136: "Hotel California" vs. "Don't Fear the Reaper"

It's a vaguely-haunted episode about classic rock epics from 1976! Which is the better dark and spooky song with triple-backed guitars, Eagles' "Hotel California" or Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper"?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We've got rhythm, we've got music, we've got our first Broadway showtunes episode, and we're tackling the two weepiest showstoppers of the '80s, so which is the biggest blockbuster heartbreaker of the Great White Way, "Memory" from "Cats" or "I Dreamed a Dream" from "Les Miz"? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our annual look at the VMAs, and they're weirder than ever but were they actually kind of good? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We've seen fire, rain, and clouds. From both sides even! But it is time to decide the most heartbreaking acoustic song from the singer-songwriter movement, so what helps us reflect more, Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" or James Taylor's "Fire and Rain"? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's 1993 and Alternative Rock cares. But what soothes your hurting Gen-X soul more, R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" or Soul Asylum's "Runaway Train"?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hard rock with synthesizers??? We're going to light up the '80s with some anthemic hair metal but whose shall reign supreme, "Jump" by Van Halen or "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We have some of the fiercest, growliest songs of the '60s for you today! Which is the greatest songs that isn't about the Vietnam War but basically is, "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival or "All Along the Watchtower" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

WAKE UP! Because we're about to get down with the nu-metal and figure out our favorite wacky metal song of the early ''00s, System of a Down's "Chop Suey!" vs. Disturbed's "Down with the Sickness"! And fittingly for this crazy-ass moment in nu-metal, we've got Holiday Kirk in the episode to help us out! Open up this podcast and let it flow into you! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the 2000s, despite some resistance, the alt-rock stations finally discovered hip-hop, or at least something resembling it. But which was the superior UK hip-hop inflected alt-rock song, the Gorillaz' "Feel Good Inc." or M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes"? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Let 'em say we're crazy, but we're gonna do another movie theme poll. Yes, I swear, it's the truth. This time we're heading off to the magical year of 1987, when mannequins came to life and no one put baby in a corner. But only one can see off our end credits, so which one will it be, Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes' "(I've Had) the Time of My Life" or Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now"?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.