Completely Conspicuous 300: Fear Factor

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss Halloween and horror flicks. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Salem, Mass., is Halloween Central
- Just a straight-out fun holiday
- Can be frustrating for those who live in Salem
- Old-school newspaper pro-tip: Keep booze in yer desk
- "Write drunk, edit sober"
- As a kid, Matt was excited to dress up on Halloween
- Jay: All about the candy
- In NH, rural location meant we didn't have trick-or-treaters
- Don't get that many now
- Matt's costumes over the years: Robin, Julius Caesar
- Jay: Moses, Don King, Bootsy Collins
- Matt has a Batman mask this year
- When kids are scared of your costume
- Enjoyed Halloween more as an adult
- The Lunchlady and the Flasher
- Scary movies are fun
- Matt: Blair Witch had a great gimmick, not a great story
- So much more scary watching movies by yourself
- Matt: The Saw movies are terrible, but creepy
- Zombie movies are everywhere
- Allegory for fear of disease
- Real-life face-eating is scarier
- Horror movie remakes are coming out all the time
- Jay: Still remember the trailer for the late '70s flick It's Alive
- Horror films are good investments
- Jay: Loved the film version of The Shining
- To be continued
- Bonehead of the Week


Music:
Dead Meadow - Yesterday's Blowin' Back
The Cloud Room - Mrs. Marquis de Sade

The Beatings - How Many Times Can You Say Goodbye to the Same Person?

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

The Dead Meadow song is on the album Warble Womb on Xemu Records. Download the song for free at RollingStone.com.
The Cloud Room song is on the compilation You Be My Heart. Download the song for free at Soundcloud.

The Beatings song is on the album Italiano on Midriff Records. Download the song 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.

Completely Conspicuous 299: A Little Help From My Friends

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss benefit concerts. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Recorded at Casa Breitling before a live studio audience
- Breitling's hosting the 2nd annual Community Servings benefit show on Nov. 3 at TT the Bears in Cambridge, Mass.
- Featuring K. Heasley of Lilys, Soccer Mom, The Hush Now and Earthquake Party
- Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz will provide DJ sets
- Providing meals to the chronically ill
- Roger Waters held huge benefit show in Berlin in 1990
- Breitling was in Germany at the time
- The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert was huge in '92
- Two big post-9/11 concerts in NYC
- SARS benefit concert in 2003 was the biggest show in Canadian history, with the Stones, AC/DC, Rush
- Live 8 in 2005 was actually eight concerts in eight cities on the same day
- Pink Floyd reunited with Waters
- Did benefits have more impact in the past?
- Increased capacity to put on benefit shows now
- Hear 'N Aid was the mid-'80s metal version of We Are the World
- Featured a ridiculous number of guitar solos
- Big charity show in Boston earlier this year after the Marathon bombing
- Hot Stove Cool Music started in Boston, now also in Chicago
- Recent Crash Safely MS benefit ran four nights in Boston-area clubs
- Breitling: Bands and venue make benefits happen by giving their time
- Club bookers were a huge help
- Plenty of logistics to consider
- Last year Community Servings benefit was at Great Scott
- Different kind of benefit for Community Servings, reaching a different audience
- Get yer tickets now
- Bonehead of the Week


Music:
The So So Glos - Emergency
Grooms - I Think We're Alone Now

Black Hearted Brother - This is How It Feels

Slowdim - Wishing Well

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

The So So Glos song is on the compilation Shaking Through Volume 4. Download the comp for free at Bandcamp.
The Grooms song is on the album Infinity Caller on Western Vinyl. Download the song for free at Bandcamp.

The Black Hearted Brother song is on the album Stars Are Our Home on Slumberland Records. Download the song for free at Chromewaves.

The Slowdim song is a reworked version of a song on the band's self-titled album. Download the song for free at Bandcamp.

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.

Completely Conspicuous 298: Give 'Til It Hurts

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss the benefit concert he's organizing. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Recorded at Casa Breitling before a live studio audience
- Breitling's hosting the 2nd annual Community Servings benefit show on Nov. 3 at TT the Bears in Cambridge, Mass.
- Featuring K. Heasley of Lilys, Soccer Mom, The Hush Now and Earthquake Party
- Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz will provide DJ sets
- Olive sniffs the recorder
- Get tickets now
- Providing meals to acutely ill folks
- Last year's event featured Johnny Foreigner
- Rock benefits have been happening for decades
- They seem less impactful now
- Live Aid was a huge event in 1985 with shows in Philly and London
- Controversy over charity administration
- The Concert for Bangaldesh in '71 was the first big charity concert
- The Secret Policeman's Ball was run by Amnesty International
- Sting's Rock for the Rainforest benefit has been happening for 20+ years
- Amnesty International's Conspiracy of Hope was a big deal in 1986
- Breitling: Axl Rose has Vince Neil-itis
- To be continued
- Bonehead of the Week


Music:
Shearwater - Fucked Up Life
Deer Tick - The Dream's in the Ditch

FIDLAR - Got No Money

Come - String (live)

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

The Shearwater song is on the album Fellow Travelers on Sub Pop. Download the song for free at Stereogum.
The Deer Tick song is on the album Negativity on Partisan Records. Download the song for free as part of the Partisan Records Summer/Fall Sampler 2013 on Amazon.

The FIDLAR song is on the EP Don't Try on Mom + Pop Music. Download the song for free at Chromewaves.

The Come song is part of the band's Epitonic Saki Session, which you can download 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.

Reeling in the Years: 1987

In wrapping up the exhaustive look at the music of 1987 that Brian Salvatore and I did on CompCon (check out parts 1, 2 and 3 if you haven't already), I also compiled a playlist based on our favorite albums of that year. One notable exception was George Harrison's Cloud Nine, which for some reason isn't on Spotify (along with the rest of his catalog even though I could've sworn it was a few months ago).

Nevertheless, here's a pretty damn diverse playlist based on those episodes:

Completely Conspicuous 297: Sign O' the Times

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1987. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Jay's #2 album of '87: The Cult's Electric
- Used to crank it while working supermarket night shifts
- Brian's #2: R.E.M.'s Document
- Mike Mills is the band's secret weapon
- R.E.M. was burdened by U2 comparisons
- Stipe and Mills formed Automatic Baby with U2's Clayton and Mullen
- Jay's #1: GNR's Appetite for Destruction
- Paved the way for rawer hard rock
- Brian's #1: Pixies' Come On Pilgrim EP
- New Pixies is okay but nowhere near the old one
- Teenage metalhead Jay also dug Joe Satriani's Surfing With the Alien
- Enjoying That Metal Show
- Terrible moments in '87 music
- Jay: Bruce Willis releases an album
- Brian: Pink Floyd's post-Waters output
- "That's What Friends Are For"
- Jay: Terrible movie soundtrack music, like Bob Seger's "Shakedown"
- "Shakedown" was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe
- Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now"
- Brian: The death of legendary jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius
- The fascinating story of Aaron North (ex-Icarus Line and NIN guitarist)
- The Jesus Lizard got a record deal thanks to Kurt Cobain
- Next on our hit list: 1980
- Bonehead of the Week


Music:
Sebadoh - I Will
The Men - I Saw Her Face
The Besnard Lakes - People of the Sticks
 
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The Sebadoh song is on the album Defend Yourself on Joyful Noise Recordings. Download the song for free (in exchange for your email address) as part of the Paste Fall Preview 2013 at NoiseTrade.
The song from The Men is on the album Campfire Songs on Sacred Bones Records. Download the song for free at Aquarium Drunkard.

The Besnard Lakes song is on the album Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO on Jagjaguwar 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.