It’s the day we’ve all been waiting for: the Rock Hall 2020 Class. After a bit of speculation and discussion, Eric surprises Mary with the 2020 class. We open the episode with a tribute to late Rush drummer Neil Peart.

Today we honor some of the incredible people in music that we lost in 2019, including Rock Hall curation visionary James Henke, inductees Dr. John and Ric Ocasek, and such musical heroes as Jackie Shane, Kim Shattuck, Eddie Money, and Nipsey Hussle. 

We’re back from a break with music insights from our European vacation! We discuss Rock Museum Munich, what music resonates with those outside of the U.S., and if the Rock Hall is doing enough to truly be a global institution. We also discuss Future Rock Legends’ recent Rock Hall pieces, the Rock Hall site redesign, Soundgarden’s induction chances in the face of Vicky Cornell’s feud with the band, and our 2019 podcast observations.

It’s our last episode of 2019, and we have a packed episode in store for you! Eric predicts the Rock Hall Class of 2020, we discuss Evelyn McDonnell’s latest Billboard op-ed, and talk recent band reunion announcements. We end on a festive note with music-related things we’re thankful for, and the 10 songs we think need to be on your holiday playlist!

In today’s episode we explore the life and career of the late Beach Boys drummer, Dennis Wilson. Mary takes you beyond the tabloid headlines and discusses his musical genius, contributions to the Beach Boys and his masterful solo album Pacific Ocean Blue. We also discuss his continuing legacy in pop culture, as well as why his fan base is so devoted to him.

We’re having a casual conversation again this week, and we start by marveling at the overwhelming response to our Phish episode. Mary encourages Phish fans to voice their choice in Cleveland, and also observes how other fan bases could take some pointers from Phish fans. We also discuss the latest Rock Hall fan vote standings, this week’s wacky ballot behavior and also speculate on how categories will be used in the Rock Hall 2020 ceremony.

The time is near, the mission's clear. This episode will delight some, repel others, and that's OK. Love ’em or hate ’em, Phish's impact on music and festival culture is huge and indisputable. Across 36 years of concerts, this legendary jam band has become a singular phenomenon worthy of Rock Hall induction.

We recover from the busy post-2020 ballot announcement week with an unscripted, casual conversation about the Rock Hall and so much more. We discuss the Conversations with Nick Cave tour, whether you should continue to listen to music by morally questionable artists, and the perils of social media. We end with a discussion on this year’s ballot after a few days of processing the nominees.

It’s what we’ve been waiting for all year: The Rock Hall 2020 Ballot! We begin our conversation on Monday evening where we discuss our hopes, speculations and concerns before the announcement, then end on Tuesday morning with Eric’s live reactions to each nominee.  

Today we discuss the upcoming John Sykes era for the Rock Hall and what it may mean for future nominees, the ceremonies and the museum. We also discuss Jann Wenner’s comments on female inductees and how sexism at the Rock Hall is still very much an issue. Stay tuned at the end for our reaction to the potential 2020 ballot leaks that broke on Sunday morning!