The LIFERS Podcast

Ben Kweller's excellent new record COVER THE MIRRORS comes with a heartbreaking back-story —it was borne out of the tragic death of his teenage son Dorian— but in typical Kweller fashion, the album is an inspirational and life affirming collection  that also happens to be the best thing he's ever recorded. On this episode we talk to “the kid” about producing himself, growing up in Texas with a drummer dad, Face Time collaborations, his first slug-bugging meeting with Scott, Jewish rockers, Nirvana and Garth Brooks, why you'll never make it through his new song “Letter To Agony” with dry eyes, and we pick the best(!?!) Beach Boys songs.  Upcoming Ben Kweller Tour Dates: Tickets at benkweller.com Follow BK's socials @benkweller July 9, 2025 Wednesday Aspen, CO Belly Up July 11, 2025 Friday Denver, CO Bluebird Theater July 12, 2025 Saturday Fort Collins, CO Aggie July 14, 2025 Monday Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge July 17, 2025 Thursday Seattle, WA Neumos July 18, 2025 Friday Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret July 19, 2025 Saturday Portland, OR Mississippi Studios July 21, 2025 Monday San Francisco, CA Independent July 22, 2025 Tuesday Venice, CA The Venice West July 23, 2025 Wednesday Los Angeles, CA Troubadour July 25, 2025 Friday San Diego, CA Casbah July 26, 2025 Saturday Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom

After a week off, the boys are back on their mics (Gabe's is working!) for a fond look back on an iconic Local H morning television appearance. Also: An informal What's the Best Spielberg?!? What's the Best grilled cheese?!? Gabe contemplates breaking his exclusive LIFERS contract, Ben goes third person, Scott stays limber, and Justine dares Gabe to say it to her face. Enjoy!

After an attempt at a laid-back hangout episode is marred by Gabe's faulty computer — things get out of hand when the guys engage in an escalating game of Uninvited Guest that quickly spins out of control. Will anyone survive? Cast of characters: SCOTT LUCAS — The helpless host. GABE RODRIGUEZ — The careless computer operator. BEN REISER — The hapless tech “expert”. MAHMOOD SHAIKH — The outside agitator. DEANNA BELOS — The unwitting ingenue. STEVE REIDELL — The mysterious train passenger whose motives remain opaque (what does he want?). MIKE LUSTIG — The ‘original' uninvited guest (what does he KNOW?!?). HERB ROSEN — Herb. JOE CARSELLO — The ominous spectator behind the curtain whose evil knows no bounds and maybe all of this is his doing and we're just pawns in his sick game and we probably should've just taken the week off but here we are. Listen at your peril. You've been warned…

Returning champion Deanna Belos just released a new documentary about her band called NOBODY'S GONNA DO IT FOR YOU: TEN YEARS OF SINCERE ENGINEER. You can watch it for free on YouTube right NOW (just like 2 out of the 3 of us did — guess who didn't) and then you can come back and listen to us talk about it on this episode. We also talk about real amps vs. fake amps, Big Boi vs. Andre 3000, Scott vs. Deanna, and we try to pick our favorite comedies of the ‘90s.

This week we're all about the art of the hustle in the land of multi-hyphenates. Or the art of multi-hyphenating in the land of the hustle. Whichever the case — we're facing our fears and talking shop with Chicago expat and longtime lifer-ing comrade Bethany Dwyer. The LA-based comedian-actor/writer-director-musician has a new self-help book out (BREAK FREE FROM FEAR) that'll fit in nicely with the media-spanning body of work that she's amassed through her single-minded willingness to try everything. Of course, who knows if she'd even agree with that assessment? It's hard to pin Bethany down. And she likes it like that. PLUS!: Scott's voice is cashed while we dive into conspiracy theories, tease a new Haunted Heir single, and pick the movies that shaped us. Or something like that.

Ladies and gentlemen. Please welcome: Scottie Rose Lucas.

One of the all time great bands, L7 fused laugh out loud humor with a caveman punk aggression that made them stand out like a blistered sore thumb against the L.A. hair metal landscape of the late ‘80s. But they were chicks, man — so rather than be spoken about in the same righteous breath as the Stooges or the Ramones, the members of L7 had to put up with inane questions about Vixen(?!?). No matter. As with most awesome things, L7 are still here and their influence looms larger than ever. On this episode we talk to co-founder Donita Sparks about Matthew Sweet covers, Epitaph records, the siren song of LA surf music, Slash records, Sub Pop, yacht rock, Rock For Choice, Milwaukee book makers, fights at Exit, John Waters, SMELL THE MAGIC, and we play the best round of what's the best ever!

This week: They finally killed Gabe's car. Don't worry. My dad's got this ultimate set of tools. He'll be able to buff it out, no problem. Trust us! ALSO: Mulholland Drive, roundabouts, red Barchettas, crosswalks, red 4-doors, fender benders, band vans, manic mechanics, Chevy Novas, and what's the best songs about cars? (By the way — you're gonna wanna stick around for the end of this episode. You're welcome!)

To a generation of misfits not all that interested in what John Hughes was serving up in the ‘80s, writer-director Tim Hunter is a god. And his twin teen-movie testaments OVER THE EDGE and RIVER'S EDGE remain quotable sacred texts that serve as a secret language to communicate to other like-minded individuals that you too are a member of the anti-Breakfast Club. And in the land of television, he's a bona-fide legend — filling the director's chair on some of the greatest shows ever made: TWIN PEAKS, MAD MEN, BREAKING BAD, HOMICIDE, DEADWOOD and that's right, Gabe! He even directed the pilot of BEVERLY HILLS 90210. So how do you interview THAT?!? That's the kind of gravitas that turns Scott into something resembling an awestruck 12 year-old backstage at a Led Zeppelin concert in 1973. Or a 54 year-old talking to Tim Hunter via Zoom. At any rate — it was a thrill. PLUS!: The complete and total breakdown of WHAT'S THE BEST?!?

Operating in direct opposition to the never ending barrage of anonymous content being foisted on us by algorithmic goose-steppers — the film programmers of today are cultural rebels and excavationists entrusted with the sacred duty of helping you find your new favorite movie. The best ones even manage to turn it into an art. And Jim Healy —director of programming for the Cinematheque at the University of Madison-Wisconsin— is definitely one of the best. On this episode we talk to Jim about the upcoming 2025 Wisconsin Film Festival, 16mm, The Clash on “Fridays”, Argentinean noir, David Koepp and “Apartment Zero”, George & Linda Eastman, Steve Buscemi, Richard Widmark, working with Ben, Jim's brother Pat, “Conan The Barbarian”, the filthy mouth of Groucho Marx, and we pick the best movies about movies. Oh, yeah. It's about to get real nerdy up in here. Gabe's gonna have to wait.

Dag Juhlin hasn't NOT been in a band since 1978. A mainstay since he formed The Slugs with his brother Gregg in 1983, Dag has wandered the Chicago music scene —ronin-style— lending his guitar prowess to bands like Poi Dog Pondering and, most recently, Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy's successful REM tribute tour. In between all the gunning for hire, Dag keeps himself busy with (among other things) solo records, his cover band Expo ‘76, a daily podcast with Steve Dahl, and the project closest to his heart: Sunshine Boys. If you want to know what it takes to be a successful working musician — check out this interview. PLUS: We pick the best solo Beatle tracks.

Scott started the LIFERS movie tour last week in St. Louis at the Arkadin Cinema & Bar — and this episode finds him in his hotel after a particularly long day that took him from a showing in Portland, Oregon at the Clinton Street Theater to a showing at the Clairidge Theater in Montclair, New Jersey. The dude was a little rough. (AND there was a fucking Tesla involved!) PLUS!: Micro-cinemas, cat-pigs, Enuff Z'nuff at The Whiskey, The Lumiere in L.A., Gabe's face in IMAX at the Esquire in Sacramento, cineastes, Ryan's nipples, Married Men at the Metro on March 15, the fall Everclear tour, ripping off Amadeus, English accents, and the royal “we” game. (Not discussed, but definitely felt — The Coolidge in Boston and the Film Society Center in Philadelphia.) Remaining dates on the LIFERS movie tour: MARCH 19 — Oriental Theatre — Milwaukee, WI APRIL 6 — Wisconsin Film Festival — Madison, WI APRIL 7 — Screenland Armour — Kansas City, MO APRIL 8 — The Varsity Cinema — Des Moines, IA APRIL 9 — The Trylon — Minneapolis, MN

ANORA dominated the 97th Academy Awards last Sunday and as Sean Baker superfans — we're still riding high. Well, maybe not Gabe. Nevertheless! We invited our good buddy and Boston-based music writer Michael Cristopher on the show to talk to us about movies, DVD collections, Philly pride, interviewing Brian Johnson and Tony Iommi, Van Halen vs. Depeche Mode, Scott's movie tour, uninvited guests, Scott Ian, the Duck of Death, and we pick the BEST?!? best picture winners of all time. None of that made sense, right?

It's that time of year again! The nominees for this year's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees have been announced. Exciting, right? Yeah — we didn't think so either. That won't stop us from talking about it, though. Because what else are we gonna do? Air that lost Larry Damore interview we've been sitting on? Oh, Larry…

Let's face it. Most rock documentaries suck. But not BORN INNOCENT: THE REDD KROSS STORY. Why? Lots of reasons. There's the great music, of course. And the way it's sweet instead of cloying and self-effacing where it could be self-serving. But mostly? It's the joy of listening to two funny guys telling a good story that's worth hearing. Well, this week we have one of them on the show: Steven McDonald. A true lifer who's been doing it since he was eleven (ELEVEN?!?) — he also happens to be one of the best rock bassists out there (AND an all around swell guy). On this episode we talk to Steven about “Crazy Horses”, Moose lodges, his brother Jeff, misbegotten childhoods, runaways, THE Runaways, Black Flag, Rodney Bingenheimer, taking a beer can in the face for the Melvins, comparing notes with Tommy Stinson, Air Supply's gangster manager, and the I-told-you-so's of life.

Brothers, right? We all got ‘em. Well, not Ben or Scott. But Gabe does! And this week we have his brother Tom on to help us unlock the enigma that is Gabe Rodriguez. You'll laugh! You'll gasp in awe!! You'll bear witness to unbreakable fraternal bonds!!! And you might find yourself unexpectedly moved. So step right up — this is the LIFERS episode you never knew you needed. We're not crying — YOU ARE!!!

Boston-bred singer-songwriter Will Dailey has a new record out called BOYS TALKING. Well, it's not “out” out. As in: It's not streaming on all the usual platforms — which means it's not available to be randomly and conveniently ignored. If you want to get Will's new record, all you have to do is… 1. Get out of the house. 2. Go to a club that's hosting one of his live performances. 3. Look him in the eye and purchase it from him. Simple, right? But in this world of complacent digital bubbles, this basic act of human connection feels like a clarion call of spiritual rebellion. And we at the LIFERS podcast are here for it. Join us for a deep (deep) conversation with Will about art, music, commerce, and being fucking ALIVE!!! Also: Gabe forgets that he already showered for the day.

When Scott and William Goldsmith first met in 1993, Local H and Sunny Day Real Estate were sharing a bill at the Avalon in Chicago (RIP). The next day, Sunny Day went into Idful studios with Brad Wood and started recording one of the best and (turns out) most influential indie-rock records of the ‘90s. Who knew? On this episode we talk to Will about Sub Pop, Neil Peart, Emo, hardcore, walking away, coming back, being in a band as a child versus being in a band as an adult, Will's brother Brian, Will's band Assertion, Greg Suran, Lionel Ritchie, and then we pick the best music from David Lynch movies. Silencio!

Who's the coolest guy in the world? No question about it. Sean Rice by a fucking mile. Designed and born in a lab funded by rock and roll, Sean started working at the Cubby Bear when he was 20 — and from there he was transformed into a mythical Chicago Sasquatch who could be spotted attending every show, working every bar, and inhabiting the center of every tall tale. A true legend. These days —over at his company LAWLESS LURES— he's down in Mississippi manufacturing and selling his own kick-ass fishing bait. Which, you know — OF COURSE, he is. Hey, everybody! Meet our buddy Sean Rice.

Scott's in Lancaster tonight with the LIFERS movie — so we figured we'd run this in lieu of an actual episode: A recording of Ben, Gabe & Scott presenting a showing of LIFERS: A LOCAL H MOVIE to a packed house in Hobart, Indiana on January 2nd of this new year. Special thanks to the great audience and crew at the Hobart Art Theatre. We had a great time!

Ho ho ho and all that jazz! Christmas is here so be of good cheer More LIFERS you say? Well have no fear! Far be it for us to brag and to boast but we've got Steve Economou and Paul Zamost! That's right, a yuletide visit from The Effigies On show day at the Metro, if you please. Plus, Max Headroom, hissing at the Music Box, and a Family Feud edition of WHAT'S THE BEST?!?

Help! We're trapped inside our 200th episode and we can't get out!!! The celebration extravaganza continues into a second week with a fond look back at our favorite episodes — featuring a legion of special guests (both past and present) that includes Kelly Wey, Kyle Kinane, Jeff Murphy, Andy Gerber, Walter Schriefels, Tamar Berk, Michael Alago, Kay Hanley, Rick Ness, Rick Froberg, Blake Smith, Max Crawford, Jess Margera, John McCauley, Joe Bosso, Chip Z'Nuff, Justine, and Scott's dad. This one's a doozy!

200 episodes and we still haven't solved the mystery of Zoetrope. On this tenscore extravaganza we welcome our favorite panelists Steve and Mahmood to help us celebrate, reminisce, and (most importantly) try to put the whole Iron Maiden vs. Replacements debate to bed.

You probably wouldn't think that becoming a tattoo-sporting member of the FBI-listed Insane Clown Posse Juggalo gang would lead to a long career in the music business. But according to Bob Lugowe — you'd be wrong. And seeing as how Bob is one of the most stand-up dudes we've ever encountered in this biz; we can't really argue with the results. On this episode we talk to the Brutal Panda honcho about running a record label, working at Relapse, starting out on the Local H street team, having the cool mom, Sony, Beyonce, Priest, Mariah, Christmas downloads, alt-rock reissues, the late Mike Lara, Fight Amp, Couch Slut, Cherubs, and we play an insanely/brutally hard round of WHAT'S THE BEST?!? featuring Prince.

Lorri Francis was there. She doesn't remember a lot of it, but she WAS there. On this episode we talk to one of Chicago's great movers and shakers and connectors about Medusa's, the Rock Room, Cubby Bear, Double Door, G.G. Allin's chair upholstery, Rights Of The Accused, Death Angel, Gabe's tattoo, the P.P.P., whippets, the continuing saga of Zoetrope, Mark Stephens, Tom Popp, Joe Shanahan, Wrigleyville Tap, The Rolling Stones, Richard Ashcroft, D.D. Halloween shows, Nirvana hatred, and Jesus Christ LIFE MOVES FAST!!! As usual, we had a great time catching up (and trying to KEEP up) with the great Lorri Francis. We love you!

Frank Phobia is a sweetheart. He's also the leader of Anthrophobia (who happen to be releasing their new J. Robbins produced record GOING OUT SWINGING on the 22nd of this month). But mainly — he's a sweetheart. One that has been a low key hero to countless touring bands that have made their way through various venues in Pennsylvania for God knows how many years. The man's an institution. On this episode we talk to Frank about his mentor Carol Schutzbank, Chameleon Club, bouncing around PA, major label lessons, pseudonyms, being a punk-rock pillar, Steve Harris, Bob Stinson, booking Local H, booking the Local H movie, Zoetropolis vs Zoetrope, pussy and money, Lititz, hair farmers, Rights of the Accused, New Coke, and WHAT'S THE BEST?!?: 1985.

Jesse Malin is about as New York as you can get. How New York is he? Well, he's in a Martin Scorsese movie for starters. Jesse got his start in the hardcore band Heart Attack before pivoting to the rough and ready D-Generation in the ‘90s. After that band's demise, Jesse made an even harder pivot when he turned to his acoustic guitar and released the Ryan Adams-produced THE FINE ART OF SELF DESTRUCTION — in effect, reinventing himself as a rock and roll troubadour and NYC ambassador. And then about a year and a half ago, Jesse suffered a rare spinal stroke that threatened his ability to ever walk again. But in true LIFER fashion —and with the help of his community and his friends— Malin has soldiered on and is gearing up for a pair of benefit shows at the Beacon Theater on December 1st and 2nd that will mark his return to the stage. It's a pleasure to have Jesse on the show this week to put some shit into perspective for us and talk about Johnny Thunders, CBGB's, Bruce Springsteen, Ian Hunter, “Bringing Out The Dead”, Green Day, Rickie Lee Jones and a WHAT'S THE BEST?!? with The Clash. The future is unwritten, everybody!

Full of anxiety about the upcoming election? Well, in troubled times it's good to know that you can still rely on your friends. So join us —and two of the show's best friends: Steve “Sleeve” Reidell and Mahmood Shaikh— as we take a long, lighthearted LIFERS-look into the yawning American abyss. You'll laugh. You'll definitely cry. And you'll be faced with Dennis Quaid's asshole. But one cannot live on fear and loathing (and Dennis Quaid's asshole) alone — so here to save the day is PAVEMENT (just like in the ‘90s!!!). We talk about their great new movie directed by Alex Ross Perry and then we pick our favorite songs by the magnificent slackers from Stockton. PLUS: Steve Reidell outdoes himself (trust us — you're gonna want to stick around for the final song). Happy voting, America!

It's been just over a week since the two events that constituted the “grand finale” of Local H's WHATEVER HAPPENED TO P. J. SOLES? 20th anniversary tour — but Scott's head is still swimming. Both the LIFERS movie screening at the Music Box and the epic 3-hour set at Metro have left him feeling like a bit of a whisper of a husk of a shell. So forgive us while we perform a post-tour postmortem to sort it all out. It's a decompression process that includes werewolves, harmonicas, Paul Di'Anno, Freddy Kruger, cartoonish physical reactions, future LIFERS screenings, P.J. encores, Gabe's acting process, Eddie Mahoney, and we answer some burning questions from our listeners.

Okay… Well, that was a LOT! In many ways, this last Tuesday & Wednesday in Wrigleyville (let's call it LOCAL H DAYS 2024) was a culmination of everything that's been in the works since that day when Scott got the call that Helmet was cancelling the tour — just BEFORE he'd received the call that the LIFERS movie was getting a release date at the Music Box (see episode #186). Of course, one could argue that this H convention had been building up since the movie was shot at the Metro almost 3 years ago (to the day — just shy a month!). And that same person could also argue that it all started with the original WHATEVER HAPPENED TO P.J. SOLES? release 20 years ago — while the zen hippie across the room is babbling about how Scott's entire LIFE has been leading up to this! And they'd all be right. Whatever the case — there is a lot to say about the LIFERS world premiere at the Music Box and the finale of the WHTPJS? 20th anniversary tour at the Metro — BUT!!! Not on this week's episode. Instead, Ben has put together a… uh. Vibe? A mood piece? Ah. Here's what it is: A chunk of audio verite constructed to capture a moment that is already starting to fade from memory like a far-off and hazy dream. Go to bed, Scott!

Ben's got a head cold. Gabe's got cats. Scott and Ronnie are holed up in a haunted hotel room in Utah so naturally the conversation turns to merch lines, REM vs Van Halen, the LIFERS movie, and our favorite subject these days: dinosaurs. Also, you've got lots of questions, and we've got some answers. It's a road report, people!

Hey, everybody! It's Ronnie DiCola!!! The WHATEVER HAPPENED TO P.J. SOLES? tour is in the home stretch as we welcome the third partner in the Local H throuple to the show. For the very first time! You'd think we'd take this opportunity to query Ronnie about his hopes and dreams and history playing drums in Chicago institutions like The Arrivals and All Eyes West. But noooo! We squander that chance with inane chatter about Was Not Was, Three 6 Mafia, Gabe's cats, WHAT'S THE BEST?!? road movies, boob jokes, the fucking LIFERS movie, and a skit about Kris Kristofferson (R.I.P.!) and Toby Keith.

Local H are STILL on the road. So you know what that means. ANOTHER ROAD REPORT!!! But this time we're dragging Sincere Engineer's Deanna Belos into the hotel chat room to talk about laundry, P.J. Soles movies, Riot Fest, New Found Glory tours, M.A.S.H, Hootie & The Blowfish, Bruce Springsteen noogies, and (as promised) a supersized round of WHAT'S THE BEST?!?: Novelty Songs.

189. LIFERS - Road Report #19 or: How To Stop Worrying and Learn To Pronounce Lititz, PA. by The LIFERS Podcast

You're listening to SONG IMPLODER — where musicians take apart their songs piece by piece and tell the story of how they were made. And then talk shit about those songs and make you embarrassed you asked about them in the first place. On this episode we conclude our examination of Local H's 5th studio album: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO P.J. SOLES? Released in April of 2004, the album marked a major stylistic departure and reevaluation for the band — paving the way for all that's come in its wake. Now on the day of a remastered re-release, we join singer/songwriter/guitarist Scott Lucas, producer Andy Gerber, and master of his domain Gabe Rodriguez to look back on the writing, recording and reception of the album that Lucas and many of the band's fans have come to see as their finest. I'm Ben Reiser.

You're listening to SONG IMPLODER — where musicians take apart their songs piece by piece and tell the story of how they were made. And then talk shit about those songs and make you embarrassed you asked about them in the first place. On this episode we examine Local H's 5th studio album: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO P.J. SOLES? Released in April of 2004, the album marked a major stylistic departure and reevaluation for the band — paving the way for all that's come in its wake. Now on the eve of a remastered re-release, we join singer/songwriter/guitarist Scott Lucas, producer Andy Gerber, and master of his domain Gabe Rodriguez to look back on the writing, recording and reception of the album that Lucas and many of the band's fans have come to see as their finest. I'm Ben Reiser.

When people think of Electrical Audio Recording in Chicago they usually only think of the late, great Steve Albini. But the studio is (and has been) home to a distinguished troop of engineers and operators that continue to keep the venerable institution running — including our pal Greg Norman, who's been doing the Lord's work over at Electrical since he LITERALLY helped lay the foundation of the studio building before the opening of its doors in 1997. On this episode we talk about sneaking into Shorty shows at Lounge Ax, Albini's tighty whities, Adobe bricks, Alain Delon's dog, The Jesus Lizard, The White Album, Steely Dan, broken Calrec Soundfield mics, and WHAT'S THE BEST?!? recording production.

Like most lifers, Johnny Wator has no intention of going back. He's not going back to a life of shit jobs, he's not going back to being told what to do by assholes, and he's definitely not going back to his hometown with his tail between his legs. But after 11 years of ups and downs on the road with his band The Last Vegas — those outcomes were starting to look very likely. So what's a guy to do? You bet on yourself, of course. What else? Through grit and determination, Johnny is the one-man owner/operator of DAREDEVIL PEDALS — the coolest boutique guitar pedal company in Chicago. Anyway — on this episode we talk about Johnny's band The Evictions, Green Day, the Crybaby Fuzz Wah, Slayer, Nirvana, going on tour with Motley Crue, screaming in a 3 piece, Phil Donahue, Atomic Cocked, and a WHAT'S THE BEST?!? featuring ‘80s hair metal jams.

This week: Ben is on the road again so we catch him at his hotel in Pennsylvania to talk Metallica weekend in Chicago, new seats for the Music Box, Stan Bush's “You've Got The Touch”, the history of government cheese, and WHAT'S THE BEST?!? “Seinfeld”.

Our ol' buddy Dave Rockland comes to the show ready to play — which means he's wearing his X-tra large Gabe Rodriguez “God's Gift” Local H shirt. What does THAT mean? Find out on this week's episode as we talk to Dave about spending over his half his life working at JAM Productions, living down the street from Gabe & Scott, litigious Local H shows, X-tra large Prince jerseys, and WHAT'S THE BEST?!? from 1993.

If you were at all worried that famed Chicago rock critic, SOUND OPINIONS co-host, and prickly pear-par excellence Jim DeRogatis might be mellowing with age — fear not! We're here to assure you that Jim is is just as fearless and opinionated as ever. And it's a delight. On this episode he talks about being transformed by Lester Bangs and The Velvet Underground, seeing The Feelies 100 times, 8 1/2 months of Rolling Stone, 22 years of R. Kelly, assholes at The Sun Times, Wire cover bands opening for Wire, getting the truth out of Genesis, and WHAT'S THE BEST?!? drummers.

In these hopelessly divided times, is it possible to come together and talk about our differences while understanding and revelling in our commonalities? Uhhh… Nope. So instead we talk about tiny alligators, old jokes, vegans, keyboard warriors, and farting in the tub. Viva la diplomacy!!!

Let's get political! This week we've got punk rock legend Vic Bondi on the show to scare the hell out of us and talk about the specter of fascism in America. Fun stuff! We also talk about Vic's band Articles Of Faith, his other band Jones Very, Howard Zinn, Microsoft, KFC, The Clash, Chicago punk rock, John Haggerty, Reed Mullins, Husker Du, Redshift, and why living in Seattle sucks so bad.

“A bartender is the aristocrat of the working class”. Douglas Coughlin said that. And he could've been talking about Mike McIntyre. Like all great bartenders, Mike is an iceberg: You look behind the bar and you see a guy with a sharp sense of humor and wicked way with a cocktail shaker — but underneath the water is a hustler with gravitas and a shit load of life experience. On this episode we talk to Sir McIntyre about alligators, fishing boats, Mike O'Connell nicknames, 9 Day Wonder, the Chicago music scene of the ‘90s, beating Steve Albini at poker, holding court at Simon's Tavern, bar jokes, and bon vivants. Good day to you, sire!

“An art house version of ‘Friday The 13th' from Jason's point of view” is the kind of brilliantly simple movie hook that makes every armchair director slap their forehead and shout “Why didn't I think of that?!?” And from the moment he was given the script to Shudder's very fun horror hit IN A VIOLENT NATURE, editor Alex Jacobs knew he had to work on it. Turns out, he was the perfect guy for the job. With a history in experimental “ambient” video —and his deep love for horror and genre films— it was a match made in slasher movie heaven. On this episode we talk to Alex about Racer Trash, Norm MacDonald, the UW Cinematheque, video store employee bucket lists, knowing the right person at the right time, uneven franchises, Ozu summers, and we pick the BEST(!!!) horror movie kills. Boy, oh boy! Drop your crocs and grab your socks. Let's do this!

This week we're all about rockers and their movies. After Scott engages in some hemming and hawing over the threat of competing “pseudo-narrative” concert films, the guys welcome rock and roll movie director Dimitri Coats to the show to talk about his new OFF! flick: FREE LSD. We touch on the upcoming final OFF! shows and his first band Burning Brides, but Dimitri's laser focused on his cinematic future — and what's more LIFER-ey than that? So here's a list of where you can see the future cult classic FREE LSD: July 17 — Music Box Theater — Chicago July 19 — Village East Cinema — NYC July 21 — Coolidge Corner Theater — Brookline, MA July 22 — Ritz Movie Theaters — Philadelphia, PA July 27 — Grand Lake Theater — Oakland, CA July 28 — Palm Theater — San Luis Obispo, CA July 31 — Hillcrest Cinema — San Diego, CA August 2 — Nuart Theater — Los Angeles, CA August 6 — Laemmle Clairmont 5 — Clairmont, CA

Some have claimed that Freud thought the Irish were impervious to therapy. While we may never know if he actually said that — we know for goddamn sure that John Haggerty is impervious to any of Scott's lines of questioning. But that's okay. Like all great heroes, John's stoicism belies a heart of gold beating with generosity, fairness, and a firm belief in the human collective. Did we mention that he's also a hell of a guitar player? On this episode we try to get Mr. Haggerty to talk to us about Pegboy, Naked Raygun, the Chicago punk scene, Steve Albini, Stratocasters, Herb Rosen, O'Banion's, disco duds, plumbers, Renaissance faires, and the loneliness of saxophone playing guitarists.

This week on LIFERS we're getting schooled on goth, punk, the ‘80s club scene, Diamanda Galas — shit, we're getting schooled on EVERYTHING! We must be talking to Chicago legend DJ Scary Lady Sarah. Sarah just celebrated her 36th year as a professional DJ and producer of the longest running goth event in North America: NOCTURNA. Take that, whippersnappers! On this episode we talk about Chicago hardcore shows, NEO, sushi with Siouxsie Sioux, The Damned, Joe Shanahan and the Metro, putting Peter Murphy in a deprivation tank, Pandemic Goths, The Bellwether Syndicate, being the Elizabeth Taylor of goth, and Scott gets gonged.

Angela Mullenhour's voice is like a force of nature. And nature is kinda scary. Luckily, her band Sybris is the sort of band that can keep up with that force — loud, bold, and capable of summoning up hurricane squalls of melodic noise. After an extended haitus, the beloved Chicago band is back with their long-awaited third record “Gold On Hold” (set for release in September on Absolutely Kosher) and we here at LIFERS couldn't be more excited. On this episode we talk to Angela about rainy street fests, open mic Steve Miller covers, mall-goth, JCM and suckin' on chili dog country, Touched By Ghoul, collaborating with Local H on “8:46”, the psychopathy of Rod Stewart, “All Nerve” by The Breeders, and we pick the best songs about MURDER!

It's great to have an old friend on the show — and this week we've got Jonny Polonsky. Lucky you. This is a great episode where we talk to the great singer-songwriter-studio rat about moving to and prospering in LA, growing up as a backstage-teenaged Chicago presence, bossing around Rick Rubin, Mark Lanegan, playing on a Neil Diamond session, being Frank Black's boy, Chris Cornell & Dio, Gabe as Sid Haig, and Jonny's great new record that comes out June 7 on Loosegroove records.

Unleashed in the East! Gabe and Ben talk to Scott and Justine while they're doing laundry in a hotel in Osaka before making their way to Monkey Island. Confused? You won't be after you hear this episode featuring Japanese metal bars, overconfident deer, Hear 'N Aid, Japanese toilets, rainy neon umbrella nights, Facebook posts that are actually ransom notes, and songs that start with choruses.