Conan Neutron’s Protonic Reversal

Ronnie is/was 1/3 of the mighty Muffs! He’s a raconteur of the highest order and has had an incredible career in music with the amazing Kim Shattuck (R.I.P.). Listen in on the tales of an incredible rock and roll career, from a surprise hit song in the movie Clueless as well as a detailed accounting of the final Muffs record. Which was completed during Kim’s two year battle with ALS.

Hello, friends, and thank you for joining Conan and Josh for another episode of Protonic Reversal! Today’s guest is Darren Jackson of Kid Dakota, whose album So Pretty is about to get its first vinyl issue. We discuss that, and: -mp3.com -the So Pretty cover art -a Low connection -Shifting production ideas -Spy mission band recruitment -Precise music -Lack of overdub ideas -WWTTD? -minimalism -Selling the story instead of the music -How the image fills in the vacuum -Post-tragic euphoria -Assessing the Kid Dakota discography -The lasting popularity of a landmark early record -Leaving room in the song for the listener -Recording the new album -and the next one upcoming! -When your best album doesn’t catch on -Getting burned out, recharging and focusing -Craft pedals -An unexpected soundtrack opportunity -Vietnamese bootleg website

RIP Gary Floyd Punk rock legend Gary Floyd of the legendary DICKS enters the lair of the Protonic Reversal! We talk about HATE THE POLICE, how it has sadly aged pretty well and is quite possibly one of the greatest debut singles of any punk rock band. The origin of the band in Texas (name and flyers first), and subsequently moving to San Francisco. Being an out queer punk rock front person in the days of punk rock and early hardcore. Visual art and health issues. Biscuit from Big Boys and the common cause with Dicks. David Yow and Wheelchair Epidemic (and the dildos), a surprise Butthole Surfers song title homage, Sister Double Happiness! Touring with Nirvana and Soundgarden. Oh yeah, and taking off two years to... live in a monastery? Black Kali Ma, reunion tours, San Francisco related minutia, and lots, lots more.

13 (!) new interviews, about 10 minutes each to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the podcast. Wow! 1. Duane Denison (The Jesus Lizard, Tomahawk, DK3) (Ep158, Ep94) 2. Coady Willis - (High on Fire, Melvins, Big Business, Murder City Devils) (Ep132) 3. Marnie Stern - (Ep361) 4. Steve Albini - (Shellac, Big Black, Electrical Audio Studio) (Ep185, Ep150, Ep127, Ep21) 5. Andrew “Falco” Falkous - (mclusky, Future of the Left) {Ep371, Ep241, Ep157, Ep116, Ep100, Ep89, Ep63, Ep14, Ep04) 6. Bob Bert (Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore, Jon Spencer & the HITmakers, Lydia Lunch RetroVirus, Wolfmanhattan project) (Ep128) 7. David Pajo - (Slint, Gang of Four, Papa M, Zwan, Household Gods, Tortoise, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol, Dead Child, Stereolab)(Ep190) 8. Alain Johannes - (Eleven, Queens of the Stone Age, Desert Sessions, PJ Harvey, Producer) (Ep196) 9. John Schmersal (Brainiac, Enon, Vertical Scratchers, Crooks on Tape), (Ep311, Ep136) 10. Mike Morasky (Steel Pole Bath Tub, Milk Cult, Cassette Prophet) (Ep349, Ep329, Ep162) 11. Dale Crover (Melvins, Redd Kross, Dale Crover Band, Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends, Nirvana)) (Ep230, Ep155, Ep100, Ep066) 12. Jennifer Finch (L7, OtherStarPeople) (Ep191) 13. Ian MacKaye (fugazi, Coriky, the Evens, Minor Threat, Dischord Records) (Ep209) Video for the show is forthcoming! Keep it lit.

Doni Blair is best known as bassplayer for 90s legends The Toadies, but just like his brother Zach. Conan knows him from his old band Hagfish! We talk all about the Hagfish days, and van touring, as well as the glory and the allure of the Rickenbacker bass., a father who was a rock DJ, the "selling out" argument, and no thanks at all the MTV. The book Doni wrote and his journey (over 40!) with martial arts. Even if it Kills Me: Martial Arts, Rock and Roll and of course Dia De Los Toadies, the new record (!) Toadies has recorded with Steve Albini, what to expect for the future with that band, and being a catalog band with loyal fans and finding new audience members as time goes. It is the great Doni Blair! Dive in.

Danbert is a anarcho-punk icon that cofounded Anarchist collective punk group Chumbawamba in 1982, yes that's right the one with the "I get knocked down, but I get up again" song. All about the origin and the journey of "the song" that changed the band's world for quite some time. Split release with Noam Chomsky, dumping water on hypocrite politicians and his newest record Kochtopus's Garden - Now That's What I Call Capitalism - The Musical. A very direct political record about two song-bots that escape their confines and flee across America all while “Dark Money Anon,” the entity that has taken control of the States, tries to hunt them down. Punk, folk, reggae and while slashing at capitalism, militarism, authorism, sexism, racism and all the various isms. All this from the guy who fronted the band that released "Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records" "Never Mind the Ballots" and many other cheeky, too-smart irrascible and funny records. And took ad money to give it explicitly to anti-corporate groups.

The legendary guitarist for Mission of Burma arrives to talk about dream interpretations for solo guitar, silent film accompaniment, Vs., reunions, how the world caught up to Mission of Burma, Alloy Orchestra/The Anvil Orchestra (scoring Dr. Caligari at MFF soon!), Moving Parts, working on soundtracks, tapes, drones, Maximum Electric Piano, conceptual art like Transmuting the Prosaic, chamber music and so much more!

293 episodes since Rick Sims last protoniced, did they even have podcasts then? Was it on wax cylinders? Probably. Anyway! Strictly Dynamite is the new Best of and Rarities Didjits collection. It's got all of the best stuff, but also has some stuff that even the true heads don't have. We get into the confrontation and "monster voice" of the some of the Didjits stuff, how some of that probably, possibly, definitely hasn't aged too well, what that means for music now. Why rock 'n roll should be dangerous, and lots of other stuff! Supersuckers! Gaza Strippers! Just Fred with Fred Schneider of the B-52s and of course the Lee Harvey Oswald band. Hey! It is Rick Sims. Let's go!

Long time coming! Ryan Patterson has a great new Fotocrime record called Accelerated. And there's also a TWO OFF Coliseum reunion/celebration coming up shortly! We dive into all the aspects of the act of creation and connection and what should and shouldn't be tied to expectation. The wondrous J. Robbins and Ryan's long time working relationship and friendship with the man. The legacy of Coliseum (with some distance), while there could be more Coliseum stuff in the future, but a world tour shouldn't be expected, genre boxes and picking up on sounds and ideas that others cannot do anymore and lots more. The C.L.S.M. Infinity Shit Coliseum record as a cul-de-sac. Shirtkiller and lots more! Dive in!

Tarantula Heart. The latest Melvins record which was created in an unorthodox way with Ray from Ministry , and the King Dunn tour (Buzz and Trevor Dunn from Mr. Bungle) is finally happening after nearly 4 years. Eclipse madness! AI Art! Taking pictures and being on instagram. Melvins stuff being more or less free on youtube the collector's mentality and handmade aspect of the limited edition Melvins things. Wayne Kramer, fantomas, Alice Cooper Band, Helms Alee, Toshi Kasai, Allman Brothers, Cheap Trick, Five Legged Dog (the acoustic record) and the slow methodical creation of that. Re-recording things, Hipgnosis and the old style album cover, the AMREP singles series and lots, lots more! Dive in!

Greg Norton is back! It's been almost three years since last time. Ultrabomb! Cancer. So much to discuss. The new record Dying to Smile is almost here, we also discuss Time to Burn (the first Ultrabomb record), music discovery and becoming an advocate for the things you love. Progress and patience, New Day Rising, the influence of the Dü, the Ultrabomb story, last years tour with Bar Stool Preachers and this tour coming up with Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, and of course Greg's successful battle against prostate cancer.

Kid Congo Powers has a brand new record called That Delicious Vice with his band The Pink Monkey Birds. Pair that with his book (Some Kind of Kick), and the recent Wolfmanhattan Project record (with Bob Bert and Mick Collins) and you have a very busy guy! But that is nothing new, The Gun Club and Jeffrey Lee Pierce, Lux, Ivy and the Cramps! Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Wings of Desire, and so much more. From zines and fanclubs to being on stage. Punk rock as community for the freaks, nerds and weirdos of the world as well as safe haven for gay folks. Tucson vs. New York and Los Angeles. It is the legend! Kid Congo Powers!

Victims Family has an awesome new split lp with Nasalrod! "In the Modern Meatspace". We talk about that as well as a comprehensive history of Victims Family, a band who blazed their own trail throughout the 80s independent rock, the 90s gold rush and beyond. White Bread Blues, The Germ and lots more. Victims Family family, The Freak Accident, and of course Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine, from the start to current. It's a career spanner with one of the great "weird guitar players" of the bay area.

The Bronson Arm self-titled record is still fairly recently released. We get into a detailed song by song of that debut, preceded by a bit of history of the band and how it all came together with so long to gestate. Pedals with Emerald Circuits, Dynamic Sound Mastering and a detailed deep dive into mastering itself, what it does and why it is important, baritone talk, split signals, space and inspiration from unique sources. It is Blake! It is Bronson Arm.

That's right it is weirdo guitar LEGEND Norm Westberg! Here not just to talk about the genre defying brutality of Swans or his magnificent ambient solo work, but to also speak about at length about the radically underrated Heroine Sheiks with Shannon Selberg of the Cows! So all things Gira and Jarboe, some King Crimson, Sonic Youth borrowing gear, as well as how to use Etsy to sell limited edition ambient works. All of that plus: "Which Swans song is their Louie, Louie?"

Mud Ride is the name of Steve's book. A messy trip through the grunge explosion. Steve of course, was there for all of it as a first hand participant with Mudhoney and before that Green River. We talk about all of that, along with The Thrown-Ups, folk records, crate digging, Monkeywrech, day jobs and lots more. Lukin and Maddison, March to Fuzz, Protest songs. Punk rock. I'm Now! Chardonnay! Fearless Doctor Killers! You Got It (which version! And which song is the best introduction to what Mudhoney does and so very much more. Been trying to get this one done for literal years and HERE. WE. ARE.

Feel Worse is the new record by USA Nails, Steven also plays in the incredible BLKLSTRS as well, and was in Kong and Oceansize. So let's get into that, as well as recording a record where 3/4 of the band are in the same city and one isn't. BLKLSTRS eps, subbing in Future of the Left, Song by Song breakdown of Feel Worse and lots, lots more!

Peter Prescott is the impresario and driving force behind Minibeast. To this day though, he is known to most as the drummer for the mighty Mission of Burma. We talk about the iconic album, ep and single by that band, and how it was somehow out of time and ahead of their time, and the reunion, hearing protection measure (the cone of silence!), record score discoveries, rocking while aging, moving to Providence and more. The rise of Volcano Suns, Kustomized and moving from behind the drums to get rhythmically krautrock with Minibeast.

J. Robbins returns! He has a brand new record called Basilisk. It has been awhile since last he was on. How long? Well his LAST album Un-becoming wasn't even done yet then and that was 2019. So there you go. In-depth with a song by song on Basilisk as well as For Your Own Special Sweetheart turning 30 years old. Post-Bill Barbot Jawbox, the impartial overview tour and whether that will be the end of the reunited Jawbox or not. Brooks! Gordon! What the hey, it is J. Robbins folks. Let's go!

John Wright of NoMeansNo and Dead Bob returns! And this time he has the NMN biographer Jason Lamb, author of NoMeansNo: From Obscurity to Oblivion: An Oral History, with him. which has just come out. We speak of the great history of the band and the challenge of getting it all down and doing it right. Casual fans and folks with NMN tattoos, getting across the humor of the band in an informative way, the thrill of the hunt for NMN esoteria, What was left out. The need to focus on the music without the visuals distracting you "The Eyes are Thieves" (and a side conversation about the nature of music and video), And of course much more DEAD BOB.