Monday, December 31, 2012

Completely Conspicuous 259: The Year in Rock Music, Part 2

Part 2 of my conversation with guests Jay Breitling and Mike Piantigini as we review our favorite music of 2012. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:
- Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ
- Breitling's #9 album of 2012 - Piantigini's #9
- The long, strange journey of Drivin N' Cryin
- Kumar's #9
- JB's #8
- MP's #8
- Lou Barlow's talkative
- JK's #8
- JB's #7
- The Breeders are reuniting
- MP's #7
- JK's #7
- Nirvana comparisons abound
- JB's #6
- The Clash meets Big Country
- MP's #6
- JK's #6
- JB's #5
- MP's #5
- JK's #5
- JB's #4
- Hipsters love the cassettes
- In praise of VH's Diver Down
- DLR's ill-fated radio show
- MP's #4
- Prolific Canadian geniuses rule
- JK's #4
- Bonehead of the Week


Music:
Hospitality - Betty Wang

Mission of Burma - Second Television
METZ - Wet Blanket
Johnny Foreigner - 3 Hearts
A.C. Newman - Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns

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

The Hospitality song is on the band's self-titled album on Merge Records. Download the song for free at Epitonic.
The Mission of Burma song is on the album Unsound on Fire Records. Download the song for free at Epitonic
The METZ song is on the band's self-titled album on Sub Pop. Download the song for free at Sub Pop.
The Johnny Foreigner song is on the EP Names. Download the song for free at Bandcamp.
The A.C. Newman song is on the album Shut Down the Streets on Matador Records. Download the song for free at MatadorRecords.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 blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian

Monday, December 24, 2012

Completely Conspicuous 258: The Year in Rock Music, Part 1

Part 1 of my conversation with guests Jay Breitling and Mike Piantigini as we review our favorite music of 2012. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").
Show notes:
- Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ
- Brought to you (not really) by Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
- MP: Saw a lot of older bands this year
- JK: First full album show I saw was Cheap Trick doing "In Color" in '97
- Chloe B. talks about Rudolph
- JB: Most of my favorite albums this year were self-released
- The 12/12/12 benefit had some good performances, especially by The Who
- MP: The Who's Quadrophenia concert was great
- The McCartney-"Nirvana" song was decent
- Praising the Low Times podcast
- JK: "I Want My MTV" is an excellent book
- MP: Favorite live shows included Scud Mountain Boys, New Multitudes, Archers of Loaf
- MP: Also reunions of Small Factory, Human Sexual Response, Fuzzy
- JB: Fave live shows were Johnny Foreigner, Infinity Girl, Autochrome, Midriff Records 10th Anniversary show
- JK: Fave live shows included Afghan Whigs, Bob Mould, Mark Lanegan, Matthew Sweet, Sloan
- The glory days of getting free stuff at college radio stations
- Breitling's #10 album
- Piantigini's #10
- Kumar's #10
- To be continued
- Bonehead of the Week


Music:
Sloan - Merry Xmas Everybody

Infinity Girl - Taking Nothing
Guided By Voices - Class Clown Spots a UFO

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

The Sloan song is available for free download (in return for your email address) from Topspin.
The Infinity Girl song is on the EP Just Like Lovers, which is available for free download at Bandcamp
The Guided By Voices song is on the album Class Clown Spots a UFO on Guided By Voices/Fire Records. Download the song for free at Stereogum.
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

Monday, December 17, 2012

Completely Conspicuous 257: Love, Exciting and New

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we climb aboard and dissect an episode of The Love Boat. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:
- Recorded at More Lost Time world HQ
- Inspired by MST3K and Rifftrax, we're commenting while watching video
- Watch the episode along with us at the CompCon YouTube channel
- Jay: Used to watch Love Boat and Fantasy Island back to back
- Both shows featured cameos from so-called stars
- Episode 23 from season 1, 1978
- Featured Paul Williams, Michele Lee, Marcia Wallace
- Gopher went on to be a Congressman
- Romantic hijinks ensue each week
- Cartoonish male chauvinism
- Let the wacky subplots begin
- Love American Style was the predecessor to The Love Boat
- Booked to the gunnels
- The mysterious sexual allure of Bernie Kopell
- Julie just wants to get some
- The show's like bad improv
- Marcia Wallace is comic relief
- Dick Van Patten played Doc in the Love Boat pilot
- Capt. Stubing is the cruise ship Pepe Le Pew
- The third act results in partner switching
- Paul Williams gets the hot chick
- Gopher nailed Mrs. Krabappel
- Bonehead of the Week


Music:
Pile - Prom Song

They Might Be Giants - Call You Mom

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The Pile song is on the album Dripping. Download it for free on Bandcamp.
The They Might Be Giants song is on the album Nanobots on Idlewild Recordings. Download it 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.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Completely Conspicuous 256: Watching the Detectives

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we dissect an episode of a classic 1970s detective show. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").
Show notes:
- Recorded at More Lost Time world HQ
- Inspired by MST3K and Rifftrax, we're commenting while watching video
- Watch the episode along with us at the CompCon YouTube channel
- Dube apologizes for his last booze-soaked appearance on the show
- Barnaby Jones was a spinoff of the private investigator drama Cannon
- We're watching the first episode of the series
- Star Buddy Ebsen was Tin Man in Wizard of Oz and Jed Clampett on Beverly Hillbillies
- A Quinn Martin production
- Cool theme song
- Cannon's perpetually hungry
- Barnaby Jones' son is murdered in the opening scene
- Ebsen's performance is flat as a pancake
- A modern-day Barnaby Jones would be played by Hugh Laurie
- "You have a rather distinctive silhouette"
- Kumar confuses Lee Meriwether with Mary Ann Mobley--a common mistake
- Barnaby is decidedly anti-China
- "Could I trouble you for a glass of milk?"
- Dube: Blackmailers never say goodbye on the phone
- By golly, Barnaby figures it all out
- The Random '70s Detective Show Plot Generator
- Next week, we take on an Aaron Spelling production- Bonehead of the Week

Music:
The Night Marchers - All Hits

Divine Fits - For Your Heart
 
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The Night Marchers song is on the forthcoming album Allez Allez on Swami Records. Download it for free on Soundcloud.
The Divine Fits song is on the album A Thing Called Divine Fits on Merge Records. Download it for free at Epitonic.

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.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Completely Conspicuous 255: The Future is Unwritten

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Dave Brigham about our society's neglect for history. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:
- Recorded at the BrigHAAAAM Estates
- Dave's doing a reading of one of his short stories on Dec. 11 in Arlington, MA
- Check out Dave's photo blog, The Backside of America
- Kids don't get our references anymore
- Brigham: "Too damn much of everything"
- Reality TV is ubiquitous
- Pop culture ignorance
- Brigham: Even a Luddite like me buys digital music
- Knowledge of older bands is limited now
- Talking to kids about history and current events
- Don't let our kids watch TV newscasts
- We shelter our kids these days
- Playground education
- The ads during televised sporting events are all about "cars, boners and beer"
- Parents may filter too much
- Can we fix our lack of historical knowledge?
- We can try to encourage kids to take an interest
- Collecting baseball cards was a fun hobby
- Too much focus on present and future to look at the past
- American populace is fairly passive about major problems
- Bonehead of the Week


Music:
The Hush Now - I'm Always Broke in December

Low - Waiting (live)
Varsity Drag - Animal
The Linus Pauling Quartet - Crom
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The Hush Now song is available for free download at Bandcamp.
The Low song is on the live EP Plays Nice Places. Download it for free (in exchange for your email address) at Sub Pop.
The Varsity Drag song is on the album Night Owls and is available for free download at Bandcamp.
The Linus Pauling Quartet song is on the album Bag of Hammers on Musebox Records. Download it for free from Spinner.
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.