Completely Conspicuous
614 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsQuality podcastification since 2006.
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Episodes
Completely Conspicuous 482: Runnin' Down a Dream
December 19, 2017 02:16 - 55 minutes - 51.1 MBPart 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about the year in indie rock. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ - Eighth annual year in review - Rock isn't part of the top 40 conversation anymore - Apple is going to stop selling downloads and iPods - Music as a service - Does higher quality audio really matter? - People who died - Pat DiNizio recently passed; the Smithereens had a fine career - Other notable deaths: Petty, Downie, Cornell, Berry, Domino, A...
Completely Conspicuous 481: Dig for Fire (Solo Beatles-Living Colour, Part 1)
December 12, 2017 01:52 - 50 minutes - 45.8 MBThis week, it's part 1 of my discussion with Brian Salvatore about musical blindspots with Brian listening to Living Colour while I dig into early solo Beatles records. Show notes: - Brian listened to Vivid, Jay listened to John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - Adventures in Skype - Jay: Wasn't familiar with much of this album - Very raw, exposed album for Lennon - Lennon didn't release many albums before he died - Yoko plays "the wind" - Embarrassment of riches after Beatles broke up...
Completely Conspicuous 480: Lost But Not Forgotten
November 17, 2017 14:38 - 40 minutes - 37 MBThis week, it's part 2 of my discussion with Phil Stacey about how we deal with losing musicians we love. Show notes: - Replacing a beloved band member is tough - Tom Petty's legacy - Steely Dan's interesting catalog - The problem with hearing the same songs over and over - The lighter side of Prince - Prince's prolific later years - A master of any style - Jay: Downie's loss hits harder now because I'm around the same age - Making the most of your last years on Earth - ...
Completely Conspicuous 479: Gone Too Soon
November 10, 2017 23:42 - 42 minutes - 38.9 MBThis week, it's part 1 of my discussion with Phil Stacey about how we deal with losing musicians we love. Show notes: - Gord Downie died a few weeks ago - Many high-profile music deaths in last few years - Musicians are getting older, but also some tragic deaths - Phil: Elvis Presley's death was memorable - Lennon's death was shocking - Phil: Cobain and Jerry Garcia's deaths hit hard - Jay: The plane crash that killed Randy Rhoads stands out - Lemmy, Bowie and Prince all die...
Completely Conspicuous 478: The Soundtrack of Our Lives
November 01, 2017 01:26 - 1 hour - 66.2 MBThis week, it's part 2 of my discussion with Phil Stacey about albums that changed our lives. Show notes: - Jay: Was a nerdy kid who listened to music all the time - Phil liked college rock, but never got the Violent Femmes - Jay: Loved Red Hot Chili Peppers back in the day, but can't stand them now - Back and forth on the Eagles and Doors - Of Linda Ronstadt and Barney Gumbel - Grunge makes an impact - Alt-rock: Peter Gabriel, R.E.M., U2 - Phil: Big Smiths fan - The fir...
Completely Conspicuous 477: The Early Days
October 25, 2017 01:11 - 56 minutes - 51.9 MBThis week, it's part 1 of my discussion with Phil Stacey about albums that changed our lives. Show notes: - Phil: At age 6-7, hearing older kids listening to Aerosmith - Heard a lot of easy listening music - Had a music-loving uncle who introduced him to the Who, Hendrix, Talking Heads - Jay: Listened to AM rock station in Toronto - Bought 45s of Queen, Cheap Trick, Joe Jackson - Phil: U2's Boy was a huge album for me - Jay: Got Glen Campbell's Rhinestone Cowboy - Zeppelin...
Completely Conspicuous 476: Dig for Fire (Maiden-Zappa, Part 3)
October 17, 2017 22:58 - 53 minutes - 48.9 MBThis week, it's part 3 of my discussion with Brian Salvatore about musical blindspots. Brian will learn about Iron Maiden while I dig into Frank Zappa. Show notes: - Brian listened to Somewhere in Time, Jay listened to Sheik Yerbouti - Deja vu all over again - Brian: Somewhere in Time is the most dated, least raw of the three albums I listened to - Band didn't play to its strengths - Victim of mid-'80s production - Dickinson vs. Di'anno - The disappearance of metal in the '90s...
Completely Conspicuous 475: Ignorance is Bliss
October 10, 2017 23:22 - 53 minutes - 48.6 MBPart 2 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss our uncertain world. Show notes: - Check out Matt's book Echo and the Sea - Escapism is tempting - Shopping by alcohol content - Is ignorance bliss? - Dumb and happy - Cynical about politics at all levels - Corruption is rampant - Appearances count - Politics have never been this divisive...or have they? - Internet comments are the worst - Social media enables morons to spout off - Journalism burnout ...
Completely Conspicuous 474: Age of Uncertainty
October 04, 2017 01:22 - 53 minutes - 48.6 MBPart 1 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss our uncertain world. Show notes: - Check out Matt's book Echo and the Sea - Recorded before the Las Vegas incident and Trump's visit to PR - Everything's uncertain - Don't know what to expect from the news - Trump: Savvy or master of chaos? - Twitter as distraction - Social media amps up the anxiety - FB as the center of vitriol over every conceivable public issue - The weather is slamming us with unpredicta...
Completely Conspicuous 473: Dig for Fire (Maiden-Zappa, Part 2)
August 22, 2017 01:00 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MBThis week, Brian Salvatore and I discuss more musical blindspots. Brian will learn about Iron Maiden while I dig into Frank Zappa. Show notes: - Brian listened to Number of the Beast, Jay listened to Apostrophe - Brian: No surprises on Number of the Beast - Familiar with half the album - Liked the fast and heavy stuff, not the slower songs - Jay: This was my introduction to Maiden - The transition to more epic material - Ozzy transcended the metal downturn of the '90s - The ...
Completely Conspicuous 472: Dig for Fire (Maiden-Zappa, Part 1)
August 04, 2017 11:58 - 59 minutes - 54.2 MBThis week, Brian Salvatore and I discuss more musical blindspots. Brian will learn about Iron Maiden while I dig into Frank Zappa. Show notes: - Jay: Somewhat familiar with Zappa's hits and guitar work - Intimidating catalog; more than 100 albums released - Brian: Knew a few Maiden songs but never a fan - Listened to 1980 self-titled debut - Liked the faster songs and Paul Di'Anno's vocals - Enjoyed punk-inspired energy and Steve Harris' bass - Production sounds good - Maid...
Completely Conspicuous 471: Continental Divide
July 18, 2017 23:26 - 47 minutes - 43.3 MBAnother installment of Driving With Kumar as I discuss my recent European vacation. Show notes: - Spent over two weeks in London, Paris, Belfast and Dublin - Went to London in '96 - Less drinking on a family vacation - Elderly passenger in distress - Hotel room in London was tiny - Walked nearly 100 miles the entire trip - Ran along rivers in the four cities we visited - Ate a lot of pub food - London has a lot of great history and architecture - Paris was beautiful - ...
Completely Conspicuous 470: First and Foremost
June 23, 2017 10:51 - 45 minutes - 41.2 MBPart 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite music of the year so far. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ - JB: The Orb released a remix EP - JK: The prolific Ty Segall does it again - JB: Vagabon brings fresh take to indie rock - JK: Boss Hog's first album in 17 years - JB: The evolving sound of Spoon - JK: The consistently excellent New Pornographers back with another winner - JB: Juana Molina returns with a strong, out there release ...
Completely Conspicuous 469: Listen Up
June 20, 2017 23:48 - 48 minutes - 44.3 MBPart 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite music of the year so far. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ - Plenty of great rock music, but not on the charts - It's all about playing live; rock radio exposure is nonexistent - Billy Squier still gets the airplay - Nobody's figured out how to make money from streaming music - Get pumped for Husker Du bootleg box set - More rock deaths: Berry, Cornell, Allman, Geils - Rise in musical activ...
Completely Conspicuous 468: Dig for Fire (Ween-Sloan, part 3)
June 16, 2017 21:08 - 43 minutes - 40.2 MBPart 3 of my conversation with Brian Salvatore about musical blindspots. Brian listens to another Sloan album while I check out a third record from Ween. Show notes: -Win-win situation - Brian had Sloan's "The Double Cross" and Jay had Ween's "Quebec" - Brian: My favorite of the three I listened to - Beatles comparisons - Brian will go back and check out rest of Sloan catalog - No solo albums, but Murphy had TUNS project - Jay: Really enjoyed Quebec - Most cohesive of the th...
Completely Conspicuous 467: Dig for Fire (Ween vs. Sloan, part 2)
June 08, 2017 00:38 - 44 minutes - 40.9 MBPart 2 of my conversation with Brian Salvatore about musical blindspots. Brian listens to another Sloan album while I check out a second record from Ween. Show notes: - Brian: Impressed with the progression of Sloan's sound - Jay: Hadn't heard anything from The Mollusk previously - Plenty of genre jumping - Nautical theme - Elements of prog, psych - Brian: My favorite Ween record - Ween varies playlists from show to show - Brian: Between the Bridges is steeped in the '70s: B...
Completely Conspicuous 466: Dig for Fire (Ween vs. Sloan, part 1)
May 31, 2017 22:45 - 50 minutes - 46.3 MBThis week, Brian Salvatore and I talk about delving into the catalog of bands we don't know much about. Brian will learn about Sloan while I dig into Ween. Show notes: - Each of us picks a favorite artist of the other that we don't know much about - Jay listened to Ween's Chocolate and Cheese, Brian listened to Sloan's Twice Removed - Both 1994 releases - Both of us had heard a few songs before - Jay: First heard Ween on Beavis and Butt-head, wrote them off as novelty act - Br...
Completely Conspicuous 465: New Damage
May 25, 2017 02:13 - 1 hour - 55.1 MBThis week, I talk to guest Brian Salvatore about the legacy of the late Chris Cornell. Show notes: - Brian: Was never a huge fan of Cornell's early singing style - Rediscovered his love for Soundgarden in recent years - Jay: First heard him when Temple of the Dog came out in '91, then got Badmotorfinger - The greatness of Mother Love Bone - Soundgarden was perfect bridge between '80s hard rock and the new sounds of the '90s - Jay: Saw Soundgarden in small club in early '92 and ...
Completely Conspicuous 464: Industry Standard
May 17, 2017 02:46 - 46 minutes - 42.8 MBPart 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about the evolution of the music blog. Show notes: - Breitling recently shut down his fine music blog Clicky Clicky - Some band reunions shouldn't happen - A whole new target audience for newer live acts - The kids wanna snap - Some bands can make a living selling merch and playing small live gigs - No time for comics anymore - The inflated price of vinyl - Zines were the music blogs of the '80s and '90s - Kumar: A buddy i...
Completely Conspicuous 463: Exit Music (For a Blog)
May 10, 2017 00:22 - 41 minutes - 37.8 MBPart 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about the evolution of the music blog. Show notes: - Breitling recently shut down his fine music blog Clicky Clicky - MP3 blogs soon evolved into something less legally risky - Wrote about music for other online pubs: Splendid EZine, Junkmedia - Had a personal page and then launched Clicky Clicky in 2006 - Contributors had other commitments, life got busy - Breitling now writes for Vanyaland - In their heyday, music blogs pres...
Completely Conspicuous 462: World Wide Ebb
April 05, 2017 00:14 - 55 minutes - 50.7 MBThis week, it's my conversation with guest Christian Douglass as we discuss what life would be like without the Internet. Show notes: - Recorded on the road in a snowstorm - What if the Internet went away? - Back to mid-'90s technology - We'd have to talk to each other - Generational dip - The Lou Grant Revolt - We'd lost a lot of conveniences - The kids and the promposals - People are constantly glued to their phones - #oldmanrant - We need the Internet - Social m...
Completely Conspicuous 461: Reeling in the Years, 1991 (Part 3)
March 28, 2017 23:14 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBPart 3 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1991. Show notes: - Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output - Brian's #3 - The final Pixies album with original lineup - Jay's #2 - Do we need to hear Nevermind again? - Symbolically historic - Raw vs. polished - Brian's #2 - Tribe Called Quest brought a serious jazz feel to their sound - Focused on the groove, not samples - Jay's #1 - Matthew Sweet swings for the fences - Sick guit...
Completely Conspicuous 460: Reeling in the Years, 1991 (Part 2)
March 22, 2017 00:19 - 42 minutes - 38.6 MBPart 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1991. Show notes: - Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output - Albums that didn't make our top 5 of '91 - Brian: Feelies, Slint, Prince - Skipping a Prince show - Jay: Mudhoney, Pearl Jam, Screaming Trees, Temple of the Dog - Brian: Firehose, De La Soul, Cohen tribute, Jonathan Richman - No more "Hallelujah" covers, please - Tribute albums were big in the '90s - Jay: Tragically Hip, Dinosaur...
Completely Conspicuous 459: Reeling in the Years, 1991 (Part 1)
March 15, 2017 22:10 - 46 minutes - 42.2 MBPart 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1991. Show notes: - Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output - Wrapping up our look at the music of the years 1980-1999 - 1991 really kicked off the '90s musically - Brian was 9, Jay was 23 - Alt-rock took off in '91 - Big year for Metallica - Plenty of pop and one-hit wonders - Bryan Adams and Color Me Badd had strong years - Big efforts from A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, NWA and Public...
Completely Conspicuous 458: Binge Worthy
March 02, 2017 23:26 - 40 minutes - 37.2 MBThis week, I've got an installment of Driving With Kumar, in which I discuss the endless amount of entertainment content available to consume. Show notes: - Driving to work - The joys of binge-watching TV - So much to watch, so little time - Book reading has suffered - No time for comics - Tons of music available to listen to whenever you want - More music released now than ever before - Listen to podcasts throughout the day - Again, a ton of podcast content to choose from...
Completely Conspicuous 457: Reboot, Reuse, Recycle
February 21, 2017 11:46 - 45 minutes - 41.3 MBPart 2 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss Hollywood's love of reboots. Show notes: - Check out Matt's book Like a Comet: The Indestructibles Book 4 - Docudramas like The People Vs. OJ Simpson are doing well - Reboot of 24 sans Jack Bauer - Why would you remake a perfect movie? - Flip the concept - Matt's book idea - Need to reward original stories - Pixar's doing great work - The Marvel series on Netflix have been good - Experimental episodes can ...
Completely Conspicuous 456: Once More, With Feeling
February 15, 2017 02:30 - 40 minutes - 37.1 MBPart 2 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss Hollywood's love of reboots. Show notes: - Check out Matt's book Like a Comet: The Indestructibles Book 4 - Unnecessary reboots - The Ghostbusters remake was controversial - Westworld was a hit, but most viewers probably didn't see the original movies - Michael Crichton's trial by fire as a director - Channing Tatum is the mermaid in the new version of Splash - The Rock's in everything - DC's TV shows are good...
Completely Conspicuous 455: I, Reboot
February 08, 2017 23:47 - 35 minutes - 32.1 MBPart 1 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss Hollywood's love of reboots. Show notes: - Check out Matt's book Like a Comet: The Indestructibles Book 4 - All about recycling ideas - Some reboots are self-referential - The Brady Bunch Movie kicked off the reboot as parody - Johnny Depp: Master of the Reboot - Nic Cage's recent career choices - Some improve on the original or have a different take - Westworld, Bates Motel - New TV shows based on Lethal We...
Completely Conspicuous 454: Top of the Pops
January 11, 2017 00:57 - 49 minutes - 45.7 MBPart 3 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite indie rock of 2016. Show notes: - Breitling's #4 - Frankie Cosmos is fronted by Kevin Kline's daughter - Engaging pop record - Kumar's #4 - Very political album from Drive-By Truckers - Breitling's #3 - Classic C86-style guitar pop - Good advice: Don't pay the ferryman - Kumar's #3 - Another outstanding release from Jeff Rosenstock - Digs into Millennial angst - Breitling's #2 - Lambchop's new al...
Completely Conspicuous 453: Higher and Higher
January 04, 2017 01:03 - 42 minutes - 39.3 MBPart 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite indie rock of 2016. Show notes: - Kumar's #9 - PUP comes into its own on second album - Breitling's #8 - A more experimental release from Hallelujah the Hills - Kumar's #8 - Car Seat Headrest's album had to be recalled thanks to Ric Ocasek - Breitling's #7 - Preoccupations expanded the sound of their debut (as Viet Cong) - Dumb band name controversy - Kumar's #7 - Continuing a triumphant stretch of r...
Completely Conspicuous 452: The Honor Roll
December 27, 2016 23:33 - 1 hour - 67.6 MBPart 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite indie rock of 2016. Show notes: - We are not Moviefone - Rough year for musician deaths - Trump's top 3 albums - A return to protest music? - Clicky Clicky HQ is fully Alexa-ized - The kids love the vinyl (well, the hipsters do, anyway) - Albums are back, sort of - Crowdfunding albums is becoming more prevalent - Breitling's bubbling under albums: A Giant Dog, Thin Lips, Bent Shapes, Yr Poetry, Pinegrov...
Completely Conspicuous 451: Reeling in the Years, 1990 (Part 3)
December 23, 2016 14:05 - 47 minutes - 43.8 MBPart 3 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1990. Show notes: - Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output - Jay's #3 album of 1990 - Public Enemy was controversial - Homophobia was pervasive back then, especially in hip hop - PE scared white America - Brian's #3 - They Might Be Giants was in the middle of a classic run of albums - Song-a-Day Hotline - Jay's #2 - After a decade of weirdness, Neil Young re-established himself as a rock...
Completely Conspicuous 450: Reeling in the Years, 1990 (Part 2)
December 21, 2016 01:24 - 52 minutes - 48 MBPart 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1990. Show notes: - Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output - Albums that just missed our top 5 of the year - Alice in Chains inspired a ton of copycat acts - World Party paid homage to many influences - Brian was a big Pantera fan in high school - Social Distortion's classic era - Living Colour came into their own with second album - Warren Zevon teamed up with the non-Stipe members of R.E.M....
Completely Conspicuous 449: Reeling in the Years, 1990 (Part 1)
December 14, 2016 11:43 - 1 hour - 59.8 MBPart 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1990. Show notes: - Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output - Things are getting weird - The Decline of Western Civilization docs are fascinating - In 1990, Jay was 22-23 and Brian was 8 - The '90s were still kicking off - Pivotal events were still yet to happen - Stevie Ray Vaughan died young - 2 Live Crew came to prominence - Oh, Milli Vanilli - Disposable pop seemed to fade for a while...
Completely Conspicuous 448: Well, That Happened
November 30, 2016 01:12 - 37 minutes - 34.5 MBPart 3 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss the aftermath of the election. Show notes: - Check out Matt's book Like a Comet: The Indestructibles Book 4 - Keeping friends after the election - It's getting personal - The canary in the coal mine - Reading things that you know will annoy you - Forced lefty - Giving up on the presidency - Don't encourage the Kardashians - Romney's changed, man - Matt's next book is changing because of the election - Fo...
Completely Conspicuous 447: The Aftermath
November 22, 2016 23:44 - 41 minutes - 38.3 MBPart 2 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss the aftermath of the election. Show notes: - Check out Matt's book Like a Comet: The Indestructibles Book 4 - Jay: Not moving to Canada - None of those celebs is leaving the country - Enthusiastic votes for Trump - Parallels to Brexit - Plenty of protests when Obama was elected - Scandals didn't hurt Trump - Clinton was a very Republican-safe candidate - Covering politics for a newspaper can change you - W...
Completely Conspicuous 446: Picking Up the Pieces
November 16, 2016 12:14 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MBPart 1 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss the aftermath of the election. Show notes: - Check out Matt's book Like a Comet: The Indestructibles Book 4 - Thought this was going to be a very different show - Didn't expect a Trump victory - Social media was raw the day after the election - Family and friend disagreements - You can't change anybody's mind on social media - Friendships are ending over the election - Hiding or unfriending people - Plenty o...
Completely Conspicuous 445: Reeling in the Years, 1985 (Part 3)
November 09, 2016 00:24 - 41 minutes - 37.9 MBPart 3 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1985. Show notes: - Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output - Jay's #5 - Brian: "I'm a major label sellout guy" when it comes to R.E.M. - R.E.M. started getting rock radio airplay in '85 - When MTV News was a thing - The evolution of Stipe - Brian's #2 - The Pogues: A love 'em or hate 'em band - Shane McGowan has teeth now - Jay's #2 - Two great Husker Du albums in '85 - New Day Risi...
Completely Conspicuous 444: Reeling in the Years, 1985 (Part 2)
November 01, 2016 23:23 - 39 minutes - 36.4 MBPart 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1985. Show notes: - Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output - Bands that formed in '85: Bevis Frond, Big Dipper, Crowded House, Guns 'N Roses, Hootie and the Blowfish, Jane's Addiction, Radiohead - Bands that split up: Minutemen, Hanoi Rocks, Kajagoogoo - Brian's bubbling under albums: Prince, Minutemen, Jonathan Richman, Angst, Big Audio Dynamite - The importance of Mick Jones - Jay: Smiths, INX...
Completely Conspicuous 443: Reeling in the Years, 1985 (Part 1)
October 26, 2016 00:32 - 42 minutes - 39 MBPart 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1985. Show notes: - Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output - 1985: Jay graduated from high school, started college in the fall - Jay was 17 going on 18, Brian turned 3 - Jay: Listened to a lot of AOR, hard rock, metal - Started getting into U2 - The year of rock charity - Undercurrent of college rock - MTV was growing - Style over substance - Strange collection of songs on the Hot 100 ...
Completely Conspicuous 442: Mars Needs Guitars
October 19, 2016 11:13 - 38 minutes - 35.5 MBPart 2 of my conversation with author Greg Renoff as we discuss the rise and fall of the guitar hero. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Buy Greg's book Van Halen Rising at Amazon or get a signed copy from the Van Halen Store - Flash guitar in the '80s: VH, Motley Crue, Ratt, Quiet Riot - Ratt was once replaced on a bill by Molly Hatchet - Billy Squier's downfall - Molly Hatchet unsuccessfully tried to pull a "ZZ Top" - The hair metal bubble burst - The '80s shredder trend ...
Completely Conspicuous 441: Holding Out for a Guitar Hero
October 12, 2016 00:27 - 45 minutes - 42 MBThis week, it's part 1 of my conversation with author Greg Renoff as we discuss the rise and fall of the guitar hero. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Buy Greg's book Van Halen Rising at Amazon or get a signed copy from the Van Halen Store - Greg: As a kid, started playing stepfather's old acoustic guitar - An uncle got him into Hendrix, Clapton, Leslie West - Jay: First guitar hero was Jimmy Page - Zeppelin II was the gateway - Greg: Realized early that I'd never be able to...
Completely Conspicuous 440: Radio Daze
October 04, 2016 21:59 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MBPart 2 of my conversation with guest Matt Wardlaw as we discuss the decline of rock radio. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Check out Matt's podcast Lost Together - Van Cherone: Matt defends Van Halen III - Eddie VH's lack of new material - Buy Greg Renoff's great book Van Halen Rising - Eddie sounds good again - Age is becoming a factor - Jay: Saw both DLR and VH in 1986 - The MTV effect - Early '80s video production values - Videos pushed songs to greater success ...
Completely Conspicuous 439: Turn Up the Radio
September 28, 2016 23:35 - 48 minutes - 44.4 MBPart 1 of my conversation with guest Matt Wardlaw as we discuss the decline of rock radio. Show notes: - Recorded via Skype - Check out Matt's podcast Lost Together - Matt first got into radio as a kid in Odessa, TX - Jay: Started listening to AM rock stations in Toronto in late '70s - Matt later moved to Cleveland area, heard a lot of Canadian bands on radio there - The enduring popularity of Trooper's "Raise a Little Hell" - The thrill of the chase: hunting for B-sides and i...
Completely Conspicuous 438: Roll the Bones
September 20, 2016 22:35 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MBPart 3 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we discuss fantasy sports. Show notes: - No interest in daily fantasy sports - Big ad blitz when daily fantasy leagues hit the scene - The kids love the gambling - Sports gambling is much easier now - Vegas now has an NHL franchise - The Super Bowl is more spectacle than game - "I call him Gamblor" - Senior citizens take buses to casinos - Playing in multiple leagues is no guarantee of winning money - When the commissio...
Completely Conspicuous 437: The More You Know
September 14, 2016 01:07 - 35 minutes - 32.3 MBPart 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we discuss fantasy sports. Show notes: - Jay: Renewed interest in baseball in the past year - Watching sports without cable TV can be tricky - Head-to-head format can be tough - Paying attention to statistical details - When fantasy leagues go bad - Our fantasy hockey league fell apart because of money - The problem with having people you don't know in the league - We had our draft, started the season and then shut it down ...
Completely Conspicuous 436: Games of Chance
September 07, 2016 02:25 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MBPart 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we discuss fantasy sports. Show notes: - Fantasy sports is big business - Rooting against your favorite team - Phil: Got into fantasy baseball in early '90s - Jay: Started a league in '91 with work friends - Paid a service to compile stats reports - So much more now to distract you from draft prep - Started with AL-only league - Early fantasy football league started decades earlier - Jack Kerouac created his own fantasy b...
Completely Conspicuous 435: Reeling in the Years, 1995 (Part 3)
August 31, 2016 00:08 - 37 minutes - 34.8 MBPart 3 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1995. Show notes: - Recorded live from Brian's back porch in Ringwood, NJ - Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output - Brian's #2 - Rentals' debut is on par with Weezer's best - Brian's #3 and Jay's #2 - Jay: Saw Foo Fighters' first tour, opening for Mike Watt - Foo debut came out of nowhere - Grohl released a solo album a few years earlier - First two Foo albums are standouts - The problem...
Completely Conspicuous 434: Reeling in the Years, 1995 (Part 2)
August 23, 2016 23:15 - 36 minutes - 33.5 MBPart 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1995. Show notes: - Recorded live from Brian's back porch in Ringwood, NJ - Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output - Brian's bubbling under albums: ODB, Morphine, Boss Hog, Hum - Brian Salvatore: Humbuster - Jay's bubbling under: Rancid, Mad Season, Elastica, Matthew Sweet, Yo La Tengo - Brian: White Zombie, No Doubt, Oasis, Presidents of the USA, Smashing Pumpkins, Goo Goo Dolls, Flaming Lips, B...
Completely Conspicuous 433: Reeling in the Years, 1995 (Part 1)
August 17, 2016 23:19 - 55 minutes - 50.8 MBPart 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1995. Show notes: - Recorded live from Brian's back porch in Ringwood, NJ - Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output - Baby Ben hanging out - In 1995, we were on to the second-generation grunge bands - Bands were copying Bush and Stone Temple Pilots - Brian was 12-13, Jay was 27-28 - Jerry Garcia died - More '95 deaths: Eazy E, Shannon Hoon - Back then, you checked out music based on a review...