Tonight's Musical Guest, Today

Garage Rock. Indie Sleaze. Electronic Dance Pop. This Brooklyn trio has done it all across a surprisingly long career, out lasting almost all of their early 2000s NYC contemporaries. It's YEAH YEAH YEAHS week!

Joining the show this week is Boston-based musician Matt Ozelius! As drummers for him in recent years, Matt weighs in on the great debate over who is better behind the kit-Jon or Alex-before diving into the theatrical TV appearances of Karen O and co! The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are on Letterman a lot, and unfortunately Dave is a weird creep for over a decade. A garden-themed performance of "Maps" on the MTV Movie Awards is equally pretty and impressive. A broadway choir backs up the band in 2013, and Karen sings on top of molten lava nine years later on Kimmel.

Want to watch along with us? Check out the links below for the performances discussed this week!

Date with the Night, 6/26/2003 on The Late Show with David Letterman

Maps, 6/5/2004 on The MTV Movie Awards

Gold Lion, 3/29/2006 on The Late Show with David Letterman

Down Boy, 7/26/2007 on The Late Show with David Letterman

Zero, 4/14/2009 on The Late Show with David Letterman

Sacrilege, 4/5/2013 on The Late Show with David Letterman

Burning, 9/29/2022 on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Inarguably the biggest and most successful band of the grunge era, they persisted while others could not. They fought the man at every turn, did it their way, and are an undeniable live juggernaut. It's PEARL JAM week!

Joining the show as our second-ever returning guest is show promoter and pod-favorite Ryan Agate aka Ryan the Terrible! Back to back performances on SNL capture the big early moments of Pearl Jam, including a super rare 3-song stint a week after the death of Kurt Cobain. David Letterman can't get Black out of his head, has the band on his show multiple times, and ultimately inducts them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Jeff Ament wears lots of hats. And Ryan and the guys somehow watch multiple movies and tv series during the record.

Want to watch along with us? Check out the links below for the performances discussed this week!

Alive/Porch, 4/11/1992 on Saturday Night Live

Not For You/Rearviewmirror/Daughter, 4/16/1994 on Saturday Night Live

Hail Hail, 9/20/1996 on The Late Show with David Letterman

Wishlist, 5/1/1998 on The Late Show with David Letterman

World Wide Suicide/Severed Hand/Alive, 5/6/2006 on Later...with Jools Holland

Alive/Given to Fly/Better Man/Rockin' in the Free World, 4/7/2017 on The Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

They're quietly one of the most successful bands of the 90s, selling over 50 million records over the course of their career. Dominating the softer side of alt-rock radio, they took over America out of nowhere as the biggest Irish band since U2. It's THE CRANBERRIES week!

We begin this week with two very different performances of "Dreams" and "Linger" on the Irish late night show Kenny Live, with the two clips 9 months apart across 1993. The album No Need to Argue is a massive hit and the group shows it off with a dirgy performance of "Zombie" on SNL. The Cranberries burn out hard by 1996, and a clip on the MTV VMA's makes that pretty clear. And we discuss the unique global superstardom of the late great Dolores O'Riordan, exemplified by our first clip ever from the Annual Vatican Christmas Concert in 2001 hosted by da pope!

Want to watch along with us? Check out the links below for the performances discussed this week!

Dreams, 3/6/1993 on Kenny Live

Linger, 12/18/1993 on Kenny Live

Zombie/Ode to My Family, 2/25/1995 on Saturday Night Live

Salvation, 9/4/1996 on the MTV Video Music Awards

Promises (11:15 mark), 4/26/1999 on The Late Show with David Letterman

Analyse/Panis Angelicus/Little Drummer Boy/Silent Night, 12/24/2001 on the 9th Annual Vatican Christmas Concert

Tomorrow, 2/7/2012 on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

They were cool looking boys from the large apple. Leaders of a NYC and retro guitar rock revival, they wrote two of the catchiest and most memorable records of the early 2000s. Was that it? It's THE STROKES week!

The Strokes make their network TV debut on Conan with a perfect sounding rendition of "The Modern Age". An early performance on SNL with a dreamy Julian Casablancas propels the band up the charts. We have our first ever Late Night TV show residency, with The Strokes performing Room on Fire songs every Tuesday in November 2003 on Conan. A return to SNL in 2006 does not go as well as the first time. The band makes multiple comeback attempts, some better than others. And Fabrizio Moretti wears lot of red shirts.

Want to watch along with us? Check out the links below for the performances discussed this week!

The Modern Age, 11/1/2001 on Late Night with Conan O'Brien

Last Nite/Hard to Explain, 1/19/2002 on Saturday Night Live

Reptilia/Whatever Happened/Under Control/I Can't Win, November 2003 on Late Night with Conan O'Brien

Juicebox/You Only Live Once, 1/21/2006 on Saturday Night Live

Under the Cover of Darkness/Life is Simple in the Moonlight, 3/5/2011 on Saturday Night Live

The Adults are Talking/Bad Decisions, 10/31/2020 on Saturday Night Live

They came from the heartland to destroy us all. More brutal death metal than nu, maggots from every corner of America rejoiced at their one-of-a-kind stage show, technical precision, and devil-fueled aggression. It's SLIPKNOT week!

The guys explore the incredible backstory, lore, and turmoil of one of the most visually arresting bands the show has ever discussed. Slipknot make their UK television debut on TFI Friday, destroying cameras in the process. A 2001 Conan performance of "The Heretic Anthem" is potentially the peak of civilization. The show bends the rules in order to talk about Mistress Juliya from Uranium on Fuse TV, and it's badass. And later era clips on Kimmel show a band stretching their boundaries, for good and bad.

Want to watch along with us? Check out the links below for the performances discussed this week!

Wait and Bleed, 3/3/2000 on TFI Friday

The Heretic Anthem, 8/10/2001 on Late Night with Conan O'Brien

Duality/The Blister Exists (16:00 mark), 7/30/2004 on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

N/A, 3/5/2005 on Uranium on Fuse TV

Snuff/Psychosocial, 10/30/2009 on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Unsainted/All Out Life, 5/27/2019 on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

They exploded onto the 90s Britpop scene with fresh faces and clean teeth. Steven Spielberg wanted to turn them into the next Monkees. Instead, this UK phenomenon eschewed America and just did it their way. It's SUPERGRASS week!

Joining the show is a long-time musical hero of Alex and Jon: lead singer and guitarist of the legendary Boston-based band Piebald, Travis Shettel! The guys and Travis talk through the past and present of Piebald before breaking down the unique and winding career path of Supergrass. Gaz Coombes and co. bus in all their Oxford buds for their TV debut on The Word. Ray Cokes of MTV Europe has the band flush a smashed watch down a toilet in between peformances of the big 'I Should Coco' hits. And Jonathan Ross returns to the show to the dismay of all involved. Plus the debut of "Chunk, Drag, or Grass?"!

Want to watch along with us? Check out the links below for the performances discussed this week!

Mansize Rooster, 2/10/1995 on The Word UK

Ray Tripper/Alright/Caught by the Fuzz, 7/11/1995 on MTV Europe's Most Wanted with Ray Cokes

Going Out, 3/11/1996 on TFI Friday

Moving/Mary/Faraway, 11/28/1999 on Later...with Jools Holland

Rush Hour Soul, 12/6/2002 on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross

St. Petersburg, 9/25/2005 on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

She holds eye-popping album sale records, ushered a whole new style of pop music into the mainstream, and did it all as a socially conscious black woman in conservative white America. But one TV performance clouded all of it. It's JANET JACKSON week!

Joining the show this week to help uncloud that cultural memory is music journalist Robby Seabrook III! Robby and the guys discuss Janet's early Jackson family life and mall pop career, including an American Bandstand clip featuring a creepy Dick Clark. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis change the game with Janet on Control and perform with her on the Grammys. Janet takes over the pop world, to the point MTV dedicates its entire 1993 New Year's Eve programming to her. And we return to the Super Bowl for a clip that changes everything about TV musical guest performances forever.

Want to watch along with us? Check out the links below for the performances discussed this week!

Young Love/Come Give Your Love to Me, 10/30/1982 on American Bandstand

What Have You Done for Me Lately?, 2/24/1987 on The Grammy Awards

Miss You Much/Rhythm Nation, 11/17/1989 on Peter's Pop Show

Because of Love, 12/31/1993 on MTV Janet's New Year's Eve Jam

The Way You Move" (Spirit of Houston and Ocean of Soul marching bands)/All for You(Janet Jackson)/Bad Boy for Life(P. Diddy)/Diddy to the tune of "Mickey"/Hot in Herre(Nelly)/Mo Money Mo Problems(P. Diddy)/Bawitdaba(Kid Rock)/Cowboy(Kid Rock)/Rhythm Nation(Janet Jackson)/Rock Your Body(Justin Timberlake with Janet Jackson), 2/1/2004 on The Super Bowl

Nasty/Throb, 5/20/2018 on The Billboard Awards

Ill-conceived. Unnecessary. Over the top. No, not this podcast, but rather the topic at hand for our third-ever Grab Bag episode: SUPERGROUPS!

Mr. Big brings together middling hair metal pros to create the "cordless-electric-hand-drill genre of rock guitar". The Backbeat Band featuring Greg Dulli, Mike Mills, and Dave Grohl performs one time and one time only. We talk Oysterhead again because why not. Velvet Revolver combines the washed-up power of Slash with the shirtless prowess of Scott Weiland. Tinted Windows has Taylor Hanson singing over Fountains of Wayne songs backed by Cheap Trick’s drummer. Chickenfoot is a band that exists for some reason and we talk about them. And boygenius revives the supergroup to actual positive ends.

Want to watch along with us? Check out the links below for the performances discussed this week.

Mr. Big, Just Take my Heart/Daddy Brother Lover Little Boy (The Electric Drill Song), 6/2/1992 on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

The Backbeat Band, Money/Long Tall Sally/Helter Skelter, 6/4/1994 on The MTV Movie Awards

Oysterheard, Oz is Ever Floating, 11/15/2001 on Late Night with Conan O'Brien

Velvet Revolver, Dirty Little Thing, 4/7/2005 on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Tinted Windows, Kind of a Girl, 4/21/2009 on The Late Show with David Letterman

Chickenfoot, Sexy Little Thing, 11/7/2009 on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

boygenius, Not Strong Enough/Satanist, 11/11/2023 on Saturday Night Live

One-hit wonder? Yes. Decade-spanning mythology rooted in the ethos of societal and human genome collapse? Also yes. Fortune-tellers, DIY punk legends, new wave heroes? Yes, yes, and yes. It's DEVO week!

Joining the show as the first entrant into the two-timers guest club is TMGT theme song creator and best friend of the pod Kenny! The spuds from Ohio get their big break on SNL in 1978 and do not disappoint with a wild national TV debut. Whip It takes over America two years later, captured by a lip-synced performance on The Mike Douglas Show. Devo stays in the cultural conversation with performances on Fridays and Letterman, with diminishing returns. And a 2010 comeback clip has Regis Philbin asking the all important question: what does Devo stand for?

Want to watch along with us? Check out the links below for the performances discussed this week!

Satisfaction (20:08 mark)/Jocko Homo (1:01:24 mark), 10/14/1978 on Saturday Night Live

Secret Agent Man/Blockhead/Uncontrollable Urge/Mongoloid, 10/2/1979 on Don Kirschner's Rock Concert

Whip It, 9/3/1980 on The Mike Douglas Show

Nutra Theme-Jerkin' Back 'n Forth/I Saw Jesus-Through Being Cool/Working in the Coal Mine, 10/9/1081 on Fridays

That's Good, 11/18/1982 on Late Night with David Letterman

Fresh/Whip It, 6/18/2010 on Live with Regis and Kelly

In just 4 year's time, he created the modern version of American rock music and reinvented the guitar. And broke the brains of whoever saw him do it. It's JIMI HENDRIX week!

Jimi breaks through on the southern Chitlin' circuit with his first ever TV appearance backing up Buddy & Stacey on Nashville's Night Train in 1965. The Jimi Hendrix Experience immediately explodes in the UK and Europe with performances on Germany's Beat! Beat! Beat! and Sweden's Popside. Jimi gets banned from the BBC when he refuses to sing Hey Joe with Lulu. And Jimi makes his American network TV debut with appearances on The Dick Cavett Show right before and after his era-defining appearance at Woodstock.

Want to watch along with us? Check out the links below for the performances discussed this week!

Shotgun backing up Buddy & Stacey, July 1965 on Night Train

Stone Free/Hey Joe/Purple Haze, 5/18/1967 on Beat! Beat! Beat!

The Wind Cries Mary/Purple Haze, 5/24/1967 on Popside Stockholm

Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)/Hey Joe/Sunshine of Your Love, 1/5/1969 on BBC's Happening for Lulu

Hear My Train a Comin' (1:19:43 mark), 7/7/1969 on The Dick Cavett Show

Izabella/Machine Gun (1:31:23 mark), 9/9/1969 on The Dick Cavett Show