Completely Conspicuous 601: Your Favorite Thing

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2022. Listen to the episode or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded at Clicky Clicky/Parcheesi Redux East HQ

- We've been doing this for 13 years!

- Kumar: Went to some more shows this year

- Breitling went to zero shows in 2022

- Things to look forward to in '23: The Cure returns, Drop Nineteens, Hallelujah the Hills' DECK project, Johnny Foreigner, Fucked Up, Blue Ocean, Peter Gabriel

- Kate Hudson is supposed to be releasing an album

- The varied talents of Fred Armisen

- In '22, the music industry continued to struggle

- Fewer revenue streams, fragmented audiences, content glut

- Diaper payola

- Even established acts can't sell new albums anymore

- Artists are selling directly to their audiences through Patreon, etc.

- Breitling's honorable mentions: Photon Band, Flyying Colours, Bitchin' Bajas, Kal Marks, Sun Airway, S.C.A.B., They Are Gutting a Body of Water, Kiwi Jr.

- Kumar's HMs: Kal Marks, Built to Spill, Wet Leg, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Alvvays, Superchunk, Spoon, Jon Spencer and the HitMakers, Archers of Loaf, Black Angels, OFF!

- Albums that came out early in the year feel like they came out much longer ago

- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through the Apple Podcasts directory. 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.

Completely Conspicuous 600: Meet Ze Monsta

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1995. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Jay's non-top 5s: Mike Watt, Bjork, Guided By Voices, Boss Hog, Rancid, The Amps

- Phil's #5: Bjork's second album embraces the quirkiness

- Jay's #4: Jawbreaker's major label debut was a total bust, but it's really good

- "Selling out" was a big deal back then

- Phil's #3: The debut of Elastica was fully formed, but band disappeared a few years later

- Jay's #3: Pavement's followup to their big break was dismissed as too weird, but now is considered a classic

- Phil's #2: Neil Young teams up with Pearl Jam for strong release at the peak of PJ's fame

- Jay's #2: Horn-powered kickass blast of an album from Rocket From the Crypt

- Phil's #1 and Jay's #5: Dave Grohl emerges from Nirvana's shadow with first Foo Fighters album

- Jay's #1 and Phil's #4: PJ Harvey changes up her sound and goes theatrical and atmospheric

- Favorite songs: "Meet Ze Monsta" (Jay), "Alone + Easy Target" (Jay)

- Next: Best of 2022 with Jay Breitling

 

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple 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.

Completely Conspicuous 599: Army of Me

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1995. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- First show in quite a while

- In '95, Phil turned 26, Jay turned 28

- We both saw a lot of concerts that year

- Big deaths: Jerry Garcia, Eazy E, Shannon Hoon

- Musings on Cleveland, where the Rock Hall of Fame opened in '95

- Jay saw a doubleheader of a Bruins game and a Chris Whitley show

- Singles charts were leaning toward pop and lighter fare

- Is band loyalty still a thing?

- It's okay to not listen to every album in a band's catalog

- Phil's non-top 5 albums: Belly, Garbage, Alice in Chains, Mad Season, Phish, Elliott Smith, Radiohead, RHCP, Sonic Youth, Matthew Sweet, Pavement, Ben Folds Five, Morphine, No Doubt, Throwing Muses, Green Day, Natalie Merchant, Son Volt, Smashing Pumpkins

- It's a rare double album that can't be cut down to a single album

- To be continued

 

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple 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.

Completely Conspicuous 598: Basket Case

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1994. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Jay's non-top 5s: Superchunk, Jeff Buckley, Drive Like Jehu, Rollins Band, Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, Helmet, Pulp Fiction soundtrack, Mark Lanegan, Nirvana

- Phil's #5: Pearl Jam's third album gets a little adventurous and rough-edged

- Jay's #5: The Tragically Hip gets more atmospheric after more straight-ahead rockers

- Phil's #4: Debut album from Jeff Buckley showcases his vocal range and a flair for different styles

- Jay's #4: The super-prolific Guided By Voices brings lo-fi rock into the forefront

- Phil's #3: Nirvana reinvented the Unplugged format in a historic recording

- Jay's #3: No sophomore jinx for Pavement, who broke through in an indie rock way

- Phil's #2: Soundgarden breaks through to the mainstream

- Jay's #2: Frank Black does a Bob Pollard impression with a lot of short bursts of awesomeness on his second solo album

- Phil's #1: Green Day explodes into popular culture with a classic blast of snotty pop-punk

- Jay's #1: An abrupt shift in sound from Sloan that led to them getting dumped by Geffen and briefly breaking up...but it's amazing

- This was the peak of the '90s indie rock scene

- Favorite songs: "Longview" (Phil), "Coax Me" (Sloan)

 

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple 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.

Completely Conspicuous 597: Ill Communication

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about the music of 1994. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Back after a two-month summer break

- In 1994, Jay turned 27, Phil turned 25

- Steely Dan was touring again

- Jay: Life improved in '94 on job and home front

- Jay: Saw a ton of shows including Pearl Jam, Afghan Whigs, Rollins Band, Cracker, Soundgarden, Buffalo Tom, Blues Explosion, Tragically Hip, Sugar

- Debating the merits of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones

- Phil's kids love the pop music

- Phil went to the infamous Green Day show at the Hatch Shell

- Top singles were all pop and hip hop, lots of ballads

- Big year for indie rock

- Grunge peaked and major labels started signing bands from non-Seattle locations like Chicago, San Diego, etc.

- Pearl Jam sued TicketMaster and tried to do a tour of non-TM venues, but it fizzled

- Cobain's death was a pivotal moment

- Woodstock '94 didn't get as much press as '99

- Other newsy events: Baseball strike, OJ Simpson chase, Eagles started charging $100 for concert tickets

- Phil's non-top 5 albums: Alice in Chains, R.E.M., Hole, Beastie Boys, Weezer, Phish, Sonic Youth, Meat Puppets, Sugar, Dinosaur Jr., Luscious Jackson, Beck, Liz Phair, Veruca Salt, Stone Roses, Jesus and Mary Chain, Portishead, Stone Temple Pilots, Dave Matthews Band, Tom Petty, Neil Young & Crazy Horse

- What is emo? Also, what is internet?

- Weezer started out strong, but now they're a parody of themselves

- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple 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.

Completely Conspicuous 596: Pass the Popcorn

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about movie fandom. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded while driving to Tree House Brewery

- Watching scary movies as a kid

- The Shining still holds up

- Favorite directors: Kubrick, Scorsese, Tarantino

- Jay: After Hours is a fun movie; similar plot to Into the Night, which came out around the same time

- The current state of prestige TV is giving movies a run for their money

- Better Call Saul is the latest great show

- The early days of the pandemic led to watching lots of movies

- Great time to catch up on old favorites and things you missed

- The greatness of The Decline of Western Civilization, Part 2

- U2 was riding high until they released the movie Rattle and Hum

- Lots of movies filmed in our area

- Jay: After we had kids, didn't go to an adult movie in the theater for years

- Movie dates used to be a big deal when we were younger

- Don't do it that much anymore

- The movie viewing experience at home is much better than it used to be

- Phil hasn't been to a movie in a theater since the pandemic started

- Watching edited versions of movies on network TV

- We interact differently with movies today

- Movie recommendations: Jay recommends Prey, The Limey, Burn After Reading, No Country For Old Men, Something Wild, After Hours

- Phil recommends Bernie, I'm Thinking of Ending Things

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple 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.

Completely Conspicuous 595: At the Movies

Celebrating the show's 16th birthday with part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our love of movies. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded while driving to Tree House Brewery

- Phil remembers seeing "Bambi" in the theater and "Halloween" a little early

- The interesting career beginnings of Kurt Russell

- Jay: Watched a lot of Disney movies as a kid

- Drive-in theaters were fun

- Getting into James Bond movies

- Jay's early favorites: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Close Encounters

- Getting scolded during E.T.

- Date movies: Titanic was a weepy scene

- In recent years, Jay takes his daughters to MCU movies

- Sandler movies run the gamut

- Seeing an R-rated movie with a friend's family

- Watching adult content with your parents is seriously awkward

- Jay became a Mel Brooks fan as a pre-teen

- Watching old movies during the early days of the pandemic

- Eddie Murphy's '80s standup wouldn't fly today

- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple 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.

Completely Conspicuous 594: Exile in Guyville

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1993. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Jay's non-top 5s: Urge Overkill, Living Colour, Matthew Sweet, The Pursuit of Happiness, Paw, Fugazi

- Some good comps and soundtracks: No Alternative, Sweet Relief, Judgment Night

- Phil's #5: Belly with a strong debut

- Jay's #5: Dinosaur Jr. straddles the line between alt- and classic rock

- Jay's #4 and Phil's #3: Smashing Pumpkins break through on sophomore effort

- Jay's #3: Electrifying, raw second album from PJ Harvey

- Phil's #2: U2 takes an interesting left turn with Zooropa

- Jay's #2 and Phil's #4: Nirvana's abrasive followup to Nevermind

- Phil's #1: Liz Phair with an audacious debut out of nowhere

- Jay's #1: A dark look at modern romance from the Afghan Whigs

- Favorite songs: "Mesmerize" (Phil), "Debonair" (Jay)

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple 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.

Completely Conspicuous 593: Cure For Pain

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1993. Listen to the episode or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- In 1993, Jay turned 26, Phil turned 24

- Jay moved to Middleton, Mass.

- Phil saw the Breeders, Belly, Lenny Kravitz

- Jay saw Nirvana and the Breeders, Midnight Oil, Lollapalooza

- Big year for hip hop

- Hair metal was dead

- Phil's non-top 5s: Pearl Jam, Lenny Kravitz, Breeders, PJ Harvey, Radiohead, Afghan Whigs, Uncle Tupelo, Frank Black, Juliana Hatfield, Morphine, Velvet Underground, Bjork, Cracker, Mazzy Star, Dinosaur Jr., Big Head Todd and the Monsters   

- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple 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.

Completely Conspicuous 592: Right in the Middle

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the first half of 2022. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ

- Breitling's #5: Papercuts with a solid effort featuring gratuitious Mellotron

- Kumar's #5: Spoon serves up a quality dollop of Spoon

- Breitling's #4: Elvis Costello in his occasional rock mode

- Kumar's #4: The Smile fills the gap between Radiohead albums with a pretty damn good album

- Kumar's #3: Oceanator brings the heat with revved-up guitar attack and a Doofenshmirtzian name

- Kumar with the prog-rock contacts

- Breitling's #3: WEMA is a London-based Tanzanian electronic act playing hypnotic worldbeat

- Kumar's #2: Superchunk with a strong but restrained effort looking at life during a pandemic

- Breitling's #2: Debut EP from SF act Neutrals that pushes shorter indie rock songs into long songs

- Kumar's #1: Toronto punk-pop act PUP with a great concept album about a band named PUP breaking up

- Breitling's #1: Debut album from Chicago's Horsegirl is full of "wall-to-wall bangasauruses"

- Looking forward to new releases from Kiwi Jr., Built to Spill, Ty Segall, Sloan, Afghan Whigs

Completely Conspicuous is available through the Apple Podcasts directory. 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.

Completely Conspicuous 591: The First Part

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the first half of 2022. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded at Clicky Clicky World HQ

- Breitling's laptop is acting up

- Concerts are mostly back

- Kate Bush sees a resurgence in popularity

- R.I.P., the iPod

- RL Mathews discovers the new stuff

- Breitling's honorable mentions: Graveyard Club, David West, Big Cream, Peaness, Golden Apples, Stomptalk Modstone, Pillow Queens, Pinchpoints, Flash Hits

- Kumar's HMs: Papercuts, Kurt Vile, Savak, Sasami, Kids on a Crime Spree, Yard Act, Adulkt Life, Mister Goblin, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Elvis Costello

- Good reissues from Pavement and the Flashing Lights

- Kumar's #10: Pink Mountaintops bring the psych/sludge/synth pop

- Breitling's #10: Lo Fi Legs, a musical band with a terrible name and good indie rock

- Kumar's #9: Dan Bejar brings a little more danceability to the latest Destroyer joint

- Kumar's #8: Jon Spencer's back with a fun record

- Breitling's #8: Spiritualized is worth repeat listening

- Kumar's #7: Wet Leg proves they're not a one-trick pony

- Breitling's #7: Tremendous release from Pet Fox, featuring doods from Ovlov and Palehound

- Breitling's #6: Yawners with the Spanish indie rock

- Kumar's #6: Moody change of pace from Fontaines D.C.

- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through the Apple Podcasts directory. 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.

Completely Conspicuous 590: Hoover Dam

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1992. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- More of Phil's non top 5s: Soul Asylum, Screaming Trees, Kyuss, Jayhawks, Grateful Dead, Rage Against the Machine

- A few more from Jay: Helmet, Faith No More

- Phil interviewed hockey players who liked RATM

- Jay's #5 and Phil's #4: Buffalo Tom hones their craft with their third album

- Phil's #5: Neil Young turns down after a few years of extreme volume

- Jay's #4: Beastie Boys with a killer album distinguished by more instrumentation from the boys themselves

- Jay's #3: The Tragically Hip's best album gives off a distinctly Canadian vibe

-  Phil's #3: The Singles soundtrack captured the Seattle sound

- Jay's #2: Pavement brings the slacker rock on their debut

- Phil's #2: R.E.M. at the peak of their commercial powers

- Jay's and Phil's #1: Bob Mould starts a new chapter with Sugar

- Favorite songs: "Hoover Dam" (Phil), "Summer Babe" (Jay)

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple 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.

Completely Conspicuous 589: The End of Silence

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1992. Listen to the episode or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- In 1992, Jay turned 25, Phil turned 23

- We both worked at local newspapers

- The so-called grunge explosion kicked into full gear

- Jay: Saw lots of great shows, including Lollapallooza, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Mudhoney

- "Bohemian Rhapsody" was back on the singles chart thanks to Wayne's World

- Metal was phasing out

- Keeping the band brand going

- Jay's non-top 5s: Afghan Whigs, Sloan, Rollins Band, Black Crowes

- Phil's non-top 5s: Luscious Jackson, Phish, Lemonheads, Cracker, PJ Harvey, Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Lou Reed, Sonic Youth, Bettie Serveert, Mudhoney

- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple 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.

Completely Conspicuous 588: Divine Intervention

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1991. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Phil's #5: The debut of an unknown band called Pearl Jam

- Album had a slow build, didn't really get big until spring '92

- Jay's #5: Smashing Pumpkins' debut is a guitar feast

- Phil's #4: Prince's last great album, according to Phil

- Jay's #4: Under-the-radar power pop genius from Scotland

- Gene Simmons sued over the album cover

- That time Simmons covered "Firestarter"

- Phil's #3: Lenny Kravitz peaks on this second album

- Phil's #2: U2 changes their image and sound

- Shifted from Americana to German electronic sounds

- Jay's #2: Soundgarden blasts into the stratosphere

- Pissing off old people

- Jay's #1: Matthew Sweet breaks through with a power pop classic

- Great guitarists guesting, including Robert Quine and Richard Lloyd

- Phil's #1 and Jay's #3: Nirvana's revolutionary sophomore effort

- Suffers from overexposure on classic rock stations now

- Favorite songs: "Divine Intervention" (Jay), "Breed" (Phil)

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple 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.

Completely Conspicuous 587: The Sound of Young America

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1991. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- In '91, Phil graduated from college; Jay worked at the Peabody Times newspaper (R.I.P.)

- A big year for rock, although a lot of the impact wasn't felt until the following year

- Seeds for alt-rock explosion had been sown in the previous few years

- Still a lot of classic rock, hair metal and pop on the charts

- Freddie Mercury died, Lollapallooza tour started

- Bryan Adams was in full balladeer mode

- The evolution of Marky Mark

- Clapton still sucks

- Neither of us was a fan of the Use Your Illusion albums

- Albums were way too long in the CD era

- Phil's non-top 5 albums: Temple of the Dog, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Mudhoney, Dinosaur Jr., Pixies, A Tribe Called Quest, My Bloody Valentine, Tragically Hip, Neil Young, Massive Attack, Primal Scream, R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers

- Jay's non-top 5s: Elvis Costello, Nation of Ulysses, Fishbone  

- Rockit Records, R.I.P.

- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple 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.

Completely Conspicuous 586: Repeater

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1990. Listen to the episode or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Our top 5 albums of '90

- Phil's #5: Jane's Addiction with a sprawling classic

- Jay's #5: Sophomore release from Living Colour explored a lot of different styles

- Phil's #4: Sinead O'Connor blows up with her second album

- Her SNL appearance in '92 caused serious controversy

- Sinead is alive and well

- Jay's #4: Kim Deal goes out on her own with the Breeders

- Phil's #3: Phish comes into their own with second album

- The jammier acts played the Northeast college scene in the late '80s/early '90s

- Jay's #3: Public Enemy blasts through with a strident, political album

- Phil's #2: Sonic Youth streamlines their sound on their major label debut

- Jay's #1: Fugazi continues sticking it to The Man on their first full-length album

- Phil's #1 and Jay's #2: Neil Young and Crazy Horse crank up the amps and embrace feedback

- Phil saw this tour with Sonic Youth and Social Distortion opening

- He might be making the best current music of his peers

- Favorite songs: "Fuckin' Up" (Phil), "Merchandise" (Jay)

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple 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.

Completely Conspicuous 585: All Shook Down

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1990. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded in person at CompCon World HQ

- In '90, Jay turned 23 and Phil turned 21

- Phil's short career in foodservice

- Jay was a newspaper reporter in Peabody, Mass.

- Controversies over 2 Live Crew, Milli Vanilli and Madonna

- Lots of scenes happening: Alternative, New Jack Swing, Madchester, Seattle

- The era of the Jock Jam

- Albums that didn't make Phil's top 5: Uncle Tupelo, Allman Brothers, Pretenders, Living Colour, Breeders, Alice in Chains, Mother Love Bone, Pixies, World Party, Happy Mondays, Ride, Mazzy Star, Sundays, Cowboy Junkies, Replacements, INXS, Social Distortion, Bob Mould, Black Crowes

- Questions around the November Rain video (which came out in '91)

- Jay's non-top 5s: Afghan Whigs, Flaming Lips, Midnight Oil, Mark Lanegan, Robert Plant

- To be continued

 

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple 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.

Completely Conspicuous 584: Wave of Mutilation

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1989. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded via Zoom during a blizzard

- Our top 5 albums of '89

- Phil's #5: Tom Petty finds renewed success with a solo album

-Jay's #5 and Phil's #4: Nirvana's sludgy debut hints at future success

- Jay's #4: The Beasties go sample crazy and blow up the sophomore slump

- Phil's #3: Phish with an auspicious debut

- Jay had a run-in with a pre-fame Trey Anastasio at the UNH newspaper

- Jay's #2: Bob Mould shifts gears in his solo debut and launches new phase in his career

- Phil's #2 and Jay's #1: Pixies follow up a stone cold classic with another one

- Phil's #1 and Jay's #3: Neil Young triumphs after a rough decade

- Favorite songs: "Hangin' on a Limb" (Phil), "Wave of Mutilation" (Jay)

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple 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.

Completely Conspicuous 583: Fascination Street

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1989. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded via Zoom during a blizzard

- In '89, Jay turned 22 and graduated from college, Phil turned 20

- Early seeds of Seattle and Manchester sound

- GNR became huge

- Milli Vanilli was enjoying some short-lived success

-Big year for pop

- Phil's non-top 5 albums: Bob Mould, The Cure, B-52s, Stone Roses, The Ocean Blue, XTC, De La Soul, Replacements, Joe Jackson, Galaxie 500, Fugazi, RHCP, Lenny Kravitz, Tragically Hip, Indigo Girls, Bonnie Raitt, Tin Machine, Lou Reed, Dylan, McCartney, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Stones, Grateful Dead

- George Jefferson, prog fan

- Phil saw Stones, Who, McCartney, the Dead, the Cure, B-52s; Jay saw R.E.M., Elvis Costello

- Jay: Faith No More, Soundgarden, Elvis Costello, Cult, Mudhoney, Buffalo Tom, Nine Inch Nails

- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple 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.

Completely Conspicuous 582: Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1988. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded while driving home from Trillium Brewing in Canton, Mass.

- Phil's #5: Sonic Youth focuses their sound 

- Jay's #5: J. Mascis and Dino Jr. get more melodic while still delivering a heavy sound

- Phil's #4: U2's first controversial album still provides a lot of memorable moments, overshadowed by the movie

- Jay's #4 and Phil's #3: Living Colour's debut showed off their many talents

- Jay's #3: Debut from Toronto's The Pursuit of Happiness combined hard rock, neurotic singer and girl group backing vocals

- Phil's #2: R.E.M.'s last album before they became superstars

- Jay's #2: Public Enemy at the peak of their powers

- Phil's and Jay's #1: Los Pixies creates the template for the '90s alt-rock explosion

- Favorite songs: "Gigantic" (Phil), "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" (Jay)

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple 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.

Completely Conspicuous 581: Talk Is Cheap

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey about our favorite music of 1988. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Recorded while driving to Trillium Brewing in Canton, Mass.

- In 1988, Jay turned 21 and Phil turned 19

- Jay: 21st birthday was pretty rough

- Phil tells tales of good decision-making

- Jay's long, strange trip to the Monsters of Rock show: Long drive, short show

- Big year for pop artists on the charts

- Phil's Whitesnake story

- Big soundtracks: Cocktail, Dirty Dancing

- Phil's non-top 5 albums: Keith Richards, Mudhoney, Jerry Harrison, Jane's Addiction, Cowboy Junkies, Brian Wilson, Smithereens, Smiths, Pogues, Waterboys, Dinosaur Jr., Tracy Chapman, Public Enemy, Traveling Wilburys

- Jay's non-top 5s: Fishbone, Bobby Brown, Iron Maiden, Robert Plant, The Church, Metallica

- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple 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.