Out of the Main

Listener Jorn cashes in his chit as $upporter Jorn to rejoin the podcast, this time to make the case that one Richard Marx is anything BUT the pin-up balladeer with great hair that we came to know (and love?) in the 1980s. Is there really more to Richard Marx than meets the (teenage girl’s) eye? You be the judge. Consider John and Tom convinced…to varying degrees. But one thing's for sure: If...

We must’ve lost our marbles! Because this week we are apportioning precious rubies (baby)—100 each, from John and Tom—to the Steely Dan catalog, from Can’t Buy a Thrill up through Gaucho . You should know the drill by now: take 100 marbles precious rubies (baby) and divide them among the discography as you find each album merits. But when you’re doing this with Steely Dan, you’re either poking the...

Dane Donohue returns! The first member of the Four-Time Guest Club, Dane is back to talk another album with us—this time, his third full-length LP, “California Gold,” dropping any day now! Dane still manages to regale us with even more untold stories from yesteryear, including his earliest recording sessions, his brush with Miles Davis, the one that got away in Woodstock, and many more! Listen as...

Back for our second session of group sax! Let’s pick up right where we left off last week… We’ve covered the session sax cats for 7 seasons. But what about the sax players from our era that were permanent fixtures in their respective bands—and in some cases, inextricably cemented in the band’s identity?! …With one glaring and regrettable omission. Can you identify it? Lay it on us in the comments!...

Look who’s coming to dinner! Listener Mike is back, and this time he’s here to talk about the joy of group sax! We’ve covered the session sax cats for 7 seasons. But what about the sax players from our era that were permanent fixtures in their respective bands—and in some cases, inextricably cemented in the band’s identity?! …With one glaring and regrettable omission. Can you identify it? Lay it o...

Tom and John return to a topic they’ve mentioned in passing scores of times over the course of our first seven seasons (assuming everyone was familiar with the lore and canon of one of the most historic eras in modern music history). Is Laurel Canyon a place—or a movement? A sound, or a slice of history? A definitive timeline, or a roster of defined artist names? And what, pray tell, is its adjace...

Let’s talk about "Toto Songs that Weren’t.” The Toto Multiverse examined, explored and explained through the prism of songs we grew up on that were actually some version of Toto themselves: The Boz Universe, the Quincy Universe, and the Foster Universe. What percentage of songs did we listen to growing up, without band attribution, that were actually The Extended Toto Universe? But, specifica...

The on-again off-again game show convention is on again! John hosts the show this week, challenging Tom to a full show of brain teasers and trivial trivia. First up: Name that tune’s artist: Genesis or Phil Collins. After the commercial break a double-jeapardy showdown where Tom has to guess the Best New Artist Grammy winner every year from 1980 to 1989.  Then, of course…THE LIGHTNING ROUND! ⚡️ N...

“Dude, this is their Stairway.” Have you ever heard or considered such a statement? Well, John and Tom have…and continue to so in great and detail in the latest episode of Out of the Main.  Pick an artist, and identify their “Stairway to Heaven.” What are the parameters? Well, it’s part feel but part logical. The guys talk through the markers and do their level best to debate and decide, “Which so...

The guys do a deep dive 🛎️ album-focus episode on Keith Urban’s new yacht-rock-inspired “Flow State” album. Curious what your thoughts are. Let us know “in the comments”…Facebook, Substack, Twitter, wherever you find your outlet! DON’T FORGET: “The Inner Circle” - your opportunity as $upporters of the podcast to have some real estate in our newsletter. Let your voices be heard! Listen and Subscrib...

You’re familiar with Loggins and Messina, of course. Hall and Oates. Seals and Crofts. Famous “dudettes” of the 70s, as previously covered here on the pod (with the assistance of John O’Grady, who brought the term into our collective consciousness). Well what about the 80s? Did our other favorite decade also have a brand of dudettes all its own? And is that somehow relevant to our two prior episod...

Just as they did last episode with respect to synths, John and Tom take a tour through the history of drum machines (and the like) throughout modern music history. This one doesn’t start in church, but otherwise, the similarities are eerie…though, perhaps not entirely unexpected. Once again: did it peak in the 80s? We discuss, you decide! Comments? Questions? Concerns? Raise them all on Facebook,...

John takes Tom on a trip down memory lane, chronicling the history and evolution of the use of synthesizers in pop and rock music, with particular emphasis on the 1970s and 80s.  Where did it all begin? Our hypothesis just might surprise you! And when did synths peak throughout music history? (Our opinions here won’t surprise you one bit.)  One part education, one part exploration, one part adulat...

Let’s talk one-hit-wonders, starting with the 50th anniversary of the single-hitting chart toppers of 1976. Then, let’s fast forward to “the day the boat sank” — 1984. What makes a one-hit wonder a true flash in the pan? What was common to the wonders of 1976, then let’s look at 1984. Same dynamic at play? What’s consistent? What changed? And let’s distinguish between TRUE one-hit-wonders and thos...

In a first for the pod, the guys pit two albums of the era up against each other, in a 10-round, knock-down-drag-out, winner-take-all Battle Royale fight to the finish! Who will be the last band standing? Well, that all depends on who you ask…and how you score.  Come for the tale of the tape. Stay for the 10-rounder bout ’til the bell. Hang around for the Lightning Round. And don’t forget to follo...

Once again, we ran out of time last week to get to the Lightning Round, so we’re releasing another interim episode this week. John and Tom provide their final reflections on the matchup madness this March, wondering if we got it right, or if you all have nits to pick with the picks.  What say you? Did we get it right or wrong? If wrong, tell us who you think should have won, who should’ve been lef...

Round 2 also happens to be the Sleeve Sixteen, Final Four, and Championship Game all in one! Tom and John finish out the 2026 NCAA tournament, just in time to conclude the madness that is March.  Reminder: Don’t forget to follow along on your device, as this is another video podcast episode. Who ya got, as the winner of the 2026 Nixon Contest of Album Artwork? Your “One Shining Moment” has arrived...

Well, we ran out of time last week to get to the usual Lightning Round stuff, so we’re releasing an interim episode this week to cover the ground we failed to hoe in the opening round. John and Tom reflect on the first week of the matchup madness, wondering if things may have taken a direction they hadn’t anticipated…and pondering further on what makes for a great album cover.  Up for debate: Did...

It’s March! There’s madness! Around these parts, March brings the usual—an NCAA Tournament! NCAA, this year, stands for the Nixon Competition of Album Artwork. Listen along and follow along as the boys run through the best album covers of the era we cover, eventually counting down to what they believe to be the best album artwork of the time. Want to play at home? This is our first-ever video podc...

We’re back for Season 7! And we’ve brought a special guest with us! John and Tom finally get to unmask the hero who’s been doing yeoman’s work in the field of yacht rock for years: the man behind the Twitter/X handle, “ Today in Yacht Rock !”  Want to know what happened on this day in yacht rock—or any other day? Johnny Gough from Oxford, MS is your man! John and Tom welcome him on the podcast to...

Bonus content for those who may have missed our very first holiday special, "A Very Yachty Christmas." From the original show notes: Our favorite convention from the late 70s and early 80s: Everything had a Christmas Special! And every year, they would rerun the same holiday special specials and we never got tired of them. It was tradition! Our yacht rock podcast should be no different!...

The season finale to year six of Out of the Main features an all-new Christmas Special! We’ve done yacht rock Christmas, smooth Christmas, charity Christmas, CCM Christmas…what’s left? How about a trip down memory lane celebrating some of our favorite Christmas music — all genres — from the era we love? N.B.: Here’s Tom’s herein mentioned new “Totally 80s Christmas” playlist. And here’s that incre...

Back with another “Perfect Album Sides” episode, John and Tom discuss and dissect Duran Duran’s debut record, but wait—this gets confusing. We’ll look at the 1983 American reissue of the band’s 1981 premiere, which has difference mixes, different tracks, different track names, and different, well…just about everything. As a matter of fact, the very reissue is a different reissue than the FIRST U.S...

What role did strings play in pop rock music (and the like) in the 70s and 80s, and how did that differ from what came before and what was to come after? Like most things, strings took on a new art form and played a new role during the slice of recorded music history we celebrate around here. By listener suggestion, Tom and John walk through the nerdy details and share some of their favorite appli...

How much do you really know about the artist Paul Davis? Did you know, for example, that he once held the Guinness Record for most consecutive weeks in the top 40? Well, that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Join us this week for a deeper dive into Paul Davis, and see if you don’t just come away surprised by a “fun fact” or two! N.B.: Read the article in Mix Online about the making of Paul’s hit son...