AUGUST 11TH, 2025

SPECIAL "HASTILY ASSEMBLED NOSTALIGIA" EPISODE!

1. Philosophy - Ben Folds Five
2. All You Wanna Do Is Dance - Billy Joel
3. Everybody Has a Dream (Cold Spring Harbor Sessions) - Billy Joel
4. December Theme (December Song) - Billy Joel
5. The Prime of Your Life (unreleased demo) - Billy Joel
6. The Longest Time - Billy Joel
7. Travelin' Prayer (Columbia Records Signing Day - June 26, 1973) - Billy Joel
8. What Deaner was Talkin' About - Ween
9. Freedom of '76 - Ween
10. Brazil - Geoff Muldaur
11. I Can't Put My Finger On It - The Housemartins
12. The Weekend Starts Here - Fatboy Slim
13. One of Each - Frankie Cosmos
14. Pressed Flower - Frankie Cosmos
15. One! Grey! Hair! - Frankie Cosmos
16. Thank You - Babe Rainbow
17. In a Sentimental Mood - Billy Joel

This episode features considerably more talking than usual. Sorry! Also, “The Stranger Promotional Montage” from the Billy Joel: And So It Goes documentary on HBO.

SEASON 22 EPISODE 5: JULY 7TH, 2025

1. Chlorine - Dayaway
2. Heaven on Earth - Pressyes
3. Blue Crystal Water - Pressyes
4. Stranglers - Miynt
5. Low-key - Miynt
6. Bones and All - Love Spells
7. I Can't Let You Go in This Life - Love Spells
8. Sleeping - Foxwarren
9. Say It - Foxwarren
10. Speed Freak - Youth Lagoon
11. Lucy Takes a Picture - Youth Lagoon
12. Look Up - The New Runes

This episode features a remembrance of legendary journalist and one of my personal favorites, Bill Moyers, who passed away at 91 earlier this month, by David Bianculli on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Publication of this episode was delayed by a couple of weeks due to a mishap. Better late than never!

SEASON 22 EPISODE 4

1. A Clean House - Dash Hammerstein
2. Athena - Born Ruffians
3. Can We Go Now - Born Ruffians
4. Aerial Troubles - Stereolab
5. Vermona F Transistor - Stereolab
6. Left Behind - Club 8
7. Sucker - Club 8
8. Closer to You - Club 8
9. Godzilla Rises - Being Dead
10. Big Bovine - Being Dead
11. Sally Go Round the Sun - Elephant Stone
12. Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin - Elephant Stone
13. Anhedonia - Mamalarky

This episode features a clip of Steven Bonnell (aka Destiny) addressing the reliable pattern of Trump defense “I haven’t heard about that” → “he’s joking” → “of course.”

SEASON 22 EPISODE 3

SPECIAL "COMEDY MUSIC" EPISODE!

1. The Check's in the Mail - "Weird Al" Yankovic
2. Foux Du Fafa - Flight of the Conchords
3. Carol Brown - Flight of the Conchords
4. You Don't Have to Be a Prostitute - Flight of the Conchords
5. Pregnant Women are Smug - Garfunkel and Oates
6. 29 / 31 - Garfunkel and Oates
7. In My Country - The Lemon Sisters
8. Natalie's Rap - The Lonely Island feat. Natalie Portman and Chris Parnell
9. The Scrotum Song - Asylum Street Spankers
10. Penis Song (Not the Noel Coward Song) - Monty Python
11. Sit on My Face - Monty Python
12. Keep on Churnin' - Wynonie Harris feat. Todd Rhodes Orchestra
13. I'm My Own Grandpa - The Muppets
14. Train to Morrow - The Country Trio
15. Problematic - Bo Burnham
16. Thank You God - Tim Minchin
17. One More Minute - "Weird Al" Yankovic

This episode features a couple of bonus songs, including “Goth Kid on Vacation” from a recent episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Jack Black, and one written by Louis CK for his show Louie called “The Diarrhea Song” performed by SweetPro and Giselle Bellas. Statler and Waldorf also make an appearance.

Season 22 Episode 2

1. Edibles - Foamboy
2. Washington DC - Zack Keim
3. Better Days - Zack Keim
4. Praise - Panda Bear
5. Ends Meet - Panda Bear
6. Midwinter Swimmers - The Innocence Mission
7. John Williams - The Innocence Mission
8. Pray to Me - Dyan
9. What Fiction Is For - Dyan
10. You Were the Ones I Had to Betray - Dean Wareham
11. The Cloud is Coming - Dean Wareham
12. Fine Day - cagedancr.

This episode features a clip from Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update in which Emil Wakim talks about American Patriotism in these trying times.

Season 22 Episode 1

1. Keep Your Light On - Hugo Brijs
2. Youth Fool - Twist
3. Payphone - Twist
4. Arthur Kill - Boyscott
5. Lima - Boyscott
6. Just Like Heaven - Richard Cheese
7. The Greatest - Richard Cheese
8. Kids Go Down (孩子们的时光) - Chinese American Bear
9. Yummy Yummy Yummy (好吃好吃) - Chinese American Bear
10. Rattlesnake - Rubblebucket
11. Morning Glory Blanket - Rubblebucket
12. Anyone Else But You - Rubblebucket

This episode features a tightly-edited-but-still-extended clip from a recent episode of Sam Harris' podcast Making Sense where he discusses the global catastrophe of Trump, by way of tariffs, grift, corruption, lunacy, and all the rest.

Season 21 Episode 19

SPECIAL "2024 ELECTION" EPISODE!

1. Love Me, I'm a Liberal - Jello Biafra & Mojo Nixon
2. Undecided Voters - Kiwi jr.
3. Election Day - Cheekface feat. Sidney Gish
4. Forecast Fascist Future - Of Montreal
5. The American War - Simone White
6. Freedom - Jenny Hval
7. Future - Cut Copy
8. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want - Francis Blume
9. Do Your Duty - Bobby Lounge
10. Baby, It's Time to Vote - Mad Tea Party
11. America - ØZWALD

This episode features several clips: Pete Buttigieg on the NYT Ezra Klein Show talking about people’s trust in government. Kamala Harris’ campaign debut ad: Freedom. Bill Maher talking about the young people who founded America and contrasting the US to her enemies who young people today seem to think are preferable. The AI-generated song “Fucking My Couch” by AI Larry Bob.

Season 21 Episode 18

EXTREMELY SPECIAL "PARENTHOOD" EPISODE!

1. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) - John Lennon
2. Baby's Baby's - Little Fevers
3. Before You Were Born - Bo and the Locomotive
4. The Gentle Preservation of Children's Minds - Irving
5. Море дерев (A Sea of ​​Trees) - SMURNO
6. Daddy - Haley
7. Father & Son - Dappled Cities
8. And Mom and Kid - They Might Be Giants
9. Reading Rainbow Theme Song - The Octopus Project feat. The Flaming Lips
10. Still Fighting It - Ben Folds
11. You Are My Baby - Kimya Dawson
12. Do You Realize?? - Sharon Van Etten
13. Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) - Billy Joel
14. White Lilacs - The Womenfolk

This episode features a clip from The Local's podcast Sweden in Focus where Richard Orange talks about the country's generous paternity leave and the effect it has on families. There's also a clip from Bill Maher's not-so-great podcast Club Random where Penn Jillette talks about evolutionary love for one's children. Nick Cave also reads a response he wrote to a fan who was concerned about bringing a child into the world in its current state on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. There are also birthday greetings to September babies from Tiktoker Soupy Garbage Juice (he’s released the full song but I didn’t realize it until too late to include the whole song on the show). And while not mentioned in the episode, I highly recommend Ric Burns' documentary about Ansel Adams.

Season 21 Episode 17

SPECIAL “ALL COVERS” EPISODE!

1. Strange Overtones - Whitney
2. You've Got a Woman - Natalie Bergman & Beck
3. Take Me Home, Country Roads - Lana Del Rey
4. Lovefool - Babeheaven
5. The Boys are Back in Town - The Cardigans
6. Best of My Love - Skeleten
7. Good Vibrations - The Black Angels
8. Sloop John B - Night Beats
9. All I Have to Do Is Dream - The Raveonettes
10. Will You Love Me Tomorrow - The Raveonettes
11. A Shot in the Dark - Combustible Edison
12. Such Great Heights - Ronobir Lahiri

This episode features a couple of clips from recent VP candidate Tim Walz contrasting his modest lifestyle to other political figures and talking about the Trump agenda vs. his and Kamala Harris’.

Season 21 Episode 16

1. Exercise Class - Rodney Cromwell
2. Havana Bay - Magon
3. Our Love is Real - Magon
4. Hard Erase - Worn-Tin
5. Joe & Ruth - Worn-Tin
6. Pendulum - Sports Coach
7. Infinity - Sports Coach
8. Dead Stars in your Eyes - The Reds, Pinks & Purples
9. Public Art - The Reds, Pinks & Purples
10. I-90 Bridge - Chastity Belt
11. Clock Keeps Ticking -Bonny Doon

This episode features a couple of clips from a really fun episode of Tyler Cowan’s podcast Conversations with Tyler. The guest is a favorite of mine, Paul Bloom, a psychologist who specializes in moral psychology, particularly in children. I pulled clips of them discussing at what age a child can truly believe in God, and another where they discuss the relative value of dogs, cats, pigs, and humans. The whole hour is great.