magnifique (c/o XL Recordings LTD).

I met Jon Brick about 37 years ago, which is pretty bananas to think about. We were fresh off of not only a Royals World Series parade, but also having watched Space Shuttle Challenger explode on that television screen atop the wheeled-in A/V cart of our fifth-grade classrooms, which -- one might say -- was a little ways away from hosting a podcast and creating award-winning feature documentary films, the latter of which the guest of Episode #56 can say.

Jon's a fascinating dude. He's seen a handful of the world's parts and had some incredible-sounding experiences along his journey's path. And what a place he's in now professionally <cues the closing moments to Chicago's "Beginnings">.

He's a son and a brother and a producer and a drummer and an outdoorsman, and you can sample some of his work over at jonbrick.com, if you please. And -- while you're at it -- you like-to-be-in-the-know types could give one of his socials a follow if that's a thing you're prone to do.

Anyway...not only was it really great catching up with Jon and learning about some of his story, he picked an absolutely dynamite duo of records, too, which had me pretty geeked up, to say the least. Had we been in opposite chairs, I can't say my picks would've looked much different.

Jon chose not only one of the best double albums -- Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti (1975) -- of all time; he followed it up with one of the most incredible records ever recorded in Radiohead's OK Computer (1997). And what a treat it was to look back upon them.

I can't thank Jon enough for taking some time from his busy schedule to come sit in my basement for a bit and help me keep this thing afloat.

And speaking of, if you'd like to make an appearance, hit me up at badassrecordspodcast at gmail dot com.

Thank you for stopping by.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the intro/outro audio. They are samples I poached from the title track of Def Leppard's 1987 Hysteria (a Virgin EMI Records release c/o Mercury Records Limited). I'm not gonna call it a top-to-back badass record, but it's gotta lotta niceness in it.

Being blessed with three amazing sisters is literally the gift that never stops giving. I am lucky to not only have each of them in my life, but also thankful to be exposed to some of the great things in each of their lives.

Since today's guest is something of an introvert, I was surprised when she agreed to join me for for Episode #55, and thrilled at how fun our conversation turned out to be.

She's a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a great friend, an impressive-seeming professional, a fantastic person with whom to sit down and visit, and my middle sister Megan's homegirl, Leah Twibell.

Leah tabbed Green Day's Dookie (1994), Weezer's The Blue Album (1994), and Crash by Dave Matthews Band (1996) as three of her favorite records, and this proved to be a trio that did not disappoint.

My chat with Leah was a blast. Thank you for checking it out.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the intro/outro video. They are samples from a song called, "Horn" by Phish, and the tune comes from their 1993 record, Rift (c/o Elektra Entertainment, a division of Warner Communications, Inc.). And in case you were curious, this album is the trailhead to the path of badass records. Ya' heard?

Steve Woods is a son, a brother, a husband, a father, a handyman, a fine, fine golfer, a funny dude, and a friend. He's also a chef at heart, a valuable employee to his bosses, and an all-around good guy.

I'm still trippin' out over the fact that we've known each other for longer than two decades, and I couldn't have been happier than I was to see him on my front porch for Episode #54 of Badass Records Podcast.

Like most of my guests, Steve's story is a fascinating one, so we dug into it a little bit, and we of course talked music, too. The good doctor shared with me a few of his favorite records, and they are these:

The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses (1989)

The Stone Roses's Turns Into Stone (1992)

Nowhere, Ride (1990)

Ride's Going Blank Again (1992)

Hear It Is, The Flaming Lips (1986)

The Flaming Lips's Oh My Gawd... (1987)

Hit to Death in the Future Head, The Flaming Lips (1992)

everything from the Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, and Son Volt catalogs

the entire Steely Dan catalog

Hats off to Steve for taking time out of his busy calendar to sit down with me and chat. I hope you'll give our conversation a view or a listen.

These episodes are recorded in-person in Kansas City. If you or someone you know would make a good guest, please reach out at badassrecords podcast at gmail dot com. Thank you for stopping by.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the intro/outro audio. They are samples from a track by Jenny Lewis called, "Little White Dove," which I lifted from her 2019 album called On the Line (c/o Warner Records Inc.).

James Inman is a son, a brother, a boyfriend, a formerish standup comedian, a computer whiz, and a collector of both vintage speakers and sundry Elvis Costello albums.

He's a hoot, and a trip, and a man that's wise beyond his years (Note: Shouts out to the local public library.), and he did -- for the record -- say (once we'd wrapped) that it was cool to leave everything in.

As usual I was part of the conversation when we taped and a different part of it during edits, and normally I'm ready to move on once I've played both roles. This time, though, I think maybe I'm still processing everything that I learned. In fact, I'm not sure of all that I didn't know before we had our conversation. And trust me -- it was a good one.

Among many other topics, we touched on a few of James's favorite records, and they were these:

Imperial Bedroom, Elvis Costello & The Attractions (1982)

The Clash's London Calling (1979)

Mummer, XTC (1983)

Quite the collection.

I hadn't seen James in the better part of 10 years before we sat down together, so I'm pleased that he agreed to come by for the hang. James is a poster child for the just-be-yourself campaign, and I hope -- be it one day in the cards -- that I can at some point watch him turn out a live set in the comedy scene.

Anyway, check out his book and his two albums and his movie over at jamesinman.com.

Thank you, James, for being an amazing part of Episode #53.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the intro/outro audio. They are samples from a tune called, "Inversion Layer" by Robert Walter's 20th Congress. They put out a record called Get Thy Bearings (c/o Royal Potato Family) in 2013, and that track is from this album. I've used it before. On Episode #1. This would be the first episode of year two, so...little selfie shoutout. Cheers.

Ashleigh Blackwell gets the honors for the official official-official one-year anniversary of Badass Records Podcast. That is, some spacing occurred between the recordings and airings of the first two episodes, but -- from the third installment on -- I've managed to get one up per week. This being #52 means a year's worth now lives on the Internet, and -- you know -- that's kinda cool.

Anyway, Ashleigh's wise and witty. She's bold and beautiful (Wasn't there a TV show with a similar name?). She's a daughter and a sister and an aunt and a dog lover and a marketplace force, and she's also a great person to know, even if only a little.

So, I'm very thankful that she stopped by and rapped music and life with me. Our conversation went a bunch of different directions, and I tip my hat to her for her fearless engagement and rawness from start to finish.

Her musical journey fascinated me in that it moved from the comforts of her folks' tuneage to the neighborhood of boy bands, where it stopped only for a hot minute. From there it was on to bigger and badder, and a noteworthy bond with the 1991 Skid Row record, Slave to the Grind, was forever forged.

So, please check out our chat. It was a good one.

Thank you.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the intro/outro audio. They are clips taken from a Guru track called, "Transit Ride," which comes from his 1993 release, Jazzmatazz (c/o Virgin Records America, Inc.). This album wasn't -- by any means -- the birthplace of badass records, but it's certainly a stop on the tour. If you're unfamiliar, I highly recommend you familiarize yourself. You won't regret it.

This week's installment of Badass Records Podcast is Episode #51, and I'm pleased as punch to announce that my guest is the one, the only -- Eva Saviano.

I know we touched on it in our conversation, but -- to be sure -- I wanted to peek in a few spots to make sure I had her professional title correct, and while I didn't find conviction within my search, I did find one of the best bios I've ever seen in my life, so I'll share how she has described her self and add a few details after:

"Uncommonly frank and, frankly, uncommon.

A sucker for the written word from a very young age, an owner of The Word Lover's Dictionary, a grammar and punctuation cowgirl, enthusiastic copy editor, bold copy writer, occasional blogger, careful proofreader, and all-around word nerd.

I lead with a friendly attitude, a sense of humor, meticulous attention to detail, snappy style, and pen in hand.

Effervescent. Ebullient. Energetic."

I've known this gal for the better part of 20 years. I read that little passage, and all I have to say is, Can confirm. In addition, Eva is a daughter, a sister, an aunt, and a friend. She's a girlfriend, an empath, a tenderhearted loyalist, and the quickest dang wit this side of The Everglades. She's also someone you should yield to in rollerskating traffic, but that's a story for a different episode.

I'm grateful that she took a chunk of an evening over her holiday visit to sit down with me and bullshit about life and music. It's possible that the list of her favorite music is endless, but we -- nevertheless -- talked about a few of her favorite records, and they are these:

Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill (1995)

Dilate (1996), Ani DiFranco

Weezer's Pinkerton (1996)

When the Pawn Hits... (1999), Fiona Apple

Neko Case's The Worse Things Get... (2013)

There's a reason I keep doing these with next to no traction and very little merch' sales (Note: Swag for sale!), and it's because I love it. Putting something together like each of these 51 episodes is fun and challenging, and well -- ya' can't beat the company, really.

This episode is my new favorite. Seriously. Such a hoot. Many a laugh. And just plain good conversation. So, I hope you'll check it out. Peace and love to you and yours. Cheers.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the intro/outro audio. They are clips I poached from a song called, "Right Down the Line," which comes from Gerry Rafferty's City by City (1978), c/o Parlophone Records, LTD. I can't tell you that City by City is a badass record because I've only listened to this track (about 467 times) and "Baker Street," but it is one of the badassest songs ever recorded.