The Play me Tape podcast: Recent Episodes
Darren and Jake
Lifelong friends Jake and Darren discuss songs and albums that have been important in their lives and have generated an emotional response, both good and bad! Come along on a journey of music discovery, familiarity and fun. Keep coming back every week to hear what’s next, what’s interesting and what they’re up to.
Welcome to Part 2 of our New Years Music in Movies spectacular! This episode, Jake, a certified movie nut, chooses his favourite songs that were used in Movie soundtracks. He's got some great ones kids and some are shocking! Lloyd Dobler would be proud! Get out your boombox, strap on your rollerskates, bring an umbrella, and turn up the volume for a song packed episode that will leave you saying BANG!
Heavy D serves up a tasty dish of 5 of his favorite movie soundtrack songs. Jake comments on them. Talk of Aircraft and the Vietnam war and Bubba and twenty-something romance and fat bald guys. And with FULL -Length songs! Holy Toledo Batman, this must be some kind of New Years Spectacular! To the Batmobile...
Epic. It's a word that gets repeated like a group dance number in a TikTok video. At one time, it actually meant something. And it aptly applies to one song, sung by 3 people in total. 2 folk singers and one metalhead. All deserving of the word epic. I've read comments about this song, asking that it be played at one's own funeral, and if it wasn't going to be played, that person will be a no show. That my friends, is the type of song this is. Epic. Paul Simon wrote, and sang it. Art Garfunkel accompanied him, and many years later the band Disturbed may have very well perfected it. This song may be responsible for many people falling in love with music, and it has the same power today. Epic. And how lucky are YOU that you get to listen to both versions. Turn it up just loud enough and maybe, just maybe, you might actually hear The Sound of Silence.
The Doods talk about the fleeting nature of fame and the impact one song can have on the pop-culture landscape. Which is better? The dizzying highs of chart-topping success? Or toiling away in pop obscurity… but hey, at least you can still do your own shopping? The Doods ponder this as they talk about music you’ve never heard. No, seriously. Don’t even try to front like you’re some kind of long time fan of Moon Martin or the Stanky Brown Group, because we don’t buy it.
This week the guys discuss a pair of NYPD detectives in the Narcotics Bureau that stumble onto a heroin smuggling ring based in Marseilles, but stopping them and capturing their leaders proves an elusive goal. William Friedkin's gritty police drama portrays two tough New York City cops trying to intercept a huge heroin shipment coming from France. No wait, that’s the French Connection. This week is about the Muppet’s Rainbow Connection and how it saddens Jakey, my bad.
I think it’s fair to say that this week, the doods gush. Yeah, they gush, all right. How can they not when talking about the opening track of one of the greatest albums ever recorded? Yeah, they said that. They really said that. GOAT. What song? The doods discuss Only Shallow, the opener from My Bloody Valentine’s classic 1991 album Loveless. So yeah, it just turned 30. Sadly the doods did not. They’re a skosh older than 30. So that means they’re all wise and junk, right? Well, about this they are. If you haven’t heard this song or this album, the doods say you need to change that right smartly. Do people still say “right smartly?” Or is that entirely an old person thing? Pffffft, whatever. The doods don’t care about staying relevant, but they do want you to trust them when they say you should listen to Loveless.
Hey all you cool kitties and groovy cats, grow out your sideburns, dig out your mini skirts and put some flowers in your hair so you can get in the right frame of mind for the new season of Play me Tape and a 1966 Classic that paints the picture of a hot summer's day in a bustling metropolis. You like a traditional verse chorus verse song? Well you can throw that under the bus and enjoy the multi-hooked, 60's feel-good hit that takes songwriting on a brown acid trip and features a young John Sebastien before he wrote the best TV theme ever created. So get your order in to Chez Piggy, but don't get too comfortable in your bean bag chair as this 2 minute and 41 second throwback will make you get up and DANCE! Enjoy Summer in the City by The Lovin' Spoonful and Peace out Man.
playmetapepodcast@gmail.com While the doods agree the 70s were a pretty groovy time, it wasn’t all platform shoes, macrame vests, and porn mustaches. There were negatives to the 70s as well. One of the low points may well have been this week’s song. Maybe you should be the judge. Does it ooze 70s charm? Or does it just ooze? You know, like an open sore?
Oh, the doods also discuss TV. A lot.
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mix·tape | \ ˈmiks-ˌtāp \ Definition of mixtape A recording on a cassette tape, CD, or digital medium, consisting of music or songs selected by a single person: My girlfriend made me the greatest mixtape for my birthday. ... a recording consisting of blended or recombined tracks, or a series of tracks with smooth transitions, especially one created by a DJ. Yep, the boys did it. In a tribute to the original "Play me Tape" anal retentive British kid, Darren puts together a mixtape that defines him and Jake is droppin' knowledge. Send us yours!! and maybe we'll feature it.
playmetapepodcast@gmail.com Can a song about death be beautiful? The doods wrestle with that one. Can a song about death be funky? The doods wrestle with that one too. You wouldn’t think so, but wait until you hear it.
The doods also take a look back at the song that derailed an entire episode. Yeah. That happened. They’re as shocked as you are.
So come and listen to the doods talk blues, and don’t forget to stick around for the funk. The doods make their funk the P. Funk. They wants to get funked up.
playmetapepodcast@gmail.com Jake and Darren ask if that truly is, all you got. And don't even think of selling out man, cuz the boys is gonna call you on that yo. This weeks song is fun with a capital B and may change your mind forever regarding a couple of different genres of music. Open up your mind and heart, dust off your paddle and go at it. Its time to GET HYPED. HYPA HYPA!
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The Doods reminisce about cartoons. Can you blame them? Cartoons are awesome. If you’ve never seen the Harlem Globetrotters cartoon then I hate to tell you, but your life might be incomplete. Ditto Fat Albert. Ditto Scooby Doo. Ditto Superfriends. Ditto Dungeons & Dragons. Look, we could be here all day, so let’s skip ahead and point out that the Doods also talk music... as it relates to cartoons, anyway. Schoolhouse Rock Rocks, yo. You can’t front on that.
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Jake can’t wait to share his first great music obsession. A band he has counted among his favorites almost as far back as middle school. A band which has been in his life longer even than many of his closest friends. What will Darren’s reaction be? Will Darren love it on first listen? Or will Darren’s negative opinion crush Jake and rattle him to his very core, leaving him shaken and unfocused for the rest of the episode?
Oh... perhaps I’ve said too much. Ignore that last bit. Assume that the doods agree as they usually do on this week’s song. Yeah. Yeah, that’s it, that’s the ticket. Yeah.
playmetapepodcast@gmail.com Do you guys like stuff? So do we. But you know what? Sometimes, we don't like stuff and in this case Darren ends his long term friendship with Jake momentarily over an 80's song that is definitely polarizing for some whereas Darren takes a hardline stance and makes his case why this is possibly one of the worst songs ever made. Don' t Play Me Tape is what we're calling it but make sure to tune in to find out what's good, what's bad and what causes actual physical pain. Emotional responses to music is what this podcast is all about and the fellas discuss the STRONG emotions this song brings up. And BTW, how DO you play a Mamba?
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The doods talk breakups and regret, and the ways in which we deal with these... and obviously the songs we use to deal with these. And poetry. Good lord there’s some poetry. Don’t get me started. Plus, as if the poetry weren’t enough, Jake goes hard in the paint on the sci Fi, so be prepared for that and don’t say I didn’t warn you. Seriously, he brings up Star Trek and everything. It’s a whole thing.
playmetapepodcast@gmail.com Jake and Darren discover a band that kicks ass live! Who knew? Not them apparently. And a few other bands are discussed and how they got noticed in the North American market. Stories of concerts abound and going solo is no option Han. Don't let that weigh you down, it's just not worth it. This song isn't light and airy, that's for damn sure.
playmetapepodcast@gmail.com Ever pour your heart into something, knowing it's amazing and have it completely ignored? No, were not talking about this podcast. The boys discuss Dreamin' Wild, an album that was lost for almost 3 decades before being discovered and praised for it's brilliance. Jake steers us into an amazing story of talent, belief, family, innocence and genius. This song/album is a good one folks and deserves your attention if only to realize that what you're listening to was all made by 2 teenage boys on a smalltown farm. Oooooh Baby.
Jake and Darren discuss a car song that isn't a car song from a band that may very well have been ahead of their time. This song will rock your face off with a galloping guitar and lead singer who is performing in full-on rage mode. The boys start off with tales of rock myths that may very well clear up the stories you've telling at parties for years. Buckle up people as we're going for a cruise back to the 70's with the Wilson sisters and prove once and for all that women ROCK!
playmetapepodcast@gmail.com Again with the colossal marketing blunders. This one may be different, however. This one will hit you where it hurts: right in the childhood. The doods talk about ill-fated flavor profiles for potato chips, a song so 80s you can literally smell the Rubik’s cube as you listen, and a cartoon crime against humanity. Knowing is half the battle.
playmetapepodcast@gmail.com Jake and Darren blast off to the land of musical influence and discuss a song that was HUGE in Darren's life. You think you had a tough summer job! HA. Tales of the $5 ballet, car crashes, perseverance, loyalty and mega hits pepper this episode and will have you waving dollar bills in the air. A hard of hearing feline is just the beginning.
playmetapepodcast@gmail.com Jake and Darren droppin' knowledge about one of the most expensive albums ever made and most likely the craziest, most insane timeline, list of musicians and production insanity that has ever consumed an artist in trying to release an album 15 years after their previous studio release. Grab a Dr. Pepper and try your best to follow along with this incredibly fascinating tale of analysis paralysis. You think you procrastinate? Pfft. You ain't got nothin' on Axl.
playmetapepodcast@gmail.com Jake and Darren eat tucker such as pizza, chook wings, sangers and everybody is on the grog. Some people drink a lot of grog and then dance with our mates to some Empire of the Sun, different sheilas and blokes that are sometimes a bit daggy. At 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, you can see some people drinking grog on the footpaths and talk with mates and sometimes they need to go to the dunny. When the party finishes, people still are hungry and then go to the Macca`s. Struth.
playmetapepodcast@gmail.com Brush up on your Parisian French as the guys talk about music that makes Darren feel dumb. Jake lays down some history about this amazing band and song that Darren thinks Jake picked because it has the word Boob in it. You decide! And you wont want to miss stepping back in time to 1997 and celebrating that year's pop hits. So sit back in your lounger, throw on some velvet pants and enjoy the smooth sounds of Stereolab!
playmetapepodcast@gmail.com Sometimes after the loss of a lead singer, bands choose to carry on. Sometimes the magic is lost. Other times it’s simply a new and successful incarnation for the band. Darren talks about this phenomenon and how it has worked out (positively and negatively) for a variety of bands. His song choice comes from a band that arguably achieved bigger fame after the replacement of their singer. This is a band whose pre- and post departure material is almost unrecognizable as the same band! Meanwhile Jake is stunned to learn what this song is actually about.
Jake and Darren discuss a song that is heartbreaking, emotional, beautiful and a tribute to the 7 heroes we lost on the Space Shuttle Columbia. Grab a box of tissues and take a deep breath, this one's gonna hurt.
In this episode Darren relives his 15 minutes of very moderate fame and doubles down on his insistence that the Cult’s bassist might just be history’s greatest monster. Jake drops a stunning revelation regarding misheard lyrics that probably offers more insight into his psyche than he’s comfortable sharing. Paging Doctor Freud. The doods discuss the Cult’s Love Removal Machine, a classic they’re more than happy to revisit. They also discuss the Cult’s live shows, which they’re significantly less happy to revisit.
Jake and Darren discuss the importance of learning to play instruments and if that really is necessary in the pursuit of starting a band and making music. Apparently, in the case of this weeks song pick, it's not. The guys also fall back to the glory days that were 1995 and what was on the charts back in the day. Could the guys have started a band in their youth? No. They were definitely not talented enough with playing instruments and not brave enough to try and do it without learning to play, oh what never was and what will never be. Jake's song pick this episode is SUPER interesting and will drag you, possibly kicking and screaming at first, to a different world. ਆਨੰਦ
Sometimes our biggest hurdle is what we THINK we know. For a long time, Darren THOUGHT he HATED country music. Maybe he just hadn’t found the right song or the right artist. Maybe he needed someone to make the right introductions. Either way, it was only a matter of time. Country songs like this week’s pick (a Florida Georgia Line song featuring Tim McGraw) managed to crawl into his brain, get all comfy-like, then lay eggs there and die. In the good way. He is a changed man, y’all. And if you say anything negative about this song, or country music, or god forbid NASCAR, watch out because he will come at you like a spider monkey. I’ve seen him do it. You don’t want none of that, friend.
Jake and Darren talk about a song that conjures up some really bad, and a few really good, memories. Songs do that you know.
In this episode the lads talk about Tears for Fears. Hey, did you know when the band initially split, they didn’t speak for NINE YEARS? Creative differences can do that sometimes. Even to the best of friends. Will that happen to our boys? Not if Jake smartens up and gets his act together. This week Darren picks a synth- (and nostalgia-) filled classic that you will know when you hear it, even if the title leaves you wondering. Get caught up in the interplay between the electronic and acoustic. Follow that bassline to wherever it leads. Try to make sense of those lyrics. Something in the song will grab you, Darren guarantees it, so give it (and this episode) a listen.
In this episode Jake and Darren chat about heroine, drinking, Toronto history, boxing, tall tales and they even have enough time to converse about jazz. Jazz you say? Yes. An epic live jazz performance happened in our very country! And the stories surrounding it are as interesting as an acrylic musical instrument or a bent trumpet. This song will have you tapping your toes, snapping your fingers and blurting the lyrics while you’re doing your household chores. If you don’t like this, then you don’t like jazz my friend.
In this episode Darren displays a knowledge of automotive technology so profound he could make Marissa Tomei’s character from My Cousin Vinnie blush. And doesn’t she also wish she had his legs? You know she does, girlfriend. Anyhow, the pedal is pushed firmly to the metal on this bad boy. The fellas talk car songs and driving songs and road songs. Wait, are those the same thing? Who even knows? The point is: you can practically smell the scorched rubber and exhaust! Along the way we listen to a Metallica song, and we learn things about Darren’s stance on THAT particular Beatles song, and on Gino Vannelli, and Jake’s stance (which he shares with The Dude) on the Eagles. Be sure to click that seat belt firmly into place, because it’s going to be a bumpy, guitar-thrashing ride. Oh and hey, stick around to learn about the bafflingly complex alchemy which was the Columbia Record and Tape (and later CD) club!
Did you wake up this morning wondering how Andy Griffith, Billy Crystal, and Paul Simon are connected in the world? Well wonder no more my good friend! Jake and Darren will break all that down for you and MORE!! Don’t miss it when we say that growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional! While the sounds of Art Garfunkel had gone silent years earlier, Paul Simon was wowing 8th graders and their moms with South African beats and tales of NYC.
Here’s to growing up. So this is the new year, and a new season of the show, and the fellas talk about a serious song with a catchy, effervescent melody. Our boy Darren talks about the song as a snapshot of the time and place he was in when another domino dropped, and another portion of his childhood fell away. Sure, he was fully an adult then, but childhood tends to linger sometimes longer than we expect or can control. Yup, growin and learnin, that’s what we’re about, and this episode serves up a Texas-sized helping of “coming of age.”
Jake and Darren realize that things don’t always go their way. Technical difficulties kiboshed what should have been Ep 21 and 22 of the new season so we took the best of what we could salvage, mashed them up and served them on the platter of life. Enjoy this short bonus episode and we look forward to season 2 where we’ll say “Up and at them”
This is part 1 of Jake and Darren’s 20th episode and to celebrate New Years Rockin’ Eve they’ve compiled a list of their favourite 10 albums of all time. Darren picks 5 and Jake also picks 5 and they go head to head in an all out album war where the winner gets to gloat for a full 7 minutes! Don’t miss the second part of the 20th episode where Jake and Darren say “Eldorado, it’s not just just for Cadillacs anymore!” DONT MISS IT
By now you’ve realized after listening to part 1 of Episode 20 that there’s no album war between Jake and Darren. There isn’t even a tussle. However, don’t miss the exciting conclusion of their New Years Eve spectacular where there could be some very strong opinions! Tune in to find out if Jake can escape the garbage compactor before the evil Darren escapes with his cassette tape collection. Gasp! Good riddance 2020.
Webster’s Dictionary defines Sorcerer as “Somebody who practices sorcery”. Well throw that out the window because it means nothing here. Jake and Darren discuss blown budgets, 1951 GMC trucks and the pronunciation of the word Moog. They also headscratch about a theme song for a movie in which the title couldn’t be more misleading. Oh what could have been...
In this episode we discuss Robert Plant’s Big Log. Please be advised: this song is most certainly not about poop. Not that it matters to us, particularly. We don’t judge. We ain’t perfect or anything ourselves, so whatever you’re into, who are we to say? Live and let live, that’s our motto. Whatever it takes to get you through this crazy, topsey turvey thing we call life. Whatever gets you through the night, as John Lennon used to say. Point is, if you want this song to be about poop, well we ain’t trying to stop you from believing that. We respect your life choices, and your freedom to make those choices on your own. Roll around in poop if that’s your thing. It’s not our thing, but you do you. It’s not Robert Plant’s thing either. As far as we know. We don’t mean to speak for him. Maybe he is into that. It’s really none of our business.
Jake and Darren channel their inner Hoser and discuss Canadian Icons Bob and Doug MacKenzie. So take a ride up to the Great White North and learn what a couple of knobs give for the 12 days of Christmas. Take off, eh!
Jake and Darren tie a ribbon around the old oak tree whilst denying their supreme oldness. They bob and weave around the denial of enjoying both kinds of music. Country and Western? Yee Haw for Hee Haw I always say and you may too after sampling a little existential modern outlaw country music.
Darren’s pick this episode calls to mind close calls. Brushes with death. White knuckle moments that came shockingly close to disaster. In Jake’s case, he recalls some odd hallucinations and a split second of sweaty palms in an otherwise unremarkable drive. He doesn’t get out much. For Darren, it’s an incident which, if you saw it in a movie, you would question its veracity. And believability. Plus they also talk about music. A little.
Jake and Darren list the top 15 80’s albums much to Darren’s dismay while Jake’s song pick conjures up memories of Sleepaway camp II, the 80’s horror flick, but instead of people getting hacked to death in porta-potties, they’re ruining dances with Iggy Pop songs. Oh the horror.
Slip on them unlaced adidas, strap on yo chainz, lock down yo Kangol, and guard yo grill, as MC Mega MeatHead serves up a bubbling fondue of funk and old skool hip hop...
No that’s terrible.
What do you get when you slam a $2000 stereo system into a $1000 station wagon? A few things: 1) you get the perfect stealth disguise for your booming system, 2) you get amazing additions to the listening experience when as volume is turned up, every loose bit of equipment and upholstery simultaneously threatens to vibrate into higher planes of existence, and 3) you get the perfect listening environment for the Beastie Boys’ pounding Shake Your Rump from Paul’s Boutique. The bass, children, the bass!!
Jake and Darren grapple with their opinions on a polarizing song by a massive band. Talk of dingers and disappointments and the distraction of 80’s television aren’t enough to sway the strong opinion this song elicits. Coke fuelled Kleenex box drumming and recording in a commode clone sure make for some interesting morsels of info so strap in and hang on for a mega sized episode that in today’s money would be worth at least $50.
In this exciting episode, Darren and Jake go full edgelord as they ponder the death of dreams. They also bemoan the fact that their punk band never quite took off, which may have had something to do with them not actually being able to play instruments of any kind. Oh yeah, and they also manage to squeeze in a little talk about Nirvana’s greatest album not named Nevermind.
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Jake and Darren stay on the surface for this weeks super-fun song pick while they further explain the meaning of Play Me Tape and the open minded vision of the podcast. Tune in for a track with a great beat you can dance to and potentially give a score of 98. Now remastered for your listening pleasure.
In this episode, Darren and Jake clear the air about Paul, who is not actually a real life version of an 80s movie drunk. Stay with us as Darren wonders aloud what effect perception has on music when you encounter a song as a child long before you can possibly understand its meaning. Meanwhile Jake wonders aloud if maybe Darren had undiagnosed ADHD. Now remastered for your listening enjoyment.
You are now entering an area where Jake and Darren explore the space-time continuum while laying waste to the big red blob in your chest. Dr. May shocks with a universe altering vocal performance. Hold on to your Ray-Gun as we rocket head-on into a Killer Queen song. Warning: may contain traces of science. Now remastered!
We may not be the brightest knives in the forest, but these things we know: 1. Never cut your own hair. 2. Take good care of your ears, they're the only pair you get. 3. This song slaps. Join Darren and Jake as they talk about a song that helped define an era in Darren's young adulthood. A time in which he and Jake enjoyed safe and responsible fun, and never, ever over-indulged. Now remastered for your listening pleasure!
Jake and Darren Hang Ten on this episode with a trek to the UK and the era of glam. Saunter along with us for Jake’s song pick that will have you donning your favourite sequinned onesie, cutting your bangs and wondering where Mick Ronson has been your whole life.
Jake and Darren hit full send on this episode with a track that's straight fire. Discover Darren's unambiguous stance on the David Lee Roth/Sammy Hagar grudge match! Let yourself be swept away by something you never expected from Van Halen: a tidal wave of synth! Listen and learn as Darren drops some science on Jake who knows NOTHING about Van Halen! Now remastered for your listening pleasure.
Jake and Darren traipse down memory lane as they set up for this episodes “outta left field” song that Jake brings to the show. It’s a super-sized podcast that encompasses what this discussion will often showcase, discovery. You’ll be asking “Where are my feelings” on this journey more than once. Remastered for your listening pleasure!
Jake and Darren discuss the emotional gut punch of a song that is Time won’t let me go by the Bravery. Have regrets in life? Us too. Join us while we break down the pain of not being able to go back and the realizations that accompany those feelings.
Jake and Darren discuss the Sufjan Stevens song Decatur and delve into the album Illinois. Join them for interesting, honest and enthusiastic talk surrounding Jake’s Episode 2 song pick. Now remastered for better audio!!
Lifelong friends Jake and Darren discuss the naming of the podcast and get into a discussion about the Rush song - Subdivisions and it’s placement in Darren’s list of favourites and whether it holds up. This episode has been remastered for your listening pleasure. Enjoy our first episode now with improved audio!