Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves

To Echo & the Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch, "The Killing Moon" from Ocean Rain is a work of fate, born from dreams, chance discoveries, and cosmic obsession. From his claim that the lyrics were “already written in the stars” to the band’s surreal trip to Russia and the chaotic recording sessions that nearly tore them apart, this story behind one of the 80s music greats. It's time to unravel how one of the most haunting and timeless post punk and new wave tracks came to life.

🍿 Watch the episode (and see the full series) on YouTube. 

📕 Read the transcript and hear the songs on the Poetic Wax Substack.

🎧 Get Echo & the Bunnymen on Vinyl 🎧 https://amzn.to/47SUGYI 

🎧 Get Ocean Rain on Vinyl 🎧 https://amzn.to/4lPvypa 

Poetic Wax is a weekly music history series hosted by Andy Fenstermaker, where he digs into the record collection he's been building since the 1990s to uncover the sometimes little told stories behind the artists, albums, and songs from within.

"Ashes to Ashes" is one of David Bowie’s most iconic songs. It collapses myth, reinvents old characters, and confronts the shadows of his own past. In this episode, we trace the story behind the song: its deep ties to "Space Oddity," its place within Bowie's 1980 album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), and the new era it ushered in for Bowie after the Berlin Trilogy. Along the way, we’ll uncover the darker meanings beneath its art-pop surface, explore the groundbreaking artistry that surrounded its creation and its music video, and arrive at a moment of unexpected humiliation when Bowie himself was stripped of all mystique by a single passerby on a beach. This song is a reminder that even pop’s great chameleon was never beyond being humbled.

🍿 Watch the episode (and see the full series) on YouTube. 

📕 Read the transcript and hear the songs on the Poetic Wax Substack.

🎧 Get David Bowie on Vinyl 🎧 https://amzn.to/4lQg7xe 

🎧 Get "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)" on Vinyl 🎧 https://amzn.to/3UGWjB5 

Poetic Wax is a weekly music history series hosted by Andy Fenstermaker, where he digs into the record collection he's been building since the 1990s to uncover the sometimes little told stories behind the artists, albums, and songs from within.

"The Head on the Door" transformed The Cure from cult favorites into global icons, blending irresistible pop hooks with unsettling undercurrents of melancholy. This is the story of the band’s creative rebirth, shaped by surreal dreams that haunted Robert Smith. The adventurous recording sessions introduced flamenco guitars, brass sections, and jangling synths into their sound. Together, these moments show why this album remains both a breakthrough and a bittersweet masterpiece. At its heart lies the tension between joy and sorrow, light and shadow; a delicate balance that continues to resonate forty years later.

🍿 Watch the episode (and see the full series) on YouTube. 

📕 Read the transcript and hear the songs on the Poetic Wax Substack.

🎧 Get The Cure on Vinyl 🎧 https://amzn.to/4mOEZ9t

🎧 Get "The Head On The Door" on Vinyl 🎧 https://amzn.to/4mOEZ9t 

Poetic Wax is a weekly music history series hosted by Andy Fenstermaker, where he digs into the record collection he's been building since the 1990s to uncover the sometimes little told stories behind the artists, albums, and songs from within.

Most people remember Blind Melon for a single song, but their 1995 album was raw and misunderstood. This is the story of Blind Melon's struggles with fame after the success of "No Rain", leading to the creation of an album that was completely misunderstood: "Soup." Yet, it was a big leap from their earlier sound, showcasing the band's fearless creativity amidst personal chaos. Today it's regarded as one of the most under-appreciated albums of the 90s.

🍿 Watch the episode (and see the full series) on YouTube. 

📕 Read the transcript and hear the songs on the Poetic Wax Substack.

🎧 Get Blind Melon on Vinyl: https://amzn.to/4m9h0lr 

Poetic Wax is a weekly music history series hosted by Andy Fenstermaker, where he digs into the record collection he's been building since the 1990s to uncover the sometimes little told stories behind the artists, albums, and songs from within.

Radiohead debuted "True Love Waits" in Brussels in 1995 while on tour for The Bends. They tried to capture it in the studio for OK Computer, then again for Kid A and Amnesiac, failing at every turn. Yet fans LOVED it. This is the story of Radiohead's 'secret song,' "True Love Waits," and how things finally came together for their 2016 album A Moon Shaped Pool. The result was unexpected. The result was perfect. The result was worth the wait.

🍿 Watch the episode (and see the full series) on YouTube. 

📕 Read the transcript and hear the songs on the Poetic Wax Substack.

🎧 Get Radiohead on Vinyl: https://youtu.be/cgviPLd7-XI 

Poetic Wax is a weekly music history series hosted by Andy Fenstermaker, where he digs into the record collection he's been building since the 1990s to uncover the sometimes little told stories behind the artists, albums, and songs from within.

In 2001, the most unlikely rock album took the world by storm. It didn't feature seasoned musicians. It featured 200 elementary school kids in a school gym, performing rock and pop songs of the 1970s, in the 1970s, in a single take. It's backbone: the music of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys. A main attraction among many: a song by David Bowie that he felt was the best cover of one of his songs he had ever heard. This is the story of The Langley Schools Music Project, the release of Innocense & Despair, and the teacher behind it, Hans Fenger. It's a story that ultimately inspired the film School of Rock featuring Jack Black.

Watch the episode on YouTube and go deeper with more video episodes. 

✉️ Join the Poetic Wax Substack 

🎧 Get The Langley Schools Music Project on Vinyl: https://amzn.to/4mcGlu6 

Poetic Wax is a weekly music history series hosted by Andy Fenstermaker, where he digs into the record collection he's been building since the 1990s to uncover the sometimes little told stories behind the artists, albums, and songs from within.

It's time to peel back the layers of The Smashing Pumpkins’ iconic 1995 masterpiece "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" to explore how the haunting artwork shaped the emotional world created within the album. We jump into Billy Corgan and John Craig’s creative dialogue: the faxed prompts, the evocative collage of Greuze, Raphael, and found imagery, and how those visuals echo the album’s themes of longing, wonder, and melancholy.

Watch the episode on YouTube and go deeper with more video episodes. 

✉️ Join the Poetic Wax Substack 

🎧 Get The Smashing Pumpkins on Vinyl: https://amzn.to/4kNQNHt  

🎧 The Smashing Pumpkins "Mellon Collie" 4LP Vinyl Box Set https://amzn.to/45jNmmn 

Poetic Wax is a weekly music history series hosted by Andy Fenstermaker, where he digs into the record collection he's been building since the 1990s to uncover the sometimes little told stories behind the artists, albums, and songs from within.

"The Last of the Famous International Playboys" was a critique of the media's idolizing tendencies that, decades later, has consistently gotten worse. This episode unravels the depths of Morrissey's third single and its dark ties to real-life gangsters (Ronnie and Reggie Kray), the glamorization of violence, and the media’s obsession with infamy. This story traces the song’s roots in British crime history, its place in Morrissey’s post-Smiths identity, and the dangerous allure of being seen, even if it means becoming the villain.

Watch the episode on YouTube and go deeper with more video episodes. 

✉️ Join the Poetic Wax Substack 

🎧 Get Morrissey on Vinyl: https://amzn.to/44JwBjQ

🎧 Get The Smiths on Vinyl: https://amzn.to/4lmPArz

Poetic Wax is a weekly music history series hosted by Andy Fenstermaker, where he digs into the record collection he's been building since the 1990s to uncover the sometimes little told stories behind the artists, albums, and songs from within.

In 1973, at the height of glam rock chaos, Elton John pulled one of the strangest pranks in music history: storming a Stooges concert in a full gorilla suit and tackling a drug-addled Iggy Pop onstage. We unpack the bizarre true story behind that moment, tracing Iggy’s downward spiral after Raw Power, the chaos surrounding its infamous mix by David Bowie, and how Elton’s surreal prank became a weirdly touching gesture between two rock legends. It’s a snapshot of a wilder time when even the most absurd moments carried real meaning.

Watch the episode on YouTube and go deeper with more video episodes. 

✉️ Join the Poetic Wax Substack 

Iggy and Elton on Wax and Paper:

Poetic Wax is a weekly music history series hosted by Andy Fenstermaker, where he digs into the record collection he's been building since the 1990s to uncover the sometimes little told stories behind the artists, albums, and songs from within.

What happens when a pop band turns a London council block into a concept album? In 2005, Saint Etienne released "Tales from Turnpike House," a quietly radical record that captured the rhythms, routines, and quiet poetry of suburban life. Today we explore the album’s architectural inspiration, its place in the revival of the concept album, and how it laid the groundwork for Saint Etienne’s later work. From Xenomania pop polish to David Essex bedtime tales, this is the story of one of British pop’s most overlooked masterpieces.

Watch the episode on YouTube and go deeper with more video episodes. 

✉️ Join the Poetic Wax Substack 

🎧 Get Tales From the Turnpike House on Vinyl: https://amzn.to/3I8bG2p 

🎧 Get Saint Etienne on Vinyl: https://amzn.to/4enIaBQ 

Poetic Wax is a weekly music history series hosted by Andy Fenstermaker, where he digs into the record collection he's been building since the 1990s to uncover the sometimes little told stories behind the artists, albums, and songs from within.