Episodes
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And Introducing film correspondent, Blank Check pod & the Atlantic’s David Sims returns for two more recent musician biopics: James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown & Michael Gracey’s Better Man. Two very different movies about very different musicians that nonetheless explore similar themes on the nature of fame, talent & musicianship. We talk Timmy, Bobby, Robbie & more, and see if there’s still juice to squeeze from the biopic genre. Plus of course: does the monkey play?
Listen to David on Blank Check wherever you get pods and subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/blankcheck
Check out David’s writing in the Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/david-sims/
Read Molly’s music blog: https://www.ienjoymusic.net/ -
Welcome to the Willenium, baby! We’re joined by YouTube’s Todd in the Shadows to look at the musical career of Will Smith. From growing up under the influence of his demanding father, to discovering his performing (and lying) abilities in school, clicking with Jazzy Jeff, indulging in “chicken wings,” his super-star turn to acting & extremely self-conscious return to hip-hop, we track Will’s music & celebrity up to “the slap” and beyond from his 2021 memoir Will. As Todd says, may be one of the weirdest guys he’s ever encountered.
Check out Todd’s Trainwerckords video on Will Smith: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNm0HDCRdnc&ab_channel=ToddintheShadows
Plus Todd’s always great year-end videos,
Worst Songs of 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8ssUcZSqV8&ab_channel=ToddintheShadows
Best songs of 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkXpvScL94Q&ab_channel=ToddintheShadows
Songs in order:
DJ Jazzy Jeff - Peter Piper Routine
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Girls Ain’t Nothing but Trouble
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Summertime
Will Smith - Don’t Say Nothing
Will Smith & Joyner Lucas - Tantrum
Neil Cicierega - Wow Wow -
Missing episodes?
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And introducing…on lead vocals, it’s Serj Tankian! We delve into the life of turn of the millennium metal icons System of a Down’s frontman Serj Tankian. Repping Armenia via Glendale, Serj’s life covers everything from founding software companies to composing whale-themed orchestras. We look into his politics, nu-metal in general, a passion for espresso, his signature growls and yelps, and revolutionary participation, as with SOAD’s wild musical success along the way.
Songs in order:
System of a Down - Sugar
System of a Down - Prison Song
System of a Down - Chop Suey
System of a Down - I-E-A-I-A-I-O
System of a Down - Boom
System of a Down - BYOB
Serj Tankian - Empty Walls
Serj Tankian - Orca Act II - Oceanic Subterfuge
System of a Down - Protect the Land
System of a Down - Toxicity -
It's part 2 of our excavation of Phil Collins' memoir Not Dead Yet: The Memoir. We've reached the mid-1980s and the boy is absolutely everywhere...can he sustain the breakneck pace of being one of the most celebrated (and oversaturated) Brits in pop music history? We cover his stressful transcontinental Live Aid experience, his Disneyfied '90s, his vibrant but turbulent romantic life, his big band era, and much much more.
The book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/538475/not-dead-yet-by-phil-collins/
Songs in order:
Phil Collins - Against All Odds (8-Bit cover by HumanDaikon)
Phil Collins - Invisible Touch
Led Zeppelin - Rock And Roll (Live At Live Aid)
Phil Collins - Everyday
Phil Collins - Sussudio
The Phil Collins Big Band - Pick Up the Pieces (Average White Band cover)
Phil Collins - You'll Be In My Heart
Phil Collins - No Way Out (Theme from Brother Bear)
Phil Collins - Uptight (Everything's Alright) (Stevie Wonder cover)
Phil Collins - Take Me Home -
I can feel it coming ON the air tonight...a podcast about Phil Collins. Well, the first part of a podcast about Phil Collins. We're talking about his child actor youth, his mod adolescence, his rock 'n' roll grindset that got him a slot in Genesis, his scoot from the drumset to the front of the stage after Peter Gabriel's departure, and the hella divorced energy beginnings of his epic solo career. All through his own words, his memoir Not Dead Yet: The Memoir. Plug in your drum machine and don't f*ck up your shot at playing the bongos on a George Harrison record...because folks are saying there's still time to make it an Abacab summer.
The book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/538475/not-dead-yet-by-phil-collins/
Songs in order:
Katy Perry - Women’s World
Leo Karpatze - The Monster Fuck
Genesis - Dancing With The Moonlit Knight
Genesis - Supper’s Ready
Genesis - Dance on a Volcano
Genesis - Follow You, Follow Me
Genesis - Burning Rope
Phil Collins - In The Air Tonite
Phil Collins - Tomorrow Never Knows
Genesis - Behind the Lines
Genesis - Turn it on Again
Genesis - Abacab
Phil Collins - Can’t Hurry Love
Phil Collins - Against All Odds -
Welcome to another And Introducing, Also Interviewing, where today we are talking to Nick Thorburn! You might also known Nick Thorburn as Nick Diamonds. He's been a consistently joyous and joyously consistent presence on the "indie rock" circuit for over twenty years. He fronts the band Islands (and previously The Unicorns) and they have a new album out called What Occurs. We had Nick on the pod to talk about the album as well as his unique live band member Andy, indie rock beeves, and much much more...
Listen to What Occurs: https://islandsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/what-occurs
Nick's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/NickfromIslands
Music in this episode:
Islands - "What Occurs"
The Unicorns - "Tuff Ghost"
Islands - "Tangerine"
Islands - "The Arm"
Islands - "Talk Is Cheap"
Roy Orbison - "Candy Colored Clown"
The Stills - "Still In Love Song"
Islands - "Boll Weevil" -
It's another And Introducing, Also Interviewing, and we're talking to Nick Llobet from the NYC-based band Youbet! They put out an album called Compare & Despair in 2020 and are back with a fresh new album out called Way To Be (which came out on Hardly Art on May 10th). We talked to Nick about a bunch of things: breaking out of a creative funk by learning folk songs, writing with a Bandcamp songwriting group, teaching other people guitar...it's a nice conversation, we encourage you to listen.
Listen to Way to Be: https://youbetband.bandcamp.com/album/way-to-be
Music in this episode:
youbet - "Volcano"
youbet - "Carsick"
youbet - "Way to Be"
youbet - "Peel"
youbet - "Seeds of Evil" -
Another 'And Introducing, Also Interviewing' up on deck. This time we're talking to bad tuner, an electronic musician in Brooklyn—he just put out an EP called look at me but through me, whose single "24 hours" f*cked our sh*t up but utterly when it arrived on our ears' doorstep. We had a great chat with bad tuner about the current club culture in NYC, how to find the samples no one else is using, guerrilla music video making, and why he can't read when you put big text on your phone and hold it up in the crowd...
Listen to the bad tuner EP: https://badtuner.bandcamp.com/album/look-at-me-but-through-me
Music in this episode:
bad tuner - "24 hours"
Röyksopp - "Remind Me"
bad tuner - "jade"
bad tuner - "repeat to fade" (feat. Pollena) -
And Introducing, back again, and featuring an interview with an artist that we think you just might love...A Beacon School!
A Beacon School is Patrick J. Smith, a musician in New York City whose pleasing indie pop compositions are gaining big-time steam for listeners worldwide—we're talking millions of streams, TV show syncs, and a multi-city tour coming up later this month. We talked to Patrick about release day Dunkin' Donuts orders, getting kicked out of the venue before 'the late show,' guitar pedal secrets, the problem with remixes, and trying one's best to figure out merch sizing.
Songs featured:
A Beacon School - "Algernon"
A Beacon School - "Honeyed (Stay Forever)"
MAXBAND - "Unsaid"
A Beacon School - "KITM"
A Beacon School - "Adore"
A Beacon School - "Jon"
ford. - "In Motion" (Feat. A Beacon School)
ford. - "In Motion" (Bay Ledges Remix)
Listen to A Beacon School: https://abeaconschool.bandcamp.com
Follow A Beacon School on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abeaconschool -
And Introducing is back and we're talking to another musician we like today. Actually two musicians! Emily Ash and Kayla Asbell play in the truly excellent NYC rock and roll band 95 Bulls—Emily on vocals, Kayla on keys—and we caught them in the middle of writing their next album, which will follow 2022's face-ripper Go Home. We talked about the power of Benihana, cranky sound guys, and much much more...give the pod a listen, why doncha?
Follow 95 Bulls: https://www.instagram.com/95bullsnyc/
Check out 95 Bulls' link aggregation: https://linktr.ee/95bullsnyc
Music featured in this episode:
95 Bulls "Young Love"
95 Bulls "Crazy"
95 Bulls "Big Fight"
Devo "Gut Feeling" (95 Bulls cover)
Dead Tooth "Electric Earth"
Hank Wood and the Hammerheads "YOU WANNA DIE"
Balaclava "Dumb City" -
We're joined by musician Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Divine Fits, Handsome Furs, Operators, Arcade Fire) to chat about his life and career in music. We touch on everything from terrible tour stews, leveling up to arena shows, burning CD-Rs in hotel rooms, telemarketing, too much fog machine and more. We also spend a good deal of time on the constantly shifting landscape of online and digital music distribution, how it's affected his career, and why it's so difficult to buy a simple dang .WAV file. Finally, Dan teases some upcoming projects that the Boeckner! heads will really enjoy.
Dan's back on social media, please follow him so he can promote his stuff:
Twitter: @d_boeckner
Insta: @boec_kner
Also, if you're not listening to Pretty Dim Wonder, the narrative fiction comedy podcast Dan does with Charles from Episode 1, you absolutely should. I think most And Intro heads would get a kick out of it: https://pod.link/1618321478 -
We're going back, Jack, and we're doing it again with another angle on the Steely Dan story. Last time we were listening to Donald Fagen complain about hotel pools with Matthew Perpetua; this time we're talking about the freaky characters of Steely Dan's lyrical universe with writer Alex Pappademas and artist Joan LeMay, who together created the book 'Quantum Criminals: Ramblers, Wild Gamblers, and Other Sole Survivors from the Songs of Steely Dan.' We get into the gentleman-loser trope so common in Dan tunes, marvel at the absurdity of Steely Dan's recording budgets, and ponder the existence of the Squonk and its tears. Enjoy!
Buy the book: https://utpress.utexas.edu/9781477324998/
Songs featured:
"Do It Again (8-Bit)" - 8BitRenditions
"Deacon Blues" - Steely Dan -
Bono part deux — for a relaxing time, make it governance time. We hit the second half or so of Bono's book Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story and get into his advocacy, his lobbying, his product-launch mindset, his south of France hedonism, his relationship with God and his overall reflective vibes. Unos dos tres catorce bitches!
Listen to Black Bubblegum podcast: https://blackbubblegumpod.libsyn.com/
Subscribe to Molly's music newsletter:
https://themollyzone.beehiiv.com/
Music used in this episode:
"Vertigo (8 Bit Raxlen Slice Chiptune Remix)"
"Staring At The Sun" - U2
"Discothèque" - U2
"Miami" - U2
"If You're Gonna Break My Heart" - Inhaler
"Elevation" - U2
"Party Time" - Northern Boys
"Vertigo" - U2
"Gossip" - Måneskin
"The Miracle of Joey Ramone" - U2
"Blind Elevation" - Molly Mashup O'Brien -
Yeah I'm thinking we're back. Back with a big one. Back with Bono. He wrote a memoir called Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story and we're podcasting all about it. Well, not all about it, but about half of it, because Bono's book is so meaty that it requires a two-part podcast. We dig into Bono's early life in bubblin' Dublin, the crucial single week where he asked out his wife and joined U2, his political awakening and initial transition into "foreign dignitary," and the time he made a Parmesan cheese sandwich at Paul McGuinness's house. It's a wild ride, and an Irish one. Missed you guys :)
Subscribe to Molly's music newsletter (it costs $0): https://themollyzone.beehiiv.com/
Songs in the episode:
"With Or Without You (8-Bit U2 Cover)" - 8-Bit Misfits
"Teenage Kicks" - The Undertones
"I Will Follow" - U2
"Sunday Bloody Sunday" - U2
"Pride (In The Name of Love)" - U2
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" Band Aid
"Where The Streets Have No Name" - U2
"Where The Streets Have No Name (Live)" - The Killers
"Big Boy" - Viagra Boys and Jason Williamson
"The Fly" - U2 -
Wow, a new episode of And Introducing - this one featuring legendary music producer and musician Gordon Raphael, whose musical ear, intuition, tech savvy and patience all played a huge role in helping craft the indelible sound of The Strokes' first two albums, Is This It and Room On Fire. His book The World Is Going To Love This: Up From The Basement With the Strokes delightfully details these recordings, plus his work with Regina Spektor on Soviet Kitsch, his time running live sound for the Libertines, and his experiences generally gallivanting around New York and Europe, making cool music all the way. The book is awesome and we had a great time talking about it!
Here's a linktree for where you can buy the book: https://linktr.ee/theworldisgoingtolovethis
Songs featured:
"The Strokes - Hard To Explain (8-Bit Version)" - Joshua Ryan
"The Modern Age (EP version)" - The Strokes
"Drive To Lifer (Live)" - IMIJ
Lucky Me, live at Moe's Seattle
"The East Coast Hold On" - Cab Ellis
"Mustang Juni" - Junius Karr -
And introducing…King of the hill…A#1……KING OF THE HILL: it’s Frank Sinatra! Yes we’re ring-a-ding-dinging in the New Year with one of the greatest recording artists of all time AND one of the greatest pieces of Words About Music of all time in one go. We’re covering Ol’ Blue Eyes from Gay Talese’s celebrated, wildly influential 1966 profile for Esquire magazine, “Frank Sinatra Has A Cold.” Looking at Sinatra’s whole life, work and cultural impact through three pivotal months in ‘65-’66, Talese’s profile sheds light on a man seemingly unstuck from time and place by his massive celebrity. And, it’s very funny.
COME TO OUR PARTY AT ELSEWHERE in NYC 1/18/88: https://www.elsewherebrooklyn.com/events/night-rippers-presented-by-audio-video-disco-18th-jan-the-loft-new-york-tickets
Songs played:
Frank Sinatra - New York, New York 8-bit by Jack Phillips
Frank Sinatra - Ring-a-Ding-Ding
Frank Sinatra - That’s Life
Frank Sinatra - Mama Will Bark
Frank Sinatra - Luck Be A Lady -
A fresh new episode of And Introducing! On it, we talk to Ryan Dusick, Maroon 5's founding drummer, about his new book Harder To Breathe: A Memoir of Making Maroon 5, Losing It All, and Finding Recovery. Ryan's story is extremely wild: an impossibly long pre-stardom grind as part of Maroon 5 leading up to their smash (sort of) debut album Songs About Jane, overwhelming "overnight" success, and a stunning reversal where a physical breakdown hindered his ability to play drums to the point of his dismissal from the band. We get into all of that, plus pop stardom's inherent body-and-brain-rattling stress, the 1990s Los Angeles music scene, being a musical athlete slash athletic musician, and much more...so have a listen! We missed you!!
Songs played:
Maroon 5 - "Harder To Breathe" (8-Bit Arcade Version)
Kara's Flowers - "Soap Disco"
Maroon 5 - "Harder to Breathe"
Maroon 5 feat. Megan Thee Stallion - "Beautiful Mistakes" -
This week (month...summer...) we are talking about none other than FLEA. One of the world's funkiest living bassists, Flea has kept it thick on the low end for the Red Hot Chili Peppers for almost forty years. His 2019 memoir Acid For The Children enthusiastically details his life from conception to right as the Peps formed.
It's a tale of Dickensian proportions: street rapscallion lifestyles, dirty Hollywood escapades, 1970s high school vibes, various freaks and creeps practically vibrating off the page. Shooting cocaine on an Amtrak train, hitchhiking, actual hiking, wrap party meth sharing, jeans that show off one's camel toe, puking at the club, dine-and-dashing at the local BBQ joint, and of course the power of jazz: it's all here and sometimes it's in ALL CAPS, BABY. Join us as we trace Flea's path from Australian childhood to Anthony Kiedis-enhanced adolescence and beyond.
"Give It Away [8 Bit Tribute to Red Hot Chili Peppers]" - 8 Bit Universe
"Night of the Thumpasorus Peoples" - Parliament Funkadelic
"I Don't Care About You" - Fear
"Out In LA" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
The National Anthem - Flea
"Give It Away" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Party Party Superstar" - Pretty Dim Wonder -
And introducing…the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley! We welcome Atlantic movie critic and co-host of the Blank Check podcast David Sims back to the pod to discuss Baz Lurhmann’s new biopic ELVIS. We talk about the King’s legacy, Baz’s filmography, Tom Hanks going sicko mode, whether the music biopic genre can be transcended (or if it’s been fully murdered by Walk Hard), and all the pop-culture Elvis missed. RIP Elvis, you would have loved mdma.
Check out Molly’s essay on attending a Deadmau5 NFT party: https://themollyzone.com/post/687870869007187968/i-went-to-a-music-nft-party
David’s work at the Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/david-sims/
All things Blank Check: https://www.blankcheckpod.com/ -
On this episode of And Introducing, we meet a new type of guy: human vampire, Polish legend, gentle giant, Parks Department tree-hugger, Slim-Fast guzzler, melodramatic romantic, Brooklyn baby, cat dad, and overall agent provocateur Peter Steele. Most famously of the 1990s gothic metal band Type O Negative, Peter achieved a long list of accomplishments in his short lifetime, and we don't just mean his extremely erect appearance in a 1995 issue of Playgirl.
We're joined by new guest Ryan of AntiArt, an up-and-coming digital publication and podcast breathing some fresh air into Instagram these days. Don't follow AntiArt at your own risk because we are giving it a heart endorsement as the future of music media (seriously).
Type O Negative - "Christian Woman (8-Bit)"
Fallout - "Batteries Not Included"
Carnivore - "Jesus Hitler"
Agnostic Front - "Public Assistance"
Type O Negative - "Unsuccessfully Coping With The Natural Beauty of Infidelity"
Type O Negative - "Christian Woman"
Type O Negative - "Summer Breeze"
Type O Negative - "Cinnamon Girl"
Type O Negative - "Love You To Death"
Type O Negative - "I Don't Wanna Be Me"
AntiArt's blog: https://www.antiart.blog/
AntiArt instagram: instagram.com/__antiart__
Chris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/saywhatagain
Molly on Twitter: https://twitter.com/missmollymary - Show more
