Completely Conspicuous

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we discuss our favorite guitar solos.

Show notes:

• Occasional chiming in from CC intern Lily
• Rolling Stone recently released a top 100 solos list
• Phil likes the long jammy solos
• Solos can go along with a riff or go off on crazy tangents
• Steely Dan used many guitarists
• Jay used to be into '80s speed guitar
• Vinnie Vincent went way over the top
• Charlie Sexton was a guitar prodigy who went on to play in Dylan's band
• The greatness of early Dire Straits
• Tough to narrow down our lists
• Appreciating Billy Idol
• Eagles bad, Joe Walsh good
• Terry Kath could rip
• So many great Jimmy Page solos
• The vast and weird catalog of Frank Zappa
• Billy Corgan has many excellent solos
• Kim Thayil was an unconventional soloist
• Bowie worked with many great guitarists: Mick Ronson, SRV, Belew, Earl Slick, Reeves Gabrels
• Townshend's solo on "I Can See for Miles" is simple but intense
• Fun weirdness from Focus on "Hocus Pocus"
• Phil's #10 is a tie
• Roger Hodgson of Supertramp was better known for playing keyboards
• Many hidden gems in the Who catalog
• Jay's #10: Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age
• Phil's not a fan of mosh pits
• To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through wherever you get 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 Phil Stacey as we celebrate the return of the MLB season by counting down our favorite baseball hats.

Show notes:

• On to our top 10
• Phil's #10: Reaching back to the '50s with the Phillies
• Jay's #10: Mid-90s Mariners
• Good use of seafoam green
• '90s uniforms had a lot of bold colors: Teal, purple
• Phil's #9: The simplicity of the SF Giants hat
• Hat designs got pretty weird over the years
• Corduroy hats were a thing for a while
• Jay's #9: Classic A's green and yellow look
• Phil's #8: Dodgers' classic blue and white is another look that hasn't changed
• Bandwagon jumpers are inevitable
• Jay's #8: St. Louis Cardinals navy blue with red logo
• Had one that got ruined at Lollapallooza '93
• Phil's #7: The mid-70s Angels hat with the halo
• Lots of different looks for the Angels over the years
• Jay's #7: Phillies' hat from late '70s/early '80s
• Phil's #6: Sticking with Philly with the A's from the '30s
• Some hats are instant conversation pieces for middle-aged guys
• Jay's #6 and Phil's #4: Another classic look with the Tigers
• Ruining hats by working out in them
• Phil's #5: Kansas City A's with the kelly green
• Jay's #5: Brooklyn Dodgers with the classic B
• Jackie Robinson era
• Jay's #4: Can't go wrong with the Cubs "C" hat
• Some cool Cubs hats over the years
• Phil's #3: Iconic Red Sox blue hat
• Jay's #3: White Orioles hat with the cartoon bird
• Tried a more realistic bird in the '90s
• Phil's #2: The Braves' 70s hat with the lower case A
• Jay's #2: The Blue Jays' all-blue hat introduced in the late '80s
• Are middle-aged guys more likely to wear hats?
• Phil's #1: Orioles' mid-60s to mid-70s black hat with orange bill
• Jay's #1: Original Expos hat
• In Canada, Toronto fans hate the Canadiens but love the Expos
• Defunct but beloved team

Completely Conspicuous is available through wherever you get 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 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we celebrate the return of the MLB season by discussing our favorite baseball hats.

Show notes:

• We've both purchased many hats over the years
• Back in the '70s and '80s, you didn't have a lot of viewing choices for baseball games
• Baseball cards were a big factor in figuring out the hats and logos you liked
• Hats can fade, especially the dark blue ones
• When you just can't wear a Yankees hat
• Now there are so many alternate jerseys, hats, logos
• You can get hats in different colors and styles
• Old guys like us don't like flat-bill caps
• Other sports don't wear hats as part of the uniform, but you can get hats for their teams
• We often get hats of teams we have no affinity for
• Phil's honorable mentions: Black Sox-era White Sox, Boston/Milwaukee Braves, Cardinals from the '40s, Pirates pillbox hat from the '70s, Cleveland Chief Wahoo hat from the '50s
• Jay's honorable mentions: Reds, Brewers '70s hat with the glove logo, Royals, Expos all-blue hats in the '90s, Mariners '70s hat, Blue Jays original hat
• Phil: Seattle Pilots had a bad hat, with a touch of stolen valor
• To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through wherever you get 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 Phil Stacey as we pick our favorite underrated albums.

Show notes:

• Jay's #6: The Spinanes with a decidedly not-grunge album on Sub Pop
• Female singer-songwriter teamed with kickass drummer
• Phil's #5: Power pop that never hit big from Boston's Gigolo Aunts
• Got a song on the Dumb and Dumber soundtrack
• Jay's #5: Another power pop gem from the Velvet Crush
• Saw them play in Austin in '94
• Phil's #4: B-52s avoid the sophomore slump and getting labeled as a novelty act
• Didn't hit as hard as the debut, but strong nonetheless
• Jay's #4: Late '80s/early '90s anthemic indie rock from O-Positive
• Influenced by R.E.M. and briefly on CBS
• Phil's #3: More Boston-area indie rock with Belly
• Tanya Donelly had a great rock pedigree, first playing with Throwing Muses and Breeders
• Jay's #3: Ex-Dumptruck guitarist Kevin Salem with Replacements/Tom Petty sound
• Released a couple of strong albums in the mid-90s before moving into production
• Phil's #2: U2's electronic departure that turned off a lot of their fans
• They were ahead of the game with the techno sounds
• Bad choice for lead single
• Jay's #2: Again with the power pop, this time from the Posies
• Band fell out of favor, Geffen refused to promote it
• Angry album that nobody heard
• Phil's #1: The Neil Young album where he was backed by Pearl Jam but couldn't publicize it
• "Godfather of grunge" with the biggest band at the time
• Did a brief tour of Europe, couldn't play here because of PJ's Ticketmaster litigation
• Jay's #1: Another major label flameout courtesy of Jawbreaker
• Punk act that faced sellout cries from fanbase, but label didn't like finished product and dropped them
• Great album that was a big influence on emo acts to come

Completely Conspicuous is available through wherever you get 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 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we pick our favorite underrated albums.

Show notes:

• First episode of the year!
• Recorded right after the gold medal men's hockey game
• What is underrated?
• A well-known artist's less popular release or lesser-known artists
• Phil: Neil Young has a few underrated albums among his vast catalog
• Other Phil honorable mentions: Big Star, Bob Mould, Best Coast, Kaiser Chiefs, Bettie Serveert, Built to Spill, Keith Richards, N. Mississippi All-Stars, Ben Folds Five, Until the End of the World soundtrack, Til Tuesday, Neko Case, Passengers, Big Head Todd, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Fela Kuti, Dead Milkmen, Shuggie Otis, Uncle Tupelo, Waterboys
• Jay's honorable mentions: Trail of Dead, Material Issue, Peter Gabriel, The Church, PiL, Afghan Whigs, QOTSA, Smashing Pumpkins, Blind Melon, Elliot Easton, Pearl Jam, Elvis Costello, Matthew Sweet
• Phil's #10: Cracker's debut album
• Lowery's first post-Camper Van Beethoven release
• Jay's #10: Keith Richards releases a stripped-down solo album
• Was pissed at Jagger, created the antithesis to his flashy style
• Phil's #9: Prince creates a new band in the early '90s
• No more Revolution, going for more of a hip hop sound
• Jay's #9: Only release from David + David
• Studio musicians who teamed up to release atmospheric story songs
• Phil's #8: Indie supergroup comprised of members of Sleater-Kinney and Helium
• Only released one album
• Jay's #8: Living Colour's third album was criminally overlooked
• Introduced industrial elements but was lost in the wave of grunge
• Phil's #7: Jerry Harrison goes solo
• More pop than what Talking Heads were doing
• Jay's #7: Sebadoh unleashes ripping indie rock masterpiece
• Contributions from two songwriters
• Phil's #6: Self-assured debut from Elastica
• Waited too long to release their next album
• To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through wherever you get 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 about our favorite music of 2025.

Show notes:

• Counting down the rest of our favorite albums of the year
• Kumar's #8: Indie rock godfather Bob Mould is still pissed off and rocking
• Mould has also reunited his '90s band Sugar
• Kumar's #7: Triumphant return for Mclusky
• Falco and crew having fun ripping on various targets
• Breitling's #6: Superchunk keeps going with new drummer
• If you thought they were angry in 2018...
• Chock full of "banglociraptors"
• Kumar's #6: Straight outta Asheville with Wednesday's killer combo of alt-country, shoegaze and heavy guitar rippers
• Band features MJ Lenderman but it's Karly Hartzman's show
• Breitling's #5: Debut from Slumberland act The Cords
• Scottish indie jangle-pop banglociraptors
• Kumar's #5: Thrilling post punk from South London act Shame
• Returning to harder rocking sound of first few albums
• More albums are shorter nowadays
• Breitling's #4: Prolific Chicago psych-pop act Sharp Pins keeps bringing it
• Flashes of GBV and early Kinks
• Breitling's #3: Crutchfield sisters (Waxahatchee, Swearin') drop surprise release as Snocaps
• Again with the Lenderman, on drums this time
• Kumar's #3: PUP applies newfound maturity to pop-punk bangers
• Singing about adult stuff
• Breitling's #2: Mini-album from Peel Dream Magazine
• Autumnal-sounding leftovers from previous album recording session
• Kumar's #2: Sloan keeps bringing the heat with 14th release of diverse and rewarding power pop
• Four singer-songwriters keep the offerings varied and on point
• Breitling's #1 and Kumar's #4: Monumental four-album conceptual triumph from Hallelujah the Hills
• Lot of guest stars including Ezra Furman, Clint Conley, Sadie Dupuis, Patrick Stickles
• Staggering amount of excellence
• Kumar's #1 and Breitling's #7: NYC's Geese blows up with wide-ranging collection that grabs your attention
• Their club tour sold out immediately
• Frontman Cameron Winter leads a sound that ranges from Pavement to soul
• Looking forward to 2026 releases from: Notwist, Kiwi Jr., Courtney Barnett, Sleaford Mods, Crooked Fingers, Strange Pains
• Reunion shows next year from Silkworm, Superdrag

  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 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite music of 2025.

Show notes:

• The 17th annual year in music review
• AI-generated music is lame
• Especially fake music that purports to be by real artists
• Spotify is a juggernaut that still sucks
• Checking out other services (Qobuz, Amazon)
• You don't get to own downloads via streaming services
• The kids love the K-pop
• Only a handful of artists make any money these days
• Oh yay, LIve Nation is going to get richer
• Ticketmaster is now a ticket reseller as well
• We're still seeing the live rock
• Breitling: Thumbs up for the Aimee Mann/Ted Leo Christmas show
• Saw Oasis in Mexico City
• We both saw Hallelujah the Hills
• Kumar: Saw Frank Black, Narducy/Shannon do R.E.M., Gang of Four with Ted Leo, Bob Mould, Greg Norton, Ducks Ltd., Pixies, the Who, Buffalo Tom
• Breitling's bubbling under music picks: Ava Luna, Lifeguard, Winter, Frankie Cosmos, Golden Apples, Lemonheads, Sister Ray Davies, Jeff Tweedy, Glimmer, Tiberius, Telephone Numbers
• Kumar's honorable mentions: Tweedy, The Convenience, Snocaps, Turnstile, The Hives, Viagra Boys, Pulp, Car Seat Headrest, Charm School, Horsegirl, Superchunk, Pile, The Beths, Tony Molina, Sharp Pins, They Are Gutting a Body of Water, Militarie Gun, Kestrels, Destroyer, Dean Wareham, Kinski, Ty Segall, Stereolab, Lunchbox, Cam Keiber, Husker Du and Replacements box sets
• Breitling's #10: Autocamper's debut asks a valid question
• Kumar's #10: Debut solo release from TV On the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe
• Breitling's #9: Energetic indie rock from Chicago's OK Cool
• Kumar's #9: Ripper out of nowhere from The Men
• Breitling's #8: Urgent EP about ancient Greece by Strange Passage
• Reunion tours with strange combinations
• Triumph is coming around next year
• 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 Phil Stacey as we pick our favorite songs released in the 21st century.

Show notes:

• Phil's #6: Frenetic assault from Parquet Courts
• Definite late '70s post-punk influences
• Jay's #6: A bold move into electronic sounds by Radiohead
• Phil still doesn't get Radiohead
• Phil's #5: Slacker guitar hero vibes from Kurt Vile
• Stream-of-consciousness lyrical approach
• Jay's #5: Garage rock anthem that introduced the Hives to the world
• Punchy and super catchy, it took two years to hit in the U.S.
• The battle for car music supremacy
• Phil's #4: New Orleans vibe from Tedeschi Trucks Band
• Phil's intro to the band
• Jay's #4: A first single that will never be topped by Franz Ferdinand
• Catchy, danceable stomper comparing love to a sniper's duel
• Phil's #3: Goose brings jam band versatility to the masses
• Blew up since the pandemic and are now selling out Madison Square Garden
• Jay's #3: Queens of the Stone Age craft a perfect hard rock song
• The magic of the killer riff plus Dave Grohl's drumming
• Phil's #2: Ripper from Aussie Courtney Barnett
• Lyrics focus on everyday life
• Jay's #2: Indie rock classic from the Walkmen
• Emerged from the early '00s NYC scene
• Tension keeps building throughout
• The greatness of Joe Jackson
• Phil's #1: Epic and creepy classic from Death Cab for Cutie
• Song builds for 4 1/2 minutes before the vocals kick in
• Menacing bassline underlines the lyrics about obsession
• Jay's #1: TV On the Radio with a killer song from a killer album
• Intensity driven by Tunde Adebimpe's vocal delivery
• Also came up in NYC in the early '00s

Completely Conspicuous is available through wherever you get 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 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we pick our favorite songs released in the 21st century. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

• We're a quarter through this century
• Phil: Thought this would be easy but came up with a long list
• What about a song grabs you?
• Jay: Original top 10 list was all songs from the 00s
• Songs that didn't make our top 10
• Phil: Tribe Called Quest, Vampire Weekend, Meatbodies, Wilco, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, TV On the Radio, Wet Leg, Franz Ferdinand, Michael Kiwanuka, MJ Lenderman, U2, Frances Forever, Patrick Sweeney, Mudcrutch, Sufjan Stevens, Shearwater, Jason Isbell, Songs: Ohia
• Jay: Radiohead, Bowie, At the Drive-In, Drive-By Truckers, Sloan, Sleater-Kinney, Death from Above 1979, Jay-Z, Hold Steady, Gord Downie, Tragically Hip, Living Colour, Outkast, Wild Flag, White Stripes, PJ Harvey, Parquet Courts, Spoon, M.I.A., Kaiser Chiefs
• Jay: Found out about a lot of new music from MP3 blogs in the early 00s
• Phil's #10: Spoon breaks through
• Song was a cover of a song by The Natural History
• Jay's #10: Last song from Bowie's iconic farewell album
• Love the album but it's hard to listen to because of the sadness
• Phil's #9: Mournful ballad from Mark Lanegan
• Jay: My favorite Lanegan song
• Mixing bubblegum and chewing tobacco is a bad idea
• A duet with Chris Goss of Masters of Reality
• Jay's #9: A fiery hip hop blast from Run the Jewels and Zach de la Rocha
• Waiting for their next album; last one was in 2020
• Phil's #7: Bluegrass turn from Billy Strings
• Strings is winning over a lot of fans of other genres
• Phil's #8: Protest song from Drive-By Truckers
• Band chronicles a lot of real-life injustices
• Jay's #8: Angry ripper from Superchunk
• Commentary on the political climate of 2018
• Sometimes fans don't like the message
• Jay's #7: White Stripes hit the mainstream
• Took a year for their third album to become a hit
• To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through wherever you get 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 Phil Stacey as we pick our favorite songs by randomly selected artists.

Show notes:

• More of our favorites from artists picked out of a hat
• Phil: Pretenders
• Overcoming the deaths of half the band
• Jay: James Brown
• Love the '70s funk era
• Prince was able to replicate JB's dance moves in concert
• Phil: Parquet Courts
• Built a great catalog over the last 13 years or so
• Influenced by the late '70s NYC CBGB sound
• Jay: Beatles
• How do you pick a single Beatles song?
• Phil: Sleater-Kinney
• Powerful band
• Janet Weiss is a powerhouse drummer
• Jay: Led Zeppelin
• Favorite song depends on the day
• Phil: Prince
• He could play any style
• Jay: Hoodoo Gurus
• Saw them for the first time last year
• Caught the mid-80s college rock wave
• Phil: The Police
• Ghost in the Machine was one of the first albums Phil ever bought
• Early Police is untouchable
• Jay: The Clash
• Political rock that still holds true today
• Covered a lot of musical ground
• Phil: R.E.M.
• Was introduced to the band by his uncle
• People who jumped off the bandwagon after they went to a major are missing out
• Jay: Elvis Costello
• EC has been all over the map musically, but his lyrics are always on point
• Phil: Squeeze
• Difford and Tilbrook were great songwriters
• Amazing string of classic songs
• Jay: Joe Jackson
• Easy choice
• The first few albums were outstanding
• Musical chameleon

Completely Conspicuous is available wherever you get 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.