Culture Club: "Karma Chameleon" (Watch out for those lobsters)

In today’s milestone episode, we celebrate Dave Kitchen's 20th appearance on Bill and Frank's Guilt-Free Pleasures, featuring The Cure’s iconic “Friday I’m in Love.” We recall the polarizing debates amongst our peers at the high school cafeteria over whether The Cure sold out (they didn't!), and Kitch brings us back to recognizing the unique duality of The Cure, reminding us how the band has regularly oscillated between pop elegance and goth melancholy. (Stay tuned to the very end for a very special version of "A Whole New World" featuring Frank with some backing vocals by Bill.) Links: Official Video Natalie Imbruglia's Version You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. We'd love to hear from you. Please rate and review us wherever you listen, but more importantly - share our show with your friends! Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.  

In today’s episode, we revisit the 80s pop sensation Taylor Dane and her iconic hit "Love Will Lead You Back." We delve into Dane’s overlooked legacy (seven top 10 hits over two albums!) and explore the emotional power of Frank’s favourite Taylor Dayne song. Even though Bill would have preferred to discuss “Tell it To My Heart” instead, he shares his evolving appreciation for today’s song, while Frank highlights its themes of hope and love's resilience – as well as somehow once again recounting the time he went 4-for-4 from the three-point line during a ninth-grade basketball game. “Love Will Lead You Back” brings back lots of memories and forces us to come to terms with our own relationship breakdowns. Despite all these complicated feelings, love still leads us back to bringing these songs to you each week! Links: Official Video Tig Notaro's story of meeting Taylor Dayne You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. We'd love to hear from you. Please rate and review us wherever you listen! Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.  

In this week’s episode, we jump into a song that's more than just a nostalgic tune—it's a fascinating slice of pop culture with an equally intriguing backstory. Prepare to delve into “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You,” a hit brought to life by Glenn Medeiros, whose music video might just be one of the most dangerous ever made—a song that sends us spiraling into conversations about love, nostalgia, and the odd memories we have tied to the Muppets. We would like to also remind listeners just how much we appreciate their support and reaffirm the sentiment of this week’s featured track: that love in all its forms is something to be cherished—and nothing’s going to change that! Links: Official Video You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. We'd love to hear from you. Please rate and review us wherever you listen! Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.  

In this episode we explore the sultry magic of Barry White, focusing on his iconic track "You're the First, the Last, My Everything." We discuss Barry's rise from the streets of Watts to his status as a soul legend, we unravel themes of love and seduction, we dive into the passionate lyrics and lush arrangements that define White’s sound, and we celebrate his artistry as both a vocalist and innovative producer. Prepare yourself for an unforgettable journey through love's essence!  Links: 1970s performance Ally McBeal performance Ally McBeal bathroom dance You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. We'd love to hear from you. Please rate and review us wherever you listen! Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

It's hard to believe that it's taken us this long to do "Karma Chameleon," but maybe we needed to be at our A-game to handle a song this amazing. If you were alive in 1983, you would have heard this tune everywhere and you would have loved it! We go deep into the background of the band and the song, and we find out that it's a lot darker than we realized. Nevertheless, the joys of the song endure as our memories of 1983 come and go, come and go. Links: Official Music Video Live acoustic from 1983 You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. We'd love to hear from you. Please rate and review us wherever you listen! Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

We explore the DNA remix of Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner" by taking a deep dive into the song's history and cultural significance, particularly how the original version became an integral part of the MP3 narrative. We also discuss the themes embedded within the lyrics - a stream-of-consciousness portrayal of someone experiencing life through a pane of glass, which gives us not only a time capsule of 1980s New York City, but also triggers our own bittersweet (painful) memories. Additionally, you’ll hear about the worst bartender in St. Catharines, a chaotic mixtape, and about the recognition of our own branding: Bill as the know-it-all and Frank as the sexy bad boy. Welcome to an episode featuring the intersection of music, technology, and personal memory – pretty much a good summation of what we do here! Thank you for joining us. Here are some helpful links to further your enjoyment of the episode: First known recorded version of "Tom’s Diner" The original video for the released version of "Tom’s Diner" The DNA video for "Tom’s Diner" (the one you probably know best) Tom’s Essay by Suzanne Vega And, finally, this is incredible: "Tom's Diner" Live at Royal Albert Hall, 1986 You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. We'd love to hear from you. Please rate and review us wherever you listen! Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.  

From Rad to Knuckles, Real Life’s “Send Me An Angel” sets a perfect t scene. We hope you enjoy our discussion of the history and analysis of an 80s classic! Helpful Links Werewolf Video 89 Video You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. We'd love to hear from you. Please rate and review us wherever you listen! Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

The Human League's "Human" is both irresistible and ridiculous. Despite the reprehensible content, Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam create an earworm of a melody, and when combined with the not-quite-as-robotic-as-before vocals of Philip Oakey (which we continually mispronounce as "Oakley"), we can't help but return repeatedly to the tune. We discuss the history of the band, the song, and whether we can ever deem this to be a "guilt-free pleasure." Thank you for joining us! Links: The Official Video You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. We'd love to hear from you. Please rate and review us wherever you listen! Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

An incredible song with an absolutely ridiculous video, "The Warrior" is pure guilt-free pleasure. Besides discussing the history of the band, the song, and the video, we also explore Knuckles from Sonic The Hedgehog and its significance in Bill's life. And most importantly, we examine what it means to be a warrior in the world of love.  Links: The Warrior video Bon Jovi video with Scandal: Love's Got A Line On You You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. We'd love to hear from you. Please rate and review us wherever you listen! Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

We can't think of many songs with as much purity of heart than Faith Hill's "This Kiss." All the joy of early and enduring love is found here, as well as a remarkable story about how this song came together. We have a dearth of episodes on country music, but we hope this marks the beginning of more steel guitar days in the Guilt-Free Pleasureverse! Links: The video 1998 Country Music Awards performance You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. You can email us at [email protected], too. We'd love to hear from you. Please rate and review us wherever you listen! Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.