Nakedly Examined Music Podcast

Steve is best known as guitarist/arranger for Oingo Boingo through their eight albums from 1981-1995 and for following its leader Danny Elfman into a life creating movie soundtracks, often for filmmaker Tim Burton. However, his activity as composer goes all the way back to the late ’60s and continues today. We discuss “Tango” by jackiO from their self-titled album (2019), “...

What long-term effects do songs that we’re exposed to early have on our adult tastes? As children we (hopefully) learn to love music, but then our critical faculties and peer pressure kick in, and many early influences become unacknowledged or transformed into guilty pleasures. Is the generation gap in musical taste really just due to how styles change over time (and we old folks just don&#8...

Dar has released 11 albums on labels since 1993 of highly literate, introspective folk-pop songs. We discuss “Berkeley” (and listen to “Today and Everyday”) from I’ll Meet You Here (2021), “Empty Plane” from Emerald (2015), and ” Are You Out There” from End of the Summer (1997). Intro: “As Cool As I Am” from Mortal City (1996). For...

Jerry has co-fronted Devo since its founding in the mid-70s, releasing nine albums with them, but his solo career has been sporadic, with a release as Jihad Jerry & the Evildoers in 2006 and a few singles. We discuss his new song and video “ I’m Gonna Pay U Back ,” and one of those Jihad Jerry tracks (that album now reissued to include the new track ) “The Owl,” and the...

Emma-Jean is a trumpeter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, techie… She even runs her own record label. She’s had five releases since 2016.  We discuss “Say Something” (and listen at the end to “Spectre”  from Yellow (2021), “Open – Remix feat. Blu” (a 2020 single ), and “Um” from Um Yang (2020). Intro: “Baro Bop”...

Melvin has played bass on over 200 albums since 1980 in the worlds of jazz, rock, and hip-hop, and has numerous songwriting credits, doing stints with Defunkt, Arto Lindsay, Rollins Band, SociaLybrium (with Bernie Worrell), The Zig Zag Power Trio (with Vernon Reid), etc. We discuss his solo tune featuring Kokayi “Get Some” from 4+1 Equals 5 for May 25 (2021),  the title track from...

Chris started in the Scottish electronic band Finitribe in the early ’80s and then moved to Chicago in 1988, doing stints in Revolting Cocks, Ministry, Pigface, et al, before embarking on a 23-album solo career. We discuss “A Phantom Marriage” from The Birthday Poems (2021) feat. Monica Queen, the title track from Bloodhounds (2018), “De Testimony” by Finitribe from L...

Steve has written over 1000 songs across 17 Church albums starting in 1980, 13 solo albums and numerous collaborations. His style is theatrical and psychedelic, and his lyrics aim for “maximum ambiguity.” We discuss “Love Song Yet to Be Named” by Steve Kilbey and The Winged Heels from The Hall of Counterfeits (2021) and some tunes by The Church: “Another Century&#8221...

Glen led smooth alt rock legends Toad the Wet Sprocket from ’88 to ’97 through six albums, has released 7 often folky solo albums (and 3 more Toad albums since their reunion) since then plus various side projects. We discuss “ Old Habits Die Hard ” by Toad (a 2020 single), “Leaving Oldtown” from his latest solo release, Swallowed by the New (2016), and “On...

Cathal started in Ireland in 1980 with Microdisney, and after five albums with then broke that up to form Fatima Mansions in 1988. After seven albums with them, he started a solo career and has now after a decade-long hiatus (during which he released a few collaborations) has come back with his sixth solo release Song of Co-Acklan . We discuss “Unrealtime” and (in closing) hear the tit...

Josh formed Chicago-area punk band Smoking Popes in 1991 with his brother Matt, and his other brother Eli joined soon after. They released three albums and several EPs in the 90s then broke up after Josh became a Christian. He then released an album and a half as Duvall and then reformed the Smoking Popes, who have released three new albums since 2008. He’s also released some religious mater...

Rod released his first album “Solo” in 1975, played in some bands, but after losing on Star Search, turned to soundtrack work, emerging only in 2018 with three straight albums of acoustic singer-songwriter and instrumental material. We discuss “My Father Was a Quiet Man” (and listen to “Whiskey & Pie”) from Normal Isn’t Normal Anymore (2021), “Ho...

David played in perhaps the most revered line-up of King Crimson at the end of its original run from ’72-’74. He’s been an actor and teacher, then released his first “solo” album (as Low Flying Aircraft) in ’87, then eight more under his own name or as The David Cross Band plus several collaborations. We discuss “Predator” by Cross and Jackson from A...

Steve was in one of Minneapolis’ first big punk bands, The Suicide Commandos, but after one album in 1977, he soon left for New York City and eventually hit it relatively big with two records on IRS as Beat Rodeo, with a solo career continuing the country-rock style beginning in 1992 through nine albums. We discuss “The Way I Treated You” (and listen to “Goodbye Nicolina,&#...

Though best known as lead guitarist for Wilco since 2004, Nels has recorded 30+ instrumental albums, often as band leader. We discuss “Headdress” by The Nels Cline Singers from Share the Wealth (2020), “The Nomad’s Home” from Coward (2009), and “Fives & Sixes” from his first solo release, Angelica (1987). We conclude by listening to “Imperfect Ten&#822...

Jay is best known as sideman for Drive-By Truckers since 2008 but has written songs for Athens bands like The Possibilities and Nutria since the 90s and has three solo releases. We discuss the title track (and listen at the end to “I Wanna Hold You”) from Back to the Hive (2021), “&#%&#!” and “Shenorock Lane” from The Bitter Suite (2015), and “Turn...

Dennis fronted the Baltimore punk band Ebenezer and The Bludgeons in the late 70s, and after some transitional projects moved to L.A. where his ’60s-ish guitar pop band The Jigsaw Seen released nine albums from 1989-2015. We discuss “Museum Piece” (and listen to “Shadow on a Tall Tree” at the end) from his debut solo album, The Book Of Strongman (2020); “Idiots...

After joining Jellyfish in 1993 just before its demise, Eric’s big break came when he was asked to sing for Slash’s Snakepit. After an album with them, he returned to Roger Manning from Jellyfish for an album as Imperial Drag, then worked as sideman (e.g. for Alice Cooper) and studio guy while releasing an album and an EP as Sextus. He’s now back with Roger (and Tim Smith) in The...

Folky, soul-singing Rebecca has had six releases since 2007. We discuss “Mama” from her solo EP, Songs for Cleaning Women, Pt. 1 (2020), “No One Knows Me” by Rebecca Rego and the Trainmen from Speaking of Witches (2019), “Gave Me” by rego off of From the Royal Arcade (2009), and we end by listening to “Cruel” from Lay These Weapons Down (2016). Intro...

Robert co-fronted the Australian-born post-punk band The Go-Betweens through nine albums in the ’80s and ’00s with Grant McLennan before the latter’s death in 2006 and has also released seven solo albums. We discuss “No Fame” from Inferno (2019), “Here Comes a City” by The Go-Betweens from Oceans Apart (2005), and “On My Block” by The Go-Betwee...

Larry has appeared on 20+ albums since co-founding Magraw Gap in 1990 and then becoming bandleader on ’97. He’s known for his lightning flat picking and has more recently added a good dose of social commentary and fundamental questioning to his songwriting. We discuss “Mars’ Cry” (and listen to “Try”) from American Dream (2020), “Crocodile Man” from...

Don started the NY-based Life in a Blender in the late 80s and has put out ten albums of tunes with off-kilter lyrics and increasingly elaborate arrangements. We discuss “The Ocean is a Black and Rolling Tongue” (and listen at the end to “Soul Deliverer”) from Satsuma (2020), “Falmouth” from We Already Have Birds That Sing (2014), and “Chicken Dance”...

Plenty of songs purport to tell stories, and the narrative ballad of course has a long enough history that the two forms certainly aren’t alien. But how do our listening practices conditioned by pop music jibe with recognizing and understanding narrative?  Singer/songwriter and short story author Rod Picott joins Pretty Much Pop: A Culture Podcast hosts Mark Linsenmayer, Erica Spyres, a...

Join the office Christmas party at the PEL network. The hired band is Mark Lint’s Dry Folk, playing their entire album , and the guests are considerate enough to only talk between the songs. BYOB! Mark holds mini conversations on philosophy, art, and life with all the PEL and PMP co-hosts, plus special guests Ken Stringfellow (a guy who played with REM and Big Star also sang on my album!), f...

Markus began composing as a teen, “found his tribe” in getting connected to King Crimson’s Robert Fripp in the early 90s, and has put out 40+ solo and collaborative albums of experimental music since 2000, including work in Stick Men with Crimson’s Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto.  We discuss  “Swoonage” from Truce (2020), Boon from Marcus Reuter and the Mata...