In 1988 at the 31st annual Grammy Awards, a new category was introduced: Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental. That night, Metallica's '...And Justice For All' famously lost to Jethro Tull's 'Crest of a Knave', but another album was also nominated that evening: 'Nothing's Shocking', the debut studio album by Los Angeles band Jane's Addiction. Love them or hate them, there's no denying the impact JA had on 90s alternative music moving forward, and this week's guest, Reno, Nevada musician, actor and artist Nick Ramirez (Worst Little Podcast in the World), is comin' down the mountain to talk about it...

Songs discussed in this episode: Jane Says - Jane's Addiction (Live Roxy Theater, Los Angeles 1987); Worst Little Podcast Intro - Worst Little Podcast in the World; Dumped In Tokyo - Cori Elba (recorded live on the Worst Little Podcast - Reno, NV, March 2025); Pigs In Zen (Live Roxy Theater, Los Angeles 1987) - Jane's Addiction; Nobody's Fool - Cinderella; Walk Together, Rock Together - 7 Seconds; Love Removal Machine - The Cult; Nausea (X cover, recorded live in Los Angeles, 1989), Ripple (Grateful Dead cover), Up The Beach, Ocean Size, Had A Dad, Been Caught Stealing - Jane's Addiction; Ringfinger - Nine Inch Nails; Serve The Servants - Nirvana; Ted, Just Admit It - Jane's Addiction; Everything Zen - Bush; Standing In The Shower...Thinking, Summertime Rolls, Mountain Song, Idiots Rule, I Would For You (Live Roxy Theater, Los Angeles 1987), Jane Says, Thank You Boys, Pig's In Zen - Jane's Addiction; Stranglevine - Roxxy Collie

When this week's returning guest, bass player/musician Dan Bonebrake (The Lightworkers, Dashboard Confessional, The Enablers...etc) was discovering punk rock in the late 80s, he was already well on his way to becoming a 'player' in his own right. Costa Mesa, California band Big Drill Car and their 1989 debut 'Album Type Thing' (or CD/Tape Type Thing depending on the format) - with its concise, catchy songs and fiercely tight playing - was right up his musical alley. Turn it up!!

Songs discussed in this episode: I Don't Mind (Buzzcocks cover) - Big Drill Car; Loaded Words - Vacant Andys; Surfing With the Alien - Joe Satriani; YYZ - Rush; New Rose - The Damned; Janie Jones - The Clash; I'm The One - The Descendents; Surrender (Cheap Trick cover) - Big Drill Car; All The Same - Quit; 16 Lines - Big Drill Car; With The Quickness - Bad Brains; Clamato #11, No Need - Big Drill Car; Atomic Punk - Van Halen; Brody, In Green Fields, Diamond Earrings, Reform Before, Head On, Swanson, About Us, A Take Away - Big Drill Car; Incel - Cori Elba; In Time - The Enablers

In the spring of 1999, songwriter/recording artist Arlan Feiles received a call from Stephen Trask. Trask shared that he was the composer of a show running at the Jane St. Theater in NYC called Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and he was looking for a multi instrumentalist/vocalist for the show's first touring run in Boston. As soon as Arlan heard Trask's magnificent songs, he was on board. 25 years later, Arlan will be reprising his role as Skshp for a 3 week run at the Bell Works Theater in NJ with musician/performer Remember Jones as Hedwig, AND he joins us to unpack the show's pure rock and roll heart that is the Original Cast Recording. Songs discussed in this episode: Intro/Tear Me Down - Hedwig and the Angry Inch/Pace Theatrical Group at The 57 Theater, Boston 1999; It's So Easy - Arlan Feiles; Haha, Bitch! - Remember Jones; Tear Me Down - Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Original Cast Recording); Oh! You Pretty Things - David Bowie; The Origin Of Love, Random Number Generation, Sugar Daddy, Angry Inch - Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Original Cast Recording); Wig in a Box - Polyphonic Spree; Wig in a Box - Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Original Cast Recording); Heaven Can Wait - Meat Loaf; Wicked Little Town - Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Original Cast Recording); Crazy Mixed-Up World - Natural Causes; A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles; The Long Grift, Hedwig's Lament, Exquisite Corpse, Wicked Little Town (Reprise), Midnight Radio - Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Original Cast Recording); Rock 'n' Roll Suicide - David Bowie; Oh, St Louis - Arlan Feiles

For some who had been following The Fall since 'Live At The Witch Trials' and 'Dragnet', 1988's 'The Frenz Experiment' with its more polished and slightly commercial sound might have seemed to be a bit of a sellout. Not so for this week's guest, Manchester record shop co-owner and bass player (The Suncharms) Richard Farnell. Catching them live at a record shop in-store appearance while playing hooky during a school trip into London may have sealed the deal for him, but he contends there's more to this era of The Fall than the unlikely chart success of their covers of 'Victoria' and 'There's A Ghost In My House' might attest.

Songs discussed in this episode: There's A Ghost In My House - The Fall;  Time Will Tell - The Suncharms; Mr Pharmacist, Totally Wired, Rebellious Jukebox, Fol De Rol, Frenz, Carry Bag Man, Get A Hotel - The Fall; Victoria - The Kinks; All Day and All of the Night - The Stranglers; Victoria - The Fall; Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight - Spinal Tap; Athlete Cured, In These Times, The Steak Place, Bremen Nacht, Guest Informant, Oswald Defence Lawyer - The Fall; Distant Lights - The Suncharms

Yes, technically EVERY band/artist is local to SOMEWHERE - but we asked our Patrons to send in a song by a band/artist they feel never quite got the recognition they deserved. A band that seemed to have it all, but never rose to the level of national/international prominence where they would be well-known outside their hometown/city/state...etc. You may not know a lot of these songs...but you should!!

Songs discussed in this episode: Sir Winston - Humbert; Museum For Lightspeed Travellers - This Heel; Cigarettello - The Holy Terrors; Romeo - Wipers; Opportunity - The Mandala; What's Inside - Gruel; Punch - Milf; Crazy Mixed Up World - Natural Causes (Recorded live at Washington Square, Miami 1993); Need Your Love - Willie Stratton; If I Were A Bullet (Then For Sure I’d Find A Way To Your Heart) - One Thousand Violins; Umbopo - Doctor Father; What Is This? - B Team; Circuits Down - Band no. 12; Margaret Says - The Vulgar Boatmen; See You Around - Champale; My Dear Heretic - Mary's Danish; When I'm Needing Someone - Diane Ward & Sturgis Nikides (Voidville, Recorded live at Washington Square, Miami 1993); Nights On End - The Reactions; Paranoia - Yesterday’s Children; Hide - ALA.NI; Breeding Feeling - Current Affairs; Mach Schneil Meine Kliene Buzzbomb - The Intoxicators!; Shake Some Action - Charlie Pickett & the Eggs (Recorded live at The Button, Ft Lauderdale 1982); Trick The Machine/Voices - Stockfinster; Me And My Wife - Amanda Green; Aluminum Room - The Front

This week, returning guest Corey duBrowa (An Ideal For Living- A Celebration of the EP) brings us De La Soul and their groundbreaking 1989 debut '3 Feet High and Rising'. Dizzyingly creative, relentlessly positive and hugely influential,  these three teens from Long Island - along with producer Prince Paul - created a world as richly imagined as anything American pop has ever produced.

Songs discussed in this episode: Intro - De La Soul; The Message - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five; Straight Outta Compton - N.W.A.; The Crunge - Led Zeppelin; The Magic Number - De La Soul; Step On - Happy Mondays; Who Me (With An Answer From Dr. Bert) - KMD; Intro, The Magic Number, Change In Speak - De La Soul; Bra - Cymande; Cool Breeze on the Rocks - De La Soul; Rock Music - Jefferson Airplane; Rock With You - Michael Jackson; Jenifa Taught Me, Ghetto Thang - De La Soul; Trans-Europe Express - Kraftwerk; Transmitting Live From Mars - De La Soul; You Showed Me - The Turtles; Hey Jude - Wilson Pickett; Eye Know - De La Soul; Peg - Steely Dan; (Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding; Potholes In My Lawn - De La Soul; Magic Mountain - Eric Burdon and War ; Little Ole Country Boy - Parliament; Say No Go - De La Soul; I Can't Go For That - Daryl Hall & John Oates; Plug Tunin' - De La Soul; Stiletto - Billy Joel; Buddy, Description, Me Myself and I - De La Soul; (Not Just) Knee Deep - Funkadelic; This Is a Recording 4 Living in a Fulltime Era (L.I.F.E.) - De La Soul; Buffalo Gals - Malcolm McLaren; D.A.I.S.Y. Age - De La Soul; School Boy Crush - Average White Band; Ain't Hip To Be Labelled A Hippie - De La Soul

Cardiff, Wales 'Cool Cymru' heroes Super Furry Animals ticked all the boxes and then some with their super-ambitious fifth studio album, 2002's 'Rings Around The World'. From Beach Boys-esque psychedelic pop to 1970s soul to electric gamer prog (OK, we made that last one up), it's a thrilling listen and this week's guest, media and tech consultant Adam Weiner, sat down with Rob to unpack it all. 

Songs discussed in this episode: Tradewinds (Acoustic Mix) - Super Furry Animals; Faster - Manic Street Preachers; My Name Is Jonas - Weezer; Fix Idris, Alternate Route To Vulcan Stree, Sidewalk Serfer Girl, (Drawing) Rings Around The World - Super Furry Animals; Silver Machine - Hawkwind; It's Not The End Of The World - Super Furry Animals; Do You Realize - The Flaming Lips; Receptacle For The Respectable, Receptacle For The Respectable (Maccapella Celery) - Super Furry Animals; Vegetables - The Beach Boys; [A] Touch Sensitive, Shoot Doris Day, Miniature, No Sympathy, Juxtaposed With U, Presidential Suite, Run! Christian, Run!, Fragile Happiness, The Roman Road - Super Furry Animals; It's Not The End Of The World (SFA cover) - Pigeon Wigs

Pink Floyd's 'Animals', a lyrically dark, musically dense concept album loosely based on George Orwell's 'Animal Farm', is as eerily precient today as it was when first released in 1977. Rob and this week's guest, Portland, Oregon songwriter and
multi-instrumentalist James Cook (Trashcan Joe, Captain's Audio Project), take a deep dive into this sweepingly nihilistic classic.

Songs discussed in this episode: Pigs On The Wing (Pink Floyd Cover) - Chrome; Waiting For The Moon, Really Hard To Find - Captain's Audio Project; Breathe (In The Air) - Pink Floyd; Rise Above - Black Flag; Pigs On The Wing (Part One), Astronomy Domine, Dogs, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Dogs, Pigs (Three Different Ones), Sheep, Pigs On The Wing (Part Two) - Pink Floyd; A Little Bit Here - Trashcan Joe; Satan Wrote This Song - Captain's Audio Project

For our 400th episode (!!!) we're joined by musician Jonathan Hischke (Hella, Dot Hacker, E V Kain), who brought us a record that got under his skin when he first heard it in 1999 - Rob's too! - and continues to astound: The Flaming Lips' beautifully trippy kinda-masterpiece 'The Soft Bulletin'. "Will the fight for our sanity Be the fight of our lives?"

Songs discussed in this episode: Race For The Prize (Feat. The Colorado Symphony & Andre De Ridder, live at Red Rocks) - The Flaming Lips; Eye Opener - Dot Hacker; Striking Out - E V Kain; Infektion - The Flying Luttenbachers; She Lives in an Airport - Guided By Voices; She Don't Use Jelly, Christmas At The Zoo - The Flaming Lips; Easter Theatre - XTC; Race For The Prize, A Spoonful Weighs A Ton, The Spark That Bled, The Spiderbite Song, Buggin', What Is The Light, The Observer, Waitin' For A Superman, Suddenly Everything Has Changed, The Gash, The Gash (Feat. The Colorado Symphony & Andre De Ridder, live at Red Rocks), Feeling Yourself Disintegrate, Sleeping On The Roof - The Flaming Lips; Waitin' For A Superman (The Flaming Lips cover) - Iron & Wine

Are novelty records cool? Probably not, but this week's guest, musician/songwriter Nick County, makes the case that the best ones are artistically valid, culturally relevant and - most importantly - a hoot! We embraced the weird and dove head-first into Dr. Demento's 20th Anniversary Collection. Caution: freaks ahead...

Songs discussed in this episode: Pico & Sepulveda - Felix Figueroa and His Orchestra; Welcome 2 Where U Been, Psycho, In Texas - Nick County; Another One Rides The Bus - 'Weird Al' Yankovic; Transfusion - Nervous Norvus; Eat It, My Balogna - 'Weird Al' Yankovic; Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight) - Lonnie Donegan & His Skiffle Group; In Spite Of All The Danger - The Quarrymen; Does The Spearmint Lose Its Flavor On The Bedpost Overnight - Billy Jones & Ernest Hare; Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh - Allan Sherman; Earache My Eye - Cheech & Chong feat. Alice Bowie; Dave's Not Here - Cheech & Chong; Dead Puppies - Ogden Edsl; Dancin’ Fool - Frank Zappa; Star Trekkin - The Firm; Walmart - Jesse Welles; Big Parlay Blues - Silver Bluff Blues Band; King Tut - Steve Martin; Fish Heads - Barnes and Barnes; Poisoning Pigeons in the Park - Tom Lehrer; A Boy Named Sue - Johnny Cash; Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out - Shel Silverstein; Freakin' At The Freaker's Ball - Dr Hook; They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa! - Napoleon XIV; Red Rocky Road - Nick County