More business than band. More superhero than human. This group somehow found a way to win the 1970s and recreate what it meant to be an American rock n' roll band. It's KISS week! Alex and Jon set the stage this week by posing a question that seems almost unanswerable: how the hell did this all happen? KISS make their television debut in 1974 on ABC in Concert before a befuddling Gene Simmons interview on The Mike Douglas Show that has comedian Totie Fields scoring points on Gene. KISS storms...
Aug 23
2 hr 53 min
Fingerless gloves. Intense eyeliner. Swoopy haircuts. Their look defined the height of the mid 2000s emo movement. But the music? That was something different it turns out. It's MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE week! Jon and Alex reflect on why they outright dismissed MCR at the height of their fame and explain that like many others they were idiots for doing so. Clip 1 illustrates that dynamic, as the band is introduced to America by Pierre from Simple Plan on TRL before a ripping performance of I'm Not ...
May 31
2 hr 41 min
It's a career arc that spanned genres, oceans, and mainstream musical movements that came and went. And at the center of it, an enigmatic frontman that refused to make anything easy. It's RADIOHEAD week! The guys give a quick upcoming concert report before Jon reveals a shocking secret about his relationship with the band of the week. The clip story begins with Radiohead as a fish out of water on MTV Beach House until Thom Yorke literally gets wet. Back to back clips on Jools Holland captures...
Apr 12
2 hr 40 min
The only podcast that matters. The only band that matters. Coming together finally. We return from our hiatus the only way we could. It's THE CLASH week! Alex and Jon welcome you back to the podcast that discusses the cultural memory and career arc of bands and artists through their late night tv show performances. Our return finds us analyzing one of the most significant and influential bands of all time, with tv clips that span a far too short existence. Early performances on French and Bri...
Mar 1
2 hr 41 min
After 2.5 years of discussing the cultural memory and career arc of bands and artists through their late night tv show performances, we're taking our first hiatus. And there was only one thing we could do to celebrate: talk about ska for over 3 hours. It's our GRAB BAG: SKA-TACULAR! And there was only one person that could pick it up with us: best friend of the show and creator of our theme song Kenny! The guys and Kenny surf all the waves of ska, discussing its roots, suits, and sixty years ...
Sep 7, 2025
3 hr 2 min
This is a band that defined early 2000s emo for so many (including us). And it turns out the band drama was even messier than their lyrics. It's TAKING BACK SUNDAY week! The guys have an important show announcement up top before reexamining their short-lived intense fandom with these Long Island heroes. It takes a while to get through the early rise and messy bitch drama of Tell All Your Friends before we get to some performances, including an era-defining acoustic performance on Last Call wi...
Aug 24, 2025
2 hr 18 min
Wake up! This LA by way of Armenia heavy metal/death metal/middle eastern/jazz fusion four-piece stunned mainstream culture at every turn. It's SYSTEM OF A DOWN week! We recap the rich and tragic familial history and musical origins of Serj Tankian and co. before jumping into 3 tv performances across the span of 3 years for SOAD's classic self-titled debut. That includes a pretty ridiculous Fred Durst sidebar and our triumphant return to the short-lived TV home of late 90s nu-metal, Farmclub....
Aug 10, 2025
2 hr 24 min
While coming up in the Portland post-punk scene, this singer/songwriter recorded a batch of lo-fi acoustic demos on a whim. What followed was a once-in-a-generation rise and fall fueled by some of the most beautiful songwriting of the past 30 years. It's ELLIOTT SMITH week! Returning to the show is pod-favorite and fellow Texan Rory Phillips (The Impossibles, Slowreader, The Stereo)! Rory and the guys discuss the upcoming Slowreader reunion shows before diving into the incredible music and tu...
Jul 27, 2025
2 hr 36 min
Do we stress you out? Our sweaters are on backwards and inside out this week to talk about an artist that took over the world in 1995. But what about before and after? It's ALANIS MORISSETTE week! Joining the show is past guest Courtney Denison and her husband/musical partner Sean Farrell of Boston pop punk band Bad Idea USA! We begin this week discussing Alanis' often forgotten teenage dance pop days in Canada with a 1992 daytime talk show appearance in her native land. The Jagged Little Pil...
Jun 29, 2025
2 hr 21 min
Founders of Seattle grunge, this sludgy hard rock outfit combined crazy technical prowess with hair-raising vocals. Led by a one-of-kind lead singer, they defined a movement that persists to this day. It's SOUNDGARDEN week! Jon and Alex deal with the fallout of being cancelled by the anti-Dave Grohl internet movement before tracking the twists of a band that mostly avoided TV appearances! Clip 1 finds the band on a short-lived awards show put on by the College Media Journal and the USA Networ...
Jun 15, 2025
2 hr 14 min
Load more