Snap, Crackle, POP! with Alec Cumming

Shiny Happy People – Mickey Dolenz Porpoise Song – The Monkees The Door Into Summer – The Monkees You Bring the Summer – The Monkees Terri – Mickey Dolenz Kiss Me on the Bus – The Replacements Left of the Dial – The Replacements Cut Your Hair – Pavement It Only Takes One Lion – Belle and Sebastian Watching the Omnibus – The Bug Club Have U Ever Been to Wales – The Bug Club Blowin' Up – Kiwi Jr. So...

OK, this Snap Crackle POP! is a DOOZY. For this show, my live in-studio guests (for the first 1 hour and 15 minutes of the 2-hour show, at least) are singer/songwriter/bassist Julia Cumming from Sunflower Bean whose 2026 debut solo album Julia is blowing people away , and legendary film director Edgar Wright who, believe it or not, I do not talk about movies with here at all. Why? Because we are a...

Sigh. This was supposed to be a "Catch a Wave" week fundraiser for WPKN, with the great Dawn Eden Goldstein joining me for the first half and the legendary Rob Silber joining me for the second half. Dawn came up with the idea of playing break-up songs as a theme within the "we need money" theme. Well, I mean, it was a fundraiser, but we didn't get a single donation during my shift, though. It woul...

Song for Hal – U2   A ? of When – Panda Bear & Sonic Boom Feelin' So Good (S.K.O.O.B.Y. D.O.O.) – The Archies Lost & Alone – Aaron Lee Tasjan    Blowin' Up – Kiwi Jr.  All This Disaster – Sarah McLachlan If You Change – Widowspeak     Pretty In Pink – Psychedelic Furs  Radio Free Europe (Jackknife Lee 2025 mix) – R.E.M. Wu-Tang – They Might Be Giants  Eat at Home – Paul & Linda McCartn...

This show was kind of a "memorial 2-fer". First, it was a belated tribute to Memorial Day; Dawn Eden Goldstein and I were going to co-host the Snap Crackle POP! WPKN show on the Memorial Day morning of 5/25/26, but due to a family issue we had to re-run the 1/27/26 Beatles REVOLVER special. Secondly, this show served as a memorial of sorts to the memory of Cynthia Louise Harden , who passed on 5/2...

This is a repackaging of two live Snap Crackle POPs from March 2nd and 3rd of this year. The lovely and brilliant Eden Dawn Goldstein joins me for the first half. [All songs performed by Neil Sedaka unless otherwise noted.] That's When the Music Takes Me Stupid Cupid – Connie Francis  The Diary I Go Ape    One Way Ticket (To the Blues) Oh! Carol Oh! Neil – Carole King    Calendar Girl Breaking Up...

My guest co-host Dawn Eden Goldstein proposed we do a show based on early '90s UK "twee" music, with an emphasis on the 1991 "The Waaaah! CD", and I quickly agreed... Because Dawn always brings the obscure yet utterly fantastic pop songs to the world of Snap Crackle POP! So get into your pajamas and bring out your kittens and let's (politely) TWEE out!  Who Loves the Sun – The Velvet Underground W...

Julia Cumming finally released her long-awaited solo album last Friday, April 24th 2026, and I played a couple of songs from it, as well as other songs that were a part of the inspiration for it, plus other good songs.   Save It for Later – Eddie Vedder Best Friend – The English Beat   All This Disaster – Sarah McLachlan One Stop – Aldous Harding The Sofa – Wolf Alice   No More Tearstained Makeup...

Dawn Eden Goldstein is a badass. There, I've said it. Both a deeply respected Catholic theologian and pop music historian! I really like when she comes on my morning Snap Crackle POP! shows and I hope we do it again and again. She suggested a tribute/exploration of sorts into the career of British songwriter John Carter, and I was game, and this is what it sounded like.  Chelsea Morning – Sergio M...

Yes, that's me and Al Jardine. (And he's a pleasure to talk to.) I talk about meeting him on this radio show, and hearing him and Darian Sahanaja and his brillint Pet Sounds band perform ALL of the tracks from THE BEACH BOYS LOVE YOU live, the night before, which also just happened to be the 49th Anniversary of the album's release (!). Thank you, Al, thank you Darian, and thank you Brian - I am th...

On yesterday's Snap, Crackle POP! I was delighted to have legendary raconteur and man about town Edward Rogers as a guest as we talked about his splendid new(-ish) album ASTOR PLACE. We talked about the fine art of songwriting, Birmingham homecomings, Sidewalk (sigh) and the Losers Lounge and the never-ending comings and goings of the East Village and htray rock 'n' roll and... well, it was a real...

Breathe (4square mix) – Telepopmuzik   Heaven's Gonna Burn Your Eyes – Thievery Corporation In the Waiting Line – Zero 7, Sophie Barker  Kiss From a Rose – Seal    Billions – Caroline Polacheck The Captain of Her Heart – Double    Come to God – Indigo De Souza  Real Thing – Drugdealer, Weyes Blood Please Let Me Remember This – Julia Cumming (It Takes All Kinds) To Make a New World – Gail Ann Dorse...

The second of two day's worth of Snap Crackle POP! shows with female performers, songwriters, musicians, etc. in honor of Women's History Month. Pictured: the mighty BREEDERS.  Drivin' on 9 – The Breeders   I Am Woman – Helen Reddy  I'm a Woman – Peggy Lee Lola – The Raincoats   Spellbound – Siouxie and the Banshees  Don't Go Away – Tallulah Gosh  Never Say Never – Romeo Void  Thinking About Sex A...

The first of two day's worth of Snap Crackle POP! shows with female performers, songwriters, musicians, etc. in honor of Women's History Month. Pictured: a jubilant Norma Tanega.  Jubilation – Norma Tanega    Don't Make Me Over – Dionne Warwick Fujiyama Mama – Wanda Jackson Turn My Motor On – Kirsty MacColl   Picture This –Blondie New Toy – Lene Lovich  Money – The Flying Lizards  Typical Girls –...

Wind – Circus Maximus  Windy – The Association The Wind Cries Mary – Jimi Hendrix  Part of the Wind – Tim Hardin Wind Chimes – The Beach Boys   Catch the Wind – Donovan I Talk to the Wind– Giles, Diles & Fripp Four Strong Winds – Ian & Sylvia    All I Did Was Dream – beebadoobee Passion Plug – Bella Litsa  Rust & Wire – Anjimile Ghosted – Laura Nyro   Doomscrollin' – The Gershwin Broth...

Raindrops – Dee Clark  Rhythm of the Rain – The Cascades   Rainy Days and Monday – The Carpenters Why Does It Always Rain on Me? – Travis I Wish It Would Rain – The Temptations Cloudbusting (Be Kind version) – The Staves   Fool In the Rain – Led Zeppelin  I Played the Fool – Michael Stipe  In The Middle of It – Hiss Golden Messenger Put the Message in the Box – Mary Chapin Carpenter & The Moun...

I usually don't save the fundraising shows I've done - there's an awful lot of begging for money - but I really enjoyed doing this show with I Messiah, the mysterious and stately reggae DJ at WPKN (for over 30 years!) All songs are performed by Stevie Wonder unless otherwise noted.   ============== Isn't She Lovely    Master Blaster (Jammin') Tell Me Something Good – Rufus Boogie On Reggae Woman H...

A show wondering if there'll come a day when we won't need love, then offering some unsolicited advice at the end.  Good Morning – Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Conner Good Morning, How Are You, Shut Up – Ivor Cutler Trio   Psycho Killer (September 1975 demo) – Talking Heads The Book I Read (CBS/Columbia 1976 demo) – Talking Heads I'm Not in Love (1976 demo) – Talking Heads   Hanging on th...

I hope the "title" of this episode isn't too on the nose. But that line has been stuck in my head since he passed this weekend.  The Masked Marauder – Country Joe & the Fish    I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag (1965 version) – Country Joe & the Fish  Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine – Country Joe & the Fish Silver and Gold – Country Joe & the Fish Coming Into Los Angeles – Arlo Guthri...

Watch this space: my goal is to combine this Tuesday March 3rd 2026 Snap Crackle POP! 7-9 am episode (which is 95% dedicated to Neil music) with the previous Monday March 2nd Snap Crackle POP! 7-9 am episode (which is 100% dedicated to Neil music and is co-hosted by the great Dawn Eden Goldstein), and neaten it all up somehow, so you can get all yer NEIL SEDACKY [tm Carole King] in one place. Stay...

I am probably going to re-upload this show shortly, vut for the time being here's this morning's Snap Crackle POP! tribute to Neil Sedaka, with my amazing co-host Dawn Eden Goldstein!  [All songs are performed by Neil Sedaka unless otherwise noted.]   That's When the Music Takes Me  Stupid Cupid – Connie Francis   The Diary  I Go Ape  One Way Ticket (To the Blues)  Oh! Carol  Oh! Neil – Carole Kin...

Snowhaustion? These g-ddamn blizzards keep happening on Sunday nights, which means these days that the Monday- and Tuesday- wee hours commute to WPKN's Fairfield Avenue studios in downtown Bridgeport becomes impossible, so I have to pre-record these shows, which often improves the quality of the show (yay!) but it takes me too much damn time to prepare (boo!_ because I fuss over them too much. (Di...

Today was the crazy-ass "Calvin" blizzard day - still happening as I post this - so for this morning it was time for another last-minute Sunday pre-recorded Snap Crackle POP! show for a Monday morning. And yeah, yada yada I like to do these shows live, weather traffic yada yada, and pre-recording is such a pain because I fuss over the shows too much (tho grateful to have an opportunity to delete a...

Laissez les bons temps rouler! Yes, this is a fundraiser for our dear radio station, but the music is SO GOOD and I had SO MUCH FUN. Christine Ohlman (The Beehive Queen!) and Amy Wachtel (The Night Nurse!) and I had never hung out - heck, I hadn't even met Christine, a legendary and soulful vocalist/performer who fronts NBC's Saturday Night Live, whom I was hoping I could someday meet, until 10 mi...

As part WPKN's Black History Month celebration, I focus here on the type of music Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell made - something I'm here calling "Black Orchestral Pop", and what some others would call "Champagne Soul" (although that can be a problematic phrase to the creators themselves). Ironically, this music is such a focus of love and a huge topic for me... it was ridiculous that I de...