Completely Conspicuous

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February 2020
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Syndication

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss rock stars and aging.

Show notes:

- Recorded via Skype

- '90s butt rock is alive and well in New Hampshire

- Marlins will soar, according to Scott Stapp

- Commercial rock radio is dying

- In the mid-80s, rock radio was thriving in the Boston area

- Brian has satellite radio

- GNR/Smashing Pumpkins touring this summer

- The evolution of Sugar Ray's sound

- Mark McGrath is always working

- The Cameo economy

- Talking to musicians

- The ubiquity of Henry Rollins

- The musician deaths have always been plentiful

- 10 years ago, we lost Jay Reatard, Teddy Pendergrass, Doug Fieger, Mark Linkous, Alex Chilton, Malcolm McLaren, Dio

- So many big names in rock are getting older

- Eagles have continued to tour without Glenn Frey

- Surviving members of Nirvana have reunited for charity shows

- Rush will never play another show

- R.E.M. has never performed together since their breakup

- More fun with Cameo

- Don't wait to see a band you like

- Jay: Trying to see bands I haven't seen before

- Making up for lost time with some bands

- Some bands sound better than ever: Dino Jr., Ween

- Ozzy's looking pretty rough these days

- Some artists you don't want to see anymore

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts and anywhere else you get podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Direct download: CompCon_528_022520.mp3
Category:Completely Conspicuous -- posted at: 8:24pm EDT

I'm joined by guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss rock stars and aging.

Show notes:

- Recorded via Skype

- Brian's first appearance on the show in two years

- The rock deaths keep on hitting us hard

- Neil Peart's recent death was surprising and shocking

- Brian: Not a big Rush fan, but respected them

- A couple of really good documentaries about the band

- Rush followed their own path

- Andy Gill of Gang of Four kept touring and recording right until he died

- Big deaths that impacted us

- Jay: Peart, Gord Downie, Bowie, Prince, Tom Petty

- As a kid, remember Randy Rhoads, Bonham, Bon Scott, Keith Moon

- Later, Cobain and Layne Staley

- Tortured artist syndrome

- Meanwhile, the Stones keep chugging along

- Brian: McCartney is still amazing live into his 70s

- Neither of us has seen the Stones live

- Brian: Regret not seeing classic acts at least once

- Prince played crazy long shows

- Getting harder to stay out super late

- "Farewell tours" tend to often be false alarms

- A little more urgency to see certain artists who are older

- A lot of reunion tours these days: Jawbreaker, Hot Snakes, Jawbox, Hoodoo Gurus

- Will young artists today have the same longevity as the older artists now?

- Touring's the only way to make money these days

- Not even worth it for older acts to release new material now

- Radio won't play new music from legendary acts

- Classic rock fans don't want to hear new music, they just want the hits

- You know what you're getting from a new AC/DC record

- Many bands continue on after members die

- Replacing iconic singers with unknowns

- Alice in Chains has recharged their career somewhat post-Staley

- Sublime's singer/leader died before their big album came out

- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts and anywhere else you get podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Direct download: CompCon_527_021820.mp3
Category:Completely Conspicuous -- posted at: 7:11pm EDT

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the Grateful Dead album Go to Heaven.

Show notes:

- Recorded at CompCon world HQ

- The Dead transitioning into a new decade, the '80s

- Cover may have given fans the wrong idea

- Short outing at only 38 minutes

- One of the least favorite studio albums among Dead fans

- Phil: A real mish-mash

- Contractual obligation: Third studio album in four years

- AOR was getting big

- The Godchauxs were gone

- Brent Mydland brings a smooth Michael McDonald vibe that is off-putting

- Grateful Dead keyboard players : Spinal Tap drummers

- Some Dead classics on this album: Alabama Getaway, Althea

- Didn't make another studio album for seven years

- Jay might go see Dead & Co. with Phil at some point

- Phil: This is their second-worst album

- Lost Sailor doesn't work

- Three straight Weir/Barlow songs

- Saint of Circumstance could be an '80s sitcom theme song

- Bob Weir loves the short shorts

- Hey, we used to wear them, too

- Mickey Hart eventually got into world music

- Mydland's Easy to Love You could have been a pop hit

- Album ends with a rave-up cover of Don't Ease Me In

- Phil: In defense of U2's Zooropa

- When we next convene, we'll talk about late '80s Dead

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts and anywhere else you get podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Direct download: CompCon_526_021120.mp3
Category:Completely Conspicuous -- posted at: 8:08pm EDT

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the Grateful Dead album Shakedown Street.

Show notes:

- Recorded at CompCon world HQ

- First ep of the new decade

- Shakedown Street came out in '78

- Lots of musical stuff happening: Disco, punk, new wave, hard rock

- Disco wasn't as bad as everyone made it out to be

- Jay: No guilty pleasures: If you like it, you like it

- The Dead were coming off a triumphant '77

- This was a contractually obligated studio album

- Lots of influences thrown in: Funk, disco, African jazz, rock

- Met with savage reviews

- The version of "Good Lovin'" here pales in comparison to the live version, especially when Pigpen sang it

- The last album with Donna and Keith Godchaux

- Title track gets slagged as bad disco, but we dig it

- Shakedown Street is now the name of the merch area at Dead & Co. shows

- Pressure was on from Clive Davis for them to have hits

- This album was produced by Lowell George of Little Feat

- Seen as a disco album, but it's pretty diverse musically

- The Dead weren't a great studio band

- Mickey Hart stepped up with three songs

- Phil: "I Need a Miracle" might be the best song on the album

- "Stagger Lee"  has an interesting history; versions were covered by many different artists

- Jay: The Nick Cave version is the best, and the most profane

- Album was scattered because of different influences plus substances

- "All New Minglewood Blues" is a pretty rockin' cover

- Dead appeared on SNL that year

- Ends with a Garcia-Hunter love ballad that works

- Jay: Liked about half the songs on the album

- Next: 1980's Go to Heaven

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts and anywhere else you get podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Direct download: CompCon_525_020420.mp3
Category:Completely Conspicuous -- posted at: 7:09pm EDT

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