Completely Conspicuous 282: Lost Causes

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Lewandowski as we discuss our status as outsider sports fans in the Boston area. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").

Show notes:
- Recorded on a sweaty night in Beverly, Mass.
- Boston went from Loserville to Titletown
- The legend of Wayne Gretzky started when he was a kid
- Jay: Rooted for the Patriots when they were horrible
- Supporting our teams has been a mostly futile endeavor
- Jay: Reliving the Leafs' horrible choke against Boston
- Big sporting events somehow lead to idiots rioting
- NFL games are much more fun when you watch at home
- Jay: Still go to college hockey games
- Brian wept when his team won college lacrosse championship
- Jay: I want to see the Leafs win the Stanley Cup before I die
- Brian roots for New England Revolution
- Jay: Watching the Leafs in the playoffs is a tense, miserable experience
- Brian: Still hoping Sabres and Bills will win it all
- More "pink hat" fans in Boston
- Jay: I watch every Leafs game no matter how much they suck
- Find Brian's comedy dates and fun stuff at his website
- Bonehead of the Week


Music:
David Byrne and St. Vincent - Cissus
Overseas - Old Love
John Vanderslice - Raw Wood
Stephen Malkmus - The Hook

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

The David Byrne and St. Vincent song is on the EP Brass Tactics. Download the song from Stereogum.
The Overseas song is on the band's self-titled album on Undertow Music Collective. Download the song for free at Chromewaves.
The John Vanderslice song is on the album Dagger Beach on Secretly Canadian. Download the song for free at Chromewaves.
The Stephen Malkmus song is on his self-titled album on Matador 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.

Completely Conspicuous 239: Solo Flights

I celebrate six big years of podcasting with part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss our favorite solo artists. Listen to the episode below or download it directly.

Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Brian contends that Bob Mould's work in Sugar is better than Husker Du; Jay vehemently disagrees
- Jay: Elliott Smith went in a different direction after Heatmiser
- Are Josh Homme or Dave Grohl considered solo artists?
- Jay: Lennon and McCartney both made great albums on their own, but also some clunkers
- Jay: Michael Jackson became probably the biggest artist of all time
- Ozzy's early solo work was terrific
- The ridiculous story behind Sabbath's Born Again album
- Paul Simon's still going strong
- Phil Collins was huge in the '80s
- Brian: Mike Nesmith's early solo work was excellent
- Jay: Nick Cave forged a dark path after The Birthday Party
- Brian: Ryan Adams made a classic album and several good ones
- Mike Watt's soldiered on over the years
- Jay: Stephen Malkmus has been consistently good since Pavement
- Brian prefers the later Pavement albums
- Bonehead of the Week

Music:
Bob Mould - A Good Idea (live)
Ryan Adams - Shakedown on 9th Street (live)
Mike Watt - Against the '70s (live)
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - (Do Not Feed the) Oyster

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The Bob Mould song is on the EP Live at the Bottom of the Hill. Download it for free (in exchange for your email address) from New.Official.fm.
The Ryan Adams song was recorded live at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston on 2/21/09. Download the song for free at Archive.org.
The Mike Watt song was recorded live at the Metro in Chicago on 5/6/95. Download the song for free at Archive.org.
The Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks song is from the album Pig Lib on Matador 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 207: Add It Up

Part 2 of my conversation with special guest Jay Breitling as we look back at the best rock music of 2011. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").



The show notes:

- Breitling's #7: The Hush Now

- Clicky Clicky and Ash Gray Proclamation co-present live show on 1/14 with Hallelujah the Hills and The Blue Dress

- Breitling: Yuck is so-so live

- Kumar's #7: Buffalo Tom

- BT recently celebrated 25th anniversary

- Breitling's #6: Algernon Cadwallader

- Tough to make money as a band

- Kumar's #6: Malkmus

- Breitling's #5: War on Drugs

- Kumar's #4: Twilight Singers

- Afghan Whigs are reuniting in 2012

- Breitling's #4: Destroyer

- Album threw off some longtime fans

- Kumar's #4: Wild Flag

- Breitling's #3: Age Rings

- Kumar's #3: Deer Tick

- Breitling's #2: Benjamin Shaw

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:
The Hush Now - Clouds

Buffalo Tom - Guilty Girls

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Senator

The War on Drugs - Baby Missiles

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 Hush Now song is on the self-released album Memos. You can download the entire album for free at Bandcamp.

The Buffalo Tom song is on the album Skins on Scrawny Records. Download the song for free (in exchange for your email address) at Spin.

The Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks song is on the album Mirror Traffic on Matador Records. Download the song for free at Matador.

The War on Drugs song is on the album Slave Ambient on Secretly Canadian. Download the song for free at 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. 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 185: Trampled Under Foot

Special guest Lee Black joins me as we discuss the popularity and unpopularity of soccer. Listen to the show below or download it directly (right click and "save as").



Show notes:

- Mr. Black's first appearance on the show

- Driving to see New England Revolution play Manchester United

- Stuck in Boston traffic

- Women's World Cup stoked interest in U.S.

- When there's no big event, interest tails off

- Women's soccer burst on scene in '99 after US won gold

- Youth soccer is booming

- Lee grew interested in soccer as a young kid after visiting Europe

- No teams in Iowa until years later

- High school didn't have a team until after he left

- In college, Lee was on the school's first soccer team

- Prefers watching World Cup games in Spanish

- Was in Italy when they won World Cup

- Still little interest in the heartland

- Jay: Played youth soccer in Canada

- Moved to Richland, Wash., birthplace of Hope Solo

- Played high school soccer in NH

- Played on indoor and outdoor teams

- Would rather play than watch soccer

- European nature of the game turns off some Americans

- More exposure via ESPN and other cable channels

- Women's game is more popular thanks to '99 gold medal

- Soccer will never be as big here as in the rest of the world

- Popular because you can play it anywhere and it's easy to learn

- In alternate reality, Lee's a hockey goalie

- (Postscript: ManU beat Revs 4-1; U.S. women lost in World Cup final to Japan)

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Tigers

Titus Andronicus - Breed

Young Adults - Let Us Out

Boots Electric - Boots Electric Theme

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 Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks song is on the forthcoming album Mirror Traffic on Matador Records, where you can download the song for free.

The Titus Andronicus cover of a Nirvana song is on the album Newermind: A Tribute Album. Download the album for free by "liking" SPIN's Facebook page.

The Young Adults song is on the band's demo. Download the song for free at Soundcloud.

The Boots Electric song is on the forthcoming album Honkey Kong on Dangerbird Records. Find out more and download the song for free at his 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. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian; check out his site PodGeek.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous 180: Left Behind

Part 3 of my podcast conversation with special guest Ric Dube as we dissect 1990s movies. Listen to the show below or download it directly (right click and "save as").



The show notes:

- Check out Ric's great podcast, More Lost Time

- Ric: Kirk Cameron's "Left Behind" movies were exploitation flicks

- Ric got early copies of the Dysfunctional Family Circus

- Ric offers better artists to replace Smash Mouth's reign of soundtrack terror in '98

- Match the Bond Girl to the movie

- First digitally edited movie soundtrack was in 1996

- Rating the destructive film families

- A cavalcade o' Culkins

- Ill-fated jumps from TV to movies

- Michael Moore reinvents the documentary

- Jay: In '90s, Nicolas Cage went from serious actor to uber nutjob

- Pulp Fiction inspired many knockoffs

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Senator

Sun Airway - Wild Palms

J. Mascis - Alone (live)

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 Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks song is on the forthcoming album Mirror Traffic on Matador Records, where you can download the song for free.

The Sun Airway song is on the 7-inch Wild Palms on Dead Oceans. Download the song for free at Pitchfork.

The J. Mascis song was recorded as part of a live Daytrotter session. Download the song for free (in exchange for your email address) at Daytrotter.

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 Episode 62: Start Me Up

Hey, just recorded the latest ep of CompCon. Check it out. You can download it directly here (right click and "save as") if you haven't already subscribed to the program.

The show notes, if you will...

Topics:
- Bands going online to find their new singers
- Energy drinks
- Pinhead of the Week

Music:
- Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Baltimore
- The Lords of Altamont - Altamont Sin
- South San Gabriel - Trust to Lose
- Alejandro Escovedo - Always a Friend

Promo:
- New England Podcasting.

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes and Podcast Pickle podcast directories. Subscribe and write a review!

The Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks song is on the album Real Emotional Trash on Matador Records, where you can find out more and download the track.

The Alejandro Escovedo song is on the album Real Animal on Back Porch Records; visit his Internet home page to find out more and download the track.

The Lords of Altamont song is on the album Altamont Sin on Gearhead Records. The song from South San Gabriel is on the album Dual Hawks on Misra Records. Both songs were provided by IODA Promonet:

Lords of Altamont
"The Altamont Sin" (mp3)
from "Altamont Sin"
(Gearhead Records)

More On This Album



South San Gabriel
"Trust To Lose" (mp3)
from "Dual Hawks"
(Misra)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Rhapsody
Buy at Napster
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Puretracks
Buy at 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 muy excellente blog de music. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Completely Conspicuous Episode 54: Once Bitten, Twice Shy

While praying for no rain on Sunday in New Jersey, I cranked out the latest episode of CompCon. Download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:
- Shark attack hysteria
- Lessons learned from six years of parenting
- Pinhead of the Week

Music:
- Dead Meadow - What Needs Must Be
- Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Cold Son
- Centro-Matic - I the Kite
- Wolf Parade - Call It a Ritual
- Joseph Arthur - Killer's Knife

Promo:
- New England Podcasting.

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes, Yahoo Podcasts and Podcast Pickle podcast directories. Subscribe and write a review!

The song from Dead Meadow is on their album Old Growth; the Stephen Malkmus song is on the album Real Emotional Trash. Both albums are on Matador Records, where you can find out more and download the songs.

The Centro-Matic song is on the new album Dual Hawks. The song is courtesy of Misra Records, where you can find out more and download the track. The song from Wolf Parade is on the new album At Mount Zoomer. The song is courtesy of Sub Pop Records, where you can find out more and download the track.

The Joseph Arthur song is on the EP Crazy Rain on Lonely Astronaut Records. The song is provided by IODA Promonet:

Joseph Arthur
"Killer's Knife" (mp3)
from "Crazy Rain"
(Lonely Astronaut Records)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Rhapsody
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at GroupieTunes
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 blog. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of Mark Campbell.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.