An Impossible Way Of Life

From Pink Floyd's "Meddle" to the origins of Infected Clown to the Piazza test, this episode has a lot of seriously hot takes. We may have just solved the mystery of starting a successful band too. 

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODE https://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeSometimes the boys just need a breather. In old school IWOL fashion, we get together, have a few drinks and do a podcast. What happens after that is in the ear of the beholder and the lap of the patrons. We do discuss who the most "New York" musicians are though.

The Atom...The Heart...The Mother. The essence of all life. The beginnings of all creation. The most fundamental principles at the core of all existence on this planet. Aaaand a pretty decent Pink Floyd album. 

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODE https://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeYou'll have to listen to know what this one is all about...

We are joined by music supervisor, LA punk scenester, singer, songwriter and all around music lover, Tiffany Anders. Most recently you may have heard some tunes Tiffany likes on the soundtracks of hit shows like "The Lowdown" and "Reservation Dogs", but today she helps us trace the histories of American Indie Rock from SST to Sub Pop to...wherever we are now. 

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODE https://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeFloyd February carries on with our take on a record that sees a great band at a crossroads and, quite possibly, on the verge of collapse. Listening to this album is like hearing the group navigate a future without their spiritual leader, principal songwriter and frontman, Syd Barrett. Spoiler alert: It turned out alright for them in the end.

The requests for us to talk Floyd have been rolling in and the misty, grey, February timing feels right. Put a droplet in your morning tea cup, slip into your most colourful cravate and join us as we discuss the psychedelic genesis that is "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn".

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODE https://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeNot a great recollection of what this episode is about but James is back in the mix and we discuss Pink Floyd and The Eagles a fair bit. 

Johnny is in town and he met up with James at "The Main" Bar on Main Street to talk , psychogeography, piazza lifestyle, and vocal chains. An all timer folks.

Johnny is joined by Alex Bleeker and Dan Horne, two totemic pillars of the jam community. It took the passing of Bob Weir for this show to finally happen, and if there was ever a friendly rivalry between these two men, now is the time to leave it behind and come together in service of this beloved music. If we hesitate, John Mayer and Dave Matthews could take over for good.

John Mellancamp and Heartland Rock, The Hollywood Vampires, The Top Songs of 1966. We basically go through today's headlines in Ultimate Classic Rock and have laugh. 

On today's episode we are joined by Justin Gage, the man who started Aquarium Drunkard way back in 2005. If you have followed music over the past 20 years, you have almost certainly been turned onto a new (or old) record by his thoughtfully and carefully curated audio journal. Justin is a real head and we had a great time chatting with him. We need folks like him more than ever these days so tune in and hear what he had to say. 

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODE https://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeJames is home from his holidays in Europe, we catch up and discuss the great Bob Weir. This year also marks the 20 year anniversary of Destroyer's Rubies so we reminisce about the Vancouver music scene back in 2006.

James is still sipping Super Bock in Porto so the lads have a casual catch up and give each other a blind ranking challenge. 

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODE https://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeThe Beatles anthology series comes to an end and we are a fashion podcast now. 

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODE https://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeJames and Johnny make their New Years resolutions. Happy New Year and thanks for a great year everyone. We love you all. 

Merry Christmas from Johnny, James, John, Paul, George, Ringo, George, Mal, Neil, Sean, Yoko, Johnny Depp, Frodo, Gollum etc...

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODE https://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeWe dig into Episode 6 and the Pepper Period and Johnny blind ranks all the Beatles' singles. 

A drummer with a deep love for Ringo Starr and a restraint score above 7...what more can you ask for? We're talking of course about our guest, Noah Bond. This major player keeps time for Cut Worms and Alabama Shakes but, on his off days, he comes here to talk Beatles with us. What a guy. 

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODE https://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeWe carry on with The Beatles Anthology series and do some ranking for the first time in a while. 

Don't judge a book by it's cover. Although all of these recent episodes appear to have the same name and appear to be on the same topic, there is gold to be mined from all of them. If you know, you know...

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODE https://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeWhat is left to be said, you ask? A lot, apparently. RIP Steve Cropper. 

We are again thrilled to be joined by the great Jim Berkenstadt, or as he is professionally known, The Rock And Roll Detective. For years he has been investigating the many mysteries in rock and roll history and, most notably, The Beatles. Jim has not only written books on the subject, he has been in the rooms, heard the tapes, seen the vaults and smelled the dusty attics where the cobwebs of fab four history still cling. The truth is out there everyone, and with Jim's help we'll get to the bottom of it. 

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODE https://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeChristmas came early this year. The new/old Beatles Anthology series is officially out. We're gonna take this one episode at a time. 

Beatles season is heating up and we're cooking up our hottest takes yet. The Beatles truly are the gift that keeps on giving, whether we want it or not.

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODE https://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeThe Beatles are back with 30 plus tracks of Giles enhanced Anthology. Here is the IWOL take on the first half. 

We expand upon the last episode's theme and inch closer to writing an IWOL manifesto on the subject of Impress Culture in 2025 vs Pop Music Purity of the Past. We're either on to something or sound like two old men complaining about the world. Either way it's good for a laugh. We also continue our Beatles Anthology preview. 

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODE https://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeThe Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, Joe Cocker, The Cabal, pointing, kissing the ring, Yo Yo Ma, Jacob Collier, Best Arrangement Grammy, Finch (The Movie), We Are The World, Nebraska, John Lennon's new voice memos etc etc etc. It's all the same thing...

Friend of the pod and Sunset Strip major player Luke Paquin got to jam with one of his heroes last weekend. IWOL got the exclusive.

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODE https://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeWe kind of watch the 1988 Imagine doc and talk more John, Yoko, Beatles etc etc. May not seem like much, but these morning coffee pods are producing some pretty hot takes. 

The plot thickens as we sift through the pages of the 1980 John & Yoko Playboy Interview. Is this truly a rock confessional from a music legend returning to the public eye? Or is it a smoke and mirrors show from two marketing savvy gurus on a fresh press tour for their new album? Your rock n roll detectives are here to figure it out. 

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODE https://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeWe discuss the legendary 1980 tell all interview that John and Yoko gave Playboy just 2 months before John's death. 

We continue with our Beatles Anthology Holiday Preview by taking a listen to the newly released "I've Just Seen A Face" (Take 2) and discussing other Beatles/Lord of The Rings related topics.

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODE https://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeBesides being an incredible singer, songwriter and herbalist, Sarah Jane Scouten is also "one of the survivors" of the early 2000s Vancouver scene that James and Johnny also came up in. She's currently out at Johnny's compound recording a new album so she hopped on the pod to chew the fat.

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODE https://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeWe are joined by Will Anderson of Hotline TNT to discuss his halcyon days in Vancouver as well as his band's recent decision to pull their music from Spotify.

We've always been Beatles adjacent and there's too much Beatlesy stuff on the horizon to ignore. Time to Get Back into Beatles. 

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODE https://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeJames is on the last leg of his cross Canada tour and manages to get a pod in from a cozy booth in the corner of the venue, just before the dinner rush. 

Considered one of the greatest IWOL episodes too many times to not add it to the archives. James is back from tour next week and we will have a lot more to say about everything. Thanks for your patience everyone. xo J&J

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODE https://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeJohnny gets together with his old Shilohs band mates to talk about old times and draft a fantasy hockey team. Mike rented a Ford F150 for the occasion. Enough said.

James is still out in the great Canadian wilderness, channeling the sacred spirits of Gord Downie and Gord Lightfoot while searching for a Rock 'n Roll Heaven on Earth. Turns out maybe it was in Canada all along; Somewhere between Bobcaygeon and the Bloor St. Long & Mcquade. Meanwhile, Johnny is on the west coast building a sun deck out of red cedar and douglas fir, his blue Marvin Gaye toque soaked from the thick mist spitting off the wild Pacific. It's a true Canadian episode everyone. 

In the midst of a cross Canada Rock n Roll tour for the history books, James takes a minute to record a pod in the Hamilton Ontario green room over some pita bread and local pilsner. 

James is on tour at the moment so we thought we'd take a Wednesday off and drop what is known as an IWOL "all timer". It is somewhat relevant though as we have been discussing The Byrds. Even though this episode is called "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" it's really just us trying to figure out who the hell is in The Byrds for an hour. A sweet side note is that my (Johnny) grandfather died the day this was recorded and the hilarity of this episode really lifted my spirits on a very sad day. Back to your regularly scheduled programming come Sunday. 

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODE https://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeThe Vancouver Canucks, The Byrds, Gene Clark, 70s sun baked cinema, Robert Altman, Doucette, Loverboy, Aerosmith, Motley Crue, Bruce Fairbairn, Bob Rock etc...Anything can, and will, happen when Stranglehold comes on the show. One of our fave episodes in a while. 

James' very own hit making beat combo @yukon Blonde is storming the @impossiblewayoflife airwaves for a full-on Band Takeover episode. As we gear up for our cross-Canada tour, performing our power pop long player, “Friendship & Rock 'n' Roll,” the whole gang piles into the green room to swap road stories, map out the long drives ahead, and crack open our hopes, fears, and daydreams for the shows to come. It's the sound of a band in motion, revved up, restless, and ready to roll.Come see us at a venue near you, we will be happy to have you!  Peace and Love!

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODEhttps://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeThe Byrds are good? Are they underrated? Overrated? Dated? Too hippie? Is this the cool side of the strip or is that over where Arthur Lee and Jim Morrison hang out? And how does this all relate to Oasis? We're trying to figure it all out. 

'Nuff said, mate. 

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODEhttps://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifeJohnny's off in LA chasing his Rock 'n' Roll fever dream - mescal shots and hot dogs fueling the vision. I'm heading down to meet him for the big Oasis show, bucket hat, cagoule, and tracksuit packed and ready. Joining me is my old mucker Sam Hammond, here to talk Oasis, Gene Clark, and a few of those niche British phantoms that haunted our youth.

Imagine releasing a song and it reshaping the pop music landscape as we know it. A song that makes almost everyone rethink what they're singing, wearing and smoking. Now imagine that song is a cover of a song called "Mr. Tambourine Man" and your band is called The Byrds.

SUBSCRIBE TO IMPOSSIBLE WAY OF LIFE ON PATREON TO ACCESS FULL EPISODEhttps://www.patreon.com/animpossiblewayoflifePlanes, trains, and a yacht? That's right we went full John Candy this week. James came in on a red-eye like a fugitive, while Johnny swanned in via yacht like a soft-rock Caligula. Whatever it took to make curtain call.We caught Tennis on their farewell gig, hearts cracked open, mascara bleeding and the cherry on the sundae, Real Estate stroll in to open the whole thing.So we hit record, stumbling through the crowd, talking to Bleeker and the gang, chasing nightcaps that turned into a full chicken dinner courtesy of a rider malfunction that could've killed a lesser band. Think Altamont, but with more poultry.Glorious. Gorgeous.And hey, support us on Patreon if you want an extra hit every week. Impossible Way of Life is built by musicians for musicians: the grind, the glory, and the deliciously unhinged mess that is making music.

Embracing the "tour van mentality" that is Impossible Way of Life, we have the lads from Cut Worms on to play a game they play on tour. 

Jojo was a man who put out a new album, so he came back on the show...We also begin our journey into The Byrds' family tree of bands. Quite possibly the greatest in all of classic rock.