One of the things that makes rock great is the energy and the power that comes with the music..and depending where you go, that energy and power varies from place to place...

If you’re looking to exorcise a little aggression and anger and frustration, you have several choices...there are various flavours of metal that can serve your purpose, ranging from the melodic (Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” for example) along with Sabbath and Ozzy to the straight-from-hell insanity of black and death metal...

Industrial music is another option...guitars, synthesizers, and driving beats from acts like Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, and Ministry...

A third option is punk rock...it comes in many flavours, so there’s almost something for everyone...

But if you really want pure adrenalin, something aggressive, something super-physical, something primal, and something that can be dangerous and violent, there’s one particular part of the punk world that you’ll find very attractive...

It’s a space where things can’t be too hard, too fast, or too angry... And for many people, it’s become a lifestyle and even a lifesaver...it isn’t for everyone, but as we’ll see, its influence has extended far, far beyond just a bunch of guys yelling over loud guitars...misunderstood?...maybe...important?...definitely...this is the history of hardcore...

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Sometimes people get so pissed off or so inspired by something that they just have to sing about it…this is the protest song and it’s been with us for centuries…

It’s music that encourages political and social change… and if done right—and if circumstances are correct—the song can mobilize people to take action, lift spirits and annoy (or even scare) authorities of the establishment…

Protest music comes in all forms: classical, folk, reggae, pop, hip hop and, of course, rock…it can rail against war, demand social justice, call out politicians and petition for greater rights for women, minorities, labour and the marginalized…

The singers and musicians behind this music may be regarded as thought leaders, social influencers and even prophets—and least for a time…

What i’d like to go is go through the history of protest in song from the world of alt-rock, those times when a loud guitar becomes tool for making things better—for everyone…

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What do you for fun?...hobbies, pastimes—things that you do just for you, away from your job and all your other responsibilities?...

I’ve got my dogs…my wife and I like to travel…and I’ve always had this thing about the JFK assassination…I’ve read all the books, seen all the documentaries…I’ve even been to Dallas and the grassy knoll, and the book depository…I can’t explain it, but I just find it interesting…

Maybe you’re into sports…collecting hockey cards or wine or rare scotches…video games, Japanese anime, beanie babies, souvenir spoons…no need to justify anything…it’s just something you enjoy doing…it fulfills you somehow…

Now consider this….when we think of our favourite musicians, we probably imagine them being immersed in music all the time…I mean, 24 hours a day, seven days a week…all they do is think about music and make music…

But the truth is, you can’t do that…no one can…everyone needs a break from whatever it is they do…you gotta rest the brain, recharge, and go on a search for new inspiration…put down the instruments and see what else is out there…become a more rounded person…that’s one aspect…

Another is, “look…you’ve had some success in your career…you’ve made some money…enjoy it…indulge in those things that you’ve always dreamed of…you can’t take it with you, so spend some of that cash”…

All right, so like what?...I think you may be surprised…let’s take a look at the hobbies and non-musical passions of some very famous musicians…

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We're going back into the Ongoing History archives to bring you a show a lot of people have asked about.

And with over 300 OGH podcasts, sometimes episodes get buried in the feed.

This is the second part of our Oral History of Madchester as told by someone who was there to see it and make it happen.

Gaz Whelan of the Happy Monday's!

This really is something else...

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We're going back into the Ongoing History archives to bring you a show a lot of people have asked about.

And with over 300 OGH podcasts, sometimes episodes get buried in the feed.

This is the first of a two part series on the Oral History of Madchester as told by someone who was there to see it and make it happen.

Gaz Whelan of the Happy Monday's!

This really is something else...

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For this week’s podcast, we’re going to revisit the Ongoing History of New Music vault for the second part of a two-part series on censorship in music.

Why are certain songs, bands, or styles of music censored? Who makes these decisions? Why? And what can musicians do about it?

Although this episode is from the earlier part of the ongoing history library, it remains highly relevant. We thought you’d enjoy listening… this is Censorship and Music… Part 2.

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For this week’s podcast, we’re going to revisit the Ongoing History of New Music vault for the first part of a two-part series on censorship in music.

Why are certain songs, bands, or styles of music censored? Who makes these decisions? Why? And what can musicians do about it?

Although this show is from the earlier part of the ongoing history library, it remains very relevant. We thought you’d enjoy listening… this is Censorship and Music… Part 1.

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For this week’s episode, we’re going to go back into the ongoing history of new music vault and our “what’s the big deal” series.  This is where we try to figure out why we keep hearing and reading about these old names from the past. How are they connected to today's music? What did they do 20, 30 years ago and why should we care? And if they were so damn important, why didn't they ever sell a lot of records in the first place? Simple. We need to care because without these performers, today's new rock and alternative music wouldn't be possible.

And honestly, icons don't get much bigger than Iggy Pop, who is universally known as the godfather of punk. So, we thought you’d like to have a listen and find out “what’s the big deal about Iggy Pop”

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Music is one of those things that can bring families together…and sometimes, that togetherness grows into a business…

The BeeGees had the three Gibb brothers…baby brother Andy Gibb was also part of that universe for a while…

Then there’s The Beach Boys…the original lineup included Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson and their cousin Mike Love…Murray Wilson—the father of Brian, Dennis, and Carl—was their manager…he was terrible at it (in fact, Murray was an all-around disaster for his sons), but at least they were all together…or something like that…three brothers, their father and a cousin…

We have The Cowsills…this was a 60s pop group from Rhode island who had a series of hits…six siblings: Bob, Bill, Barry, John, Paul and Susan…they ranged from 8 to 18…and then there was mother Barbra…this arrangement was the inspiration for the TV show “the partridge family”…that’s seven people, which later became eight when Bob’s twin brother Richard joined up for a bit…

And we have to talk about the Jackson 5: Michael, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon…when the group left Motown, Jermaine was replaced by Randy…

So that’s six members of the Jackson 5… then we have Janet, LaToya and Rebbie…that’s nine, and everything was run by father Joe Jackson—another abusive disaster…so the count is up to 10…

All this got me thinking: are there equivalents in the world of alt-rock?...What are the biggest family affairs the genre has ever seen?...Let’s take a look…

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Here’s a warning right from the outset: this is going to be a weird program…the performs and the music we’re going to talk about are famous because of their weird, shocking behaviour…they set out to get our attention—and they did…

Some of us appreciated what they were doing…but the vast majority didn’t get them at all…they were branded as sick, deviant, sociopathic, psychopathic, and even criminal…

Yet all found some measure of fame within certain corners of the rock universe…their antics may seem tame now, even quaint…but if we put these images and behaviors in the context of the times, it seemed like that antichrist’s musicians were on earth, ready to lead the young dancing and singing towards the apocalypse…

So, if you’re listening to this program, please look around and asked yourself this question: “won’t someone please think about the children?”…

This is a look at some of the weirdest and most shocking rockers of all time…

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