Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Completely Conspicuous 95: Guilty Pleasure, the Movie

The podcast's back with part 3 of my conversation with Ric Dube about pop culture guilty pleasures. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- Ric's new pitch: Guilty Pleasure, the movie

- Inspired by Pineapple Express

- Starring Shia Laboeuf (again), McLovin and Jonah Hill

- Murder mystery centered around an old sitcom star's murder

- The plot thickens

- The dramaturgical triad...or something like that

- Mila Kunis plays a stripper/comics fan who befriends our heroes

- Murdered played by Peter Stormare, of course

- Ric recommends Fanboys

- Gratuitous plug for Ric's movie review site, MoreLostTime.com

- Reviewed the first Benji movie

- Back in the pre-PETA '70s, horrible things happened to animals

- Benji was baby's first exploitation film

- If the hero is wanted for a crime he didn't commit, you know it'll be good

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

- Sloan - Take It Upon Yourself

- No Age - You're a Target

- The Almighty Defenders - Cone of Silence

- 7 Worlds Collide - Bodisattva Blues

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

The Sloan song is on the band's forthcoming self-released EP. Find out more and download the track here.

The No Age song is on the album Losing Feeling on Sub Pop Records, where you can find out more and download the song.

The Almighty Defenders song is on the band's self-titled album on Vice Records, where you can find out more and download the song.

The 7 Worlds Collide song is on the album The Sun Came Out on EMI. The song is courtesy of RCRD LBL, where you can download it.

The show is sponsored by Budget. Go to Budget.com/CompCon to save 10% off any car reservation or $30 off a weekly rental. Help out the show by patronizing my sponsors!

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.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Completely Conspicuous 94: It's a Little Pitchy, Dawg

The podcast's back with part 2 of my conversation with special guest Ric Dube about pop culture guilty pleasures. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- Will Howard Stern retire after Sirius-XM folds?

- Stern was a game-changer

- Songs are more censored now on radio

- Dark '70s pop songs were complex

- The pioneer card

- The power of language

- The secret of the guilty pleasure

- Rediscovering songs through TV commercials

- Questioning Randy Jackson's credentials

- Spoof movies

- Dube pitches a guilty pleasure movie: Trophy Dad

- Another Shia Labeouf vehicle

- Green Card meets Mr. Mom

- The return of Jonathan Lipnicki

- From Russian to French

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

- Sunny Day Real Estate - Seven

- Dear Leader - Barbarians

- Patterson Hood - Pride of the Yankees

- The Apples in Stereo - The Bird That You Can't See

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

The Sunny Day Real Estate song is on the reissue of the album Diary on Sub Pop Records, where you can find out more and download the track.

The Dear Leader song is on the album Stay Epic on Lunch Records; find out more and download the song here.

The Patterson Hood song is on the album Murdering Oscar (and other love songs) on Ruth St. Records. Find out more and download the song here.

The Apples in Stereo song is on the band's self-released album #1 Hits Explosion. The song is courtesy of IODA Promonet:

#1 Hits ExplosionThe Apples in stereo
"The Bird That You Can't See" (mp3)
from "#1 Hits Explosion"
(The Apples in stereo)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Rhapsody
Stream from Rhapsody
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 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.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Completely Conspicuous 93: We're All Guilty

I'm joined by special guest Ric Dube on the podcast in part 1 of our wide-ranging discussion of guilty pleasures. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- What is a guilty pleasure?

- American Idol as a presumed guilty pleasure

- No stigma attached to liking old unfashionable music

- Now mainstream pop culture can be guilty pleasures

- Time makes formerly unhip bands cool

- Guilty pleasures are completely subjective

- Rush fans have a serious inferiority complex

- The denial phase

- We don't listen to music closely anymore

- Guilty displeasures

- It's hip to like bad movies

- Going to see Loverboy for the opening act

- Small doses

- Transitioning from the Bee Gees to Zeppelin

- Disco Demolition Night was the turning point

- Nevermind demolished hair metal

- Dube was at ground zero of the Seattle scene

- Identifying artists as "that song"

- Indie rock snobs

- Satellite radio fizzles out

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

- The Raveonettes - Last Dance

- Joel Plaskett - Down, Down, Down

- The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Come Saturday

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

The Raveonettes song is on the band's forthcoming album In and Out of Control on Vice Records. You can download the track here.

The Joel Plaskett song is on the album Three on Maple Music. You can download the song here.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart song is on the band's self-titled album on Slumberland Records. The song is courtesy of IODA Promonet:

Come SaturdayThe Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
"Come Saturday" (mp3)
from "Come Saturday"
(Slumberland)

Buy at Rhapsody
Stream from Rhapsody
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 here.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

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.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Completely Conspicuous 91: Constructive Summer

Back with a new episode of the podcast as I discuss summer jobs. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- Summer jobs on par with previous years

- Stockin' shelves at the Market Basket

- Part-timers vs. full-timers

- Night crew

- Workin', eatin' and rockin' all night

- Setting up swingsets

- A short-lived gig

- Career opportunities: a newspaper internship

- Convincing my editor to give me more work

- A pathway to a job after graduation

- Baseball needs a salary cap

- Pinhead of the Week

Music:

- Radiohead - These Are My Twisted Words

- Titus Andronicus - Titus Andronicus

- Great Northern - Houses

- Shudder to Think - Hit Liquor (live)

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

The Radiohead song was released by the band for free download through its online store.

The Titus Andronicus song is on the album The Airing of Grievances on Beggars Group USA Records, where you can download the song.

The Shudder to Think song is on the album Live From Home on Team Love Records, where you can download the song.

The Great Northern song is on the EP Houses on Eenie Meenie Records. The song is courtesy of IODA Promonet:

Houses EPGreat Northern
"Houses" (mp3)
from "Houses EP"
(Eenie Meenie Records)

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 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.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.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Completely Conspicuous 90: Sleeping with the Enemy

The podcast's back with a conversation with Matt Siegel about what happens when a lifelong Red Sox fan marries a diehard Yankees fan. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- Sox-Yanks rivalry brought them together

- Jay sneaks in gratuitous reference to Blue Jays winning '93 World Series

- Matt and Tricia had planned on opening a "rivalry" bar

- Things get tense when the teams play each other

- Tales of woe at Yankee Stadium

- Matt's a sore loser

- Tricia's a true sports fan

- Sticking with your hometown team, unlike our pal Tim Coyne

- A little NBA talk

- Talking Blue Jays

- Baseball needs a salary cap

- The wonderful world of podcasts

- Boston's shifting sports talk radio scene

- Sponsorship and podcasting

- Online shopping

- Juggling passwords and e-mail addresses

- Lamenting the fate of newspapers

- Social media rules

- Pinhead of the Week

Music:

- The Raveonettes - Suicide

- Deer Tick - Smith Hill

- Julian Plenti - Fun That We Have

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

The Raveonettes song is on the forthcoming album In and Out of Control on Vice Records, where you can download the song.

The Deer Tick song is on the album Born on Flag Day on Partisan Records, where you can download the song.

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.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.

Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Completely Conspicuous 89: Doctor Doctor

I celebrate three years of podcasting CompCon with part 2 of my conversation with Dev Sarathy, this time discussing the pros and cons of the Canadian healthcare system. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- In Canada, paying taxes = healthcare coverage

- Canadian taxes are extremely high

- Health insurance doesn't cover "natural health" services like chiropractic

- Quality of life vs. quantity of life

- Money isn't going into preventive healthcare/wellness

- Old man Kumar: No kids play outside anymore

- Dev's awesome impression of his dad

- Fat people are fatter nowadays

- Canadian delays: Three-month waiting period for MRIs

- Maybe a hybrid of the two systems would work

- Canadian system abused by trivial ER visits

- Dev would make more money in U.S. system

- Canadians aren't used to paying for health services

- Hard to roll out a national plan due to sheer size of U.S.

- Outsourcing is a serious problem

- Pinhead of the Week

Music:

- Lou Barlow - Gravitate

- Big Dipper - She's Fetching

- MSTRKRFT (feat. N.O.R.E.) - Bounce

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

The Lou Barlow song is on the forthcoming album Goodnight Unknown. The Big Dipper song is on the box set Supercluster: The Big Dipper Anthology. Both albums are on Merge Records, where you can download the songs.

The MSTRKRFT song is on the album Bounce on Dim Mak Records. The song is courtesy of RCRDLBL, where you can download the MP3.

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.