Completely Conspicuous

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March 2014
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Syndication

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1984. I've also got music from Nancy, Benjamin Shaw and The Men.

Show notes:

- Recorded via Skype

- Check out Brian's comics podcast The Hour Cosmic

- 1984: Brian was 2, Jay was 16

- A pivotal year for college/indie rock

- Husker Du, R.E.M., Minutemen, Meat Puppets, Replacements

- Aerosmith reformed, Yes bounced back

- Classic lineup of Deep Purple reunited

- The '80s wank guitar movement started with Yngwie Malmsteen

- Early days of hip hop, thrash

- Hair metal was emerging as a commercial force: Ratt, Twisted Sister, Dokken, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi

- Van Halen's 1984 was huge

- Eddie VH embraced synths

- The beginning of the end of the Roth era of VH

- MTV was a bigger hitmaker than radio

- The middle of a bad stretch for Paul McCartney

- Older artists rebounded: Kool and the Gang, Chicago, Stevie Wonder

- Miami Vice incorporated MTV-style techniques

- The video as movie trailer

- Death of Marvin Gaye

- Billy Squier's "Rock Me Tonite" debacle

- The negative power of a bad video

- Crappy solo work from Bowie, Billy Joel, Steve Perry

- Don Henley sucks

- The pop and marketing genius of Madonna

- Awesomely bad breakdance movies: Breakin', Body Rock, Beat Street

- Brian's albums outside top 5: Black Flag, Queen

- Jay: U2, The Cars, Rush, INXS, The Cult

- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

 

Music:

Nancy - I Want One

Benjamin Shaw - Goodbye, Kagoul World

The Men - Different Days

 

The Nancy song is on the album Nancy LP. Download the album for free at Bandcamp.

The Benjamin Shaw song is on the album Goodbye Cagoule World on Audio Antihero. Download the song for free at Soundcloud.

The song by The Men is on the album Tomorrow's Hits on Sacred Bones Records. Download the song for free at Soundcloud.

 

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Direct download: CompCon_321_032514.mp3
Category:Completely Conspicuous -- posted at: 7:24pm EDT

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss whether the world is getting dumber. I've also got music from Johnny Foreigner, Spray Paint and Pampers.

Show notes:

- Guy got fired after calling in sick and then posting video on YouTube

- Another guy made it with a cow and had a buddy film it

- Reality TV rewards dumbasses

- It's a lazy Buzzfeed world

- Beard transplants? Really?

- Pre-ripped jeans

- There's still good rock music out there

- In praise of Mark Knopfler

- Bravo, dude who came up with Shit My Dad Says

- Medical bills are obscene

- Selling your old junk

- The bottom fell out of the sports card market

- We fall for stupid memes designed to rile people up

- Outrage culture

- We're all dumb

 

Music:

Johnny Foreigner - Stop Talking About Ghosts

Spray Paint - Spock Fingers

Pampers - Guts

 

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The Johnny Foreigner song is on the album You Can Do Better on Alcopop! Records. Download the song for free at Bandcamp.

The Spray Paint and Pampers songs were recorded live on the Cherry Blossom Clinic on WFMU. Download the songs for free at Free Music Archive.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Direct download: CompCon_320_031814.mp3
Category:Completely Conspicuous -- posted at: 8:04pm EDT

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss whether the world is getting dumber. I've also got music from Cloud Nothings, Eagulls and The So So Glos.

Show notes:

- There are studies that claim humans are getting dumber

- Our IQs are supposedly dropping

- We rely on smartphones for a lot of information

- We're cramming so much info in our heads

- Smart TV: True Detective did it right

- Disney Channel sitcoms hark back to hacky TV crap of the '70s

- Movie industry favors bigger, louder, dumber

- Sometimes it's good to watch dumb stuff

- Anonymous online comments are a prime source for idiocy

- Wasting time online is so easy

- People are so self-involved

- Reality TV is a haven for dummies

- People will do anything to get on TV

- The Onion keeps fooling people

- Beauty pageants

- Our ability to self-incriminate


Music:

Cloud Nothings - I'm Not Part of Me

Eagulls - Possessed

The So So Glos - Lost Weekend

 

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The Cloud Nothings song is on the album Here and Nowhere Else on Carpark Records. The Eagulls song is on the band's self-titled album on Partisan Records. The So So Glos song is on the album Blowout on Votiv Records. Download all three songs for free at NPR.org.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Direct download: CompCon_319_031114.mp3
Category:Completely Conspicuous -- posted at: 9:06pm EDT

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we examine music from a couple of forgotten artists from the 1970s. I've also got music from Ovlov, Palehound and Baked.

Show notes:

- Recorded in late January at More Lost Time world HQ

- Edward Bear's prom song

- They were better when they stuck to guitar rock

- Band radically changed their sound

- Ric breaks out a 1971 single by Tom Hartman, formerly of the Aerovons

- Hartman and band when to England because of the Beatles

- Strong resemblance to Sloan's Navy Blues sound

- Ric's tips for finding good vinyl at flea markets

- Aerovons had a serious Beatles fixation

- Very McCartney-esque

- Produced by none other than Mike Post

- Ebay's a good way to get rare vinyl

 

Music:

Ovlov - Moth Rock

Palehound - Holiest

Baked - Danelectroladyland

 

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The Ovlov song is on the album am. The Palehound song is on the Kitchen 7-inch. The Baked song is on the EP S/T Cassette. Download all three songs for free (in exchange for your email address) as part of Exploding in Sound's EIS Sampler 2013-2014 on Bandcamp.

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Direct download: CompCon_318_030414.mp3
Category:Completely Conspicuous -- posted at: 5:29pm EDT

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