Anyone Can Play Guitar

In the last Siamese Dream episode, Nick and Austin finally answer the question you've all been wondering: What moon songs do you sing your babies? Nick crushes on a riff, talks about hobbits, and brings up Courtney Love again. Meanwhile, Austin learns a song in a day and exposes the connection between the band and Garth Brooks. It's a wild ride. Thanks for listening. 5:48 - "Silverfuck" 17:39 - "S...

Who is ready to misspell some common household condiments? We're back with three very different songs, starting with one of the Pumpkins' most raucous songs, "Geek U.S.A." For "Mayonaise," Austin geeks out on pinch harmonics, before digging into Beef. Both pick out their favorite David Bowie albums, before once again splitting on the merits of Pink Floyd. 1:40 - "Geek U.S.A." 18:00 - "Mayonaise" 3...

Life's not a bummer when you're discussing the first side of Siamese Dream. This episode, Nick and Austin dig into two epics and two singles — one saturated in Big Muff and the other with string. Along the way, Austin discusses proper guitarist handwear, while Nick finds a way to bring up Paul McCartney again. Special thanks to Eric Evans, who recorded bass on these tracks and orchestrated "Disarm...

Drum roll, please. We are back with Smashing Pumpkin's second album, Siamese Dream. Besides being one of the most intense guitar albums of all time, it's also one of the best and most distinctive sounding albums of the 1990s. Can Nick and Austin even come close to replicating it, or will they give up at the start? Plus, Nick admits to listening to a bunch of Rush, while Austin recounts his time wi...

Are you going crazy, yet? We finish the Smashing Pumpkins' debut album by discussing the last three tracks, or four if you want to get technical. Then we make time for three extra tracks, including one that Nick said he'd trade for all of Gish. Austin breaks down two solos while also getting in a Guns N' Roses reference. Then they recap their favorite moments from Gish.   3:00 - "Tristes...

This week we dig into the murky middle of Gish. The songs veer from riffy monsters like "Bury Me" to Indian-inspired mood pieces like "Suffer." Nick admits to a botched high school performance of "Crush," while Austin digs into the many solos of "Snail." 3:50 - "Bury Me" 15:01 - "Crush" 21:35 - "Suffer" 29:50 - "Snail" How Gish got its name Bandsplain: Smashing Pumpkins: Part 1 with Rob Harvilla R...

And we're back. Welcome to the next season of Anyone Can Play Guitar. After learning every Radiohead song on guitar (and maybe promising to repeat the process) this time we are digging into another mainstay of 90s alternative rock, The Smashing Pumpkins. Hope you're ready for some riffs because they are relentless on the band's debut album, Gish.  Why The Smashing Pumpkins? Nick lays out why...

It's the big one. After more than three years of learning every Radiohead song on guitar, Nick and Austin spend a few hours ranking their favorite albums, b-sides, and songs. They even find time to pick out the worst songs in the catalog, in case you want to know how they both feel about "I'm A Wicked Child." Along the way, Nick mentions the unconscious more than he should, and Austin talks trash...

With the main album out of the way, Nick and Austin dig into the meager leftovers of A Moon Shaped Pool. Austin geeks out about 90s movie soundtracks, before bringing up the inspirational American football movie, Rudy. For some reason, Nick talks about the charity single, "We Are The World." Then they both debate the fundamental nature of the b-side, and whether one song released without a single...

They've reached the end of A Moon Shaped Pool. Will Nick convince Austin that this is an underappreciated classic, or will Austin spend the whole time saying negative things about "The Numbers?" Nick brings up The Beatles again, before pledging his love for Paul McCartney. Finally, the two spend a good twenty minutes discussing "True Love Waits." 1:50 - "The Numbers" 11:45 - "Present Tense" 19:40...

35. Radiohead's A Moon Shaped Pool, Part 2  Before realizing that they host a Radiohead podcast, the two give their thoughts on the latest by Taylor Swift. Will Austin check out of this album after the fourth track? Can Nick figure out the proper length of delay to perform the guitar pattern for Identikit?  4:50 - "Desert Island Disk"  13:00 - "Ful Stop"  21:30 - "Glass Eyes"&n...

It's the last Radiohead album. Is this the last season? Before Nick and Austin contemplate what that means, they discuss why so many metal bands need to cover "Burn the Witch." Nick loses it a bit on "Daydreaming," while Austin gets to pine about Amnesiac again. Thanks for listening.    5:00 - "Burn the Witch"  17:30 - "Daydreaming"  32:40 - "Decks Dark"  "Burn the Witch"...

This week, we're stepping back in time. After getting teased for years by Austin, Nick finally learns all the Pablo Honey b-sides. Needless to say, taking up some of their earliest tracks after "The King of Limbs" was quite strange for both. Will they find some hidden gems or spend the whole time trashing "Pop is Dead" again?  2:07 - "Inside My Head"  8:48 - "Million Dollar Question"&nbs...

"The King of Limbs" might have been a meager album, but there are plenty of b-sides to discuss. Will Austin and Nick create a fantasy version of the album, or admit that these extras don't fit? Nick finally gets to geek out about supercolliders, while Austin goes on about trees. They finish by picking the best songs of the era. Join the discussion on Facebook . 1:23 - "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)"...

How does everyone feel about Thom's unique dance moves in the "Lotus Flower" music video? Nick and Austin discuss that important topic while briefly touching on 90s-era Christian rock music and Homer's "Odyssey." Will they agree with the consensus that the album's second, slower second half is better than the more rhythmic first half? Or will they find a way to disagree with that narrative? 1:12 -...

Austin and Nick finally tackle The King of Limbs, an album that both admit to disliking when it was released in 2011. Will learning all the songs on guitar help them understand the thorny album or will it just be a universal sigh? Nick learns about magpies, while Austin gets into ocean documentaries. Why do they spend an inordinate amount of time discussing the Counting Crows? There's only one way...

With In Rainbows over, Nick and Austin explore the polished leftovers found on the b-side disc. While a huge improvement over the Com Lag EP, the two do wonder why these songs don't stick in your head. Austin swears he'll never order bangers and mash, while Nick finds one of his least favorite songs of the project. Digressions abound, including more discussion about Seal than you'd ever imagine in...

Before Nick and Austin reach the pearly gates, they first have to make it through the last three songs on In Rainbows . Things start off strangely, with Prince-like lyrics and mentions of wife-swapping. That's before Nick says the word "love" about 100 times and Austin brings up death again. Along the way, they struggle to pronounce Mephistopheles and discuss the Nietzschean concept of Eternal Ret...

You'd be crazy not to follow along as Austin and Nick delve into the mesmerizing middle of In Rainbows . Austin feels confident that all the songs are about death, before bringing up Blues Traveler. Nick continues to find excuses to chat about R.E.M. and The Beatles. Along with loads of praise, the two do manage to pick their least favorite track of the album. The episode starts with another round...

You don't have to pay anything to listen to Nick and Austin discuss Radiohead's beloved 2007 album, In Rainbows . Just prepare yourself for some enthusiastic diatribes about terminally climatic song forms and Colin's bass playing. Austin admits to stopping his car in the middle of the street when he first heard "15 Step," while Nick can't stop thinking of Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk." Thanks for listeni...

Thought Nick and Austin were too rough on "Hail to the Thief"? Just wait until they make their way through the "Com Lag" EP, which collects the b-sides from the era. How bad does it get? Let's just say that both find songs that they dislike more than "Pop is Dead." Nick sticks up for one track, while Austin talks about how much he loves the blues. Finally, they have the "Hail to the Thief" awards,...

It's the end of Hail to the Thief, but will Nick and Austin get the flan in the face? Nick sticks up for one of the album's least-loved tracks, while Austin has sharp words for one of the most beloved. Along the way, they discuss a viral rabbit disease, Bob Dylan, and Thomas Pynchon. 1:45 - "I Will" 9:28 - "A Punchup at a Wedding" 14:55 - "Myxomatosis" 19:56 - "Scatterbrain" 27:58 - "A Wolf at the...

Will Austin and Nick finally find a song on "Hail to the Thief" that they love, or will the disappointment continue? Things certainly don't start well, as Austin briefly considers giving up on the whole project. Fortunately, they both persevere and eventually stumble onto one of their favorite songs. Along the way, they discuss New Order, Fiona Apple, and "Gulliver's Travels."    Li...

Have you been paying attention? Nick and Austin attempt to make sense of Radiohead's messy and slightly political sixth album, Hail to the Thief. Both had troubled experiences with the album when it was released in 2003, but will learning all the songs on guitar help them appreciate it? Nick catches up on George Orwell's "1984," while Austin ponders if Yorke actually sang "the raindrops" every sin...

So far, Nick and Austin have been split on Radiohead's b-sides, struggling with Pablo Honey and OK Computer offerings, but loving the playfulness of the tracks orbiting around The Bends. Where will the Amnesiac b-sides land? Topics this week include Phil Collins, T.S. Eliot and the banking system. They end season three by discussing Kid Amnesia, the recently released deluxe album, which came with...