It Needs To Be Catchy

American audiences might not be familiar with Alan Hawkshaw, but he's a stone-cold legend; from casually hanging out with The Beatles in Germany in his early days, to touring with Donna Summer, to writing theme songs for Arthur C. Clarke. In this week's episode, we talk with him about his amazing career as well as KPM Musichouse, the firm that transformed the theme song industry in Great Britain. 

To this day, Daniel has not watched WandaVision. Why not, you ask? Who knows? If I could have solved the mysteries of his mind, we wouldn’t need this podcast in the first place. Yet, within the bitter ashes of a mind wallowing in the cultural wasteland are the life-giving nutrients of opportunity; namely, the opportunity to play these themes for Daniel for the first time and get his genuine gut reaction. Will the lessons I taught him take root and allow him to identify the key influences the show draws from over seven decades of scripted TV history? There’s only one way to find out - give it a listen!

In this landmark episode, we are joined by the legendary theme song composer of such shows as Thirtysomething,  The West Wing, Friday Night Lights, and My So Called Life: fellow University of Saint Thomas alumni and Houston native Snuffy Walden! And if one guest isn't enough,  we are also joined by friend of the show (and self-professed superfan) Aaron Stryk. Let’s be honest: you probably don’t deserve this much entertainment. Aren’t you lucky that Joey, Daniel, and Greg are the generous sort? 

What kind of theme song podcast would we be if we didn't talk about our own theme song.? Well... We have the composer of our theme song, Kevin MacLeod, on the show with us and we forgot to ask him about it.  We had a great time anyway, and now we have an excuse to have him back on the show soon!

While we have the week off, Joey has been stuck in a teacher in service day and came up with this gem.  We hope you enjoy and we will see you next week!

En este episodio, regresa Jack Tomas para hablar sobre los temas musicales de las telenovelas y que son de Puta madre.

[On this episode we welcome back Jack Tomas (That’s All I Have to Say podcast) to talk about telenovelas and how bad ass the theme songs are].

On this episode, Joey shows up late to class and Greg has to take over as substitute.  Also joining us is the one and only SVP - Steve Van Patten (Laughing Black Vampire, Beef, Wine, and Shenanigans podcast)! We’re discussing hard rock and heavy metal theme songs!

It's the second episode of the second season, friends! In this installment, we examine shows that change their theme song. Themes that change from episode to episode are up for grabs, as well as theme that change from one season to the next, or even from original airing to syndication. Do we get to everything? No, we don't. If we were comprehensive, what would you have to complain to us about? Meanwhile, Daniel has somnambulistic visions in shades of orange. 

WE'RE BACK BABY!!!

What makes a sequel series distinct from a spin-off? In the opinion of the professor, a sequel series should continue the story of the original series, either literally or thematically, in some way. A spin-off carries over characters into a new story, usually with a change in style and tone. 

The season 2 premiere of It Needs to Be Catchy examines sequel series through the lens of their theme songs. Listen as various programs try - and mostly fail - to recapture the comfort signal of their glorious ancestors.

In the finale of the first season,  we tackle the prolific Mike Post.  Mike seems to have written a good HALF of all the TV themes ever on television. The Greatest American Hero? That's him. Hill Street Blues? Also Mike Post. LA Law, Newsradio, Magnum P.I., Quantam Leap, Blossom, St. Elsewhere, The A-Team? All Mike Post. And that's only scratching the surface of this man's incredible career in music. We talk about theme songs from Rockford Files to Law and Order and even Van Halen 3 in between.  Enjoy, and we will be back in Season 2!