The Toth Zone chronicles musician James Toth’s all-consuming obsession with music while growing up in pre-9/11 New York City, and all the trouble it caused him along the way. It's a little like A Christmas Story, but with headbangers, hoodlums, and hip-hop.
We conclude Season 2 with some Q&A about a wide range of topics, and the answers to our final poll question of the season. Thanks for sticking around!
On this episode: Odd jobs, Guitar Center misery, and some new album recommendations!
On today's episode I revisit my 2017 article for NPR, Too Much Music: A Failed Experiment in Dedicated Listening, and reveal how two careless clicks of a mouse forced me to conduct a similar experiment this month. Also: the results of our recent poll question!
Hear about how a "directionally challenged" man somehow navigated Europe alone for 18 days. Also: some new album recommendations!
Releasing records in the age of DIY, how my dad unknowingly and involuntarily funded my first LP, and a million dollar lawsuit. Also: the results of our most recent poll question!
On today's action-packed episode of THE TOTH ZONE: MARVEL!! at the mysterious Van That Only Drove at Night! SQUIRM!! at the revolting practice of “table scoring!” GASP!! at the tale of a touring band operating under the influence of the zodiac! ...and much more! Enjoy! (PS: I apologize if I sounded condescending when I defined the word “biweekly” at the end of the episode. The truth is I can never remember if biweekly means occurring once every two weeks or occurring twice a week. I looked it up and it seems both are correct, which is very confusing. Hence the explanation.)
On this episode: worst gigs ever played (part 1?), an overdue response to a negative Amazon review, and the results of our third poll question!
On this episode, I speak to my friend and former bandmate Heidi Diehl about her debut novel Life Lines, which deals in part with DIY touring during the first decade of the new millennium.
Shattering live music myths, high living at the magnet Mansion, and the results of our second poll. And be sure to stick around till the end of the episoide for a new poll question!
This episode: the ghost of Jimi Hendrix, cranky alt rock killjoys, and the dark energy of Carrot Top.
Topics covered: Punk rock pilgrims, how to avoid awkward small talk with strangers on tour, and that time I attempted to rock through a hurricane. Plus, the results of our first poll question!
Get in the van with The Toth Zone! This is the first in a series of episodes examining the strange world of DIY touring. Also, a lesson in How To Make Any Band Sound Objectively Terrible.
Welcome back! On this brief episode: a preview of the season to come, and our first poll question,
Season 1 finale with some conclusions and general summing-up. Also, The Toth Zone answers your questions about music, songwriting, and more!
CD boosting and its inevitable consequences. Note: not an endorsement of stealing! Heh heh.
Raving till dawn, hardcore and punk, and getting fired...from Taco Bell. Yikes!
The rise of the Wu! Plus: first studio session, high school battles (rap and otherwise), and dropping science on Hot 97!
More graffiti, some gambling, and the insane lengths one goes to feed a music habit.
Graffiti, hip-hop, and how I rapped my way out of getting beat up.
My first gig as a rock critic, hip-hop, and the after school fistfight that gave birth to an unlikely alliance.
Guidos, mischief, crying over death metal...
Action-packed episode about metal, mischief, and mayhem. Plus: explosions, drugs, and the world premier of The Skumbags!
Record store jerks, record store humiliations, record store lessons.
How heavy metal made me want to be smart...and the corniest thing I have ever said to another person to get them to join my band.
How my late cousin, Peter Steele of Type O Negative, taught me that life need not be a series of compromises, concessions, and fading passions.
Uncle Cut Above; betrayed by baseball (and Kiss); the suburban basement as music laboratory.
How my disabled sister helped me discover my musical voice...sorta.
Genesis of a mania -music freak ground zero; my very first band and our one and only concert featuring my sister, the four-year old “slut”; some valuable early lessons in showbiz.
Following the breadcrumb trail; the OTHER New York City; first concert and first records; the search for Sucker MCs.
Welcome to The Toth Zone, a podcast about how an obsession with music gave me a reason to live...and also wrecked my life!Every memorable episode of my life is connected in some way to music. How did this happen?
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