The Jokermen embrace the "Do It Again" ethos of the holidays with two late-era Christmas records: Brian Wilson's warm-hearted What I Really Want For Christmas, and Mike Love's aesthetically abrasive Reason For The Season. Plus: a Root Beer Report unlike any other.
Ian catches up with Daniel Rossen of Grizzly Bear about their just-concluded 2025 tour, revisiting Yellow House, Veckatimest, and Shields, returning to the past with no sense of pressure, community vs. quality of life, solo artists vs. rock bands, the lasting reputation of Grizzly Bear, the GOAT Michael McDonald, and much more. FOLLOW DANIEL ON INSTAGRAM
Ian speaks with author W. David Marx about cultural atrophy, poptimism, Taylor Swift, Charli XCX, Geese, the "Mike Love Century," The Beatles, the importance of serious criticism, Kanye, Kim, Paris Hilton, new musical genres (or lack thereof), fashion and food scenes vs. music and arts scenes, and Marx's superb new book, Blank Space: A Cultural History of the Twenty First Century. FOLLOW W. DAVID MARX ON INSTAGRAM "BLANK SPACE" AVAILABLE NOW
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The Jokermen consider Carnie and Wendy Wilson's output from the 1990s: the self-titled Wilson Phillips debut, Shadows & Light, and their pseudo-collaboration with Brian, The Wilsons. SUBSCRIBE TO JOKERMEN ON PATREON
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The Jokermen discuss the laziest effort yet from the Beach Boys. SUBSCRIBE TO JOKERMEN ON PATREON
The Jokermen celebrate Van Dyke Parks and Brian Wilson's collaborative release Orange Crate Art, as well as the California myth, the reclamation of the SMiLE project, the complicated relationship between art and commerce, and the medium of orange crate art itself. WATCH "VAN DYKE PARKS: EEN OBSESSIE VOOR MUZIEK" ON YOUTUBE SUBSCRIBE TO JOKERMEN ON PATREON FOR ACCESS TO ALL EPISODES
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Ian raps with Julian Ehrlich and Max Kakacek of Whitney about living together as bandmates and working together as roommates, recording and producing themselves, dual breakups, The Band, "Acadian Driftwood," favorite Bob records, the Chicago scene, the depressing state of the Bears and the Bulls, basketball fandom in indie rock, "marinating" before tour, the ubiquity of pedal steel, and their lovely new record Small Talk. "SMALL TALK" OUT NOW FOLLOW WHITNEY ON INSTAGRAM
Ian chats with the great John Darnielle about the latest Mountain Goats record Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan, cracking the concept behind the album, collaborating with members of both the Hamilton cast and The Replacements, his upcoming lyrics book, de-centering "John Darnielle" from his work, giving himself permission to look back, becoming an accidental TikTok phenomenon, writing bridges, underrated Bob Dylan records, and much more. "THROUGH THIS FIRE ACROSS FROM PETER BALKAN" OUT THIS FRIDAY "THIS YEAR" OUT DECEMBER 2nd
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The Jokermen forge on into the 90s with Brian Wilson's never-released second solo record Sweet Insanity, the final document of the Eugene Landy era. SUBSCRIBE TO JOKERMEN ON PATREON WATCH THE DIANE SAWYER INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE
The Jokermen sift through the wreckage of the Beach Boys in the 1980s to identify the best songs of the decade. LISTEN TO "THAT SONG MAKES ME FEEL SPIRITUAL: BEST OF THE BEACH BOYS IN THE 1980s" on Spotify SUBSCRIBE TO JOKERMEN ON PATREON
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The Jokermen speak with Darian Sahanaja and Jim Laspesa of the Brian Wilson Band about the incredible tour they're on with Al Jardine, the beauty and honesty of The Beach Boys Love You, the excitement around the shows, the new generation of Beach Boys fans, the Lemon Twigs, Norbit, Andy Paley, the upcoming Love You/Adult Child box set, hunting for SMiLE bootlegs, deep-cut early Beach Boys favorites, and much more. SUBSCRIBE TO JOKERMEN ON PATREON
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