And Introducing

And introducing…the day we’re always never forgetting, it’s 9/11 in popular music! Yes, since we started this show, we’ve noticed almost every musician we’ve covered who’s lived through 9/11 has had BIG THOUGHTS about that important day. So for this year’s 11th of September we brought in Chapo Trap House’s Matt Christman to take a complete survey of how 9/11 broke the brains of the America’s music...

And introducing, indie rock’s premiere ivy league faux-foppish frontman, from Vampire Weekend, one of the few indie outfits to make it out of the aughts ascendant, on lead vocals, guitar, and – for the purposes of this podcast – WEBLOG, it’s Ezra Koenig! Today we’re going to be diving into not his music, but his writing as Molly takes us on a journey through his 2000’s blog “INTERNETVIBES.BLOGSPOT...

And introducing….a special double feature! First, the candy coated multi-media marketing powerhouse dominating the small screen & tween hearts everywhere, it’s JOJO SIWA. Then, we’re going to take a deeper look at one of the most memed tunes of the 21st century, the TRUE oral history of Smash Mouth’s ALL STAR. Both of these stories come from Rolling Stone articles written by our guest, joining the...

And introducing…composer, pianist, vocalist, melodica-ist and overall crank, it’s Donald Fagen! Co-leader and only surviving member of Steely Dan, today we’ll be hearing all about his later life touring and deep contempt for anyone born after 1960 through his book, “Eminent Hipsters”. And in a special “reverse Introducing”, this week’s story is presented to us by our returning guest, Matthew Perpe...

And introducing…the original jazz man from outer space, it’s Sun Ra! The prolific composer and performer melded musical experimentation, technological innovation and cosmic philosophy over decades of work with his legendary Arkestra and it’s ever-changing line up. Today, we’ll be learning all about Sun & jazz & egypt & space & time & the cosmos & the void through his biography “Space Is The Place:...

And introducing, on vocals…it’s Mel !. Today we discuss Scary Spice’s tumultuous and surprising personal life, the legacy of the Spice Girls, tabloid culture, and Eddie Murphy’s relationship to chain coffee joints, through Melanie Brown’s 2018 memoir “Brutally Honest”. Songs: Spice Girls - Spice Up Your Life (Live Istanbul, 1997) Spice Girls - Wannabe T.I. - Bring Em Out

And introducing….on vocals, it’s Billie Eilish, 2019’s newly minted world pop super star who broke a billion streams before her first album even dropped. Today we’ll be learning all about her unique upbringing, meteoric rise to fame, and how she can avoid becoming the next Britney Spears from the Billboard Article “Why All Eyes Are on Billie Eilish, the New Model for Streaming Era Success” by Lynd...

And introducing…songwriter, singer, one of the best selling artists of all time, it’s Mr. Garth Brooks! From humble okie beginnings to world concurring country stardom, today we’re joined by our friend Kevin Sweeting (@teamsweeting) to learning all about Brooks through his book “The Anthology: Part 1: The First Five Years”. Songs Lil Nas X - Old Town Road (Remix) Garth Brooks - If Tomorrow Never C...

We stop by This Might Be A Podcast to discuss They Might Be Giants, their song "Hypnotist of Ladies", and a million other things with Greg Simpson!

And introducing…The KLF! The bizarre producer duo topped the UK charts in the late 80’s with a series of smash hit/novelty dance tracks, then wrote the definitive guide for how to copy their success. Today we’ll be getting totally justified & ancient with their guide to pop greatness through the legendary “KLF Manual”. Subscribe to Molly's YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz6...

And introducing...Prog! Though now largely the butt of music snob jokes, during the 1970’s, progressive rock was THE ascendant style of rock music, winning over critics, selling out stadiums and exploring uncharted sonic territories of popular music…before succumbing to bloat, excess and a culture that left the progers behind. And today we’ll be learning all about the rise, fall and eternal life o...

And introducing…Meet Me In The Bathroom! Lizzy Goodman’s 2016 oral history compiles THE definitive story of The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeah, LCD Soundsystem, TV On The Radio, Interpol the other young hip bands that made New York City the worldwide ground zero for rock & roll at the dawn of the new millennium. We’re joined by Tokyo Police Club’s Graham Wright to dive nose-deep into the scene. Listen to...

And introducing, on vocals and acoustic guitar…it’s Woody Guthrie! One of the most iconic singer-songwriters in American history, Woody spent years singing songs about workers and public infrastructure to whomever would listen. And today, we’re going to learn all about his life fighting cyclones, telling fortunes, and very politely hitchhiking in his memoir “Bound for Glory.” With special guest Gr...

And introducing…SoundCloud Rap! We finally cover this chaotic, “DIY” genre of Hip Hop that’s quickly engulfing all of mainstream music through Carrie Battan’s GQ article “How SoundCloud Rap Took Over Everything”. Featuring returning guest Felix Biederman. “How SoundCloud Rap Took Over Everything” by Carrie Battan https://www.gq.com/story/soundcloud-rap-boom-times Tarpley Hitt’s piece on XXXTentaci...

And introducing…a movie about a musical about a punk rock concept album! We’re joined by Sam Sutherland and Josiah Hughes of the Blink-155 podcast to discuss “Broadway Idiot”, a documentary about the creation of American Idiot: The Musical, and everything else Green Day-related we can think of, including Godzilla. Songs: American Idiot - Chris cover Brain Stew - Green Day ft. Godzilla Boulevard of...

And introducing….on lead guitar, Dave Mustaine. A towering figure of heavy metal, icon, iconoclast, a libertarian libertine, Mustaine went from founding member of Metallica to lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for thrash metal mainstay Megadeth. And we’ll be diving into his heavy metal lifestyle, selling weed, shredding riffs and digging through vomit for drugs from his book: MUSTAINE: A HEAVY...

And introducing, on lead vocals and guitar...Jeff Tweedy! Tweedy’s folk-punk-alt-country music has gained him a massive rock cred over the past 25 years and today we’re learning about his philosophies on creativity, his struggle with prescription painkiller addiction, and his adult circumcision in his very recently published memoir “Let’s Go So We Can Get Back”. Find Ben’s plays at https://www.the...

And Introducing…Post Malone! 2018’s number one “…that guy?” Post burned a hole through popular music and some of our hearts in 2018 and today we’re here to ask “…no really? That guy???” about him through the article “Post Malone is Perfect Popstar for This American Moment. That’s Not a Compliment” by Jeff Weiss in the Washington Post…Malone. Did Drake Win or Lose 2018? https://pitchfork.com/levels...

And introducing…our first live show! We read a selection of fictional opening chapters for imagined artist’s memoirs at The Farm, a monthly reading series of satirical and/or critical writing hosted by Patrick Gallagher & Caroline Henley. See you in 2019, and thanks for listening!

And introducing, another ~musical disaster~. It’s Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark! We’re covering one of the most notorious broadway bungles in theater history. We’ll be talking all about Julie Taymor, U2, musical theater, Glenn Beck, wire safety, and more through the book “Song of Spider-Man: The Inside Story of the Most Controversial Musical in Broadway History” Songs: Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dar...

And introducing, on the mic, Lil Wayne! One of the most prolific and talented rappers of the last 20 years, weezys seemingly endless barrage of killer albums, mixtapes and guest spots brought him to the top of hip hop success until at the height of his fame...he went to jail.  But now he’s out, has a new album and his future is unclear. We’re talking all about his career, this tumultuous period in...

We’re jumping formats for a special bonus episode discussing a MOVIE about music: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, the new film about Freddie Mercury and Queen. David Sims, film critic and host of the great movies podcast Blank Check stops by to talk Queen, bad music biopic tropes, terrible fake teeth, and why Brian May is the Slash of England. Listen to Blank Check: https://soundcloud.com/griffin-and-david-pre...

And introducing…….ORGANIZED LABOR! From the 1940’s through 1960’s, as the music industry was fracturing and reforming around selling recordings of Jazz, Classical, Country and a new thing called Rock n’ Roll, a group of valiant musicians attempted to represent their own interests, in a Musicians’ Union. Today we're joined by music writer David Turner to learn all about Organized Labor in the music...

And Introducing, on backup vocals, it’s Mary Wilson! Wilson achieved fame and fortune as one third of Motown powerhouses The Supremes — but the schemings of lead singer Diana Ross shattered Mary’s confidence as the group’s star rose through the 60s. We’re learning about her fulfilled dreams, her dashed hopes, and her long road toward self-actualization in her memoir Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme...

And Introducing, on lead vocals…Mr. Sebastian Bach! The Canadian pretty boy who took the world by storm as front man for late 80’s hard rockers Skid Row, we’ll follow Bach on his journey from small town rock n roll dreams, to worldwide success to a 2nd career in front of the camera and on the stage through his memoir “18 and Life on Skid Row.’ And to help us out, we're joined by the I Don’t Even O...