Completely Conspicuous 313: Somethin' Hot

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1998. 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
- Remember Blues Brothers 2000?
- Goo Goo Dolls went Hollywood
- Brian: QOTSA released its debut
- Rob Halford came out; first prominent metal dude to do so
- In retrospect, '80s heavy metal was steeped in gayness
- Bubbling under albums
- Jay: Fugazi, GVSB, RFTC
- Brian: Elliott Smith, The Catholics, Flin Flon, Tortoise, The Lounge Lizards
- Jay: Pearl Jam, Neutral Milk Hotel, Pulp, Beasties, Tragically Hip, Cat Power
- Brian's #5 album
- Hello Nasty is the last classic Beasties album
- Jay's #5 and Brian's #4
- Beck does a 180 from Odelay
- Later Beck material rehashes older sounds
- Jay's #4
- Afghan Whigs fully embrace soul and R&B
- Greg Dulli can do no wrong
- 1965 was the last Whigs album...until this year
- To be continued

Music:
Built to Spill - Jokerman
Guillermo Sexo - Color the Noise

Bill Janovitz - Matter

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

The Built to Spill song is on the tribute album Bob Dylan in the '80s: Volume One on ATO Records. Download the song for free (in exchange for your email address) at Stereogum.
The Guillermo Sexo song is a re-recording of an old track available for free at MobtownStudios.com.

The Bill Janovitz song is available for free download on 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 312: Dawn of a New Age

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1998. 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
- The Pixies' ongoing bass situation
- Brian: Zwan was underrated
- Pixies have become the butt of jokes
- In 1998, Jay was 30, Brian was 16
- We both had just started dating the women we would marry
- In '98, being eclectic became cool
- JK: Was getting into more funk and soul
- Big year for pop
- TRL started in '98
- Lots of one-hit wonders: Eagle Eye Cherry, Chumbawumba, New Radicals
- The New Radicals featured former child actress in band
- JK: Saw Fastball open for Matthew Sweet in a tiny pub in Portland, Maine
- Semisonic's drummer wrote book about the record industry
- The MP3 revolution began in '98 with MP3.com
- MP3.com got sued by the labels before Napster
- BS: Beginning of Latin influence and the height of the short-lived swing dance craze
- The Titanic soundtrack was huge
- Aerosmith had big hit with "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"
- Pop country was big: Shania Twain, Faith Hill
- Rap metal was a lowlight: Korn, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock broke through
- Sugar Ray had a DJ named Homicide
- The year of Van Halen III: The Gary Cherone era
- Brian paid 8 cents for VH III
- To be continued

Music:
Johnny Foreigner - Le Sigh
Fuzz - Till the End of the Day

The Dismemberment Plan - The Ice of Boston

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

The Johnny Foreigner song is on the album You Can Do Better on Alcopop! Records. Download the song for free at Soundcloud.
The Fuzz song is on the 7-inch single L.A.M.C. #10 on Famous Class Records. Download the song for free (in exchange for your email address) at Bandcamp.
The Dismemberment Plan song is on the album The Dismemberment Plan is Terrified on DeSoto Records. Download the song 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 blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 311: Walk Away

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Lewandowski as we discuss his latest bold career move. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Recorded at BGL HQ
- Sometimes you like the people more than the job
- BL stayed home to raise his daughter for a while
- Now situation is different
- The time to restart is now
- Is this all there is?
- Pressure's on to succeed now
- Trying to get disciplined
- The Secret is good for finding parking spaces
- Finding that elusive "dream job"
- Acting is an interesting but difficult pursuit
- Job misery can cause physical pain
- Working overnights
- The future is unwritten
- BL: It's not exactly what I thought it would be

Music:
She Sir - Condensedindents
Protomartyr - Scum, Rise!

Red Fang - Behind the Light

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

The She Sir song is on the album Go Guitars on Shelflife Records. Download the song for free at Largehearted Boy.

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

The Red Fang song is on the album Whales and Leeches on Relapse Records. Download the song for free at 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 310: Had Enough

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Lewandowski as we discuss his latest bold career move. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Recorded at BGL HQ
- Momentous life decision
- BL was working as a web guy at a Boston hospital
- Commuted four hours each day
- Didn't get promotion and decided to quit
- BL: I just hated what I did
- Haven't felt urgency to find something new
- JK: Got a job right out of college and never stopped working
- Taking chances
- BL: Played it safe early on and missed out on working on MTV's The Real World
- Getting encouragement from friends not many kindred spirits
- Layoffs are a different thing entirely
- Going back to a job you left
- The very brief heyday of CMGI
- The ever-changing world of venue names
- BL: Need to figure out next move by February
- Commute is a huge factor
- Cramming into crowded trains gets old fast
- BL's been doing standup part-time the last few years
- Hosting a standup show that's growing slowly
- Not easy to get paid to do what you love
- People selling stuff at home parties: Hats, jewelry, food
- Get-rich schemes are the American Way
- Scratch tickets as a strategy
- BL: Take a lower-paying gig to support the real goal?
- Trying to separate money from career
- To be continued

Music:
School of Seven Bells - Lafaye
Sadie Dupuis - X Actually

Dead Stars - Fractured

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

The School of Seven Bells song is on the album Ghostory on Vagrant Records. Download the song for free at Epitonic.

The Sadie Dupuis song is a solo recording available for free at Stereogum.
The Dead Stars song is on the EP High Gain. 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.