In the conclusion of our series, we bring the Babymetal story up to date. Like it our not, these kawaii heroines are here to stay, having upset the Metal Establishment and fostered a fanatically loyal fanbase that follows them through every puzzling career move. But are they in fact "the future of metal"? And if so is that a good or bad thing for the genre as a whole?

Other topics of discussion include some bizarre Babymetal collabs, kawaii metal imitators and the mysterious departure of founding member Yui-metal. 

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Fox Gods, crucifixions, and magic corsets oh my! 

We continue the story of Babymetal by exploring the wild and confusing "lore" surrounding this group. We also examine the lyrical content of their early songs, cover the initial reactions they received from the Western music scene, and tackle the sticky question of whether or not Babymetal truly is "metal".

[Sorry, again, about the unusual amount of random noises in this one. At least there are no babies or dogs this time!]

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Ah, how fitting that this episode number is 2/3 of the Number of the Beast!

Today we continue to excavate the origins of Babymetal by diving into the history of Heavy Metal in Japan. This episode features some of the coolest bands we've ever covered, so for once we're actually excited to talk about our subject matter!

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What comes to mind when you think of Heavy Metal? Is it three cute little girls wearing Lolita dresses and doing synchronized dance moves? Well if you answered "no" you're out of touch, my bruh!

Welcome to the preposterous world of Babymetal, a Japanese girl group that combines the saccharine imagery of J-pop with the bone-crushing heaviness of metal. Sounds incongruous? It is, and yet this group is one of the best-selling hard rock acts of our age, earning millions of fans across the globe with their unique brand of so-called kawaii metal.

In the first of a multi-part series, we examine the origins of Babymetal by exploring the wild and often problematic world of Japanese Idol music. Why do millions of Japanese men devote endless hours and thousands of yen to support 13-year-old girls who sing the lamest music on Earth? We spent 90 minutes talking about it, and we still don't know...

WARNING: This episode contains some rather dark subject matter, including sexual abuse of children. (Don't worry, it's still super funny, but also kinda fucked...)

Nick's stupid travel blog that he plugs toward the end of the episode: https://ghostonthehighway.blog/

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Don't you hate it when an artist wastes everyone's time by dedicating verses or even entire songs to shouting out dozens of random cities? No? It's just us? Well too bad, we're talking about it anyway!

Why do so many artists feel compelled to list off dozens of cities they may or may not have been to? Where did this phenomenon begin, and which songs are the absolute worst offenders of all? Join us for a quirky little study of one of the most annoying if unremarked-upon phenomena in music! 

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We wrap up this beast of a series by covering the last four decades of Village People history: from their uncomfortably cringe downfall to their recent return to relevance at the hands of a fascist goon. 

This ever-dumbfounding narrative winds its way through the topics of Milkshakes, Phone Sex, Copyright Law, German Soccer, and so much more!

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The Village People hit their stride with such monster hits as "Y.M.C.A." and "In the Navy", proving that mainstream America will go to any lengths to not get the hint as to what their music's really about. We'll analyze the music from the band's golden age while also connecting it to the broader context of the late 70s music scene... 

You see, by this point Disco has completely overwhelmed American culture, inserting itself into every conceivable medium including breakfast cereals (seriously!). A backlash was inevitable, the most salient example of which was an ill-fated baseball promotion-turned-riot called Disco Demolition Night, which we'll explore in detail. 

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We begin a three part series on the Village People, who for legal reasons we must tell you are absolutely not gay at all...

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Awww yeah! We're back with another low-effort minisode where we catch up on all the recent goings-on from artists we profiled in the past. Come hear about all the wacky exploits from your favorite Polishing Turds alumni. We've got Cruises with Creed, AI experiments with the Black Eyed Peas, juicy drama from the Cyrus family, and so much more! 

What better way to start off this horrible, horrible year?

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You thought American Christmas music was dumb? Wait till you hear what the folks across the pond are up to...

This year's Holiday Special examines the annual tradition of the UK Christmas Number One. Each year the British public gets hyped up over which song is going to top the charts on Christmas week. Sounds innocent enough, and yet for whatever reason half the songs they pick make no goddamn sense at all. From schoolgirl choirs to TV characters to insufferable YouTube stars, the British people have proven themselves just as capable of desecrating this holiday as anyone else. 

Bloody hell, how'd this country colonize half the world?

YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-PyWfVkjZc&list=PL6QhZ78uzXMoaIUDPTT4b_au_2FRE_3_9

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