PLAY DISC

It's our anniversary, and Harrison has brought a nostalgic favorite from his childhood, Smash Mouth's sophomore album Astro Lounge. In our discussion, we cover... The long shadow that a hit like "All Star" casts over the rest of the album, and all the "All Star but" memes The first albums Jon and Harrison bought for themselves The question of "Who is this album for?" (Spoiler alert: The answer is "Harrison") A probably-too-long aside about how Shrek holds up Smash Mouth's strange affectation of "cool" on this album, as though they don't know what "cool" actually is Harrison's surprising take on the album's reggae song How the pop perfection of "When the Morning Comes" belies a strange structure The origins of "Can't Get Enough of You Baby" Jon wonders what's driving "I Just Wanna See" Our picks for key track and a preview of next week's episode! Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! Here's an article about Smash Mouth's crusade against being called a One Hit Wonder on Twitter: https://mashable.com/2016/06/15/smash-mouth-fights-twitter-trolls/ The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Special Guest: Mo Ouyang.

Guitarist Mo Ouyang is here with us today, discussing Jane's Addiction and their 1988 major label debut, Nothing's Shocking! Over the course of an hourlong discussion, we cover... Mo's long residence in Shanghai, China, and the types of guitars you can get there Jane's Addiction's surge in late-80s Los Angeles and their cultural influence Who Jane was, and why it was probably not great for Perry Farrell to write a song that uses her name The hippy vibe of "Summertime Rolls" The influence of Jane's on Mo and his friend MC Frontalot What it was that Ted should "Just admit" on "Just Admit It, Ted..." Whether the lyrics in "Standing in the Shower... Thinking" really say "The water is a-piping hot" or something less wholesome What the "Pigs" represent in "Pigs in Zen"... and for that matter, what "Zen" is in that song, too Our key tracks and a preview of next week's episode! Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Special Guest: Mo Ouyang.

In some outtakes from last week's episode on the Dismemberment Plan, Jon, Harrison, and special guest Glenn Case chat about some of the Dismemberment Plan's later work, social anxiety, karaoke, how Gen-Z has claimed the word "Oof," and Glenn's arm tattoo, depicting the cover art from Emergency & I. They're some fun, if disconnected, pieces of conversation, and we hope they tide you over until next week's episode on Jane's Addiction! Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Special Guest: Glenn Case.

Independent musician Glenn Case is back, this time on an album discussion episode! After winning the PLAY DISC Request Lottery at the end of last episode, Glenn agreed to join us for the discussion on The Dismemberment Plan's 1999 album Emergency & I. OVer the course of our conversation, we discuss... Glenn's occasional correspondence with Dismemberment Plan frontman Travis Morrison, including Morrison's reaction upon learning we were doing this episode Jon and Harrison's difficulty in trying to identify any preceding influence that might explain this album The multiple songs on this album that have odd time signatures, and the one where it was most noticeable ("Is there such thing as seven-and-a-half over four?") The relationship between computer coding and writing these types of songs The early articulation of the idea of "emotional labor" in "Memory Machine" Some discordant vocal melody choices and how they lead to "breakthroughs" as the songs evolve The album's themes of loneliness, struggle, isolation, desperation... The human condition Comparing the hormonal libidinous "Girl O'Clock" with Joe Jacksons' hormonal libidinous "Pretty Girls" Harrison finds an unlikely point of comparison in an anime (who had that on their Bingo card?) "I Love a Magician" and the Turd in the Caviar (https://music.avclub.com/the-turd-in-the-caviar-24-songs-that-almost-derail-gre-1798223671) Our key tracks and a preview of next week's episode! Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Special Guest: Glenn Case.

Testing the boundaries of our format by pushing the definition of "album" a bit, Jon brings a fairly unconventional compilation for discussion. See, in 2012, Beck published a book of sheet music for an album of new songs, but no recordings. In 2014, Warby Parker sponsored a compilation disc of twenty different artists all performing the songs of Song Reader. The album is eclectic, sprawling, and arguably doesn't even sound much like Beck, so we thought it would be interesting to talk about for an hour! Over the course of our discussion, we also cover... Which band probably wouldn't have been considered for this compilation if it hadn't been recorded in 2013 (and why it's fun.) Harrison's discovery of who/what Warby Parker is How Jack White is one of the world's best living guitarists, but he got out-soloed by pre-Grammy Jason Isbell Jon's "Mandela Effect" moment, incorrectly recalling two different songs performed by Beck on this compilation Jarvis Cocker sounding like Rorschach in "Eyes that Say I Love You" Harrison mistaking Sparks for someone else (we later realized it was probably Jordin Sparks) Jon Wonders whether "Saint Dude" might have anything to do with The Big Lebowski The heartbreaking lyrics to "America, Here's My Boy" and why they're even more powerful as performed by Swamp Dogg Our key tracks and a preview of the next episode! Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Harrison requested that Jon try to sell him on U2, so Jon chose their third album, 1983's War (huh!) and set to work. We talk about the band's sense of urgency in their early recordings, Bono's strict antiwar and antiviolence stance, and what it meant in the rock world of the early 80s. Did it work? Listen to find out! We also discuss... Why Jon picked War (huh!) over other U2 albums, even ones he might like better The Edge's guitar rig (notably his delay pedal), and how public perception of it has changed over the years Steve Lillywhite's contributions as producer How Larry Mullen Jr.'s drums are the "secret weapon" of this album How The Edge's guitar is the not-so-secret weapon of the album How Bono took a love song to his wife and turned it into a Soviet WWII ballad The guest musicians from Kid Creole's backing band on "Red Light" and "Surrender" Bono's moral cosmology on "Surrender" How the evocative imagery directly from the Bible used in "'40'" upstages the rest of the album Our key tracks and the PLAY DISC Request Lottery Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Last week's episode about Joe Jackson ran very long, so we had to cut a lot. This outtake seemed too good to leave on the cutting room floor, as Jon, Harrison, and Derrek talk about cover songs - songs they first heard as covers, songs they didn't realize were covers, and favorite cover songs. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

It's always a treat when we get to interview the creative force behind an album that we've discussed on the show, and this was no exception! Grace Rowland (aka Grace Park), the singer and songwriter for The Deer, phoned in for an interview with Jon & Harrison! We discussed some of the misheard song lyrics, that Valentine's Day show in 2014, the songwriting process, working in independent studios, genre, and continued our ongoing corrections about pronunciation! Grace also added a pick of her own to the PLAY DISC Request Lottery! Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Picking up right where part 2 left off, Harrison, Jon, and guest Matt Latham, discuss... The epic Britpop masterpiece "Biology" The album's overarching themes and concept The deceptive shallowness of "Swinging London Town" The sexual politics of "Racey Lacey" Our key tracks And a preview of our next episode of PLAY DISC Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

For our eighteenth episode, Jon & Harrison welcome a guest to discuss an album for the first time. Matt Latham, host of the Pick A Disc podcast on the We Made This network, joins us to discuss Girls Aloud and their 2005 album Chemistry. Our discussion ran very long, so we cut it into two parts, each about 40 minutes, for your easier digestion. For the course of this first half, We discuss: The massive cultural differences between the US and the UK, and how none of us know whether any particular piece of culture is known in the other country The history of British reality TV that created Girls Aloud Brian Higgins and his songwriting team Xenomania The British tradition of following the annual quest for the Christmas Day #1 single The coded lyrics of "Models" The insane structure of "Wild Horses Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! Subscribe to Pick A Disc here: https://www.spreaker.com/show/pick-a-disc Follow Pick A Disc on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pickadisc Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

For our seventeenth episode, it’s time to pick it up pick it up pick it up! As Harrison brings Suburban Legends’ 2012 ska album Day Job for discussion. Ska is near and dear to Harrison’s heart, as he may have mentioned a time or two on the show before, so it was about time we covered a ska album! Over the course of the hour-long discussion, we touch on… What ska is and why it’s so important to Harrison The ways that Suburban Legends have chafed against their genre before settling into it The wild genre experiments on this album Musical allusions and borrowed melodies, and the layers of discovery they add to this album Suburban Lengends’ residency at DisneyLand and their relationship to Disney… ...Culminating in not just one, but two ska covers of songs from Disney musicals on this album! How “Arigato” combines Harrison’s love of ska with his weeaboo tendency Harrison’s translation of the Japanese lyrics in “Arigato” The surprising guest appearance by indie rapper Lyrics Born The PLAY DISC Request Lottery and a preview of our next episode Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

For our sixteenth episode, Jon & Harrison take on an album requested by one of their past interview guests! Patty Lynn of The Wind + The Wave requested Transatlanticism, the 2003 concept album by indie darlings Death Cab for Cutie. Over the course of an hour-long discussion, we cover… The silliness of “Death Cab for Cutie” as a band name, and other silly band names of the aughts Whether this truly counts as a concept album, and what even is a concept album, anyway? The occasionally clunky word choices permeating this album The contrasting energies of Ben Gibbard’s lyrics as Chris Walla’s expansive musical arrangements More bad impersonations by Jon - Millhouse van Houten, President Bill Clinton, and Zero Mostel How the lyrics do not show Ben Gibbard (or the character he’s playing) in a very flattering light Some speculation over different interpretations of “Tiny Vessels,” “Transatlanticism,” and “Passenger Seat” Harrison and Jon reveal their picks for Key Track The Request Lottery and a preview of next episode's album Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! The dice roll from this episode's Request Lottery can be found here: https://youtu.be/tYc4_Z4HWk8 The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at any level. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

For our fifteenth episode, Jon brings for discussion the 1976 Linda Ronstadt album, Hasten Down the Wind. Over the course of the hour-long discussion, we cover… The unjust preconception that Linda Ronstadt’s music is uncool or for the out-of-touch Ronstadt’s surprising choice to name her album after a song by Warren Zevon The unbelievable “hot streak” of platinum selling albums this was part of Ronstadt’s choice to work with more “up and coming” songwriters for this album, like Zevon and Karla Bonoff David Geffen and his second record label, Asylum The “Laurel Canyon Sound,” and other artists who have exemplified it over the years Ronstadt’s relationship with her producer, Peter Asher The surprising presence of a Spanish-language song penned by Ronstadt herself The even more surprising presence of an actual Rastafari anthem followed by a "reggae" song… with "reggae" in quotes Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at any level. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

For our fourteenth episode, Harrison brings for discussion Janelle Monáe's 2013 sophomore album, The Electric Lady. Over the course of our hour-long discussion, we cover... The album's place in Monáe's ongoing science fiction epic Metropolis How much importance to place on the "plot" of these concept albums The incredible feat of roping both Prince and Erykah Badu into guest spots How much Jon loves Yo Gabba Gabba How Janelle Monáe embodies the ethos of dancing our way through difficult times, and how that might be counterproductive in 2020 What is and is not an "Overture" The similarities between this album's "Ghetto Woman" and Jon's key track from Atmosphere's When Life Gives You Lemons, "Dreamer" "Sally Ride" and its expression of the "I don't want to live on this planet anymore" feeling Our picks for the key track Rolling the dice for the PLAY DISC Request Lottery and a preview of next week's episode! Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! Here's the video for this episode's dice roll: https://youtu.be/GNpu-Pp9Low The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Included free with last week's episode on Dan Bern, today's BONUS DISC is an interview with Bern himself! Harrison was unable to join, but Jon and Dan spoke on the phone about a number of things, including... Coping with a pandemic The politics of Regent Street Dan's work as a songwriter-for-hire for movies and TV The changes in songwriting process brough about by Dan's hand injury How difficult it was to set the track order for Regent Street His relationship to his earlier material Dan puts Jon on the spot and asks about Harrison's reaction to Regent Street And more! Due to being recording from a phone, the audio quality on this episode is below the standards of previous episodes. We think it's still audible, but have included a transcript of this episode for the purposes of accessibility. The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

For our thirteenth episode, Jon breaks a rule by bringing a recent album to the table - Dan Bern's 2019 album Regent Street. Over the course of an hour, we discuss: Jon's recent cross-promotional apperance on Pick A Disc with Matthew Latham, in which they discussed a different Dan Bern album. Why such a recent album was chosen when PLAY DISC is usually a retrospective Dan Bern's hand injury, how changing his instrument imbued Bern's music with new energy, and how Jon could relate to it "Dear Tiger Woods" and Bern's career-long fascination with the golfer The political messages in the songs of Regent Street and the extent to which we agree or disagree with them How Dan Bern publicly expresses his Jewish identity and our relationship to Judaism (and, sadly, antisemitism) Whether "Negotiation" is about politics or sex... or both? What Dan Bern has in common with the Romantic poets of the 18th century Our picks for the KEY TRACK of Regent Street The PLAY DISC Request Lottery and a preview of our next episode Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! RIP Adam Schlesinger. 1967-2020. One of the best and most prolific songwriters in recent memory, taken from us too soon. Hear Jon's guest appearance on Pick A Disc here: https://www.spreaker.com/user/wemadethis/1x32-db Here is the link to the video of the dice roll: https://youtu.be/IIu1K5e0YAo The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

For our 12th episode, Jon and Harrison are listening to someone else's recommendation...what?! At the request of listener Billy Callis (through the magic of our Play Disc Request Lottery!), today we discuss King Crimson's debut album, In The Court Of The Crimson King. Over the course of an hour, join us as we: Discuss the little observed fact that Kanye West listens to King Crimson Hear Jon's impersonations of Casey Kasem, Sir Patrick Stewart, and (after a fashion) Kanye West Talk about the virtues and vices of flute solos Marvel at the gall of someone showing up to a job interview without any of the requested qualifications Experience Harrison's shock upon discovering Robert Christgau's evaluation of King Crimson Have a brief discussion to talk about who the best drummer of all time is Wax poetic about the slowly disappearing art of the album, and Harrison maybe comes around a little bit on vinyl Listen to Harrison learn what a mellotron is in real time Elucidate a slight tension between Jon and Harrison and how they critically approach music Entertain Harrison whining about people who Oppenheimer and Nietzsche Get into a brief argument about whether or not each note needs to justify its existence and whether or not you can miss an absence of something Discuss our key track, while Harrison does a bit of metagaming Preview our next episode Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! Find Billy Callis on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/BillyCallis/ And find Billy's band Nailhouse at https://www.instagram.com/Nailhouse__ The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

It's our 11th episode, and Harrison has brought metal gods Iron Maiden to the table with their third album, Piece of Mind. Over the course of our hour-long discussion, we cover... The comforting feeling of getting exactly what you want from a familiar artist Iron Maiden's changing lineup, and how this album showed them "becoming Iron Maiden" Can one great song save an otherwise unremarkable album? The backmasking at the beginning of "Still Life" Jon picks on Harrison's inappropriately long-lived love of ska, and Harrison picks on Jon's completely appropriate enduring love of The Beatles How weird it is that we don't hear much about the Satanic Panic of the 1980s anymore Iron Maiden's fandom of Frank Herbert's Dune... and how they were rebuffed by Frank Herbert Jon dunks on Lord Tennyson with a 170-year-belated sick burn Jon & Harrison pick their key tracks! The PLAY DISC Request Lottery (now with its own theme song!) A preview of next week's episode! Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! Here is the video of Jon rolling the dice for the Request Lottery: https://youtu.be/N-sIf6N3xNU The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

For a special bonus episode, Jon & Harrison are joined by Glenn Case (glenncase.com), who blessed us with an extremely energetic interview in which we discussed... Our history with online comunities such as MC Frontalot (frontalot.com), The Frontalittle Squad, and Song Fight (songfight.org)! Glenn's new album Growth, available now for purchase and on all streaming platforms How Glenn keeps up with so many projects at once and stays prolific Death and its reminder to create things you love because our time is limited The advantages of recording in a home studio Some details about the next project by indie rock-rap group The Grammar Club The significance of some of the songs on Growth, especially "Honorary" and "I'm No Good" Glenn chooses a song for the PLAY DISC Request Lottery Why Glenn loves the number 12 Glenn's tradition of releasing albums on Leap Day, April 1, and his birthday Harrison once again compares something to ska that has no business being compared to ska Here are some relevant links from the discussion. Let us know if we forgot anything, because Glenn covered a lot of ground. Glenn Case's website: https://glenncase.com Glenn's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/glenncase Glenn's Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/user/glenncase Song Fight! website: https://songfight.org (and btw, go listen and vote for The Frontalittle Squad's latest entry!) The Grammar Club's website: https://thegrammarclub.bandcamp.com/ Jamuary website: https://www.jonathanmann.net/jamuary Brother Machine: https://brothermachine.bandcamp.com/ - RIP Seth. :-( Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com (mailto:playdiscpodcast@gmail.com) This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Special Guest: Glenn Case.

For our tenth episode (!), Jon brings the 2014 album by Old Crow Medicine Show, Remedy. Over the course of our hour-long discussion, we talk about... Jon's nine-year-old daughter and her favorite band (EDITOR'S NOTE: Her favorite band has changed since this episode was recorded - try and guess it now!) Whether we needed to be told it was okay to like a bluegrass album, or that "OCMS is actually a secret punk or metal band" (they're not) Whether it's offensive to call bluegrass "Hillbilly music" Our opinions on modern country music Our adoration of Dolly Parton "The Warden" and whether it's okay for a bluegrass song to sympathize with a prison warden Our key tracks for the album Our dice roll for the PLAY DISC Request Lottery A preview of our next episode, about Iron Maiden's Piece of Mind Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above. The video of the dice roll from this episode is here: https://youtu.be/cUiIgQJNmno Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

For our ninth episode, Harrison brings for consideration the 2008 album by Atmosphere, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint that Shit Gold. Over the course of our hour-long discussion, we talk about... How much in our lives and the world has changed in the eleven years since this album's release (ooOOoooo...... Timeghost (https://xkcd.com/1393/)!) The change in Atmosphere from being a DJ-and-rapper duo to being a full four-piece band The album's lyrical reliance on "twist endings" and extended metaphors The mind-blowing true meaning of the "skinny white pimp" in "The Skinny" Slug's prominent use of women as protagonists of his songs—why that works, and why it might not Whether or not the titular waitress of "The Waitress" knows that the song's narrator is her father (spoiler alert!) Whether the conversation between Slug and the person he's rapping to in "Yesterday" is more "lovers talk" or "dad talk" (spoiler alert again!) How Atmosphere can make a lifetime of struggle culminating in a "F$&% YOU!" feel like a triumph We reveal our key tracks and roll for next week's PLAY DISC Request Lottery Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above. The Youtube video for this episode's Request Lottery dice roll is here: https://youtu.be/WthnexucU5Q Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Jon & Harrison sit down with special guest Patty Lynn, one-half of the eclectic folk-pop duo The Wind + the Wave! Over the course of an hour, we discuss... Jon's discovery of The Wind + The Wave early in their career, thanks to some ardent boosting from KUTX How first albums can be intensely personal, followed by the pressure to repeat the magic Why the band chose to work with an outside producer for their second album, and how that went The Wind + The Wave's current album, the vinyl-exclusive collection of 80s songs, Covers II How the band chooses their covers, and why the new album is vinyl exclusive Patty's public advocacy for mental health discussion, and her personal struggles Patty's forthcoming side project with Kelly Jones Patty picks an album for our Request Lottery Pre-order Covers II by The Wind + The Wave here: https://www.thewindandthewave.com/shop/covers-ii-vinyl-preorder Thanks to Ben Wright-Heuman for custom cover art for this episode! Support the Kickstarter campaign for his second graphic novel Letters of the Devil II: The Legacy of L here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bwhcomics/the-letters-of-the-devil-ii-the-legacy-of-l Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

For our 8th episode, Jon brings for consideration Billy Joel and his 1983 album An Innocent Man. Over the course of our hour-long discussion, we talk about... Harrison's reputation in the neighborhood where he works for having eclectic music Creativity in a state of "flow" What Billy Joel has in common with Sylvia Plath Joel's songwriting process, which he called "Wrestling the beast with 88 teeth" How Billy Joel's music saved Jon from a depression in his early teenage years Harrison asks: Is Billy Joel kind of a Communist? We ponder whether Joel's intentional homages to the (mostly black) musicians of his youth constitutes cultural appropriation, and whether it's "okay" We reveal our key tracks The dice roll for the PLAY DISC Request Lottery A preview of our next episode, on Atmosphere's When Life Gives You Lemons... Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! Our artist Ben Wright-Heuman is running a Kickstarter campaign for his next graphic novel, Letters of the Devil 2. We have an advertisement for it in this episode. Support him and/or order your copy by CLICKING HERE NOW! (https://LOTD-Comic.com) Links to stuff we discussed in the episode: The 12" dance remix of "Tell Her About It" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4yjp7RUOjI The biography of Billy Joel from which Jon cites the phrase "Wrestling the beast with 88 teeth" and the anecdote about the speedy writing process of this album - Billy Joel: The Life and Times of an Angry Young Man by Hank Bordowitz (https://www.amazon.com/Billy-Joel-Times-Revised-Updated/dp/1617130052/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=billy+joel+biography&qid=1580316625&sr=8-6) The Sylvia Plath quote (which was, in point of fact, a quote about Sylvia Plath by her husband, Ted Hughes) - https://nevalalee.wordpress.com/2013/11/02/she-was-quite-happy-to-get-a-chair-or-even-a-toy/ A helpful site about the early rock performances in the USSA as Gorbachev slowly lifted the Iron Curtain - https://historyofrussia.org/billy-joels-historic-soviet-concert-tour/ (note that Billy Joel was not the first legal rock performance in the USSR. That honor went to Elton John. But Billy Joel headlined the first legal rock concert tour in the USSR, and the first rock concert to be broadcast in the USSR.) The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

For our 7th episode, Harrison brings for consideration the 2004 album by Bowling For Soup, A Hangover You Don't Deserve. Over the course of our hour-long discussions, we talk about... Harrison's "Literal Desert Island Mix" and why this album is on it What makes Bowling For Soup fit in with the 2000s pop-punk scene... And what makes them different The "clever" gimmicks that drive many of the album's songs The confusing mechanics of the lyrics to "Almost" Jon's difficulty remembering "Smoothie King," and Harrison explaining how it's actually a depressing song Harrison's young mind having difficulty with the concept of metaphor What Bowling for Soup have in common with Shakespeare's Richard III The self-awareness of "Really Might Be Gone"... And its similarity to another contemporaneous album track Jon and Harrison reveal their Key Track(s) We roll the dice for the PLAY DISC Request Lottery A preview of our next episode, covering Billy Joel's An Innocent Man Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above. Here's a link to the YouTube video of the dice roll: https://youtu.be/ab_HjIkTzJc Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

In lieu of an "outtakes" episode this week, we have a full-length interview with the band. Three fourths of it, anyway. Tim Quirk, Sandy Smallens, and Jay Blumenfield sat down for an interview with Jon & Harrison. Tommy Vinton couldn't make it, but Jay did a great Tommy impression! We dicsuss their connection to Ohio, the band's influence on the funny, sarcastic pop punk movement that followed them, the transition from being in a rock band to the business world, the bands that influenced them the most, and their infamous Miami arrest on obscenity charges for playing 2 Live Crew songs. We also gave each of them an entry into our Request Lottery! It was a fun-filled hour of discussion and reminiscences, so come join us and let us know what you think. Then come back in one week for our next regular episode, when we'll be talking about Bowling for Soup. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

For our sixth episode, Jon brings for consideration Too Much Joy, an early and relatively obscure influence for a lot of cheeky pop-punk bands, and their 1991 major-label debut Cereal Killers. Over the course of our hour-long discussion, we talk about.... The surprising saga of how Newt Gingrich came to be a Too Much Joy fan... and then had to disavow them Harrison's total shock at hearing KRS-One do a guest verse The balance of humor and poignancy; how Too Much Joy recorded songs that were funny and embraced humor without being "a comedy band." The Abbott & Costello routine that inspired "Susquehanna Hat Company"... and why Jon might have ruined the song by discussing it The numerous ways that Too Much Joy is able to "have it both ways" in their songwriting The impressively strange angles of some of these song lyrics What's up with Ohio? How the band's embrace of artifice and "fakeness" clashed against a genre that was beginning to crave "authenticity" in its performers Jon and Harrison reveal their Key Tracks The debut of our PLAY DISC Request Lottery! Donate to our Patreon at the $5 level or above to get a request on the list! And a preview of our next episode, on Bowling For Soup and their 2005 album A Hangover You Don't Deserve Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! Starting this week, we've begun rolling dice for our PLAY DISC Request Lottery! Here's the link to the video of Jon rolling the dice, so you know we're honest. https://youtu.be/oOLnozgSJxA (The video is pretty low quality, but you can still see the dice, and that's all that matters). The spreadsheet Request Lottery picks and their associated numbers can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xOiYNZduLxz7L2CtNUPK1YOu63ni2XTWpcy1cdB6EQw/edit?usp=sharing You can get your request on this list by donating to our Patreon account at the $5 level or above. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Two outtakes from last weeks' PLAY DISC episode about Weezer's self-titled debut album. In one, Harrison compares the music critic community's reception of Weezer to their reception of Oasis earlier in the same decade. In the other outtake, Harrison and Jon argue about whether Weezer was "emo," and what "emo" even means. Also, Harrison shares what he found when he checked in on a problematic favorite band of his from high school. Stay tuned for another full episode next Tuesday, and every other Tuesday, anywhere you get your podcasts! Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

For our fifth episode, Harrison brings for consideration Weezer's 1994 self-titled debut album, often referred to as The Blue Album. Over the course of an hour-long discussion, we also talk about... The temporal weirdness of the "Buddy Holly" Happy Days crossover music video The frustration of a band with six different self-titled albums in their discography (including two from the same year!) How much, in retrospect, Rivers Cuomo comes across as creepy on this album, and whether that's intentional satire We pay our respects to this album's producer, the recently departed Cars frontman, Ric Ocasek Whether being a D&D nerd shelters Rivers Cuomo from criticisms of toxic masculinity The strange word choices in the lyrics throughout the album, like "choo choo train," and "you need a guardian" A preview of our next episode about Too Much Joy and their 1991 album Cereal Killers Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Three outtakes from last week's episode. In the first, Jon rambles on a bit about his extended family, and Harrison calls him out about the bit going nowhere. In the second, Jon mentions something that happened in 1979, prompting Harrison to wonder whether that was "the year Rock died." And in the third, Jon makes a discovery in mid-recording about Rachael Yamagata, which delights him. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

For our fourth episode, Jon brings for consideration the crowdfunded and self-published 2011 album Chesapeake by independent singer/songwriter Rachael Yamagata. Along the way, we also discussed... How awesome it is to crowdsource funding for your favorite artists (hint, hint! (https://patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast)) Artists that we like so much we've only ever listened to one album The conventions and history of the "Adult Contemporary" genre How Pat Boone sanitized "rock'n'roll" music for a more clean-nosed audience The weirdly specific emotional similarity between one song on this album and a particular British novelist A preview of our next episode, about Weezer's self-titled 1994 debut album, also known as The Blue Album Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Two outtakes from last week's episode. In the first, Jon fails to place an iconic lyric from the album... See, Harrison wasn't the only one who forgot lyrics; but Harrison's flub stayed in the episode because it was funnier. In the second, Jon rants about the difficulty he had looking up Q-Tip on Wikipedia. We're happy to report that this complaint didn't make it to the final episode because Wikipedia has fixed the problem since the episode was recorded, so it's actually no longer true! Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

For our third episode, Harrison wanted to pick an album to highlight his love of hip-hop music, but which album would best exemplify the apex of what this auspicious genre has to offer? We settled on 1991's The Low End Theory, a beloved and historically important LP by A Tribe Called Quest. Over the course of an hour, we discuss... The album's general lack of political overtones Phife and Q-Tip's general distaste for the music industry What the Universal Zulu Nation has in common with the actual Zulu Nation... and with the Fleur de Lis Phife Dawg's rapid ascent and development as an MC Q-Tip's blissed-out jazz-hop flow How some aspects of this album haven't aged as well as others, unfortunately What a "pager" is and what sorts of nefarious business you could get up to with one (if you could find a payphone, that is) And, as always, we conclude with our choices for the Key Track and a preview of our next episode, in which we'll be discussing Rachel Yamagata and her 2011 album Chesapeake. Come join us for an hour of thoughtful and good-humored commentary, and we'll catch you on the B-side! Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

In an outtake from last week's episode about The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour, Harrison and Jon discuss which of the four Beatles is their favorite. NOTE: Jon quotes an anecdote about John Lennon saying "Ringo isn't even the best drummer in the Beatles." We've since learned that this interview is fabricated, and that Lennon probably never said that.

In our second episode, Jon leads a discussion about the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour, the band's second album of 1967. Jon still considers this his favorite Beatles album, and ruminates on the difference between "favorite" and "best" in this context. We also discuss... The terrible TV special that this album was the soundtrack to How corporate meddling saved the album by adding more songs George Martin's miracle in cobbling together one of the Beatles' best songs from disparate studio sessions of "Strawberry Fields Forever" The strange borrowed nostalgia of "Your Mother Should Know" The bizarre surrealist masterpiece "I Am the Walrus" The Beatles' self-coronation at the end of "All You Need Is Love" Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

In our inaugural episode, Harrison leads a discussion about Linkin Park and their 2000 debut album Hybrid Theory. We discuss the revolutionary genre blending of the rap/rock/industrial/thrash/metal group, placing it in the context of the somewhat segregated pop scene of its time. We also discuss... Whether the lyrics have aged well How simplicity can help some songs become hits How the music video for "Papercut" was traumatizing to a young viewer The ethics of publicly criticizing a band when they change direction The general trend toward discussing maligned pop culture more charitably Chester Bennington's history of personal trauma and troubled relationship with his fandom Mike Shinoda's rap technique The production techniques that characterize this album's sound Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/PlayDiscPodcast Follow us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlayDiscPodcast/ Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PlayDiscPodcast Email us at playdiscpodcast@gmail.com This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.