Stuck In Thee Garage #310: February 28, 2020

Sometimes the hardest part of any endeavor is the beginning. Today on Stuck In Thee Garage, I played songs about getting started in hour 2. I saw the irony in waiting an hour to play songs about starting, but nevertheless, that's what I did.

This playlist was approved by Captain Chaos:

Hour 1
Artist - Song/Album
Archers of Loaf - Raleigh Days/Single
Dogleg - Kawasaki Backflip/Melee
Bambara - Serafina/Stray
Greg Dulli - A Ghost/Random Desire
Eldridge Rodriguez - Another Boy With a Broken Heart/Slightest of Treason
Hanni El Khatib - Stressy/Single
Thrillhouse - One of These Days/Single
!!! - 50 Million/Wallop
Black Market Brass - Into the Thick/Undying Thirst
Porridge Radio - Sweet/Every Bad
Lady Lamb - Arizona/Single
Midwife - Anyone Can Play Guitar/Forever
Beach Bunny - April/Honeymoon
Lightouts - My My/Wake
Jonny Polonsky - The Weeping Souls/Kingdom of Sleep
Drive-By Truckers - Slow Ride Argument/The Unraveling

Hour 2: Starting
Prince and the Revolution - Let's Go Crazy/Purple Rain
MC5 - Kick Out the Jams/Kick Out the Jams
Hard Left - Kicking It Off/We Are Hard Left
R.E.M. - Begin the Begin/Lifes Rich Pageant
The Strokes - When It Started/Is This It
Pavement - Old to Begin/Brighten the Corners
Emerson, Lake and Palmer - From the Beginning/Trilogy
Genesis - Turn It On Again/Duke
Arcade Fire - Ready to Start/The Suburbs
Ladyhawk - Different Beginnings/Shots
Summer Hymns - Start Swimming/Backward Masks
Mobius Band - Starts With a Bang/City Vs. Country
The Feelies - Let's Go/The Good Earth
The Dirtbombs - Start the Party/Dangerous Magical Noise
Joan Jett - Fresh Start/Bad Reputation soundtrack
Cheap Trick - Welcome to the World/Rockford
Dinosaur Jr. - Start Choppin'/Where You Been

Completely Conspicuous 528: Burn and Shine

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss rock stars and aging. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- '90s butt rock is alive and well in New Hampshire
- Marlins will soar, according to Scott Stapp
- Commercial rock radio is dying
- In the mid-80s, rock radio was thriving in the Boston area
- Brian has satellite radio
- GNR/Smashing Pumpkins touring this summer
- The evolution of Sugar Ray's sound
- Mark McGrath is always working
- The Cameo economy
- Talking to musicians
- The ubiquity of Henry Rollins
- The musician deaths have always been plentiful
- 10 years ago, we lost Jay Reatard, Teddy Pendergrass, Doug Fieger, Mark Linkous, Alex Chilton, Malcolm McLaren, Dio
- So many big names in rock are getting older
- Eagles have continued to tour without Glenn Frey
- Surviving members of Nirvana have reunited for charity shows
- Rush will never play another show
- R.E.M. has never performed together since their breakup
- More fun with Cameo
- Don't wait to see a band you like
- Jay: Trying to see bands I haven't seen before
- Making up for lost time with some bands
- Some bands sound better than ever: Dino Jr., Ween
- Ozzy's looking pretty rough these days
- Some artists you don't want to see anymore

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.

Stuck In Thee Garage #309: February 21, 2020

The farther we get away from years like 1985, the more we should appreciate the music that came out back then. This week on Stuck In Thee Garage, I played songs from '85 in hour 2. They were full of Cold War fury.

Grab your favorite missile and a couple of paper clips and listen to this:

Hour 1
Artist - Song/Album
Melkbelly - LCR/PITH
Moaning - Ego/Uneasy Laughter
Deeper - This Heat/Auto-Pain
Eldridge Rodriguez - The Girl Who Made God/Slightest of Treason
The Wedding Present - (The Moment Before) Everything's Spoiled/Tommy 30
Jonny Polonsky - Sign In the Window/Kingdom of Sleep
Rocketship - What's the Use of Books/Thanks to You
Cartalk - Wrestling/Single
The Districts - Cheap Regrets/You Know I'm Not Going Anywhere
Wolf Parade - Under Glass/Thin Mind
Brett Newski - What'd Ya Got to Lose/Don't Let the Bastards Get You Down
Bodega - Treasures of the Ancient World/Shiny New Model
White Reaper - Might Be Right/You Deserve Love
Lies Lies - '90s Kid/Lies Lies
B Boys - Taste for Trash/Dudu
The Menzingers - Strangers Forever/Hello Exile

Hour 2: 1985
R.E.M. - Driver 8/Fables of the Reconstruction
Camper Van Beethoven - Ambiguity Song/Telephone Free Landslide Victory
Husker Du - The Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill/New Day Rising
Husker Du - Makes No Sense at All/Flip Your Wig
Mick Jagger - Lonely at the Top/She's the Boss
Prince & the Revolution - Raspberry Beret/Around the World in a Day
Run DMC - King of Rock/King of Rock
Jason and the Scorchers - White Lies/Lost & Found
The Replacements - Hold My Life/Tim
Sonic Youth - Society is a Hole/Bad Moon Rising
The Jesus & Mary Chain - Never Understand/Psychocandy
The Cure - Close to Me/The Head on the Door
The Cult - Big Neon Glitter/Love
Black Flag - Paralyzed/In My Head
Minutemen - The Big Stick/3-Way Tie for Last
Dinosaur Jr. - The Leper/Dinosaur

 

Completely Conspicuous 527: Magic and Loss

I'm joined by guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss rock stars and aging. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded via Skype
- Brian's first appearance on the show in two years
- The rock deaths keep on hitting us hard
- Neil Peart's recent death was surprising and shocking
- Brian: Not a big Rush fan, but respected them
- A couple of really good documentaries about the band
- Rush followed their own path
- Andy Gill of Gang of Four kept touring and recording right until he died
- Big deaths that impacted us
- Jay: Peart, Gord Downie, Bowie, Prince, Tom Petty
- As a kid, remember Randy Rhoads, Bonham, Bon Scott, Keith Moon
- Later, Cobain and Layne Staley
- Tortured artist syndrome
- Meanwhile, the Stones keep chugging along
- Brian: McCartney is still amazing live into his 70s
- Neither of us has seen the Stones live
- Brian: Regret not seeing classic acts at least once
- Prince played crazy long shows
- Getting harder to stay out super late
- "Farewell tours" tend to often be false alarms
- A little more urgency to see certain artists who are older
- A lot of reunion tours these days: Jawbreaker, Hot Snakes, Jawbox, Hoodoo Gurus
- Will young artists today have the same longevity as the older artists now?
- Touring's the only way to make money these days
- Not even worth it for older acts to release new material now
- Radio won't play new music from legendary acts
- Classic rock fans don't want to hear new music, they just want the hits
- You know what you're getting from a new AC/DC record
- Many bands continue on after members die
- Replacing iconic singers with unknowns
- Alice in Chains has recharged their career somewhat post-Staley
- Sublime's singer/leader died before their big album came out
- To be continued

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.

Stuck In Thee Garage #308: February 14, 2020

Another year, another Valentine's Day. On Stuck In Thee Garage this week, I played anti-Valentine's songs in hour 2. Even poor Ralph Wiggum could appreciate them.

I choo-choo-choose this playlist:

Hour 1
Artist - Song/Album
Eldridge Rodriguez - Your Dead Boyfriend/Slightest of Treason
MGMT - In the Afternoon/Single
Hotel - Sides/Single
Beach Bunny - Dream Boy/Honeymoon
Michael Stipe - Drive to the Ocean/Single
Drive-By Truckers - Heroin Again/The Unraveling
Destroyer - Cue Synthesizer/Have We Met
Dogleg - Fox/Melee
Nada Surf - So Much Love/Never Not Together
Wolf Parade - Fall Into the Future/Thin Mind
Girl Band - Couch Combover/The Talkies
Feet - Outer Rim/What's Inside Is More Than Just Ham
Eddy Current Suppression Ring - All In Good Time/All In Good Time
...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - Gravity/X: The Godless Void and Other Stories
Shana Falana - In the Land/Darkest Light
Mikal Cronin - Caravan/Seeker

Hour 2: Anti-Valentine's
Mr. Airplane Man - Don't Know How to Love/C'mon DJ
Kaiser Chiefs - Everyday I Love You Less and Less/Employment
TV On the Radio - Don't Love You/Desperate Youths, Blood Thirsty Babes
Faith No More - She Loves Me Not/Album of the Year
Them Crooked Vultures - Nobody Loves Me & Neither Do I/Them Crooked Vultures
Van Halen - Outta Love Again/II
Judas Priest - Love Bites/Defenders of the Faith
Pete Townshend - Secondhand Love/White City: A Novel
David Bowie - Love Is Lost/The Next Day
Talking Heads - I'm Not In Love/More Songs About Buildings and Food
The National - Terrible Love/High Violet
Thin Lips - Breaking Up and Breaking Down/Riff Hard
Songs: Ohia - Love Leaves Its Abusers/Axxess & Ace
Matthew Sweet - You Don't Love Me/Girlfriend

Completely Conspicuous 526: Go to Heaven

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the Grateful Dead album Go to Heaven. Listen to the episode below or download it directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded at CompCon world HQ
- The Dead transitioning into a new decade, the '80s
- Cover may have given fans the wrong idea
- Short outing at only 38 minutes
- One of the least favorite studio albums among Dead fans
- Phil: A real mish-mash
- Contractual obligation: Third studio album in four years
- AOR was getting big
- The Godchauxs were gone
- Brent Mydland brings a smooth Michael McDonald vibe that is off-putting
- Grateful Dead keyboard players : Spinal Tap drummers
- Some Dead classics on this album: Alabama Getaway, Althea
- Didn't make another studio album for seven years
- Jay might go see Dead & Co. with Phil at some point
- Phil: This is their second-worst album
- Lost Sailor doesn't work
- Three straight Weir/Barlow songs
- Saint of Circumstance could be an '80s sitcom theme song
- Bob Weir loves the short shorts
- Hey, we used to wear them, too
- Mickey Hart eventually got into world music
- Mydland's Easy to Love You could have been a pop hit
- Album ends with a rave-up cover of Don't Ease Me In
- Phil: In defense of U2's Zooropa
- When we next convene, we'll talk about late '80s Dead

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.

Stuck In Thee Garage #307: February 7, 2020

Accidents happen all the time. Some are worse than others, but all of them tend to have an impact. This week on Stuck In Thee Garage, I played songs about accidents in hour 2. It's not accident that they're great, although there was an accidental inclusion in the playlist. I had intended to include "Crash Years" by the New Pornographers, but for some reason, the MP3 that was labeled as such turned out to be "Sharks" by Cadence Weapon. Not what I was planning, but a good song nonetheless. My face when I realized the mistake:

This playlist is totally not bogus:

Hour 1
Artist - Song/Album
Destroyer - Kinda Dark/Have We Met
Drive-By Truckers - Armageddon's Back in Town/The Unraveling
Hallelujah the Hills - I'm You/I'm You
Nada Surf - Something I Should Do/Never Not Together
Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Medieval Wall/All in Good Time
Girl Band - Going Norway/The Talkies
Beach Slang - Kicking Over Bottles/The Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak City
Shell of a Shell - My Wildfire/Away Team
Freeloader - Let's Give Love Another Try/The Path of Least Resistance
Lightouts - Evil Hearted/Wake
Ratboys - Alien With a Sleep Mask On/Printer's Devil
Gang of Four - Damaged Goods/Single
Gang of Four - Natural's Not In It/Entertainment
Gang of Four - To Hell With Poverty/Another Day, Another Dollar EP
Gang of Four - You'll Never Pay for the Farm/Content

Hour 2: Accidents
Jawbreaker - Accident Prone/Dear You
Condo Fucks - Accident/Fuckbook
Telekinesis - Car Crash/12 Desperate Straight Lines
The Von Bondies - Accidents Will Happen/Love, Hate and Then There's You
Avengers - Car Crash/We Are the One
Blondie - Accidents Never Happen/Eat to the Beat
Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Accidents Will Happen/Armed Forces
Cadence Weapon - Sharks/Breaking Kayfabe
The Ocean Blue - Crash/Beneath the Rhythm and Sound
The Twilight Singers - There's Been an Accident/Powder Burns
The Kickovers - Crash and Burn/Osaka
Andrew Bird - Fiery Crash/Armchair Apocrypha
Radiohead - Airbag/OK Computer

Completely Conspicuous 525: Shakedown Street

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the Grateful Dead album Shakedown Street. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded at CompCon world HQ
- First ep of the new decade
- Shakedown Street came out in '78
- Lots of musical stuff happening: Disco, punk, new wave, hard rock
- Disco wasn't as bad as everyone made it out to be
- Jay: No guilty pleasures: If you like it, you like it
- The Dead were coming off a triumphant '77
- This was a contractually obligated studio album
- Lots of influences thrown in: Funk, disco, African jazz, rock
- Met with savage reviews
- The version of "Good Lovin'" here pales in comparison to the live version, especially when Pigpen sang it
- The last album with Donna and Keith Godchaux
- Title track gets slagged as bad disco, but we dig it
- Shakedown Street is now the name of the merch area at Dead & Co. shows
- Pressure was on from Clive Davis for them to have hits
- This album was produced by Lowell George of Little Feat
- Seen as a disco album, but it's pretty diverse musically
- The Dead weren't a great studio band
- Mickey Hart stepped up with three songs
- Phil: "I Need a Miracle" might be the best song on the album
- "Stagger Lee"  has an interesting history; versions were covered by many different artists
- Jay: The Nick Cave version is the best, and the most profane
- Album was scattered because of different influences plus substances
- "All New Minglewood Blues" is a pretty rockin' cover
- Dead appeared on SNL that year
- Ends with a Garcia-Hunter love ballad that works
- Jay: Liked about half the songs on the album
- Next: 1980's Go to Heaven

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.