Bandsplain - The 1989 Music Draft with Chris Ryan, Rob Harvilla, and Jon Caramanica

Episode Date: September 14, 2023

Chris Ryan, Rob Harvilla, and Jon Caramanica join Yasi in the Thunderdome to pick their favorite songs and moments from the year that started the 90’s: the last year of the 80’s. Can someone’s own take also be their draft pick? And who ultimately emerged as the winner of the draft? Listen and decide for yourself, this week on Bandsplain.  You can follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisRyan77 You can follow Rob on Twitter @Harvilla You can follow Jon on Twitter @joncaramanica Listen songs we detail in the episode HERE Host: Yasi Salek Guests: Chris Ryan, Rob Harvilla, and Jon Caramanica Producer: Jesse Miller-Gordon Audio Editor: Adrian Bridges Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, what's up? This is Chris Ryan. On Mondays and Thursdays, you can find me co-hosting The Watch with Andy Greenwald. We are still cranking it out. We talk about a lot of things in pop culture, music, movies, but most of all are ever-changing TV landscape. So check out the watch. For recaps of your favorite TV shows, updates on the streaming wars, and recommendations on what to watch, because there's a lot to watch on Mondays and Thursdays on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. get it, can you please explain? Wait, like, Bansplain? Hello and welcome to the Bansplain draft. The year is 1989. Let me just paint a quick picture for you guys of 1989 before we get into it. Okay, 1989, no big deal. There's just a turning point in political history, okay?

The revolutions of 1989. We ended communism, bitch. Hour after hour all through today, thousands and thousands of West Germans have come to the wall to see for themselves, to climb up on this hideous structure, to finally look down at what has been no man's land for so long. Huge year. We have a new president. His name is George H.W. Bush. I come before you and assume the presidency at a moment rich with promise.

For in man's heart, if not in fact, the day of the dictator is over. Nintendo has released the Game Boy portable video game system in North America. Lyle and Eric Menendez, babe, they shot their fucking parents to death. 12 shots in the middle of Beverly Hills on a Sunday night, and no one calls the police. We're waiting at the house. No one shows up. And I still can't believe it. Allegedly, excuse me, allegedly.

It's still, I mean, I think they were convicted, so I think the lawyers can allow it. But what else? Don't worry. Be happy now. Bobby McFerrin's Don't worry, Be Happy. Has won both record of the year and Song of the Year. at the Grammys, and sadly, Ice Cube has left NWA. That's about it of the year.

Joining me today are the two princes of the ringer, you guys. That's right. One, two, princes kneel before me. That's what I said now. Christopher Ryan and Robert Harvilla. Welcome, Christopher and Robert. And also, you guys, we have a very special guest for you, a very special guest, the pop music critic of the paper of record, if you will.

the New York Times. Mr. John Caramonica, who has blessed us with his presence today, he was late, but he is here. Welcome to the program, John Carmonica. Before we start, can I just... I know you've been dying to speak over me since we started this, and now you can. Go ahead. I have a whole podcast where I speak over people. It's very, very challenging. You know how like sometimes you... Oh, we know. Yeah. No, everybody here. Now, we've all been on it. Everybody's been a victim. We've all been spoken over by you. Okay. So you know sometimes... You hear stories about people who travel to foreign countries, and they're infractions that they didn't know were infractions.

And then they get imprisoned for a long time because they didn't know that like a broke down palace style. Yeah. Like you didn't know in Portugal, you can't do something. You drive it on the wrong side of the road. Like in Singapore, you can't chew gum. Yeah. Right. Exactly.

And then you're in, that's how I feel today. Like that's me not potting in my own house. John, have you ever drafted anything? First, a couple of things. I used to do a version. I used to do a version of fantasy baseball in like eighth and ninth grade. A version of it? A version of it.

Yeah, yeah. Shout out Eddie Lieber. Eddie Lieber had an early computer program where you would like pick the players and then it would, it would invent what the games would be with those players. And I always lost, I think, because Eddie stacked his team because he understood the Algo. So anyway, I can't wait to lose today. Great to see you.

This is a great time for me to mention that John has been stressing about this so hard and literally made me get on the phone with him to answer like 30 minutes of questions where I was like, I don't even know what you're talking about. He was like, how many minutes can I speak for? I was like, it's not debate team. I don't know. We don't do it like that. 90 seconds. Producer Jesse is actually going to time you. Just for you, we'll make a time limit.

We might need to, honestly. If Rob Hartville doesn't have a time limit. And why would be going on you? Congratulations on having one of the best podcasts, according to the Volture. Hey, yo. Is there like a special airport security line? No, but I do. They do be watching.

What are the perks? The perks are at the Strokes J. Crew concert last night. Two or three people that sort of gave me a look like, kind of I know you are because I saw an Instagram real. Were they in the strokes? Was it Abraham and Jr.? No. First of all, shout out the strokes.

playing the 40th anniversary of J. Crew party only four or five years after insulting Zach Barron, our mutual friend, by accusing him of liking brunch. You can't be mad at someone potentially liking brunch and then play the J. Crew anniversary party. That's just, that's just not allowed. Were they wearing J. Crew? I don't think so. No, I don't believe they were wearing J. Crew. They probably didn't agree to that. Was Julian giving Ozzympic vibes at all? This is dangerous territory. This dangerous territory, I'm going to say, no, but not also not no. Was Julian Sykes for the booster coming next month?

Yeah. Well, here's the thing. I do want to be very transparent. I thought they sounded great at a very, very empty party. It was like a private. It was like... Why don't you drag Chris Black to hell here for his empty party that he planned? Or maybe it was intimate.

Maybe it was an intimate party on an open rooftop. You know, Caitlin Phillips going to call you up tomorrow and be like, What you said what about my clients party? What I said is that the stroke sounded great and I meant it. And that Julian looked skinny. That's, again, we don't talk about. Maybe Chris Black made him go on a Zempic so he would make the show. On my podcast, we don't discuss.

We don't discuss politics. So there you go. It's very classy. Yeah. That's very high minded of you. I love that on my appearance of podcast, they had to put an explicit. Yeah, that's true. When Yazi came on, that is true.

That is true. We did have to tag it. They were like, Pedro was like, I'm not bleeping all that out. We're just going to slap that. Cause of firing, Yossi cursing on Popcast.

Non-stop being unable. Foul mouth. Was it angry swearing? No, I would actually say it was rather enthused. He was enthusiastic. Yeah, Taylor Swift. John, can I ask you a question about Popcast deluxe? Boy, can you?

Are you going to have Oliver Anthony on when he gets back from Burning Man? First of all, those are three conspiracy theories. series all rolled into one. As you know, from watching Oliver Anthony content, he is simply in the forest watching two elk bump heads against each other. That said, Oliver Anthony is welcome to come to the third seat on Popcast deluxe. There will be third seats soon. He's welcome to come and sit. Love to talk to him about politics, about Joe Rogan, about the little Deppie suite of snacks.

Fudge rounds, of course, yes. I didn't say this on the show. No, I didn't say this on the show because I didn't fully have the awakening. until afterwards, but it's a snack designed for length of consumption because of the consistency when you bite into it. And so the length of consumption, it's basically makes you think you're getting more snack for less money. That's really what the little Debbie Fudge around is about. Look at the four of us. Isn't this delightful? I'm delighted as well. It's a real treat for me. Did I already win? Did I win the draft? Is it already won? Well, John, it's a good time to get

started and talk about the rules of the draft. Usually, C.R. does this because he's the one I think that cares the most about winning. Is that true? I mean, John, it would probably be you because you're the most competitive. But Chris Ryan is the reigning, the reigning champion of winning. I won last time. I don't actually, I think I won last time. Yeah, you won. I mean, like, look, you're going to get. I don't care at all about, to me, it's not even a competition. I think that's a masculine quality. As I've said this before, drafting is masculine, ranking is masculine, is masculine, lists are masculine. but I'm happy to participate. Go off, Queen.

She's working the reps. She's working the reps. So, C.R., do you want to explain the rules? Yeah, well, we've done a couple of years, right? I think we've done, have we done any, like, kind of more ephemeral idea-based drafts? I can't remember. No, we've only done years, I think. So essentially, we go in snake style, if I remember correctly.

That's right. And people select from a number of categories. This time around, we've got Album of the. year best rock song best rap song best pop song and wild card which can be anything can be a performance of video music related cultural moment i feel like i'm like why am i the pat say jack of this why am i like i was just like running through you're so good at it and then generally speaking i think the way this works is that people on the platform formerly known as twitter currently known as x vote but i don't know maybe we're going to find some new ways to just stress test democracy with this one you know maybe maybe just

and on the street segment. We'll go up and focus group it. As John said offline, those people don't count. So I'm not sure how he's going to determine who wins besides self-appointing himself, the winner. Just whoever gets the most disquieting DMs. I'll be honest, Rob Harvilla is the most popular on the X platform. I would vote for Rob. So he has an edge often. That's very kind of you. All right. Well, why don't we get sorry? Producer Jesse will.

draw the names out of the hat. Wait a second. Don't we usually do like who were you in 1989 and why did you pick 1989 and what's the? See, this is why I see R. You're the. No, but I just, I've been waiting all. I do. I love that one. I know. I'm waiting for weeks to find out why this year, why you, why now? Okay. Great. I love that you think I put thought into this.

Okay. So who's good. John, do you want to start? I know you're dying to. I literally, this is like, this is like you're going to visit you at your like weekend. house or something, you invite the person, then get mad that they didn't bring the ingredients to cook the meal when you didn't tell them what the meal was. Anyway, hi, I'm John. Um, 1989, I, um, I started high school. That was, uh, September, 1989 is when I started high school. Wow. Okay. A strong Kisingle energy. Hell yeah. Fuck yeah, Kassingles. When I was looking over the songs this year, I very much had all, almost all the important stuff on KSingle. Uh, one

of the questions that I asked Yossi, because this is an important distinction, and I'm sure you guys are going to adhere to this rule, is if a single came out, but it was on an album that was released in 1988, does that count? And the answer's no, because it was already commercially released in that's what I always say. CR always tries to play, no, he always tries to play this game. He always tries to pull a single that came out, even though the album came on a different year. And I always have to be like, well, I mean, fine. Again, rules, I don't care. But like, initial commercial release is what we're doing. At least that's what I'm doing.

If y'all want to bend the rules, that's fine. Because initial commercial release would be earlier. So I think you just have to keep it to the album. Because singles sometimes come out the year before the album comes out. No, no. See, okay, well, then I disagree with that. I think it's whenever the initial commercial. That's what he's saying.

If the album was 88 but the single is 89, it doesn't count. If the single is 89, the almost 90, that's fine. I was trying to make the point that I think that if it has its cultural impact in the year that we're drafting in, it's, it's it's it. But then you could get into like, oh, the Forrest Gump soundtrack and, like, I'm like, you know, I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to do that. So there are a couple things from this year where I'm like, GD it. This came out in 1988.

I guess I can't have it. We don't worry. We have the explicit. We're going to find out. Please believe. We can find out as long as Yatsi plays by the rules. Tell us like what are we working with ninth grade here. Like what do we look like?

What are we wearing? What's the vibe? Sure. So the jeans are baggy. How baggy? Not that baggy. Like, we're kind of... Are we waiting cross colors?

Like, what's happening? No, no, 89 to 90. I guess this is... So I'm just leaving middle school, which had a dress code, and then I'm going into, like, a public high school. I think I was kind of in an unusual melange of, like, gerbos, but also, like, maybe a motorcycle jacket. Like, we're kind of... Yeah.

What? Like the Ramones? Like a perfecto? Yes, but not a full price one. Do you know about Bugal Boy factory outlet? What's up with that? Yeah, of course. Of course.

Obviously. So we were doing our best to serve looks on East 15th Street. We were doing our best. I would say my fashion style became fully formed probably one to two years after that. But that's kind of like the beginning era. And certainly if I get to talk about one or two of the songs that I have highlighted, like these are real touch points for me spiritually and aesthetically. Wow.

Okay. Great. I think John, not to be rude, but you're the oldest here. Yeah. Let's go, actually, let's go by age. Rob, Harvilla, you are the next oldest. Rob, are you the older than I am? Am I the next oldest?

Are we the same age? I'm 45. I'm 45. Oh, so you guys are the same age. Okay. I'm the baby. Whichever one of you guys wants to go ahead. Can you just soundboard that?

I'm baby. Can you just soundboard that and just play it throughout? No, Rob, you go first because this was the last decade that you didn't. have to explain, you know? That's true. That's true. That's true. That's true. That's a good point. That's such a good point. Damn. You could actually just be present in the 80s. Rob, are you even capable of explaining the 80s after so long explaining the 80s? No, the only decade I can ever explain is the 90s. We were not trying hard to serve looks at

St. Francis Elementary School in Medina, Ohio, where I was a fifth and sixth grader at the time we are just describing, I was not very cool. These were tough years for me. and not have many friends. I rented a lot of Nintendo games from Blockbuster. You know, I spent a lot of time just listening to Technotronic, you know, and just ruminating, you know, on things. On the fall of communism,

I played a great deal of Game Boy. I suspect the Castlevania on Game Boy was really good. Tetris, of course. There was a Mario in there somewhere. Yeah, I was not very cool or very well regarded. And that's fine in retrospect. But, yeah, I was, I was just viving very quietly to myself in suburban and suburban Ohio at the time. I had not blossomed into the cultural colossus that stands before you today.

Look server. The look server of the day. Rob had not yet acquired all 15 pieces of his Ohio-based apparel, yeah. That's correct. So, yeah, there's a quiet era. Okay, Gorge. What about you? CR? Well, I think I

turned 12 this year, so not a boy, but not yet a man. And this was the beginning of Bat Mitzvah season at my school, so we started getting a lot more... Time to fucking party. We started to party.

We started to party. We started to slow dance. We had the Parker Lewis can't lose rayon shirts buttoned all the way to the top with the bugle boys. Shout up. Big Coroner Energy. You know what it is. Now, that actually doesn't come out until 1990. I want to play by the rules, but I think it was like, it sensed something that was in the air. Wow. Yeah. You incepted

Koranemic, which is wild. I just remember that the music of the time started to play more of like an active role in my social life. At the bar mitzvahs. Yeah, and just in life in general. And then I'm sure we're going to get into like the musical trends and and everything that was happening at the time. but like you know yasi when we were chatting before we did the pod you said like you were like kind of this is not the 80s and not yet the 90s and i thought that was a really interesting way of putting it that's really why i chose it can i also add one thing which is i think yeah sorry uh so i think if i'm not mistaken the christmas slash honica of 1988 uh-huh is when i got my first boombox Hell yeah.

And this is a boom box with, to emphasize the transition point that we're talking about dual tape decks for recording, but also a CD player on the top. You're fucking living, bitch. You are living thriving. This is a major, but it was like a fish. Like it was not like a fly. It was not so neat. You know what I mean?

Okay, sure. Did you set up your own Notting Hill Carnival? Yes, absolutely. Are we putting it on top, on the shoulder of the fucking leather jacket? Yeah, in Cheapset Bay. Yeah, in Cheaps at Bay, we were running up and down into the Carvel. We were just absolutely, we were enlarging it. It was great.

Yeah, I was seven. So my experience was a little different. I was also Rob experiencing social tragedy as I had started a new school at seven years old. And the first grade and was not popular and was the weird foreign kid who brought extremely odd-smelling Persian food to school and was really, really othered for that. Is this therapy pod? Not always, babe. I know you don't listen.

Always. I know you came on here without listening. We all know that. Is this better help spot? We don't, we don't fuck with better help here on this program. But yeah, I was pretty precocious. So I early on came into like loving music. But like at this stage, because singles don't really come into play into my life until

maybe the next year, I want to say, even maybe two years. Whenever, like, we're doing crisscross, that's, like, two years. So it's pre-consumerism for you? Yeah. But I was really into Madonna. Hell yeah. Because my mom was really into Madonna. So that was, like, the first music that I, like, was, like, obsessed with.

And I remember, like, taping the videos on VHS off the TV to watch. I was, like, so smitten with Madonna. But, yeah, I didn't want to pick it, obviously, from my own personal experience. because I had a limited personal experience of being a child. But I started to become really obsessed with how, like, two things, like how so much of what became the dominant culture of the 90s started in the late 80s, and it was, like, already happening. But at the same time, so much of what people think about the 90s being in the early 90s

was not that. It was like all Garth Brooks and fucking life is a highway. You know what I mean? And like it wasn't grunge and fucking singles until a little bit later. So I'm just interested. To me, this is like a very like weird liminal space. Like late 80s, very early 90s is like a bizarre no man's land where like so much weird shit is happening. And so I just got kind of like interested in.

And I was like, oh, we should draft 89. I actually wrote down like a bunch of keywords here of stuff that has since just like evaporated. Manchester, college rock. Well, college rock, you know why? Because college rock became alternative rock. It just got the term changed. When the stations that used to sort of play like butt rock and transitioned into being alternative rock stations, there was like no real need for college rock any college stations anymore because it was supplanted by MTV or whatever.

And then hair metal, arena rock, pop club music, extreme copyright infringement and the opening salvos of indie rock and grunge. Extreme copy. The copyright infringement is actually like half of this. music can't get made today or it can't be like publicly released and stuff you mean yeah yeah yeah also when does tipper gore do her fuck shit that's a little bit later no she's done it by n w a hasn't she she's around here yeah it's maybe like prince was the catalyst which it obviously already happened when's the easy e solo record isn't that isn't that what 80 easy does it is um I shouldn't know this wow you do I mean what did we have you on for if you

you don't know these things. Easy does. It's 88. Okay. Well, now that we've set the scene, if you will, we've established. Okay. Jesse has pulled the names, babe, and here is the order. CR is first.

Oh, no. John is second. Yossi is third. Bobby Harvilles. For every topic or just for the first topic? So it's a snake. So basically, CR will pick first. He gets to pick the topic and his choice.

Then it goes to you. Then it goes to me. Then it goes to Rob. And then Rob picks again. That's how it works. You're allowed to pick from any category you want. If we were being competitive. If. If. I mean, this is a pretty wide-ranging year. But, like, let's say I knew that the four of us were, like, very focused on three or four releases. I would strategically try to pick them, you know, early on because I wanted to, like, to, like, get those off the board.

Yeah, yeah. We'll just get it started. We're all friends. We'll just get it started for pop songs. I'm going to go Buffalo Stance by Nina Cherry. Ooh, that's so good. I don't know why I'm picking this first. I feel like I can still get some albums. I can still get my rock songs or whatever. This is definitely my favorite pop song in a year that had like just a fucking triple disc greatest hits of pop hits from this year.

So you could really take your pick. But this is my favorite. This one has come back like around in my life the most times where like you're like, you know what's really good is fucking Buffalo stance. So this was a bat mitzvah. hit. It was a college hit. It was like bars in New York hit. It still goes. That is wild. When it was in 1989, it was me and Richard Health. Yeah, the void ointz cover. Yeah, it's great. The woods cover. Sorry. My bad. I really love this song. I don't know what to pick first,

but I'm going to go with this one. That's a great choice. I was thinking a lot about Neno Cherry in my 1989 voyage. That's a really good... Did you think about it for a rap song at all? Did you struggle with that? Because I saw it for a second. Like, is it a pop song or a rap song? I didn't feel like I needed to bother just because there was so much good rap. And this has the chorus that is so pop.

Shout out to Nelly Hooper on the beat. But yeah, let's let's get it rolling. Who's second? John. Pop song. Okay. You can pick any category. So I just pick first.

in any category. That's right. That's what you want to do. You can pick anything but Buffalo stands. Oh, man. This is, this is, that's why I was like, and so I think in future drafts, it might be interesting to go through each section, but that's not what we do. That's what I thought we do.

Forgive me. Got it. In that case, I'm going to go best rock song. And I'm going to do it, not because I think y'all are going to pick the song that I'm going to pick, but more because I feel that the song I'm going to pick. but more because I feel that the song I'm going to pick is a different tone than what I imagine the three of y'all are going to pick. Best Rock song of 1989 is Black Cat by Janet Jackson. Wowza. That's fantastic.

That's cool. You're so proud of yourself. That's such funny. He was up all night thinking of that, folks. He's like, you guys, I'm blown your fucking life. Is this even a top five song on Rhythm Nation? Yes. Oh my God. Wow. Absolutely madness. Okay. So do you guys double-dip where you would do

the same individual in multiple categories? You can. Yeah, I would. Okay. I'm not going to, but Rhythm Nation is very close, if not close to the album in the year, but whatever. One of y'all can pick that. That's fine. Okay, Black Cat to me was very striking for a number of reasons. So obviously Rhythm Nation as an album, this is Jammin Lewis album. It's peak Janet Jackson. It's peak pop R&B into club crossover. Black Cat is the very obvious, it's the arena rock, to quote Chris's catchphrase term. It's the arena rock song on this album that somehow makes tonal sense with the rest of the album, but frankly holds its own against the actual hair metal and arena rock of the day. I remember being incredibly struck by it. I watched a lot of MTV at the time. I was

It was very conversant in all. Yeah, great video. I was very conversant in all the stuff that it was adjacent to and nodding to, but maybe never felt totally connected to. But the actual rhythmic groove, no pun, but the groove of this record made me think in a more complex way about the possibilities of rock music. I was not raised. I didn't care very much about rock music.

I kind of only absorbed what I saw on MTV. This was a song that really like, awakened the possibilities of what rock I thought could be. And it's B-tier Rhythm Nation. I mean, maybe it is. You know, it's the first song. It's the first song Janet Jackson wrote on her own. Is that true? Wow.

Major. She said, I'm very proud of Black Cat. It's the first song I've ever written on my own as well as co-produced. All right. Big congrats. Huge, huge record. It was also mixed by a German metal engineer named Michael Wagner. Oh.

Who also now mixes band split, which is great, great for me. Michael. We're really proud of his career arc. Great. Good job. Good job, Mike. Yes. Good job, Mike. Yassie, you're up. Okay. Yeah. How do I top that? I'm just going to go with maybe what's nearest and dearest to my heart. I'm going to go album and I'm going to say the cure of disintegration. I didn't think any of you guys would pick it. Maybe Rob, but that is. It's on my list. Yeah, I thought about it. That's to me the fact. fucking most massive, most amazing, most beautiful, just fucking goddamn gorgeous beautiful album

of the year. Like what a fucking masterpiece that album is. This man played a play a song when I saw The Cure this year and I wept. That song, it still goes. And the influence of this album to this day, just like, who, what a fucking classic. So I feel about the album of the year. Johnny, you a big cure guy? Yeah.

At the time I was. Shout on my guy Aaron in high school who used to like dress halfway like Robert Smith. Damn, it is real cool. I wish that would come back. I never saw The Cure live. But like the Cure was a good example of a band that I probably never would have been exposed to had it not been for MTV. But watching, watching those videos, especially when you get to like Friday, I'm in love and so and so forth, opened up that avenue for me. And also like I used to go to like a summer like a summer nerd camp thing. where there was like a lot of the cure being played, a lot of Depeche Mode, a lot of Alphaville. So I was getting that stuff that way as well. You know something I learned that I thought was so interesting that the reason that there

was like an outsized influence of English bands in the 80s post-MTV starting was because they were the only artists who had existing music videos because they had places to put them on TV in England where like bands in America weren't making music videos. Band caught up yet. So the inventory was just more. And so this sort of gave this foothold for all these English artists into early. Rod Stewart. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah, literally, like all of these people. Like it's, it's very, I found that really interesting that it was sort of just like a supply and demand issue and it ended up shaping music culture in America. Rob, I have a factoid for you. Just for Rob. It's only for Rob. Hit me.

Yeah. Disintegration. It's for me. You guys just tune out. Disintegration came in 39th on passing job. Yeah, I was looking at the past and job. The passing job of this year is a wild passage job this year. Did any of y'all consider the Neville Brothers Yellow Moon for Almond?

I didn't. I didn't. Although I did appreciate him basically being like this grooves harder than three feet high and rising. Is that the album of the year, Neville Brothers? It's number four. 3Bion Rising is the winner, which is fine. Yeah, that's good. But like, Yellow Moon.

And it's number five album. I know. It's a very wild. It's a very wild down. It is wild. Disintegration, a little bit better than NRBQ's wild weekend. A little bit worse than Quincy Jones's back on the block. That really sounds like.

And a lot worse than the Batman soundtrack. That's correct. Did go, though. Batman's a track did go. I mean, it's a very funky soundtrack, to be fair. Rhythmation 1814, not as good as steel wheels by rolling the rolling stones. And that doesn't that really say at all about the state of rock music. That's a good factor in, Chris.

Oh, he called you up because you worked there. That's your alma mater. It was also like, as a point guard, just like assisting Rob to, then it was his turn, you know? I see. Okay, got it. Because Rob could talk about pass and job. Thank you. That's very kind of you.

And my pick is an RB2. Bob. And R.BQ. Also, could I just say something insane before Rob goes? You know who put out an album of 1989? Just saying, to blow everyone's minds, no effects. That's real. S&M Airlines came out in fucking 1989.

I'm just saying there's a long history that we don't even understand. These timelines. They be fucking... If best album cover was a category, I would for sure pick S&M. It's a really good one. You can keep it for your wild card. Is video a category?

I'm sorry, but his music video a category here or not? It becomes wild card. Oh, it's wild card. It's wild card. It's wild card. It's just like ephemera from the year. Music video, concert appearance. Yeah.

Commercial. A piece of merch. I feel like I'm being punished by Chris every time we step slowly out of it. Like Chris, just like, get back here. Get back you. This is the ringer ethos. Someone has to be in charge and you know it's not going to be me because I'm baby.

Correct. All right. I'm baby. All right. Okay. I have two picks in a row. That's very stressful. Yikes.

Rock song. N. R.B. This is great. I am picking this Daniel Lennwild. Definitely. Daniel L'A album is really fucking good. How dare you fucking do?

Is that the one with the maker on it? I don't even know. You're not joking. I'm not joking. The maker, bitch. Are you fucking kidding? I'm a stranger in the eyes of the maker. Incredible song.

The maker, comma, bitch. Are you joking? Okay. Rock song is epic by faith no more. Wow. That's good. I had a feeling that was coming from you. and I feel good.

That's right. Look at your faces. Were you thinking about doing that for music video? I would have put it in music video. Yes, absolutely. That whole video, obviously the fish at the end with the piano and then the piano, but like the whole video, like just the close-ups on Mike Patton's face, you know, just this sort of technical chaos of it all.

Like that video especially, but this song is like pure. It's it. That's exactly what he sounds like. what happened to the fish the fish the fish was fine right because they filmed it in slow motion right like the fish like they did no fish were harmed in the making of this video right i'm saying it's a different time i don't know was there like an animal consultant on set like you know if that happened in 2023 there'd be like three animal handlers on set to like make sure or they'd had an animatronic fish to emulate what fish behavior would be um back then i think they were probably

It's like charged to the game, like it is what it is. Just, just, that is verbatim what they said on the set of that video. Yes. This is pure 1989 to me. There's like a handful of songs that I always get so mad that they're not 90s and they're outside of my show's purview, right? And disintegration is a big one. Janet Jackson is a big one.

Rhythm Nation is a big one. And this. I just, I double check periodically to see if maybe this is 1990 and I just misread it. all those times so I can talk about epic and incredible length because it is it is pure 1989 greatness and scariness to me and I like it very much and I also talked and I also talked to a nine-year-old girl recently who did Jesus Christ who did like one of those like rock rock and roll camp things where she sang this song she performed this song with her nine-year-old friends like they did epic and she.

She was the lead singer, and I just, that's the most incredible thing. Your move, Linda Lindez, your move. You know, I have a theory that some music is just naturally appealing to children. Yeah. And red hot chili peppers and faith no more fall into that category. As baby. Yes. As baby, I can speak to what is appealing to babies.

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. Are you guys friends with anyone who is? Are you friends with anyone? Are you guys friends with anyone? Who is like a late period Mike Patton fan? Me? You know what I love is Mike Patton like

Phantomist? I think I love Phantomos. All the shit he did was Dan the Automator. You just corrected his pronunciation of that. Isn't there in there's an umlau? That's right. You're not going to come on my podcast and

fucking slander phantamas. What's the name of that pronunciation? mark, a accent mark on Fondamontamont. You're the one that went to Harvard. The little dude over the O. Yeah. Yeah. The dude over the O. Yeah. That's, Yasi was like, respect. Dude, fucking love it. Are you, I know, Loveage isn't really late period. It's like kind of mid period. But Lovage is one of the best albums of all. Don't you fucking look at me,

John Caramonica? Don't you fucking even look at me? Literal hard pass. Oh my God. You're so wrong. Lovage is so fucking good. I just remember what I used to work at record stories. He would put out a record every three months. Yeah. He's, he's, um, Michael Madden singing to a bird in Palm Springs. And that would be like three volumes of CDs about that. Yeah. Yeah. That's right.

That's right. Desert bird hermage. I will say, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. I will say it's neck and neck. It's neck and neck with the radio head fan base in terms of most unbearable people fan base, men, most unreliable men fan base. So that I will grant you for sure. they are insufferable people, but I do love Mike Patton.

Mike Patton does horror cover like the towing string quartet. Yeah, literally. Oh, sorry that he loves his craft and he loves to work. Okay, someone has loved to work. Someone has loved to put out five-hour podcasts every week because we're so devoted to him. After 1989, Mike Patton never did anything as good as this TV. I'm sorry.

This is an audio-only podcast. John, so the jaded kiss DVD that you held up. I'm sorry, Rob. I didn't mean to write. As a new, as a new video podcaster, the lines are blurry for me. Forgive me. Guys, I'm fucking drafting over here. I know, God.

Leave, leave poor Rob alone. I think that was a great choice, Rob. That's an epic. It obviously spurred the best conversation we've had so far. We didn't even talk about how our friend Courtney Love was the singer of Faith No more for a minute before it was my father, which was the best detail. of all. Yeah. Could have been her being like, you. Fascinating alternate history. Okay, go ahead, Rob. You're up again.

Okay. I'm going to take pop song. I'm taking like a prayer. I'm sorry. I'm so mad at you. Sorry, I knew. Madonna's, I'm doing like a prayer. You did this to hurt me. You did this to hurt me and I never thought. I did not do that. You picked. before me, dude. I know because I never imagined. Yeah, I thought you weren't competitive. I never imagined that you, at 2 Brutei, would come. This is a great

pick, right? I'm going to be okay. Of course it's a great pick. It's a perfect. It's a perfect song. Please go ahead. I picked this just to upset Yossi, and that works masterfully. I'm very, I'm very impressed with myself. Just the gospel choir

bridge in this song is one of the great moments in pop history, as far as I'm concerned. Yes. It's, you The video, you know, in terms of antagonizing my mother, this video is like canon. Preak brunette Madonna. The burning crosses, you know, the snogging Jesus, et cetera. Yeah, there's a lot going on here. But all of it is fantastic.

First of all, what a tremendous song. Also, I was speaking recently about a very sanitized era of pop stardom that we are currently in. And I was thinking a lot about Madonna and how in this. this era, especially the condition of pop superstardom was actually to be transgressive and was actually to be a button pusher in part on an individual level to stand out from some, you know, other things that maybe were a little bit more sanitized, but also pop music as an art form still kind of like making a case for itself socially in grand importance. And part of the way it does that is by making political and social arguments within the songs and the videos themselves.

If you don't have Madonna doing the work that she's doing in the late 80s into the early 90s, I don't think you get, frankly, to the Britney Spears and Christine Aguileras, who are making great, gleaming pop music that is, you know, maybe it's subliminally political, but overtly non-political, but you needed to get pop music as serious, high-minded, Camille Pagley is going to argue about it, turf in order for the entire scene to subsist, to persist as long as it. has. John.

And it's very important. That was incredibly illuminating, but was this monologue you just gave cut from the Idol? First of all, shout out able. Take it back. No, I will not. As, as I, you know, my writing parts were cut. I'm not getting, you know, WGA strong. I am.

I think, Madonna is spiritually punk, first of all, since day one. So that's A. But also, I mean, like, not to play devil's advocate, but I do feel a little for the modern-day pop star because, like, the fuck are they going to do? At this point, what is transgressive? You know what's like, Boole-le-le-p is going to, like, suck a dick in a music video? Like, you know what I mean? Like, what are you going to do?

What are you literally going to do that could be transgressive at this point? It doesn't exist, you know? like short of being alt-right, like you would have to be, you would have to be Republican and fascist to be a transgressive pop star, right? Like overtly.

If you're five foot three and you're 300 right. But that's not, sure, you're guys friend. But that's, this is not subcultural. Like,

it's, it's just like, I don't know how they could do it if they, even if they wanted to. Like, even like overt sex shit, no one cares. Like,

we've, that's, like, it's done. It's, it's, over like the post fucking fifth wave feminism or whatever like no one gives a shit so it's like they're so boring but also like what else could they be like lady gaga was like probably the last

interesting pops let me ask this question because i wonder how how do you guys think about madonna's transgression quote unquote in relationship to the other genre work of the time whether it's hip hop of nineteen eight nine hard rock heavy metal of nineteen eighty nine like does it feel of a peace with that to y'all or does it feel because it's operating on different turf, it's a female performer, that it's fundamentally different. That's a really good question. I'm looking at anything that I've written down for anything, and I don't see anything nearly as transgressive as the like of prayer video. No, I don't really know what that would be.

Not even like straight out of Compton. Well, but that just, that wasn't pop music, right? Like, that wasn't on MTV 600 times a day. No, no, I know, but I'm saying, like, how does it interplay with the other themes? Madonna was using a platform that she, because, like, what is, what is like a pair of the third album? I want to say? Yeah, it's like Madonna, True Blue and then. Third or fourth.

Yeah, third or fourth. So she's, like, firmly established as up here, you know. So she's using a platform that she, like, and this is not to knock NWA, but they were doing something. I said for sure, but they didn't have as much to lose. Like, she had something to really lose by doing that. You know, like, and it was very, it's the, I mean, it's not quite as what Sheney O'Connor did, because She know, Connor went fucking full hog and did lose it all and didn't give a shit about it. But, like, she flew as close to the sun as I think she could within her own thing.

And that was pretty fucking close. I just think, but full counterpoint to that, which is that the reason Madonna did not lose at all is because she did this. It's not that this threatened her career. this became the text of her career. Like this is what people then demanded and expected of her every time. I agree with you, but that's in hindsight. She didn't, she couldn't have known that that was going to happen,

you know, like maybe savvy enough to imagine it, but it could have gone a number of ways, you know? I will say this. Okay, when I was filling out forms for scholarships for college, like, you know, there'd be like all these, you know, you'd have these lists in the early 90s. Like, oh, this nonprofit.

And then you go to Harvard. Yeah. Anyway, no, this nonprofit is like a $2,000 scholarship. You got to write essay, whatever. So there was like some Italian-American group that I applied to the scholarship for as an Italian-American, half-Italian-American at least. And they said write an essay about an important Italian-American. And I wrote an essay about Madonna for this scholarship. And I absolutely did not get that scholarship because I think it was like a religious, like an

Italian religious organization. And even then, even then I was like trolling. And I was like, they have to see the force of my wisdom in picking Madonna. Surely nobody will pick up. Whatever. John and Rob, we get it. You guys are allies. We get it.

You've made it clear that you are allies. We understand. Rob picking like a prayer. You're writing about Madonna for a college. I say you are allies. Literally, it was paying off student debt for many, many, many years. So that's partially the fault of me picking Madonna for the either. That's why Richmond, North of Richmond speaks to you.

That's correct. Rob, what an exceptional choice. Every time I do that in karaoke, when the gospel comes on, I do get down on my knees. You have to. You have to get down on your knees because she does it in the video and it's so sick. I need to see that in person. When we come to L.A. I watch like every music video from this era of Madonna, like not that long ago.

And also Jana Jackson, same from the, and you're just like, fuck me up bitch like they do not do it like this anymore like this was peak this was peak video yeah and it was also like the idea that the thing that would be on all day long was also the most illicit thing that you could probably see at that time if you were like a child is pretty amazing didn't they do like a more wasn't there like a Pepsi version of this that was much more no but like i'm walking to a pizza parlor like it's madonna got fired as the spokesperson of Pepsi because of this video. So she did lose some stuff of money, you know. Okay, Rob, Gorge. So just to recap, Chris Ryan has chosen Buffalo Stance by Nana Cherry for pop song. John Caramonica has confounded

us all by choosing Black Cat by Janet Jackson for rock song. Robert Harvilla has come in strong with Epic by Faith No More as his rock song and stolen like a prayer by Madonna right out from under me for pop songs. Sorry. And then it's okay. Now it is me. Goes back to you, right? It goes back to me.

Okay. I'm going to do rock song because probably, I don't know if pop song has a, I have a competition. For rock song, I'm doing head like a hole by nine inch nails. That's good. Yeah. It's a fucking banger. That song fucks. It's the entry of nine inch nails into the world.

The person who was seven years old when it came out. Yeah, I didn't know about it then. I did use to use it as like a pump-up song when I played sports. Wow. Like basketball and shit. Like I would listen to that song before games. Yeah. Can I ask you how tall you were back then?

Yeah. See, this is the thing. I was quite tall. Okay. That's right. Yeah. Y'all really just to be talking about people's bodies on this. No, because I wanted to know how the bow down before the one you serve line would have played.

If she was like five two. I was tall very early. That's what happened to me. So like there's actually there's a really adorable picture of. me in preschool and it is truly hilarious. It's the whole class. And I'm in the middle and the back and I am a full head taller than every other child in the back row. So I was just tall early. So I was the center like up until high school when then people eclipsed you. It clips me and I could not ball handle and thus ended my illustrious basketball career. But no,

early on I was taller than everybody. So it worked for me and bow down before the one you serve. you're going to get what you deserve. Great fake. Yeah, fantastic song. Like, I like the idea of it as a jock. I like the idea that you used it as a jock jam. Because it honestly, Loki became a jock jam, but I do not think it's an original scene of embrace.

Yeah. Would have appreciated that it became a jock jam. So you were early on that. I appreciate that. You know, Trent Reznor is a jock for sure. Is he? Is that so? What's his preferred sport?

Define jock. Yeah. I mean, he's. I thought he was in. the band. No, I mean, but just like now. He's like, he's like, he's like bodybuilding. But he's not like a Steelers fan or something, right? Like, yeah.

No, no, no. I'm not a, I'm also not a Steelers fan, but, but I, you know. waving a towel. Yeah, yeah. But I think he was always very competitive and, you know, broad terming the dog. Anyways, it's no longer my turn. I'm glad you guys all grugree with my pick as nine and Chanel's had like a hole. J.C., get after it.

All right. I curved balled one. but we're not going to curveball twice. We're not going to curve ball twice. We're going album of the year. And the obvious album of the year, I'm just copying Pazam Jop here. It's Dayla Soul.

It's three feet high and rising. I don't actually see much of a counter argument and God bless all of you all for having to pick other albums. It's historically important. It's like undeniably excellent. It cannot, as Chris pointed out before, cannot be made anymore unless the labels and the publishers get together

and do some kind of blanket sample license. which would be a wonderful thing. Right. Apologies to Stealing down. I've never heard of those people. We don't know those people on this program, but I've just, you know, people say this term to me. I'm familiar with those people. One thing that I was really struck by when we did the 50 rappers project last month,

the thing that I was really struck by were the wide range of people we interviewed who referenced De LaSoul. And like, that's like very obvious people, like, you know, like Fonte from Little Brother or whatever. but also like Cameron, you know? And you remember at that time, hip hop is not what it is now. Hip hop is a much smaller concern. It's not quite a fully national pop concern. And there is this sense of like everybody's listening to everybody else. There's only but so many records that are coming out every month, every couple of months.

I think the importance of this record is that it sets a tone for a different tributary of the genre to move. in more whimsical direction, to be much more playful with sampling, to incorporate sampling in a way that would get smoothed out throughout the 90s, but defining it as a formal art form and a tool in the hip-hop production toolkit that is endlessly flexible. Also, incredible storytelling, you know, coming on the heels, probably Great Adventures Slick Rick, which I think is the year before. They did the job. Money came with ease, but one couldn't stop. It's like he had a disease. He robbed another These to me are like two of the great storytelling rap albums

And also the casualness of it I think if you see if you hold this record up against straight out of Compton Which also comes this year that and easy does it As we mentioned that's setting an entire different thing in motion This is proposing that the same like basic component parts Could be used for radically different purpose And also just fucking goes like it still goes Now it's on streaming everybody can listen to it

And still fucking goes I have a dumb question No such thing. Is this like the beginning of backpack wrap in a way? Is that part of what it wrought? I think backpack wrap, depending on what part of backpack wrap you're referring to, is more of a like a throwback to a pre, like a native tongues and like pre Biggie and Snoop era of rap. Right.

Yeah. I guess backpack rap can mean a few, it can mean a few different things depending on the generation of person you're talking to, I think. I guess the question is, did it welcome people into the genre as listeners who maybe did not find entry points elsewhere? Yes. That's kind of what I mean. Did some of those people go on to create other tributaries that maybe could have been the sobriquet of backpack wrap? Just even like the playfulness, right? Showing up later, again, maybe not as effectively, but in other kinds of what was then

termed backpack wrap. I just can see it sort of maybe like. Yeah. Like when you say backpack wrap, who do you think of? Like living legends as well. I mean, there's a lot of it. So, but so is so, I mean, wouldn't you say like Talib Kuali was probably backpack. I mean, there's a lot. It's a long, it's a long genre. But I'm, I'm just kind of pointing to like these different parts of it might have all been a little bit freed up by De La Sol Three Feit High and Rising. I think that wing of it probably, you know, back. backpack grab maybe to me might be a tiny bit more New York centric, like dudes carrying graffiti supplies in their backpack, like kind of like real like early raucous core kind of energy.

Yeah. That's like saying punk is CBGBs. But yeah, sure, but then it also got to be other stuff. Sure. If you were at CBGBs, you're allowed to say that. Okay, well, I won't be asking any more questions here on my own program. No, I thought that was interesting. I thought it was a good question.

Shout out to my close personal friend, Prince Paul. Excellent work on here. Also, John, do you know that I have gone to dinner with all of Little Brother like multiple times? That's right. Didn't know that. I most certainly did not know that. Where do you go? John knows this.

Abuka de Beppo. That's real. You've gone to Bucca de Beppo. Multiple times? Yeah, because you guys. What did you share? You get like chicken parms. Do you think they shared?

Penny? Not to be rude, but do you think they shared? Oh, my God. You can't have this lasagna. First of all, the fact that you just pulled, like, you pulled out of thin air, a menu item from Bucca DeBepo, like, that's bonkers. Rob lives in Ohio. I live in Ohio, my dude.

I did this lose my blood. Yeah, I remember. I can tell you the specials at Bucca to Beppo right now. Today's specials. They mail it to my house in the morning, the menu. No, because, you know, I thought, John, you knew this as my, one of my closest. friends, but apparently not being attention. I worked my first real job out of college was working for ABB records. Oh, I know that. Always bigger and better. Yeah. Who was little brother signed to?

They were signed to ABB. Yes, they were signed ABB. And thusly, as the head of sales, 21 years old, 21 years old head of sales, I had a 35 year old intern who was a B boy. And I was like, sir, you are a B man. Please be real. You're 35 years old. But he was my intern. Anyways, that's, That's why. Somewhere in my storage unit are many of the early ABB 12 inches, which hopefully Yasi counted them as sales, though. I have them here as well. A lot. That's also known as my 401K. Hopefully some record collector will relieve me of those. Mine is T-shirts. Mine's banned T-shirts, but I'm right there with you.

I'm like, what can I get for that fucking Danger Mouse gray album, babe, I have it. The white label, can someone give me some money? I'm broke. It's not the windfall you're expecting. I know. I know it. I did. I looked into it. No one wants it. No one wants it. I'll do respect to Danger Mouse. Okay. Is it my turn? Yeah. Okay. So I got two here. I'm going to keep it simple. And for rock album, I'm going to go Doolittle by the Pixies, which is a record that kind of gets atomized down to its major songs because they show. Wait, I'm sorry. There is no rock album category. Just album. Album of the year. Okay. I'm sorry. Just making sure. Just making sure. Album of the year is due. Little by the Pixies. And so even though it gets broken down into here comes your man and where's my mind and DeBaser and Gouge Away and like, you know, it actually sticks together as like an

incredible album long statement. Sometimes this one gets like played into mall music to me like where it's like I can't even hear it and then it will just like come on randomly or I'll just be like, can I even listen to Doolittle in a while? And I'm like, Doolittle is fucking a champion. Absolutely. Doolittle is undefeated. No skips. And also basically creates quiet. quiet loud for the next 10 years of rock and roll you're welcome Kurt Cobain yeah you're welcome brother mourn you until I join you and then I would also like to put in here as a as another category I'm going to do wildcard the music video for public enemies fight the power because I want to just mention that this in conjunction with do the right thing serves as like a pretty massive

socio-political awakening for me at like a very young age just to like learn about a larger world around me growing up in Philadelphia and I did not know Marcus Garvey was or Angela Davis was before I saw this music video and it's just when you watch it like honestly I still get choked up watching this video like just the power of it so what a fucking song too right the song go I mean this is I'm glad that you brought up PE also Spike Lee because I just think that the way that we think about the intersection of politics and music and also how that spills over into other medium like this is like the peak moment for that and that's also to yasi's kind of like originating point here about like the the 90s really begin in 89 like that feels like a 90s thing yeah like that feels

like a 90s proposition and people were piecing it together in 1989 which is yeah it's like when i saw do the right thing i remember going my mom took me and a couple of friends to go see it and i remember I just woke mom. She had the woke mind virus, and she took me. And I was just like, I just never seen anything like it in my life. You know what I mean? Like, I had never, ever experienced anything like that before. Two slices.

No service till you turn that shit off. Two slices. Turn it up. The radio Raheim, I can't even hit myself feet. I think both of your picks. are like, to John's point, really excellent, really excellent, but also really excellent examples of what I was saying about the 80s and 90s, because also do little, like you said the quiet loud thing, the pixies, like in my extensive, maybe Rob can back me up as a fellow scholar of the 90s,

my extensive research of alternative rock music, I've like triangulated that several bands are responsible for sort of like willing it into the world. And the pixies are absolutely one, the butthole surfers are one, and probably are. I would say. But those to me stand out the most. Jane's Addiction, maybe. And Jane's addiction, exactly. Thank you.

And Fantomas. You mean Fonto. How fucking dare you, honestly. And no effects. And no effects. And no effects. But no, exactly. Jane's Addiction, Pixies, R.E.M.

But the four corners of America. Madonna. And Madonna. But like, without these bands who all started in the 80s, there wouldn't be what we consider grunge, alternative. of the 90s. Like they created it. So I'm glad that you mentioned doodle of pixies.

Also like iconic Steve Albini moment who also had was a huge, you know, engineer. If you'll if you'll allow me of the alternative rock music movement. What an icon. Got to get Albany on the pod. Is it now? I believe John. Is it my turn? It's John.

You're right. John. Okay. Okay. So I did album in the year. I did best rock song. All right. No one's going to take my best rap song, I don't think.

So I'm going to do best pop song. Wildcard. I feel like this is like an afterthought category, at least for me. But I'm going to do best pop song. Okay. So I want to take you back to the era not only of Crazy Eddie on Coney Island Avenue, which is where I copped most of my IRL records. It's crazy.

Eddie's greatest stereo sale ever. Get anything and everything in stereo equipment. Get it all now during Crazy Eddie's greatest stereo sale ever. Crazy Eddie, his prices are insane. Are you from New York? Thank you. But also the BMG, music club or the mail away.

Were you for a penny? You get 10 or 20 or 50 D. 4 one out. Pour one out from my entire CD collection called from grifting the BMG. What do you think that we did to our parents' credit ratings? They didn't ask for anything. I remember them not asking for any social security information. I might be wrong.

Yeah, I don't think it was any social security. I genuinely think you just taped that fucking penny. You made a different name. You slapped that shit in the mail. They sent you fucking 12 discs. If you didn't pay for the first one, they stopped sending you the other ones. And that was it. And then you were like, oh, I own Alana Miles' fucking album with Black Velvet on it now.

And that's fine, too. Black Velvet and other songs. Yeah. So I am fairly certain that one of my favorite albums of this year, I think, came from the BMD Music Club. I'm pretty sure my copy of it came from it. And that album was Don Henley's The End of the Innocence. No Lie. No lie. That's right. That's a good album.

That's for Chris. Wait, this is a song. Sorry, I've zoned out. What was like? I'm getting there. I'm getting there. Okay. Don't just let me cook. I'm so excited that you picked this. This is a very atypical album for me at this era. Like really all I'm listening to is like club pop, hip hop, R&B, and like whatever's on MTV. Now Henley was on MTV somewhat, but that's maybe why I ordered this record. I found myself unexpectedly into this entire album. I didn't know anything about the Eagles. Low-key still don't know anything about the Eagles. I choose not to know anything about the Eagles.

I once reviewed Dixie. When the Dixie Chicks were like not performing and then the Eagles took them on tour and I was covering concerts extensively. I went. I reviewed the Dix opening and I got on a bus and left like whatever stadium it was. Just just left. I wanted to know part of the Eagles. You didn't have to drag the Eagles to hell in this part of your talk. It's like, it seems unnecessary to kick them while you're doing this, but go off. You know, still. It's still the highest selling album of all time. And therefore, they don't care if I'm kicking.

Yeah, literally. They're fine. The rich is held. It's still like, okay, cool, John, get on the bus and go away. You got on a bus. You got on a bus, bitch. That is true. We're rich.

We were helicopter out. There were no, there's no exaggeration. We were walking to the parking lot. I had gone alone because who was going to come to, like, Jersey to see the Eagles and Dix's Jicks play for 40 minutes before the Eagles. There was me and there were these two girls who also only went for the Dixie Jicks. And we schemed to get, we got to cab to the bus or cab to the trams. Were these girls in the Dixie Chicks?

They were not. They were not in the Dixie Chicks, but we remain Instagram friends many, many years later. Shout out to them. Anyway, point being, point being, I don't know what spayed my mind this Don Henley album. was taking up. I think what it was is maybe I was like falling in love for the first time and feeling the kind of like teen. The last worthless evening,

that's exactly where I'm going. That is exactly where I'm going. I'm not going to do the end of the innocence. This was a great song, but I am going to go the last word this evening. You can imagine 13 year old John, destitute, tragic, falling in love. Destitute? Emotionally.

Spiritually. Spiritually broke, spiritually impoverished. Listening to the last worthless evening, not having a clue what it is about, but understanding that it is about profound loss, pain, hurt, getting shived. Shived by life. And when you're falling in love for the first time where you're about to fall in love like this song. Or any time, honestly. And Bruce Warnsby is just in the mix.

He's just like, tingling the ivories. Big Hornsby. Dude, Hornsby is nominative determinism. I always forget him as a great example of that. A what? Nominative determinism where they say that your name determines who you become in life. Oh. Oh.

Bruce Hornsby. Come on, bitch. But he plays piano. I know, but still. But still. It's close enough. It's close enough. I'm sure that man has touched a few horns in his life.

It's not very close. Rob, I have a question for you. please what do you think was a more important act in the late 80s madonna's like a prayer video public enemies fight the power video or don henley's efforts to save walden woods wow do you remember this you're saying that the bc boys never would have freed to bet if it were not for don heavily success of this record if i remember correctly he started like a huge conservation effort to save the sacred stomping grounds of henry david throw and ralph walf waldo emmerer's if I'm remembering this correctly. Did it work? Did it? Yeah, I was going to ask. His message fell short.

I did not. I was just annoyed that we were constantly being barraged with these, with these messages. And I was like, I want to. Frankly, I had this Duncan postmates from the Duncan at Walden Woods. Speaking of spiritually impoverished. Speaking of spiritually impoverished. So I guess it didn't work. Anyway, Don Henley really got me in touch with.

a darkness within myself that I did not know existed and perhaps have never recaptured. So shout out this album. Beautiful record. Last Worthless Evening is my best pop song of 1989. You're saying pop song. It'll cut you. Are you saying Last Worthless Evening is your pop song? I think this entire part where he buried the lead of this is the category.

Yes, that is my song. Oh, right. Okay. Great. Yes. The last worthless evening. That is my best pop song in 19. 89, and it'll still cut you to this day.

When I moved back to Ohio in 2013, I... Did you ever really leave, though? I never really left, and this is how I know. When we were unpacking our house, I went and got Dairy Queen for everybody, and I went through the Dairy Queen drive-thru. I got four Peanut Buster Parfays. Only one was for me. Everybody ordered a peanut Buster Parfay, and I drove out of the Dairy Queen drive-in with

four peanut buster parfets and a drink can. carrier on the shotgun seat, blasting the end of the innocence. And it is as Ohioan as I have ever found in my entire life. It's an incredible memory. Wow. It was a beautiful thing. So Don Henley, always number one in my heart for that reason alone. Was that before or after the parade through downtown welcoming home?

It was during, actually. That's that that was the dairy queen drive-thru. The parade included the dairy queen drive-thru. It was just the parade route was just every Dairy Queen. within a 15 mile radius. It lasted for six hours. It was a very, very long. The Canyon of Heroes, yeah.

Is there a downtown there? Okay. All right. Wow. I didn't say that. All right. My backpack wrap question. Okay.

So, Chris, you like Don Henley? I do, yeah. I like this album. Yeah. It's a great record. I like this album, too. It's really good. It was always on the radio.

It's interesting, not my radio. Like, this is a weird example of the song that I didn't hear on the radio very much. I guess it was probably playing from time to time on MTV. I don't know about this song, but age of innocence, this is the age of whatever, it was always on the radio. But this is like an album that I used to play, like I pop that CD in and just over and over.

And then individual track repeat when I was like in a mood. You were flagellating, emotionally flagellating. Yeah, very uncharacteristic listening experience. Like most of my music consumption at that time was radio. this was a totally different thing for a different headspace. Guys, I don't want to derail us here, but apparently there was a huge scandal in 1993 where Don Henley was accused of diverting funds donated

to the Save Walden Woods drive to save a lake in Texas where he was from, and it was just like... Don. It's pretty bad. I had no idea. How dare. Or not. Like a copacetic public figure, Don Henley.

Yeah. Right. Just a known good guy. Really let us down. Yeah, just vibes. Just like a real vibes guy. Okay. It's my turn.

I'll do wildcard. Why not? I'm going to do Depeche Mode 101, the documentary. Because I think, in keeping with my thesis, well, A, it's just one of the fucking best music documentaries, I think, of all time. Like, top five. It's fucking incredible. Penne Baker made it.

It was more fun of the supermarket. Yeah. A lot less pressure as well. That's what I think doesn't make a big difference. You make more money, but the pressure gets big as well. So at the end of the day, you know, at the end of the die, I was stacking shells, but I was very happy. If you guys haven't seen it, I mean, I've talked about it at length on this show before the Depeche Mode episode.

It's just like, they don't make them like this anymore where, like, you really do see parts of the band that you wouldn't think they would want you to see. And then also truly basically invented the real world with the brilliant idea. I think D.A. Panabaker was really taken by the fervent fan base. And so he had these young fans cast by this radio station, I think, in New Jersey or something. And so half of the documentary is just following these like 18, 19, 19, 20, 21 year old, like six of them. We're on the pension. I'd pay Choblova to see their house more than I'd pay Chilma's house.

I would. And then that's the best part of the documentary is the following these real-life fans and teenagers and like how cool and interesting they were. And I really kind of, I think, set up the what would become reality TV on MTV with like the real world, like casting young people and just seeing how it plays out. Anyways, iconic, 101st Depeche Mode show at the fucking Rose Bowl. It is now Rob Harvillo, Bobby Harvilles. It is now me twice again.

Okay. This is stressful. This is not stressful. This is just truly. We have the easiest jobs on the planet. Sometimes I complain to Rob on Slack about how stressed I am and then I remember what we do for a living and then I'm like, who cares? Literally, who cares? Stakes could not be lower.

Okay. Rap song, I am picking, hey ladies. by the Beastie Boys. I have a pretty vivid memory of seeing this on MTV for the first time and fairly having my mind blown. That is pretty late perhaps to have your mind blown, even as a 12-year-old or whatever. But this was a big moment for me.

Is it your first engagement with the Beastie Boys? I mean, I'm sure that I had a vague awareness of fight for your right, et cetera, et cetera. But, like, I had not sat down or spent any time. with them. And I just, they, they came to me pretty fresh in that moment. And I just, this is, this is a song that I can still put on. And just every, every successive drum break is just miraculous to me. Great. Where are you, where are you guys on Paul's Boutique? I thought about that for album, of course, but, but I love Paul's Boutique. It's incredible, but I really, I just, it's not for me. Interesting. It's not like I'm, I vastly, I vastly prefer the full. No.

Maybe it was partially the fandom that that ended up cropping up around that album, but it just was like, it played into like a certain kind of pop listener, crate digger, like, like a sort of. The Duth brothers. Yeah, like it was like it felt like, I mean, it was meta commentary. I mean, like 3P high and rising is also meta commentary, but it's still extremely grounded. Something about Paul's Wittique was like two meta. And I found in general, the people that gravitated towards Paul Betteek were like not being. blues taste that I trusted. And so that I just... Does that include the three of us or just like just in general?

Right. So as I was as I was saying, it just in, especially in the early 90s, like, I feel like, if that's, if you were talking to me and you're like, that's my rap record. I was like, we are not speaking the same language at all. And so I just kind of like let the Beasties go on their path. And I listened to the records. It's not bad. They're just not for me. They're grateful to you for this benevolence, I think. Then when I circle back to review Hello Nasty for the voice,

like that we just tied it all up. Oh, Nasty is so good. But yeah, to me, like the first album, like, undisputed, like, and to end bangers. This album spiritually not aligned for me. Can I just say something because I have... Friendship ended with John Caramonico. Friendship ended. Brassing the Beastie Flats.

Well, you have to give John credit for... the magnanimousness or whatever that it takes for him to be friends with people like us, given how little regard he holds for our tastes. Yeah. No, I'm aware of that. Yeah. I'm having anxiety because I realize that I should have picked my rap song. I'm just letting you guys know so that when someone does pick it, I can say that I felt it coming.

That's all. I just wanted to say that. I want to put it out into the conversation. Can I ask you a question, John? What do you make of the Beastie Boy? It's like the documentary did. They did. The movies, the book they did. Like they really want to wall off license to ill now.

They want to apologize for it. And they sort of denounce the crowd that came after it. It was like, we thought it would be funny to pretend to be dickheads. And then our shows were entirely dickheads. And we had to go to California. They're talking about you specifically. They are. How do you feel when a band disowns or comes pretty close to disowning what you feel is one of their, if not their

best work. I just think there's no less, there's no more unreliable narrator of an artist's catalog than the artist themselves. I think that, and I think that you can't selectively, pick, I mean, you can selectively pick and shoot. I mean, obviously that's, they're free to do that and they're more morally and spiritually enlightened people. And I, but it's, but to deny a certain part of their artistic legacy, simply. on grounds of evolved moral and spiritual politics, I understand that that is a way to move through life, feeling regret for poor moral and spiritual choices that you have made.

But to sort of discount the art that came from that, to me, that feels selective in a way that I don't trust. I don't know if I trust it. Okay. And I think it's okay to distance yourself from work that you don't feel connected to. But I think you can do that in a way that still honors the work. And say at that time, making use of the limited tools and the limited awareness of the world that we had, we did this thing in retrospect. We don't love how it was absorbed and kind of what was birthed because of it.

But I don't think that that's a commentary on something that's extraneous to the work itself, I think. And I think it's okay to express that. Yeah. You know, people write their histories, the way that they feel compelled to by the social moment in which those histories are written. You know, I'm sure the Beastie Boys in 1987 and 1986 were like unrelenting dickheads. Like even if they were being like, even if they were being ironic unrelenting dickheads. Opening for Madonna. Yeah. I'm sure.

I'm certain of it. Like you look at like the British tabloid headlines of that era and they're both like hyper. hyperbolic, but also hilarious. I'm sure they don't want to be remembered as those people, but that art was wildly influential. And so I think there's ways to reckon with it that are not the kind of like our career starts in 1989. That's, you know, and that's fine. Like I read that book. I appreciate the care they took to revisit that period.

I think like assessing that work by like the moral awareness of 2021 or 2020 or whatever it was. was whenever the book came out, it's a missed opportunity to me. I think the conversations could be better. Yeah. So my rap song is, Hey, ladies, and everyone agrees with me. You know,

that's great. Awesome. It's another Rob Bick. He's got to bounce back, right? That's right. Rob, let's go, bitch. Okay.

Best album's tough, man. A lot of things I consider are gone. De La Salle, The Cure, the pixies. But I do think it honors the person I was in 19, 89 to say the album of the year is Tom Petty's full moon fever. That's a good one.

I considered it. Okay. Yeah. I just, I had this cassette tape and I loved it so much. Taking credit for Rob's pitch. Literally all killer, no filler. John, just go fucking listen to Hey, like, Hey, ladies a hundred times. You're absolutely dead fucking wrong.

And I'm going to write a letter to the New York Times about this. You don't like full moon fever? My dude, you are rhapsodizing about Don. Henley, like five minutes ago, I think, I think you could allow for Tom Petty. You cannot. You cannot be trusted, honestly. You've, you've undone, you've undone your, you've done your legacy. He needs a haircut. Anyway, please, continue. Please to inform, please to educate me on Tom Petty. I just think a lot about how old Tom Petty seemed to me when I was 12 versus how old I am now, you know, still thinking about how much I revered Tom Petty.

Betty when I was 12. He's another person I was aware of, but I'd never spent a ton of time with them. And so this tape, I'm sure I bought it just because of Free Fallen, but I just listened to it on a loop for three or four years, you know, and especially when I had kids in my own, like, this is the quintessential dad rock album to me, right? And just, just wall to wall, you know, I all killer, no filler. Tom Petty. Running down a dream, babe, goodbye.

I took that to my guitar teacher during my ill-ed-old. buys guitar lessons picture. And he was like, can you teach me to play Running Down a Dream? He's like, no, you're not up to it. And I'm like, I respect that tremendously. And so I respect running down a dream just above, above and beyond my abilities. But like, yeah, if I'm honest, this is the record for me in 1989. You know, at the time, in real time and still now, this is the one I go back to it.

My favorite part about full mood fever is how like every couple of years, a new song will reveal itself on it as like my favorite. So, like, I'm, I've been in, like, a eight-year run with apartment song. But, like, apartment song is... Yes. There's also, like, the Stevie Nix version of it on YouTube. But it's just, like, this album that has just bangers. John is drinking a giant Dunkin' Donuts and looking at Instagram while we're talking about.

No, I'm looking at the track listing for this album to see if I know any of these songs. I only know the MTV records. I only know free fall and I only know I won't back down. That's all I know. I'm calling Karen Gans on the telephone directly after this to file a formal complaint. I'm filing a group. I think John is spending too much time on snack cakes and too little time on his actual job of knowing good music. Fair.

John and I started out as buddies, and then he's just, he's just become so antagonistic. John has slowly alienated every single one of us. He came in here, guns blazing, as if we were out to get him. and then he is systematically. Fair. I assume that's what I was brought here for. Like literally, I feel like I was cast. You were brought here because you asked to be here.

It's just simply not true. That's actually totally true. You were like, this seems so fun. I wish I could be part of this. Why are you lying now in front of everybody? In front of God and everybody you're going to lie? Okay. Is it my turn?

Yikes. Yikes. Okay. Oh, I can do rap songs. So my anxiety was misplaced. I probably maybe none of you are going to pick us. I don't know why I got a little scared. I just want to make sure I can get this absolutely right. The gas face. Wow. Wow. Wait rap. Yeah. Third bass. I love that song. Little Zevlov X moment. You know how I feel about Mr. Doom. RIP. RIP. So and it's a fucking, that song go. What can we say? It's a good song. I love this song. Them love X. A gas face. Can either be a smile or smirk when a pair's a monkey race to work once clock work. Also a great moment in, you know, hip hop is like a small community where just like naming people.

Yeah. You get the guy. They get the gas face. Like, you know. Punchy. Yo, who gets the gas face? Yeah. Chris Ryan.

The gas face. A permanent gas face. Like, you know. It's a great fit song, great fucking video. Like, all of it is just awesome. Like it's an awesome great outfits awesome moment in time great dancing great dancing Yeah, well anyway that's my choice okay so it's back to me for best rap song That's the last category I mean I guess wild card but like the wild card is very wild so like I'll just do best rap song

So again this is the single era this is again this is me running to the record store Buying whether they're like 299 or whatever just everything everything is on single I used to have a bed with drawers underneath the bed and I had one. We used to make things in this country. That's correct. We used to be a proper system. We used to be a democracy. Absolutely that was not made in this country.

That came from IKEA, but okay. No, this did not come from IKEA. But I had a drawer and I had one of the two drawers under the bed full of casingles. Like literally just dozens if not hundreds of casings. This song is a cassingle that I absolutely just, war to the ground and probably tried to build an entire personality around back when you could do that as a 13 year old or a 14 year old. And that song is, I'm that type of guy by L.L. Cool J.

So this is not like 1.0.L. Cool J. Right? This is like 2.0. L.L. Cool J. And if you want to know where the foundations of my personality come from, it's from repeating, pudding is delicious. over and over and over and over again. This is an incredibly special song. What a wild, cool, smooth flow. I'm the type of guy that comes when you leave. Girlfriend. I'm so uncomfortable.

Great aesthetic. This is super. This is like before Mama said, Knock You Out really takes it over the top. This is like the end of the first superstar of L.O. Cool J. I'm like on Alex Jones right. now. Anyway, it is so even keeled, and it's such hot subject matter, but delivered in such an

even keeled delivery mode. It's really, really impressive, and I strongly recommend everybody get involved with this song. Very important. This is troubling, honestly. Did you succeed in being that type of guy? Ask, ask, ask the fans. I'm going to, I'm going to need you to take this, this thing.

Ask the Discord, yeah. You're going to need to bring the lyrics of this into your therapy session next week, and you're going to need to, like, really unpack. Yeah. Do you still? I think y'all might need to bring it into your therapy sessions. Do you still sleep in this bed? No.

And is the, is the single drawer, like, a move? Number one, I don't sleep, baby. Yes, you do, babe. You sleep literally easily past noon every day. If anyone be sleeping, it's you. That's true. I did wake up, like, I did wake up specifically. And it's one, start at 1 p.m.

Also, very impressive. Y'all are on the West Coast, just podcasting in the morning. I have meditated. I have journaled. I have worked out. I have had a protein smithy. I have done some work. I don't want to, like, honestly, we will have to put an explicit tag on this episode

if I start reading these lyrics. I think we can all, like, I think it's almost better to leave it as a mystery. I think so, yeah. Yeah, like, how do it? Like how did John shape his somewhat? And those of you who are further interested, can go ahead and Google the lyrics. NYTimes.com slash popcast if you want more of this content.

And once again, pudding is delicious. Okay, so I think this is, if you guys don't mind me interrupting. I mean, like I think this is me and I have rap song and rock song and that's it, right? Yeah.

Okay. Okay. So for rap song, I'm going to go with EPMD. so what you're saying. Because I always thought it was just pretty deeply satisfying when dudes were like me and my boy are in a group together and we rap and offset one another.

Like, I don't feel like we do that enough anymore, like have duos. Well, I'm known to be the master in the MC field. No respect in 87, 88. Is this like the famous photo of me, you and Alex Papademus backstage at the MOP concert?

That's right. We're going to put that in the show notes. No, I just, I also thought, EPMD was just an absolutely fabulous rap group at this time. And the business trilogy. Did it become a quadrology? How many business albums did they think they like came back to it later? But I, like we don't acknowledge like later.

It's like later Beastie Boys. Like we just don't acknowledge. Sure. Damn, how many. How many punch the Beastie was? So what you're saying by EPMD is my rap song. And then for rock song, I'm going to go with. I'll be you by the replacement.

Oh, it's so good. It wasn't my pick, but I just appreciate you. I love the way the guitar sounds when this song starts. There's a bunch of rock songs I could have picked, but this is just the one I probably listened to the most now. I'll be you. That whole album, so underrated, in my opinion. Don't tell a song.

Great album cover. I have a tattoo from that album. It says, Darling One, Your Time Has Come. Another gorgeous song. on there the fucking asking me lies bitch goodbye I have a tattoo from that album and it just says mastered by butt bulb clear mountain

I don't know if you did that those are my picks everybody has a pick left I think at this point yeah so I'll go okay so now it's John all right so my wild card is what's remaining and yeah well my

wild card is actually a negative it's actually a like how did we let this happen I was looking at like the award winners of this year. And the VMA for Video of the Year went to Neil Young, this notes for you. Okay, so I have a couple of things about this. Number one, on God, I did not know who Neil Young was until he won this award. I did not know.

Yeah. Until researching for this podcast. Yes, that's true. A Canadian musician. Can you believe it? Known Canadian, Neil Young. The Drake of his day. Oh, God.

Now, at the time, I remember thinking, I don't, I'm not interested in whatever this is. Like this, I was like, it's, it's, the odds are stacked. The, the, the fixes in. Whatever this is, this is not for me. And so I, but yesterday or the day before, I was like, let me watch this video to really be like, why were people so allegedly pumped about this? This video is suss as fuck. It is literally insulting to Whitney Houston to Michael Jackson, not about Michael Jackson's legal issues, but about Michael Jackson's before.

Like, it is, it would never survive 2023. A little, bro, it's a lot rauggest and it's all, it's low key anti-black. Like, it's, it's really, it's tough. It's a tough watch in 23. It's clowning, but in a not funny way. It's not like Blink 182 clowning the

backstreet boys. You know, like, kind of like poking and guitar. It's literally it's literally being like, you know what sucks high production value R&B. You know what's good me and my bros jamming on the guitar in

a bar. Wait, you're picking this song, right? He's picking the video. No, this is my wild card. My wild card is my reaction to Neil Young winning the V&AM. I'm canceling Neil Young. I don't think you understand the draft. This is my wild card. Retroactively canceling Neil Young.

I just, I don't think maybe the rules, even though we had that pre-call for half an hour, did not land for you what this is. John, you just said your wild card is my take. It's like your wild card is a tape that I have. Yeah. My wild card for 99 was my shock. And Neil Young winning the VMA for video the year in that year, compounded by my shock of watching this video in 2023.

That is my wildcard. Okay. Well, in the interest of fucking wrapping this shit up and John. Okay. I just say, okay. How are we going to put that on like a social card? I have no idea. Producer Jesse, good luck to you.

Whoever makes the ringer social team going to be annoyed. They're like, what do we write here? It should just be in quotes. My own take about Neil Young's transgressions. John Caramondis' moral superiority. Yeah. How I knew what Neil Young didn't in 1989. Unanimous victory is why.

Babe, not with our fan base. I'm telling you that's immediate disqualification. Unanimous loss. They already canceled you for not for not liking Tom Petty, babe. You're never winning this. You put Black Cat and Rock Song disavowed Paul's boutique and called Neil Young racist in the course of just two hours to spit in the face of our fanbases. There's literally, are you telling me there is zero overlap in the popcast fan base and y'all's

fan base? Zero overlap. Yeah. Okay, great. Well, come to death row is all I got to say. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Okay. You fludge rounds all in the videos. Quite literally. Quite literally that. It's hard over there. There for sure. It's real hard. You have to put explicit fucking tags on podcast when Yossi comes on. Correct.

Okay. It's me. Correct. And that's the last thing for me is it pop. It's pop song for me. Damn, this is tough. I'm going to do something crazy. I'm going to say she drives me crazy by Fine Young Cannibals because I love that song.

Another single banger. And it's a fucking banger. And it just. slaps and it was such an interesting thing I think musically like at the time it was just like a weird little like weird little musical moment yeah that's my that's my pop song pick dare I say a maxi single even like it was up for video of the year and Neil young Neil Young stollent trambled on trampled on them I make playlists for my workout class because I could not abide any more of the contemporary pop music that Lobatim me while I'm trying to lift weights. So I put that on a couple of them. You listen to the, like the gym stereo when you work out.

You don't have AirPods in or anything? We do a class. So it's always a class. It's always a 10-person class that's like led by a person that we do different things altogether. So there's music. Was there an election to decide that you were going to be the DJ for the class? Or did you just sort of like usurp? I volunteered and then everyone.

Yeah, you did. I absolutely volunteered. No, but then. But then people had a taste. of what the good life could be like. And I will be in classes, well, they'll be like, can you put on one of Yossi's playlists? Because they know that otherwise it's going to be this shit that I, like,

don't even know exists that, like, it is like AI wrote it. And I'm like, I can't listen to this. And then actually somebody recognized me in a later class in the afternoon, which I don't go to because they asked who made the playlist. And the teacher told them. And they were like, oh, my God, I love Vanspline. A little tid for you. I listen to them to the locks when I go to the gym.

Yeah, if it was up to me, it would just be like Slayer, honestly. But like, I have to temper it for the community. Rob Harvilla, you're up next and last. Okay, first of all, the top five videos up for video of the year, the 1989 VMAs were Steve Winwood's role with it. Michael Jackson's leave me alone. Find Young Cannibal. She drives me crazy. Madonna's Like a Prayer.

And your winner, Neil Young, this notes for you. The fact that Like a Prayer didn't win. This is what I'm saying. Like, come on. I stand by the wild card being outraged. It's the wildest wild card. No, that's incorrect what you did. And you've made God unhappy, but we have-

Can you imagine the chuckleheads at MTV, the chuckleheads at MTV who are like, oh, yeah, we're going to give it to Neil Young. It's going to be hilarious. Subversive. Is this, there's got to be a whole chapter in the MTV book. I should pull it off the show. There's got to be a chapter on the side. We don't have time for that, babe.

Rob Harvilla last. My wild card is roller skating to Funky Colton Medina by Tone Loak. Yeah, that's good. That's really good. To the other side of the canteen. I asked the guy, why are you so fly? He said Funky Co. Medina.

I couldn't roller skate very well. I would fall down six or seven times per song. You know, and so like there was a percussive, an additional percussive element to Funky Colton Medina that I think actually worked really well, me falling, constantly, but like I hear this song, I still picture myself going at a very awkward oval, you know, at the roller rink. Funky Colemana superior Wild Thing or no? Wild Thing technically came out in 1988.

I'm trying to honor your... No, I just mean, like generally speak, like generally speaking. Yeah, I mean, no, I would put, I would put Wild Thing over Funky Cold Medina, but I think Funky Cold Medina is one of the more successful, like, second singles. that sounds exactly like the first single, but just different enough to be appealing on its own. So, yeah, it's a fine Scotty Pippin to Wild Things, Michael Jordan. I see what you've done here, Rob.

You've somehow brought it back to Beastie Boys Paul's Boutique, because who produced this? Matt Dyke. That's right, Dust Brothers, this is the beginning of Paul's boutique. It all goes through tone look and a college radio station. EPMD. Gorge, you guys, somehow, by the grace of GERS, God, we finished.

John, how long can I speak, Caramonica? Thank you so much. Yeah, I do want to recap, but I just wanted to get that in there. Okay, no, let's recap. I'll start with Chris Ryan. Pop song, Buffalo Stance by Nana Cherry, album of the year, the Pixie's Do Little, Wild Card, Public Enemy Fight the Power. What were your last two, Chris?

I don't have the other one you written down. Music video. Sorry, music video, yeah. The other two were, yeah, music video for Fight the Power. And then EPMD, so what you're saying for rap song. And I'll be you, the replacements for rock song. I'll be you, the replacements. Okay.

And then, John, would you like to recap your own? No, I'd like to hear you. This is going to be good. Okay, great. John Caramonica, rock song, heavy air quotes. Janet Jackson Black Cat. Literally, literal. Excellent.

Recapping. Anyway, fake news. Air quotes are fake news. Album of the Air, De La Sol, Three Feet High and Rising. Pop song, Don Henley, Loss Worthless Evening. Y'all didn't see that coming. Y'all didn't see it coming.

I mean, that's another one of things where it's like, it's not the pop song. It's your broken self-heart version of dealing with the song. Because it wasn't really a pop song, but all that. That's literally all. It literally charted on Billboard. I double-checked. The idea of like John being this hybrid person who,

is like half LL Cool J and half Don Enley. And half who the fuck is Tom Petty? I don't recognize that. It's a very specific type of guy. Mansplaining to people about how they should feel about Neil Young's this notes for you. In the leather jacket, you have to picture the leather jacket because that really puts it over the fucking top for me.

Oh, God. This video is in motorcycle jacket in high school with his Fisher Price fucking boom box, Sheep's Head Bay, bitch. And God is like, leave me out of this. Pontificating. Trying to scam some Italian-American scholarships. With his Madonna, with his allieship essay. Yeah.

They were not looking for allies. Rap song for John was L.L. Cool J. I'm that type of guy, as we said. Wildcard, his own personal outrage against Neil Young's BMA way. This is honestly, and... Is that become the funniest thing I've ever heard is YouTube fucking select. your own opinion. This is the last

worthless podcast you will ever listen to. Oh my God. That is so funny, John, man. I can't wait to do that in like a movie draft room. I'm like, I'm picking my own take on Goodfellas. Picking my own emotional reaction to this song, actually. Okay. Who's next?

Bobby Harvilles. Rock song. Fonto Moss, just kidding. Epic by Faith No More. Pop song, Stolen right from Under My Nose, Like a Prayer by Madonna. Sorry. Again, Rob Harvilla, an ally. Rap song, Beastie Boys, Hey Ladies, we won't go into that again.

Album of the Year, Tom Petty, Full Moon Fever. Wildcard, himself roller skating to tone looks. See, I'm just opening up the discourse. Yeah, you're making it even broader here. And then myself, your beloved host, Yassi Salick, album of the year, The Cure Disintegration, which is the right choice. Rock song, Nine Inch N'H N'H N'H N'H N'O'Hill's Head Like a Whole, Wildcard, Depeche Mode 101 Documentary. Pop song was Find Uncannibal. She Drives Me Crazy.

And rap song was third base, the gas face. Can I ask a question about the fan voting quickly? They've, each individual category is where the votes land, or they vote for the entire slate? They vote for our slates, yeah. slate. Okay. I vote for Yassi. But we can't do that anymore because Twitter Bulls are only available to verify.

Oh, yeah, none of us have a blue check. We'll have to make the ringer do it. Does the ringer have a blue check? I'm not sure. I hope not. We'll find out. Thanks. You're voting for Yasi though. That's magnanimous of you, John. I think those are great picks. Oh, thank you. Again, I don't believe in competition.

The easy thing for the winner to say. Just kidding. I beat the shit out of those people at the gym. today. Are you kidding? I was running circles around them. I was like, this weight, too light. Can you bring me a heavier one? That was me this morning. Okay. Is there any closing remarks? I can't believe we didn't mention 1989 also the year that Taylor Swift was born.

Huge year. That is the wild card. The birth of Taylor Swift. That's the wild card. The birth of Taylor Swift. None of us none of us thought of that. Such a layup. Truly the end of the innocence. Hey, yo. Hey.

Hey. I do want to say two slight things I didn't mention just because I think it's worth mentioning. This is also the year the only Operation Ivy album ever came out, which did have huge also musical ramifications. And we didn't talk about that. I mean, basically invented third wave scar or whatever. And a song that I, for whatever reason, deeply love to sing in a weird voice to my friends all the time, which is, I don't know much. But I don't know how are you. Wow.

I have never heard that voice come out of you. Let me be all I need to know. That's right. Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstad, I believe. Big song, big song. And also the Beaches song, fucking Wind Beneath My Wings. We had a lot of moments. What a beautiful.

Two princes. Three princes, really. Three princes. What a blessing. What a blessing for me to know you guys. Magnet. Magnet. Not true.

Not true. but thank you. Literally it's what a joy to know three men. What a treat. What a treat to know these three men. No, I can see that. Come back next week for a new episode of Bansplain and thank you. If you liked what you heard today, subscribe for more episodes of Bandsplaine. Our guests today were Chris Ryan, Rob Harvilla, and John Caramonica. And you can follow them on Twitter. at Chris Ryan 77, at Harvilla, and at John Caramanica, respectively.

This episode was produced by Jesse Miller Gordon and edited by Adrian Bridges, with help from Justin Sales. Executive producers for bands playing are Gina Delvac and me, Yossi Selle. A gorgeous and catchy theme song was composed and performed by Bethany Costantino and Jennifer Clavin and graciously recorded by Carlos Delagarza in Los Angeles, California. Special thanks to our Producer Emeritus, Producer Dylan, aka Dylan Tupper Rupert, and also Casey Simonson, Robert Adler, Leah Edwards, David McDunna, Dana Mears, and Jessica Hopper, and Ross Purilina. Come back every Thursday for a new episode of Bansplain on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

I'm the baby. I'm baby. I'm baby.