Completely Conspicuous 358: Reeling in the Years, 1988 (Part 1)

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1988. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").



Show notes:
- Recorded before Thanksgiving via Skype
- Check out Brian's radio show Unsolicited Mixtape
- JK: Hard drive issues
- Brian was 6 in '88, Jay was 20
- George Harrison's comeback
- Big year for George Michael and pop in general
- INXS was huge in '88
- MTV ruled the roost
- Videos resurrected a lot of dormant careers
- James Brown's car chase
- Zeppelin worship
- Ill-fated trip to Monsters of Rock festival
- John Lydon's iPad app addiction
- The strange end of the Clash
- Zeppelin reformed to play Atlantic Records' 40th anniversary bash
- Where's Mike Johnson?
- '70s nostalgia peaked in '88
- GNR broke through in '88
- Power ballads were the big ticket for hard rock bands
- BS: Dylan's album had a diverse collection of guests
- Tori Amos' pop debut, Y Kant Tori Read
- Ted Nugent released If You Can't Lick 'Em, Lick 'Em
- David Lee Roth's disappointing followup to Eat 'Em and Smile
- BS: VH's OU812 was a lowlight
- To be continued

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

Music:
JEFF the Brotherhood - What's a Creep
Hookworms - Radio Tokyo
Murder Vibes - Not Alone Tonight

The JEFF the Brotherhood song is on the band's forthcoming album on Warner Bros. Records. Download the song for free (in exchange for your email address) at the band's website.
The Hookworms song is on the album The Hum on Weird World Record Co./Domino. Download the song for free at KEXP.
The Murder Vibes song is on the band's self-titled, self-released album. The song is available for free download at KEXP.

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 357: Five Alive

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our top 5 albums of 2014. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").



Show notes:
- Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ
- JB's #5
- Perfect Pussy marks the return of political punk
- JK's #5
- Protomartyr came out of nowhere
- An unlikely combo
- JB's #4
- Krill's EP packs a punch
- Jonah Furman is a serious thinker
- Boston rock scene has been tremendous the last few years
- R.I.P., Soccer Mom, Young Adults, The Hush Now
- JK's #4
- Ty Segall was less prolific but released an incredible album
- JB's #3
- Cookies is latest side project from Mobius Band's Ben Sterling
- JK's #3
- Yet another great album from Sloan
- Each member contributes an album side
- JB's #2
- Lubec released a strong album under the radar
- JK's #2
- First Afghan Whigs album in 16 years
- Greg Dulli keeps delivering at a high level
- JB's #1
- Johnny Foreigner digs deep
- JK's #1
- Parquet Courts released two albums in 2014
- Harking back to CBGB-era punk sounds
- JB: Looking forward to new records from Pile, Chandos, Krill, Infinity Girl, Winter
- JK: Sleater-Kinney, Titus Andronicus, Faith No More will have new releases in 2015

Music:
Protomartyr - Scum, Rise!
The Afghan Whigs - Matamoros
Johnny Foreigner - Le Sigh

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

The Protomartyr song is on the album Under Color of Official Right on Hardly Art. Download the song for free at Stereogum.

The Afghan Whigs song is on the album Do to the Beast on Sub Pop. Download the song for free from Soundcloud.
The Johnny Foreigner song is on the album You Can Do Better on Alcopop. 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.

Completely Conspicuous 356: Down for the Count

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



Show notes:
- Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ
- Dog talk
- Honorable mentions
- JK: New Pornographers, Spoon are consistently excellent
- Bob Mould, Stephen Malkmus, War on Drugs
- Mark Kozelek is having fun trolling everybody
- Good EPs from Krill and Speedy Ortiz
- Run the Jewels released another good album
- Ryan Adams released a rockin' singles series EP
- JB: High grades for Nai Harvest, White Laces, Nothing, Wrong Shapes, Sneeze, Burning Alms, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Room Runner
- JK: Check out the free Exploding in Sound sampler on Bandcamp
- JB: New Two Inch Astronaut album is great
- JB's #10
- Radiator Hospital has been prolific and good
- JK's #10
- Hallelujah the Hills with a quality release
- JB's #9 and JK's #7
- The first Soccer Mom album is also their last
- JK's #9
- Unlikely release from Gord Downie and the Sadies
- JB's #8
- Literature is yet another good band on Slumberland
- Spotify usage habits
- JK's #8
- Comeback album for Death From Above 1979 has tons of great riffs
- JB's #7
- Ava Luna brings interesting approach to funk and punk
- JB's #6
- She Sir's latest was years in the making
- JK's #6
- Mary Timony's latest project harks back to '70s NYC punk scene
- Next week: Our top 5 albums

Music:
Hallelujah the Hills - Pick Up an Old Phone
Soccer Mom - Orejas
Ex Hex - Don't Wanna Lose

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

The Hallelujah the Hills song is on the album Have You Ever Done Something Evil? on Discrete Pageantry. Download the song for free from Stereogum.

The Soccer Mom song is on the band's self-titled album on 100m Records. Download the song for free from Soundcloud.
The Ex Hex song is on the album Rips on Merge Records. Download the song and album for free at KEXP.

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 355: Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss the year in music. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ
- Still searching for a beer sponsor
- An annual tradition
- JB: Post-device lifestyle
- Streaming options abound
- JK: Still use the iTunes player
- Nobody's buying music anymore
- Vinyl found a niche with hipsters/indie rock fans
- Another big year for pop
- Taylor Swift had the only platinum album of 2014
- The spirit of radio is on the ropes
- More music out there than ever
- Noise for Toys benefit at Great Scott, 12/16
- Missed the Replacements show in Boston
- JK: Saw lots of good live shows in 2014
- Parquet Courts, Protomartyr, Ty Segall, Sloan, GBV, Afghan Whigs, Caspian
- JB: Hoping for a Ride show in Boston next year
- Next week: Our favorite music of the year

Music:
Bob Mould - Hey Mr. Grey
Dum Dum Girls - Under These Hands

Radiator Hospital - Five & Dime

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

The Bob Mould song is on the album Beauty & Ruin on Merge Records. Download the song for free from KEXP.

The Dum Dum Girls song is on the album Too True on Sub Pop. Download the song for free from Soundcloud.
The Radiator Hospital song is on the album Torch Song. Download the song and album 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 354: Rage in the Cage

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss media-driven hysteria. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Check out Matt's new book, The Indestructibles: Breakout
- What's the next big media story?
- Charlie keeps butting in
- It's amazing what gets people upset
- Reality TV plays into outrage culture
- Internet comments reach new depths
- Easy to be cynical about politics
- Would you ever run for office?
- Vote Beelzebub
- We were inundated with New Hampshire political ads for two months
- The importance of reading cue cards on SNL
- Chris Rock caught some heat for telling jokes about Boston Marathon
- Post 9-11, humor became a touchy subject
- Everybody's waiting to be offended
- Know your audience, like the Duck Dynasty guys
- The risk of alienating your audience
- We never really fix anything

Music:
The Sheila Divine - Watch Out for Us
Meatbodies - Mountain
Interpol - What is What

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

The Sheila Divine song is available for free download at Bandcamp.

The Meatbodies song is on the album Meatbodies on In the Red Recordings. Download the song for free at KEXP.
The Interpol song is a B-side from the album El Pintor on Matador Records. Download the song for free by entering the words "Everything is Wrong" on the band's 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 blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 353: The Fake Headlines

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss media-driven hysteria. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Check out Matt's new book, The Indestructibles: Breakout
- Reading newspapers was once a thing
- Boston was a strong two newspaper town
- The Herald used to delight in tweaking the Globe
- Election ads go for the blue collar vote
- "Like hugging a Chicken McNugget"
- When your new boss is an uninspirational leader
- Matt: The end user is the product
- Pop-up ads are the worst
- People don't want to hear bad news
- It's entirely possible to avoid anything you disagree with
- Nobody wants to find middle ground
- News networks try to ratchet up the hysteria
- Fragmented workplaces
- Friends who aren't on social media are easily forgotten
- Jay: I don't talk to anyone on the phone anymore
-Another Charlie interruption
- To be continued

Music:
King Tuff - Eyes of the Muse
Greylag - Yours to Shake
Dream Police - Hypnotized

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

The King Tuff song is on the album Black Moon Spell on Sub Pop. Download the song for free at KEXP.
The Greylag song is on the album Greylag on Dead Oceans. Download the song for free at KEXP.
The Dream Police song is on the album Hypnotized on Sacred Bones Records. Download the song for free at KEXP.

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 352: Hype It Up

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss media-driven hysteria. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").



Show notes:
- Jay and Matt, bitchin' about stuff and drinking beer
- Enough with the pumpkin beer
- We've both worked in the media
- There's always a hot topic to get upset about
- Ebola's got everybody worked up
- It's been around for 40 years, but finally made it here
- Ebola response became a political football
- Before that, it was terrorism
- John Grisham made a controversial comment, which was forgotten after ISIS and Ebola dominated headlines
- CNN, Fox News, MSNBC amp up the stupid
- Twitter is the go-to source for news these days
- Matt was at Rhode Island ComiCon
- People love to be outraged
- Angry tweet from a low-level celeb can cause a stir
- Mixing up your social media accounts
- The end user is the product
-Dealing with clickbait
- To be continued

Music:
Dan Mangan + Blacksmith - Vessel
GravelRoad - Green Grass
Wimps - Stop Having Fun

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

The Dan Mangan + Blacksmith song is on the album Club Meds on Arts and Crafts. Download the song for free at KEXP.
The GravelRoad song is on the album El Scuerpo on Knick Knack. Download the song for free at KEXP.
The Wimps song is on the album Repeat on End of Times Records. Download the album for free at Gimme Tinnitus.

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 351: Say Say Sayer

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we look at the career of '70s pop star Leo Sayer. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Recorded at More Lost Time world HQ
- Check out our new web series Trust Fund Challenge
- In '77, Sayer hit it big with "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing"
- Jumped on disco bandwagon
- Hit #1 and was on charts for 17 weeks
- Had a song in top 40 from Nov. '76 to Feb. '78
- "When I Need You" also hit #1
- Ric: Skate park memories
- Smoothed out all the edges
- We listened to a lot of this kind of stuff at our college newspaper
- By the mid-80s, Sayer was a distant memory
- "More Than I Can Say" was originally written by guys from The Crickets
- Half country, half Fleetwood Mac
- Sayer started doing covers in the '80s
- Ric loves Anzac biscuits from Australia
- "Sheetwood Mac"
- Sayer had some UK hits in the '80s
- Ric talks up the post
- What happened to Beck?
- An Australian artist remixed "Thunder in My Heart" in 2006 and it went to #1 there
- Sayer did Beatles covers for All This and World War II, a pseudo-documentary that bombed
- Voiced Dan the Forest Ranger in Canadian cartoon called The Raccoons on Ice

Music:
Menace Beach - Fortune Teller
Thee Oh Sees - I Was Denied
The Fresh & Onlys - Fascinated

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

The Menace Beach song is on the album Ratworld on Memphis Industries. Download the song for free at KEXP.
The song from Thee Oh Sees is on the album Warm Slime on In the Red. Download the song for free at Epitonic.
The Fresh & Onlys song is on the album Play It Strange on In the Red. Download the album 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 350: More Than I Can Say

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we look at the career of '70s pop star Leo Sayer. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Recorded at More Lost Time world HQ
- Check out our new web series Trust Fund Challenge
- Just watched the 1969 grindhouse flick The Babysitter
- Rated X then, pretty tame by today's standards
- Our society's pruder in some ways, more open in others
- Leo Sayer was discovered by David Courtney and Adam Faith
- Ric: Sayer was less threatening than Elton John or Barry Manilow
- Adam Faith was a British teen idol in early '60s
- Sayer and Faith had a falling out over money
- Sayer struck out at first
- Roger Daltrey recorded a Sayer song
- Sayer's version of "Giving It All Away" sounds like Elton
- Some weird album covers
- Dube: Sayer looked like a mime who sings
- British guys who sound American and vice versa
- To be continued

Music:
Nude Beach - For You
The Vaselines - Last Half Hour
Happy You - Chummy

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

The Nude Beach song is on the album 77 on Don Giovanni Records. Download the song for free for a limited time at Amazon MP3.
The Vaselines song is on the album V for Vaselines on Rosary Music. Download the song for free at KEXP.
The Happy You song is on the self-released album Giggle. Download the album for free (in exchange for your email address) 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 349: When I Get Old

Part 2 of the latest installment of Driving with Kumar as I share some thoughts while driving to my 25th college reunion. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:
- No regrets about college years
- Could have graduated a semester early, but chose to stay for full year
- Got a job before I graduated
- Worked first few months at newspaper while also working weekends at supermarket
- Moved to Massachusetts after a few months
- Lived in 10 different places in a decade
- One apartment I shared with three women; a year later, it was all guys
- Nearly got married in mid-20s
- Went to Homecoming in '93 and passed on a party to go home and watch World Series
- Toronto won Series on Joe Carter HR that night
- Went up to UNH a lot the first few years after college
- On drive home
- Lots of drunken kids when I arrived at 2:30
- Wandered around through a mass of partying young people
- Eventually found class of '89 tent and my old roommate
- Saw some folks I hadn't seen in many years
- Only saw a little of the football game
- Overwhelming feeling of oldness, but had fun

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

Music:
Ty Segall - Feel
Wormburner - Somewhere Else to Be
The Pharmacy - Masten Lake Lagoon

The Ty Segall song is on the album Manipulator on Drag City. Download the song for free at KEXP.
The Wormburner song is on the album Pleasant Living in Planned Communities on Dive Records. Download the song for free at KEXP.

The Pharmacy song is on the album Spells on Old Flame Records. Download the song for free at KEXP.

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 348: Reunited...and It Feels So Old

Part 1 of the latest installment of Driving with Kumar as I share some thoughts while driving to my 25th college reunion. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Coached in a youth soccer tournament before driving up to University of New Hampshire
- Haven't gone to a college reunion before
- Still see many friends from college on occasion
- Nearly flunked out freshman year
- Switched from engineering to journalism and turned it around
- Worked for newspaper for six years after college
- Journalism majors use theirs skill in different ways now
- College was my first time away from parental discipline
- Real partying began when grades improved
- Did not drink in high school
- First weekend in college, that changed
- Freshman year roommate had a tough time
- Sophomore year roomie was super busy with activities
- Moved off campus junior year
- Unlucky in love
- Always hung out with both nerds and jocks
- Ate a lot of junk food
- To be continued

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

Music:
Sleater-Kinney - Bury Our Friends
Coaches - amisarewaswere
The Cherry Wave - Whitey

The Sleater-Kinney song is on the forthcoming album No Cities to Love on Sub Pop. Download the song for free (in exchange for your email address) at Stereogum.
The Coaches song is available for free download at Bandcamp.

The Cherry Wave song is on the forthcoming album Avalancher and available for free download 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 347: Reeling in the Years, 1996 (Part 3)

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1996. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Check out Brian's new radio show Unsolicited Mixtape
- Brian's #5
- Olivia Tremor Control made Brian's favorite Elephant 6 album
- Jay's #5 and Brian's #4
- Frank Black had a tough task following up Teenager of the Year
- Moved to a rawer sound
- In the middle of an excellent stretch of solo music
- Jay's #4
- Weezer's underrated (at the time) masterpiece
- Brian's #3
- Ween goes to Nashville
- Serious musicianship behind silly songs
- Jay's #3
- Afghan Whigs' Black Love was a cinematic concept album
- Serious Quadrophenia feel on the ballads
- Brian's #2
- Fountains of Wayne's debut was also underrated
- Jay's #2
- Sloan bounced back from short-lived breakup to put together a brilliant album
- Trading a Ween mix for a Sloan mix
- Brian's #1
- Pinkerton was the first album Brian liked and his friends didn't
- Serious dropoff in quality since then
- Jay's #1
- Beck followed up Mellow Gold with an amazing album
- Brian: Midnite Vultures is the best Prince album of the '90s
- Next up: 1988

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

Music:
Ex Hex - Don't Wanna Lose
Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas - Caught Up
Mini Dresses - In Two

The Ex Hex song is on the album Rips on Merge Records. Download the song for free for a limited time at KEXP.
The Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas song is on the album Secret Evil on Instant Records. Download the song for free at KEXP.
The Mini Dresses song is on the EP Three and available for free download 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 346: Reeling in the Years, 1996 (Part 2)

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1996. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Check out Brian's comics podcast The Hour Cosmic
- Brian: Beck's Odelay was just outside my top 5
- New album's okay, but not great
- Brian: Cake, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Wrens' Secaucus
- The endless wait for the new Wrens album
- Brian was supposed to play piano with the Wrens but got sick
- Sticking up for Stone Temple Pilots' album
- Jay: STP were equal opportunity ripoff artists
- The '90s brought new wave of festivals: Lolla, Gathering of the Vibes, HORDE, Ozzfest
- Jay: No desire to go to Bonnaroo or Coachella
- Nothing better than seeing a band in a club
- Jay: Dug albums from D Generation, Sebadoh, Luscious Jackson, Johnny Cash, Chixdiggit, Brainiac, GBV, Maxwell, Westerberg
- Singing the praises of Live at Drew's
- Brian: Belle and Sebastian, Bill Frisell
- Frisell did the soundtrack to a Far Side cartoon
-  To be continued

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

Music:
King Tuff - Headbanger
Purling Hiss - Forcefield of Solitude
Young Adults - Old Kids

The King Tuff song is on the album Black Moon Spell on Sub Pop. Download the song for free for a limited time at Amazon MP3.
The Purling Hiss song is on the album Weirdon on Drag City. Download the song for free at KEXP.
The Young Adults song is available for free download 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 345: Reeling in the Years, 1996 (Part 1)

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1996. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Check out Brian's comics podcast The Hour Cosmic
- In '96, Jay was 28 going on 29
- Brian: 13 going on 14
- Grunge was fading, pop was back in a big way
- Two versions of "The Macarena" were on top 100 singles chart
- Brian: At the time, didn't feel like a pop year
- Bush made an album with Steve Albini
- Lots of unsuccessful followups: Ugly Kid Joe, Kriss Kross
- Metallica's Load lived down to its name
- Strange year for Van Halen: Twister soundtrack, followed by greatest hits album with two DLR songs
- VH went through three singers in a matter of months
- Michael Anthony, Everyman
- We deconstructed VH III in eps 315 and 316
- Nickelback's first album came out in '96
- KISS reunited with original lineup
- Hip hop went mainstream
- New acts on the rise, like The Roots, Outkast, Wu Tang Clan
- Roots of nu metal
- The death of rock criticism with David Fricke in Rolling Stone giving U2's new album a five-star rating
- Rolling Stone typically hands out good reviews to old-school artists like U2, Dylan, Stones
- Last time U2 did anything interesting was 1997's Pop
- The U2 backlash is fierce
-  To be continued

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

Music:
Whirr - Mumble
Withered Hand - Black Tambourine
Super Medusa - Doomed Boy

The Whirr song is on the album Sway on Graveface Records. Download the song for free for a limited time at Amazon MP3.
The Withered Hand song is on the album New Gods on Slumberland Records. Download the song for free as part of the Slumberland Records 25th Anniversary Sampler on Amazon MP3.
The Super Medusa song is on the EP of the same name, which is available for free download 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 344: Stardom in Action

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion about society's obsession with celebrity. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").



Show notes:
- The Brits love them some Arctic Monkeys
- Matt learns how to do Twitter
- Getting followed by dead authors and weirdos
- Desperate for celeb RTs
- Positive Twitter interactions
- Jay: Old friend has been writing about celebrities for a few decades now
- PR jobs require a different mindset
- Meeting your heroes can be problematic
- Searching for Jagger
- In the presence of Howard
- Rock star deaths
- Dying young does wonders for an artist's legacy
- Brando's death isn't well remembered...by Matt, anyway
- How dumb would we be if we had money?

Music:
SW/MM/NG - Some Dreams Come True
Gold-Bears - From Tallahassee to Gainesville
Weekend - Hazel

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

The SW/MM/NG song is on the album Feel Not Bad on Old Flame Records. Download the song for free from KEXP.
The Gold-Bears song is on the album Dalliance on Slumberland Records. Download the song for free as part of the Slumberland Records 25th Anniversary Sampler on Amazon MP3.
The Weekend song is on the EP Red on Slumberland Records. Download the song for free as part of the Slumberland Records 25th Anniversary Sampler on Amazon MP3.

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 343: Baby I'm a Star

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion about society's obsession with celebrity. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").



Show notes:
- Scandal rags are still popular
- Celebs and social media can lead to trouble
- Now everyone's got a camera to catch your every mistake
- Michael Richards was beloved until he screwed up
- People will turn on celebs in an instant
- The strange life of Tom Cruise, Entertainment Robot
- Doing interview junkets must be mind-numbing
- Supreme Court nominee was rejected in the '80s because of pot smoking
- The media mastery of Bill Clinton
- Public perception matters
- Asking the wrong question
- Jay: Meeting Stephen Colbert was pretty cool
- Jay: Sat next to Jordan Knight of New Kids on the Block on a flight once
- People will stand for hours just to get shown on The Today Show
- Suing Naked Dating reality show for...being naked
- To be continued

Music:
Creepers - Stuck
Naomi Punk - Television Man
Hooray for Earth - Airs

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

The Creepers song is on the album Lush from the All Black Recording Company. Download the song for free from Stereogum.
The Naomi Punk song is on the album Television Man on Captured Tracks. Download the song for free from KEXP.
The Hooray for Earth song is on the album Racy on Dovecote Records. Download the song for free from KEXP.

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 342: Your Famous Friends

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion about society's obsession with celebrity. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").



Show notes:
- Celebrity deaths
- Jay: Robin Williams' death hit me hard
- We don't have royalty so celebs fill that role
- Getting rich doesn't necessarily equal happiness
- Americans are surprisingly fascinated by the British royal family
- Dealing with fans could get annoying after a while
- Matt was at Boston ComiCon hyping his book
- Check out his YA superhero novel The Indestructibles
- Saw some minor celebs like Jason Momoa and John Barrowman
- What do you say to an actor or musician you admire?
- Matt met Susan Sarandon while working at Museum of Science
- Jay: Met my favorite hockey player and I was a dork
- Many movies filmed around here and people flock to watch
- People will do anything to get onscreen
- Worked with a guy who was on a short-lived reality show
- Matt went to college with actor Charlie Day
- The lameness of celeb interviews during sports telecasts
- To be continued

Music:
The Wytches - Digsaw
Aan - Spiritual Provisions
Little Racer - Dancing

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

The Wytches song is on the album Annabel Dream Reader on Partisan Records. Download the song for free from KEXP.
The Aan song is on the album Amor Ad Nauseum on Party Damage Records. Download the song for free from KEXP.
The Little Racer song is on the EP Modern Accent on PaperCup Music. Download the song for free from KEXP.

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 341: Hit Me With Your Best Shot

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we examine the back story of '70s hitmakers Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").



Show notes:
- Recorded at More Lost Time world HQ
- Check out our new web series Trust Fund Challenge
- Playboy Records had Barbi Benton signed to a deal
- RD: Hef likes "female impersonator impersonators"
- Benton guested on many '70s TV shows like Fantasy Island and The Love Boat
- She released five albums that hit the country charts
- Worked on Playboy After Dark
- Show had many great musical guests
- Playboy Records made HJFR keep Reynolds in the name after he left
- HJFR had their biggest hit in '75 with "Fallin' in Love"
- Drake sampled it and was sued by Playboy Enterprises
- Poor Dennison
- Singer Dan Hamilton died in '94 of Cushing's Syndrome
- Three subsequent singles bombed
- Album only went to #82, even with a #1 hit
- Bad distro
- Band probably didn't make much money from sales
- MST3K had a good HJFR reference
- The King's last hit


Music:

Owl John - Red Hand
Benjamin Booker - Violent Shiver

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

The Owl John song is on its self-titled album on Canvasback/Atlantic. Download the song for free at KEXP.
The Benjamin Booker song is on his self-titled album on ATO Records. Download the song for free at KEXP.

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.