We continue our celebration of March Metal Madness with Nöthin' But A Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. Authors Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock did an intensive dig into the musicians and insiders involved in the scene that launched the careers of Mötley Crüe and Poison on the west coast and Twisted Sister and Quiet Riot on the east. Our talk with Tom and Richard gets into the highs and lows of so many of the bands that many first saw on MTV's Headbanger's Bal...
Mar 19, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Season 8Ep. 5
We all miss the connection of live music, and that's why we're so happy a movie like Long Live Rock has been released. This rock documentary pays tribute to the many factors that explain our passion for rock music AND rock festivals. The film features many of the musicians, the people working behind the scenes, and of course, the fans. AreJay Hale, drummer for Halestorm, director Jonathan McHugh, and producer Gary Spivack step into the virtual What Difference Does It Make studio to discuss every...
Mar 12, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 8Ep. 4
Russ Borris, Music Director at WFUV in New York enters our virtual studios and immediately throws down some knowledge. 1) "Duran Duran is Life" 2) Flight of The Conchords are Hall & Oates 3) When it comes to Masters of The Universe, Leech is so much cooler than Moss Man. He also asks the important questions like, "What is the difference between an Alligator and a Crocodile and "Why was Poison a bigger band than Warrant?" The world may never know, but what we do know is that in-between all th...
Feb 26, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 7Ep. 7
Kyle Meredith, Music Director at WFPK in Louisville and host of his own podcast Kyle Meredith with... is ready to step in the ring with Holly and Dave and offer up his opinion on the year that was 1984. In this episode we look at songs 80 to 71 from radio station KROQ in Los Angeles' year end chart. Kyle may have been a young child in the 80s but he has strong opinions on the music played during this time and because of his love of the decade, we welcome Kyle as an unofficial member of Gen X. Th...
Feb 19, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 7Ep. 6
Carmel Holt, creator and host of Sheroes Radio, steps into the virtual What Difference Does It Make studios. We dig into Carmel's musical origin's and lessons learned as Music Director at WDST in Woodstock and WFUV in New York. We also discuss why her intense love of music discovery led to her creation of Sheroes. Always the pro, she learned early on to "always prep" and so Carmel is ready to give her opinion on songs 90 to 81 from the 1984 KROQ in Los Angeles year end chart. To hear all the son...
Feb 12, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 7Ep. 5
Dave knew he had found a new friend when he saw Joel ...clad in a Wilco t-shirt...at his daughter's soccer game. They bonded easily over music and sports. Dave was also happy to discover another good friend, in Joel's wife, Melissa Gould. She is warm, with a great sense of humor. While learning to live with his MS diagnosis, tragedy struck when Joel passed away in 2013 at the age of fifty. Melissa then found herself alone, a young widow with a young daughter. She chronicles her journey in her me...
Jan 29, 2021•54 min•Season 8Ep. 1
You might know Mike Marrone as the guy that created and hosted The Loft for SiriusXM for 17 years. He first established a name for himself in 1984 at Your Rock Alternative FM 106.3 WHTG, a free form rock station in New Jersey. And so, Mike is the perfect guest as we analyze the top 106.7 songs played on KROQ in Los Angeles back in 1984. This week we take apart songs 100 to 91. Mike says there are two types of songs, "Stuff you like and stuff you don't". As you would expect, he holds nothing back...
Jan 22, 2021•52 min•Season 7Ep. 3
Our cover photo boy this week is Swedish Egil The jock from KROQ in Los Angeles kicks off our countdown with a song that time has forgotten, 'Erotic Egil'. Time has forgotten it because it is nowhere to be found. Fortunately, most of the songs played back then are still around and ready to be dissected. We jump right in to the year that was 1984 and discover many lost classics. We strive/strove/are striven (Holly and Dave and decide which is the proper word) to create a great show so welcome to ...
Jan 15, 2021•42 min•Season 7Ep. 2
Season Premiere! In anticipation of our upcoming dissection of the songs played on KROQ in 1984, we wanted to set the table so to speak, and take you back to what we might have been doing back in the day. Dave was probably driving his Dodge Turbo Colt and wearing his sunglasses at night on his way to see Beverly Hills Cop....again. When not working at Camp Beverly Hills, Holly was sitting at home with her newly purchased answering machine, watching night time dramas and waiting for her yellow Co...
Jan 08, 2021•39 min•Season 7Ep. 1
If bands can have greatest hits albums why can't podcasts have a greatest hits episode? We talked with so many talented artists in 2020 so this is a look back at what the year was like for What Difference Does It Make, your 80s music podcast. If this is your first time visiting our show, it's the perfect introduction to our podcast. We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts. Get 3 months of Amazon Music courtesy of What Difference Does It Make at getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcast Learn more about...
Dec 28, 2020•41 min•Season 6Ep. 37
We couldn't be more delighted to talk with self-described "Big 80s Icon", Mark Goodman. Of course, we all know him as an MTV VJ, but his roots are in radio and so we dig into his start working small town markets, and moving on to free-form radio and what it was like to be in the eye of the hurricane during the beginning of MTV. You can currently hear Mark on the SiriusXM show "Debatable" which can be found on their Volume channel as well as 80s on 8. Check out our giveaways on the What Differenc...
Dec 11, 2020•49 min•Season 6Ep. 36
Like many significant moments in our lives, we remember where we were when we heard the devastating news about John Lennon. We tell our stories and then turn it over to a couple people that surrounded the event of December 8. Mark Goodman was on the air on New York radio station WPLJ on the evening of December 8, 1980 and photographer Bob Gruen was a family photographer for the Lennon family, capturing John and Yoko during the recording of Double Fantasy. We also talk with author Tim English. Hi...
Dec 04, 2020•43 min•Season 6Ep. 35
Jules Shear created a name for himself as a pop songwriter in the 80s writing Top 40 hits like "All Through The Night" for Cyndi Lauper and "If She Knew What She Wants" by The Bangles. He's also the originator of MTV's Unplugged series hosting and playing on the show in its first season back in 1989. He's been releasing his own classic material for nearly 40 years now. His just released album is entitled "Slower" and we sat down with Jules to discuss his songwriting process, Unplugged and of cou...
Nov 27, 2020•38 min•Season 6Ep. 34
November 6, 1970 marked the first ever gig for the band Aerosmith. It was played at Nipmuc Regional High School Gymnasium in Mendon, Massachusetts. To paraphrase "Walk This Way", we can easily imagine there were definitely at least "three young ladies in the school gym locker" that were staring at the band. The band continues to capture our attention so we talked with author Richard Bienstock to touch on just a few of the reasons on why we love this band. Richard is the author of "Aerosmith: The...
Nov 20, 2020•51 min•Season 6Ep. 33
What Difference Does It Make celebrates the release of Strum and Thrum by talking with members of the Bangtails, The Ferrets, Great Plains, and The Darrows as well as Captured Tracks label head, Mike Sniper. The Strum & Thrum compilation includes an 80+ page booklet with an extensive oral history of the ‘80s indie scene and tons of archival images and ephemera. If you're wondering what "strum and thrum" means well so are most of the bands on this compilation. All we can say is that if you lo...
Nov 13, 2020•53 min•Season 6Ep. 34
Bob Gruen has snapped so many iconic photos of our rock and roll heroes from Tina Turner to John Lennon to Led Zeppelin to Green Day. His memoir is called "Right Place, Right Time". As Bob tells us, it's a matter of anticipation, patience and skill as well as being in the right place at the right time.. We touch on just a few of the amazing stories in his book including how he created a magical photo of Tina Turner, getting on the bus with the Sex Pistols and why he thinks Bob Dylan hates him. T...
Nov 06, 2020•40 min•Season 6Ep. 33
Dylan Jones new book "Sweet Dreams: The Story Of The New Romantics" covers our sweet spot of music fandom 1975-1985 and so we have many questions. The book is not only an oral history of the music scene in the UK but a personal one for Dylan as he shares his experience as a clubbing "Blitz Kid". We start with Bowie and Roxy Music and and go up to Boy George and Live Aid. Dylan Jones has amassed hundreds of interviews and it's great to hear his insight into a music scene that has not received the...
Oct 30, 2020•51 min•Season 6Ep. 32
You don't need to know anything about the guitar to know that what Eddie Van Halen did when he placed his fingers on those strings was something totally unique. Holly and Dave do their best to unpack the impact he had on popular culture with his guitar playing. When they run out of words they call in their friends, SiriusXM personality, Mark Goodman and journalist Craig Rosen to give their perspective. We made a Spotify playlist of some of our favorite Eddie Van Halen solos. You can hear it from...
Oct 09, 2020•42 min•Season 6Ep. 29
Singer-Songwriter Peter Himmelman takes us on the journey that led to his latest album "Press On". We talk about the songwriting process and the discipline that Peter needs to keep pushing himself to become a better songwriter. We also touch on how his move to the east coast has affected his creation of new work, the frustration in his the inability to play in front of a live audience and his desire to one day start up a band again. Peter has his guitar with him and that makes for some fun impro...
Oct 02, 2020•48 min•Season 6Ep. 28
As we continue our talk with BrownMark, we get into his complex relationship with Prince, There are good and bad times in the studio and concert stage. BrownMark learns some valuable lessons about the music industry when he tries to create his own band, Mazarati, whom he believes could have been the black Guns 'n Roses. We also talk about the future as BrownMark is already planning a sequel to his current book "My Life In The Purple Kingdom" published by the University of Minnesota Press and ava...
Sep 25, 2020•53 min•Season 6Ep. 27
BrownMark, bassist for Prince and the Revolution joins us to talk about his book, My Life In The Purple Kingdom. We get into the influence his mother, lovingly nicknamed Mama Vader had on his development, how Prince had to "break" him when he first joined the band and his infamous first gig with the Revolution opening up for the Rolling Stones in 1981. Want to hear an audiobook for free? Go to https://www.audibletrial.com/wddimpodcast Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s mu...
Sep 18, 2020•35 min•Season 6Ep. 26
David Freiberg, Donny Baldwin, Cathy Richardson, Chris Smith and Jude Gold known collectively as Jefferson Starship join us again for the final part in our two part interview.. We talk about the difference between Starship and Jefferson Starship, the difference between Janis Joplin and Grace Slick and get into the making of their first new music in 12 years that led to "Mother Of The Sun". So "What Are We Waiting For?", let's get started! Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80...
Sep 11, 2020•42 min•Season 6Ep. 25
It's Part 1 in our two part chat with all five members of Jefferson Starship. In on our Zoom call is David Freiberg, Donny Baldwin, Cathy Richardson, Chris Smith and Jude Gold. We talk about the creation of their new EP, Mother Of The Sun. It's been twelve years since we last got new music from the band and we get into what factors were involved that started to inspire the band to create new songs. Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Do...
Sep 04, 2020•32 min•Season 6Ep. 24
Josie Cotton's iconic 80s record is Convertible Music but she is much more than just that one album. We get into her Russian send up song "Ukrainian Cowboy", recording songs in her studio, "Kitten Robot" and why she relates to the B-Movies of Russ Meyers and Nunsploitation films. We also get into the creation of her image and her infamous appearance on the Merv Griffin Show. It's easy to love everything about Josie so dig right in! Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music...
Aug 28, 2020•32 min•Season 6Ep. 23
This week's talk is with Josie Cotton, best known for the songs "Johnny, Are You Queer" and "He Could Be The One" which appeared in the movie Valley Girl. She now owns the rights to her own music so she happily discusses all the fun, frustration and excitement surrounding the songs on her 1982 Convertible Music album. And good news, since she owns the rights, she gave us permission to actually play some of her songs on this podcast. Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s musi...
Aug 21, 2020•30 min•Season 6Ep. 22
Joel Graves: musician, recording studio owner and most importantly, composer of the What Difference Does It Make theme, virtually steps into our studios. Joel has spent his career with the bands Earlimart and Everest. He not only worked for Neil Young's label Vapor but got various opportunities to play alongside him including at Madison Square Garden. He's also a co-owner of Elliott Smith's recording facility, New Monkey Studio. We get into all of it in this episode. If you'd like to support New...
Aug 14, 2020•40 min•Season 6Ep. 20
Our talk with Chris Frantz continues as we get into why Talking Heads initially passed on signing a record contract, the genesis of Tom Tom Club and the making of the 80s music classic concert film, Stop Making Sense. If you'd like to hear Chris narrate his book go to Audible for a free copy courtesy of What Difference Does It Make Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adch...
Aug 07, 2020•28 min•Season 6Ep. 19
We are so thrilled to talk with a member of Talking Heads, drummer Chris Frantz. Chris' book "Remain In Love" is out and we get into the details of how a guy growing up in Pittsburgh puts down his artistic paintbrush, picks up some drum sticks and ends up forming one of the most iconic rock bands coming out from the 1970s New York music club scene. This is part one in our talk with Chris Frantz. Remain in Love is available on Audible. Download it for free Get three FREE months of Amazon Music co...
Jul 31, 2020•33 min•Season 6Ep. 18
Craig Rosen, journalist and friend of the show, returns with more stories involving Pete Buck and a beer, keeping Johnny Cash off of a speaker phone and refusing a collect call from Lou Reed. Good stuff! Don't forget to check out Craig's Influences on Spotify Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make Get a free Audible book Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 24, 2020•32 min•Season 6Ep. 17
Melanie Vammen, Karen Basset and Sheri Kaplan Weinstein are back to talk all things Pandoras and what happens when a band that created a loyal following in the 80s, breaks up and creates new opportunities. These musicians have formed a bond that continues to inspire. We encourage you to donate to ALS and Team Shattuck Also, relive the magic with a Spotify playlist Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make Learn more about your ad...
Jul 17, 2020•34 min•Season 6Ep. 16
