Completely Conspicuous 105: Laugh It Up, Fuzzball

Back with the podcast as special guest Matt Phillion and I continue our look at the best movies of the decade. This week, we focus on comedies. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...


Topics:

- Matt implores you to see In the Loop

- Another Coen Brothers shout out

- John Goodman's ideal job

- Love for Pixar

- Apatow made a huge impact

- Ben Stiller nails it with Tropic Thunder

- Best in Show continues Christopher Guest's brilliant streak

- Matt reluctantly saw Amelie and dug it

- Superbad rang true for high school dorks everywhere

- A non-comedy pick: Once

- High Fidelity simultaneously salutes music nerds and reveals how guys think about girls

- Anchorman was the best of the Will Ferrell movies

- Paul Giamatti steps up with Sideways

- About Schmidt was comedy, but also horror because of Kathy Bates nudity

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

- Liars - Scissor

- Flight of the Conchords - Sugalumps

- Jason Collett - Love is a Dirty Word

- Jawbox - Savory

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

The Liars song is on the band's album Sisterworld on Mute Records. Find out more and download the track for free at TheSisterworld.

The Flight of the Conchords song is on the album I Told You I Was Freaky on Sub Pop Records, where you can download the song for free.

The Jason Collett song is on the album Rat a Tat Tat on Arts and Crafts Records, where you can download the song for free.

The Jawbox song is on the reissue of the album For Your Own Special Sweetheart on Desoto Records. The song is courtesy of IODA Promonet:

Jawbox
"Savory" (mp3)
from "For Your Own Special Sweetheart"
(DeSoto Records)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Napster
More On This Album



The show is sponsored by Eastbay/Footlocker.com, a leading supplier of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment. You can find gear from top brands such as Nike, Adidas, Asics, Reebok and more. Use the promo code AFCOMP15 to get 15% off any order at Eastbay.com, AFCOMP20 to get 20% off any order of $75 or more at Eastbay.com, and AFCOMPFL to get 15% off any order at Footlocker.com.

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; find out more at . 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 104: Celluloid Heroes

The podcast's back with special guest Matt Phillion as we look at the decade in movies, starting with our picks for best dramas. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:
- Matt's picks are in "gutpunch order"
- The decade of the Coen brothers
- Christopher Nolan did good work
- Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen teamed up for two great films
- There Will Be Blood: Epic or too over the top?
- Woody Allen's European tour was rewarding
- Mickey Rourke's return from oblivion
- Pan's Labyrinth was a freaky take on fairy tales
- Almost Famous: Cameron Crowe's last good movie
- Soderberg did a lot of good work
- Matt doesn't dig Charlie Kaufman or Wes Anderson movies
- Coming to the realization that Leo DiCaprio is a good actor
- Jim Carrey's Oscar hunt
- Away We Go made an impact on Matt
- Pixar has made excellent string of films this decade
- Bonehead of the Week

Music:
- Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Even Heroes Have to Die
- Shout Out Louds - Walls
- Shearwater - Castaways
- Sweet Apple - Do You Remember

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

The Ted Leo and the Pharmacists song is on the band's forthcoming album The Brutalist Bricks on Matador Records, where you can download the track for free.

The Shout Out Louds song is on the forthcoming album Walls on Merge Records, where you can download the song for free.

The Shearwater song is on the forthcoming album The Golden Archipelago on Matador Records, where you can download the song for free.

The Sweet Apple song is on the forthcoming album Love and Desperation on Tee Pee Records. Download the song for free here.

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental. Help out the show by patronizing my sponsors and rent like a genius with Budget.

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 103: Put Me In, Coach

The podcast's back with part 2 of my conversation with special guest Phil Stacey about the decade in sports. This time around, we discuss baseball, the NFL and the Internet's influence on the sports world. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- Big story in baseball was steroids

- Big names were caught cheating: McGwire, Sosa, Bonds, Clemens, A-Rod

- Baseball's tough to watch beginning to end: games are so slow

- Red Sox vanquished curse with two World Series wins

- Drawback of excellent play is abundance of bandwagon-jumping fans

- Sports talk radio rehashes same stuff over and over

- NHFL has surpassed MLB in popularity

- Patriots are team of the decade

- Football's better to watch on TV than in person

- XFL came and went

- XFL's lasting legacy: He Hate Me

- Gambling is big part of NFL fandom

- Fantasy football is big business

- Internet's role in sports looms large

- Local papers trying to own their market with blogs, podcasts

- Blogs can run gamut from good analysis to gossip to fanboys

- Twitter's good for breaking news

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

- Soulsavers - You'll Miss Me When I Burn

- St. Vincent - The Strangers

- Deer Tick - Baltimore Blues No. 1

- Carbon/Silicon - What's Up Doc?

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

The Soulsavers song is on the band's album Broken on V2 Records. Download the track for free here.

The St. Vincent song is on the album Actor on Beggars Group USA, where you can download the song for free.

The Deer Tick song was released as a free download in honor of Veterans Day. Find out more at and download the song for free at Partisan Records.

The Carbon/Silicon song is on the album The Carbon Bubble. Find out more and download the entire album for free here.

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental. Help out the show by patronizing my sponsors and rent like a genius with Budget.

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 102: Trapped Under Ice

The podcast's back with special guest Phil Stacey as we look at the decade in sports. This episode, we focus on the NHL. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- Sports, "the great bringer-together"?

- NHL lost a season due to lockout

- Game has changed for the better

- Salary cap has led to more young stars

- NJ Devils introduced boring trap style in mid-'90s, continued in '00s

- Strategy and systems are more important now

- The shootout eliminated ties, but is it the right answer?

- Struggling franchises due to expansion: Phoenix, Florida, Nashville

- Phil: Cut six teams, improve the product

- TV package is troublesome: Dropped by ESPN, now on Versus

- No dynasties anymore

- Detroit was team of decade

- No Canadian team has won Cup since '93

- Ovechkin is best player in league

- Crosby: Coltrane vs. Ovechkin: The Clash

- Winter Classic has been great for the game

- Should NHL keep sending players to Winter Olympics?

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

- EELS - Little Bird

- Molina & Johnson - Almost Let You In

- Calories - Let's Pretend That We're Older

- Lifter Puller - Lie Down on Lansdowne

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

The EELS song is on the band's forthcoming album on Vagrant Records. Find out more and download the track for free here.

The Molina & Johnson song is on their self-titled album on Secretly Canadian Records, where you can find out more and download the song for free.

The Calories song is on the EP Let's Pretend We're Older on Smalltown America. Find out more and download the song for free here.

The Lifter Puller song is on the compilation album Soft Rock on The Self Starter Foundation. Find out more and download the track for free here.

The show is sponsored by Eastbay/Footlocker.com, a leading supplier of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment. The promo code AFCOMP15 will get you 15% off any order at Eastbay.com. The code AFCOMP20 will get you 20% off any order of $75 or more at Eastbay. And the code AFCOMPFL will get you 15% off any order at Footlocker.com.

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 101: The Modern World

The podcast's back with a look at the decade in technology. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:

- Y2K came and went

- Broadband arrived, changed everything

- Google led the way for search engines

- Social networking sites

- Blogging, podcasting became commonplace

- Communication: E-mail, chat and texting

- Napster loomed large over the music industry

- The iPod was a game changer

- YouTube revolutionized online video

- Home entertainment: Flatscreen TVs, DVDs, DVRs, Netflix

- Videogame consoles got better, wireless

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

- Them Crooked Vultures - Mind Eraser, No Chaser

- The Pixies - Crackity Jones

- Melissa Auf der Maur - Out of Our Minds

- Nirvana - About a Girl

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

The Them Crooked Vultures song is on the band's self-titled album on Interscope Records. Download the track for free at the iTunes store.

The Pixies song is on the band's live EP commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Doolittle album. The four-song EP is available for free at Pixiesmusic.com.

The Melissa Auf der Maur song is on the forthcoming album Out of Our Minds on MAdM Music; click here to find out more and download the song for free.

The Nirvana song is on Bleach: Deluxe Edition on Sub Pop Records, where you can download the song for free.

The show is sponsored by Eastbay/Footlocker.com, a leading supplier of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment. The promo code AFCOMP15 will get you 15% off any order at Eastbay. The code AFCOMP20 will get you 20% off any order of $75 or more at Eastbay. And the code AFCOMPFL will get you 15% off any order at Footlocker.com.

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 100: TV Party

The podcast's back, as I celebrate 100 episodes and review the decade in television. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...


Topics:

- DVRs allow viewers to watch only what they want to

- More options to view shows: Online, DVD sets, iTunes

- Reality TV became prevalent in 2000s

- Kumar's top 10 TV dramas

- Kumar's top comedies: Talk shows, fake news and sitcoms

- Bonehead of the Week

Music:

- Built to Spill - Hindsight

- The Whigs - In the Dark

- Spiral Stairs - True Love

- Nirvana - Scoff (live)

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

The Built to Spill song is on the album There Is No Enemy on Warner Bros. Records. Download the track for free at Insound.

The Whigs song is on the band's forthcoming album In the Dark on ATO Records. The song is courtesy of RCRDLBL, where you can download the song for free.

The Spiral Stairs song is on the album The Real Feel on Matador Records, where you can download the song for free.

The Nirvana song is on Bleach: Deluxe Edition on Sub Pop Records, where you download the song for free.

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service. Go to Budget and save 10% off any 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.

Completely Conspicuous 99: The Decade in Rock, Part 4

The podcast's back with the conclusion of my review of the decade in rock with special guest Jay Breitling. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").

The show notes...

Topics:
- Breitling's 2007 picks: Dinosaur Jr., Meneguar, Assembly Now, Answering Machine, Radiohead, Spoon, Dntel, Ringo Deathstarr, Johnny Foreigner
- Kumar's 2007 picks: Grinderman, Black Francis, Andrew Bird, Okkervil River, LCD Soundsystem, MIA
- Breitling's 2008 picks: A Weather, The Notwist, Johnny Foreigner, Dinosaur Pile Up, Swimmers, War on Drugs, Destroyer
- Kumar's 2008 picks: Gutter Twins, King Khan and the Shrines, Hold Steady, Ladyhawk, Black Mountain
- Chloe and Amy B. make guest appearances
- 2008: Videogames became a viable way to sell music
- Big box exclusives: AC/DC, Eagles, Pearl Jam, GNR
- Chinese Democracy bombs big time
- Autotune becomes ubiquitous
- Breitling's 2009 picks: Dananananaykroyd, Project AKO, Morrissey, Calories, Fleeting Joys, Johnny Foreigner, Beatings
- Chloe interjects
- Kumar's 2009 picks: Gaslight Anthem, Jay Reatard, Jarvis Cocker, Japandroids, Art Brut
- Death of Michael Jackson should lead to endless albums
- Death of the album
- Bonehead of the Week

Music:
- Dinosaur Jr. - Almost Ready
- Destroyer - Dark Leaves Form a Thread
- Johnny Foreigner - Feels Like Summer

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

The Dinosaur Jr. song is on the 2007 album Beyond on Fat Possum Records, where you can download the track.

The Destroyer song is on the 2008 album on Merge Records, where you can download the track.
The Johnny Foreigner song is on their 2009 album Grace and the Bigger Picture on Best Before Records. The song is courtesy of RCRDLBL, where you can download the song.

The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service. Go to Budget and save 10% off any 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.