Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Completely Conspicuous 267: Which Doobie You Be?

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we dissect a classic episode of the 1970s sitcom What's Happening. 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
- What's Happening!! had all the sitcom archetypes
- Formula elements at play
- This was a Very Special Episode
- No continuity in the '70s on TV shows
- The evils of bootlegging
- Check out CompCon episodes 218 and 219 about bootlegs
- Ric: Wonder if there's a bootleg of the Doobies' performance in this show
- Show inspired by the movie Cooley High
- Ric's a fan of Dee
- Did inner city kids really listen to the Doobie Brothers?
- Jay: I rocked the velour shirts back in the day
- Rerun gets roped into the bootlegging world
- All the parodies have been parodied now
- Ric's heard the "Which Doobie You Be?" line a million times
- Doobies are so big they're playing a podunk high school
- Patrick Simmons had a brief solo career
- Michael McDonald's vocal style
- The kids pretend to like the Doobies
- Jeff "Skunk" had magnificent facial hair
- The band Bread appeared on an episode of The Hardy Boys
- Simmons supposedly went to the kids' high school
- Four minutes of scenes from next week
- Theme by Henry Mancini!
- Next week, it's part 2 of the Doobie Brothers episode
- Bonehead of the Week


Music:
They Might Be Giants - You're On Fire

Thalia Zedek Band - Walk Away

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

The They Might Be Giants song is on the album Nanobots on Idlewild Records. Download it for free at Stereogum.
The Thalia Zedek Band song is on the album Via on Thrill Jockey. 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.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Completely Conspicuous 266: Streets Ahead

Part 3 of my conversation with guests Mike Piantigini and Brad Searles as we discuss the new music we're looking forward to in 2013. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:
- Recorded at Piantigini Place, Somerville, Mass.
- Mike: New Big Dipper album is great
- Bettie Serveert is back with a new release
- Brad: The Neats reunion is happening
- Shockingly, Brad's never been to SXSW
- SXSW has grown into a huge spectacle
- Thumbs up to The Sinclair
- Def Leppard's Vegas residency
- Bob Mould can't play acoustic shows quietly
- Sting's "Back to Bass" tour
- Bands going out on a bad note
- Guitar Hero/Rock Band games flamed out quickly
- Do not taunt the Zoo TV
- Brad and Mike reminisce about the Merge Records 20th anniv. show
- Wilco's Solid Sound Festival is always good
- Bonehead of the Week


Music:
The XX - Reconsider

The Thermals - Born to Kill
Redd Kross - Stay Away from Downtown
!!! - Slyd

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

The XX song is on the album Coexist on XL Recordings. Download it for free at Chromewaves.
The Thermals song is on the album Desperate Ground on Saddle Creek. Download the song for free (in exchange for your email address) at Soundcloud.
The Redd Kross song is on the album Researching the Blues on Merge Records. Download the song for free at Chromewaves.
The !!! song is on the album Thri!!!er on Warp Records. Download the song 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, February 11, 2013

Completely Conspicuous 265: What's Good

Part 2 of my conversation with guests Mike Piantigini and Brad Searles as we discuss the new music we're looking forward to in 2013. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:
- Recorded at Piantigini Place, Somerville, Mass.
- The Who's Live at Hull sounds a lot like Live at Leeds
- Hearing bands play old favorites vs. new material
- Selling your music for commercial use
- Pete Townshend was a major solo artist in the '80s
- '80s recording techniques have not aged well
- Debating McCartney's solo work
- Kids these days...
- YouTube as music delivery mechanism
- Not just videos, but full albums and lyric videos
- The sad tale of Myspace
- Bandcamp's fan pages
- Brad: Psyched about new LP from Kid Canaveral
- The death of Lovejoy's, a great Austin dive bar
- Alamo Drafthouse rules
- Brad: Mark Kozelek and Album Leaf collaboration
- Indie bands love covering the Misfits
- Bands keep touring without original members (Misfits, Dead Kennedys)
- Violent Femmes are reuniting with original lineup at Coachella
- Prog is coming back
- Brad dug Genesis in the Duke/Abacab era
- "Illegal Alien" is a horrible song
- Long-awaited albums that may never come: Dylan at the Movies, The Wrens
- Brad bets My Bloody Valentine won't release new album by time this airs (he loses bet)
- Mike can't stop talking about his trip to SXSW
- Labels are running out of classic rock to reissue, turning to alt-rock
- To be continued  
- Bonehead of the Week


Music:
Low - Just Make It Stop

Thee Oh Sees - Minotaur
Mikal Cronin - Apathy
Ken Stringfellow - Doesn't It Remind You of Something

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

The Low song is on the forthcoming album The Invisible Way on Sub Pop. Download it for free at SoundCloud.
The Thee Oh Sees song is on the forthcoming album Floating Coffin on the Castle Face label. Download the song for free at Stereogum.
The Mikal Cronin song is on his self-titled album on Trouble in Mind Records. Download the song for free from SoundSpike.
The Ken Stringfellow song is on the album Danzig in the Moonlight on Spark and Shine Records. Download the song for free at Chromewaves.

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, February 4, 2013

Completely Conspicuous 264: Reasons to Be Cheerful

Part 1 of my conversation with guests Mike Piantigini and Brad Searles as we discuss what we're looking forward to in 2013, musically speaking. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Recorded at Piantigini Place, Somerville, Mass.
- Breitling couldn't make it
- Brad: Unusual collaborations including New Medicants (Joe Pernice and Norman Blake), Kristen Hersh and Pond, Greg Dulli and Steve Kilbey
- Hersh is super busy
- Artists escape from the album-tour-album cycle
- Robert Pollard is a freak of nature
- Mike: Replacements cover EP to benefit Slim Dunlap
- Westerberg should tour again
- Axl Rose soldiers on...at his own pace
- Great artists aren't always great businessmen
- Mike watches "Nashville"
- Breitling's list includes the Come reunion
- Come reissue has live set that Brad had hosted on his blog
- Jay: Bowie's back
- New Marnie Stern album on the way
- To be continued
- Bonehead of the Week


Music:
The Spinto Band - Shake It Off

FIDLAR - Got No Money
King Tuff - Keep On Movin'
The Maccabees - Go


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

The Spinto Band song is on the album Cool Cocoon on Spintonic Recordings. Download it for free at Spintonic.
The FIDLAR song is on the EP Don't Try on Mom and Pop Music. Download the song for free at Chromewaves.
The King Tuff song is on his self-titled album on Sub Pop. Download the song for free from Sub Pop.
The Maccabees song is on the album Given to the Wild on Fiction. Download the song for free at Chromewaves.

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.