MODERN MUSICOLOGY

On January 1st, Rolling Stone Magazine published their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time, and caused a good bit of controversy by doing so. Fans of certain artists were up in arms that their fave was omitted from the list. The Modern Musicology gang has our own take on it, and of course we had to weigh in! Should Bono really be on the list? Should Ozzy Osborne be ranked so much higher t...

To kick off our second year, the Modern Musicology gang takes a look at the new documentary If These Walls Could Sing, by filmmaker Mary McCartney, investigating the history of Abbey Road, the studio home of The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Wings, Oasis, Cliff Richard, Radiohead, The Alan Parsons Project, Fela Kuti, Kate Bush, James Bond, Star Wars, and many others.  After our review, we talk about what w...

This week we celebrate not only our 50th episode but also the final episode of our first year with a really special interview with author and filmmaker DAVID LEAF, author of the new book God Only Knows: The Story of Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys, and the California Myth. David tells us remarkable stories of Brian's friendship with Paul McCartney, his struggle with psychiatrists, and his rebirth via...

This week the Modern Musicology gang goes away to camp as we pay a visit with the founder of the Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp, David Fishof, who is celebrating the release of his new book, Rock Camp: An Oral History - 25 Years of the Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp. He tells us amazing stories of how the camp got started, some of the amazing people he's met (both campers and rock stars) and what the expe...

This week the Modern Musicology gang celebrates the show's FIRST ANNIVERSARY by taking a look back at some of the highlights of the past year! Then we review some of our favorite album, single, book and film releases of the past year. If you have music lovers on your holiday shopping list, we have suggestions!  Thank you to all of our listeners over the past year. We're absolutely amazed by how mu...

Court is in session and the Modern Musicology gang has been found GUILTY of liking some of the most un-hip and embarrassing stuff EVER! This is us confessing our Guilty Pleasures! We unrepentantly bask in our love of Shaun Cassidy, Donnie and Marie, The Spice Girls, The Bee Gees, The Monkees, Liberace, and even opera, plus a whole lot more.  What about you? What are some of your favorite guilty pl...

This week the Modern Musicology crew ignores what's good for society and celebrates banned songs! These are the tunes that are too sexual, too controversial, too inflammatory or too revolutionary to be heard on the radio or anywhere else! These subversive tracks include obvious and important things like "Fuck the Police" by NWA and "Cop Killer" by Body Count, but also things that seem incredibly i...

This week the Modern Musicology gang relives some favorite concert experiences -- from the good to the bad to the truly bizarre. Stephanie talks about touring with the Aquanettas, Alan tells the story of playing a show in a roller skating rink, Anthony saw Iron Maiden play soccer on stage, and Rob talks about his favorite soundcheck experience. No Shetland ponies were harmed in the making of this...

This year we dip back in time to discuss the albums that celebrate 30th Annivesaries this year -- the albums of 1992! How can these be thirty years old??? We dig in deep with things like Dirt by Alice in Chains, Automatic for the People by REM, Henry's Dream by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Rage Against the Machine, Body Count, Check Your Head by the Beastie Boys, Rites of Passage by the Indigo Gir...

It's the Great Pumpkin, Modern Musicology! Yes, this is our Halloween special, where we talk about all the great music that's associated with the spookiest season of the year! We cover classics from rock, hip-hop, jazz, soul, goth, and metal. If you're wanting to put together a great Halloween playlist, we've got suggestions for you.  00:00 - Introductions 02:00 - Shout Outs (What We've Been Liste...

This week the Modern Musicology gang celebrates some of the greatest musical collaborations of all time! What happens when two artists, two songwriters, an artist and a producer, or two bands come together to create something entirely new? The results are always amazing, right? Well, most of the time, but not always! We cover it all -- the good and the bad!  00:30 - Introductions 01:55 - Weekly Sh...

1977 was a landmark year for a lot of reasons: Disco is in full swing, culminating in the release of Saturday Night Fever and the opening of Studio 54, but along with that we have punk rock making a huge global push, the release of one of the biggest selling albums in music history, one artist having to follow up the surprise hit of the previous year, and most significantly the death of a 50s icon...

This week the Modern Musicology gang is joined by guitarist / songwriter / solo artist BOB PERRY to talk about some of our favorite releases from the crazy year that was 1972! Some of the artists that get a mention are Bowie, Michael Jackson, Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Wonder, Fleetwood Mac, Deep Purple, Elton John, Aretha Franklin, The Eagles, King Crimson, The Osmonds, Alice Cooper, The Carpenters,...

This week the Modern Musicology team takes a look at two documentaries about Woodstock '99: the two-hour film  Woodstock '99: Peace, Love and Rage (HBO 2021) and the three-part series Trainwreck: Woodstock '99 (Netflix 2022). Both tell a similar story but each one reveals different details. How did an event supposedly dedicated to peace go so wrong? 0:00:45 - Welcome 0:01:40 - Shoutouts (What We'v...

This week the Modern Musicology crew sits down with GINA SCHOCK, the drummer of The Go-Go's! We chat with Gina about her role as an influence on the music industry, being inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, her musical influences, her beginnings as a photographer, her successes as a songwriter, band dynamics, some of the current artists that she loves (like the Linda Lindas, Glass Animals,...

Artists We Wish We Had Seen We all have those artists that we regret never having seen live for whatever reason -- work, proximity, cost, or not having been born yet. The Modern Musicology gang talks about some of theirs, including Prince, Bowie, Roxy Music, ELO, Elvis, the Beatles, the Clash, and many more. How about you? What are some of the bands or artists that you never saw that you wish you...

This was supposed to be a week off for the Modern Musicology gang! Alan, Rob and Anthony were at Dragon Con in Atlanta all weekend, and there wasn't an opportunity for the four of us to record a new episode. But I came home from the convention on Monday and had the opportunity to watch the entire Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert, and I really wanted to record a review. So I called up my good friend ...

The spotlight is on the drummers this week as Anthony, Stephanie and Alan are joined by IRA ELLIOT, the drummer from the band NADA SURF, to talk about what makes a great drummer! We debate the qualities that a good drummer needs to have and cite some of our favorite players, like Neil Peart  (Rush), Stewart Copeland (The Police), Phil Collins (Genesis), Keith Moon (The Who), Gavin Harrison (Porcup...

Songs We Love by Artists We Don't Love Even bands we can't stand get lucky sometimes and craft a song so good that we can't deny them! That's the topic this week for the Modern Musicology Team -- finding that oasis in the desert. Stephanie, Rob, Anthony and Alan excavate some unexpected treasures from bands and artists like Mariah Carey, Miley Cyrus, The Smashing Pumpkins, Shania Twain, and a whol...

Bad Albums (or Songs) by Great Artists! Every artist or band, no matter how great they are, have that one (hopefully only one!) album that just doesn't stack up to the rest of their output. Or, maybe that artist or band has a great album, but right in the middle is that one track that you just don't care for. That's the topic this week as Stephanie, Anthony, Rob and Alan dig through their collecti...

Travel Music! The Modern Musicology Team is joined by Julianne Wurden, a travel advisor for Rick Steves Europe and a host of Monday Night Rick, to talk about the role music can play in international travel as a way of learning a language, immersing in a culture, and getting to know the locals. She also tells us about her new album, Goodbye, Forget Me, which she recorded and released in 2020.  Take...

Killer B-Sides - In our last episode we talked about songs that should have been released as singles. This week, we flip the 45 over to talk about some of our favorite B-Sides: exclusive tracks, live recordings, alternate versions, Part 2s, and more. We go all the way to the very first rock single by Bill Haley and His Comets, and along the way we cover releases by The Police, Prince, Oasis, Suede...

We know that this has happened to you -- you're listening to an album, you hear a great song, and you think "Damn, that should have been a single!" Yep, we all have examples that come immediately to mind. This week, the MM Gang, joined by solo artist and former Aquanettas drummer Stephanie Seymour, discuss some of our favorites, including songs by Bowie, Prince, Elvis, Oasis, the Waterboys, Simple...

Rob and Alan sit down for a chinwag with Tony Fletcher, author of books like Moon: The Life and Death of a Rock Legend, Perfect Circle: The Story of REM, In the Midnight Hour: The Life & Soul of Wilson Pickett, a memoir called Boy About Town, and his newest, The Best of Jamming!: Selections and Stories From the Fanzine That Grew Up, 1977 - 1986, and more.  Tony tells us stories about starting a fa...

Kate Bush is having an extraordinary resurgence due to one of her most iconic songs, "Running Up That Hill", being used in the new season of Stranger Things. A whole new generation is being introduced to the mysterious, reclusive rock chanteuse. Here, we delve into the career of this extraordinary artist and unveil all the weird quirks that we love about her, and name some great songs that new lis...