Monday, July 20, 2026

Completely Conspicuous 680: Welcome to the Occupation

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

Show notes:

  • Jay's take after seeing Goose
  • Took us a while to get into the show
  • Phil's #6: Phish took over the jam band crown from the Dead
  • Jay briefly met Trey Anastasio at UNH before they got famous
  • Goose hasn't been accepted by the entire jam band audience
  • Jay's #6: Originally had Van Halen ranked higher, but dropped them because of the Hagar years
  • Combined Eddie VH's revolutionary guitar work with DLR's showmanship
  • Eddie inspired a generation of guitarists and Dave inspired a generation of hard rock singers
  • Phil's #5: Steely Dan spits in the face of being called "yacht rock"
  • Went from a live act to a studio perfectionist act to a live act again
  • Fagen and Becker were demanding taskmasters
  • Jay's #5: The imperfect perfection of the Replacements
  • They self-sabotaged whenever things were about to break for them
  • Never got to see them live
  • Phil's #4 and Jay's #3: The singular genius of Jimi Hendrix
  • Hugely influential guitarist and performer
  • Must have blown a lot of minds when he was around
  • Jay's #4: Pixies were a major influence on the alternative rock sound that shaped the '90s
  • The band's first stint (1986-93) was epic
  • Introduced weirdness into indie rock
  • Still touring behind their classic material but making new music as well
  • Phil's #3 and Jay's #10: Talking Heads were art school kids who became big
  • Part of the CBGB scene of the '70s that went in a lot of different directions
  • Explored a lot of sounds and influences
  • Phil's #2: The Allman Brothers Band invented and transcended Southern rock
  • Persevered through deaths and changing trends
  • Jay's #2: No arguing with the greatness of Prince
  • Hundreds of hours of unreleased music
  • Was super talented at multiple instruments
  • Was Prince the best all-around musician of the 20th century?
  • Phil's #1: Duh, it's the Dead
  • Inspired an entire subculture
  • There are literally hundreds of Dead cover bands
  • Jay's #1: The pride of Athens, GA, R.E.M.
  • Helped create the "college rock" scene that grew into alternative rock
  • Blew up in the early '90s
  • Distinct career phases
  • Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy have been covering R.E.M. albums in their entirety the last three years
  • 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.

 

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