Awkward Silences Radio Show: Recent Episodes
Tyler Wood & Alissa Golden
Hello folks,
If you're looking for the latest episode of Awkward Silences, click here.
We're now publishing directly onto our Podbean page, where the actual audio files have been stored for more than a year. This should speed up production and lead to fewer technical clitches.
This website will remain as an archive of the last four and a half years. Cheers!
Note:
If you're having trouble listening to the latest episode, try going to our podbean site (pretty much the same as our blogspot site) and click Listen Now at the bottom of the post. We'll work on fixing the problems ASAP.
In the interest of saving the hesitant some time, understand that this week begins with Tyler talking about what deserts he just ate. Yep, that's the kind of show this episode turned out to be: mostly just Alissa and Tyler shooting the breeze, with a little planning talk thrown in for good measure. It is exactly as entertaining as it sounds, but of course that's up to you, isn't it. Enjoy!(?)
| | | Alissa aural fixation. (Her oral fixation? Tongue.) | |
PLAYLIST
Broken Social Scene - Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)
Jason Collett - Fire
Feist x Timber Timbre - Homage
Stars - Ageless Beauty (The Most Serene Republic remix)
The Most Serene Republic - Proposition 61
Amy Millan - Skinny Boy
Broken Social Scene - Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl
Eight and a Half - Go Ego
Feist - Undiscovered First
Kevin Drew - Safety Bricks
Stars - Look Up
Broken Social Scene - Almost Crimes (Acoustic)
| | | My Way(You may recognize parts of this boat from the opening to MASH) |
LINKS
Synagogues and zoning in Montreal's the Plateau, and
Attempts to bring the neighbourhood's communities together
Tyler's reenactment group's Facebook photos
It's another grab-bag of topics this episode, so difficult tie together into a grand theme that I think I'll let the New Yorker sum things up:
| | | Yep... |
Enjoy!
PLAYLIST (note the subtle thematic link, undercut by my needing to write this)
Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken
The Stills - Lola Stars and Stripes
Arkells - On Paper
Black Lips - O Katrina!
Jim Carrol Band - People Who Died
Yeasayer - Henrieta
Postal Service - Clark Gable
Death Cab for Cutie - We Laugh Indoors
Bon Iver & St. Vincent - Roslyn
Fleet Foxes - Lorelai
LINKS
The Best of Chris Hadfield on Social Media
A new pro-gun control video
Speaking of raising a child: "Primary Care Giver", The Slope - Season 2, Episode 3
John Krasinski And Jimmy Fallon Competed In The Best Lip-Synching Contest Ever
Makers: Women Who Make America (PBS)
| | | Tough Mudder pledge or deleted scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? |
This week, we (unknowingly) explore various facets of social psychology: the bombings in Boston and the Internet's response; memes, and how people, shockingly, are unoriginal; the social shift noticeable through the coming out of gay athletes; our fascination with horror films and, for not always unrelated reasons, tattoos. Enjoy!
Nothing says "Mayday" like 'NSYNC GIFs, right?
PLAYLIST
Grizzly Bear - Yet Again
Radiohead - Idiotque
Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - Rise Up With Fists
Goyte - Eyes Wide Open
Santogold (feat. Trouble Andrew) - I'm a Lady
Sleater Kinney - One Beat
Modest Mouse - Once Chance
Fleet Foxes - Someone You'd Admire
Madonna - Human Nature
LINKS
The Real People of Your Favourite Memes (Funny or Die)
Mr. Rogers Meme
NBA Player Jason Collins Says He's Gay (via Deadspin)
With the twentieth anniversary of Jurassic Park as our starting point, we segue through a lot of topics this episode, while embarking on a musical journey through the year 1993. It's pretty gnarly. Enjoy!
| | | If you Google Image-search "1993", this is the first picture to come up. I think that's reason enough to share it. |
PLAYLIST (circa 1993)
Arrested Development - Mr. Wendal
Naughty by Nature - Hip Hop Hooray
Gin Blossoms - Hey Jealousy
Spin Doctors - Two Princes
Ace of Base - All That She WantsUB40 - Can't Help Falling in Love
Janet Jackson - If
Aerosmith - Livin' on the Edge
Meat Loaf - I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)
LINKSBBC Radio 1 to play Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead on its chart showRober Ebert reviews Spring BreakersHistory of the Canadian Museum of CivilizationLate Night Barbershop Quartet: The Ragtime Gals perform Sweat (A La La La Long)
Get it, bike sharing? Like, sharing our heritage, experiences? Oh yeah, I went there. Enjoy!
| | | Deal with it. |
PLAYLIST
Elliot Smith - Baby Britain
Apostle of Hustle - Sleepwalking Ballad
Eight and a Half - Walked Into Diazepene
Passion Pit - Little Secrets
The Rolling Stones - Mother's Little Helper
The Smiths - Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before
Camera Obscura - Keep It Clean
The Verve - The Drugs Don't Work
Blind Melon - All That I Need
LINKS
Mapping the Montreal Mosaic
CBC Hamilton: "Join the war, tear down no more" by Paul Wilson
Building Stories
Sharing the costs of bike-sharing
CBC Hamilton: Hamilton councillors vote yes on bikeshare plan
Metrolinx
| | | Tyler and Alissa in another life? |
| | | Not all that funny, but then, neither are we. |
So, for lack of a more original gimmick for this episode's description, let's just take a look at the tags we've made this time around since they'll give you a good sense of the tenuous narrative links upon which our conversation hinges:
* Nikki Minaj
* Tuques and winter in Ottawa, Montreal
* Reenacting at the Nuit blanche
* Pap smears
* The Oscars
* Television growing up
We're not making this up. Enjoy!
| | | Alternative episode title: Minaj à trois |
PLAYLIST
The Royal Concept - Gimme Twice
Mo Kenney - Sucker
Divine Fits - Shivers
Hanah Georges - Robotic
The Arkells - Bloodlines
Wild Nothing - Shadow
Broken Bells - The High Road
LINKS
Niki Minaj's Starships... Goat edition!
The Compagnie de Lacorne's Facebook page
Strange though it is, our most recent offering has nothing to do with Valentine's Day. And while we try to liven things up with a dance-themed musical bouquet, most of the tracks aren't really for bogeying down. Add to that talk of mental health awareness and you have an unlikely blend of moods this episode. Fitting, as it turns out, for a holiday that affects people in a variety of ways. Enjoy!
| | | If you pledge at the $500 level, Alissa and Tyler will recreate this photo. |
PLAYLIST
Kings of Convenience - I'd Rather Dance With You
The Contours - Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance)
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas - Dancing In The Street
Steve Miller Band - Dance, Dance, Dance
Toploader - Dancing In The Moonlight
Van Morrison - Moondance
Lykke Li - Dance Dance Dance
Nouvelle Vague - Dancing With Myself
Little Joy - Don't Watch Me Dancing
The Drifters - Save The Last Dance For MeBlossom Dearie - I Won't DanceElton John - Tiny Dancer
LINKSWho’s Got Two Thumbs and is a Humourless Feminist?Bell Let's Talk About Mental Health
| | | ASR has also been shown to cure scurvy. |
Have you been suffering from ASR withdrawal? Well, prepare to overdose on what I'm sure most podcast experts would call a unhealthy dose of our show. Season Five begins with a marathon reflection session as we both enter our thirties. Somehow we manage to weave in winter, Ottawa, birthdays, Chicago, reënacting (that's how The New Yorker would spell it; sue me), travelling, meeting new people, online dating, the Golden Globes, Girls, high school reunions, SNL, The Office and probably more. Enjoy!
PLAYLIST
Awkward Silences Theme - Michael Szilagyi
Paul Simon - Have a Good Time
Coldplay - We Never Change
The Beatles - In My Life
David Bowie - Changes
Radiohead - Fitter Happier
Rilo Kiley - A Better Son/Daughter
Fleet Foxes - Montezuma
The Strokes - Is This It?
Eight and a Half - When I Was 29
Dandy Warhols - Big Indian
Fleet Foxes - Blue Spotted Tail
4 Non Blondes - What's Up?
Britt Daniel/Brian Reitzell - Flours
Carole King - Beautiful
LINKS
The End of Courtship?
Perhaps not...
Howdy folks.
Happy New Year.
Have you been occasionally visiting this site only to be slightly flustered by the complete lack of updates since November?
We feel your pain.
Alissa and Tyler have tried, on more than one occasion (= 2), to get together and record. First the Holidays episode and then, as delays did their delaying, a nifty season opener. Wouldn't you know that circumstances have conspired against us and we haven't been able to put anything together we feel reaches the level you guys deserve.
But it is coming. Soon. So hold fast.
Cheers,
ASR
Now that we're back to our regularly scheduled podcast, what better way to celebrate than with another earworm episode? (That's not a rhetorical question; if you've got a better idea, let us know; we're running out! (Not really.)) Enjoy!
| | | Brought to you by Sunny-D and Lockheed Martin! |
PLAYLIST
Queen - We Will Rock YouThe Chordettes - LollipopHerman's Hermits - I'm Henry The EighthThe Kinks - All Day and All of the Night
Johnny Cash - Ring of FireThird Eye Blind - Never Let You GoTegan and Sara - Back In Your Head
Abba - Take a Chance on MeAnita Ward - Ring My BellLady Gaga - Poker FaceDuck Sauce - Barbara Streisand
LINKS
Cool Drones on SNL
Skyfall and "why it should trouble us"
The Oak Ridge Boys' Elvira
This episode's title in no way reflects our view on the recent American election, or about the stepping down of Montreal's mayor last week. It's actually not related to any hot-button topic we'd normally discuss. Nope, it's simply our backup episode, because technical difficulties prevented up from recording a regular show. Enjoy!
| | | Music-themed backup episodes are cooler than they appear |
PLAYLIST
The Diamonds - Little Darlin'
Anthony Rooley & The Consort Of Musicke - As Vesta Was from Latmos Hill Descending
Délibes - Viens, Mallika (The Flower Duet)
Les Charbonniers de l'enfer - Petite galiote
The Rankin Family - I'll Tell My Ma
Chor Leoni - Loch Lomond
The King's Singers - Greensleves
Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir - Over My Head I Hear Music in the Air
The cast of Sister Act - Oh Maria
Bluegrass Student Union - Mills Brothers Medley
Allison Krauss & Gillian Welch - I'll Fly Away
The Kossoy Sisters - Poor Ellen Smith
The Boswell Sisters - St. Louis Blues
The Andrews Sisters - The Jumpin' Jive
The Everly Brothers - All I Have To Do Is Dream
The Earls - Remember Then
The Kingston Trio - Across the Wide Missouri
Peter, Paul & Mary - Early in the Morning
The Beach Boys - In My Room
Simon & Garfunkel - Mrs. Robinson
America - Horse with No Name
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
The King's Singers - Lullaby (Goodnight my Angel)
Fleet Foxes - Mykonos
Erato - Call Your Girlfriend
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Please Read the Letter
The Wailin' Jennys - The Parting Glass
Well, it's becoming commonplace for us to "go long" when we record our episodes. This is probably good news for you, as you get more talk and more music for the same low, low price of free. But it's hard on the person who's trying to write a wry little paragraph summing it all up under one theme. So instead, here's the list of labels (tags) that we've made for this episode: Hurricane Sandy, Bounty, Corruption, Montreal, Burlington, Streetcars, Cultural Property Act, Census, Language, Halloween costumes. If you can find a common thread in there, let us know. Enjoy!
| | | Reasons for using this picture: 1) Subtle pun, and 2) After all these years, this still freaks us out. |
PLAYLIST
Harry Belafonte - Jump in the Line
Feist - Graveyard
Screamin' Jay Hawkins - I Put A Spell On YouThe Ventures - Love Potion No. 9The Misfits - Monster MashThe Ramones - Pet SemetaryRJD2 - The HorrorDeath In Vegas - AishaJustice - Stress
Warren Zevon - Werewolves In London
It's early, so I'll be brief: hope you enjoy this new episode. (Warning: may contain pretzels.)
| | | ...and, presumably, kick some ass. |
PLAYLIST
Feist - When I Was a Young Girl Incubus - 11am Babyshambles - Carry Up on the MorningArctic Monkeys - Scummy
Red Hot Chilli Pepers - My FriendsWeezer - Velouria Nouvelle Vague - Friday Night, Saturday Morning DJ's Choice - Chicken Dance
LINKS
More on Officer #728 in Montreal
Is it possible that the episodes in which our form is finest happen to be when we're the angriest? Because we don't do much other than gripe this week, but never has negativity borne such sweet fruit. Enjoy!
| | | It's comforting to realize that while corruption and waste exist in spades in Canada, all the stock images you can find on the subject still involve the American greenback. Sometimes it's nice not to be #1. |
PLAYLIST
DJ Shadow - You Can't Go Home Again
Jason Lytle - Rollin' Home AloneArcade Fire - Rococo
Fleet Foxes - MontezumaThe Walkman - The Rat
TV on the Radio - Wolf Like MeAlkaline Trio - San Francisco
It's always a challenge to find an episode's title. It's not as if we work from a theme each week; we talk about whatever holds our interest and look for links afterwards. If there's anything consistent about the disparate topics this time around, it's the idea of divides: in politics, culture, age, and appearance. And yet there is a thread linking much of the discussion, and he happens to co-host the show. Go figure, and enjoy!
Tyler Wood's new official publicity photo
| | | Let's all play the new game: Six degrees of Tyler Wood |
PLAYLIST
Pheonix - 1901Minus the Bear - The FixDeath Cab for Cutie - We Looked Like Giants Spoon - I Summon YouLisa Loeb - StayBarenaked Ladies - Lovers in Dangerous Times The Subways - With YouNada Surf - SleepYeah Yeah Yeahs - MapsLINKSLouis CK on being white
From what I can tell, this is scrumptious-looking menu
The Olympics, "legitimate" rape, gay marriage, the Quebec election and poutine. Yep, there's a sentence never penned previously. But we assure you these topics make for an interesting episode all about different cultures trying to live side-by-side. Enjoy!
PLAYLIST
Blondie - Sunday Girl
Nouvelle Vague (Camille) - Too Drunk To Fuck
Feist - Tout Doucement
Land of Talk - Trouble
Metric - Poster of a Girl
The Blow - Bonjour Jeune Fille
Bridgitte Bardot - Moi je joue
LINKS
Sarah Silverman's rape joke
George Carlin's rape joke
Louis CK's rape joke
After yet more technical delays, we're happy to present our whistling-themed episode. I'm sure you'll agree it blows. Enjoy!
| | | Nothing makes you look cooler than pursed lips... |
PLAYLIST
Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks
Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
Andy Griffith - The Fishin' Hole
The Drums - Let's Go Surfing
Flo Rida - Whistle
Juelz Santana - There It Go (The Whistle Song)
Guns & Roses - Patience
Scorpions - Wind of Change
Billy Joel - The Stranger
Peter Gabriel - Games Without Frontiers
Peter, Bjorn & John - Young Folks
The Black Keys - Tighten Up
Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Home
John Lennon - Jealous Guy
LINKS
An Illegal Front-Yard Kitchen Garden via TYWKIWDBI
Aurora shooting victim had narrowly missed a Toronto shooting
I'm not even going to try to give you the context of the title of this week's episode; you'll just have to listen to find out. I can promise, however, that it's a memorable one for at least a couple reasons, as you might imagine. Enjoy!
| | | Meta, man... very meta. |
PLAYLIST
Nina Simone - Feeling GoodCharles Winston - In Your HandsCold War Kids - ReliefEight and a Half - Two Points MeetBeach House - MythWashed Out - Eyes Be ClosedCrystal Castles (feat. Robert Smith) - Not In LoveDaniel Rossen - Silent Song
If you've ended up here, you're in for a treat, as, in the end, we've got another musical theme episode for you. The theme: well, songs that feature great parts at the beginning or end and that leave us wanting more. Hopefully you'll find our show a hoot from end to end... enjoy!
Pictured above: What, can't you read? It's the word coda.PLAYLIST
Weezer - Island in the Sun
Neko Case - At Last
The Beatles - I Want You (She's So Heavy)
The Hollies - Hey Carrie-Anne
Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
Portishead - We Carry On
Arcade Fire - Wake Up
Feist - Lonely Lonely
Derek and the Dominos - Layla
Sigur Ros - Festival
LINKS
Nicki Minaj's Starships, the Gay Anthem du jour.
Well, it's a special episode this week, in at least three ways:
1. We recorded in the same physical location for the first time in two years;
2. In honour of fellow SURPer Mike Wong's wedding, there's an appropriate musical theme;
3. And, for reasons I can't explain, it's also the shortest episode on record. (Many listeners probably see this as a relief...) Enjoy!
| | | Yeah, we clean up nice. |
PLAYLIST
Darlene Love - (Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry
Martha & the Vandellas - Third Finger, Left Hand
The Dixie Cups - Chapel of Love
Gary Lewis and the Playboys - This Diamond Ring
Jimmy Soul - If You Wanna Be Happy For the Rest of Your Life
Adam Sandler - I Wanna Grow Old With You
The Detroit Cobras - The Real Thing
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
LINKS
Here's a rather unique way to propose.
(Correction: Our dear friend Mike Wong married the lovely Lorraine Lee, not Lorraine Wang as we referenced in the podcast. Our sincere apologies!)
We've been slowly making our way down our list of musical theme episodes, having quite a blast along the way. This week, we're tackling songs that ask questions. Why? Why not?
Listen, toots, we ask the questions around here.PLAYLIST
Travis - Why Does It Always Rain On Me?The Beach Boys - Wouldn't It Be Nice?Diana Ross & The Supremes - Where Did Our Love Go? Diane Warwick - Do You Know the Way to San Jose?Marvin Gaye - What's Goin' On?David Bowie - Life On Mars?The Who - Who Are You?Joe Jackson - Is She Really Going Out With Him?The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?A Tribe Called Quest - Can I Kick It?Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way?Flaming Lips - Do You Realize?Bat for Lashes - What's a Girl to Do?
Carole King and James Taylor - Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? (Live medly)
If there's an upside about being too busy to record an episode, it's that once the smoke clears and we put the headsets back on, we've got plenty of stories to tell (and the music to accompany them). So here's hoping you'll enjoy our catching up after a month's absence more than the absence itself.
(Please note that Blogger has updated itself, so one cannot click the title to hear the podcast. Instead
Click here for Episode 8.)
I'm pretty sure this is the photo of Philly that Alissa asked me to post.
PLAYLIST
Electric Guest -Under the Gun
Electric Guest - Troubleman
Electric Guest - Waves
PS I Love You - Princess Towers
Eight And A Half - Go Ego
Electric Guest - This Head I Hold
LINKS
William Whyte's The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces - The Street Corner
"When Obama Endorsed Marriage Equality"
Want to know the pertinence of this week's episode's title? Best listen!
Instagram:
Making anything look artistic, even "grease fires" (domestic disputes)
PLAYLIST
Goyte - I Feel Better
Fleet Foxes - Lorelai
Florence and the Machine - Heavy in Your Arms
Kate Nash - Pumpkin Soup
Fanfarlo - Atlas
Electric Guest - American Daydream
Vampire Weekend - Jonathan Low
Metric - Eclipse (All Yours)
UNKLE feat. The Black Angels - With You In My Head
Bombay Bicycle Club - How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep
LINKS
Goyte - Making Making Mirrors: A Short Documentary
Bombay Bicycle Club - Lights Out, Words Gone (Video)
Appropriately enough, our first episode this spring abounds with novelty. We discuss the new budget, a new movie, new(-ly discovered) TV shows, and possible new vocations for a Kingston movie theatre. Oh, and you'll feel "born again" with our religious-themed musical selections. Enjoy!
...and a new common interest for Alissa and Tyler.
PLAYLIST
Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - Big Guns
The Dandy Warhols - Nietzsche
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - White Palms
Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - Born Secular
The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season)
Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
Madonna - Like a Prayer