Rock in Retrospect

Returning guests Darren Hines and Greg Peurach discuss their experience attending the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.  We share some funny stories about the venue as well as our favorite musical performances, speeches and moments. It was a memorable night that we won't forget anytime soon.

On this very special Movie Talk episode, I invited Swifties Jordan Raycine, Kailyn Champlin and Sam Ratner to discuss all things Taylor Swift and her smash hit movie The Eras Tour. We talk about how they became fans of Swift's music, their experiences seeing the movie with rowdy crowds, their thoughts on the best moments during the movie, and their favorite songs from her prolific catalog.

Horror movie fanatic Peter Waters returns to help us pick the 31 greatest horror-themed songs to celebrate Halloween and we're calling this episode The Ultimate Halloween Playlist! Listen to which songs made the cut and we'll also hear some great stories along the way!

Tom Lane returns to discuss the new  documentary Reinventing Elvis: The '68 Comeback (2023) about the making of Elvis' triumphant NBC special. It marked the King of Rock & Roll's return to mainstream relevance and why he earned the honorific title. John Scheinfeld's film is currently streaming on Paramount+.

This week we pay tribute to the late, great Jimmy Buffett. One of the most successful and prolific singer-songwriters of the last half-century, Buffett captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of fans across the world. One of those fans is Dr. Mark Lempke (Host of The Also--Rans) who talks about Buffett's life, career and impact on both the music industry and popular culture. Other topics discussed include Buffett's extremely loyal fanbase (affectionately known as "Parrot Heads"), his distinctive style as both a musician and a songwriter, some of our favorite songs from his extensive catalogue, and why he needs to be inducted into both the Rock & Roll and Country Music Halls of Fame.  

The Douche Caravan Returns! Jon Lamoreaux (The Hustle), Patrick Dupuis (The EETF Podcast) and Michael Bagford return to talk about Chris Smith's Netflix documentary Wham! centering on the iconic 80s duo. George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley took the world by storm during that decade and ended at the top of their game. We talk about all things Wham! for this week's hilarious yet insightful episode!

Paul Kagebein, a friend and fellow music fan who also works at a library, joins Nick to discuss the career and legacy of pop-punk icons Blink-182. Topics discussed include their brash music videos, our favorite hits and albums tracks, their recent reunion at Coachella and their continuing influence on contemporary artists of all genres. A really fun, insightful episode spotlight one of the biggest rock bands of the 25 years!

Josh Fitzgerald (Movies That Rock: The Podcast) returns to share his thoughts on the recent documentary Love to Love You, Donna Summer (2023). Lots of topics discussed including Summer's artistry, her catalog of iconic hit songs and albums, her controversial star persona and her status as the "Queen of Disco." Dim all the lights as you listen to this insightful and highly humorous episode!

On this very special episode, we have 4(!) returning guests - Tom Lane, Michelle Bourg, Greg Peurach and David Schnelwar- joining us to give their thoughts and reactions to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2023 inductees. We discuss each of the 13 inductees for this year's class and find out who won our first-ever predictions draft!

Drive-By Truckers super fan and friend Tony Greathouse joins us to talk about the recent documentary Jason Isbell: Running with Our Eyes Closed (2023).  We discuss Tony's  Drive-By Truckers fandom, Isbell's creative process, how the film documents his relationship with his spouse and frequent collaborator Amanda Shires and much more!The film is part of HBO's Music Box series and is available to stream on HBOMax.

To celebrate our podcast's milestone 50th episode, I invited the wonderful Allison Rapp (Ultimate Classic Rock) to talk about Missy Elliott. Allison recently wrote a piece about why Elliott deserves to be inducted into this year's class of inductees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. If selected for induction, Elliott would honored in her first year of eligibility but also make history as the first female hip-hop honored by the Rock Hall. Topics discussed include Elliott's landmark debut album Supa Dupa Fly (1997), her collaborations with various artists over the artists, her groundbreaking music videos, the many accolades she's received and her widespread influence on popular music. 

Rock Docs co-host David Lizerbram joins us to talk about Baz Luhrmann's recent biopic Elvis (2022). We talk about Austin Butler and Tom Hanks' performances, the narrative structure and aesthetic choices used by Luhrmann and Elvis' impact on contemporary culture. Lots of other topics discussed including our mutual love of all things Bob Dylan, the current state of rock star biopics and there's even a story David shares that's personal connection to the King himself!This episode coincides with Elvis receiving 8 Oscar nominations this year including Best Picture and Best Actor (Austin Butler). 

Darren Hines and Peter Waters return to discuss the nominees in the music categories at this year's Academy Awards. We analyze all ten scores and songs, give our personal rankings, our predictions on who will win and cap it off with great works that were snubbed.

Liza Lentini (Managing Editor at SPIN) joins us to talk about the life and career of singer-songwriter Tori Amos. Topics discussed include Amos' musical influences, her breakthrough debut album Little Earthquakes (1992), her work with the organization RAINN and her impact on alternative rock and pop music stars in the last three decades. We also talk about Liza interviewing Amos for SPIN and seeing her perform last year! Check out Liza's piece arguing for Amos' induction in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last month. 

This episode is the first installment of our new monthly spotlight on recent music documentaries and movies. We're kicking it off with Jon Lamoreaux (Host of the Hustle Podcast),  Patrick Dupuis (Host of the EETF Podcast) and Michael Bagford joining Nick to talk about Brett Morgan's documentary Moonage Daydream (2022). This one-of-a-kind film focuses on the life and career of iconic musician David Bowie.  It's a lively discussion with plenty of hot takes and humorous puns from our panel.

Nick assembled an all-star line-up of Rock Hall experts to converse and analyze the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees. Recorded the night of the big announcement and released completely unedited,  we discussed each of the 14 nominees on this year's ballot and their chances for induction. We also find out who won our podcast's inaugural Rock Hall nominees draft! We mentioned many of our blogs and podcasts throughout this episode -Nick's 2023 Update of his Top 100 Rock Hall Prospects Project2023 Rock Hall Prediction Blogs - Nick, Mark, Michelle and TomMark's podcast The Also-RansA special thank you to Future Rock Legends for their continuous coverage of the Rock Hall 2023  nominees yesterday.

Music critic Tom Lane (Tom Lane's Music Blog) returns to discuss the life and career of R&B superstar Teddy Pendergrass. Topics discussed include Pendergrass' time as a member of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, his transition to a solo career, his infamous "Ladies Only' concerts, the life-altering car accident that occurred in 1982 and his emotional performance at Live Aid in 1985. If you don't know Teddy by now, you definitely will after listening to this episode!

Tom Lane, Mark Lempke, David Schnelwar and Greg Peurach return to the show to discuss who they believe will be nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2023. To spice things up, we're gonna predict the ballot in a draft-style format! Over the course of 5 rounds, we each select 5 artists and make the case on why they should appear on the ballot. There's a lot of strategic decisions involved but this is a fun, engaging conversation on the direction we think the Rock Hall is heading next year. Get your pencils sharpened, fill out those scorecards and see if you agree (or disagree) with our picks! 

Writer and Blues music expert Marty Weil joins us to talk about the legacy of Howlin' Wolf, one of the titans of that genre in the 20th century. Topics discussed include Wolf's time at Chess Records, his classic albums Moanin' in the Moonlight (1959) and Howlin' Wolf (aka The Rockin' Chair Album) (1962), his partnership with legendary guitarist Hubert Sumlin, his tremendous influence on blues-rock artists and his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. This is a must-listen for any blues fan!

Professor and blogger Rob LeBlanc (The Exhaustively Detailed Music Analysis Blog) joins us to discuss the career and impact of the band America. Topics discussed include the band's formation, their collaborations with legendary producer George Martin, Dan Peek's departure from the band, their legendary top-40 hits and the dozen or so times Rob has seen the band live. Rob even met the band on a few occasions!  This episode sheds some light on a truly underrated band that deserves more of our attention.