TnT's Hit Songs From Mars

Send us Fan Mail O come all ye faithful and join the lads as they say pogue mahone to Christmas, with that most un-Christmassy of Christmas carols "Fairytale of New York." As they attempt (and fail) to find the true meaning of Christmas, the fellows examine the multi-year process that went into the making of this unlikely holiday classic, debate which Pogues album marked their peak, and...

Send us Fan Mail Join the lads as they put on their skates and travel back to the roller disco era, grooving to the melodious tones of the Andrea True Connection's "More, More, More."  As they try to keep their balance, the boyz marvel at the crisis turned opportunity that spawned not one but two top-ten hits (more than two decades apart, no less), ponder the origins of the death me...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, the lads kick back (all day long) on Wet Leg's "Chaise Longue." As they consume a six-pack of warm beer, they examine the Sprechgesang   (speak-singing) approach to music and uncover a long history of talk-pop dating back to the 1960s. They also wrestle with life's bigger questions such as: how a chaise longue became a "lounge," the (...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, the boyz go for baroque and bet the pot on Pachelbel's smash 1680 hit Canon in D.  With the stakes high, the lads call the bluff of the artists who have incorporated Pachelbel's Canon into their music, up the ante on the idea of a collective unconscious, and are all-in on the importance of being in the right frame of mind to truly appreciate a work of ar...

Send us Fan Mail This week, the boyz take a trip down the Old Town Road to Baseball Country with special guest Bryan Ruby, professional ball player and up-and-coming country phenom. Along the way, the trio discuss the true meaning of country, songs that come out of left field, and the arduous climb to recognition in the music industry. With the bases loaded they pay homage to the legendary John Fo...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, the lads revisit the summer of '91 and marvel at the gathering storm that will change music forever.  The bleach-blonde remnants of hair-metal are blown into the gutter of Sunset Strip, making way for the arrival of grunge, funk-rock, and heavier genre-bending possibilities. Enter night, exit light, take Ty's hand...we're off to Never Neverland... S...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode the boys untangle the knots surrounding the unlikely pairing of Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor and Johnny Cash. Despite initial mistrust on both sides, the Reznor-penned "Hurt" takes on new depth and meaning sung through Cash's deep bass. Making it all happen, Rick Rubin walks the line with gentle persistence proving the power of a producer, as M...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, the dudes take it to the max and travel to LA's San Fernando Valley where they rock out to Frank & Moon Zappa's totally tubular 1982 hit "Valley Girl."  After stopping by Ridgemont high for their goat yoga class, they ponder the deeper question of "does art imitate life, or does life imitate Zappa?"  Join the boyz as they embark o...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Tom and Ty sit down for a late-night session and attempt to decipher the strangeness that is Styx's 1983 sci-fi classic, Mr. Roboto. With their beer goggles on, they prove that they are just men whose circumstances went beyond their control: Tom flees for Panama on a horse with no name on the run from those Damn Yankees while Ty searches for a heart of gold, o...

Send us Fan Mail Parlez-vous français, y'all?  This week, join les garçons as they take a trip to Belgium where they rock out to Plastic Bertrand's unique 1978 hit (along with its evil English twin). Along the way, they examine the unlikely connections between punk and surf music, marvel at the wonder of the wah wah, and bring closure to a 50-year misunderstanding between two guitar lege...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode the fellas wax rhapsodic on the wildly successful Queen hit from 1975, Bohemian Rhapsody. It's a wild ride around Aurora, Illinois with your guides Wayne and Garth, featuring a detour to see the Judas Priest, and feelin' emotions courtesy of Mariah's vocal Hari Kari. It's an episode Magnifico you do not want to miss-i-o! Songs: Reverb Syndicate...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, the boyz bite off more than they can chew as they delve into some, shall we say , tender topics?  Join T & T as they examine the Buoys' surprise 1971 hit "Timothy" and the consequences of trying (and failing) to get your own song banned.  Along the way, they ponder the nature of fear and horror, reel at the medicalization of society, and convers...

Send us Fan Mail For this episode Tom gets on the rock'n'roll pulpit and preaches the TnT gospel as Ty removes water from the bottom of the ocean. As the boys dissect the Talking Heads classic Once in a Lifetime, they marvel at the genre-bending nature of this song which features one of the most iconic bass parts in music history, a 2-note stroke of genius. You may find yourself in an ea...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Ty takes a break from teaching Tom to sing and focuses his efforts on world peace and harmony, with a lemon twist. As the boyz delve into the New Seeker's "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" made famous by Coca-Cola, they discuss the fine line between making a living in the music industry and selling out. In the process they question the legit...

Send us Fan Mail In our first Listener's Pick edition of the podcast, the boys look into the remarkable success of Tubthumping by Anarcho-punk pranksters Chumbawamba. In the process they enter a spirited discussion of whether politics has any place in popular music and whether massive commercial success taints the revolutionary message. Get your whiskey drink, or your vodka drink, your lager...

Send us Fan Mail In this special holiday edition of the podcast, David Bowie descends from Mars and gives a lesson on the true spirit of Christmas. Joining forces with Bing Crosby, the Ghost of Christmas Past himself, the two conjure up one of the most unlikely (and perhaps surreal) Christmas classics of all time. Along the way, the fellas are joined by special guests Mariah Carey, The Pogues, Möt...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, the skipper and Gilligan navigate the choppy waters surrounding the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and the rebirth of its memory as a #1 hit by Gordon Lightfoot in 1975. Bound for Detroit, they circumnavigate the dangerous currents associated with taking on historical events in song and film. They seem to be heading toward a safe port with the common Great Lakes e...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Tom and Ty unpack the runaway success of Blur's "Song 2", a ditty which far exceeded its humble beginnings in the 90s Britpop battle between Blur and Oasis. As they unravel this "joke song" that hit pay dirt, they discover a whole slew of these oddities that could almost be called a genre and marvel at the moments when record company execs...

Send us Fan Mail In this Halloween episode, Tom and Ty run the gauntlet of horror: from the very real horror of spousal abuse as depicted in Alice Cooper's "Only Women Bleed," to horror as entertainment, and back again.  In the process, they consider how the perception of a song can change depending on its interpreter, have a chuckle over misunderstood lyrics, and ponder the deeper...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Tom and Ty (along with their alter-egos Clark and Tarzan) examine the 1993 surprise hit Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm.  Join the gent (and the ape-man) as they ponder the proper dosage of a musical formula and marvel at the universal appeal of the hum (hum hum hum).  Along the way, they consider why some hits become all-time classics, why others remain encased in the liquid amb...

Send us Fan Mail This week, TnT examine the phenomenon of the sleeper hit with Charlene’s #3 (and #97) hit “I’ve Never Been to Me.”  On this journey to Nice and the Isle of Greece (sic), Tom and Ty analyze how a song that goes nowhere in one zeitgeist transforms into a number 3 hit in another.  Join the boys as they spend this episode exploring the "subtle whoring that costs too much to be fr...

Send us Fan Mail This week Tom and Ty descend into madness as they try to suss out why the Brits love to sing about the mundane (and why they scurry for curry). The lads take a deep dive into the ska sensation and analyze its off-beat allure, while making sure to get in a few jabs, in what might be their most explosive episode to date! Put on your two-tone shoes and skank away the blues with TnT!...

Send us Fan Mail Today, Ty throws Tom a grapefruit, who hits it out of Nostalgia Park... all the way to Scotland. Join the boyz as they delve into the mysteries of sibling harmonies, ponder the concept of self-plagiarism, and address questions of identity as they showcase musicians who boldly proclaimed, or downplayed, their heritage in song. Aye, lassies and laddies, put on your brogues and walk...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Tom and Ty tussle over the concept of music comedy and debate whether these odd bedfellows can co-exist peacefully.  During their examination of genre crossing, Tom callously forgets about a precious TnT moment and Ty breaks Tom's heart by declaring that the guitar is at an all-time low.  They reconcile over their shared belief that limitations can be overcome...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Tom and Ty get explicit about the origins of Rap and Hip-hop, observe the Hegelian dialectic in play between the forces of authenticity and appropriation (they think they're so smart) and address the dangerous allure of censorship.  As usual, the fellas take us on a wild, adventurous ride to get there. From Bach to bagpipes, with an inevitable stop in Metalville, L...