The Asylum Podcast

Staying on the 1984 theme, The Kousins decided to dive into one of the seminal (and to some of us - most important) "Thrash Metal" albums of all time, Metallica's Ride the Lightning. It's pretty badass all the way through. Some of the history, some of the stories, but mostly just listening. It's a beast of an album. All four Kousins gave their "Now Listenings." Calls from Jim From Irwin, Jem From Alabama, and Nick From Northern California. How do you feel about Ride the Lightning? Let us know by calling the TLDNetwork (KUZZ Army) hotline and leaving a message for the Kousins at 336-422-NUMB (6862). You can also see it on our YouTube channel. We have Instagram and Twitter. We would appreciate a like, rating, and review. Subscribe and follow! This podcast was recorded in the Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza and recorded via Zoom, sponsored by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge.

Dateline - The Asylum. The Year... 1984. With 1983 the "jump-in" year that it was, 1984 had the Kousins in the throes of some hard rock discovery. One of the Kousins calls it "the greatest year in music." The others didn't necessarily disagree, so while simpatico may not have been fully reached, it was close enough. In addition to all the great music, not just hard rock but pop, alternative, and post-punk, too, the Kousins take on a snippet in time and run down what was the emergence of their hard rock, and music in general, fandom. They talk about movies, television, and, of course, music. Calls from Jem From Alabama and Jim From Irwin. What was your favorite album or song or pop-culture item from 1984? Let us know by calling the TLDNetwork (KUZZ Army) hotline and leaving a message for the Kousins at 336-422-NUMB (6862). You can also see it on our YouTube channel. We have Instagram and Twitter. We would appreciate a like, rating, and review. Subscribe and follow! This podcast was recorded in the Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza and recorded via Zoom, sponsored by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge.

Kousin Ray couldn't be on because he was on co-pilot duty with the wife, so the OG Kousins decided to do an Extended Now Listening; what Kousin Tim is calling XLNL (Extra Large Now Listening). Some first-time listens for some of the Kousins and some groovy tunes. Calls from Jem From Alabama, Bruno From Sunny South Africa, and Jim From Irwin. What have you been listening to lately? Let us know by calling the TLDNetwork (KUZZ Army) hotline and leaving a message for the Kousins at 336-422-NUMB (6862). You can also see it on our YouTube channel. We have Instagram and Twitter. We would appreciate a like, rating, and review. Subscribe and follow! This podcast was recorded in the AWARD-WINNING Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza and recorded via Zoom, sponsored by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge.

For the first time ever, we have an outsider coming in to challenge a Kousin in an Album Gladiator Showdown. Steve Wright from Podder Than Hell and I Remember Now - The Queensrÿche Podcast comes in to challenge Kousin Marvin to a duel. And they used Iron Maiden as their gladiators. Steve wielded the power of Maiden's third album, the first with Bruce Dickinson, 1982's The Number of the Beast. Kousin Marvin took the reins of that album's follow-up, 1983's Piece of Mind. It is epic! To reiterate the rules: Each combatant has two in-round deferrals. After a coin flip, the winner can either go first or defer their pick (not counted in their in-round deferrals). The first picker chooses their "gladiator" or song for battle. After a short listen, the opposing picker chooses the song (or gladiator) to battle the round's opening song. The other two Kousins (or, in this case, three) then vote for the winner. The two pickers can change their vote if they choose to, as well. Whichever song has the most votes... wins. If there's a tie, it goes to Twitter (or "X" as it's known now) for tiebreaker votes. If that doesn't make sense, just give it a listen, and it will become as clear as mud. There was no "Now Listening" because of the length of the impending battle. Kousin Marvin "Let Us Know." Calls from Jim From Irwin, Nick Provenzano From San Francisco, and Jem From Alabama. How would your Iron Maiden gladiators fare? Let us know by calling the TLDNetwork (KUZZ Army) hotline and leaving a message for the Kousins at 336-422-NUMB (6862). You can also see it on our YouTube channel. We have Instagram and Twitter. We would appreciate a like, rating, and review. Subscribe and follow! This podcast was recorded in the Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza and recorded via Zoom, sponsored by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge.

As is the case every time Skid Row announces someone fronting the band, Sebastian Bach starts stomping, b*tching, pissing, and moaning about them not asking him to come back. Perhaps that is why, Bas? Perhaps that is why. Anyway, Skid Row's lead singer, Erik Grönwall, had to back out of the band to complete his treatment against leukemia, but the band had obligations. So, they turned to a total badass and fan of the band, Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, to fill in for a few dates. She isn't the replacement singer for Grönwall; she is just filling in until a new singer is found.  Lzzy and Bas were friends and had performed together at least once. After this was announced, Bas turned whiney and moany and unfriended/unfollowed Lzzy for just getting to fulfill a dream. Earlier this month, Sebastian Bach released a new solo record called Child Within the Man. Kousin Gary suggested we give it a listen, at least partly. We listened to Bas/Lzzy from 2013. We listened to four Lzzy-led Skids songs, and three Bas songs from the new album. An email from Jim From Irwin, a call from Jem From Alabama. All four Kousins gave their "Now Listenings." Have you seen the videos of Lzzy with Skid Row? What did you think? Let us know by calling the TLDNetwork (KUZZ Army) hotline and leaving a message for the Kousins at 336-422-NUMB (6862). You can also see it on our YouTube channel. We have Instagram and Twitter. We would appreciate a like, rating, and review. Subscribe and follow! This podcast was recorded in the Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza and recorded via Zoom, sponsored by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge.

There's a relatively new docuseries on Hulu about Bon Jovi, specifically Jon Bon Jovi. It covers his career, the band's career, the ups and downs, the losses and gains, and his voice problem (among other things). We had talked (off-air) about how bad he had been sounding and that docuseries Thank You, Goodnight, The Bon Jovi Story filled in many holes. The Kousins all had various levels of fandom, with one member, particularly into them, and it may be the one you'd expect the least. The Kousins sent in their Top 10 Bon Jovi songs. They were put through a tally, and the top 15ish showed up. An at-large tiebreaker was called for, and our closest chosen family - our listeners - was that tiebreaker. With help from Eugene B Sims, Jem From Alabama, Jim From Irwin, Nick Provenzano from San Francisco, Ray's Steve, and Bruno from Sunny South Africa, all chipped in and broke yon ties (to some extent). Some were more excited than others, we'll say. The Top Ten (or Twelve) were then presented. The four Kousins gave their "Now Listenings." Calls from Eugene B Sims, Jem From Alabama, Bruno From Sunny South Africa, and Jim From Irwin. What are your favorite Bon Jovi songs? Did you watch the docuseries? Let us know by calling the TLDNetwork (KUZZ Army) hotline and leaving a message for the Kousins at 336-422-NUMB (6862). You can also see it on our YouTube channel. We have Instagram and Twitter. We would appreciate a like, rating, and review. Subscribe and follow! This podcast was recorded in the Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza and recorded via Zoom, sponsored by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge.

The whole gang is back this week. When you think of one-hit wonders, which artists do you think of? What makes the songs you think of a "hit?" Where does the "one-hit" part of "one-hit wonder" come from? The Kousins discuss those very questions. Okay, let's face it, Kousin Tim tries to school people because that's what he does. He's a know-it-all. But maybe he thinks he's a know-it-mostly kind of guy? Who knows? It's really just a fun topic and suggestion. All four Kousins give their "Now Listenings." There are calls from Jem From Alabama, Bruno from Sunny South Africa, Jim From Irwin, and an old-school call from "Roadie Ray." What constitutes a hit to you? Who are your favorite one-hit wonders? Let us know by calling the TLDNetwork (KUZZ Army) hotline and leaving a message for the Kousins at 336-422-NUMB (6862). You can also see it on our YouTube channel. We have Instagram and Twitter. We would appreciate a like, rating, and review. Subscribe and follow! This podcast was recorded in the Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza and recorded via Zoom, sponsored by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge.

Kousin Ray was on assignment this week. But, the original "OG" Kousins, Tim, Gary, and Marvin held a listening party for Great White's 1987 album, Once Bitten. It was an important time for the band. While they had been around for a bit, they didn't have much breakout success until this album. The album is known for "Lady Red Light," "Rock Me," and "Save Your Love." The latter is NOT the same as the KISS song of the same name from Dynasty. Which Kousins liked it? Did any not like it? The three Kousins gave their "Now Listenings." Calls from Jem From Alabama, Jim From Irwin, Bruno From South Africa, and Nick Provenzano of the West Coast Provenzanos. And a text from Carlos. What are your thoughts on Once Bitten? Do you have a favorite song or memory about the album? Let us know by calling the TLDNetwork (KUZZ Army) hotline and leaving a message for the Kousins at 336-422-NUMB (6862). You can also see it on our YouTube channel. We have Instagram and Twitter. We would appreciate a like, rating, and review. Subscribe and follow! This podcast was recorded in the Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza and recorded via Zoom, sponsored by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge.

The Kousins run through the Top 10 (or 13, actually) Warrant songs as compiled by each Kousin making their own Top 10 list. This means that Kousin Tim has his top 10 Warrant songs list. Kousin Marvin does, and so do Kousin Gary and Kousin Ray. Then each position is given a score based on where (if) it shows up on a Kousin's list. Plug that into a little program, and it spits out the collective. Then we play them. Easy peasy, George and Weezy! Each Kousin gave their "Now Listenings." Calls from Jem From Alabama and Jim From Irwin. What are your favorite Warrant songs? What would your top 10 look like? Let us know by calling the TLDNetwork (KUZZ Army) hotline and leaving a message for the Kousins at 336-422-NUMB (6862). You can also see it on our YouTube channel. We have Instagram and Twitter. We would appreciate a like, rating, and review. Subscribe and follow! This podcast was recorded in the Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza and recorded via Zoom, sponsored by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge.

Another topic was coming up for this episode until Kousin Tim talked about this event on Camel City Radio, and Kousin Marvin brought it up to the Kousin Kollective. Today (as of the recording) is April 18, 2024. On April 18, 1987, the very first episode of MTV's breakthrough program, Headbangers Ball, made its debut. The show was without a dedicated host; instead, it used established hard rock and "metal" artists as guest VJs. For that first episode, it was Lemmy and Philthy Animal from Motörhead. The Kousins ran down the tracklisting for that night with just a couple of detours (either because the songs were hard to find or fighting with licensing). All four Kousins gave their "Now Listenings." Calls from Jem From Alabama, Bruno From Sunny South Africa, and Eugene B Sims of Wheeler's Dog Podcast. What were your fondest Headbangers Ball moments? Let us know by calling the TLDNetwork (KUZZ Army) hotline and leaving a message for the Kousins at 336-422-NUMB (6862). You can also see it on our YouTube channel. We have Instagram and Twitter. We would appreciate a like, rating, and review. Subscribe and follow! This podcast was recorded in the Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza and recorded via Zoom, sponsored by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge.

Back in November, before the big switch from a KISS-focused podcast to a hard rock-focused podcast, the Kousins rated all the KISS albums like marks in school. The four Kousins graded from A+ through F-. You can hear those episodes here and here. Fast-forward to February, when the Kousins did a retrospective of music from 1983, which focused on the hard rock genre (which can be found here). It was mentioned that the Kousins would be visiting other years. But before we all move on, it was time to grade the top albums of 1983. The albums that were graded were (in no particular order): Quiet Riot - Metal Health Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind Metallica - Kill ‘Em All Def Leppard - Pyromania Dio - Holy Diver Kiss - Lick It Up Motley Crue - Shout at the Devil Ozzy Osbourne - Bark at the Moon Y&T - Mean Streak Twisted Sister - You Can’t Stop Rock n Roll Accept - Balls to the Wall Some harsh words were thrown around about some of the albums, some about the other Kousins. But, in the end, the grades were final. All four Kousins gave their "Now Listenings." A call from Jem From Alabama! Let us know by calling the TLDNetwork (KUZZ Army) hotline and leaving a message for the Kousins at 336-422-NUMB (6862). You can also see it on our YouTube channel. We have Instagram and Twitter. We would appreciate a like, rating, and review. Subscribe and follow! This podcast was recorded in the Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza and recorded via Zoom, sponsored by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge.

After a week off, the Kousins come back with three-ish songs, each of the things they had been listening to on their time off due to two Kousins unable to record. That just gave the Kousins more time to catch up on their pleasure listening. Kousin Tim makes good on a promise, Kousin Ray stands on convention, Kousin Gary makes a big deal about one of his new favorite places, and Kousin Marvin pushes all boundaries of logic (but that's every week). A call from Jim From Irwin. What were you listening to this week? Let us know by calling the TLDNetwork (KUZZ Army) hotline and leaving a message for the Kousins at 336-422-NUMB (6862). You can also see it on our YouTube channel. We have Instagram and Twitter. We would appreciate a like, rating, and review. Subscribe and follow! This podcast was recorded in the Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza and recorded via Zoom, sponsored by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge.

It's part two, five songs each, for the GnR Album Gladiator Showdown between Kousin Gary and Kousin Ray, with Kousin Tim and Kousin Marvin judging. This one should decide who is the ultimate winner. To catch you up: A few weeks back, Kousin Ray said that Guns 'N' Roses' Use Your Illusion I & II would be one great album if you trimmed the fat. He also said this album could rival the greatness of GnR's debut, Appetite for Destruction. Kousin Gary took exception to that and said, "No way!" So, here we are today. Kousin Ray took twelve songs from the two UYI albums to pit against the twelve songs of Appetite with Kousin Gary. Last week was part one! To reiterate the rules: After a coin flip, the winner can either go first or defer their pick. The first picker chooses their "gladiator" or song for battle. After a short listen, the opposing picker chooses the song (or gladiator) to battle the round's opening song. The other two Kousins then vote for the winner. The two pickers can change their vote if they choose to, as well. Whichever song has the most votes... wins. If there's a tie, well, we'll see. If that doesn't make sense, just give it a listen, and it will become as clear as mud. Calls from Jem From Alabama and Nick Provenzano! All four Kousins gave their "Now Listening." How would UYR stand up to Appetite in your world? Let us know by calling the TLDNetwork (KUZZ Army) hotline and leaving a message for the Kousins at 336-422-NUMB (6862). You can also see it on our YouTube channel. We have Instagram and Twitter. We would appreciate a like, rating, and review. Subscribe and follow! This podcast was recorded in the Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza and recorded via Zoom, sponsored by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge.

A few weeks back, Kousin Ray said that Guns 'N' Roses' Use Your Illusion I & II would be one great album if you trimmed the fat. He also said this album could rival the greatness of GnR's debut, Appetite for Destruction. Kousin Gary took exception to that and said, "No way!" So, here we are today. Kousin Ray took twelve songs from the two UYI albums to pit against the twelve songs of Appetite with Kousin Gary. To reiterate the rules: After a coin flip, the winner can either go first or defer their pick. The first picker chooses their "gladiator" or song for battle. After a short listen, the opposing picker chooses the song (or gladiator) to battle the round's opening song. The other two Kousins then vote for the winner. The two pickers can change their vote if they choose to, as well. Whichever song has the most votes... wins. If there's a tie, it goes to Twitter (or "X" as it's known now) for tiebreaker votes. If that doesn't make sense, just give it a listen, and it will become as clear as mud. Luckily (or perhaps unluckily) for Kousin Tim and Kousin Marvin, they just have to be the judges. But this is a hard job and a hard battle to judge. The Showdown only got through about half of the battle this week. Next week is part two!!! All four Kousins gave their "Now Listenings." A call from Nick Provenzano and a text from Carlos. How would UYR stand up to Appetite in your world? Let us know by calling the TLDNetwork (KUZZ Army) hotline and leaving a message for the Kousins at 336-422-NUMB (6862). You can also see it on our YouTube channel. We have Instagram and Twitter. We would appreciate a like, rating, and review. Subscribe and follow! This podcast was recorded in the Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza and recorded via Zoom, sponsored by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge.

Kousin Marvin was away on business, but the other three Kousins took in the new solo project from former Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars. The name of the album is The Other Side of Mars, and if you haven't heard it, you can listen along with us (with commentary, of course). Pulling back the curtain a smidge, we recorded on an off night, and it was before any calls could come in, so we didn't have those, and since KM was out, we didn't do the "Let Me Know" because it was last minute. Kousin Tim, Kousin Gary, and Kousin Ray gave their "Now Listenings." Have you heard the new Mick Mars album? If so, what did you think? Let us know by calling the TLDNetwork (KUZZ Army) hotline and leaving a message for the Kousins at 336-422-NUMB (6862). You can also see it on our YouTube channel. We have Instagram and Twitter. We would appreciate a like, rating, and review. Subscribe and follow! This podcast was recorded in the Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza and recorded via Zoom, sponsored by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge.

Kousin Tim and Kousin Gary have jokingly called the amazing bass and Chapman Stick virtuoso Tony Levin our "Lord and Savior." Well, those two got to go, along with their lovely brides, to see Tony, Pat Mastelotto, and Markus Reuter as The Stick Men.  You can safely say their minds were blown. They don't expect everyone to understand their love. But, they hope people will at least respect the man for what and who he is. Now, Tony Levin isn't just Peter Gabriel's bassist. He's not just King Crimson's bassist (Pat Mastelotto is KC's drummer). Tony Levin has been a session player since the early 70s. Kousin Tim and Kousing Gary take Kousin Marvin and Kousin Ray on a musical journey to not only explain Stick Men or King Crimson songs but also the plethora of songs that they know and love that they didn't know Tony was the bass player on. Allow us to take YOU on that journey as well. We each now have our own "Tony Levin Story." All four Kousins gave their "Now Listenings." Calls from Jim From Irwin, Jem From Alabama, Steve Wright from I Remember Now: The Queensryche Podcast, and Bruno From South Africa. We also got a text from Carlos! What is your favorite Tony Levin moments? Let us know by calling the TLDNetwork (KUZZ Army) hotline and leaving a message for the Kousins at 336-422-NUMB (6862). You can also see it on our YouTube channel. We have Instagram and Twitter. We would appreciate a like, rating, and review. Subscribe and follow! This podcast was recorded in the Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza and recorded via Zoom, sponsored by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge.

The Kousins have varying degrees of love or indifference with live albums. Kousin Gary and Kousin Ray love them. Kousin Marvin is a self-professed "fairweather fan," and Kousin Tim doesn't really like many of them. So, let's dive into four live albums and give highlights of each. This way, those who love them can say why, and those who are mostly indifferent can possibly learn something. Did it happen? Who knows... The albums chosen for this episode were Iron Maiden's Live After Death (1985), Dokken's Beast From The East (1988), Rush's Exit... Stage Left (1981), and Guns 'N' Roses' Live Era: '87-'93 (1999). We had FIVE phone calls! Jem From Alabama, Jim From Irwin, Bruno From South Africa, Steve Wright from the I Remember Now: The Queensryche Podcast and Nick Provenzano! Each Kousin gave their "Now Listening." What is your favorite hard rock/metal live album(s)? Let us know by calling the TLDNetwork (KUZZ Army) hotline and leaving a message for the Kousins at 336-422-NUMB (6862). You can also see it on our YouTube channel. We have Instagram and Twitter. We would appreciate a like, rating, and review. Subscribe and follow! This podcast was recorded in the Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza and recorded via Zoom, sponsored by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge.

Collectively, the Kousins consider 1983 as their "jumping-in" point for hard rock. Not because there was nothing to listen to prior but because three of the four had no real access to it (they are from West Virginia, after all). All that changed around 1983. There were so many good pop culture things that were happening in 1983, and the Kousins take on a snippet in time and run down what was the root of their hard rock fandom. They talk about movies, television, sports, food/snacks, games, and, of course, music. All four Kousins gave their "Now Listening." Calls from Steve of I Remember Now: The Queensryche Podcast and Jem From Alabama. What were your fondest memories from 1983? Let us know by calling the TLDNetwork (KUZZ Army) hotline and leaving a message for the Kousins at 336-422-NUMB (6862). You can also see it on our YouTube channel. We have Instagram and Twitter. We would appreciate a like, rating, and review. Subscribe and follow! This podcast was recorded in the Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza and recorded via Zoom, sponsored by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge.

In a first for the Kousins, two completely KISS-free albums are being thrown into the ring for an "Album Gladiator Showdown." This time, it is Judas Priest vs. Judas Priest. Screaming for Vengeance (1982) vs. Defenders of the Faith (1984). Kousin Marvin defends Vengeance, while Kousin Ray defends Defenders. To reiterate the rules: After a coin flip, the winner can either go first or defer their pick. The first picker chooses their "gladiator" or song for battle. After a short listen, the opposing picker chooses the song (or gladiator) to battle the round's opening song. The other two Kousins then vote for the winner. The two pickers can change their vote if they choose to, as well. Whichever song has the most votes... wins. If there's a tie, it goes to Twitter (or "X" as it's known now) for tiebreaker votes. If that doesn't make sense, just give a listen and it will become as clear as mud. All four Kousins gave their "Now Listenings." Kousin Marvin gave the "Let Me Know." A call from Jem From Alabama and a "new" caller, Jim From Irwin (that's in Pennsylvania, by the way). And, Carlos sent in a text to the KUZZ Army Hotline. Would you pick Screaming for Vengeance or Defenders of the Faith? Let us know by calling the TLDNetwork (KUZZ Army) hotline and leaving a message for the Kousins at 336-422-NUMB (6862). You can also see it on our YouTube channel. We have Instagram and Twitter. We would appreciate a like, rating, and review. Subscribe and follow! This podcast was recorded in the Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza and recorded via Zoom, sponsored by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge.

It's Extended "Now Listening" time! Kousin Gary and Kousin Marvin give a review of the Mr. Big show they saw in Pittsburgh over the weekend. KG also gave a review of the Extreme show he saw this Wednesday night. All four Kousins gave four songs that they had been listening to. "Let Me Know" for the week. No calls this week...? What are you listening to these days? Let us know by calling the TLDNetwork (KUZZ Army) hotline and leaving a message for the Kousins at 336-422-NUMB (6862). You can also see it on our YouTube channel. We have Instagram and Twitter. We would appreciate a like, rating, and review. Subscribe and follow! This podcast was recorded in the Omniverus Studios at Liberty Plaza and recorded via Zoom, sponsored by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge.