198.4 KFLX Fiction Radio

How about a brand new movie for a change? Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" is a breath of fresh cinematic air that takes you on a rollercoaster ride of genres, and boy howdy is it chock FULL of fictional music and musicians! We're going down to the Delta to listen to "the real" and also breaking down the absolute creepiest use of Irish folk music we've ever come across. This one is a ride! Do yourself a f...

Let's go to the punk rock show! This week is all about "We Are Lady Parts," a co-production of Peacock and the UK's Channel 4 about an all-woman, all-Muslim punk rock group and the struggles of getting noticed as a group and what to do with fame once you have it. We're covering a bunch of original songs from "Lady Parts" as well as diving into other music by all of the super actresses who portray...

Who'd win in a KFLX slap bet? "How I Met Your Mother" is what this episode is all aboot! We're taking on the fictional artist Robin Sparkles – the teenage mall-pop idol persona of HIMYM's Robin Scherbatsky. From humble beginnings in the local mall to a successful tour all the way from Alberta to Ontario, Robin's alter-ego is revealed bit by bit over the course of the show and we're taking a listen...

¿Quién es este Mariachi? This week is a three-fer! We’re covering Robert Rodriguez’s famed trilogy - from the hilarious gags of “El Mariachi” to the vocal prowess of Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek in “Desperado” to Johnny Depp’s turn as composer for his character’s theme in “Once Upon a Time in Mexico” - we’re discussing all the fictional music from these films. 🌐 https://fictionradiopod.com 📺...

This episode is bona fide! Back in the year 2000, the soundtrack to the Coen Brothers' "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" took the world by storm. We're here to break down the influences and sources of The Soggy Bottom Boys' biggest hit, "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow," along with every other song they perform in this movie. Those aren't really George Clooney's pipes you hear in the recording, but real-...

"The man who embraces his mediocre nothingness shines greater than any." - Keanu Reeves 2019's "Always Be My Maybe" is a cute romantic comedy, but it's also a look at an alternate version of Randall Park as a chill San Francisco rapper. We'll talk about the real influences on Hello Peril, the group at the center of this movie, as well as some other Bay Area artists that we believe fed into the vib...

This week, we get to know a little German! The late, great Val Kilmer will be remembered for many things - from “Top Gun” to “Batman Forever” to his kooky but oh-so-charming real-life persona. But this week, we’re going back to Val’s very first feature film, 1984’s “Top Secret!” Kilmer plays an American rock star on a trip through a strange, stuck-in-time version of East Germany. We’ll look at rea...

What's wild is how idle the critics were on this movie! We're talking 2006's "Idlewild" this week. It's part musical, part period drama, and glued together with trippy music video style sequences - and it just so happens to be the capstone to Outkast's catalog (so far?). Lot's to unpack in this one - "Idlewild" is not only a film, but also an album featuring so many great tracks that we decided to...

What ever happened to Beyonce? This week we're talking "Dreamgirls," the 2006 film adaptation of the 1981 stage musical. Lots of musical comparisons between the movie and the broadway version, along with, of course, all the ways this film relates to "Sparkle" – another film inspired by the story of the Supremes – that we covered earlier on KFLX. From the oft-praised Jennifer Hudson and Beyonce bel...

Little Joe sure can sing! In 1998, Joe Pesci released an album. "Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You" was neither his first nor his last record, but it is the only one to feature songs performed as his "My Cousin Vinny" title character. We cover that and much from from Pesci's storied musical career. Dustin takes us on a long journey to meet up with a little bit of KFLX history, and Shawn...

We're going on a Playtone Records tour! It's finally time for us to cover Tom Hanks' directorial debut, which is chock full of fictional music by fictional artists. We're talking about The Wonders, of course, but the Playtone roster runs deep with 60s nostalgia! This one features several real-liife songwriters we've talked about before, and we have a couple surprising tangents as well. We also get...

Rock and roll is a risk. This week, we take on 2016's "Sing Street," director John Carney's follow-up to a film we talked about in our third episode, "Begin Again." This one is full of fun musical comparisons - many of them right from the movie itself, which follows a group of young Dubliners who set out to risk it all for rock and roll with a string of songs inspired by MTV hits of the 80s. 🌐 ht...

Can you blame folks if they think this singer bears more than a passing resemblance to Harry Styles? Just like in the lost KFLX pilot, we're talking about boy bands this week, but not the ones Dustin and Shawn grew up with...One Direction and Westlife are the inspirations this week. 2024's "The Idea of You" is a steamy (if a little oddball) romance flick with a fictional British pop singer at its...

Let's get swept away by the Catalina Breeze! We're taking a swim in the chill waters of the Documentary Now's two-parter, "Gentle and Soft: The Story of the Blue Jean Committee," starring Fred Armisen and Bill Hader. What may have started as a simple mockumentary based on 2013's "The History of the Eagles" came out as a hilarious and accurate survey of the various "soft-rock" sounds of the 1970s,...

Cult classics, dirty rap songs, and a special guest this week! It’s our third mix tape and honestly there’s almost too much in here for one episode! We’re covering Apple TV’s series “The Afterparty” and the eerily similar 2024 film “The Reunion” as well as the rhymes of Alpa Chino from Ben Stiller’s classic action-comedy “Tropic Thunder” this week, along with some 80s goodness courtesy of “The Adv...

Pack your bags, we're headed to Pawnee! From Duke Silver to Freddy Spaghetti, we're covering all of your favorite music acts from Parks and Recreation. But the main event, of course, is Mouse Rat (or whatever they're called this week). We also follow Andy Dwyer's path from from lead singer to kids show host and dip into the real-world musicians and bands that made appearances in Parks and Rec. 🌐...

Conform! Free will is overrated! Jump on the bandwagon! Another franchise! This week is all about Josie and the Pussycats, with a special focus on 2001's subversive comedy of the same name. Both of our hosts had such a blast revisiting this movie from our high school years. Spoiler alert: it holds up really well! Musically, we have a main course of pop-punk with a Motown appetizer and a side of co...

Why are there so many songs....in the Muppets catalog?! This episode nearly did us in, but we made it through a mountain of research to bring you only the finest of Muppets musical history. We're zeroing in on Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, the Muppets' very own in-house band. We track their real history as part of Jim Henson's wacky television experiment and their Muppet-verse history as pres...

We're on a mission...to cram as much Blues Brothers history and content into this episode as possible! The guys are taking on the music and movies of Elwood and Jake Blues (along with Buster, Mighty Mack and Cab) this week. Besides discussing the two films and numerous albums, we're talking about the real life band behind the brothers and looking at the way they were shaped, both inspirationally a...

Expect the unexpected in the Kingdom Of Madness! We're headed for uncharted waters and into parts unknown with our first ever music-only episode! The "Macho Man" Randy Savage spent some time spittin' rhymes in the early 2000s and we're here to break down every single track on 2003's "Be a Man," an album centered around a diss track aimed at Hulk Hogan. This album swings bigger than Savage's baseba...

Shawn and Dustin can't fly on only one wing! This week we have another double-feature! We're putting the 1976 and 2012 versions of "Sparkle" head to head and breaking down the differences in characters, plot, and most importantly...the songs. With a soundtrack by Curtis Mayfield, we'll take a listen to not only the film versions of the music, but also the Aretha Franklin soundtrack album and a lit...

The twist is that the music is very, very good! We're taking on M. Night Shyamalan's newest thriller, "Trap" this week. With an original soundtrack by Saleka as the fictional pop star Lady Raven, this one really surprised us. Outside of the music, Dustin lists off grievances and Shawn provides a cure-all theory to make it all make sense. 🌐 https://fictionradiopod.com 📺 https://youtube.com/playli...

Dustin and Shawn are covering The Wedding Singer! Whoopity doo! If you love 80s music this is the week you've been waiting for! This soundtrack is so chock-full of 80s glory it needed 2 volumes and even that couldn't hold all of the songs. Robbie Hart and his wedding band play all the hits from Madonna, Dead or Alive, Culture Club, The J. Geils Band and a few originals from Adam Sandler himself....

Not your normal top 10! It's the end of the year and Shawn and Dustin have each selected 5 of their favorite songs featured in KFLX's 2024 episodes, with a few honorable mentions. We even get some new information about some of the songs! What new music did KFLX expose you to this year? Did you match with either of the boys? Let us know what your top 5 or 10 by emailing us: fictionradiopod@gmail.co...

It's time for the test episode! Disney's "Turning Red" featuring the fictional boy band 4*Town started this whole shebang! Enjoy how youthful and energentic Shawn and Dustin feel discussing how Billie Eilish & Finneas O'Connell fully nailed all the boy band tropes from the early 00's like N*SYNC, Back Street Boys, 98 Degrees & O-Town. 🌐 https://fictionradiopod.com 📺 https://youtube.com/p...