Completely Conspicuous

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss quarantine life. Show notes: - Recorded recently via Skype - What's the first thing you'd do post-COVID? - All the big movies got pushed back to later in the year or 2021 - Some movies are going straight to streaming - When will we feel comfortable at crowded concerts again? - If touring slows down, how will musicians survive? - Ar...

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss quarantine life. Show notes: - Recorded last week via Skype - Homeschooling is hard work - A month in, the hoarding continues - Brian's second-grader has a lot of schoolwork - Brian was down in Florida to spend a few days at spring training - Had planned to visit family in Arizona in March, but decided not to - Virus moved quickly...

This week, I'm joined by author Greg Renoff as we discuss the new book he wrote with legendary rock producer Ted Templeman. Show notes: - Greg's first book was 2015's Van Halen Rising - Five years later, people are still discovering it - Wrote about the early years of VH from a fan's perspective - The band filled a void when their debut came out - That book led to Greg's new book, Ted Templeman: A...

This week on Quarantining With Kumar, I talk about how life has changed drastically in a short period of time because of COVID-19. Show notes: - Recorded while driving around to get some essentials - Day 5 of self-quarantine, working from home - The state of Massachusetts has pretty much closed all non-essential businesses - We haven't experienced anything like this before (in my lifetime) - Life...

I talk to Phil Stacey and Dave Olson about baseball's cheating scandal while we drive to a rock concert. Show notes: - Recorded on the way to see the Drive-By Truckers in Somerville, MA - Not the first cheating scandal in MLB, but this has a different feel - Houston Astros accused of stealing signs on the way to 2017 World Series - Every team cheats in some way or another - "If you're not cheating...

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss rock stars and aging. 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 evolutio...

I'm joined by guest Brian Salvatore as we discuss rock stars and aging. 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...

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the Grateful Dead album Go to Heaven. 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 -...

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the Grateful Dead album Shakedown Street. 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...

It's part 3 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we count down our favorite albums of 2019. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ - Breitling's #4 - Former Boston act now relocated to Nashville - Perfecting her sound - Kumar's #4 - Introspective album that topped my midyear list - Sweeping, synth-driven songs - Breitling's #3 - Worthy follow-up to classic mid-'90s indie pop re...

It's part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we count down our favorite albums of 2019. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ - The top 10 - Breitling's #10 - A surprising solo debut from a veteran rock legend - Kumar's #9 - Raw shoegaze effort from Brooklyn act changing its sound - Breitling's #9 - Electronic album with an analog feel released late in the year - "Crust am...

It's part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of 2019. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ - This program is not affiliated with Moviefone - A decade of talking rock - Near - Breitling: Had time to listen to a lot more music this year - The Billie Eilish vs. VH debate has been raging for a while - Kids don't know or care about music from 10 y...

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss the decade in TV and movies. Show notes: - Going over some of our favorites of the decade - Jay: Haven't seen a lot of critical faves - Both enjoyed Blackkklansman - Toy Story 3 is the best of that series - Matt: Beasts of the Southern Wild was a stunner - In the Loop is profanely excellent - Jay never saw Inside Out; Matt says it's...

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss the decade in TV and movies. Show notes: - This decade has flown by - 10 years ago, Matt was getting ready to move to Ireland - Hard to rank the best movies and TV because there's so much we haven't seen - Recording on the day that Disney+ launched - Some bugs because of the huge demand on day 1 - Biggest change is the move to stream...

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the Grateful Dead bootleg Cornell '77. Show notes: - Recorded at CompCon world HQ - Talking about Dead show recorded on 5/8/77 at Cornell University - Phil: Listened to this hundreds of times - Jay: Very impressed by the bootleg - Phil: The show was so random - Dead had taken some time off from touring from '74 to '76 - By spring of '77, band was firin...

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the Grateful Dead's 1977 album Terrapin Station. Show notes: - Recorded at CompCon world HQ - The Dead's 9th studio album - Band had signed with Clive Davis and Arista - Album was produced by Keith Olsen, later known for slick AOR albums by Eddie Money, Rick Springfield, REO Speedwagon, Heart - Phil: Would get a tattoo of the Terrapin cover - Cover of...

It's part 3 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we conclude our countdown of our favorite albums of the decade. Show notes: - Recorded at CompCon world HQ - Kumar's #3 of the decade: Parquet Courts cements their post-punk presence (2014) - Impressive body of work with an art-rock vibe - Breitling's #2: Johnny Foreigner's self-produced magnum opus (2011) - Breitling was running a JF-them...

It's part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the past decade. Show notes: - Recorded at CompCon world HQ - Breitling's top 10 aren't ranked in order - JB's #10: 2014 compilation of singles by Cookies - Experimental stuff, hooks galore - JK's #10: Magnum opus by Titus Andronicus (2010) - Sprawling album with lots of guest stars, loosely based on Civil...

It's part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the past decade. Show notes: - Recorded at CompCon world HQ - We did this 10 years ago, a little differently - Ten years is a long time inside a car - The shift from downloads to streaming - Not everything is available from streaming services - iTunes didn't die, it was just split up - Music can also disapp...

I'm joined by guest Steve Zisson as we discuss the new sci-fi short story anthology he compiled, A Punk Rock Future. Show notes: - Recorded at CompCon world HQ - Take 2 of our conversation after the first one didn't record - A Punk Rock Future is available on Oct. 8 - Book mashes up Steve's love of punk rock and science fiction - Inspired by other self-published sci-fi anthologies - Steve and I go...

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the Grateful Dead's album Blues for Allah. Show notes: - Recorded at CompCon world HQ - The Dead's 7th studio album, came out in September 1975 - The band's highest-charting album until 1987 - Very non-commercial record - Jay: The best thing about the album is the cover - Moved in a much different direction from previous album - Band had stopped tourin...

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the Grateful Dead's album From the Mars Hotel. Show notes: - Recorded at CompCon world HQ on the 13th birthday of the podcast - The Dead's 7th studio album, came out in June 1974 - Watergate hearings were the big news story - Beer was a lot cheaper back then - In '74, there was a good variety of rock acts releasing important albums, plus funk - Mars Ho...

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Gary Barth as we discuss the concertgoing experience. Show notes: - Recorded in Gary's car on the way to the show - Driving before and briefly after an Iron Maiden concert at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA - Jay: Big fan of club shows - Like to get up close to the stage - The downside of theater shows - Some shows are made for big venues - Getting your fac...

Celebrating 13 years of podcasting with part 1 of my conversation with guest Gary Barth as we discuss the concertgoing experience...while we drive to a concert. Show notes: - Recorded in Gary's car on the way to the show - Driving to an Iron Maiden concert at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA - Gary's first concert: Huey Lewis and the News in 1985 - Huey's got rock cred - All the big shows back...

It's part 3 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the year so far. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ - Breitling's #6 - Changing his take on "Steve Miller Band for millennials" - Kumar's #6 - Band recently relocated to Nashville - Breitling's #4 - Another accomplished Boston indie rock act continues to evolve its sound - Kumar's #5 - Don't c...