Los Angeles vs. San Francisco is an age-old competition: Dodgers vs. Giants, sunny weather vs. chilly weather, Hollywood glamor or crunchy granola vibes. Back in the 80s, we had KROQ in Los Angeles and LIVE 105 in San Francisco. 

Roland West worked on air for both radio stations.  He steps into our What Difference Does It Make virtual studio to compare the two iconic radio stations and the personalities behind them.

He also leads us through his musical journey as we look at songs 60 to 51 from the 1989 KROQ year-end chart.

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If you watched MTV in the 80s, then you've seen a Tim Pope-directed video. Queen, David Bowie, Hall & Oates, and The Cure - the band he's most associated with - are among the hundreds of bands that have performed in front of a Tim Pope camera.

It's all documented in Tim's memoir, I Shoot Rock Stars. Tim now places himself behind the What Difference Does It Make microphone to tell us a few stories he's accumulated over an amazing 40 year career.

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Jacob Givens⁠ created a social media sensation with his authentic and hilarious reaction videos to what it was like when he first heard the 90s music from his youth. Now Jacob steps into the What Difference Does It Make studio to give us his genuine reaction to hearing 80s music. Specifically, songs 70 to 61 from the 1989 KROQ year-end playlist. 

You can hear Jacob on his own Pantheon Podcast, ⁠Waterproof Records With Jacob Givens

Podcast cover photograph by Emil Ravedo.

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The Sunset Marquis hotel in West Hollywood is located just steps from the Sunset Strip, and has been a haven for rock stars for the past six decades. But how did it come to be such an iconic place for rock stars? What is its story? Enter Co-Directors Craig A. Williams and Tyler Measom, of the documentary, If These Walls Could Rock. They sit down with Bruce Springsteen, Slash, Ringo Starr, Morrissey, Sheryl Crow, and many more rock stars to hear, in their own words, why this is their home away from home.

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August 10th is Duran Duran Appreciation Day. As it turns out, not only are we self-proclaimed Duranies, but our guests love the Fab 5 as well. So for this episode, we've compiled comments and observations from our past guests (and ourselves) about the music we love so much by Simon, John, Nick, Andy, and Roger. Happy Duran Duran Appreciation Day!

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The Los Angeles Times referred to it as "Country Music's most important West Coast club". Artists from Willie Nelson to Elvis Costello to Linda Ronstadt played there. Happy Hour started at 8 in the morning. And it all happened in the East San Fernando Valley.

The club was called The Palomino, and now we have a film documenting its storied history. Director Adrienne Isom, script writer KP Hawthorn, and country punk legend Rosie Flores join us to reminisce about their own personal stories, as well as those that made this fabled club so special.

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It's been a mere 44 years between Haircut One Hundred albums featuring the original lineup, but following their classic album Pelican West, we now have Boxing The Compass. According to lead singer/songwriter Nick Heyward, it means a complete change of direction. We think it sounds just like the band we know and love. 

The band have stayed in touch with each other during this "extended” hiatus, and they are now hitting the road with a US tour. Nick Heyward and bassist Les Nemes join the podcast to talk about how this 80s band has gracefully entered into a new era.

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Prior to the start of what is being billed as "the biggest 80s event of the year", headliner Howard Jones and host Richard Blade took some time to talk with us and share their thoughts on what we can expect for the Things Can Only Get Better Tour. 

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From the moment we first saw "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?" on MTV, we can honestly say there was no one who looked, dressed or sounded like Boy George.There was also the music that touched on Pop, Soul and Reggae and even through all the mania that surrounded the band, we never quite understood who they were and where they came from until now.

Director Alison Ellwood, previously tackled the official story on the Eagles, Cyndi Lauper, and The Go-Go's. She now takes on Boy George and Culture Club and there is a lot to unpack as she steps into our virtual studio to reveal all she learned in this new documentary that is currently streaming everywhere.

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As an 80s music podcast, and as America recognizes another year of independence, we believe the time is right to recognize our favorite American music artists from the 80s. 

The rules are simple:

2) They must have released their first album in the 80s.

Simple, right?

There is a lot of discussion, as well as a number of caveats, but we seem to have come up with a good list of 80s American music artists. Enjoy! And please let us know about the ones we forgot.

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