Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Completely Conspicuous 531: Where Have All the Good Times Gone?

This week, I'm joined by author Greg Renoff as we discuss the new book he wrote with legendary rock producer Ted Templeman. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 
Show notes:
- Greg's first book was 2015's Van Halen Rising
- Five years later, people are still discovering it
- Wrote about the early years of VH from a fan's perspective
- The band filled a void when their debut came out
- That book led to Greg's new book, Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer's Life in Music
- Templeman came to book signing for Van Halen Rising
- Greg later pitched the idea of a book about Templeman
- Book looks at his start as a musician and the albums he worked on as a producer
- Renoff wanted to add more structure to Templeman's recollections
- Book's out on ECW Press on April 21
- Took a few years to put together before the editing process
- Did a lot of interviews with Ted, exchanged many emails
- He didn't want to dwell on controversy too much
- Book starts with his childhood in Santa Cruz through the last album he worked on with the Doobie Brothers in 2010
- Didn't cover every album he worked on
- He was a talented musician in his younger days, as a jazz phenom and then a minor pop star
- Heavily influenced by Tito Puente
- Got into producing with the Doobies in '71, and later Captain Beefheart, Little Feat, Montrose
- Not in touch with the VH camp anymore, but appreciative of his work with them
- Worked with Van Morrison a few times
- Templeman was on TV with his pop group Harpers Bizarre, but he didn't see a future in performing
- Was interested in production and moved behind the scenes in 1970
- Nearly got out of the industry
- Started at the bottom listening to tape submissions
- Found the Doobie Brothers demo
- VH already had the harmony vocals, and Ted incorporated those (and provided some) on most of those albums
- By the time he got to VH, Ted was intent on finding bands a radio hit
- Worked with a wide range of artists from Carly Simon to the Bulletboys
- Sometimes he was brought in to finish projects that others had started
- Currently interested in streaming and following certain artists
- Initial book launch plans have changed because of COVID-19
- Hoping to do joint interviews eventually
- Greg plans to do another VH book
- Started work on it, but will get back to it once coronavirus restrictions are lifted

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts and anywhere else you get podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Completely Conspicuous 530: Quarantine Dream

This week on Quarantining With Kumar, I talk about how life has changed drastically in a short period of time because of COVID-19. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded while driving around to get some essentials
- Day 5 of self-quarantine, working from home
- The state of Massachusetts has pretty much closed all non-essential businesses
- We haven't experienced anything like this before (in my lifetime)
- Life after 9/11 was weird, but got back to normal fairly quickly
- Some states have implemented "shelter in place" rules
- Social distancing is the big buzzword
- Public gatherings are outlawed
- Spring breakers defied warnings
- Everything's getting canceled: Sports, trips, concerts
- We need to stay home to keep virus from spreading
- Most people I know are complying with the quarantine
- Musicians are doing livestreams instead of concerts
- Optimistic this will end soon, but it's hard to tell
- Watching out for older folks who are more susceptible to virus
- Some people are freaking out with conspiracy theories
- Got to ride this thing out
- Stay positive

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts and anywhere else you get podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Completely Conspicuous 529: Cheat to Win

I talk to Phil Stacey and Dave Olson about baseball's cheating scandal while we drive to a rock concert. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded on the way to see the Drive-By Truckers in Somerville, MA
- Not the first cheating scandal in MLB, but this has a different feel
- Houston Astros accused of stealing signs on the way to 2017 World Series
- Every team cheats in some way or another
- "If you're not cheating, you're not trying"
- Corked bats, scuffed pitches
- Baseballs were juiced last year to generate interest
- The sport is fading in popularity
- Too slow for short attention spans of today's society
- Steroids in the late '90s were ignored in favor of home run records
- Did the punishment fit the crime?
- Astros were fined and lost draft picks, but could have been worse
- MLB didn't expect this to blow up; former Astro revealed it in an interview
- Public reaction has been loud
- Two other teams have fired their managers who had connections to Astros that season
- Did MLB and the teams coordinate these actions?
- MLB wants this to go away and it's not
- Other teams and players are upset about it
- A pitcher sued because Astros lit him up and he was out of the majors
- Astros are going to be booed mercilessly all season on the road
- We don't know how much the sign stealing helped them
- Houston will get some big TV ratings this season
- Brought to you by Google Maps
- Altuve was a heroic figure, now tarnished
- MMA and pro wrestling are resonating with a younger generation
- A lot of baseball teams struggle to fill the seats
- Young kids would rather watch eSports, where other people play video games
- Easier to cheat in baseball or basketball
- Astros intern figured out how to steal signs and convinced management to adopt it
- Astros players should expect to get hit by a lot of pitches this season

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts and anywhere else you get podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.