Completely Conspicuous 194: Feeling Gravity's Pull

This week, I talk about the legacy left behind by R.E.M., who called it quits last week after 31 years. Listen to the show below or download it directly (right click and "save as").



Show notes:

- First saw R.E.M. on Late Night With David Letterman in 1983

- Stipe stayed in background while Buck and Mills talked to Dave

- Band played UNH in October '86, but I didn't go for some reason

- Started getting regular FM airplay by mid-80s

- More guitars in the mix on Life's Rich Pageant and Document

- "The One I Love" was first big hit

- Sentimental memories of Green

- Saw them play Mansfield, Mass., in 1989

- Early '90s saw R.E.M. become hugely popular

- "Losing My Religion" was everywhere in '91

- Automatic for the People put band on par with U2

- Monster gets unfairly criticized

- Bill Berry left band in '97

- Next three albums had diminishing returns

- Bounced back in last few years with more energized sound

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

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. 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. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian; check out his site PodGeek.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 193: Run to the Hills

This week on the podcast, I talk about my experience running in a 200-mile relay. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").



Show notes:

- Heading up to NH for Reach the Beach relay
- Was up really late
- Suffering from Achilles problem
- Won't be running for a while after this weekend
- Running three times in 24 hours
- Doing another relay next May
- Didn't record anything during or right after relay
- Ran faster than last year
- Slept very little
- Didn't have much left in tank for third leg
- Great team-building event
- All about adrenaline
- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

Devo - Watch Us Work It

Twerps - Dreamin'

Tunabunny - Bury the Present

Rational Animals - Guess What? (Crunch)

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

The show is sponsored by Eastbay/Footlocker.com. Use the following codes to get athletic gear from Nike, Adidas, Asics and more. AFCOMP15 will get you 10% off any order of $50 at Eastbay.com, AFCOMP20 will get you 15% off any order of $75 at Eastbay.com and AFCOMPFL will get you 10% off any order of $50 or more at Footlocker.com.

The Devo song is from Yo Gabba Gabba! Music is Awesome! Volume 3 on Filter U.S. Recordings. Download the song for free at Soundcloud.

The Twerps song is on the band's self-titled debut on Underwater Peoples. Download the song for free at RCRDLBL.

The Tunabunny song is on the album Minima Moralia on Happy Happy Birthday to Me. Find out more and download the song for free at RCRDLBL.

The Rational Animals song is on the album Bock Rock Parade on Katorga Works. Download the song for free at RCRDLBL.

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. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian; check out his site PodGeek.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 192: Paperback Writer

Part 2 of my conversation with special guest Christian Douglass as we discuss the challenges facing first-time authors. Listen to the show below or download it directly (right click and "save as").



Show notes:

- Is book audience dying off?

- There are still very successful books

- Plenty of small publishing houses out there

- Marketing is big

- Zach Galifianakis made a promo trailer for a book he liked

- The tale of the Honey Badger

- James Franco's grandmother

- Plenty of content out there

- Easier for music to break through than a novel

- Douglass points to educational system for lack of readers

- Many more distractions for consumers' free time

- Reading fiction is rewarding

- Authors turning novels into podcasts

- Learning about Charles Dickens

- Turning books into movies is difficult

- World According to Garp had to cut a lot of stuff out

- Cormac McCarthy's had a few books made into movies

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

Pearl Jam - Ole

Los Campesinos - By Your Hand

Kurt Vile - The Creature

Charles Bradley - The World (Is Going Up in Flames)

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

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

The Pearl Jam song is part of the band's 20th anniversary celebration. Find out more and download the song for free at PJ20.

The Los Campesinos song is on the album Hello Sadness on Wichita Recordings. Download the song for free at the band's website.

The Kurt Vile song is on the EP So Outta Reach on Matador Records, where you can download the song for free.

The Charles Bradley song is on the album No Time for Dreaming on Dunham Records. Find out more and download the song (in exchange for your email address) at his website.

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. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian; check out his site PodGeek.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 191: Scene of the Crime

Part 1 of my conversation with special guest Christian Douglass as we discuss his recent trip to Alaska to research a book. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").



Show notes:

- Douglass: One book written, researching the next one

- First book finished in June, sent out to reviewers

- Need to define characters clearly at the beginning

- Kumar: Challenging books are rewarding, but takes a while to get going

- Have to be in the right mood to dig into a complex John Irving novel

- Douglass: Second book digs into unsolved murder in the Alaskan bush

- Murder took place in indigenous Yupik village

- High rate of alcoholism

- Tough time selling the first book

- Village is in big fishing area

- Murder was pinned on an unlikely suspect

- Lots of heavy drinking

- Many holes in murder story

- Douglass posed as a writer for fishing magazine and lived with drug dealer

- Could be a "true crime" story, but Douglass will do fictionalized version

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

Male Bonding - Tame the Sun

F***ed Up - The Other Shoe

The Moondoggies- It's a Shame, It's a Pity

Sloan - Losing California

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

The show is sponsored by Eastbay/Footlocker.com. Use the following codes to get athletic gear from Nike, Adidas, Asics and more. AFCOMP15 will get you 10% off any order of $50 at Eastbay.com, AFCOMP20 will get you 15% off any order of $75 at Eastbay.com and AFCOMPFL will get you 10% off any order of $50 or more at Footlocker.com.

The Male Bonding song is on the album Endless Now on Sub Pop, where you can download the song for free.

The F***ed Up song is on the album David Comes to Life on Matador Records, where you can download the song for free.

The Moondoggies song is on the album Tidelands on Hardly Art Records. Download the song for free at the band's website.

The Sloan song is on Select Singles, '92-'11, courtesy of NoiseTrade. Download the 14-song sampler for free (in exchange for your email address) at NoiseTrade.

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. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian; check out his site PodGeek.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.