Mike Bessler

Rush Strutter Zep Magik

Music EN ↓ 32 episodes

Mike Bessler and Kevin McElvaney are pro wrestling writers who moonlight as music aficionados. As the title of this podcast suggests, we primarily focus on material by rock powerhouses Rush, Kiss, and Led Zeppelin, but every so often, we'll draw the proverbial "wild card" and discuss an artist beyond the bounds of this titanic troika. For each episode of RSZM, we select an album by one of these artists and discuss our personal recollections of the record, talk about the history behind the album, and go track-by-track and discuss each song. Also, the title of the show was Kevin's idea.

Author

Mike Bessler

Episodes

Kiss: Destroyer 21.10.2020 1:34:38

Rush Strutter Zep Magik returns with fire and thunder, surveying the landscape of a Kiss keystone, the 1976 album Destroyer . Before they get down to it, Kevin recounts all of the times that he has met Andrew W.K. and Mike discusses his longstanding affection for the founding fathers of black metal, Venom. The guys also talk about guitars and gear, including the super cheap MiMiDi delay pedal as w...

Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin IV 24.09.2020 1:36:20

In this episode, Mike and Kevin wind on down the road and careen headlong into Led Zeppelin's fabled fourth album. Some call it Led Zeppelin IV , others call it Runes , and the folks who call it Zoso are probably the kind of people who use the phrase "having said that" on a regular basis. Mike recalls buying the LP from a Gold Circle store the summer before his freshman year of high school and sho...

Rush: Signals 24.08.2020 1:29:55

Returning to the roots of the show, Mike and Kevin journey back to the heady days of 1982 for a look at the Rush album Signals . Before they get down to business, Mike recounts his recent attendance at a COVID-era drive-in concert by Dayton-area staple The Fries Band and Kevin raves about the music of Jeff Rosenstock. The guys also reflect on the reception they received to last month's episode in...

Pink Floyd: The Wall 22.07.2020 2:09:02

It's a double-sized episode for a legendary double album! In this, the landmark fourth episode of Rush Strutter Zep Magik , Kevin plays his "Magik" card by selecting Pink Floyd's acclaimed conceptual extravaganza The Wall for review and comment. Before the featured discourse, they discuss the necessity for lighthearted tunes in the midst of these trying times, with Kevin espousing the merits of po...

Kiss: Kiss 24.06.2020 1:16:18

With two episodes under their shared belt, Kevin and Mike confidently stroll into a discussion about the 1974 eponymous debut album by Kiss. Filled to the brim with the richness of live-show favorites, the record evokes Mike's memories of the pain and yearning associated with being a Kiss fan during the malaise-filled days of the band's post-makeup/pre-reunion era. Kevin provides his reactions to...

Led Zeppelin: Houses of the Holy 23.04.2020 1:11:56

In the second episode of Rush Strutter Zep Magik , we discuss how much the world has changed since our inaugural offering. Mike offers some leftover thoughts on the Rush album Permanent Waves and then we get down to business discussing Kevin's pick for this show, Led Zeppelin's 1973 album Houses of the Holy. Kevin reminisces about being introduced to the record by his mom ( which – let's face it –...

Rush: Permanent Waves 02.03.2020 1:02:45

It's the first-ever edition of Rush Strutter Zep Magik ! In this episode, Mike and Kevin discuss the philosophical underpinnings of the band and their late lyricist-in-chief Neil Peart and then they take a deep dive into the 1980 album Permanent Waves . Mike reminiscences about buying the album for the first time at K-Mart and how most Rush tapes used to be packaged in those weird, half-beige cass...