The Asylum Podcast

Kousin Ray is out this week with a stuffy head so Eugene B Sims of the Wheeler’s Dog Podcast is filling in. Actually, he was already scheduled to be on, whether KR was here or not. The Kousins are still riding the 1987 train and Eug suggested we listen to the debut album by E. Z .O which was produced by everyone’s favorite “Demon,” Gene Simmons. It also features songwriting...

Here it is! #200. The TWO HUNDREDTH episode! Can you believe it!? The Kousins can’t. Kousins Tim, Gary, Marvin, and Ray reminisce through the 200 episodes, looking back on the beginnings, the first calls of several mainstays over the years, additions to the “family,” funny or interesting moments, and so much more. Calls from Jim From Irwin, Jem From Alabama, Bruno From Mostly Sun...

The Kousins are back together, and it’s time for a KISS topic in the rotation, and look! We have a new release. It’s the sixth in the “Off the Soundboard” series. This Off the Soundboard showcases their San Antonio, Texas stop on December 3, 1985, at HemisFair Arena. This is the first “Soundboard” release to feature Bruce Kulick on guitar. It’s a little fa...

We are celebrating Kousin Gary’s birthday on this episode! In honor of that, we invited his best friend (and sometimes adversary), Stuart Hill, to come on the show and have a Gladiator Showdown. This Showdown features a Roth-era Van Halen album vs. a Sammy Van Hagar album. Each combatant only told Kousin Tim what they were picking, leaving it a mystery as to which album either was pitting ag...

Dateline – The Asylum. The Year… 1987. 1986 was hard to top. It was great not only in the hard rock but all music. So, how did 1987 do? We think it was pretty righteous. Some landmark albums came out that year. Some of those represent the biggest or perhaps most widely known in some artists’ careers. In addition to all the great music, not just hard rock but pop, alternative, and...

So, here it is. The Mt. Rushmore that Kousins Tim and Gary have been waiting for.  The  Mt. Rushmore of bass players. The instrument that holds the bottom down, tells you what chords you’ll hear, and gets the least respect in a band (behind keyboard players). While Kousin Marvin and Kousin Ray know which bassists they like and respect, it was time for schooling from the other two knucklehead...

We are without Kousin Ray, who is “on assignment,” this week. Because it was “random topic week,” Kousin Marvin picked both Alice in Chains EPs, Sap (1992) and Jar of Flies (1994) for the Kousins to imbibe on, listening party style. A call from Eugene B Sims and two from a new caller, Dave From Winston-Salem. All three Kousins gave their “Now Listenings.” What a...

For the KISS retrospective, and because tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, the Kousins decided to do a collective top 10 of their favorite KISS songs with the word “Love” in the title. 27 songs in the KISS Katalog had that word. There were 16 total votes. The song rankings are real numbers given numeric values and then averaged out—the higher the value, the higher the overall ranking. ...

A few weeks ago, the Kousins did a retrospective of music (and other pop-culture things) from 1986, which focused on the hard rock genre (which can be found here ). The Kousins will be visiting other years. But before we all move on, it was time to grade the top hard rock albums of 1986 (in their opinion). The albums that were graded (from A+ to F) were (in no particular order): Alice Cooper &#821...

Keeping with the 1986 theme, and with Kousin Ray out doing “mandatory fun,” the remaining Kousins threw a listening party for Cinderella’s 1986 debut,  Night Songs . One Kousin admitted it wasn’t his thing, but did he dislike it? One Kousin absolutely loves it. One thinks it’s pretty cool. All three Kousins gave “Now Listenings.” Calls from Jim From Irwin,...

The Kousins all said the same thing, “When I listen to Ozzy, I love it. But, it’s just not a go-to for me.” That may not have been verbatim, but you get the gist. The Kousins decided to compile a list of their own Top 10 Ozzy songs and were tallied into a collective Top 10. The albums that had the ranked songs were Blizzard of Ozz (1980), Diary of a Madman (1981), Bark at the Moo...

It’s a combo/co-production episode of both Asylum AND I Remember Now: The Queensrÿche Podcast . In this episode, it’s some Queensrÿche on Queensrÿche gladiators. Kousin Ray (of both podcasts) defends the 1986 Queensrÿche classic, Rage For Order .  In the other corner is “Communal” Steve Wright of  IRN, who is defending the 1990 classic  Empire . To reiterate the rules: Afte...

Dateline – The Asylum. The Year… 1986. 1984 was a banger. 1985 was a letdown(ish). However, 1986 brought back the hard rock (and all music) scene to kick-ass levels. There are some landmark albums from 1986. Some represent the biggest or perhaps most widely known in some artists’ careers. In addition to all the great music, not just hard rock but pop, alternative, and post-punk,...

The Kousins are rockin’ ’round the Christmas Tree in this episode. Being the last  Asylum episode of 2024, the Kousins talk about Christmas tunes, each giving two Xmas-based “Now Listenings” and a skimming of A Twisted Christmas (2006) from Twisted Sister. Calls from Jem From Alabama, Jim From Irwin, Bruno From Sweltering South Africa, Eugene B Sims, and another call from U...

Due to some technical difficulties (of which Kousin Tim is sparing you details), Kousin Tim had to pass off production duties to Kousin Gary. The Kousins thought it was time for another “Mount Rushmore” topic and this time it was lead guitarists. We may get to rhythm guitarists in the future, but for now, the spotlight takers, the shredders, the tappers… lead guitarists. Each Kou...

It started with Bruno From Sunny South Africa talking about an album that was a “bottom three” album or “top five” or whatever. Arbitrary rankings without context is hard. So, Kousin Tim called on all the “Asylum Inmates” to submit their own KISS Album Rankings. Unbeknownst to any of them, Kousin Tim didn’t really have a plan for the rankings, not unlike a...

While listening to the Paul Di’Anno albums a few weeks back, one of the Kousins mentioned grading Iron Maiden albums. So, that’s what the Kousins are doing. They are grading the Mark I (“the Di’Anno years,” Iron Maiden, Killers ) and Mark II (“the Bruce years, part one,”  Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind, Powerslave, Somewhere in Time, Seventh Son of a S...

The Hard Rock community lost original Iron Maiden singer, Paul Di’Anno this past week after bouts with illness over the past several years. So, the Kousins listened through the first two Iron Maiden albums, the band DiAnno, and the Paul Di’Anno later year things, including selections from his last solo record that was released this past September. Calls from Jim From Irwin, Communal St...

A few weeks ago, the Kousins did a retrospective of music (and other pop-culture things) from 1985, which focused on the hard rock genre (which can be found here ). The Kousins will be visiting other years. But before we all move on, it was time to grade the top hard rock albums of 1985 (in their opinion). Kousin Marvin was not on the show but sent his grades beforehand. The albums that were grade...

Yes, two listening parties in a row. Kousin Ray is out this week for “Mandatory Fun.” Led Zeppelin’s third album, cleverly called Led Zeppelin III (1970), has its 54th anniversary on Saturday. KR “respects Zep” but doesn’t like to listen to them because the local classic rock stations (like just about every classic rock station in the country, if not the world,...

Staying with the 1985 theme after a week off, the Kousins thought that Mötley Crüe’s  Theatre of Pain was an underrated album and needed some love. It is the general consensus that other than one track (which really isn’t that bad), the album is a gem. Was it glammy? Yes. Was it muddy? Yes. Does the album get a bad rap? Absolutely. Buy why? Stick with us and enjoy an excellent album wi...

Dateline – The Asylum. The Year… 1985. With 1983 and 1984 being such “powerhouses” in music, 1985 had much to live up to. One of the Kousins (privately) called it “meh” compared to the previous two.  There are some landmark albums from 1985. Some represent the biggest or perhaps most widely known in some artists’ careers. It may not be the most remarkable...

The Kousins made a Top 4 list that somehow wasn’t a “Mount Rushmore” list. Each Kousin picked their top 4 Hair Metal bands. Well, sort of. Three of the Kousins did; one did something a little different. Each entry got two songs played, and there were controversies throughout, but the episode was a lot of fun. The lists weren’t consolidated to form a proper Top 4, though. Ca...

The latest Kousins Top 10 episode is all about “non-makeup” KISS albums. In this episode, the Kousins give their individual Top 10 of songs from Lick It Up (1983), Animalize (1984), Asylum (1985), Crazy Nights (1987), Hot in the Shade (1989), Revenge (1992), and Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions (1997). The ranking was weighted by number and put into a spreadsheet, and a few comput...

It’s a rematch (of sorts) in the Album Gladiator Showdown clash between Kousin Gary and Kousin Ray, who tied during the GnR battle. This time, Kousin Ray defends Ratt’s 1984 album  Out of the Cellar , and Kousin Gary defends the follow-up, Invasion of Your Privacy (1985). To reiterate the rules: After a coin flip, the winner can either go first or defer their pick. The first selector c...