Public Record

Click Vortex comes to a close for 2022 with a real roaster of the Kenny Rogers variety. This episode finds Jason tracing the journey of NYC punk guitarist Robert Quine, from the underground to the power pop mainstream, with digressions into the work Matthew Sweet, Lloyd Cole, string arranger Paul Buckmaster, Kelly Clarkson (!) and Mike Watt. Then Sam spins the dial on the ole satellite radio and uncovers the saga of Dodie Stevens, who scored a hit with "Pink Shoelaces" just shy of her 13th birthday and went on to record an answer song to "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town": "Billy, I've Got To Go To Town." And that's where Kenny comes in...

Got a story to share with us? A strange story to confess? Anything else you want to share with the WASTOIDS crew? Just dial 1-877-WASTOIDS and leave a message.

Short songs, short shows, short-lived bands: Lydia Lunch was big on making a point quickly and moving on. For this episode of The Spindle, John and Marc drop the needle on 1978's "Orphans" b/w "Less Of Me" by Teenage Jesus & The Jerks. Led by Lunch on guitar and vocals with bassist Gordon Stevenson and drummer Bradly Field and produced by Robert Quine (Richard Hell & The Voidoids, Lou Reed, Matthew Sweet), the Jerks might not have lasted very long, but they made an impression. Press play on this episode to learn why.

About The Spindle: The 7-inch record isn’t just a format—it’s an art form. On each episode of The Spindle podcast, music writer Marc Masters (Pitchfork, The Wire, Bandcamp) and music historian (and music maker) John Howard dive into a great 7-inch, dissecting its background, impact, and the reasons why it stands out as a small plastic piece of music history.

What’s your favorite 7″? Call us at 1-877-WASTOIDS and weigh in!

We’re back with another episode of Nilsson Talks Nilsson. For this installment, we’re getting to The Point with Harry’s son, the talented singer, bassist and bandleader Kiefo Nilsson. A charming fairy tale about nonconformity delivered with a dose of Nilsson charisma and a touch of psychedelic inspiration, it’s a classic and a longtime favorite of the WASTOIDS crew, which is why we were excited to learn about Kiefo’s live Point performances, which have found him joined by a 14-piece band and guest narrators like John C. Reilly and Pamela Adlon who help bring The Point to life.

On December 10th, he’s back at it with guest narrator Kate Micicci, an actor and comedian who you’ve seen or heard with Garfunkel and Oates and in shows like Bob’s Burgers, Steven Universe, Adventure Time, and many more. They’re performing as part of the holiday celebration at Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga, California.

Get your tickets for the show here.

Nilsson Talks Nilsson is written and produced by Jason Woodbury. Sam Means is our executive producer. Thanks to Kiefo Nilsson for his assistance in recording this episode and rrrstevens on YouTube for sharing the great Pamela Adlon performance that opens this episode.  Our art is by Madalyn Stefanak. Wanna share your favorite Nilsson song or album? Anything related to Harry? If so, call us at 1-877-WASTOIDS and leave a message. 

Paul is dead...or is he? On this episode of Click Vortex, Sam and Jason picture themselves on a boat on a river and drift off into murky waters, discussing Wilco, The Byrds, Bob Dylan, and four Fab Beatles conspiracies. Plus, the debut of "Theme From Click Vortex," a new Astrologer jam that will open our show from now on. From beyond the mind's eye, here's Click Vortex: B-Bending Beatles Conspiracy Theories.

Got a Beatles opinion to share with us? A strange story to confess? Anything else you want to share with the WASTOIDS crew? Just dial 1-877-WASTOIDS and leave a message. 

Drawing on Jamaican dub, progressive rock, and outsider art traditions, Public Image Ltd was a band much more than the sum of its parts. Formed by John Lydon—shedding the "Johnny Rotten" persona he utilized with the Sex Pistols—along with bassist Jah Wobble, drummer Jim Walker, former Clash member Keith Levene, who passed away on November 11, 2022), the band's eponymous debut single hit the charts in October 1978. Dropping the needle on this strident and stark recording, John and Marc dig in on its attendant Beeheartisms, uncompromising art rock ethos, and Lydon's remarkable vocal performance. 

About The Spindle: The 7-inch record isn’t just a format—it’s an art form. On each episode of The Spindle podcast, music writer Marc Masters (Pitchfork, The Wire, Bandcamp) and music historian (and music maker) John Howard dive into a great 7-inch, dissecting its background, impact, and the reasons why it stands out as a small plastic piece of music history.

What’s your favorite 7″? Call us at 1-877-WASTOIDS and weigh in!

Sam and Jason are deep in the record crates this week, with an episode focused on cult music icons, including the Judee Sill, Emitt Rhodes, sunshine popper Curt Boettcher, garage rockers from Mars ? & the Mysterians, and Stephen Kalinich—plus appearances by a few mega-stars including Meat Loaf and Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys. Along the way, explorations of bank robbery, anti-ASMR train noises, and a little bit about the mythical Taco Bell Big Beefer. Too many clicks for one heart to be clicking: it's Click Vortex episode 18: No Meat, All Loaf on WASTOIDS.

Do you have a Taco Bell menu item you want to yell about? A pop music lost classic you think WASTOIDS should be discussing? Anything else on your mind? Call us at 1-877-WASTOIDS and leave a message.

About Click Vortex: The world wide web, like the universe itself, is constantly expanding. With each episode of Click Vortex, Sam Means (The Format) and Jason Woodbury (Aquarium Drunkard) bring you a biweekly survey of their online adventures.

You're walking 'round like you're front page news, pressing play on a new episode of The Spindle. On this episode, the guys focus on The Monkees' 1967 hit "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," with a couple detours into other versions of the song, including Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Sex Pistols, and Minor Threat. As post-modern as it gets, The Monkees were (and are) a pop phenomenon, and this single illustrates why.

About The Spindle: The 7-inch record isn’t just a format—it’s an art form. On each episode of The Spindle podcast, music writer Marc Masters (Pitchfork, The Wire, Bandcamp) and music historian (and music maker) John Howard dive into a great 7-inch, dissecting its background, impact, and the reasons why it stands out as a small plastic piece of music history. 

What’s your favorite 7″? Call us at 1-877-WASTOIDS and weigh in!

We're back with an all-new Click Vortex, featuring record store owner, local business advocate, and shoegaze drummer Kimber Lanning. With her underground-centric shop Stinkweeds and Local First Arizona, she's dedicated to telling under-discussed stories. Joining Sam and Jason in the 850 Lincoln loft studio, she discusses record store life, her beloved indie rock venue Modified Arts, and her crucial '90s band Half String and some legendary shows they opened for–including a run-in with infamous Gallagher bros and their and Oasis. Plus, Kimber weighs in on Sam and Jason's clicks, including Ben Folds Five, Suede, Elastica, dream pop vs. shoegaze, AR Kane, Tim and Jeff Buckley, This Mortal Coil, and lots more. 

Do you have a memory about Modified Arts? A purchase from Stinkweeds? Something else? Ring us up at 1-877-WASTOIDS and leave a message—we’ll feature your calls on a future episode of Click Vortex. Consider leaving a review and/or rating on our podcast and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

In 1982, Black Flag found themselves in the unlikely position of having what seemed like a potential "hit record." A satirical jab at the couch potato schlubs complete with peppy handclaps insisted on by their handlers, "TV Party" was released by SST and Unicorn Records, a division of the major label imprint MCA, in 1982. Backed with "I've Got To Run" and "My Rules," the EP finds Black Flag at the height of its powers, led by the snarling Henry Rollins. On this episode of The Spindle, Marc and John drop the needle and reflect on this classic punk standard—and reflect on the "punk episode" of Quincy.

About The Spindle: The 7-inch record isn’t just a format—it’s an art form. On each episode of The Spindle podcast, music writer Marc Masters (Pitchfork, The Wire, Bandcamp) and music historian (and music maker) John Howard dive into a great 7-inch, dissecting its background, impact, and the reasons why it stands out as a small plastic piece of music history.

What’s your favorite 7″? Call us at 1-877-WASTOIDS and weigh in!

Today on WASTOIDS With, we talk with punk lifer and deep music head Keith Morris. Across the last four decades, he has fronted foundational hardcore bands like Black Flag, Circle Jerks, and more recently, OFF! That latter group just released a free-jazz/spazz punk epic called Free LSD on Fat Possum Records. Layered in fury and noise, it finds Morris and his musical foil Dimitri Coates joined by new members from And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead and Thundercat’s band.  It’s an unexpected and daring record—which is being expanded out with a movie of the same name expected in 2023.

Morris joined WASTOIDS correspondent Tim Neilson to discuss shaking up the formula with the new album, his interest in prog rock and jazz, and as an unexpected bonus, he narrates a flip through of a massive stack of recently purchased records.

OFF! is kicking off a nationwide tour Monday, October 24 at Valley Bar in Phoenix, AZ. Head over to WASTOIDS for a full list of tour dates. Wanna share your favorite Keith Morris project with us? Give us a ring: 1-877-WASTOIDS.