Completely Conspicuous 194: Feeling Gravity's Pull

This week, I talk about the legacy left behind by R.E.M., who called it quits last week after 31 years. Listen to the show below or download it directly (right click and "save as").



Show notes:

- First saw R.E.M. on Late Night With David Letterman in 1983

- Stipe stayed in background while Buck and Mills talked to Dave

- Band played UNH in October '86, but I didn't go for some reason

- Started getting regular FM airplay by mid-80s

- More guitars in the mix on Life's Rich Pageant and Document

- "The One I Love" was first big hit

- Sentimental memories of Green

- Saw them play Mansfield, Mass., in 1989

- Early '90s saw R.E.M. become hugely popular

- "Losing My Religion" was everywhere in '91

- Automatic for the People put band on par with U2

- Monster gets unfairly criticized

- Bill Berry left band in '97

- Next three albums had diminishing returns

- Bounced back in last few years with more energized sound

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

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian; check out his site PodGeek.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 192: Paperback Writer

Part 2 of my conversation with special guest Christian Douglass as we discuss the challenges facing first-time authors. Listen to the show below or download it directly (right click and "save as").



Show notes:

- Is book audience dying off?

- There are still very successful books

- Plenty of small publishing houses out there

- Marketing is big

- Zach Galifianakis made a promo trailer for a book he liked

- The tale of the Honey Badger

- James Franco's grandmother

- Plenty of content out there

- Easier for music to break through than a novel

- Douglass points to educational system for lack of readers

- Many more distractions for consumers' free time

- Reading fiction is rewarding

- Authors turning novels into podcasts

- Learning about Charles Dickens

- Turning books into movies is difficult

- World According to Garp had to cut a lot of stuff out

- Cormac McCarthy's had a few books made into movies

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

Pearl Jam - Ole

Los Campesinos - By Your Hand

Kurt Vile - The Creature

Charles Bradley - The World (Is Going Up in Flames)

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

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

The Pearl Jam song is part of the band's 20th anniversary celebration. Find out more and download the song for free at PJ20.

The Los Campesinos song is on the album Hello Sadness on Wichita Recordings. Download the song for free at the band's website.

The Kurt Vile song is on the EP So Outta Reach on Matador Records, where you can download the song for free.

The Charles Bradley song is on the album No Time for Dreaming on Dunham Records. Find out more and download the song (in exchange for your email address) at his website.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian; check out his site PodGeek.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 190: Turn the Page

Part 3 of my conversation with special guests Jay Breitling and Ric Dube as we discuss the world of rock books. Listen to the show below or download it directly (right click and "save as").







Show notes:



- Dube: Gina Arnold's "Route 666: The Road to Nirvana" was annoying, but had good Replacements info



- Tendency for writers to document bands in terms of their own experiences



- Dube: "On the Road with the Ramones," oral history by road manager Monte Melnick had great inside info



- Using quotes to tell a story



- Dube met the Ramones when they came through record store where he worked

- Michael Azerrad's "Our Band Could Be Your Life" was hugely influential



- Dube was behind the scenes when Mission of Burma reunited



- Azerrad's book got people interested in Burma again



- Band has bigger career now than it did before



- Dube helped Azerrad with his fanzine research



- Kumar: Rob Sheffield's "Love Is a Mixtape"



- Breitling: Steven Blush's "American Hardcore"



- Was made into a movie that didn't capture spirit of book



- Kumar: Our buddy Dave Brigham's book "(C)Rock Stories: Milion-Dollar Tales of Music, Mayhem and Immaturity"



- Dube wants to produce the movie version



- Dube: B. George and Martha Defoe's "The International Discography of the New Wave"



- Dube has second edition from 1982; copy is well-worn and marked up



- Dube: "Rolling Stone's Alt-Rock-a-Rama" is "phenomenal by accident"



- Another one from the pile: Kim Cooper and David Smay's "Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth"



- Bonehead of the Week



Music:



Crooked Fingers - Typhoon



Charles Bradley and the Menahan Street Band - Stay Away



Arcade Fire - We Used to Wait



Mini Mansions - The Room Outside



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



The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.



The Crooked Fingers song is on the forthcoming album Breaks in the Armor on Merge Records. Download the song for free at Stereogum.



The Charles Bradley and the Menahan Street Band song is on Newermind: A Tribute Album. Download the album for free by "liking" SPIN magazine's Facebook page.



The Arcade Fire song is on the album The Suburbs on Merge Records. Download the song for free at Insound.



The Mini Mansions song is on the band's self-titled, self-released EP. Download the song for free at Insound.



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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian; check out his site PodGeek.



Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 186: The Farther I Go

This week on the podcast, I've got some dispatches from my trip to Seattle. Listen to the show below or download it directly (right click and "save as").



Show notes:

- In Seattle for work

- Went to high school for few years in town three hours away

- Greeted by old man crashing into me on escalator

- First time in Seattle since 1983

- Visited Experience Music Project

- Seattle supposedly has last working monorail

- Went running down by the waterfront

- Caught a Mariners baseball game

- Met an old buddy from high school

- Plenty to see in the city

- Had we not moved, I might have gone to college in Seattle

- Major heatwave everywhere in U.S. except Seattle

- Checking in on last night in Seattle

- Finished working

- Got together with another old high school friend

- I got way off track on my way there and was an hour late

- Enjoyable trip

- When I first moved away, kept in touch via letters

- Stopped writing back when I got to college

- Was able to reconnect via Facebook

- Interesting to see how our lives turned out

- When I moved, we were all 15-year-old dorks

- Similarly reconnected with a childhood friend in Toronto a few years ago

- A bit of uncertainty meeting somebody you haven't seen in 30 years

- It's amazing how much you forget over the years

- Used a lot of public transportation in Seattle

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

Band of Horses - The Funeral

Mudhoney - In 'N' Out of Grace

The Murder City Devils - Idle Hands

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

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

The Band of Horses song is on the album Everything All the Time on Sub Pop, where you can download the song for free.

The Mudhoney song is on the deluxe reissue of the album Superfuzz Bigmuff on Sub Pop, where you can download the song for free.

The Murder City Devils song is on the album In Name and Blood on Sub Pop, where you can download the song for free.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian; check out his site PodGeek.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 182: Long Gone and Hard to Find

Part 2 of my podcast conversation with special guest Jay Breitling as we discuss and play music from underappreciated albums. Listen to the show below or download it directly (right click and "save as").



The show notes:

- Now accepting beer donations

- Breitling's pick: The Hip Young Things

- Pavement-esque German band

- Kumar: The Nation of Ulysses

- On Dischord in early '90s

- Breitling: Eggs

- Another DC act

- Kumar: Frank Black and the Catholics

- Stripped down garage rock

- Breitling: Projekt A-ko

- Name is Japanese, band is Scottish

- Kumar: Big Chief

- Detroit act combining sludge rock with funk

- The return of "120 Minutes"

- On gravelly voiced DJs

- Breitling: The Coctails

- Featured Archer Prewitt

- Bonehead of the Week

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

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian; check out his site PodGeek.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 176: Put the Message in the Box

Part 2 of my podcast conversation with special guest Jim Corrigan as we discuss social media. Listen to the show below or download it directly (right click and "save as").



The show notes:

- Jim is a Twitter newbie (@JimCorrigan2011), Jay has been on for two years (@koomdogg)

- Jim's already Tweeted more than 1,300 times

- Previously, he was a blogger about politics

- Lots of pressure to write cogent posts

- Resisted Twitter for a long time, but now loves it

- Jay: Follow comedians, bands

- Corrigan fell for Twitter spam

- Stay off Facebook at work, but easier to tweet throughout the day

- Great source of immediate news

- Jay: Heard about Bin Laden's death on Twitter more than hour before Obama announced it

- Good way to hype new eps of CompCon, columns, occasional blog post

- Jim: Twitter offers less feedback than Facebook; no "like" button

- Spam bots galore on Twitter

- Jay: Like to post interesting links, retweets

- FYI: Jim would rather be clubbed than tased

- Jay: Steer clear of political stuff on Twitter

- Jim works a solitary job, so social media offers sense of community

- Facebook's good for keeping up with friends

- Social media didn't cause governmental overthrow in Egypt and Libya

- Differences of musical opinion on Facebook

- Ranking favorite songs is tough

- Jay: Use Google Reader to follow blogs

- Charlie Sheen situation was played out in a matter of days

- Twitter memes fly by fast and furiously

- Jim's mom is on Facebook

- There are things you can say on Twitter that you can't on FB

- Reconnecting with people via social media is cool, but can be awkward

- Blocking friends on Facebook

- Annoying social media habits: Trolling for opinions, retweets

- If you really want privacy, don't go on Facebook

- Don't post anything that you don't want getting out there

- Jim: As a means of expression, Twitter is better

- Facebook's better for more personal stuff

- Some people just use social media to complain about their lives

- If you need social media for friends, you've got bigger problems

- Spoiler alerts

- Social networks involved actual human interaction when we were kids

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

F***ed Up - Queen of Hearts

The National - About Today

The Sam Roberts Band - Longitude

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

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

The F***ed Up song is on the album David Comes to Life on Matador Records, where you can download the song for free.

The National song is on the re-released 2004 EP Cherry Tree on Brassland. Download the song for free (in exchange for your email address) at Bandcamp.

The Sam Roberts Band song is on the album Collider on Rounder Records. Find out more at and download the song for free at Rounder (right click and "save as").

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian; check out his new site PodGeek.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 170: The Rest of My Life

I've got another installment of Driving With Kumar as I discuss the strange sensation of getting older. Listen to the show below or download it directly (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

- Don't feel old, but constantly reminded that I'm getting older

- I've been out of college almost 22 years

- Friends have kids who are now in their 20s and 30s

- Time has flown by, but much has happened

- Some of my co-workers were born when I was in college

- The technological advances in the last 20 years are amazing

- My first cell phone was actually a car phone in late '90s

- Had interoffice email at newspaper in late '80s

- Got my first Internet-connected PC in '95

- My new Droid is faster and more powerful than my first few computers

- We've grown very narcissistic as a society

- My attention span is shorter nowadays

- Haven't hit midlife crisis yet

- Definition of fun changes as you get older

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

Yuck - Georgia

Wild Flag - Glass Tambourine

The Smith Westerns - Imagine, Pt. 3

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

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

The Yuck song ison the band's self-titled album on Fat Possum Records. Download the song for free at SXSW (right click and "save as").

The Wild Flag song is on the B-side of the band's new 7-inch on Merge Records. Download the song for free at Ground Control Touring.

The Smith Westerns song is from the album Dye It Blonde on Fat Possum Records. Download the song for free at Pitchfork.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian; check out his website PodGeek.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 166: The Future is Unwritten

Check out part 2 of my podcast conversation with special guest Eric Convey as we discuss the current state of journalism. Listen to the show below or download it directly (right click and "save as").



The show notes...

Topics:

- Eric's Managing Editor of the Boston Business Journal

- Nobody knows where journalism is going

- Rupert Murdock may have the answer with The Daily, designed for the iPad

- Local news could survive through iPad, smartphone apps

- Local news is the only niche left

- AOL bought Huffington Post for big bucks

- Eric: AOL's Politics Daily is most interesting news site

- AOL's Patch doesn't need local advertisers, it needs clicks

- Eric's food adventures at the Peabody International Festival

- Eric: BBJ uses print and web to thrive

- Worked at Boston Herald for 11 years

- Tales of covering overnight accidents

- Eric: Print papers aren't economically sustainable long-term

- Papers are moving towards charging for online access

- When Boston Globe starts charging, the Herald will follow

- When you're forced for everything, where will traffic go?

- From the start, Wall Street Journal was saying papers should charge

- Nobody really understood online commerce in the '90s

- Jay: Used to buy Globe and Herald every day; now just read them online for free

- Similar parallel to music industry

- Music sales are an all-time low

- Eric: Print is still in the picture at BBJ

- Eric teaches a college journalism class

- Helps students think like journalists

- Some are still looking for newspaper jobs

- Students all have laptops or iPads now

- The future is scary

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

Art Brut - Unprofessional Wrestling

Black Francis - Bad News

Robert Pollard - Touch Me in the Right Place at the Right Time

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

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

The Art Brut song is a B-side from the forthcoming album Brilliant! Tragic! on Cooking Vinyl Records. Download the song for free (in exchange for your e-mail address) at PledgeMusic (via Stereogum).

The Black Francis song is on the album The Golem on The Bureau Records. Download the song for free courtesy of IODA Promonet:

Black Francis
"Bad News" (mp3)
from "The Golem"
(The Bureau)

More On This Album



The Robert Pollard song is from the album Space City Kicks on Guided by Voices Records. Download the song for free at Spinner.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 164: The Story As I Was Told

Part 2 of my podcast conversation with special guest Christian Douglass as we discuss the story behind his new novel. Listen to the show below or download it directly (right click and "save as").



The show notes...

Topics:

- Christian wishes he started writing books 10 years ago

- Plenty of life experience

- Learned most from time spent writing the book

- Jay: You learn by doing

- Christian credits The Teaching Company, which sells college lectures on tape

- Realized in '99 that he could write books

- Christian's wife Kerry says hi

- Best way to get published is through a writing program

- Or go to conferences or the "slush pile"

- Tried to write book while working full-time in 2001-2003 and failed

- Hopes to start writing second book in April or May

- Wanted to write "something good"

- Christian: I didn't like this book until 3 or 4 weeks ago

- Christian uses YouTube to capture characters' voices

- Scott Sigler turned his books into podcasts and then got traditional publishing deal

- Book's down to 330 pages, just doing final edits

- Christian's going to Alaska to visit his mom

- She lives near Sarah Palin's hometown

- Christian's going to research a story while up there

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

The Strokes - Under Cover of Darkness

Obits - Shift Operator

The Raveonettes - Forget That You're Young

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review! Check out and "like" the show's page on Facebook.

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

The Strokes song is on the forthcoming album Angles on RCA Records. Find out more and download the song for free at the band's website.

The Obits song is on the forthcoming album Moody, Standard and Poor on Sub Pop Records, where you can download the song for free.

The Raveonettes song is on the forthcoming album Raven in the Grave on Vice Records. Download the song for free at Pitchfork.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 162: Eat 'Em and Smile

Part 2 of my podcast conversation with special guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss nutrition in America. Listen to the show below or download it directly (right click and "save as").




The show notes...

Topics:

- Check out Brian's podcast The Enthusiasts' Radio Hour

- Is banning fast food joints the answer?

- You can't force kids to eat vegetables

- Leading by example

- People should have options

- New restaurant idea: The Fat Place

- Brian: Government shouldn't fund gastric bypass, liposuction

- Jay: Tax breaks for restaurants that serve healthy food

- Easier to be a vegetarian now

- Genetically modified food isn't a good idea

- Brian wants synthetic meat

- Jay's ultimate meal: Either Brazilian BBQ or Southern BBQ ribs

- Brian's ultimate meal: Bacon cheeseburger

- Brian recommends White Manna burgers in NJ

- Jay: Love Indian food, but it gives me heartburn

- Jay: Never had any poutine when I lived in Canada

- Brian: Parents like to cook, but not adventurous eaters

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

Das Racist - Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell

R.E.M. - Oh My Heart

Deerhoof - Super Duper Rescue Heads!

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

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

The Das Racist song is on the mixtape Shut Up, Dude. Download the song for free at Pitchfork.

The R.E.M. song is on the forthcoming album Collapse Into Now on Warner Bros. Records. Download the song for free at Amazon.

The Deerhoof song is on the album Deerhoof vs. Evil on Polyvinyl Records. Download the song for free at Amazon.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 158: Hammering Out the Beats

Part 2 of my podcast conversation with special guest Ric Dube as we pitch more movie ideas. Listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

Or you can listen to it here:



Topics:

- Check out Ric's podcast More Lost Time

- Kumar: "Judge Fredd" with Rob Schneider and Jim Belushi

- Wacky case of mistaken judicial identity

- Blanking on Nancy Grace

- Dube's got Bieber Fever

- Dube: "Extra Sensory Reception"

- Cavity filling gives Bieber ability to read minds

- Tracing Kurt Russell's career path

- Echoes of "Teen Wolf"

- The classic '80s bully/a-hole archetype

- Recalling Dube's similar baseball movie pitch

- Kumar: "Time's Up," with Flavor Flav and Jennifer Lopez

- Capitalizing on reality show fame

- "When Justin Met Kelly"

- Tom Green starred in a movie

- Glorifying the unhealthy relationship

- Ric owns the fine Leno-Morita vehicle "Collision Course"

- Contemplating J. Lo

- Lamenting short-lived excellent TV shows

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

Obits- You Gotta Lose

Best Coast - Boyfriend

Tommy Stinson - One Man Mutiny

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

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

The Obits song is on theforthcoming album Moody, Standard and Poor on Sub Pop. Download the song for free at Pitchfork.

The Best Coast song is on the album Crazy for You on Mexican Summer Records. Download the song for free at Stereogum.

The Tommy Stinson song was given away as a thank you to fans for helping him raise money to benefit relief efforts in Haiti. Download the song for free at Slicing Up Eyeballs.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 156: At the Edge of the Scene

This week on the podcast, it's part 2 of my conversation with special guest Matt Phillion as we discuss the making of his new indie film Certainly Never. Listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly (right click and "save as").

Or you can listen to it here:



Topics:

- Scheduling filming is a tricky art

- Sometimes you have to cut scenes you like

- Distribution: Film festivals, Netflix, hoping to create indie buzz

- "Chasing the unicorn"

- Directing is Matt's film school

- Movie was Matt's most satisfying and most draining accomplishment

- Salem hotel thought crew was filming ghost hunter TV show

- Crew became close-knit group after filming

- Dealing with bystanders

- Now Matt's returning favors by acting in other folks' projects

- Putting together the soundtrack

- Missed all deadlines for 2010 festivals

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

The Twilight Singers - On the Corner

Middle Brother - Me, Me, Me

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - No

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

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

The Twilight Singers song is on the forthcoming album Dynamite Steps on Sub Pop Records. Download the song for free at Soundcloud.

The Middle Brother song is from the band's self-titled album on Partisan Records, where the song was given away for free as part of a Christmas promotion.

The Ryan Adams and the Cardinals song is on the double album III/IV on Pax-Am Records. Download the song for free at Amazon.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 154: Word Up!

Special guest Dave Brigham joins me again on the podcast for part 2 of our discussion about his new book, "(C)rock Stories: Million-Dollar Tales of Music, Mayhem and Immaturity." Listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly (right click and "save as").

Or you can listen to it here:



The show notes...

Topics:

- One story grew out of trips to see the Butthole Surfers

- Turned into a tale of violence and road-trippin'

- Dave saw the Surfers at the Channel in 1987

- Created (C)rock-related t-shirts for sale

- Slogan is "Rock + Fiction = (C)rock"

- More than 100 bands mentioned in the book

- National Novel Writing Month

- Dave was working on a UFO concept album that started turning into a book

- Gratuitous Humpmuscle Pete reference

- Dave ponders new marketing strategies

- Jay's mom needs to talk to "the Gmail people"

- Look for the book soon: Makes a good Christmas/New Year's/MLK Day present (via Booklocker)

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

The Dears - Blood

The Drive-By Truckers - Used to be a Cop

J. Mascis - Not Enough

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

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

The Dears song is on the forthcoming album Degeneration Street on DangerBird Records, where you can download the song for free.

The Drive-By Truckers song is from the band's forthcoming album Go-Go Boots on ATO Records. Find out more and download the song for free from the band's website.

The J. Mascis song is on his forthcoming album Several Shades of Why on Sub Pop, where you can download the song for free.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 151: The Year in Rock, Part 2

Special guest Jay Breitling joins me on the podcast for part 2 of our discussion of the best music of 2010. Listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly (right click and "save as").

Or you can listen to it here:



The show notes...

Topics:

- Breitling's #6

- Breitling schools us on the videogames and such

- Kumar's #6

- Breitling's #5

- eMusic's changing again

- Kumar's #5

- What's the deal with Mumford & Sons?

- Breitling's #4

- Kumar's #4

- Breitling's #3

- Kumar's #3

- Breitling's #2

- Kumar's #2

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

Superchunk - Digging for Something

Everyone Everywhere - Obama House, Fukui Prefecture

Walter Schreifels - Arthur Lee's Lullabye

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

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

The Superchunk song is on the album Majesty Shredding on Merge Records, where you can download it for free (right click and "save as").

The Everyone Everywhere song is on the band's self-titled album on Tiny Engines. Download it for free courtesy of Clicky Clicky.

The Walter Schreifels song is on the album An Open Letter to the Scene on Dine Alone Records. Download it for free courtesy of Clicky Clicky.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 149: Cover Me

Less talk, more rock this week on the podcast as I discuss the fine art of the cover song. Listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly (right click and "save as").

Or you can listen to it here:



The show notes...

Topics:

- Covers rarely outshine the originals

- Hendrix made Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" his own

- Jeff Buckley's cover of "Hallelujah" spawned many awful imitators

- American Idol and Glee have made covers more popular than ever

- Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" just won't die

- Tribute albums have grown popular in recent years

- Bonehead of the Week

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

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 147: Music Geek USA

Amanda Guest joins me on the podcast to discuss music geekdom. Listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- Check out Amanda's show Radioculars on WMWM Saturdays from 3-6 p.m. Eastern at Salem State University

- Amanda: Music geekery started when she got to WMWM

- Parents played radio for her while she was still in a crib

- Amanda's first musical memory: Manilow's "Copacabana"

- Kumar: Remember hearing War and Eric Burdon's "Spill the Wine" as 3-year-old

- As a kid, Amanda dug ABBA and Muppets albums

- Later she got into showtunes like Les Miserables, Cats

- She also liked NKOTB, Bon Jovi, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince

- Kumar: Saw Alanis Morisette at the Paradise in '94

- WMWM's sister station is WFNX

- FNX DJ got Amanda into voiceover work

- She recited MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech

- Amanda's geekdom grew as she did radio show each week

- Easier to find more obscure music now

- Music licensing doesn't have same stigma it used to

- Amanda doesn't have too many female friends who are music geeks

- Amanda: Girls don't get as obsessive about music collections

- Guys tend to have much larger music collections

- Amanda won contest to see every concert at Paradise Rock Club in October 2009

- She went to 20 shows, spent 20 to 30 hours a week at the 'Dise that month

- Shows included Bajofondo, Blues Traveler, Bob Mould

- After that month of shows, Amanda took winter off from concertgoing

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

Wintersleep - Trace Decay

Yuck - Georgia

Ringo Deathstarr - Imagine Hearts

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

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

The Wintersleep song is on the band's album New Inheritors on Tom Kotter Records. Download the song at the band's website.

The Yuck song is on 7-inch release Georgia on Transparent Records. Download the song for free at Force Field PR.

The Ringo Deathstarr song is on the album Colour Trip on Club AC30. Download the song for free at RCRD LBL.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 144: Keep 'em Laughing

Special guest Ric Dube joins me on the podcast for part 2 of our conversation about comedy. Listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- Ric don't need no Instant Google

- Corporate websites still suck

- As a kid, Dube had a book that reprinted comedy bits

- Early SNL had no respect for structure

- ABC Dunhill released a Gabe Kaplan album after "Welcome Back, Kotter" was a hit

- Making fun of Chinese people was no big deal in the '70s

- Jerry Lewis' terrible comeback flick Hardly Working

- Leno made a crappy buddy cop comedy with Pat Morita

- Dube saw Joe Piscopo and Treat Williams in "Dead Heat" in the theater

- SNL in the '80s was a mixed bag

- Dick Ebersol brought a sports philosophy to SNL

- Lorne Michaels returned in '85-'86 with new blood

- Eddie Murphy's "Comedian" album was one of first comedy albums Kumar bought

- Dube didn't have a problem with the PMRC

- Kumar knew most of the routines on Murphy's album before he actually heard them

- Murphy's more homophobic routines haven't aged well

- Kumar: Didn't enjoy watching raunchy shows on TV with parents

- Dube's dad took 6-year-old Ric to see Jack Lemmon's "Save the Tiger"

- Kumar was able to see Mel Brooks movies as a young kid thanks to lax Canadian movie ratings

- Ric's mom didn't see the psychological impact of "Dumbo" on kids of divorce

- Eddie Murphy's ice cream man bit came true with Ric's son

- Murphy was never the same after he started making music

- More comedic actors nowadays did not get start as standups

- Zach Galifanakis is great standup, good in movies

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

The Black Angels - Telephone

The Henry Clay People - Switch Kids

Deer Tick - Piece by Piece, Frame by Frame

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

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

The Black Angels song is on the band's new album Phosphene Dream on Blue Horizon Records. Download the song for free at the Daily Rind.

The Henry Clay People song is an unreleased track the band is giving away for free.

The Deer Tick song is on the album The Black Dirt Sessions on Partisan Records. Download the song for free at Force Field PR.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 142: Back to Work

This week on the podcast, it's another installment of Driving with Kumar as I discuss the daily commute. Listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- We spend a good chunk of our lives commuting

- I've got a 25-minute commute now

- First job out of college was in Peabody, Mass.

- Commute shortened from 45 to 20 to 5 minutes

- Longest commute was to Cambridge, nearly 90 minutes

- Salem is super-busy in fall with tourists

- My commute's about to change for the better

- Plenty of folks who commute for hours each day

- More people are willing to travel farther

- I like working closer to home

- Telecommuters can work from anywhere

- People do many other things while driving

- Bumpy streets brought to you by town of Marblehead

- Cue old guy cell phone rant

- People get a lot braver behind the wheel

- Stereo helps make commute more bearable

- When I was a reporter, I was driving out to stories all day

- Commute's a good time to clear your head or do some thinking

- Ran to work a few times

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

The 20/20 Project - Back to Work

Cee Lo Green - Georgia

The Knux - Floozy

Del the Funkee Homosapien - Phoney Phranchise

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

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

The 20/20 Project song is on the self-released EP Employees of the Year. Download the song and EP for free at Bandcamp.com.

The Cee Lo Green song is from his forthcoming album The Lady Killer on Warner Bros. Records. Find out more and download the song for free at his site.

The Knux song is on the self-released EP F*ck You, which is available for free download via RCRDLBL.

The Del the Funkee Homosapien song is on the album Both Sides of the Brain on Hieroglyphics Imperium Records. The song is available through IODA Promonet:

Del the Funky Homosapien
"Phoney Phranchise" (mp3)
from "Both Sides Of The Brain"
(Hieroglyphics Imperium)
Buy at Napster
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Buy at Rhapsody
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon MP3
Buy at appliedSB / MCNE (Groupietunes)
Buy at mTraks
More On This Album

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 140: OK Computer

I'm joined on the podcast by special guests Dave Brigham and Jay Breitling as I continue my look back at the rise and fall of the dotcom era. Listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- Brigham joined Webnoize full time in May 1997

- He quit a paying gig as a proofreader

- Eventually, Webnoize started paying him

- We were given stock options

- At the time, seemed like a good opportunity

- Kumar was hired in October 1999, but had done work for site for a few years

- Dave bought guitar with first check

- First office was in Stoneham, Mass., home of Nancy Kerrigan; later moved to Cambridge

- At first, only four people in office

- Webnoize received funding from "angel investors"

- Meanwhile, other dotcoms pulled in huge sums for barely an idea

- It was all about buzzwords

- Saw pattern of companies with no entertainment or tech background getting into online entertainment space

- These included an oil and gas exploration company, Arthur Treacher's fish and chip restaurant

- Webnoize had good ideas but no business savvy

- MusicPhone.com offered voicemails from celebs like Whoopi Goldberg; t-shirt lasted longer than the company

- The big entertainment companies were just as clueless about the Web

- We got early versions of MP3 players: Diamond Rio, Nomad Jukebox

- Lessons learned: Need to know your limitations

- We went from Macs to a Sun Solaris computer system

- Breitling joined Webnoize after getting master's degree in journalism

- Started as intern in December 1999

- Eventually, he went back to his old job as paralegal

- Post-Webnoize, he worked for Listen.com and AOL Digital Cities

- AOL's now pumping money into local journalism sites called Patch

- The futility of journalism school

- Breitling: Dotcom era ended with many losers, few winners

- The "celestial jukebox" idea still hasn't happened

- Licensing is still a major obstacle

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

Jesse Malin and the St. Marks Social - Burning the Bowery (live)

No Age - Glitter

The Delta Spirit - White Table

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

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

The Jesse Malin and the St. Marks Social song is on the band's Daytrotter session recorded in May. Download the session for free at Daytrotter.

The No Age song is on the album Everything In Between on Sub Pop Records, where you can download the song for free.

The Delta Spirit song is on the album History From Below on Rounder Records. Download the song for free at Music Induced Euphoria.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 138: Let's Play Two

Special guest Brian Salvatore joins me for part 2 of our discussion about baseball. Listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- Brian and a buddy pick an AL team to root for every year

- Jay doesn't have a favorite NL team

- The '04 and '07 Red Sox World Series wins were huge, but anti-climactic

- Red Sox fans have nothing to complain about anymore

- Making sense of the Plaxico Burress nightclub incident

- Baseball has the most unathletic athletes

- The '93 Jays were an offensive powerhouse

- Nobody remembers that Mitch Williams and Bill Buckner had good careers

- Jay's hazy bachelor party memories of Clemens beaning Piazza

- Steroids: Was Fred McGriff the last honest slugger?

- Ken Griffey Jr.'s accomplishments overshadowed by alleged roid users

- We should've known better during McGwire-Sosa HR race in '98

- Jose Canseco was right about everything

- Will Roger Clemens get in Hall of Fame?

- Misconception that steroids turn you into a monster HR hitter

- Catchers never used to wear pads

- The wager: Mets vs. Jays for best record

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

The Corin Tucker Band - Doubt

The Hush Now - Vietnam Giraffe

Frightened Rabbit - Son C

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

The show is sponsored by Budget, the company's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.

The Corin Tucker Band song is on the album 1,000 Years on Kill Rock Stars Records, where you can download the song for free.

The Hush Now song is on the self-released EP Shiver Me Starships. Find out more at . You can download the song for free at Largehearted Boy.

The Frightened Rabbit song was sent out recently to the band's mailing list. Download the song for free at I am Fuel, You are Friends.

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 blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.