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Jacktical Magic
Jacktical Magic episodes
- I Didn’t Know About All This Crab Business
On this very overdue episode, we have Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” vs. Aerosmith’s “Livin’ On The Edge” in our fourteenth matchup of the Jacktical Magic tournament.
Let Amelia and Cooper regale you with tales of some really awful people, Weird Al’s teenage successor, a child actor’s on-set injuries, and Steven Tyler’s favorite hidey-holes.
Which song will be declared the winner and move one step closer to the title of having the most Jack FM energy?
Your vote decides.
Ask us anything or tell us a story!
Cast Your Vote: Each week, vote for the song you think has the most Jack FM vibes at instagram.com/jackticalmagic/
Call the Hotline: Tell us which song you think should win next week’s matchup. Leave a voicemail at (424) 666-1711.
Email Us: Send your Jack FM stories, questions, memories, or music anecdotes to [email protected].
Theme Song: ‘Heavenly Pop Hit’ by The Chills. Used with permission.
1 hr 8 min - Podmaxxing
We’re lengthmaxxing this 95-minute episode! Billy Idol’s “Mony Mony” and The New Radicals’ “Get What You Give” compete in our thirteenth matchup of the Jacktical Magic tournament.
Amelia explains the concept of shopping malls to Cooper. Cooper makes a new frenemy. Amelia takes a daughter of the Iranian revolution to Universal CityWalk.
Which song is Jack FM vibemaxxing the hardest this week?
Your vote decides.
Ask us anything or tell us a story!
Cast Your Vote: Each week, vote for the song you think has the most Jack FM vibes at instagram.com/jackticalmagic/
Call the Hotline: Tell us which song you think should win next week’s matchup. Leave a voicemail at (424) 666-1711.
Email Us: Send your Jack FM stories, questions, memories, or music anecdotes to [email protected].
Theme Song: ‘Heavenly Pop Hit’ by The Chills. Used with permission.
1 hr 36 min - There’s No Pleasing Punks
In a very late episode with weird sound mixing, The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go” and Dexys Midnight Runners’ “Come On Eileen” compete in our twelfth matchup of the Jacktical Magic tournament.
Amelia and Cooper return to the dreary English Midlands and discuss Romani life, Disneyland’s biggest prick-tease, and the most weirdly serendipitous super group there’s ever been.
Which song will be declared the winner and move one step closer to the title of having the most Jack FM energy?
Your vote decides.
Ask us anything or tell us a story!
Cast Your Vote: Each week, vote for the song you think has the most Jack FM vibes at instagram.com/jackticalmagic/
Call the Hotline: Tell us which song you think should win next week’s matchup. Leave a voicemail at (424) 666-1711.
Email Us: Send your Jack FM stories, questions, memories, or music anecdotes to [email protected].
Theme Song: ‘Heavenly Pop Hit’ by The Chills. Used with permission.
56 min - Miss Me With The Rolling Stones
Happy Magical Monday!! In our first Monday episode, Green Day’s “When I Come Around” and The Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up” compete in our eleventh matchup of the Jacktical Magic tournament.
Amelia and Cooper talk about the quality of life of a Burger King employee, a punk utopia in Berkley, and how drummers pass the time when nobody else wants to work.
Which song will be declared the winner and move one step closer to the title of having the most Jack FM energy?
Your vote decides.
Cometbus, the zine by the guy who toured with Green Day. I’m not linking to Amazon, so get it from the library.
Ask us anything or tell us a story!
Cast Your Vote: Each week, vote for the song you think has the most Jack FM vibes at instagram.com/jackticalmagic/
Call the Hotline: Tell us which song you think should win next week’s matchup. Leave a voicemail at (424) 666-1711.
Email Us: Send your Jack FM stories, questions, memories, or music anecdotes to [email protected].
Theme Song: ‘Heavenly Pop Hit’ by The Chills. Used with permission.
55 min - Little Tiny Episode
Jacktical Magic moves to Mondays!
In the meantime, there’s something Amelia wanted to say to everyone.
Ask us anything or tell us a story!
Cast Your Vote: Each week, vote for the song you think has the most Jack FM vibes at instagram.com/jackticalmagic/
Call the Hotline: Tell us which song you think should win next week’s matchup. Leave a voicemail at (424) 666-1711.
Email Us: Send your Jack FM stories, questions, memories, or music anecdotes to [email protected].
Theme Song: ‘Heavenly Pop Hit’ by The Chills. Used with permission.
9 min - Dennis the Phantom Menace
The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” and Bon Jovi's “It’s My Life” go head to head in our tenth matchup of the Jacktical Magic tournament.
Amelia and Cooper chat about a generous walkie-talkie donation, going above and beyond for Emilio Estevez, and the best way to consume chili dogs.
Which song will be declared the winner and move one step closer to the title of having the most Jack FM energy?
Your vote decides.
Ask us anything or tell us a story!
Cast Your Vote: Each week, vote for the song you think has the most Jack FM vibes at instagram.com/jackticalmagic/
Call the Hotline: Tell us which song you think should win next week’s matchup. Leave a voicemail at (424) 666-1711.
Email Us: Send your Jack FM stories, questions, memories, or music anecdotes to [email protected].
Theme Song: ‘Heavenly Pop Hit’ by The Chills. Used with permission.
1 hr 12 min - Big Thunder County Line
We’re back, ya piggies! Creed’s “Higher” and Blink 182's “All The Small Things” face off in matchup 9 of the Jacktical Magic tournament.
Amelia and Cooper get into UFOs, airport adjacent towns, and "Phantom Hits."
Which song will be declared the winner and move one step closer to the title of having the most Jack FM energy? And how could they miss Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, and St. Petersburg?
Your vote decides.
Ask us anything or tell us a story!
Cast Your Vote: Each week, vote for the song you think has the most Jack FM vibes at instagram.com/jackticalmagic/
Call the Hotline: Tell us which song you think should win next week’s matchup. Leave a voicemail at (424) 666-1711.
Email Us: Send your Jack FM stories, questions, memories, or music anecdotes to [email protected].
Theme Song: ‘Heavenly Pop Hit’ by The Chills. Used with permission.
1 hr 9 min - (Bye Bye) Bye Week
Cooper hates to be the bearer of bad news and Gordon Shumway (ALF) attempts to mount a long overdue comeback. Oh, and there's no episode this week.
Ask us anything or tell us a story!
Cast Your Vote: Each week, vote for the song you think has the most Jack FM vibes at instagram.com/jackticalmagic/
Call the Hotline: Tell us which song you think should win next week’s matchup. Leave a voicemail at (424) 666-1711.
Email Us: Send your Jack FM stories, questions, memories, or music anecdotes to [email protected].
Theme Song: ‘Heavenly Pop Hit’ by The Chills. Used with permission.
3 min - Fraggle Rock with Circus Folk
Men Without Hats' “Safety Dance” and Tom Petty's “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” compete in the eigth clash of the Jacktical Magic tournament.
Amelia and Cooper converse about subterranean intellectuals, a boy meeting a well-mannered gent, and a National Treasure- style treasure hunt.
Which song will be declared the winner and move one step closer to the title of having the most Jack FM energy? And will the Traveling Wilburys knock it off?
Your vote decides.
Ask us anything or tell us a story!
Cast Your Vote: Each week, vote for the song you think has the most Jack FM vibes at instagram.com/jackticalmagic/
Call the Hotline: Tell us which song you think should win next week’s matchup. Leave a voicemail at (424) 666-1711.
Email Us: Send your Jack FM stories, questions, memories, or music anecdotes to [email protected].
Theme Song: ‘Heavenly Pop Hit’ by The Chills. Used with permission.
1 hr 5 min - That Pan Flute CD We Got at the Local Fair
Foo Fighters’ “Learn to Fly" and Cake's “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” go head to head in the seventh battle of the Jacktical Magic tournament.
Amelia and Cooper recall how much of an impact grunge music had on them growing up (none.) Amelia cancels Amazon, Cooper went to high school with a really neat individual named Chas, and they talk about the Popeye Movie Soundtrack for way too long.
Which song will be declared the winner and move one step forward to the title of having the most Jack FM energy? And when is this voicemail going to wrap it up already?
Your vote decides.
Ask us anything or tell us a story!
Cast Your Vote: Each week, vote for the song you think has the most Jack FM vibes at instagram.com/jackticalmagic/
Call the Hotline: Tell us which song you think should win next week’s matchup. Leave a voicemail at (424) 666-1711.
Email Us: Send your Jack FM stories, questions, memories, or music anecdotes to [email protected].
Theme Song: ‘Heavenly Pop Hit’ by The Chills. Used with permission.
1 hr 8 min
About Jacktical Magic
From the publisher's feed
Jacktical Magic is a deep dive into the strangest radio phenomenon in America: Jack FM — the station that claims to “play what we want,” yet somehow taps directly into our collective memory…
and delivers the most Jack FM vibes imaginable.
Hosts Amelia Scannell and Cooper Willis investigate how this format works, why these songs feel so instantly familiar, and what cultural forces shaped the playlists we all grew up with. They break down the hidden patterns, industry decisions, and historical moments behind the music — the same forces that created those unexpected, oddly satisfying transitions Jack FM is famous for. (If you’ve ever heard “Fly Away” sandwiched between “Tainted Love” and “Drops of Jupiter,” and thought, yeah, that tracks, this show is for you.)
At the center of the series is a 64-song tournament designed to find the most definitive Jack FM track of all time. Through music analysis, radio history, and cultural storytelling, Jacktical Magic offers an accessible, revealing look at why these songs endure — and what they say about us as listeners, consumers, and accidental archivists of a shared pop memory.
Whether you’re a lifelong radio fan or just curious about how certain songs become cultural fixtures, this podcast gives you a smart, compelling entry point into a world hiding in plain sight.