Completely Conspicuous 439: Turn Up the Radio

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Matt Wardlaw as we discuss the decline of rock radio. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Check out Matt's podcast Lost Together
- Matt first got into radio as a kid in Odessa, TX
- Jay: Started listening to AM rock stations in Toronto in late '70s
- Matt later moved to Cleveland area, heard a lot of Canadian bands on radio there
- The enduring popularity of Trooper's "Raise a Little Hell"
- The thrill of the chase: hunting for B-sides and imports
- Learned about music via radio and magazines
- Countless hours in record stores
- In Boston, the rock stations have dwindled
- Cleveland's WMMS has gone part talk, part classic rock
- Curated radio experience is becoming more rare
- Jay: Listen to combo of podcasts, college radio and online stations
- Matt had a metal show for several years
- Classic rock acts can't get new stuff played anymore
- Playing new material live vs. "the hits"
- Billy Joel stopped making new music in early '90s
- Touring is where the money is for classic rock acts
- To be continued

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

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 438: Roll the Bones

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we discuss fantasy sports. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- No interest in daily fantasy sports
- Big ad blitz when daily fantasy leagues hit the scene
- The kids love the gambling
- Sports gambling is much easier now
- Vegas now has an NHL franchise
- The Super Bowl is more spectacle than game
- "I call him Gamblor"
- Senior citizens take buses to casinos
- Playing in multiple leagues is no guarantee of winning money
- When the commissioner is dishonest
- Like pickup sports, you want to have fun with friends in fantasy leagues
- The single worst pick in fantasy hockey history
- Let's hear it for Lichtenstein

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

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 437: The More You Know

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we discuss fantasy sports. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Jay: Renewed interest in baseball in the past year
- Watching sports without cable TV can be tricky
- Head-to-head format can be tough
- Paying attention to statistical details
- When fantasy leagues go bad
- Our fantasy hockey league fell apart because of money
- The problem with having people you don't know in the league
- We had our draft, started the season and then shut it down
- Hockey can be tough because it's harder to find people who really know the game
- Jay: Work football league got rid of kickers
- So many sources of draft information
- To be continued

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

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 436: Games of Chance

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we discuss fantasy sports. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Fantasy sports is big business
- Rooting against your favorite team
- Phil: Got into fantasy baseball in early '90s
- Jay: Started a league in '91 with work friends
- Paid a service to compile stats reports
- So much more now to distract you from draft prep
- Started with AL-only league
- Early fantasy football league started decades earlier
- Jack Kerouac created his own fantasy baseball league with fictional players and teams
- Strat-O-Matic started in early '60s
- Cards and dice game, similar to D&D
- The joys of Mattel Intellivision
- Sports betting is popular
- Takes enjoyment out of the game
- The house always wins
- The fun of the fantasy draft
- Auction leagues require more involvement, longer draft
- To be continued

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

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.