How We Heard It

The teen years can be some of the most tumultuous in our lives - at least internally. Subtle moments can feel glorious, or tragic, while we might not even notice the major events unfolding all around us.

The magic of being a teenager, when your life can feel out of control if your crush doesn't even look your way, is captured again and again in movies, from comedies to horror and all the drama in between. And why not? What better time to go through a coming-of-age story than when a serial killer is on the loose?

Hollywood has been tapping into teen angst for more than half a century, dredging up warm feelings and stirring discomfort for audiences whose teen years might be long behind them.

On this week's "How We Heard It," your hosts go back to school to revisit their favorite and least favorite teen-based movies and also discuss worthy recent ones you might have missed while you were busy living your adult life.

Which movies got it right? Which ones sailed off the mark? And which ones are we now embarrassed to admit we ever liked?

Most importantly, did you learn anything? Or was that diploma just a waste of time?

It's not unusual for beloved singers and musicians to continue performing well beyond the age most of us plan to retire, and you can find them still packing arenas when they're in their 70s, 80s and even 90s.

On the flipside, even the brightest stars can suddenly blink out. They fall out of favor at the drop of a hat, they burn out and quit the business, and, tragically, they sometimes die young.

This week on "How We Heard It," your hosts take a look at great performers who had everything going for them until death cut them down. The causes of death varied from artist to artist - there were accidents, murders, overdoses and suicides - but they all ultimately fell by the wayside before they could realize their potential.

Many of these artists never even made it out of their 20s, and your hosts wonder how much the world of music might be different had they had a fuller life, creating music and performing for another 50+ years.

Would they have changed the direction of music? Would they have influenced more artists? Would they have inspired more fans?

Join us as we imagine what could have been.

Great duets have surfaced throughout the history of popular music, evoking a magic that one voice simply can't convey by itself.

Duets between Bruno Mars and Rose ("APT.") as well as Kendrick Lamar and SZA ("Luther") have commanded the top of the charts in the past year, and you'll turn up other smash duets no matter how far you go back in time - Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus (2019), Lady Gaga and Beyonce (2009), Nelly Furtado and Timbaland (2009), Brandy and Monica (1998), Michael and Janet Jackson (1995) ...

Keep going and you'll find everything from Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks to Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers to Elton John and Kiki Dee - even Frank and Tina Sinatra.

This week the hosts of "How We Heard It" explore their favorite duets - by both the dream teams and the unlikely duos - and why they hit so well. And since these music vets can't resist throwing a dig now and then, they also look at the duets that underperformed and even some that flat out bombed.

Not ever pairing is a match, you know.

It can be hard to understand how one song casts a spell on your soul when so many others pass you by. It could be the melody or overall construction of the song, or maybe it's the message of the lyrics that grabs you.

But sometimes the magic is just a matter of location, location, location.

If you've ever been captivated by a song when you were away from home, be it an overnighter in another city or a protracted international journey, chances are you were simply open to something new (or even hearing a familiar song in a new context).

Many factors come into play. Does the destination matter or are you just getting away? Are you traveling with someone or going solo, and are you meeting others or keeping to yourself? You could be celebrating, relaxing or just doing your job, but regardless of your intention, the mere act of getting out of your routine can open your mind.

On this week's "How We Heard It," your hosts talk about great (and not so great) traveling songs - the obvious ones that are specifically about going somewhere as well as more subtle songs that aren't directly about travel but have become associated with getting away from it all ... and even some songs that just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

So pack your bags and come along. You don't even need a Real ID.

Ever wonder why you hardly ever see one actor who always lights up the screen while you can't get away from another one who always leaves you cold?

So do we.

This week, the hosts of "How We Heard It" look at a galaxy of stars - from the old guard like Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Bradley Cooper and Sandra Bullock to new breakouts like Timothee Chalamet, Mikey Madison, Austin Butler and Jacob Elordi.

Are we ready for some of these old stars to fade away? Are the new stars living up to the hype?

This episode looks at actors who keep landing roles they don't deserve as well as some who seem underplayed. And it also takes a look at the baffling state of awards: You might be shocked by the big names who have never won an Oscar as well as some undercooked performers who have.

What's the deal, Hollywood?

Our first impression of a new musical group often comes from their name, which can be creative or shocking or forgettable.

We've all learned that a band's name typically doesn't reflect the kind of music they play - sometimes it's even the opposite of how you would expect them to sound. And over time, you'll come to love a great band with an unfortunate name or reject a blah group with a clever name.

But that initial reaction can go a long way to helping (or preventing) a band to reach a potential audience. Does it make you laugh, turn you on, embarrass you or leave you underwhelmed?

This week, "How We Heard It" explores the names of bands old and new (and all points in between) and how they caught your hosts' attention, for better and worse.

They also look at bands that eventually changed their names ... because a name you and your friends think up as teenagers in a garage may have been a terrible idea. 

Funny thing about lyrics: They aren't always what you think they are.

Whether you hear them the wrong way or someone else heard them the wrong way and passed that misinterpretation on to you, you're often singing along to a different set of lyrics than your favorite singer.

What's more, AI and other lyrics you find on Google get them wrong, too.

But "How We Heard It" is here to help, whether you're wondering about the guy Jimi Hendrix is going to kiss, why there's a girl with colitis going by, how many times Madonna was touched and what's going on with all the Starbucks lovers, your hosts are setting the record straight (even though they still aren't quite sure about that Manfred Mann/Bruce Springsteen song).

They also let you know when your artists aren't actually using the f-word and when they are but are pretending they aren't.

And for what it's worth, there might not be a bathroom on the right.

We've made a full trip around the sun since "How We Heard It" debuted in June of 2024, so for episode No. 52 of the weekly show, your hosts are looking at what worked and what didn't - for the audiences and for themselves - in the first year.

They recap what episodes drew the biggest audiences (some shows are more surprising than others) and where the audiences are coming from (some places are more surprising than others) as well as a look back at how the audience is getting to the podcast and how the social media channels vary from each other.

Chuck, Wayne and John also share what they've learned about themselves and their friendships in the past year, and they reveal some regrets about what they've said and mistakes they've made and miscommunications they've had along the way.

Worth noting: Wayne's going to try to stop saying "you know" all the time.

P.S. If you know anyone in Wyoming, have them give us a listen. We're not sure anyone's actually out there ...

Music fans have been making personal soundtracks for some 50 years, starting with the mixtape in the 1970s, then changing with technology to mixed discs in the 1990s (replacing cassette tapes with compact discs), then creating playlists in the 2000s for devices like iPods as well as streaming services like Spotify.

Typically, these homemade collections are just a way to put favorite and/or related songs together for consumption at particular times, such as parties, workouts, vacations or relaxation. And sometimes they're made for sharing - with friends or colleagues or a crush you're trying to impress.

The hosts of "How We Heard It" have certainly made more than their share mixtapes, mixed discs and/or playlists over the years, and in this episode they explain themselves - their themes, their intentions and what worked and what didn't - and why they would have hated each other's creations.

They also talk about sharing their mixes, walking the line between creating something others want to hear and creating something nobody wants to hear. (Spoiler alert: Read the room.)

The music industry has always had its megastars akin to today's super-performers like Taylor Swift, Drake and Morgan Wallen.

However, there was a glorious decade from the early 1980s into the 1990s when the planets aligned and money gushed out to a select few artists who commandeered the industry. Major record labels, commercial radio, and MTV conspired to create a consumer hunger for physical products - vinyl, cassette and CD albums and singles, readily available at record stores and department stores at every mall and shopping center.

The artists behind these albums were mostly in their 20s and 30s, "video friendly" and talented enough (with the help of the right production teams) to churn out catchy hooks for their blockbuster albums, which could spawn enough carefully timed singles that could keep the artist near the top of the sales charts for two or three years at a time, often overlapping with their next album release.

Were these the best artists in the history of popular music? Not really. But their timing was phenomenal.

These days commercial radio is just a hint of what it once was, MTV doesn't even play music videos and consumers can simply stream everything they want to hear without having to buy anything.

On this episode of "How We Heard It," your hosts explain what led up to the music industry's glory days and how artists like Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna and Whitney Houston cashed in. And they talk about how Taylor Swift and others are still finding their way.