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.

Completely Conspicuous 534: In the Dark

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the Grateful Dead album In the Dark. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded via Zoom
- We originally planned to do this in early March, but then something happened
- In the Dark was released in July 1987, seven years after the last Dead studio album
- Phil had just graduated from high school, Jay was going into junior year of college
- The band had been playing the songs in concert for years
- Jerry Garcia had gone into a diabetic coma in '86
- Had to re-learn how to walk, talk, play guitar
- Band was renewed after his recovery
- CDs were just starting to get popular
- We both didn't get CD players until 1989
- First CDs: Phil's was 10,000 Maniacs, Jay's were Cult, the Who, Joe Jackson
- The Best of Steve Miller was a college staple in the '80s
- Recorded live in an empty theater
- "Touch of Grey" was all over MTV and rock radio that summer
- Very catchy single
- Phil: Album was breath of fresh air after two disappointing releases
- "Touch of Grey" resonated with Boomers as well as younger listeners
- New fans were known as "Touch heads" by veteran fans
- People were going to Dead shows for the scene, not the music
- Released videos for "Hell in a Bucket" and "Throwing Stones"
- The one clunker is sung by keyboardist Brent Mydland
- Jay: His vocals didn't seem to fit
- They ladled on the synths
- Phil: Mydland was good at harmonies
- Vocals sounded like Kenny Loggins or Bob Seger
- Phil: Listening to at least one album he hasn't heard every day
- "West LA Fadeaway" may have been inspired by Belushi
- Phil gives it a B+
- The success of "Touch of Grey" was so unexpected
- Next up: We talk about the last Dead studio album

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.

Completely Conspicuous 445: Reeling in the Years, 1985 (Part 3)

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1985. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output
- Jay's #5
- Brian: "I'm a major label sellout guy" when it comes to R.E.M.
- R.E.M. started getting rock radio airplay in '85
- When MTV News was a thing
- The evolution of Stipe
- Brian's #2
- The Pogues: A love 'em or hate 'em band
- Shane McGowan has teeth now
- Jay's #2
- Two great Husker Du albums in '85
- New Day Rising gets the edge over Flip Your Wig
- Rock concert business was focused on arenas in '85
- Indie rock acts had to forge their own way
- Brian's #1 and Jay's #5
- Camper Van Beethoven's interesting debut mixed a lot of styles
- Jay forgot about the Replacements
- Trouble Boys, the Replacements bio, is excellent
- Mats reunion may not be over
- Jay's #1
- Pete Townshend's last great work
- Ambitious project about the London projects where he grew up
- Since then, he's focused on Who tours and licensing
- McCartney can't stop/won't stop
- Next up: 1990

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 444: Reeling in the Years, 1985 (Part 2)

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1985. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output
- Bands that formed in '85: Bevis Frond, Big Dipper, Crowded House, Guns 'N Roses, Hootie and the Blowfish, Jane's Addiction, Radiohead
- Bands that split up: Minutemen, Hanoi Rocks, Kajagoogoo
- Brian's bubbling under albums: Prince, Minutemen, Jonathan Richman, Angst, Big Audio Dynamite
- The importance of Mick Jones
- Jay: Smiths, INXS, Cure, Dinosaur Jr., Rush, Jesus and Mary Chain
- Brian's #5
- Beat Happening specialized in lo-fi pop
- Brian's #4
- Not the best Talking Heads album, but a decent one
- Jay's #4
- The Cult established their goth sound
- 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 443: Reeling in the Years, 1985 (Part 1)

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1985. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output
- 1985: Jay graduated from high school, started college in the fall
- Jay was 17 going on 18, Brian turned 3
- Jay: Listened to a lot of AOR, hard rock, metal
- Started getting into U2
- The year of rock charity
- Undercurrent of college rock
- MTV was growing
- Style over substance
- Strange collection of songs on the Hot 100
- A lot of songs released in '84 carried over to '85 charts
- Hard rock and metal albums were selling well: Ratt, Dokken, Twisted Sister
- Indie rock's influence wouldn't be felt for a few more years
- The launch of VH1
- PMRC hearings put spotlight on explicit lyrics
- Warning labels had the opposite of intended effect
- DLR left Van Halen in '85: Did he jump or was he pushed?
- DLR's book is fascinating and insane
- Rock bios are a mixed bag
- 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 442: Mars Needs Guitars

Part 2 of my conversation with author Greg Renoff as we discuss the rise and fall of the guitar hero. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Buy Greg's book Van Halen Rising at Amazon or get a signed copy from the Van Halen Store
- Flash guitar in the '80s: VH, Motley Crue, Ratt, Quiet Riot
- Ratt was once replaced on a bill by Molly Hatchet
- Billy Squier's downfall
- Molly Hatchet unsuccessfully tried to pull a "ZZ Top"
- The hair metal bubble burst
- The '80s shredder trend
- Fast forwarding to the solos
- Oh, Vinnie Vincent
- Looking for the new Warrant
- The influence of Guitar Hero
- Learning about Slash
- We need guitars

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 427: Reeling in the Years, 1981 (Part 3)

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1981. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output
- Brian's #3
- Prince starts pushing the envelope
- Prince in the '80s was nearly untouchable
- Jay's #3
- A childhood favorite
- Moving Pictures encapsulated everything Rush had been working toward
- Side 1 was killer
- Brian's #2
- Kraftwerk ran with robotic sounds
- A version is touring again
- Jay's #2
- The Police start to become a commercial success
- Stewart Copeland's drumming was revolutionary for the time
- Should Brian drop big coin to see Sting and Peter Gabriel live?
- Brian's #1
- Damaged is close to the definitive Black Flag album
- Jay's #1
- Van Halen's creative peak
- Angrier sounding
- Next up: 1995

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 426: Reeling in the Years, 1981 (Part 2)

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1981. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output
- Elvis Costello released two albums in '81
- Solo albums from Phil Collins, Debbie Harry, Ronnie Wood, Peter Cetera, Lindsay Buckingham
- Bands formed: The Alarm, Anthrax, Metallica, Bangles, Beastie Boys, Butthole Surfers, Run DMC, Sonic Youth
- Broke up: Bay City Rollers, Steely Dan, Wings, Buzzcocks
- Bubbling under albums
- Brian: Ramones, Kinks
- Jay: Phil Collins, The Who, Tom Petty, Billy Squier
- A few years later, Squier kills his career with "Rock Me Tonite" video
- Brian: Lounge Lizards debut, Tom Tom Club, Replacements, Pretenders
- That time Brian pissed off Lurie on Twitter
- Jay: Gun Club, Black Sabbath, Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Gang of Four
- Brian's #5
- Byrne and Eno basically invent sampling
- Jay's #5
- The Stones bounce back with odds and sods collection that hits big
- The last time they weren't considered a nostalgia act
- 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 412: Reeling in the Years, 1983 (Part 3)

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1983. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").
 
Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Check out Brian's new podcast Input/Output
- Brian's #3
- Jonathan Richman forges his own path
- A great year for singles
- Jay's #3
- Metallica helped introduce thrash metal
- Brian's #2
- Post-Eno Talking Heads is still pretty damn good
- Jay's #2
- The Replacements start stretching out their sound
- Don't have high hopes for the GNR tour
- Whither Izzy Stradlin?
- Brian's #1
- Great debut for Violent Femmes
- Jay's #1
- Jay: First heard R.E.M. on their Letterman appearance
- Stipe was still in his shy phase
- Peter Buck's a busy guy
- A lot of beginnings in 1983
- Next up: 1999

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 410: Reeling in the Years, 1983 (Part 1)

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1983. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").
 
Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Check out Brian's new podcast Input/Output
- In '83, Brian turned 1, Jay turned 16
- A lot of classic '80s singles came out in '83
- From Men at Work to Metallica
- Thriller loomed large
- Strange mix of hits on the top 100
- CDs were first sold in the U.S.
- The US Festival was a huge event
- Brian recommends the Eagles documentary
- The Strummer-Jones dynamic led to breakup of the Clash
- KISS took off the makeup
- Elton John had minor hits throughout the '80s
- Aerosmith was fading
- Brian: Stevie Ray Vaughan's debut
- Jay: Ronnie James Dio strikes out on his own while Sabbath forges on with Ian Gillan
- Brian: SST comp Blasting Concepts was a good intro to punk
- Dinosaur Jr.'s recent 30th anniversary shows
- 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 376: Reeling in the Years, 1982 (Part 3)

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1982. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").
 
Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Check out Brian's radio show Unsolicited Mixtape
- Jay's #3
- Peter Gabriel's breakthrough
- Exploring dark themes
- Parallels between Eddie Van Halen and John Romita Jr.
- Brian's #2
- Descendents were very relatable to suburban teens
- Bass player was way older than rest of band
- Big influence on '90s pop punk
- Jay's #2
- Prince played 99% of the music on 1999
- Brian's #1
- Bad Brains were unmatched for sheer insanity and awesomeness
- Jay's #1
- Mission of Burma's only full-length during their first stint
- Broke up a year later, reunited nearly two decades later
- Next up: 1997

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 371: V for Victory

This week, I talk to filmmaker Eric Green about the release of his documentary on the mid-'80s Boston music channel V66. Listen to the episode or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:
- We last spoke in 2012, when Eric was still working on Life on the V
- Previously appeared in episodes 231 and 232
- Movie's now out on DVD and in film festivals
- In 1985, MTV was still growing and smaller music video shows were on
- Two Boston radio veterans wanted V66 to be like a radio station
- Audiences who are unfamiliar with V66 have enjoyed the movie
- Long post-production process
- Cast and crew screening was in early 2014
- Founder John Garabedian quickly realized V66 couldn't just show videos
- Needed other programming to keep viewers
- Added wrestling, sports and lifestyle shows
- Original cut of movie was 2 hours
- Connecting to the Boston community
- Good response at festivals
- Developing other projects
- Great time for music documentaries
- Eric: It's as much a business story as a music story

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 351: Say Say Sayer

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we look at the career of '70s pop star Leo Sayer. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Recorded at More Lost Time world HQ
- Check out our new web series Trust Fund Challenge
- In '77, Sayer hit it big with "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing"
- Jumped on disco bandwagon
- Hit #1 and was on charts for 17 weeks
- Had a song in top 40 from Nov. '76 to Feb. '78
- "When I Need You" also hit #1
- Ric: Skate park memories
- Smoothed out all the edges
- We listened to a lot of this kind of stuff at our college newspaper
- By the mid-80s, Sayer was a distant memory
- "More Than I Can Say" was originally written by guys from The Crickets
- Half country, half Fleetwood Mac
- Sayer started doing covers in the '80s
- Ric loves Anzac biscuits from Australia
- "Sheetwood Mac"
- Sayer had some UK hits in the '80s
- Ric talks up the post
- What happened to Beck?
- An Australian artist remixed "Thunder in My Heart" in 2006 and it went to #1 there
- Sayer did Beatles covers for All This and World War II, a pseudo-documentary that bombed
- Voiced Dan the Forest Ranger in Canadian cartoon called The Raccoons on Ice

Music:
Menace Beach - Fortune Teller
Thee Oh Sees - I Was Denied
The Fresh & Onlys - Fascinated

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

The Menace Beach song is on the album Ratworld on Memphis Industries. Download the song for free at KEXP.
The song from Thee Oh Sees is on the album Warm Slime on In the Red. Download the song for free at Epitonic.
The Fresh & Onlys song is on the album Play It Strange on In the Red. Download the album for free at Epitonic.

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 339: Reeling in the Years, 1989 (Part 3)

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1989. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Check out Brian's comics podcast The Hour Cosmic
- Jay's #3
- Neil Young rebounds from a long, strange decade
- Led to a fruitful stretch of albums
- Jay's #2
- Bob Mould moves beyond Husker Du
- Inspired new direction and sound
- Our picks for #1 are the same
- Pixies at their peak
- Doolittle covers all facets of the band's sound
- Brian saw them several times when they toured behind Doolittle in the last decade
- Brian: Latest live incarnation of Pixies is more energized
- Bad choice for first single with "Bagboy"
- Frank Black was prolific, but he can't keep up with Bob Pollard
- Next up: 1996
- Popular music was shifting again

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

Music:
Ty Segall - Susie Thumb
Spoon - Rent I Pay
J. Mascis - Every Morning

The Ty Segall song is on the album Manipulator on Drag City Records. Download the song for free at KEXP.
The Spoon song is on the album They Want My Soul on Loma Vista Recordings. Download the song for free at KEXP.
The J. Mascis song is on the album Tied to a Star on Sub Pop. Download the song for free at KEXP.

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 252: Into the Night

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Ric Dube as we dissect a classic cheesy '80s ballad. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:
- Recorded at More Lost Time world HQ
- A little background on David Geddes
- Early Geddes song sounds like "Rhinestone Cowboy," which came out later
- The same backing bands played on many of the bubblegum pop records of the '70s
- Dube made a video "A Decent Saturday," depicting a day at a NH record store
- The Dirty Dancing soundtrack was a monster hit
- Benny Mardones had a hit with "Into the Night" in 1980
- Kumar: Mardones was going for an Eddie Money thing
- Male facelifts are unsettling
- The "Into the Night" video is creepy
- First line of the song: "She's just 16 years old..."
- Dube: All videos should have flying carpets in them
- Co-written by Robert Tepper
- Our friend Rob Hallworth became obsessed with Tepper
- Mardones liked writing ballads
- Tepper had his one hit on the Rocky 4 soundtrack
- On the cover of Foreigner's Head Games album
- They went from offensive to bland in only a few years
- Dube wants Mudhoney to cover "Double Vision"
- Doesn't matter who's singing for Foreigner or Journey
- Aerosmith was all over the Armageddon soundtrack thanks to Liv Tyler
- The Nic Cage effect
- To be continued

Music:
Kevin Bowe (feat. Paul Westerberg) - Everybody Lies
Johnny Foreigner - 3 Hearts
Chris Stamey - Astronomy

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

The Kevin Bowe song is on the album Natchez Trace on Okemah Prophets. Download it for free at RollingStone.com.
The Johnny Foreigner song is on the band's EP NAMES, which you can download for free from Bandcamp.
The Chris Stamey song is on the album Lovesick Blues on Yep Roc. Download the song for free as part of a sampler (in exchange for your email address) from 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; check out his site PodGeek.

Completely Conspicuous 231: Rock This Town

Part 1 of my conversation with filmmaker Eric Green as we discuss his documentary about V66, the short-lived Boston music video channel. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:
- Recorded in Cambridge, Mass.
- V66 was on the air from 2/85 to 9/86
- Eric's documentary is called Life on the V
- UHF station that reached throughout New England
- Cable still hadn't reached many towns
- There were other music video shows including Friday Night Videos on NBC
- Videos had been around for awhile but didn't catch on until MTV arrived
- V66 introduced a lot of new music, played diverse styles
- We both watched it as kids
- Run DMC's "King of Rock" was most requested song on V66
- Boston bands were given more attention: Del Fuegos, Til Tuesday, New Man
- Ex-radio guy John Garabedian started V66
- Station did non-music programming like sports, weather
- MTV began adding different programs in late '80s
- Eventually, V66 was sold to Home Shopping Network
- Something like V66 could never happen today
- Eric worked at Fuse, the video station out of NYC
- Began making documentary in 2008
- Did many interviews with former V66 staff, as well as viewers
- Collected footage from fans
- Talked to musicians inspired by the station
- V66 teamed up with local radio stations on events
- To be continued

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:
The Walkmen - Love is Luck
Beachwood Sparks - Sparks Fly Again
King Tuff - Bad Thing
Superchunk - Misfits & Mistakes
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The Walkmen song is from the album Heaven on Fat Possum Records. Download the song for free at Epitonic.

The Beachwood Sparks song is on the album The Tarnished Gold on Sub Pop. Download the song for free at Sub Pop.

The King Tuff song is on the band's self-titled album on Sub Pop. Download the song for free at Sub Pop.
The Superchunk song is on the EP Leaves in the Gutter on Merge Records. Download the song for free at Epitonic.

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; check out his site PodGeek.