Detours and Outliers

SLAYER COVERS PUNK SONGS! Podcaster, director, artist, and musician, Andrew Novick, leads us through one of stranger moments in metal history. Is this album too Slayer-y or not Slayer-y enough? How does it compare to "Garage Days Re-Revisited"? Does it really count as a cover if you’re doing your own song? Who chose these bands? Why didn’t we get any Deep Purple or Doors covers? Is this album just for members of the band Verbal Abuse? Is this better or worse than punk bands covering metal songs? Is Richard’s last name Hung? Exactly what attitude of Slayer's are we unable to dispute? Would making this album sound worse somehow make it better?  Find out if this album slays on this week’s episode of Detours and Outliers.

ELTON JOHN DOES DISCO! Events coordinator and sci-fi rock-opera composer, Dana Cain, goes back to her younger fangirl self as we dig into the mysteries of this peculiar album?  Could Elton have spent any less effort getting out of his UNI record contract? Does the world need an eight minute Chuck Berry cover? Does this album even rate a single mention in Elton’s autobiography? What is the utilitarian purpose of grindcore? Are you supposed to think about disco music or just dance to it? Just how “street” is Elton? How quickly did disco die after this album was released? And more importantly, why do they call it The Blues and not, say, The Yellows? Put on your boogie shoes and join us on the yellow brick road this week on Detours and Outliers.

SNOOP DOGG DOES REGGAE! Guitarist and vocalist, Jen Korte (Lady Gang, Sega Nemesis) joins us in the hizzouse to discuss Snoop’s musical and religious transformation. Is Snoop still a Rastafarian? Why would you hire Diplo to produce your reggae album? Other than each recording a reggae album, do Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg have anything else in common? Does having a Canadian rapper guest on your song about gun control undermine or strengthen its message? Why did the Stones have an easier time in Jamaica than the Clash? Is it necessary to be poor to make good music? And why is Vice doing a documentary about all of this? Find the answers to some of these questions and more by entering the Lion’s den this week with Detours and Outliers.

PINK FLOYD LETS EVERYBODY WRITE! Bass-centric tribute artist Rick Thompson grooves with us in a cave while we discuss this transitional album. How do you pronounce "Ummagumma"? Which member of Pink Floyd looks like a horse? Is the Grand Vizier a Pict? How did Nick Mason sneak his flautist wife in on what was supposed to be a totally solo outing? Which comes first, meat or pudding? Would this work better as a soundtrack? Who owns "The Madcap Laughs" but not "Dark Side Of The Moon"? How many copies of this album were sold that only had the second disc played once or twice? Set the controls to the heart of the sun this week on Detours and Outliers.

GARTH BROOKS GOES ROCK! Friend of the pod, Bonnie Finley, joins us for that one album we knew we were going to have to do eventually. Is this more like Jim Carrey playing Andy Kaufman, or Andy Kaufman playing Tony Clifton? Is this what people in Nashville think rock sounds like? What lessons did a young Garth Brooks learn from Kiss? Which Indiana Jones movie is really the worst? Who is a better rapper, Billy Joel or Garth Brooks? What kind of car accident would rearrange your face from that of a Brad Pitt stand-in to that of a middle age Garth? What kinds of drugs inspired this album? And most importantly: Is Garth Brooks really Lil Nas X? Hop in the saddle and rope the wind with us this week on Detours and Outliers.

THE MELVINS GET EVEN WEIRDER!  We start season two with bassist Don White (Ice Troll) to dig into what Wikipedia claims is The Mevlins’ most experimental album.  Were they releasing steam that they had built up having to kowtow to their overlords at Atlantic Records? Why don’t the Melvins want you to understand what they are saying?  Who was a worse act for them to open for, Kiss, Rush, or Primus? How hard is it for us to pronounce the letters BTK? What other answering machine messages have been turned into classic songs?  Did Liza Minelli play bass for the Melvins? Who hasn’t played bass for the Melvins? Tune in as we work through all of this and more on the season two premiere episode of Detours and Outliers.

PAT BOONE GOES METAL! For the final week of "The Merry Month of Metal" as well as the last episode of season one, we invited fellow podcaster Rick Reid to discuss this mid-90's mashup of white bread and black metal. Is this album a one? Is Pat in on the joke? Does his usual fanbase know he's joking? Is he just trying to do for Judas Priest what he used to do for Little Richard in the fifties? Does Pat know the difference between hard rock and heavy metal? What is Pat Boone's golf handicap? Is he a better neighbor than Cuba Gooding Jr? How does this all keep leading back to Bob Dylan? Join us as we dig deeper into the mystery on the season finale of Detours and Outliers.

AXL FIRES EVERYBODY! Guitarist Sara LeFevre (Vampire Squids From Hell) helps us go through one of the most storied and expensive albums ever. How many fads and trends that came and went during the fifteen years it took to record this end up on the finished album? Are the leaks better than the finished product? What happened to Brian May’s guitar solo? What really went on in Buckethead’s chicken coop? Why was Axl also re-recording “Appetite For Destruction” at the same time? Why did this take so long? Why did this cost so much? Is this really an Axl Rose solo album? What is a shackler? Which President Bush is Axl singing about? Who is more likely to finish their album first, Tool, The Kinks, or GnR? There’s a lot of ground to cover on this episode of Detours and Outliers.

JUDAS PRIEST GOES FULL METAL! What? You thought Priest was always metal? Well, you have another think coming. For the first week of “The Merry Month Of Metal” we have returning guest Mhyk Monroe to guide us through the subtle distinctions between speed metal and hair metal and black metal. How could a new drummer make such a big difference on the album? How could the bass make so little difference? Do synths belong in metal at all? Which of the Eagles appeared on the “Heavy Metal” soundtrack? Were people really surprised when Halford came out of the closet? Is there more overlap between metalheads and comic book nerds or horror movie fans? Strap on your S&M gear, hop on your flaming motorcycle, and join us as we poder these questions and more on this week’s Detours and Outliers.

THE MONKEES PLAY THEIR OWN INSTRUMENTS! So we brought in someone else who can play their own instrument: thereminist Victoria Lundy. How did this get the reputation as the grunge Monkees album? If you were only going to write one song for a new Monkees album, why would it be about Admiral James M. Boorda? Is it better to get over your second divorce by writing a bunch of indistinct rock songs, or to impress your new young wife with your guitar wankery? Where is Peter’s banjo, or Micky’s moog, or even Mike’s 12-string? In a post-Milli Vanilli world, did anyone besides Nez care that Monkees didn’t always play their own instruments? Why is there a lizard sunning itself on a rock? We’re too busy answering these questions and more to put anybody down on this week’s Detours and Outliers.