The Curmudgeon Rock Report

In which journalist, biographer and memoirist Tony Fletcher helps The Curmudgeons drop knowledge about one of the most important influential bands in rock history. Fletcher was a contemporary of The Smiths in the English music scene of the early-to-mid 1980s and had a front-row seat to their explosion into popular music consciousness. The Smiths' music gestated from the creative synergy between genius guitarist and songwriter Johnny Marr and enigmatic, myth-worthy vocalist and lyricist Morrissey. The band's brand of pop blended rich, jangly guitar, taut and surprisingly muscular rhythm and Morrissey's gorgeous, androgynously sexy voice. And that combination was viscerally exciting for fans who'd been wondering what Brtian's next big thing would be after punk. Well, here it was. Tony shares insights and analysis of the band's story and dynamics and helps draft a love letter to all of these great Smiths songs and albums during this episode.    Enjoy the brilliant music of The Smiths by accessing our special Spotify playlist:  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4yfTJuHpb9nXcyVjOTNYOA?si=6cc3ab11e71e4038   Buy Tony Fletcher's latest book, Pow! Whem Punk Became Pop, 1980-1984: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/pow-when-uk-punk-went-pop-1980-84/57899319/?resultid=09972a44-487c-402c-a1d4-9702fef48289#edition=74983906&idiq=87898196   Enjoy (and then purchase) The Dear Boys' super-fun album The Dear Boys Can't Say No: https://thedearboys.bandcamp.com/album/the-dear-boys-cant-say-no?search_item_id%3D234714450%26search_item_type%3Da%26search_match_part%3D%253F%26search_page_id%3D5925618174%26search_page_no%3D0%26search_rank%3D2=   Subscribe to Tony Fletcher's Substack content service: https://tonyfletcher.substack.com/   Here's a handy navigation companion to this this episode.   (00:52 - 05:21) - Arturo sets the parameters for our discussion on The Smiths   (06:46 - 18:13) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new albums from Rhiannon Giddens and Margo Cilker   (19:12 - 54:59) - Tony Fletcher joins us to reflect on his early interactions with The Smiths and to help us tell the band's origin story. We then begin to analyze the band's singles and albums, covering breakout singles "Hand in Glove," "This Charming Man," and the self-titled debut album. (01:06:32 - 01:17:29) - We all discuss the amazing (and weirdly distributed) single "How Soon is Now" plus the band's second album Meat Is Murder   (01:18:37 - 01:52:28) - We continue our fond tour of the Smith's catalog as we discuss the classic album The Queen is Dead, their final album Strangeways, Here We Come and killer singles like "Panic" and "Sheila Take a Bow." We end by contextualizing the legacy of The Smiths.   Join our Curmudgeonly Community today! facebook.com/groups/curmudgeonrock   Edited with an assist from Descript! web.descript.com     Hosted on Podbean! curmudgeonrock.podbean.com   Subscribe to our show on these platforms: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911   https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb   Co-written and co-produced by Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor - The Curmudgeons

In which The Curmudgeons look back on perhaps the grunge phenomenon's most fascinating 12-month period. Nirvana's Nevermind overtook Michael Jackson's Dangerous as the top-selling album in the U.S. on January 7, 1992. The paradigm shift for popular music could not have been starker, and the nation fell head over heels in love with their new emotive, intense choice of rock 'n' roll...as well as its fashion sense, lingo and affection for disaffection. Yet while, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden spent the year taking a victory lap sprung from their album releases of late 1991, a hell of lot of great grunge and grunge-adjacent albums hit the shelves in 1992, too. This included classic releases from Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Sonic Youth, L7, Bikini Kill and others. We wax rhapsodic about the year's cultural movements and analyze and discuss all these great 1992 albums during this episode.    Enjoy the amazing grunge music of 1992 by accessing our special Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1fVati1lLvzluMwcWhNKVF?si=996a1263062a43ab   Here's a handy navigation companion to this episode:   (00:52 - 03:14) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for our discussion of the grunge explosion of 1992   (05:10 - 19:42) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new albums from Dinosaur Jr. and This is Lorelei   (20:41 - 01:08:58) - We marvel at how grunge became inescapably a part of popular music, focusing acutely on the grunge-loving film "Singles." We then cover albums from Alice in Chains, Mudhoney, Bikini Kill, 7 Year Bitch, Screaming Trees, L7 and Stone Temple Pilots.   (01:10:17 - 01:36:29) - We continue our run through great 1992 albums with discussion of releases from Babes in Toyland, Soul Asylum, The Jesus Lizard, Sebadoh, Come and finally Sonic Youth   Join our Curmudgeonly Community today! facebook.com/groups/curmudgeonrock   Edited with an assist from Descript! web.descript.com     Hosted on Podbean! curmudgeonrock.podbean.com   Subscribe to our show on these platforms: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911   https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb   Co-written and co-produced by Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor - The Curmudgeons

In which Curmudgeon Arturo reveals and discusses our choices for the best couplets of hits from specific artists. Notice we say the best, not the most popular or ubiquitous or cheekiest. So no Smash Mouth and no Men Without Hats. In their stead, though, are artists like Gerry Raftery, Gloria Gaynor, Matthew Sweet, Golden Earring (a favorite of Curmudgeon Chris's), Suzanne Vega, The Romantics, Blues Traveler and Cee-Lo Green. These folks caught lightning in a bottle twice and for good reason: because the songs are really damn good. Listen as Arturo describes these songs and artists in a damn-near perfect first take.   Enjoy the songs from our awesome two-hit wonders by accessing our special Spotify playlist (Curmudgeon Chris has added Mr. Mister's "Kyrie" and "Broken Wings" to be a wise-ass)   https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2TFELIt9UcIldhP33SIbRa?si=abb907a6cf024da3   Join our Curmudgeonly Community today! facebook.com/groups/curmudgeonrock   Edited with an assist from Descript! web.descript.com     Hosted on Podbean! curmudgeonrock.podbean.com   Subscribe to our show on these platforms: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911   https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb   Co-written and co-produced by Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor - The Curmudgeons

In which The Curmudgeons continue their revisitation of the marvelously strange but often gorgeous rock subgenre we call glam rock. Last episode, we covered the genesis of glam rock via the artistic genius of Marc Bolan, David Bowie, guitarist Mick Ronson and producer Tony Visconti. We also shared a bunch of great hit songs and great glam-rock albums released between 1970 and 1972. Now we do the same thing for 1973 and 1974, during which the radio airwaves filled with bubblegum majesty inspired by Bolan and yet also during which albums done in the glam style grew decidedly darker and moodier. David Bowie segued from exotic mystery to nihilistic pessimism. Lou Reed put out the prettiest album about the decline of a self-destructive junkie couple possible. And Bryan Ferry pointed his cabaret pop toward the macabre - sex with blow-up dolls in stately mansions, anyone? We analyze the rest of the best of glam during this episode.    Enjoy the amazing glam rock of 1973 and 1974 by accessing our special Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4aYD0wnqBpG0NMQSJJV2K5?si=969742185a184caa   Here's a handy navigation companion to this episode.   (00:52 - 02:30) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for the second of our volleys on glam rock   (03:08 - 20:26) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new albums from Ty Segall and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard   (21:25 - 01:05:37) - We blast through a host of hit glam-rock singles from 193 and then discuss albums from Roxy Music, David Bowie, Lou Reed and New York Dolls   (01:06:27 - 01:48:53) - We gallop through a number of hit glam singles from 1974 and then discuss albums from Brian Eno, David Bowie, Roxy Music, Kiss, New York Dolls and Lou Reed    Join our Curmudgeonly Community today! facebook.com/groups/curmudgeonrock   Edited with an assist from Descript! web.descript.com     Hosted on Podbean! curmudgeonrock.podbean.com   Subscribe to our show on these platforms: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911   https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb   Co-written and co-produced by Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor - The Curmudgeons

In which the Curmudgeons tease out our hair, wear tons of makeup and celebrate the most sensual, most decadent brand of rock 'n' roll ever conceived. The glam rock of the early 1970s was an outgrowth of the 1960s psychedelia in which the vibes shifted from a mind trip to a soul trip, one in which androgyny, visceral pleasure and a focus on the cosmos and man's place in the universe thrust front and center. In the early part of the '70s, David Bowie, T. Rex, Slade, Roxy Music, Lou Reed and other artists glammed forth and helped define a truly singular era. In Part 1 of this mini-series, we analyze the elements of this phenomenon and and contemplate this great music.   Enjoy all this great glam rock by accessing our special Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3DVOLhLF2SfiFpaofW9IYc?si=8df98e7630d44a64   Here's a handy navigation companion to this episode:   (00:52 - 02:36) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for our discussion of glam rock   (03:17 - 18:30) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new albums from Modest Mouse and SML   (19:29 - 01:07:48) - Each of us offer five components we feel defined glam rock. Then we focus on the great glam singles and albums on 1970 and 1971   (01:08:27 - 01:39:49) - We rumble through the glam rock of 1972, and Christopher O'Connor spins a tale of an incredible glam-rock club night we experienced way back in 1999.    Join our Curmudgeonly Community today! facebook.com/groups/curmudgeonrock   Edited with an assist from Descript! web.descript.com     Hosted on Podbean! curmudgeonrock.podbean.com   Subscribe to our show on these platforms: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911   https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb   Co-written and co-produced by Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor - The Curmudgeons      

In which The Curmudgeons get funky like a chunky monkey, if you will, and show off their knowledge of the music of professional wrestling and how it adds to the over-the-top pageantry of one of our shared beloved pastimes. The goal of a wrestler's theme music is two-fold. First, the audience should know who exactly is coming out to the ring within three seconds--and they should be damned excited about it. The music should also add to a wrestler's character arc, to his or her persona and should heat their relationship with the paying masses, whether it makes them of love the act more or despite it with furious booing. More than anything, the music should always add to the fun and the entertainment value of what we're experience. The ten songs we count down on this episode did exactly that to respective performers. Listen as we drop knowledge, and maybe a Stone Cold Stunner, on Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, The Undertaker and others.    Enjoy all of this fun wrestling entrance music (including an enjoyable cover of The Fabulous Freebirds' "Badstreet U.S.A.") by accessing our special Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2rNeVGR6tW8qk6PUdZAZmL?si=920ca17bc0eb494c   Here's a handy navigation companion to this episode.   (00:52 - 02:14) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for our discussion of the music of professional wrestling   (03:49 - 19:06) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new albums from The Heavenly Bodes and Dry Cleaning   (20:05 - 45:29) - We starting counting down the 10 best wrestling entrance songs. Here, we discuss music for John Cena, Shawn Michaels and others   (46:33 - 01:08:54) - We wind our way toward #1. Who wins? Hulk Hogan or Stone Cold Steve Austin? Find out.    Join our Curmudgeonly Community today! facebook.com/groups/curmudgeonrock   Edited with an assist from Descript! web.descript.com     Hosted on Podbean! curmudgeonrock.podbean.com   Subscribe to our show on these platforms: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911   https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb   Co-written and co-produced by Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor - The Curmudgeons  

In which the Curmudgeons commune with their once-and-forever inner 16-year-olds to celebrate the most important cultural shift of our lives. And indeed, that shift happened when both of us were 16 years old. The fall of 1991 unleashed pure magic into our lives when Nirvana's Nevermind, Pearl Jam's Ten and Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger hit record shelves (remember those?). Grunge became a THING in the months that followed. We revisit all three of these albums plus a lot of other great, underappreciated grunge and grunge-adjacent music released by Mudhoney, the Melvins, Dinosaur Jr. and others. Perhaps our most moving episode ever (at least for Curmudgeon Chris it was).    Listen to all the amazing grunge and grunge-ish music of 1991 by accessing our special Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3nQdx0v3Nk3GgMseWA3Uw9?si=50b22976c45a4977   Here's a handy navigation companion to this episode:   (00:52 - 02:41) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for oursdiscussion of the grunge explosion of 1991   (02:49 - 15:57) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new albums from indi cult heroes Kelly Stoltz and Low Cut Connie   (19:15 - 01:02:09) - We remember the context of how grunge changed the way we experienced music back in the fall of 1991. And we discuss a string of Seattle grunge albums, including those from Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden.   (01:01:47 - 01:32:53) - WE discuss albums from Screaming Tress and from a non-Seattle contingency that includes Dinosaur Jr., The Jesus Lizard, Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, Smashing Pumkins and The Pixies    Join our Curmudgeonly Community today! facebook.com/groups/curmudgeonrock   Edited with an assist from Descript! web.descript.com     Hosted on Podbean! curmudgeonrock.podbean.com   Subscribe to our show on these platforms: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911   https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb   Co-written and co-produced by Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor - The Curmudgeons  

In which The Curmudgeons revisit the most popular and epic music from most of the year they both turned 16 years of age. Why most? Because on September 24,1991, a whole hell of a lot changed. That was the day Nirvana's Nevermind hit record-store shelves (remember those?). Before then, the world was inundated with diva pop from Mariah Carey and Paula Abdul, the embers of pop metal from the Scorpions, Skid Row and Guns N' Roses, a ton of mostly awful R&B slow jams, novelty hits from folks like Gerardo and MC Hammer and some actually great stuff from R.E.M., Gang Starr, My Bloody Valentine, Metallica, INXS, Londonbeat and others. We put our track shoes on in this episode to brave the rapids of these decidedly mixed and non-zeitgeist-ish first nine months of 1991...covering nearly 100 songs! Enjoy the ride...    Listen to all of this great (and not so great music) from 1991 by access our special Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3EdH6x0Uy5phuXOadoe2z1?si=7fa8ae32186c4562   Here's a handy navigation companion to this episode:   (00:52 - 03:05) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for our discussion of the pre-Nirvana months of 1991   (04:04 - 22:29) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new albums from Mildred and Vince Staples   (23:27 - 01:31:19) - We rumble through songs that were either big or notable between January and May of 1991. Some names some of you may remember: Keith Sweat, Cath Dennis, Wilson Phillips, C+C Music Factory, Extreme, Color Me Badd, Roxette and Massive Attack.   (01:32:25 - 02:33:57) - We sprint through a whole bunch of other songs, this time focusing on June to September 1991. Other names you might remember: Seal, Big Audio Dynamite, EMF, Right Said Fred, Naughty By Nature and The Cult   Join our Curmudgeonly Community today! facebook.com/groups/curmudgeonrock   Edited with an assist from Descript! web.descript.com     Hosted on Podbean! curmudgeonrock.podbean.com   Subscribe to our show on these platforms: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911   https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb   Co-written and co-produced by Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor - The Curmudgeons

In which The Curmudgeons share their reverence for one of modern indie rock's most singular and iconoclastic talents. Kurt Vile has worked hard from his native Philadelphia for nearly 20 years now to build for himself an idiosyncratic, shamanistic style that melds folk, psychedelic, classic rock and pure pop into something wholly his own. As Curmudgeon Arturo Andrade puts it, "Imagine Lou Reed and Tom Petty having a bastard child who smokes pot with Pavement and Dinosaur Jr., and the weed is provided by the Meat Puppets. Yeah, his shit is that good." Yet for as wacky as Vile may seem, he's a craftsman and a brilliant shaper of ideas and moods. And, hey, his name is actually Kurt Vile. So perhaps he was truly born to be great. Listen as we analyze Vile's work and, most especially, his vibe.   Listen to the music of Kurt Vile by accessing our special Spotify playlist:   https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6tvHBRaA2dgN7fZW1x5wU8?si=cf1a4d4ea7d44412   Here's a handy navigation companion to this episode:   (00:52 - 02:15) - Arturo Andrade sets the paramaters for our discussion on the music of Kurt Vile   (03:20 - 15:18) - We offer initial thoughts about what we think makes Kurt Vile so special and then offer up his origin story as a blue-collar guy working his tail off to get his music career and find his voice.     (16:16 - 32:18) - We analyze Vile's first three proper albums: Childish Prodigy, Smoke Ring For My Halo and Wakin' On a Pretty Daze.   (33:22 - 01:03:00) - We diver just as deep into the rest of Kurt Vile's catalog of albums, including 2026's urgent ode to gratitude and contentment, Philadelphia's Been Good to Me.    Join our Curmudgeonly Community today! facebook.com/groups/curmudgeonrock   Edited with an assist from Descript! web.descript.com     Hosted on Podbean! curmudgeonrock.podbean.com   Subscribe to our show on these platforms: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911   https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb   Co-written and co-produced by Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor - The Curmudgeons

In which The Curmudgeons revisit the year before grunge exploded into the mainstream. And 1990 was indeed a really important year for the development of our beloved genre. Mother Love Bone was on the cusp of hitting it big until frontman Andrew Wood, a beloved figures in the Seattle scene, died of a heroin overdose. The band's album Apple, in the can but not yet released, was effectively tanked by its record label, robbing Wood of a posthumous star turn. But another enigmatic blonde guy started preparing for his own star turn in 1990, as Nirvana released a titanic single that signaled its pivot from sludgier sonics to a more commercial, song-driven approach. Another essential grunge band, Alice in Chains, also had its first leap toward superstardom in 1990 with the release of their downbeat glam metal juggernaut Facelift. By the end of this important year, the veritable stage was set for rock's last truly special phenomeon to become huge.      Enjoy the fantastic grunge and grunge-adjacent music of 1990 by accessing our special Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2wAlMYcAn38MwZKXMHoEto?si=57fc9f65e9184ad4   Here's a handy navigation companion to this episode.    (00:52 - 2:57) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for ourdiscussion of the grunge rock of 1990   (03:53 - 17:10) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new albums from Genesis Owusu and Twisted Teens   (18:09 - 48:30) - Arturo laments the effect of heroin on the story of grunge. We then analyze 1990 grunge releases from Nirvana, Tad, Alice in Chains and Mother Love Bone   (49:31 - 01:09:05) - We analyze grunge-adjacent 1990 albums from L7, The Afghan Whigs, The Breeders and Sonic Youth    Join our Curmudgeonly Community today! facebook.com/groups/curmudgeonrock   Edited with an assist from Descript! web.descript.com     Hosted on Podbean! curmudgeonrock.podbean.com   Subscribe to our show on these platforms: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911   https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb   Co-written and co-produced by Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor - The Curmudgeons