Completely Conspicuous

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Lewandowski as we discuss his latest bold career move. I've also got music from School of Seven Bells, Sadie Dupuis and Dead Stars. Show notes: - Recorded at BGL HQ - Momentous life decision - BL was working as a web guy at a Boston hospital - Commuted four hours each day - Didn't get promotion and decided to quit - BL: I just hated what I did - Haven't felt urgency to find something new - JK: Got a job right out of college and never stopped - Taking chances - BL: Played it safe early on and missed out on working on MTV's The Real World - Getting encouragement from friends not many kindred spirits - Layoffs are a different thing entirely - Going back to a job you left - The very brief heyday of CMGI - The ever-changing world of venue names - BL: Need to figure out next move by February - Commute is a huge factor - Cramming into crowded trains gets old fast - BL's been doing standup part-time the last few years - Hosting a standup show that's growing slo

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2013. I've also got music from Speedy Ortiz, Mudhoney and METZ. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ - JB's #1 - Speedy Ortiz jumped to Carpark Records - Sadie Dupuis is an actual poet - JK's #1 - Queens of the Stone Age went to interesting places on ...Like Clockwork - Matador's first #1 record - Favorite live shows - JB saw Lilys in a tiny venue - Whirr and Nothing at Great Scott made Breitling's brain shake - Krill, Speedy Ortiz record release shows - Saw Soccer Mom several times - JK: Golden Gurls, Soccer Mom and Reports at TT's - Clicky Clicky benefit was great - Saw Titus Andronicus twice - Obits and Pile at TT's - Just got ticket for Rocket From the Crypt reunion show in April - Mission of Burma and Reports at the Sinclair - JK: Vinyl continued to make comeback - JB: The reality of YouTube as a legit streaming music service - No sympathy for the record industry - We're in a pop-driven era - No

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2013. I've also got music from Los Campesinos!, Superchunk and Krill. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ - JK's #6 - New Bowie album was kept secret until it came out - Cover art's either brilliant or lazy...or both - JB's #5 - Los Campesinos! perserveres through lineup changes - JK's #5 - The Chunk keeps bringing the rock - Jon Wurster's the busiest guy in rock - R.I.P., The Best Show on WFMU - JB's #4 - The long-awaited MBV album - Getting the album was a chore - Kevin Shields took his time - JK's #4 - Strong leap forward for Speedy Ortiz - New EP on the way - Memories of Epitonic - JB's #3 - Veronica Falls' album sounds like a singles comp - JK's #3 - Back to Philly with Kurt Vile - Vile was a frequent guest on The Best Show - JK's #2 - Krill first released album on USB stick in ball of mozzarella - JB: My default setting is to hate everything - JK's #2 - Arctic Monkeys' sound has evolved - Wen

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2013. I've also got music from Guillermo Sexo, Calories and Savages. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ - Breitling's working on a new catchphrase - Zeppelin's on Spotify - Brought to you (not really) by Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale - When did year-end lists begin? - Breitling: Listen to Bandcamp and Soundcloud all day - Olive the dog nearly causes technical difficulties - JB's albums that just missed his top 10: It Hugs Back, Bent Shapes, Kal Marks, Slowdim - JK's bubbling under albums: Iceage, Diarrhea Planet, Deer Tick, Swearin', Mudhoney, YLT - JB's #10 - Joey Sweeney's second solo album - JK's #10 - Great return to form for Barrence Whitfield - JB's 9 - Guillermo Sexo album was picked up by Midriff Records - JK's #9 and JB's #8 are the same - Ovlov plays the hot rock - Exploding in Sound label had a monster year - Music scene in the Boston area is terrific right now - JK's #8 - Future of the Le

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1980. I've also got music from Shy Boys, Dog Day and PUP. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Jay's #3 - Bowie's last great album? - Jay: Tin Machine was an interesting experiment - Brian's #2 - Sandinista! is a bloated, but great, album - The Clash went to great lengths to keep price down - A little better than Extreme's triple album - A case study of success going to a band's 'head' - TV theme producer Mike Post produced VH III - Jay's #2 pick is Brian's #1 - Brian: "Once in a Lifetime" is one of the stranger smash hits of all time - Great albums created after a serious case of writer's block - Jay's #1 - Pretenders debut is flawless - Band only formed two years earlier - Half the band was dead within three years - Crappy recording techniques hadn't started yet in 1980 - Next up: 1998   Music: Shy Boys - Is This Who You Are Dog Day - Wasted PUP - Reservoir   Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1980. I've also got music from The Harmonica Lewinskies, Idiot Genes and Tame Impala. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Roller disco was once a thing - Brian: Mainstream American rock was in a slump - Just missed Brian's top 5: Queen's The Game - Lennon's Double Fantasy and McCartney II - The legend of Linda - Peter Gabriel's Melt, the debut of the Lounge Lizards - Jay: Blizzard of Ozz, Permanent Waves, Heaven and Hell, Empty Glass - Townshend's writing style had changed - Max Webster's Universal Juveniles - Band combined Rush and Zappa influences - 1980 was one of four years in Zappa's recording career he didn't release an album - Brian's #5 - Pretenders' debut was amazing - Jay's #5 - Back in Black was surprising given Bon Scott's death months earlier - The expanding umbrella of classic rock - Brian's #4 - Ozzy's solo debut reinvented his image - Singers who don't write lyrics - Jay's #4 - Jay: Melt is my favorit

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1980. I've also got music from Calories, Shearwater and Mark Kozelek. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Brian: 1980 was a much better year for music than our last choice, '87 - Jay: Was living in Toronto in '80 - Brian: Was -2 years old, but really dig the music of 1980 - Jay: New wave and post-punk really came into their own: B-52s, Talking Heads, U2, Pretenders - Brian: Arena rock bands like Queen and Rush took different paths - New sounds on the radio - Brian: Guitar rock was strong with VH, Ozzy, Sabbath, AC/DC - Poor Bob Daisley - New Wave of British Heavy Metal: Maiden, Leppard, Motorhead all influenced thrash scene that emerged a few years later - Worst musical moments: Wuss rock like Christopher Cross and Air Supply thrived - Brian: Blues Brothers movie came out - Put spotlight on music that was considered unhip at the time - Early hip-hop in the mainstream: Kurtis Blow, Blondie's "Rapture," Sugarhill Gang's

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we discuss a pair of 1970s hitmakers. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from Little Big League, Soft Focus, Idiot Genes and Wavves. Show notes: - Recorded at More Lost Time world HQ - "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" - Tony Orlando and Dawn got their own variety show - Telma Hopkins of Dawn went on to appear in several sitcoms - Renewed popularity during Gulf War - Actually about coming home from prison - Was "Knock Three Times" a swingers' anthem? - By the late '70s, Tony Orlando was forgotten - "He Don't Love You" was another big hit - In praise of KC and the Sunshine Band - Tales of KC's pratfall in Vegas - "Please Don't Go" was a major hit for KC - "I'm Your Boogie Man" was funky, great stuff - Learning about music as a kid in the '70s - Young Ric saw the Sex Pistols on Howard Cosell's "Saturday Night Live" - Good bands played on "Fridays" on ABC - Dick Clark was a brilliant businessman, not necessarily a music lover - Check out

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we discuss an unlikely number one single from 1973. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from Pixies, Quasi, The Julie Ruin and Ghost Wave. Show notes: - Recorded at More Lost Time world HQ - Talking about Vicki Lawrence's "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" - We forgot to watch the movie - This was her only hit - Written by Bobby Russell - Lawrence was already a regular on The Carol Burnett Show - Later starred in Mama's Family and her own talk show - Very confusing story song about murder and infidelity - Song was offered to Cher but Sonny Bono nixed it - Later covered by Reba McEntire - Ric: Should've been an animated movie with animals - Revenge and death throughout - We're confused - Casey Kasem would've been annoyed - Bobby Russell had two top 40 songs of his own - "1432 Franklin Pike Circle Hero" hit #36 - Could've used an oompah band - Satire on suburban life - "Saturday Morning Confusioon" got up to #28 in 1971 - Merging Charlie Rich

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss horror flicks and rooting for the bad guy. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from Fu Manchu, Pissed Jeans and JEFF the Brotherhood. Show notes: - Movies we watched before we were ready - Jay: Psycho at age 8 - Matt: Monster movies always freaked him out - The reinvention of Jackie Earle Haley - Swamp Thing vs. Man-Thing - Sympathizing with unsympathetic characters - Liam Neeson is the new Charles Bronson - Watch out for giant deformed hillbillies - Cool TV shows that didn't last long - American Horror Story is pretty wacky - Bates Motel is good - Rooting for the charismatic bad guy: Tony Soprano, Vic Mackey, Loki - Bad guy roles are more fun to play - Watching crappy movies like 2012 - Amazing acting on In Treatment - The varied and great career of the Coen Brothers - Cormac McCarthy, horror writer? - Stephen King keeps adding to old books - Matt wearing clown makeup freaks people out - People like to be scared - Boneh

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss Halloween and horror flicks. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from Dead Meadow, The Cloud Room and The Beatings. Show notes: - Salem, Mass., is Halloween Central - Just a straight-out fun holiday - Can be frustrating for those who live in Salem - Old-school newspaper pro-tip: Keep booze in yer desk - "Write drunk, edit sober" - As a kid, Matt was excited to dress up on Halloween - Jay: All about the candy - In NH, rural location meant we didn't have trick-or-treaters - Don't get that many now - Matt's costumes over the years: Robin, Julius Caesar - Jay: Moses, Don King, Bootsy Collins - Matt has a Batman mask this year - When kids are scared of your costume - Enjoyed Halloween more as an adult - The Lunchlady and the Flasher - Scary movies are fun - Matt: Blair Witch had a great gimmick, not a great story - So much more scary watching movies by yourself - Matt: The Saw movies are terrible, but creepy - Zombie movies ar

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss benefit concerts. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from The So So Glos, Grooms, Black Hearted Brother and Slowdim. Show notes: - Recorded at Casa Breitling before a live studio audience - Breitling's hosting the 2nd annual Community Servings benefit show on Nov. 3 at TT the Bears in Cambridge, Mass. - Featuring K. Heasley of Lilys, Soccer Mom, The Hush Now and Earthquake Party - Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz will provide DJ sets - Providing meals to the chronically ill - Roger Waters held huge benefit show in Berlin in 1990 - Breitling was in Germany at the time - The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert was huge in '92 - Two big post-9/11 concerts in NYC - SARS benefit concert in 2003 was the biggest show in Canadian history, with the Stones, AC/DC, Rush - Live 8 in 2005 was actually eight concerts in eight cities on the same day - Pink Floyd reunited with Waters - Did benefits have more impact in the past? - Increased capac

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss the benefit concert he's organizing. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from Shearwater, Deer Tick, FIDLAR and Come. Show notes: - Recorded at Casa Breitling before a live studio audience - Breitling's hosting the 2nd annual Community Servings benefit show on Nov. 3 at TT the Bears in Cambridge, Mass. - Featuring K. Heasley of Lilys, Soccer Mom, The Hush Now and Earthquake Party - Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz will provide DJ sets - Olive sniffs the recorder - Get tickets now - Providing meals to the chronically ill - Last year's event featured Johnny Foreigner - Rock benefits have been happening for decades - They seem less impactful now - Live Aid was a huge event in 1985 with shows in Philly and London - Controversy over charity administration - The Concert for Bangaldesh in '71 was the first big charity concert - The Secret Policeman's Ball was run by Amnesty International - Sting's Rock for the Rainforest benefit has b

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1987. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from Sebadoh, The Men and The Besnard Lakes. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Jay's #2 album of '87: The Cult's Electric - Used to crank it while working supermarket night shifts - Brian's #2: R.E.M.'s Document - Mike Mills is the band's secret weapon - R.E.M. was burdened by U2 comparisons - Stipe and Mills formed Automatic Baby with U2's Clayton and Mullen - Jay's #1: GNR's Appetite for Destruction - Paved the way for rawer hard rock - Brian's #1: Pixies' Come On Pilgrim EP - New Pixies is okay but nowhere near the old one - Teenage metalhead Jay also dug Joe Satriani's Surfing With the Alien - Enjoying That Metal Show - Terrible moments in '87 music - Jay: Bruce Willis releases an album - Brian: Pink Floyd's post-Waters output - "That's What Friends Are For" - Jay: Terrible movie soundtrack music, like Bob Seger's "Shakedown" - "Shakedown" was nominated for a

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1987. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from Okkervil River, Beachwood Sparks and Midlake. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Brian: Birth of the cassingle - Inexpensive way to buy singles, B-sides - Brian: Collecting 45s for a jukebox - Jay: 1987 was big for female pop artists - Madonna, Bangles, Belinda Carlisle, Lisa Lisa, Heart - Older songs like "Stand By Me" were re-released - Young Brian bought his first album in '87: The Monkees' Greatest Hits - New Monkees TV show came and went - Jay: Made two top 5 album lists, Then and Now - Jay: Then list (#5 to #1): Def Leppard's Hysteria, INXS's Kick, Cult's Electric, Whitesnake's s/t and U2's Joshua Tree - Whitesnake was the hard rock version of Ringo Starr's All Starr Band - Brian's #5: George Harrison's Cloud Nine, despite Jeff Lynne's heavy handed production - Jay's #5: Husker Du's Warehouse, not their best but still pretty great - Incredible run of al

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1987. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from Guillermo Sexo, Natural Velvet and Speedy Ortiz. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Different perspectives: Brian was 5 in 1987, Jay was in college - Brian: The impact of La Bamba, movie about Richie Valens - Kicked off a roots rock revival - Jay: Big year for alternative rock - Breakout year for R.E.M., The Cure, The Cult - Jay: Making the transition from metalhead to alt-rock fan - No regional radio anymore - Brian: CDs started catching on, especially when Beatles catalog was released - CDs provided definitive versions of albums - Became easier to make mixtapes - Jay: Huge year for U2 with The Joshua Tree - Landing tickets for U2 in '87 was no easy feat - Brian: GNR's Appetite for Destruction actually paved the way for hair metal's demise - Harked back to sleazier sounds of '70s garage rock - Jane's Addiction seemed dangerous back then - Guitar music was movi

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we discuss actors turned singers. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from Sebadoh, Mind Spiders and Diarrhea Planet. Show notes: - Recorded at More Lost Time world HQ - John Travolta's music career was dragged out over three albums - "All Strung Out on You" could've been a Velvet Underground outtake - Co-writer Nino Tempo had an illustrious acting career as an extra - Burt Reynolds made an album in '73 - Burt reads from his childhood diary - Ric serves up crap on my podcast, not his - Adam West's novelty record - Other actors who made albums: Telly Savalas, Ted Knight - Plenty of musicians who became actors: Kris Kristofferson, Jagger, Bowie - Mark Wahlberg and Justin Timberlake have done well as actors - Actors turned musicians: Kevin Bacon, Bruce Willis, Keanu Reeves, Russell Crowe, Steven Seagal, Don Johnson - Rick James produced Eddie Murphy's "Party All the Time" - Eddie had already moved from comedian to movie star - In "Boogie Nights,

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we discuss actor-turned-singer David Soul's massive 1977 hit song. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from Mean Creek, Los Campesinos and Shearwater. Show notes: - Recorded at More Lost Time world HQ - David Soul, aka Hutch from "Starsky and Hutch," just turned 70 - "Don't Give Up on Us" hit #1 in April 1977 - Soul started out as a folk singer - "Don't Give Up on Us" in the same vein as wuss rock by Bread, Dan Hill, Manilow - Ric: Soul was on Private Stock Records, which churned out pop hits - Label run by Larry Uttal, who was previously a hitmaker for Bell Records - Private Stock master tapes were all lost after label went bankrupt - Soul just had the one hit - The B-side was weird song called "Black Bean Soup" that sounded like old Robert Palmer - John Travolta was another actor with a record deal in the '70s - Travolta was a teen idol after "Welcome Back, Kotter" and "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble"; pre-Saturday Night Fever and Grease - Bi

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss our society's obsession with the apocalypse. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from Marnie Stern, The Superman Revenge Squad Band, Radstewart and Thee Oh Sees. Show notes: - Recorded at Chez Phillion - Neil Gaiman's American Gods may someday become an HBO series - Seven stories keep getting retold - When authors can't finish their series - John Irving writes last line of a novel first - Writing novels vs. screenplays - Barrier to entry in moviemaking was cost of film, with books was publishing - Now you can self-publish online - Matt's film Certainly Never was screened at Massachusetts Independent Film Festival - The satisfaction of slamming down a phone is gone - Fun at the Boston "Nerd Prom," aka ComiCon - Nerds rule the world - Why does The Hobbit require a movie trilogy? - When reality and satire are easily confused - Outrage-powered culture - Viagra has created an army of horny geezers - Hopefully we won't have to

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss our society's obsession with the apocalypse. I've also got the Bonehead of the Week and music from Nine Inch Nails, Obits, Girls Against Boys and Wavves. Show notes: - Recorded at Chez Phillion - Obsessing over the end of the world is nothing new - Harold Camping boldly predicted the end date in 2011...twice - Heaven's Gate cult committed mass suicide in '97 - Kirk Cameron and the Rapture - Recent apocalyptic movies include This is the End and Pacific Rim - Disaster movies have done big business for decades - Matt's dog doesn't dig doomsday discussion - Zombies are all the rage - Matt recommends Peter Heller's post-apocalyptic thriller "The Dog Stars" - Matt: Are all our best stories about the end of the world? - In the '80s, fears of nuclear annihilation - Lots of crazy natural disasters happening - Fears of a virus wiping out mankind - Stephen King's "The Stand" explored these issues in '78 - Japanese monster movies came after the A-