Completely Conspicuous

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1996. I've also got music from Whirr, Withered Hand and Super Medusa.

Show notes:

- Recorded via Skype

- Check out Brian's comics podcast The Hour Cosmic

- In '96, Jay was 28 going on 29

- Brian: 13 going on 14

- Grunge was fading, pop was back in a big way

- Two versions of "The Macarena" were on top 100 singles chart

- Brian: At the time, didn't feel like a pop year

- Bush made an album with Steve Albini

- Lots of unsuccessful followups: Ugly Kid Joe, Kriss Kross

- Metallica's Load lived down to its name

- Strange year for Van Halen: Twister soundtrack, followed by greatest hits album with two DLR songs

- VH went through three singers in a matter of months

- Michael Anthony, Everyman

- We deconstructed VH III in eps 315 and 316

- Nickelback's first album came out in '96

- KISS reunited with original lineup

- Hip hop went mainstream

- New acts on the rise, like The Roots, Outkast, Wu Tang Clan

- Roots of nu metal

- The death of rock criticism with David Fricke in Rolling Stone giving U2's new album a five-star rating

- Rolling Stone typically hands out good reviews to old-school artists like U2, Dylan, Stones

- Last time U2 did anything interesting was 1997's Pop

- The U2 backlash is fierce

- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

Music:

Whirr - Mumble

Withered Hand - Black Tambourine

Super Medusa - Doomed Boy

The Whirr song is on the album Sway on Graveface Records. Download the song for free for a limited time at Amazon MP3.

The Withered Hand song is on the album New Gods on Slumberland Records. Download the song for free as part of the Slumberland Records 25th Anniversary Sampler on Amazon MP3.

The Super Medusa song is on the EP of the same name, which is available for free download at Bandcamp.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion about society's obsession with celebrity. I've also got music from SW/MM/NG, Gold-Bears and Weekend.

Show notes:

- The Brits love them some Arctic Monkeys

- Matt learns how to do Twitter

- Getting followed by dead authors and weirdos

- Desperate for celeb RTs

- Positive Twitter interactions

- Jay: Old friend has been writing about celebrities for a few decades now

- PR jobs require a different mindset

- Meeting your heroes can be problematic

- Searching for Jagger

- In the presence of Howard

- Rock star deaths

- Dying young does wonders for an artist's legacy

- Brando's death isn't well remembered...by Matt, anyway

- How dumb would we be if we had money?

Music:

SW/MM/NG - Some Dreams Come True

Gold-Bears - From Tallahassee to Gainesville

Weekend - Hazel

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The SW/MM/NG song is on the album Feel Not Bad on Old Flame Records. Download the song for free from KEXP.

The Gold-Bears song is on the album Dalliance on Slumberland Records. Download the song for free as part of the Slumberland Records 25th Anniversary Sampler on Amazon MP3.

The Weekend song is on the EP Red on Slumberland Records. Download the song for free as part of the Slumberland Records 25th Anniversary Sampler on Amazon MP3.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion about society's obsession with celebrity. I've also got music from Creepers, Naomi Punk and Hooray for Earth.

Show notes:

- Scandal rags are still popular

- Celebs and social media can lead to trouble

- Now everyone's got a camera to catch your every mistake

- Michael Richards was beloved until he screwed up

- People will turn on celebs in an instant

- The strange life of Tom Cruise, Entertainment Robot

- Doing interview junkets must be mind-numbing

- Supreme Court nominee was rejected in the '80s because of pot smoking

- The media mastery of Bill Clinton

- Public perception matters

- Asking the wrong question

- Jay: Meeting Stephen Colbert was pretty cool

- Jay: Sat next to Jordan Knight of New Kids on the Block on a flight once

- People will stand for hours just to get shown on The Today Show

- Suing Naked Dating reality show for...being naked

- To be continued

Music:

Creepers - Stuck

Naomi Punk - Television Man

Hooray for Earth - Airs

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The Creepers song is on the album Lush from the All Black Recording Company. Download the song for free from Stereogum.

The Naomi Punk song is on the album Television Man on Captured Tracks. Download the song for free from KEXP.

The Hooray for Earth song is on the album Racy on Dovecote Records. Download the song for free from KEXP.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion about society's obsession with celebrity. I've also got music from The Wytches, Aan and Little Racer.

Show notes:

- Celebrity deaths

- Jay: Robin Williams' death hit me hard

- We don't have royalty so celebs fill that role

- Getting rich doesn't necessarily equal happiness

- Americans are surprisingly fascinated by the British royal family

- Dealing with fans could get annoying after a while

- Matt was at Boston ComiCon hyping his book

- Check out his YA superhero novel The Indestructibles

- Saw some minor celebs like Jason Momoa and John Barrowman

- What do you say to an actor or musician you admire?

- Matt met Susan Sarandon while working at Museum of Science

- Jay: Met my favorite hockey player and I was a dork

- Many movies filmed around here and people flock to watch

- People will do anything to get onscreen

- Worked with a guy who was on a short-lived reality show

- Matt went to college with actor Charlie Day

- The lameness of celeb interviews during sports telecasts

- To be continued

Music:

The Wytches - Digsaw

Aan - Spiritual Provisions

Little Racer - Dancing

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The Wytches song is on the album Annabel Dream Reader on Partisan Records. Download the song for free from KEXP.

The Aan song is on the album Amor Ad Nauseum on Party Damage Records. Download the song for free from KEXP.

The Little Racer song is on the EP Modern Accent on PaperCup Music. Download the song for free from KEXP.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we examine the back story of '70s hitmakers Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds. I've also got music from Owl John and Benjamin Booker.

Show notes:

- Recorded at More Lost Time world HQ

- Check out our new web series Trust Fund Challenge

- Playboy Records had Barbi Benton signed to a deal

- RD: Hef likes "female impersonator impersonators"

- Benton guested on many '70s TV shows like Fantasy Island and The Love Boat

- She released five albums that hit the country charts

- Worked on Playboy After Dark

- Show had many great musical guests

- Playboy Records made HJFR keep Reynolds in the name after he left

- HJFR had their biggest hit in '75 with "Fallin' in Love"

- Drake sampled it and was sued by Playboy Enterprises

- Poor Dennison

- Singer Dan Hamilton died in '94 of Cushing's Syndrome

- Three subsequent singles bombed

- Album only went to #82, even with a #1 hit

- Bad distro

- Band probably didn't make much money from sales

- MST3K had a good HJFR reference

- The King's last hit

Music:

Owl John - Red Hand

Benjamin Booker - Violent Shiver

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The Owl John song is on its self-titled album on Canvasback/Atlantic. Download the song for free at KEXP.

The Benjamin Booker song is on his self-titled album on ATO Records. Download the song for free at KEXP.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we examine the back story of '70s hitmakers Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds. I've also got music from The Hush Now and Kingdom of the Holy Sun.

Show notes:

- Recorded at More Lost Time world HQ

- Check out our new web series Trust Fund Challenge

- The adventures of Steve Austin Astronaut

- Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds were synonymous with '70s AM pop

- "Don't Pull Your Love" was their first big hit in '71

- Singer does an Elvis impression

- Song written by Lambert and Potter, who had hits with many artists

- Guys from HJFR were in the T-Bones, who had a hit in '60s with "No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach Is In)"

- An "offshoot" of the Ventures, an instrumental band that made tons of records covering hits

- Session musicians made the albums

- T-Bones were put together to tour and later they formed HJFR

- The Wrecking Crew was a famous session band that cranked out hits

- Reynolds left HJFR in '72

- Second HJFR album stiffed

- Ric: A bunch of Ventures albums probably don't have the Ventures on them

- HJFR replaced Reynolds but contract with Playboy Records required them to keep old name

- Many bands are named after the musicians

- To be continued

Music:

The Hush Now - Arthur Come On, Really You Can't Be Serious

Kingdom of the Holy Sun - Thirteen Eyes

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The Hush Now song is on the forthcoming album Sparkle Drive. Download the song for free at Soundcloud.

The Kingdom of the Holy Sun song is on the self-released EP Thirteen Eyes. Download the song for free at KEXP.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1989. I've also got music from Ty Segall, Spoon and J. Mascis.

Show notes:

- Recorded via Skype

- Check out Brian's comics podcast The Hour Cosmic

- Jay's #3

- Neil Young rebounds from a long, strange decade

- Led to a fruitful stretch of albums

- Jay's #2

- Bob Mould moves beyond Husker Du

- Inspired new direction and sound

- Our picks for #1 are the same

- Pixies at their peak

- Doolittle covers all facets of the band's sound

- Brian saw them several times when they toured behind Doolittle in the last decade

- Brian: Latest live incarnation of Pixies is more energized

- Bad choice for first single with "Bagboy"

- Frank Black was prolific, but he can't keep up with Bob Pollard

- Next up: 1996

- Popular music was shifting again

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

Music:

Ty Segall - Susie Thumb

Spoon - Rent I Pay

J. Mascis - Every Morning

The Ty Segall song is on the album Manipulator on Drag City Records. Download the song for free at KEXP.

The Spoon song is on the album They Want My Soul on Loma Vista Recordings. Download the song for free at KEXP.

The J. Mascis song is on the album Tied to a Star on Sub Pop. Download the song for free at KEXP.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1989. I've also got music from Stickers, Cretin Girls and Ex-Cult.

Show notes:

- Recorded via Skype

- Check out Brian's comics podcast The Hour Cosmic

- Brian: Pump was the best post-reunion Aerosmith album

- Tom Petty's Full Moon Fever is decent

- Jay's bubbling under picks: The Cure, Smithereens, Tragically Hip, Lou Reed, XTC, Michael Penn, Cult, Faith No More

- Brian's bubbling under picks: Fugazi, Tin Machine, CVB, Elvis Costello, Dylan

- The strange career of Dave Navarro

- Jay: Good releases from Stone Roses, Hoodoo Gurus, Big Audio Dynamite

- Brian: Joe Strummer took a long time to release a good post-Clash album

- Brian's #5

- McCartney's comeback album

- Jay's #5 and Brian's #4

- Nirvana's debut was under the radar

- Jay's #4 and Brian's #2

- Paul's Boutique was a major shift for Beasties

- Brian recommends the Kathleen Hanna doc, The Punk Singer

- Brian's #3

- De La Soul brought a different feel to hip hop

- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

Music:

Stickers - Outlet

Cretin Girls - Walk the City

Ex-Cult - Mister Fantasy

The Stickers song is on the album Swollen on End of Time Records. Download the song for free at Gimme Tinnitus.

The Cretin Girls song is on the band's self-titled EP on Soft Science Records. Download the song for free from Gimme Tinnitus.

The Ex-Cult song is on the 7-inch Mister Fantasy on Goner Records. Download the song for free from Gimme Tinnitus.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1989. I've also got music from Stickers, Cretin Girls and Ex-Cult.

Show notes:

- Recorded via Skype

- Check out Brian's comics podcast The Hour Cosmic

- Brian: Pump was the best post-reunion Aerosmith album

- Tom Petty's Full Moon Fever is decent

- Jay's bubbling under picks: The Cure, Smithereens, Tragically Hip, Lou Reed, XTC, Michael Penn, Cult, Faith No More

- Brian's bubbling under picks: Fugazi, Tin Machine, CVB, Elvis Costello, Dylan

- The strange career of Dave Navarro

- Jay: Good releases from Stone Roses, Hoodoo Gurus, Big Audio Dynamite

- Brian: Joe Strummer took a long time to release a good post-Clash album

- Brian's #5

- McCartney's comeback album

- Jay's #5 and Brian's #4

- Nirvana's debut was under the radar

- Jay's #4 and Brian's #2

- Paul's Boutique was a major shift for Beasties

- Brian recommends the Kathleen Hanna doc, The Punk Singer

- Brian's #3

- De La Soul brought a different feel to hip hop

- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

Music:

Stickers - Outlet

Cretin Girls - Walk the City

Ex-Cult - Mister Fantasy

The Stickers song is on the album Swollen on End of Time Records. Download the song for free at Gimme Tinnitus.

The Cretin Girls song is on the band's self-titled EP on Soft Science Records. Download the song for free from Gimme Tinnitus.

The Ex-Cult song is on the 7-inch Mister Fantasy on Goner Records. Download the song for free from Gimme Tinnitus.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1989. I've also got music from Radiator Hospital, Sex Hands and Priests.

Show notes:

- Recorded via Skype

- Check out Brian's comics podcast The Hour Cosmic

- In 1989, Brian was 7 and Jay graduated from college

- Jay: Never saw the Indiana Jones sequels

- Brian: A lot of records I liked, few that I loved

- Jay: Seeds of Seattle sound came out in '89--Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Screaming Trees with crucial early albums

- Madchester scene: Stone Roses, Happy Mondays

- Jay: Started seeing club shows in Boston 'burbs

- Great local scene now: Speedy Ortiz, Krill, Pile, Soccer Mom

- Waiting for The Best Show to return

- In '89, alt-rock was coming into its own

- R.E.M., B-52's both hit it big

- Brian: Mid-'90s indie rock bands formed, as did swing acts

- First Green Day EP came out

- Classic rock tours started making big bucks: McCartney, Ringo, Stones, Who

- Tin Machine marked Bowie's return to rock

- Kids seem to go through a classic rock phase

- Thank goodness for college radio

- Lots of pop detritus in '89: Milli Vanilli, Paula Abdul, Debbie Gibson

- The power ballad was the last hurrah for hair metal bands

- Ugh: Beach Boys' Still Cruisin'

- Brian: Ramones' Brain Drain was disappointing

- Strange collection of Top 100 singles

- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

Music:

Radiator Hospital - Five & Dime

Sex Hands - Pivot

Priests - New

The Radiator Hospital song is on the album Torch Song. Download the song and album for free at Bandcamp.

The Sex Hands song is on the album Pleh on Faux Discx and Negative Space. Download the song for free from Gimme Tinnitus.

The Priests song is on the EP Bodies and Control and Power and Money on Don Giovanni Records. Download the song for free from Fluxblog.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.