Completely Conspicuous 570: Rooting Interests

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

Show notes:

- Recorded on the way to Tree House Brewing

- Phil: Grew up watching sports with his dad, playing sports with his brothers

- Watched a lot of tennis in the late '70s/early /80s

- Both read the sports page of the local paper

- Collecting sports cards was a big hobby

- Jay: Began watching hockey with dad, quickly became obsessed

- Played street hockey with the neighborhood kids

- Phil: We played outside with no supervision all day

- Now we don't let our kids go anywhere on their own

- Imagining you're a pro athlete

- Memories of church league hoops

- Jay: We played "foot hockey" (aka soccer with a tennis ball) every day at recess

- Street hockey got serious, playing teams from across town

- No fun playing sports against your boss

- Jay: Parents wouldn't let me play organized youth hockey

- Didn't play sports the first two years of high school because of multiple moves

- Good way to make friends

- Jay: Played a lot of sports after college

- Played soccer, hockey, golf, tennis

- It's no fun when people start acting like jerks

- Started getting involved with coaching youth sports when kids started playing

- Some parents take their kids' sports way too seriously

- Let your kids enjoy themselves

- Sports fans can be really dumb

- Going to games as a kid

- Baseball is a major sport, but it's getting tough to watch a whole game on TV

- The kids love the e-sports

- 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 530: Quarantine Dream

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


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

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

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

Completely Conspicuous 471: Continental Divide

Another installment of Driving With Kumar as I discuss my recent European vacation. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Spent over two weeks in London, Paris, Belfast and Dublin
- Went to London in '96
- Less drinking on a family vacation
- Elderly passenger in distress
- Hotel room in London was tiny
- Walked nearly 100 miles the entire trip
- Ran along rivers in the four cities we visited
- Ate a lot of pub food
- London has a lot of great history and architecture
- Paris was beautiful
- Hit the Eiffel Tower on the first night
- Major military/police presence at tourist attractions
- Several terrorist incidents before we went, but nothing happened while we were there
- Only three days of sun the whole vacation
- More daylight
- Out of the U.S. news cycle
- Being aware of your surroundings
- Wary while running in Paris and Dublin
- Missed American beer
- Visited my brother in Belfast
- Explored Northern Ireland scenic sites
- Saw several Game of Thrones filming locations
- Went to the Guinness brewery
- Wifi was at a premium
- Good to be back home

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. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 458: Binge Worthy

This week, I've got an installment of Driving With Kumar in which I discuss the endless amount of entertainment content available to consume. Listen to the episode below or download directly.
 

Show notes:
- Driving to work
- The joys of binge-watching TV
- So much to watch, so little time
- Book reading has suffered
- No time for comics
- Tons of music available to listen to whenever you want
- More music released now than ever before
- Listen to podcasts throughout the day
- Again, a ton of podcast content to choose from
- Recently cranked through 22 episodes of U Talkin' U2 to Me
- Rarely watch shows live
- Went to all-streaming setup for TV
- Never go to the movies anymore
- Glut of content calls for better time management
- It's an on-demand world
- Plenty of shows I've never seen
- It's all about portion control

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 367: I Wanna Be Your Dog

The latest installment of Driving with Kumar as I discuss the joys and travails of having pets. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:
- Driving to Ric Dube's to record for our web series Trust Fund Challenge
- We got a puppy almost two years ago
- As a kid in Canada, we got a German Shepherd puppy but she got too big for us and was adopted by someone else
- Got a smaller dog a year later
- Sammy moved with us to Washington state and New Hampshire
- We also got a black lab puppy, Caesar
- Tough junior prom was followed by bad news the next day
- Fighting off marauding pit bulls
- Sammy lived for another eight years
- I lived with a girlfriend who had a cat
- Didn't have any pets for the next 20 years
- New puppy, Charlie, lived downstairs for nine months before moving up with us
- The Poopsplosion
- A Very Charlie Christmas, aka Tree Scares Dog
- Getting drenched on walks
- Hard to work from home with Charlie here
- He sometimes snaps at us if he's cranky

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 349: When I Get Old

Part 2 of the latest installment of Driving with Kumar as I share some thoughts while driving to my 25th college reunion. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:
- No regrets about college years
- Could have graduated a semester early, but chose to stay for full year
- Got a job before I graduated
- Worked first few months at newspaper while also working weekends at supermarket
- Moved to Massachusetts after a few months
- Lived in 10 different places in a decade
- One apartment I shared with three women; a year later, it was all guys
- Nearly got married in mid-20s
- Went to Homecoming in '93 and passed on a party to go home and watch World Series
- Toronto won Series on Joe Carter HR that night
- Went up to UNH a lot the first few years after college
- On drive home
- Lots of drunken kids when I arrived at 2:30
- Wandered around through a mass of partying young people
- Eventually found class of '89 tent and my old roommate
- Saw some folks I hadn't seen in many years
- Only saw a little of the football game
- Overwhelming feeling of oldness, but had fun

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

Music:
Ty Segall - Feel
Wormburner - Somewhere Else to Be
The Pharmacy - Masten Lake Lagoon

The Ty Segall song is on the album Manipulator on Drag City. Download the song for free at KEXP.
The Wormburner song is on the album Pleasant Living in Planned Communities on Dive Records. Download the song for free at KEXP.

The Pharmacy song is on the album Spells on Old Flame Records. 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 348: Reunited...and It Feels So Old

Part 1 of the latest installment of Driving with Kumar as I share some thoughts while driving to my 25th college reunion. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Coached in a youth soccer tournament before driving up to University of New Hampshire
- Haven't gone to a college reunion before
- Still see many friends from college on occasion
- Nearly flunked out freshman year
- Switched from engineering to journalism and turned it around
- Worked for newspaper for six years after college
- Journalism majors use theirs skill in different ways now
- College was my first time away from parental discipline
- Real partying began when grades improved
- Did not drink in high school
- First weekend in college, that changed
- Freshman year roommate had a tough time
- Sophomore year roomie was super busy with activities
- Moved off campus junior year
- Unlucky in love
- Always hung out with both nerds and jocks
- Ate a lot of junk food
- To be continued

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

Music:
Sleater-Kinney - Bury Our Friends
Coaches - amisarewaswere
The Cherry Wave - Whitey

The Sleater-Kinney song is on the forthcoming album No Cities to Love on Sub Pop. Download the song for free (in exchange for your email address) at Stereogum.
The Coaches song is available for free download at Bandcamp.

The Cherry Wave song is on the forthcoming album Avalancher and available for free download at Bandcamp.

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 336: Album vs. Playlist

This week, it's an episode of Driving With Kumar as guests Dave Olson and Phil Stacey join me to discuss whether the album is an endangered species. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").


Show notes:
- Recorded on the way to Fenway Park
- A BBC radio exec proclaimed the album is about to be extinct
- "Playlists are the future"
- Phil: Listen to a lot of albums by new or unfamiliar artists on Spotify
- Much different listening experience when we were kids
- Dave: Worked in restaurants as a kid and brought mix tapes to listen to
- Albums brought more lasting satisfaction
- Phil: Song order is interesting
- Sometimes an album only has 1 or 2 good songs
- Deep cuts
- Hunting for B-sides
- Digging through back catalog
- The vagaries of bubblegum pop
- Kids don't listen to albums as much anymore
- Phil likes the jam bands
- Commercial radio is in rough shape
- Music sales are a fraction of what they once were 20+ years ago
- The power of licensed music in movies and TV
- MTV used to be a huge music influencer
- The vinyl resurgence
- Mixes or playlists can have interesting choices
- Offending people with mixtape selections

Music:
Speedy Ortiz - Bigger Party
Dead Stars - Wasted

Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal

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

The Speedy Ortiz song is part of the Adult Swim Singles Series. Download the song for free at Adult Swim.

The Dead Stars song is on the album Slumber on Old Flame Records. Download the song for free at KEXP.
The Parquet Courts song is on the album Sunbathing Animal on What's Your Rupture? 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 246: Once in a Lifetime

It's a new installment of Driving with Kumar as I celebrate another birthday and reflect on my 45 years of existence. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:
- Driving to NH to run a half marathon
- Another birthday has come and gone
- Facebook changes the meaning of "friend"
- Turning 21 is a big deal
- 30 was a milestone
- Dealing with parental expectations
- Wasn't ready for marriage and/or fatherhood in my 20s
- Got married at 32
- Living alone has its pros and cons
- My job isn't my life
- Didn't take a lot of risks in my work life
- Kind of fell into a journalism career
- No regrets
- Watched a good friend take a chance, turn it into career
- Can't spend much time wondering about what ifs
 - Bonehead of the Week

Music:
Jason Collett - I Wanna Rob a Bank
Rye Coalition - Communication Breakdance
Girls Against Boys - Super-Fire

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

The Jason Collett song is on the album Reckon on Arts and Crafts. Download it for free from SoundCloud.
The Rye Coalition song is on the EP Jersey Girls on Tiger Style Records. Download the song for free from Epitonic.
The Girls Against Boys song is on the album House of GVSB on Touch and Go 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.

Completely Conspicuous 238: Generation Gap

Another installment of Driving With Kumar as I discuss the generation gap that exists in pop culture. Listen to the episode below or download it directly.

Show notes:
- Recorded on the way to WFNX Boston Accents farewell show in Allston
- WFNX has been replaced by The Harbor, a "Variety Hits" station
- FNX lasted 29 years
- Driving through another torrential rainstorm
- Generation gap in music fandom driven by a couple of NPR blog posts
- Intern wrote about how she never pays for recorded music
- Ignited industry debate, including a battle of blog posts between David Lowery and Dave Allen

- Another post had an intern reviewing Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions...
- Kid wasn't born when the album came out in 1988
- His love of hip-hop is defined by current artists like Drake
- Couldn't relate to PE's intensity

- I was struck by the lack of knowledge or interest in older music
- Get off my lawn
- As a kid, I was fascinated by music that came out in the previous few decades
- Much easier now to hear music at a moment's notice
- I blame it on sensory overload
- You're going to listen to what your friends dig
- Can't blame kids for not knowing about older acts
- I'm not trying to get my own kids to listen to my music
- Enjoy the rhythmic sounds of nature pounding on my car roof
- The world is much faster
- Technology is advancing at amazing speeds
- Rain stops right as I get into the city
- Remembering the early MP3 players
- Some kids are getting into vinyl and cassettes
- Many old pop cultural references are lost on the young
- It's not too late for kids to learn about older music
- Plenty of great new music out there, too
- Bonehead of the Week

Music:
Chelsea Light Moving - Frank O'Hara Hit
The XX - Angels
Blur - The Puritan
Mean Creek - Young & Wild

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The Chelsea Light Moving song is available for free download from Matador Records.
The XX song is on the forthcoming album Coexist on Young Turks. Download the song for free at Epitonic.
The Blur song is the B-side of the band's self-released 12-inch Under the Westway. Download the song for free at Epitonic.
The Mean Creek song is from the forthcoming album Youth Companion on Old Flame Records. Download the song for free as part of the Boston Accents Funeral Party Soundtrack on Bandcamp.

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 198: Guest List

This week on the podcast, I talk about our incessant need to make lists. Listen to the show below or download it directly (right click and "save as").



Show notes:

- Driving to a rock show
- We love lists
- Best-of lists spur on debate
- Just contributed to best albums of '90s list on Popblerd
- More lists at Dan Paquette's Music Obsession on Facebook
- Top 100 songs of all-time was a tough list to compile
- Putting lists together is fun, just to see the different choices
- Plenty of pop culture lists
- My top 20 songs
- Bonehead of the Week

Music:
Johnny Foreigner - (Don't) Show Us Your Fangs
The Hush Now - ArkansasSoccer Mom - High on Dad
The King Khan Experience - I Got Love

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 Johnny Foreigner song is on the band's forthcoming album Johnny Foreigner vs. Everything on Alcopop. Download the song for free at Bandcamp.

The Hush Now song is on the band's self-released album Memos. Find out more and download the entire album for free at Bandcamp.

The Soccer Mom song is on the band's self-titled 7-inch. You can download the song for free at the Soccer Mom website.

The King Khan Experience song is on the EP Scion A/V Presents the King Khan Experience. 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. 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 173: Private Life

This week, I've got another podcast installment of Driving With Kumar as I discuss privacy in the digital age. Listen to the show below or download it directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:

- Is there any privacy nowadays?

- Plenty of personal info is online

- People don't mind sharing every detail of their lives online

- Checking in from wherever you are

- Social media everywhere

- I like Twitter for quick bursts of info

- People are much more apt to voice opinions, good or bad, online

- Message boards and blog comments are an entire subculture unto themselves

- Anonymous comments on newspaper sites are similarly annoying

- How much is too much?

- Immersion in role-playing games, Second Life

- Monitoring kids' online activity

- Putting family photos online

- Facebook privacy concerns

- Folks love posting YouTube videos

- Getting off the grid

- Information overload

- Blogs can be confessional for people

- I write essays, concert reviews, CompCon show notes

- Podcasting allows anyone to create programming

- Never feel like I'm putting too much out there

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

Dawes - If I Wanted Someone

Eleanor Friedberger - My Mistakes

Boris - Riot Sugar

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

The show is sponsored by Eastbay/Footlocker.com. Use the following codes to get athletic gear from Nike, Adidas, Asics and more. AFCOMP15 will get you 10% off any order of $50 at Eastbay.com, AFCOMP20 will get you 15% off any order of $75 at Eastbay.com and AFCOMPFL will get you 10% off any order of $50 or more at Footlocker.com.

The Dawes song is on the forthcoming album Nothing is Wrong on ATO Records. Download the song for free (in exchange for your email address) at the band's website.

The Eleanor Friedberger song is on the forthcoming album Last Summer on Merge Records, where you can download the song for free.

The Boris song is from the album Heavy Rocks on Sargent House 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 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 160: Cold as Ice

This week on the podcast, it's another installment of Driving With Kumar as I discuss life during winter. 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:

- Already more snow in Boston area than entire last winter

- Temps dropping into single digits to subzero

- Tough running weather

- People like to complain about winter

- Lack of daylight leads to depression

- Why do people choose to live in cold-weather climates?

- In Washington state, I dealt with the occasional sandstorm

- Extreme weather in Texas

- Seasonal Affect Disorder

- Bad drivers + snow = A mess

- Fall is the perfect season

- Local media drives snow hysteria

- Bonehead of the Week (HT: The Smoking Gun)

Music:

Buffalo Tom - Guilty Girls

Mike Watt - Arrow-Pierced-Egg-Man

Mogwai - San Pedro

Tapes 'N Tapes - Badaboom

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 Buffalo Tom song is on the forthcoming album Skins on Scrawny Records. Download the song for free (in exchange for your e-mail address) at Spin.

The Mike Watt song is on the album Hyphenated-Man on clenchedwrench Records. Download the song for free at Stereogum.

The Mogwai song is on the album Hardcore Will Never Die, but You Will on Sub Pop. Download the song for free at Stereogum.

The Tapes 'N Tapes song is on the album Outside on Ibid Records. 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 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 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 123: Too Fast for Love

The podcast's back with another installment of Driving With Kumar as I discuss our love/hate relationship with fast food. Listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- KFC's Double Down sandwich is cartoonish gluttony

- Never ate much fast food as a young kid

- Only go to McDonald's on road trips

- Instant regret and shame

- Most fast food I eat is pizza

- Plenty of other examples of ridiculous fast food meals

- I enjoy occasional visits to rib joint

- Moderation is the key

- Exercise helps counter effects of fatty food

- Parents need to make sure kids are active

- Fast Food Nation was an eye-opening book

- Learning about how meat producers work can turn you off fast food

- Trend towards banning trans fats in restaurants

- Push to ban trans fats in the UK

- People should have the choice

- Encourage folks to be more active and eat healthier

- A ban might be going too far

- Public smoking ban has worked well

- We can't force people to be healthier

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

Deer Tick - 20 Miles

Blur - Fool's Day

The Futureheads - Struck Dumb

Brad - Runnin' for Cover

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

The show is sponsored by Eastbay/Footlocker.com, a leading supplier of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment. Save on gear from top brands such as Nike, Adidas, Asics and more using these codes: AFCOMP15 will get you 15% off any order at Eastbay.com, AFCOMP20 will get you 20% off any order of $75 or more at Eastbay.com and AFCOMPFL will get you 15% off any order at Footlocker.com.

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 Blur song is the first song the band has recorded in seven years, made for Record Store Day. After the 7-inch single sold out, the band made the song available for free online.

The Futureheads song is on the album The Chaos on Dovecote Records. Download the song for free at Spinner.

The Brad song is on the album Best Friends? on Monkeywrench Records. Download the song for free from Brad's site.

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 112: Even the Losers

The podcast's back with an installment of Driving With Kumar. I discuss the mental anguish of rooting for losing teams as I drive to and from work. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- Tough times for fans of Toronto teams

- The Leafs' suckiosity tougher to deal with now that I watch every game

- Considered not watching anymore

- Season's become a car wreck; hard to turn away

- Switching allegiances is out of the question

- Leafs made a couple of big trades over the weekend

- How do fans stick with bad teams?

- Case in point: The Pittsburgh Pirates

- New Orleans Saints are a nice story after years of mediocrity

- My Super Bowl prediction: Colts (but rooting for Saints)

- Blue Jays won World Series in '92 and '93

- Jays were horrible first several years

- Lately they've just been thoroughly mediocre

- Winter Olympics are about to start

- Looking forward to hockey tournament

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

- Los Campesinos - There are Listed Buildings

- Calories - The Mortal Boys

- The Red Pens - Hung Out

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

The Los Campesinos song is on the album Romance is Boring on Arts and Crafts Records. The song is courtesy of IODA Promonet:

Los Campesinos!
"There Are Listed Buildings" (mp3)
from "Romance Is Boring"
(Arts & Crafts)

Buy at Napster
More On This Album



The Calories song is on the Calories/William Split 7" on Tough Love Records. Download the track for free at Drowned in Sound.

The Red Pens song is on the album Reasons on Grain Belt Records. Download the song for free at Clicky Clicky.

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 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 here.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 92: A World of Fantasy

The latest episode of the podcast features another installment of Driving with Kumar, as I discuss my fantasy football draft. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- Fantasy football draft preparation

- In fantasy sports leagues since '91

- No longer just for nerds

- Haven't gone overboard on research

- Listening to fantasy football podcasts

- Draft strategy

- Football picks pools

- First baseball league was pre-Internet

- Stats were faxed to us

- Now you get real-time stats online

- It's a crap shoot

- Draft post-mortem

- Pinhead of the Week

Music:

- Black Francis - All in My Mind

- The King Khan and BBQ Show - Invisible Girl

- Dear Leader - The Blue Print

- Julian Plenti - Games for Days

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

The Black Francis song is on New Tales to Tell: A Tribute to Love and Rockets on Justice Records. Download the track at Insound.

The King Khan and BBQ Show song is on the forthcoming album Invisible Girl on In the Red Records. You can download the song at Pitchfork.

The Dear Leader song is on the forthcoming album The Blue Print on Lunch Records. Find out more and download the song at Dear Leader's site.

The Julian Plenti song is on the album Julian Plenti is...Skyscraper on Matador Records, where you can download the song.

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 here.

Completely Conspicuous is sponsored by Eastbay/Footlocker.com. Use the following promo codes to save money on top-name athletic gear and footwear: AFCOMP15 will get you 15% off any order at Eastbay; AFCOMP20 will get you 20% off any order of $75 or more at Eastbay; and AFCOMPFL will get you 15% off any order at Footlocker.com.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 87: King of the Road

I'm on my own for this episode of the podcast, as I introduce a new segment: Driving with Kumar. I recorded the segment while driving to and from work. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- DWP: Driving While Podcasting

- My iced tea habit

- Going to Toronto for vacation

- Catching up with an old buddy

- Happy anniversary

- Driving through Salem

- Planning a road trip

- Nine quick years

- Driving home

- Thoughts on the demise of WBCN

- Growing up on radio

- Pinhead of the Week

Music:

- Mission of Burma - 1-2-3-Partyy!

- Spiral Stairs - Maltese Terrier

- Brendan Benson - Feel Like Taking You Home

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

The Mission of Burma song is on the band's forthcoming album The Sound The Speed The Light. The Spiral Stairs song is on the forthcoming album The Real Feel. Both albums are on Matador Records, where you can download both songs.

The Brendan Benson song is on the album My Old, Familiar Friend on ATO Records. Download the song at Stereogum.

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 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 Justin Labarge for the album art; find out more about his mad web skillz at Bold Everything Interactive.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.