Clothed Men Discuss Barenaked Ladies: Recent Episodes
Chris Small
Chris and Ephraim are two Canadian pals, chatting about a beloved Canadian band, The Barenaked Ladies, album by album. They are wearing clothes the whole time
The Clothed Men are back to talk about the latest release from BNL, In Flight! Is this album actually a concept album or is Chris trying to make his wild theories fit into a mould that won’t have them? Is this album just plain boring or borderline offensive? And is this album going to be the breaking point for this podcast? Learn the answers to all these questions by having a listen to an episode that, as Ephraim puts it, is “only 65% as salty as we thought”. Still, that’s a lot of salt!
It's been a minute since the last episode, so what better way to celebrate a long delay by...covering a live album from over 25 year ago?!
The Clothed Men sure ARE, because this collection of live tracks from the early days of the band is an absolute banger!
Is there a more perfect time capsule of an artist on the cusp of absolute mega-stardom? How crazy is it that the deep cuts of today were setlist staples in '96? And isn't it refreshing to hear a live recording of BNL that DOESN'T include the Big Bang Theory Theme?
Plus! Hear about what's currently happening in Chris and Ephraim's lives from a recording that was over 5 months ago!
It's a stroll down memory lane (even more so than usual) for the Clothed Men as Ephraim and Chris discuss their experiences with BNL live in concert!
They break down what makes a BNL concert so special (spoiler: it's mostly the rapping), their individual concert stories, and the time they went to the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto together back in 2013 and had very little idea who Ben Folds was!
PLUS: An insight into the anxiety of home ownership!
Have we jumped the shark like Ephraim claims? Tune in to find out!
(NOTE: Because Chris was being naughty by recording this episode during work, audio quality may not be as good as previous episodes due to a makeshift studio setup on his part. Please don't tell his boss. Or if his boss is listening: sorry Dean).
After 2 Seasons, it's only natural that the Clothed Men would drop a Holiday Special!
Chris and Ephraim break out the ugly sweaters and sit down with a glass of 'nog and a bowl of Dijon Ketchup'd Kraft Dinner to discuss 2004's Barenaked For The Holidays!
How terrific are the Public Access Synth tracks throughout the album? Who knew a song about a domestic fight in the freezing cold would make it onto a Christmas album? And, really, just how much more famous did Michael Buble become IMMEDIATELY after this album, and is that just a coincidence??
Deck the Halls, 'cause we're having a ball discussing all 21 (TWENTY ONE??) tracks on this absolute classic holiday banger!
Season 2 rolls on with Ephraim and Chris revealing their Top Ten Lists!
Now that the Clothed Men have discussed each BNL Studio Album at length, it's time to talk about where they rank in order of preference. In addition, a separate Top Ten BNL Song List is put forward by both hosts.
Are there any crossovers? Does "Maybe You Should Drive" still get the hate from Chris and Ephraim as it did all first season (spoiler: probably)? And does Chris get away with trying to insert random B Sides and Bonus Tracks into his Top Ten? Seems kinda sketchy...
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The Clothed Men are BACK for a new season of CMDBNL!
After nearly a year (sorry about that) of absence from the airwaves, Chris and Ephraim return to do a live listen of the most recent Barenaked Ladies album "Detour de Force"!
Neither has heard the album going into this recording, so all impressions are off the cuff and uninfluenced by repeat listens or re-evaluation. What do the Clothed Men think of BNL's newest outing? How excited are they that THE JAZZ returns? And, even though this is a podcast dedicated to one band, there is a LOT of love heaped on fellow Canadian Artist Donovan Woods!
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Twelve Albums later, and here we are at the Season Finale of CMDBNL! Before Chris and Ephraim get into live releases, novelty releases, and NEW releases, they need to wrap up Season One by discussing Fake Nudes.
Why was THIS the name that BNL decided on? Why does Jim Creegan only get one track and Kevin Hearn gets SIX? and could this album possibly have the most abrupt tonal shift (PUN!) in Barenaked Ladies history?
PLUS: Ephraim and Chris fantasize about an Ed Robertson, Alan Doyle, Jim Cuddy Traveling Wilburys-esque supergroup
Well that was....an extended hiatus!
After life got in the way, the Clothed Man are back Discussing Barenaked Ladies, just like before the huge break!
Chris and Ephraim get into Silverball, the 11th album from BNL. Which came first: the pinball hobby or the concept for the album? Does this album contain possibly the most personal track written by a band member? And if this is a BNL podcast, why do the guys go on a 5 minute tangent about The Who?
PLUS: For one of the shortest albums in the discography, why is this the LONGEST episode of the series??
Talk about a bounce back! After the contrasting opinions of Chris and Ephraim from the last episode, both are in full agreement on this album. The consensus? It's great!
Commercially as well as critically successful, The Clothed Men break down the very catchy singles, Kevin Hearn's continuing influence on the sound of the band, and the impact that fatherhood has had on Ed's songwriting.
PLUS: Some possible, yet unintentional kink shaming?!
It's TIME! Ephraim and Chris have arrived at a very important album in the BNL discography; the first studio album post-Steve leaving the Band. But despite the name, is this REALLY a good time?
The Clothed Men have WILDLY different opinions about the quality of this album. They discuss their personal views, along with the increase in input from Jim and Kevin, the weird pacing throughout, and what could quite possibly be the first and ONLY adult contemporary post-country diss track!
Be sure to give us a rating and review on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
It's been....considerably MORE than One Week since the Clothed Men discussed the Barenaked Ladies, but Chris and Ephraim are back to talk about the second half of a very productive period in BNL's life: Barenaked Ladies Are Men!
Is this album better than it's companion Are Me? (100% yes) Have we arrived at the moment the lads have been foreshadowing and spoiling regarding Page's last hurrah? (another spoiler: we have) And why are there so many songs about failing relationships and cheating in this tracklist?
It's all here, in the very very late Barenaked Ladies Are Men!
I'm...me?
No, you're you, I'm me, but according to BNL we're all them! Confused? So are Ephraim and Chris as they break down the first of two albums as part of one larger project: Barenaked Ladies Are Me!
After 3 years of songwriting, BNL had 29 songs to release, and they did it in a very confusing way! Why were these 13 tracks chosen as the standouts? For an album with an emphasis on collaboration, why were songs taken away from other members? And why is Chris really hungover in this episode?
Plus: our love for Kevin Hearn continues with some digging into his side project Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle!
Fresh off their first Greatest Hits album, The Barenaked Ladies released Everything to Everyone in 2003, and Chris & Ephraim discuss what they were doing around that time (aside from listening to this CD)!
The Clothed Men go through the abundance of singles on this album, the collaborative approach to the songwriting, and the fact that the cover is an OIL PAINTING??
PLUS: Ephraim gives his thoughts on the movie Batman Forever that MAY or MAY not lead to a solo podcast!
BNL are coming off of their biggest commercial success, so Chris and Ephraim are breaking down the highly anticipated follow-up album to Stunt, Maroon!
The Ladies are huge in America, but does Maroon keep that momentum going? Just how many songs did BNL write about depression? And, even though Ed only sings on two tracks, are they quite possibly two of the best BNL tracks ever???
It's early into this Podcast, but we've most definitely arrived at the most important BNL album in their entire catalogue: Stunt!
This Album went platinum in both the US and Canada, and it's not just because of that one song (you know the one...)!
Chris and Ephraim break down every track on the album, talk about the freestyle skills of Ed Robertson, and discuss probably the most upbeat song to ever tackle substance abuse!
Chris and Ephraim dive deep into BNL's 3rd studio album, Born on a Pirateship!
Ed and Steve are back writing together, and it makes for a much better album than their second! How much wordplay exists across these 14 songs? Is the title of this album actually a dirty joke? And does Anne Murray also go by the alias Dirty Old Hank?
After a ridiculously long absence (wasn't this supposed to be a weekly podcast??) Chris and Ephraim return to discuss BNL's second album: Maybe You Should Drive!
Is there a better example in Canadian music history of the "sophomoric slump" than this album? Why did Steve and Ed decide to write on their own when collaborating on Gordon worked so well? And, despite not being the biggest fan of this album, which track is in Chris's top 3 off all time?
In this inaugural episode of Clothed Men Discuss Barenaked Ladies, Longtime Canadian friends Chris Small and Ephraim Ellis break down BNL's debut album Gordon!
Could this be one of the strongest debuts by any band ever? That may sound like hyperbole, but the lads make a strong case for the 15 tracks contained on this classic album.
From concert staples like Brian Wilson and If I Had $1,000,000, to underrated gems like Wrap Your Arms Around Me, every track is discussed in detail, including what could quite possibly be the darkest song in BNL's catalogue!