There's no getting around it, 'Magic and Loss', Lou Reed's sixteenth studio album released in 1992, is NOT a particularly easy listen. While often musically beautiful in an elegantly understated way, the themes of death and the relentless toll it can take on both the dying and ones who love them are both universal and at times uncomfortably personal. Returning guest, Canadian documentary filmmaker Alan Zweig, is here for all of it. “There's a bit of magic in everything And then some loss to even...
Aug 16, 2025•1 hr 36 min•Season 8Ep. 420
Musician, songwriter and producer Chris Stamey (The dB's, Big Star Quintet) FINALLY ushers Todd Rundgren into the TRGMH universe with the 1971 release: Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren. This beautifully written, performed and produced collection of songs totally fit teenage Stamey's 'lonely guy in a room by yourself' vibe at the time, and remains to this day one of his favorites. Songs discussed in this episode: Be Nice To Me (Live, 1971) - Todd Rundgren; I'm In Love, From A Window, Before We W...
Aug 09, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 8Ep. 419
Returning guest Les Norris (Radiobaghdad) channels his 16-year-old self as he joins Rob to unpack Circle Jerks' 1985 release, 'Wonderful'. Keith Morris and company dialed down the tempos and leaned into the metal for this, their fourth studio album, but at the end of the day their killer riffs and biting - at times goofy - sense of humor won us over. Songs discussed in this episode: Fortunate Son (CCR cover) - Circle Jerks; Pillz - Radiobaghdad; Sears & Applebee's - Les Norris; Over The Moun...
Aug 02, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Season 8Ep. 418
Returning guest Tim Hinely (Dagger Zine, Where The Wild Gigs Were) brings us Dallas, TX band Old 97's and their 1997 breakout release 'Too Far To Care'. Coming up during the alt-country boom of the 90s that also included bands like Wilco and Son Volt, their love of both Hank Williams AND punk rock shines through on this fine collection of tunes. Songs discussed in this episode: Iron Road - Old 97's and Waylon Jennings; New Madrid - Uncle Tupelo; Drown - Son Volt; Timebomb, Barrier Reef, Broadway...
Jul 26, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 8Ep. 417
Originally known as The Hammersmith Gorillas, UK's The Gorillas were often thought to be the missing link between Hendrix, glam and punk. This week's guest, musician Philip King (Felt, Lush, The Jesus and Mary Chain), brings us their smashing debut album, 1978's 'Message To The World' Songs discussed in this episode: You Really Got Me, Leavin' 'ome - The Hammersmith Gorillas; Factory Grime - Crushed Butler; Brand New Cadillac - The Clash; Gatecrasher, Foxy Lady - The Gorillas; Sunshine Of Your L...
Jul 19, 2025•57 min•Season 8Ep. 416
This week we take another swing of the hammer of the Gods with Led Zeppelin's 3rd release, Led Zeppelin III. Our guest Karen Haglof came up in the Minneapolis indie music scene in the late 70s, eventually moving to NYC and playing in several of no wave pioneer Rys Chatham's guitar ensembles and later with Band Of Susans, before taking a break to earn a medical degree and join the hematology / oncology department of New York University Hospital. Recently retired and back at music again, Karen fre...
Jul 12, 2025•58 min•Season 7Ep. 359
This week, Ellia Bisker and Jeff Morris of Brooklyn based Goth-Folk duo Charming Disaster joins us to discuss PJ Harvey, and her stunning 1995 release 'To Bring You My Love'. "Little fish, big fish, swimming in the water Come back here, man, gimme my daughter..." Songs discussed in this episode: Love Will Tear Us Apart - PJ Harvey & Tim Phillips ; Black Locust - Charming Disaster ; Rid Of Me, Reeling - PJ Harvey ; Sixteen, Fifteen, Fourteen - PJ Harvey & John Parish ; To Bring You My Lov...
Jul 12, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 8Ep. 415
Fresh off a tour with his band mssv (Mike Baggetta, Mike Watt & Stephen Hodges), guitarist/songwriter Mike Baggetta brings us a record he received as a gift when he was in High School that changed the course of his musical life moving forward: the mindblowing 1996 release by guitarist, composer, and producer David Torn, 'What Means Solid, Traveller?' Songs discussed in this episode: Network Of Sparks: The Delicate Code - David Torn; What It Feels Like For A Girl - Madonna; OK To Change - mss...
Jul 05, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Season 8Ep. 414
Musician Knox Chandler (The Psychedelic Furs, Siouxsie and the Banshees) has made a career of using his guitar to create unique, otherworldly sound-scapes, working with a diverse array of acts including REM, Depeche Mode, Grace Jones, Marianne Faithful, Cyndi Lauper and many others. It's no surprise then, that the record that 'got him high' as a young man - and continues to astound and inspire him - is The Jimi Hendrix Experience's third and final studio album, the epic 'Electric Ladyland'. "Hav...
Jun 28, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Season 8Ep. 413
For this special BONUS Episode, we asked our Patrons to send in a song where the guitar playing (be it a lead, riff, whatever...) gets them going, and got them high! Songs discussed in this episode: Funk #49 - James Gang; Killer Queen - Queen; Another Nail In My Heart - Squeeze; God Save The Queen - The Sex Pistols; Gypsy - Fleetwood Mac; Touch And Go - The Cars; Marquee Moon - Television; Street Fighting Man (Live) - The Rolling Stones; I Just Want To Make Love To You - Muddy Waters; Walk On By...
Jun 24, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Season 8Ep. 412
Break out your glitter and stick some stars on your face, we're going full-on glam this week as author, artist and performer Robert Dayton (Cold Glitter: The Untold Story Of Canadian Glam) brings us Vancouver, Canada's Sweeney Todd and their 1975 self-titled debut. The band had a revolving door of members throughout the years - including a 16 year old Bryan Adams at one point - but this version with singer Nick Gilder and guitarist Jim McCulloch is the one that started it all... Songs discussed ...
Jun 21, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 8Ep. 411
Regular listeners of the show are already aware of Rob's lifelong love of all things The Damned. This week's guest, Karl Ueberbacher (Phoenix Records), brings us their third release, 1979s classic - and highly influential - 'Machine Gun Etiquette'. Is it the perfect punk record? What does that even mean?? Let's smash it up and find out!! Songs discussed in this episode: Smash It Up (The Damned cover) - The Offspring; 1970 - The Stooges; Know Your Produc t - The Saints; Mad John - Small Faces; Lo...
Jun 14, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Season 8Ep. 410
Strap in kids, this week's guest, A&R Executive, playwright and composer Dan Waldkirch, brings us the third studio album by Eureka, CA experimental band Mr. Bungle, 'California'. This weirdly dark, schizophrenically eclectic 1999 release may not be for everyone, but if you're of the musically adventurous ilk, might be just what the doctor (of Psychiatry) ordered. Songs discussed in this episode: Won't You Be My Neighbor (Live, 2020) - Mr Bungle; Schism - Tool; Bleed - Meshuggah; Page 11 - Fa...
Jun 07, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 8Ep. 409
In 1988 at the 31st annual Grammy Awards, a new category was introduced: Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental. That night, Metallica's '...And Justice For All' famously lost to Jethro Tull's 'Crest of a Knave', but another album was also nominated that evening: 'Nothing's Shocking', the debut studio album by Los Angeles band Jane's Addiction. Love them or hate them, there's no denying the impact JA had on 90s alternative music moving forward, and this week's guest, Reno, Nevada...
May 31, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 8Ep. 408
When this week's returning guest, bass player/musician Dan Bonebrake (The Lightworkers, Dashboard Confessional, The Enablers...etc) was discovering punk rock in the late 80s, he was already well on his way to becoming a 'player' in his own right. Costa Mesa, California band Big Drill Car and their 1989 debut 'Album Type Thing' (or CD/Tape Type Thing depending on the format) - with its concise, catchy songs and fiercely tight playing - was right up his musical alley. Turn it up!! Songs discussed ...
May 24, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 8Ep. 407
In the spring of 1999, songwriter/recording artist Arlan Feiles received a call from Stephen Trask. Trask shared that he was the composer of a show running at the Jane St. Theater in NYC called Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and he was looking for a multi instrumentalist/vocalist for the show's first touring run in Boston. As soon as Arlan heard Trask's magnificent songs, he was on board. 25 years later, Arlan will be reprising his role as Skshp for a 3 week run at the Bell Works Theater in NJ with ...
May 17, 2025•1 hr 25 min•Season 8Ep. 406
For some who had been following The Fall since 'Live At The Witch Trials' and 'Dragnet', 1988's 'The Frenz Experiment' with its more polished and slightly commercial sound might have seemed to be a bit of a sellout. Not so for this week's guest, Manchester record shop co-owner and bass player (The Suncharms) Richard Farnell. Catching them live at a record shop in-store appearance while playing hooky during a school trip into London may have sealed the deal for him, but he contends there's more t...
May 10, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 8Ep. 405
Yes, technically EVERY band/artist is local to SOMEWHERE - but we asked our Patrons to send in a song by a band/artist they feel never quite got the recognition they deserved. A band that seemed to have it all, but never rose to the level of national/international prominence where they would be well-known outside their hometown/city/state...etc. You may not know a lot of these songs...but you should!! Songs discussed in this episode: Sir Winston - Humbert; Museum For Lightspeed Travellers - This...
May 08, 2025•1 hr 28 min•Season 8Ep. 404
This week, returning guest Corey duBrowa (An Ideal For Living- A Celebration of the EP) brings us De La Soul and their groundbreaking 1989 debut '3 Feet High and Rising'. Dizzyingly creative, relentlessly positive and hugely influential, these three teens from Long Island - along with producer Prince Paul - created a world as richly imagined as anything American pop has ever produced. Songs discussed in this episode: Intro - De La Soul; The Message - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five; Str...
May 03, 2025•1 hr 27 min•Season 8Ep. 403
Cardiff, Wales 'Cool Cymru' heroes Super Furry Animals ticked all the boxes and then some with their super-ambitious fifth studio album, 2002's 'Rings Around The World'. From Beach Boys-esque psychedelic pop to 1970s soul to electric gamer prog (OK, we made that last one up), it's a thrilling listen and this week's guest, media and tech consultant Adam Weiner, sat down with Rob to unpack it all. Songs discussed in this episode: Tradewinds (Acoustic Mix) - Super Furry Animals; Faster - Manic Stre...
Apr 26, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 8Ep. 402
Pink Floyd's 'Animals', a lyrically dark, musically dense concept album loosely based on George Orwell's 'Animal Farm', is as eerily precient today as it was when first released in 1977. Rob and this week's guest, Portland, Oregon songwriter and multi-instrumentalist James Cook (Trashcan Joe, Captain's Audio Project), take a deep dive into this sweepingly nihilistic classic. Songs discussed in this episode: Pigs On The Wing (Pink Floyd Cover) - Chrome; Waiting For The Moon, Really Hard To Find -...
Apr 19, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 8Ep. 401
For our 400th episode (!!!) we're joined by musician Jonathan Hischke (Hella, Dot Hacker, E V Kain), who brought us a record that got under his skin when he first heard it in 1999 - Rob's too! - and continues to astound: The Flaming Lips' beautifully trippy kinda-masterpiece 'The Soft Bulletin'. "Will the fight for our sanity Be the fight of our lives?" Songs discussed in this episode: Race For The Prize (Feat. The Colorado Symphony & Andre De Ridder, live at Red Rocks) - The Flaming Lips; E...
Apr 12, 2025•1 hr 26 min•Season 8Ep. 400
Are novelty records cool? Probably not, but this week's guest, musician/songwriter Nick County, makes the case that the best ones are artistically valid, culturally relevant and - most importantly - a hoot! We embraced the weird and dove head-first into Dr. Demento's 20th Anniversary Collection. Caution: freaks ahead... Songs discussed in this episode: Pico & Sepulveda - Felix Figueroa and His Orchestra; Welcome 2 Where U Been, Psycho, In Texas - Nick County; Another One Rides The Bus - 'Wei...
Apr 05, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Season 8Ep. 399
This week's guest, Nathan Levine (Instagram @Boysgiant), brings us Swedish dream-pop band The Radio Dept. and their 2006 release 'Pet Grief'. Lush, evocative melodies? Check. Understated, melancholic delivery? Check. It's a vibe... Songs discussed in this episode: It's Personal, Pulling Our Weight, Annie Laurie, Where Damage Isn't Already Done - The Radio Dept.; Apocalypse - Cigarettes After Sex; It's Personal, Pet Grief - The Radio Dept; Atmosphere - Joy Division; A Window, I Wanted You To Feel...
Mar 29, 2025•54 min•Season 8Ep. 398
Released in 2008 and quickly lumped in with the soon-to-be-maligned British nu-rave emergence, Late Of The Pier's one-and-only release 'Fantasy Black Channel' now stands out as a bit of an undersung cult classic. This week's guest Josh Mackenzie (The Joshua Hotel) joins us to unpack this infectiously propulsive slab of sonic chaos. Songs discussed in this episode: Bathroom Gurgle (Breakbot Remix) - Late Of The Pier; Martin Amiss, Easy Feeling - The Joshua Hotel; Golden Skans - Klaxons; Apple - L...
Mar 22, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 8Ep. 397
For our latest Patron-curated episode, we asked our Patrons to send in songs referencing a form of transportation. All aboard!! *If you'd like to start participating in these episodes, head over to www.Patreon.com/TRGMH and become a Patron Songs discussed in this episode: Waitress In The Sky (Alternate Version, Tim Expanded Edition) - The Replacements; See The Train - Blancmange; Lost My Driving Wheel - David Wiffen; Lady Pilot - Neko Case; The Passenger - Art Brut; Speedway at Nazareth - Mark K...
Mar 15, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Season 8Ep. 396
This week's returning guest, Chicago native and Patron Mick Hans, brings us Britain's The Only Ones and their 1979 US release 'Special View'. While you might not be familiar with the band, you almost certainly have heard their iconic - often-covered - song 'Another Girl, Another Planet', which AllMusic has described as "Arguably, the greatest rock single ever recorded" . Songs discussed in this episode: Another Girl, Another Planet - The Replacements/The Mighty Lemon Drops/The Greg Kihn Band/Bli...
Mar 08, 2025•59 min•Season 8Ep. 395
Our guest this week, Chicago singer-songwriter/guitarist Nikki O'Neill, moved around a lot as a child. A LOT. But no matter what life threw at her, Al Green's 1972 landmark soul/R&B release 'Let's Stay Together' always felt like home. "Whether times are good or bad, happy or sad - let's stay together..." Songs discussed in this episode: Let's Stay Together - Roberta Flack; Newcomer Blues, Drive, Square One - Nikki O'Neill; Take Me To The River, Let's Stay Together - Al Green; Let's Stay Toge...
Mar 01, 2025•59 min•Season 8Ep. 394
You might recognize actress Megan Mullally from her Emmy Award-winning stint on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, or her many other comedic roles. What you MIGHT not know is that she's also an accomplished singer, releasing three albums with her band Supreme Music Program. This week's guest, Patron, visual artist and self-described potential drag disciple Motelle Codeen brings us Megan Mullally & Supreme Music Program's wonderfully eclectic 2007 release: 'Free Again!' "Honey, tact is for peop...
Feb 22, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 8Ep. 393
Legendary musician and multi-disciplinary artist Kim Gordon released a banger of a solo album in 2024, the blistering, sonically vicious 'The Collective'. This week we're joined by guests Alexander Hacke (Einstürzende Neubauten) and Danielle de Picciotto (Crime & the City Solution, Love Parade) - who together comprise the genre-defying, trailblazing duo hackedepicciotto - to unpack this mind-bender of a record. Songs discussed in this episode: Evermore, Awake, Lovestuff - hackedepicciotto (L...
Feb 15, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 8Ep. 392
