Completely Conspicuous

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we dissect the strange connections of '70s-era pop hitmakers. I've also got music from Deerhoof, Fat History Month and The Baseball Project.

Show notes:

- Recorded at More Lost Time world HQ

- Christopher Cross' surprisingly long career

- Producer Michael Omartian was in disco act Rhythm Heritage, which released the #1 hit "Theme from S.W.A.T." in 1976

- Also did theme from Baretta

- Steve Barry formed Rhythm Heritage with Omartian

- Barry produced Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods

- Ric plans his funk album

- Sammy Davis Jr. sang the Baretta theme

- "Billy, Don't Be a Hero" was big hit for Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods

- Ric's unsealed Bo Donaldson record

- First discovered while touring with the Osmonds

- The sadness of the 1970s package tour

- The Osmonds actually had a few cool songs

- "Hold Her Tight" was a Zeppelin sound-alike

- Recorded during their "rock" phase, which didn't last long

- Donny and Marie were the big moneymakers

- Donny Osmond had a few hits in 1989

- His mid-'70s song "C'mon Marianne" was much better

Music:

Deerhoof - Milk Man

Fat History Month - Angel From Montgomery

The Baseball Project - To the Veterans Committee

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

The Deerhoof song is on the Kill Rock Stars compilation Crazed MP3 Fans Vol. 1. Download the comp for free at Bandcamp.

The Fat History Month song is on Exploding in Sound's EIS Sampler 2013-2014 on Bandcamp.

The Baseball Project song is on Yep Roc in Austin: On Spider's Tab. Download the comp for free at Noisetrade.

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 try to figure out how Christopher Cross became a pop star. I've also got music from Bedroom Eyes, Hymnals and Kinski.

Show notes:

- Recorded in at More Lost Time world HQ

- All about the shrews in Shrewsbury

- Record fairs are back

- Where did Christopher Cross come from?

- Went from San Antonio cover band to stardom

- Produced by Michael Omartian

- Omartian worked with lots of big artists, including Rod Stewart and Donna Summer

- Lots of big names helped out on Cross' debut: Henley, Michael McDonald, Nicolette Larson

- Cross didn't have a particularly great voice

- Jay's Christopher Cross album

- Pre-MTV fame

- First single was "Ride Like the Wind," second was "Sailing"

- Theme from Arthur was his biggest hit

- Couldn't escape it on the radio for a while

- Ric: Played plenty of music like this at Strawberries

- "Think of Laura" was written for General Hospital

- To be continued

Music:

Bedroom Eyes - Wild Sins

Hymnals - When You're Away

Kinski - Conflict Free Diamonds

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

The Bedroom Eyes song is a single available for free at Bandcamp.

The Hymnals song is a single available for free at Bandcamp.

The Kinski song is on the Kill Rock Stars compilation Crazed MP3 Fans Vol. 1. Download the comp for free 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 2 of my conversation with guest James Gralian as we discuss the future of podcasting. I've also got music from Courtney Barnett, What Moon Things and Mattress Financial.

Show notes:

- Recorded via Skype

- Check out James' show The Avs Hockey Podcast

- Old media (radio, newspapers) is struggling

- Radio stations need to think differently

- Boston was once a great radio town

- College radio is still going

- Jay: Playing DJ on BFF.fm

- Apple helped grow podcasting with iTunes

- Talk radio is still popular

- James' podcast has nothing to do with sports talk radio

- Mo' money, mo' problems

- Everything revolves around smartphones

- Podcasting is about as DIY as it gets

- Still having fun with it

- James: There will be massive dropoff in conventional podcasts

- Hard to keep up with all the shows

- Similar to the amount of good TV out there

- This American Life was originally rejected by NPR, went to PRI

- It's not about SEO, it's about making good shows

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

Music:

Courtney Barnett - Avant Gardener

What Moon Things - Astronaut

Mattress Financial - I Do That Good

The Courtney Barnett song is on The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas on Milk! Records. Download the song for free at Amazon MP3.

The What Moon Things song is on the band's self-titled album. Download the song for free at Soundcloud.

The Mattress Financial is on the Mattress Financial/Fond Han single Private Split. Download the song for free (in exchange for your email address) as part of Exploding in Sound's EIS Sampler 2013-2014 on 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 1 of my conversation with guest James Gralian as we discuss the future of podcasting. I've also got music from Mean Creek, Foxy Shazam and Nothing.

Show notes:

- Recorded via Skype

- Check out James' show The Avs Hockey Podcast

- Also produces podcast for Denver Symphony Orchestra

- We last spoke on this topic four years ago

- 10th anniversary of podcasting

- Tools are more accessible than ever

- James: Don't see as many quality podcasts as I expected

- Apple has played big role, positive and negative

- James listens to Radiolab, Welcome to Nightvale, Definitely Not the Opera, 99% Invisible, among other podcasts

- There are many "two white guys talking" podcasts

- Waiting for the next interesting thing

- Most podcasters aren't in it for the money

- James: Not sure whether sponsors are getting a good return

- Trying to have fun and be creative with Avs Hockey Podcast

- Professional podcasters vs. hobbyists

- Marc Maron is a podcasting success story; turned his entire career around

- Commercial radio is much less interesting these days

- Parallels with late night TV and Letterman's retirement

- More freedom on basic cable for Stewart and Colbert

- Are podcasters using their voice?

- Having guests can bring new energy to a show

- What constitutes success in podcasting?

- To be continued

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

Music:

Mean Creek - Johnny Allen

Foxy Shazam - Brutal Truth

Nothing - Bent Nail

The Mean Creek song is on the album Local Losers on Old Flame Records. Download the song for free at Soundcloud.

The Foxy Shazam song is on the self-released album Gonzo. Download the album for free (in exchange for your email address) at Noisetrade.

The song by Nothing is on the album Guilty of Everything on Relapse Records. Download the song for free at Amazon.

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 1984. I've also got music from Hallelujah the Hills, Feral Jenny and Red Sea.

Show notes:

- Recorded via Skype

- Check out Brian's comics podcast The Hour Cosmic

- Brian's #5

- Pretenders are very underrated

- Chrissie Hynde got a late start in rock

- Jay's #5

- Saw R.E.M.'s first national TV appearance on Letterman

- Brian's #4

- Minutemen covered a wide range of styles

- Mike Watt's interesting career

- Scott Asheton, R.I.P.

- James Williamson went from playing with Iggy to become a Silicon Valley exec

- Jay's #4

- Van Halen inadvertently helped create hair metal

- Brian's #3

- Meat Puppets created a unique sound

- Most people became aware of them a decade later

- Jay's #3

- Replacements' sound evolved from punk to more mature rock

- Brian's #2 was his #1 when we started talking

- Jay's #2

- Husker Du was coming into its own in '84

- So much good music on SST in the early to mid-'80s

- Brian's #1

- Gordon Gano wrote first two Violent Femmes albums while in high school

- Serious gospel undertones

- Jay's #1

- Purple Rain was a masterpiece

- Jay chronicled 1984 in a diary reprinted on Kumar's Blizznog

- Next up: 1986

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

Music:

Hallelujah the Hills - Pick Up an Old Phone

Feral Jenny - Law & Order

Red Sea - Down with the Crown

The Hallelujah the Hills song is on the album Have You Ever Done Something Evil? on Discrete Pageantry. Download the song for free at Stereogum.

The Feral Jenny song is on the EP Bedrooms. Download the song for free at Bandcamp.

The Red Sea song is on the EP Yardsticks for Human Intelligence. Download the song for free 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 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1984. I've also got music from Nancy, Benjamin Shaw and The Men.

Show notes:

- Recorded via Skype

- Check out Brian's comics podcast The Hour Cosmic

- 1984: Brian was 2, Jay was 16

- A pivotal year for college/indie rock

- Husker Du, R.E.M., Minutemen, Meat Puppets, Replacements

- Aerosmith reformed, Yes bounced back

- Classic lineup of Deep Purple reunited

- The '80s wank guitar movement started with Yngwie Malmsteen

- Early days of hip hop, thrash

- Hair metal was emerging as a commercial force: Ratt, Twisted Sister, Dokken, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi

- Van Halen's 1984 was huge

- Eddie VH embraced synths

- The beginning of the end of the Roth era of VH

- MTV was a bigger hitmaker than radio

- The middle of a bad stretch for Paul McCartney

- Older artists rebounded: Kool and the Gang, Chicago, Stevie Wonder

- Miami Vice incorporated MTV-style techniques

- The video as movie trailer

- Death of Marvin Gaye

- Billy Squier's "Rock Me Tonite" debacle

- The negative power of a bad video

- Crappy solo work from Bowie, Billy Joel, Steve Perry

- Don Henley sucks

- The pop and marketing genius of Madonna

- Awesomely bad breakdance movies: Breakin', Body Rock, Beat Street

- Brian's albums outside top 5: Black Flag, Queen

- Jay: U2, The Cars, Rush, INXS, The Cult

- To be continued

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

Music:

Nancy - I Want One

Benjamin Shaw - Goodbye, Kagoul World

The Men - Different Days

The Nancy song is on the album Nancy LP. Download the album for free at Bandcamp.

The Benjamin Shaw song is on the album Goodbye Cagoule World on Audio Antihero. Download the song for free at Soundcloud.

The song by The Men is on the album Tomorrow's Hits on Sacred Bones Records. Download the song for free at Soundcloud.

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 as we discuss whether the world is getting dumber. I've also got music from Johnny Foreigner, Spray Paint and Pampers.

Show notes:

- Guy got fired after calling in sick and then posting video on YouTube

- Another guy made it with a cow and had a buddy film it

- Reality TV rewards dumbasses

- It's a lazy Buzzfeed world

- Beard transplants? Really?

- Pre-ripped jeans

- There's still good rock music out there

- In praise of Mark Knopfler

- Bravo, dude who came up with Shit My Dad Says

- Medical bills are obscene

- Selling your old junk

- The bottom fell out of the sports card market

- We fall for stupid memes designed to rile people up

- Outrage culture

- We're all dumb

Music:

Johnny Foreigner - Stop Talking About Ghosts

Spray Paint - Spock Fingers

Pampers - Guts

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

The Johnny Foreigner song is on the album You Can Do Better on Alcopop! Records. Download the song for free at Bandcamp.

The Spray Paint and Pampers songs were recorded live on the Cherry Blossom Clinic on WFMU. Download the songs for free at Free Music Archive.

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 as we discuss whether the world is getting dumber. I've also got music from Cloud Nothings, Eagulls and The So So Glos.

Show notes:

- There are studies that claim humans are getting dumber

- Our IQs are supposedly dropping

- We rely on smartphones for a lot of information

- We're cramming so much info in our heads

- Smart TV: True Detective did it right

- Disney Channel sitcoms hark back to hacky TV crap of the '70s

- Movie industry favors bigger, louder, dumber

- Sometimes it's good to watch dumb stuff

- Anonymous online comments are a prime source for idiocy

- Wasting time online is so easy

- People are so self-involved

- Reality TV is a haven for dummies

- People will do anything to get on TV

- The Onion keeps fooling people

- Beauty pageants

- Our ability to self-incriminate

Music:

Cloud Nothings - I'm Not Part of Me

Eagulls - Possessed

The So So Glos - Lost Weekend

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

The Cloud Nothings song is on the album Here and Nowhere Else on Carpark Records. The Eagulls song is on the band's self-titled album on Partisan Records. The So So Glos song is on the album Blowout on Votiv Records. Download all three songs for free at NPR.org.

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 music from a couple of forgotten artists from the 1970s. I've also got music from Ovlov, Palehound and Baked.

Show notes:

- Recorded in late January at More Lost Time world HQ

- Edward Bear's prom song

- They were better when they stuck to guitar rock

- Band radically changed their sound

- Ric breaks out a 1971 single by Tom Hartman, formerly of the Aerovons

- Hartman and band when to England because of the Beatles

- Strong resemblance to Sloan's Navy Blues sound

- Ric's tips for finding good vinyl at flea markets

- Aerovons had a serious Beatles fixation

- Very McCartney-esque

- Produced by none other than Mike Post

- Ebay's a good way to get rare vinyl

Music:

Ovlov - Moth Rock

Palehound - Holiest

Baked - Danelectroladyland

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

The Ovlov song is on the album am. The Palehound song is on the Kitchen 7-inch. The Baked song is on the EP S/T Cassette. Download all three songs for free (in exchange for your email address) as part of Exploding in Sound's EIS Sampler 2013-2014 on 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 1 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we look at the career of an obscure 1970s Canadian band that had a huge hit and then disappeared. I've also got music from Protomartyr, The Collected Fictions and Cloud Nothings.

Show notes:

- Recorded in late January at More Lost Time world HQ

- What the hell is Edward Bear?

- Named after character in Winnie the Pooh

- Their one big hit, "Last Song," is instantly recognizable

- Sounds like a studio act

- No high or low end in '70s AM pop hits

- Manilow had great timing

- Second single from that album hit top 40

- Singer Larry Evoy was the one constant member of the band

- Opened for Led Zeppelin in '69

- First album had a psychedelic "acid rock" sound

- Geddy Lee's mellower uncle

- Going for a Canned Heat/Steve Miller Band/Doors vibe

- Endless jamming

- Early Edward Bear ain't half bad

- Opportunistic band, like The Police

- Riding whatever music wave was trending

- To be continued

Music:

Protomartyr - Come & See

The Collected Fictions - It Don't Matter Much

Cloud Nothings - Didn't You

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

The Protomartyr song is on the album Under Color of Official Right on Hardly Art. Download the song for free at Stereogum.

The song by The Collected Fictions is on the band's self-titled EP. Download the EP for free (in exchange for your email address) at Bandcamp.

The Cloud Nothings song was released as a single in 2010. Download it for free at Epitonic.

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.