Completely Conspicuous 115: Pop Culture Principles, Part 1

The podcast's back with special guest Ric Dube, who joins me to discuss the underlying themes behind pop culture trends. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- 'Twas a dark and stormy night

- Ric's dropping some science

- Wardrobe malfunctions at the Super Bowl (Janet Jackson, Pete Townshend)

- Super Bowl has older halftime acts every year

- All movies use fish-out-of-water premise

- On TV shows, star always has a wacky neighbor

- Dube's Principle of Ballistic Karma: 'splosions only get the bad guy

- Slow motion is a key indicator

- "Dolls should never be seen outdoors"

- Kumar: A-Team Principle of Ammo Dispersement

- That background noise is rain pounding on the windows

- '80s action shows always have bad guy's car flying off a ramp

- Dube's Principle of Unadvanced Technology

- Glasses are always a prop

- Ric's 5th grade teacher was disgusting

- Computers in TV shows or movies are totally unrealistic

- Things Ric wants to do someday: Guess someone's password from trivial fact about person

- Kumar: The Principle of Hard Rock Album Progression

- Artists always say the new album is way better than the previous one

- Every celeb thinks he or she can write a children's book

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

- The New Pornographers - Your Hands (Together)

- Broken Social Scene - World Sick

- Black Rebel Motorcyle Club - Conscience Killer

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

The New Pornographers song is on the forthcoming album Together on Matador Records, where you can download the song for free.

The Broken Social Scene song is on the forthcoming album Forgiveness Rock Record on Arts and Crafts Records. Find out more and download the track for free here.

The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club song is on the album Beat the Devil's Tattoo on Vagrant Records. Find out more at . The song is courtesy of RCRDLBL, where you can download it for free.

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Visit Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 114: Close Encounters of the Nerd Kind

Another episode of the podcast is up. Special guest Dave Brigham joins me to discuss society's fascination with UFOs. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- Interest in UFOs stoked by book "Chariots of the Gods"

- Dave's interest is mixed with mockery

- Close Encounters of the Third Kind was huge

- The UFO subculture is as interesting as UFOs themselves

- If actual alien was captured, nobody would believe it

- Bigfoot sightings are still popular

- The X-Files kept all the conspiracy stuff alive

- In NM, Dave was too drunk to visit Roswell

- Dave vs. the armless panhandler

- UFOs have contributed much to pop culture

- Dave talks about his UFO concept album and novel

- UFO-related songs: Jay's favorite is Gary Numan's "Down in the Park"

- Dave says Flaming Lips' movie "Christmas on Mars" is bad

- Dave gives shout out to the Ass Ponys

- Jay hates the Stone Temple Pilots

- Dave: Split TV seasons are annoying

- Dave reflects on his childhood, UFOs

- 2012 doomsday scenarios loom

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

- Japandroids - Art Czars

- Yeasayer - Ambling Alp

- We Were Promised Jetpacks - Ships With Holes Will Sink

- Los Campesinos! - The Sea is a Good Place to Think of the Future

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

The Japandroids song is the first of a five-part singles series. Download the song for free at Stereogum.

The Yeasayer song is on the album Odd Blood on Secretly Canadian Records. Download the track for free here.

The We Were Promised Jetpacks song is on the album These Four Walls on Fat Cat Records. The Los Campesinos! song is on the album Romance is Boring on Arts and Crafts Records. Both songs are courtesy of IODA Promonet:

We Were Promised Jetpacks
"Ships With Holes Will Sink" (mp3)
from "These Four Walls"
(Fat Cat Records)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic Delivery
Buy at Rhapsody
Buy at Napster
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album



Los Campesinos!
"The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future" (mp3)
from "Romance Is Boring"
(Arts & Crafts)
Buy at Napster
More On This Album

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Visit Budget and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 113: Get in the Van

The podcast's back with special guest Dave Brigham as we discuss the fine art of the road trip. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- Dave used to do "big house tours"

- Dave and buddies bought a boogie van for big road trip

- Van broke down before they even left

- No destination in mind

- Diet of hot dogs, carrots and beer

- Got to Santa Fe, NM, but altitude was tough

- Went to Albuquerque, rented house and found jobs

- Stayed three months

- "Eat, drink, work"

- Jay did a road trip to Montreal that same spring

- Six years ago, Jay did another Montreal trip

- Jay was ill, decorated the breakdown lane all the way back

- Dave did long trip right after college graduation

- Saw Skinny Puppy play in Montreal, looked for Letterman's house in CT

- Dave and Beth drove to Toronto, then Madison, WI, then Chicago

- Jerry Springer sighting; then watched OJ Simpson chase on TV

- Jay and family drove to Disney few years ago; 22-hour drive

- Dave remembers family train trip gone awry

- Jay remembers family vacations to Florida in '70s

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

- The Drive-By Truckers - Birthday Boy

- Spoon - Written in Reverse

- Future of the Left - The Hope That House Built

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

The Drive-By Truckers song is on the album The Big To-Do on ATO Records. Find out more and download the song for free here.

The Spoon song is on the album Transference on Merge Records. The song is courtesy of IODA Promonet:

Spoon
"Written In Reverse" (mp3)
from "Transference"
(Arts & Crafts Mexico)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album



The Future of the Left song is on the album Travels With Myself and Another on 4AD Records. Download the track for free at Beggars Group USA.

The show is sponsored by Eastbay/Footlocker.com, a leading supplier of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment. Use these codes and save some cash: AFCOMP15 will get you 15% off any order at Eastbay.com; AFCOMP20 will get you 20% off any order of $75 or more at Eastbay.com; AFCOMPFL will get you 15% off any order at Footlocker.com.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 112: Even the Losers

The podcast's back with an installment of Driving With Kumar. I discuss the mental anguish of rooting for losing teams as I drive to and from work. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- Tough times for fans of Toronto teams

- The Leafs' suckiosity tougher to deal with now that I watch every game

- Considered not watching anymore

- Season's become a car wreck; hard to turn away

- Switching allegiances is out of the question

- Leafs made a couple of big trades over the weekend

- How do fans stick with bad teams?

- Case in point: The Pittsburgh Pirates

- New Orleans Saints are a nice story after years of mediocrity

- My Super Bowl prediction: Colts (but rooting for Saints)

- Blue Jays won World Series in '92 and '93

- Jays were horrible first several years

- Lately they've just been thoroughly mediocre

- Winter Olympics are about to start

- Looking forward to hockey tournament

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

- Los Campesinos - There are Listed Buildings

- Calories - The Mortal Boys

- The Red Pens - Hung Out

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

The Los Campesinos song is on the album Romance is Boring on Arts and Crafts Records. The song is courtesy of IODA Promonet:

Los Campesinos!
"There Are Listed Buildings" (mp3)
from "Romance Is Boring"
(Arts & Crafts)

Buy at Napster
More On This Album



The Calories song is on the Calories/William Split 7" on Tough Love Records. Download the track for free at Drowned in Sound.

The Red Pens song is on the album Reasons on Grain Belt Records. Download the song for free at Clicky Clicky.

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography here.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.