Rush Strutter Zep Magik

For those about to Limp, we salute you! In this episode, two thirds of the RSZM brain trust convene in honor of our third member. Call it "The Arianne Show." In planning for this episode, we asked, "What would Arianne really like to hear us talking about?" There was no discussion and no debate. Hell, there wasn't even a list of possible topics. The one and only correct answer was Limp Bizkit's 200...

New podcast, who dis? The RSZM crew returns from an extended hiatus with fresh conversation, familiar grievances, and the usual dose of chicanery. This week, Mike cues up The Velvet Underground's 1967 debut album for a thorough evaluation. From its rock and R&B roots to its avant-garde theatrics, we explore The Velvet Underground & Nico for posterity, with a few side quests and tangents for good m...

...AND WE'RE BACK! Just in time, too, as the podcast world has likely been on the edge of its collective seat wondering just what exactly our tremendous trio thinks of The Replacements for, lo, the past 16 months, give or take. Here's your no-spoils spoiler alert: Mike is thoroughly confused, Kevin is patiently informative, and Arianne is kindly and good-natured about the whole thing. Before we ge...

For many centuries, the best examples of "gothic rock" were the thousands upon thousands of bricks that filled out the medieval castles and cathedrals of Europe. Then in 1980, the English band Bauhaus released their first album, In the Flat Field , effectively laying a cornerstone of a new movement in music and art. In this episode of the Rush Strutter Zep Magik podcast, we peer through this dark...

From the Crimean War to the Prehistoric era and across the universe to the planet of Dune, we plunge our needles into each and every groove of Iron Maiden's 1983 metal manifesto, Piece of Mind . Side quests in this congenial confab include tangents and musings about X-Ray Spex, Dag Nasty, The Getup Kids, Warren Zevon, and The Who (not to be confused with Mongolian metal band The Hu). It's a landma...

How many sparks does it take to ignite a prairie fire? We don't answer that particular question this episode, but we do immerse ourselves in the sonic ocean of Angst In My Pants , the 1982 offering by the influential synth-pop band, Sparks. In our discussion, we look at the history of the Mael brothers and the broad appeal of their music to big-name acts including glam gods The Darkness. Arianne a...

We're going off the rails this episode, as Arianne tees up Blizzard of Ozz as our topical somethingburger. We look at Ozzy's solo debut from almost every conceivable angle, from the wizardry of guitar virtuoso Randy Rhoads to Sharon Osbourne's Mandela Effect-like reminiscences of the album's recording to the controversial 2002 re-release of Blizzard featuring stand-ins by Robert Trujillo and Mike...

It's Arianne's first show as a bona fide co-host and in this episode, we're serving up two platters piled high with tangible vandalism! In our first official episode as a trio, we tackle Led Zeppelin's storied double album Physical Graffiti , sifting through its uncanny collection of uncredited cover tunes, outtakes, calypso music, and high school breakup fare. In the midst of the alarums and excu...

From the sunny shores of Hawthorne, California to the sands of distant Melmac, Rush Strutter Zep  Magik traces the roots and legacy of Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys. Arguably Brian Wilson's most consequential work, we discuss the importance of Pet Sounds relative to the overarching mosaic of popular culture with a nod to its impact on our own respective lives. Our chat includes a track-by-track ana...

It's a podcast of extraordinary magnitude as Arianne joins Kevin and Mike for a meticulous dissection of the 2011 album Lulu. This controversial collab between Lou Reed and Metallica has garnered voluminous quantities of scorn and derision in the decade since its release, but our troika revisits the work from our own unique perspectives, sharing our respective interpretations of every facet of thi...

If you've ever found yourself wondering how in the world the 2011 Lou Reed/Metallica album Lulu came into existence, here's your answer, fish-bulb! This isn't quite a full episode, so we'll call it a mini-sode and it's all about the roots of the aforementioned collaborative endeavor. Included in this discussion (or maybe it's more along the lines of a monologue) is information about the original a...

BRAND FREAKIN' NEW AND NOW ONLINE! Imagine a crisp page of graph paper featuring a perfectly executed, two-circle Venn diagram that depicts the coexistence between euphony and cacophony. Somewhere on the page, we might find a point representing The Shaggs — perhaps mingling in the bulbous hinterland of the extreme left or right of the diagram, or maybe firmly entrenched amongst the meaty layers wh...

Neal Jones, a.k.a. "Nasty Neal" of Without Your Head Horror and Beyond , joins Mike for a very special installment of the Rush Strutter Zep Magik podcast! In this "mini-sode," we cover a lot of ground, including: Neal's extensive experience as a podcaster and online personality, including his work on In Your Head Wrestling Radio , Inside Your Head , and Without Your Head . His evolving body of wor...

The Rush Strutter Zep Magik Podcast is out for Revenge ! In this episode, Kevin and Mike take this pivotal Kiss album for a spin, skipping through the conversational daisies with tangents about The Buzzcocks, the work of composer Edvard Grieg, the novel Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse, season two of Too Hot to Handle on Netflix, and, once again, Jürgen Habermas. There's also a bit of discussion about...

Blasting back to the heyday of the punk movement, Kevin and Mike hop aboard Rocket to Russia , the third studio album by rough and tumble rockers, The Ramones. Featuring prominently in this consummate discourse on pop culture are gratuitous references to the likes of Walt Whitman, Paul McCartney and Wings, The Fairly OddParents, Jack Kerouac, Motörhead, The Gong Show, and Fibber McGee and Molly. A...

This episode, the guys are joined by Kevin's BFF, Andy, for a thoroughgoing discourse on "Moving Pictures," the 1981 multi-platinum composition by Rush. In their preparatory remarks, Kevin and Andy recall wistful afternoons spent riffing on instruments at their local Sam Ash store and Mike recounts how he initially thought "Red Barchetta" was a song about a combine harvester. They plow through the...

This time around, Kevin and Mike get into the groove with Liz Phair's debut album, Exile in Guyville . Before they break it down, Mike suffers the embarrassment of mispronouncing the name of our bestest pal, Arianne, and Kevin proclaims the gospel of Ted Leo. The guys discuss the history and artistry of Exile in Guyville , chatting about the album's forthright lyricism, its evocative guitar work,...

Kevin and Mike are joined by RSZM superfan Arianne for a thorough discussion of Prince's 1984 masterwork, Purple Rain ! During the lead-up to their featured confab, Kevin gives props to the Meet My Friends The Friends podcast, Arianne discusses her affection for Dad rock, and Mike runs down some of his favorite Zeppelin influences, including "Mississippi" Fred McDowell. Sharing personal reminiscen...

It's a hoedown in the tradition of "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" as Mike and Kevin enjoy a platter of piping hot Zeppeliny goodness in the form of Led Zeppelin's tertiary offering, Led Zeppelin III . On the way to the proverbial fireworks factory, Kevin praises the pre-Hagar incarnation of Van Halen and Mike talks up his duct-taped Norma-brand acoustic guitar. The guys plow track by track through LZ3 , chatt...

At long last, Mike and Kevin engage in spirited discussion regarding Lick It Up , the Kiss LP that launched the "We're never putting the makeup on again, no way, no how" era! Al Castle, Senior Writer for Pro Wrestling Illustrated joins the guys for this roundtable chat about one of the most consequential flashpoints in the continuum of Kisstory. A grab bag of selections ranging from melodic to ban...

For this - the tenth full-length episode of Rush Strutter Zep Magik - Kevin and Mike tee up Jailbreak by Thin Lizzy, a true underrated gem of the 1970s hard rock. Kicking things off, the guys run through some unfinished business from the 2112 and Jimmy Page/Chopin shows, and Kevin recounts his recent reacquaintance with Synchronicity by the Police. Mike shares his enthusiasm regarding the triumpha...

It's another solo mini-sode with Mike at the helm and this time around, the topic at hand is Jimmy Page's rendition of Frédéric Chopin's "Prelude in E Minor, O. 28, N. 4." This unusual piece - which Page included on his offbeat soundtrack for Charles Bronson's Death Wish II - became a staple in Page's live sets from '83 through '88, including his appearances at the ARMS concert series, the numbers...

As they begin their latest trip around the sun, Mike and Kevin gaze into the far-flung future, discovering a reality in which a clique of sinister collectivists rule with an iron fist, suppressing creativity and individuality, to and fro, all the live-long day, and so forth. It's the story of the Rush rock opera 2112, as well as the various and sundry lesser-known tracks which comprise the part of...

And now for something completely different : In this "mini-sode," - a solo effort by Mike - we're swapping out the likes of Geddy Lee and Gene Simmons with names like Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer. Venturing beyond the parameters of our typical rock and/or roll fare, this show provides a brief look at how music has influenced social movements. Spotlighted in this discussion is the work of Bert...

Rush Strutter Zep Magik ventures through a psychedelic wormhole in this episode, landing upon the hallowed grooves of the 1967 debut album by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced? Before the trip begins, Kevin shares accolades for Canadian alternative rockers The Dirty Nil, as well as '90s staples Better Than Ezra. Mike talks about the greatness of Steve Marriott and Humble Pie and he...