The LIFERS Podcast: Recent Episodes
The LIFERS Podcast
A LOCAL H podcast with Scott Lucas, Gabe Rodriguez, Ben Reiser, and a revolving door of friends, luminaries and beloved “lifers”.
Clark Vogeler is the guitar playing Michael Corleone of rock. Every time he thinks he’s out —somehow!— they manage to pull him back in. Clark never had any ambitions to be a rock and roll lifer — he figured he’d record a couple records with his band Funland, tour the country for a few years, then grow up and get a real job. And then in 1996, he joined the Toadies. That was 30 years ago. So you see where this is going, right? This week (and on the eve of starting the second leg of THE CHARMER tour with Local H) we check a third Toadies member off our list as we talk to Clark about the wonderful improbability of playing music in your 50s, touring behind a record that’s one of the best things you’ve ever done, and what the frick are all these kids doing at the shows?!? PLUS: What are the best instrumentals?(And Vaden? You’re next!)
The guys relive old glory days in front of the TV set, fight over “Frere Jacques”, wax rhapsodic about “Straight Time”, pit M. Emmet Walsh against Robert Prosky, marvel at the absence of Beatles deep cuts, get nostalgic for fake game shows, ponder the paradox of Sisyphus, and bid a fond, tearful farewell to Lionel Messi. So, you know — business as usual.
To telemarketers and family members he’s Mark Reznicek — but to us, he’s Rez. Drummer extraordinaire for The Toadies and perpetual winner of “The Most Laid Back Guy In The Room” award. On this episode we talk to Mark/Rez about the Toadies’ new album THE CHARMER, finally working with the late Steve Albini, shoveling his dad’s driveway in Iowa, relocating to Texas, the highs and lows of being signed to Interscope, how the resurrection of the Toadies paid for his wife’s wedding ring, second acts, David Robinson, Circus Circus, and the feral hogs are here (but also NOT a Butthole Surfers song). PLUS!: What are the BEST(?!?) deep cuts by the Rolling Stones?
is a song written and performed by American pop rock band Hanson. It was released on March 24, 1997, by Mercury Records as the lead single from their first full-length studio album, MIDDLE OF NOWHERE (1997). The song is the band's most successful single to date and was originally titled “MMMBappe” in honor of the Hanson brothers’ favorite soccer player: Kylian Mbappe. Mercury records —who signed Hanson because of the group’s perceived similarity to the Hanson Brothers from the 1977 Paul Newman film SLAP SHOT (1977)— forced the band to change the name of the song to “MMMBop” and instructed the group to publicly deny any affection whatsoever for the international sport of soccer. Its music video was directed by Tamra Davis.(Source: Wikipedia.)
Scott’s in the Wisconsin Dells, but too tired to go to a water park. So Ben invents a rift between Scott and Gabe that only he can mend. Not to say that there isn’t a difference of opinion between the two: Gabe insists that the customer is always right — while Scott KNOWS they’re not. But since he has Noel Gallagher on his side, Scott remains steadfast in his refusal to sell the new 30th Anniversary vinyl of AS GOOD AS DEAD to people without record players. There’s a lot going on over here. Maybe Ben is right.
“You’re listening to SONG IMPLODER — where musicians take apart their songs piece by piece and tell the story of how they were made. And then talk shit about those songs and make you embarrassed you asked about them in the first place. On this episode we finish our two-part examination of Local H’s 2nd studio album: AS GOOD AS DEAD. Released in April of 1996, the album would prove to be the band’s commercial and artistic breakthrough, spawning several ‘90s alternative radio hits — including “Bound For The Floor”, “Eddie Vedder” and “Fritz’s Corner”. Now on the eve of a band sanctioned remastered re-release, we join singer/songwriter/guitarist Scott Lucas, producer Steven Haigler, and master of his domain Gabe Rodriguez to look back on the writing, recording and reception of the album that Lucas and many of the band’s fans have come to see as their biggest seller. I’m Ben Reiser.”
“You’re listening to SONG IMPLODER — where musicians take apart their songs piece by piece and tell the story of how they were made. And then talk shit about those songs and make you embarrassed you asked about them in the first place. On this episode we examine Local H’s 2nd studio album: AS GOOD AS DEAD. Released in April of 1996, the album would prove to be the band’s commercial and artistic breakthrough, spawning several ‘90s alternative radio hits — including the ubiquitous “Bound For The Floor”. Now on the eve of a band sanctioned remastered re-release, we join singer/songwriter/guitarist Scott Lucas, producer Steven Haigler, and master of his domain Gabe Rodriguez to look back on the writing, recording and reception of the album that Lucas and many of the band’s fans have come to see as their biggest seller. I’m Ben Reiser.”
The great Jack Douglas passed away earlier this week and we over at the LIFERS podcast —much like the rest of the world— have been thinking about him and all the wonderful records he helped to make. Scott was lucky enough to work with Jack on Local H’s fourth record (HERE COMES THE ZOO) and one of the last conversations they had with each other was actually an interview recorded at Gman Tavern in Chicago — which was then aired on episode 155 of our show. So 100 episodes later — here it is again. Unfortunately for you (and very fortunately for Scott) all the best stories were told beforehand over drinks at the bar. It was one of many priceless experiences Scott got to have with him. R.I.P., Jack.
Scott is in Texas. Texas sucks for cellular coverage. It is May 1st. Gabe is eating pizza. Ben is growing a beard. Scott is in a van. Movies are discussed. Texas is discussed. Pantera is discussed. Will this episode stay up on Spotify? Doubtful. Will this episode stay up anywhere after today? Doubtful. Listen while you can, but don't worry if you can't. In the meantime, come see Local H on tour with Toadies!
It’s Gabe’s favorite time of year AGAIN! We pick over this year’s crop of nominees for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame and decide which ones we love, which ones we hate the least, and which ones we’re not touching with a ten foot pole. Is this Iron Maiden’s year? Will Ben ever get over Joy Division being lumped in with New Order? Who keeps nominating Billy Idol? And who gives a shit??? PLUS!: Local H driver and Karen wrangler Pete Beeman checks in with a new prank call project.
It’s been a couple of weeks since we heard from Scott. In that time there’s been a change of vans, disgruntled fans, pizza pans and road dog bans. Tune in, turn on if you can.
After having to last-minute cancel a podcast recording plan earlier this week, the guys make a spontaneous decision to quickly record an episode over Gabe’s lunch hour today (Friday, March 6th) and then just toss it up, unedited for ya! Scott is in a sprinter van heading to Colorado Springs, Ben is manning the Wisconsin Film Festival box office, and Gabe is WORKING, so apologies in advance for this episode, but also, it’s better than nothing, right? Right?
Balthazar de Ley has a show with Menthol tonight. He also had a show with his other band Lightfoils last Friday. Plus — he makes his own amps with his own name on them (that you can buy, by the way). And if you pay him enough, he’ll even fix your broken non-Balthazar amps. The point is — he’s a busy guy. But he made time to sit down with us and talk about the BEST!?! debut albums of all time. What a guy! We also talk about the ‘90s Champaign scene, the ‘90s Chicago scene, Menthol is Mother, Poster Children, Hum, Honcho Overload, Menthol’s beleaguered and brilliant second (third?) record DANGER: ROCK SCIENCE!, working at R. Kelly’s studio, working for the Smashing Pumpkins, and OH, YEAH! Menthol is playing with Smoking Popes and Scott tonight in Milwaukee at X-Ray Arcade. Don’t forget your amp, Baltie!
Scott’s back from his vacation and if you think that means he’s going to be all mellow and well-rested — well, then you don’t know Scott. This week’s episode is going scorched earth as we cover all the drama around the 30th Anniversary AS GOOD AS DEAD reissue debacle — which means plenty of rants about major labels, indie labels, and bootlegger bootlickers. But that’s not all! Scott is mad as hell and he’s not gonna take it anymore — so he also unleashes his inner-Howard Beal on internet trolls, mean music festivals, loud yawners, contractual indecencies, AI dogs, and (especially) those dipshit comment sections. It’s one battle after another over here at The LIFERS Podcast and nobody is safe.
Saxophones. Am I right? Some people hate ‘em. Some people tolerate ‘em. Join us as we welcome returning champion John McCauley (of Deer Tick!) back to the podcast to discuss the BEST sax solos to ever sex up a rock song. Warning: This episode could get you pregnant.
Picture the scene: It’s 1983 on the East side of town in Zion, Illinois! You’re hanging out at your buddy Russ Spice’s house. Playing Judas Priest songs on your Harmony guitars and watching “The Song Remains The Same” on MTV. Instead of James Dean in “Rebel Without A Cause”, our movie idol is Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli (is it still playing at the Dunes?). Maybe later we’ll ride our bikes down to the lake and swim in the heated shadow of the nuclear power plant and pray that we don’t grow up to be toxic avenging freaks. And then, hopefully, we can scrape enough pot seeds together so we can smoke ‘em through a beer can and get a cheap buzz going — after which, we’ll convince ourselves we have the munchies and try to get Curt to spend his News-Sun paper route money on lunch at Pizza House. It was a glorious time…
Selena Fragassi publishes more books before 9am than most people do all day. Just last year, the always hustling music writer and journalist wrote and published books about Alanis Morissette, Sabrina Carpenter, Greta Gerwig AND her latest: PEARL JAM LIVE — a hefty and thorough tome covering the band’s 35 year history as one of the world’s best live acts (it also features a forward written by Scott, but we digress). In between all the manic book writing, Selena somehow finds time for her regular gigs writing for the Chicago Sun Times, monthly appearances on WFLD 32 and contributing to every publication and outlet from SPIN to Loudwire. This week we talk to Selena about life moments with Cameron Crowe, fan letters to Donnie Wahlberg, looking Chrissie Hynde in the eye, what to do when Jim DeRogatis trashes all your favorite bands, the ineffable awesomeness of Bonnie Raitt, the sue-happy UN-awesomeness of Gene Simmons, and getting mammogram advice from Debbie Harry. Pretty awesome. PLUS: Ben gets gonged and our buddy John Oakes calls in with a report from the front lines in Minneapolis.
This week’s episode is a two-parter.In Part 1: Writer-director Richard Shepard is certainly NOT the kind of director that insists upon himself. He rejects the idea of being labeled an auteur and chooses the path of the journeyman — splitting his time between directing for television, while quietly chipping away at a filmography that is no more insistent than he is. Are you a fan of GIRLS, UGLY BETTY or HANDMAIDEN’S TALE? Then you’ve seen Richard’s work. Do you have a history of stalking around arthouse movie theaters since the halcyon indie-film days of the ‘90s? Then you’ve DEFINITELY seen Richard’s work: THE MATADOR, DOM HEMINGWAY, THE LINGUINI INCIDENT, THE PERFECTION. Do you have a weakness for essayistic documentaries about the even more revered cinema of the ‘70s? Then you LOVE Richard’s work. His seminal documentary on John Cazale (I KNEW IT WAS YOU: REDISCOVERING JOHN CAZALE) is a must for anyone wanting to know more about the late, great character actor. But if you want to know anything at all about Richard Shepard — look no further than Richard’s wonderful autobiographical FILM GEEK (now showing on HBOMax) — a personal remembrance of his father and the ‘70s movie theaters (and movies) that turned a young kid into a movie directing lifer. Not that you shouldn’t listen to this episode. You should totally listen to this episode. (Plus, Richard’s got a great David Bowie story for you.)And there’s Part 2!: 2025 was a great year for movies (if not the movie business). Grab a pencil and take notes as Scott, Ben and Richard discuss their favorite films of 2025. It’s an informal WHAT’S THE BEST?!? that will give you some great ideas about what to watch next. Also, Gabe coughs a lot and sometimes uses the mute button.
Meatheads of all stripes populate this year’s LIFERS Christmas episode as we say goodbye to Rob Reiner, F U to Trump, and spout all sorts of wack shit to each other. Yup. It’s pretty black over here. And we’re sure we’d feel much worse if we weren’t under such heavy sedation. So join us as we blur that fine line between clever and stupid and NO! we’re not doing fucking Stonehenge! Merry Christmas, Marty.
. And no — that’s not a fancy euphemism for “drummer”. Don’t worry, Stacy will explain it to you. He’ll also talk about Letters To Cleo, Veruca Salt, American Hi-Fi, Miley Cyrus, Olivia Rodrigo, Aimee Mann, John Brion, Joan Jett, Fuzzy, Flaming Lips, Sheryl Crow and Madonna. That’s right. He’s played with all of them. (Still no Skunk Baxter sighting, though.) PLUS!: A new American Hi-Fi song?
Punching through the post-Thanksgiving gravy malaise — the guys welcome returning champion Josh Caterer back to the podcast for a third time to talk turkey about the Smoking Popes/Scott Lucas/Menthol shows happening this weekend in Chicago (at the Bottom Lounge) and Milwaukee (at X-Ray Arcade). Sounds harmless, right? Surely, there’s no need for things to get dark. Or for anyone to bring up Eric Clapton. Right?
Just when Vinnie thought he was done with Scott — The LIFERS Podcast pulls him back in! Vinnie Dombroski —vocalist for the Detroit, Michigan band Sponge— is a hustler, baby. He’s a guy who fully subscribes to the inspiration/perspiration formula. Which is to say: Vinnie’s not afraid of a little hard work (he is, however, apparently afraid of food). On this episode we talk to our pal about Sponge’s unlikely origin story, switching from drumming to singing, growing up in the shadow of Motown, touring with Iggy Pop, driving George Clinton to the airport, career advice from Buzz Osbourne, and the joys of not remembering the ‘90s. ALSO: What’s The Best?!? is BACK!!! And we’re coming for you, Detroit!
And that’s a wrap! After two months and 43 shows, the Everclear/Local H/Sponge juggernaut is OVER! Ronnie DiCola and Pete Beeman beam in to look back fondly on our favorite shows, favorite pizza, and anything else that comes to our frazzled mind about a tour that will surely go down as being one of our best ever. Thank you.
Sponge — so Scott calls in from the van to file one last(?)road report. Note: This episode contains only 3% of your recommended Halloween content. We BLEW IT!!!
This week on the podcast: That rarest of unicorns — a Road Report from the van! A salty green grape eating Scott calls in as the Local H tour travels from South Carolina to North Carolina. Plus: A Led Zeppelin What’s The WORST?!?
This week on another Road Report edition of the podcast: Gabe joins the band (and Karen) on the road for a few shows in his home state of Florida — so we make him drink a shitty NA IPA and record his reactions. That’s all that happens on this episode.
Local H is halfway through their tour with Everclear and Sponge — so Scott called in from Tennessee where the band is staying in a cabin by the lake while they prepare to resume the tour in a cave underground. You’ll understand when you hear the episode. Local H tour dates: Oct 3 — The Caverns — Pelham, TNOct 4 — The Eagle Theatre — Sugar Hill, GAOct 5 — Vinyl Music Hall — Pensacola, FLOct 7 — The Plaza Live — Orlando, FLOct 8 — Bilheimer Capitol Theatre — Clearwater, FLOct 9 — The Parker — Fort Lauderdale, FLOct 11 — Sunrise Theatre — Fort Pierce, FLOct 12 — Ponte Vedra Concert Hall — Jacksonville, FLOct 14 — Charleston Music Hall — Charleston, SCOct 16 — Neighborhood Theatre — Charlotte, NCOct 17 — The NorVa — Norfolk, VAOct 18 — Asbury Lanes — Asbury Park, NJ Oct 19 — The Paramount — Huntington, NYOct 21 — Big Night Live — Boston, MAOct 22 — Irving Plaza — New York, NYOct 23 — Toad’s Place — New Haven, CTOct 24 — Xcite Center at Parx Casino — Philadelphia, PAOct 25 — Black Cat — Washington, DCOct 27 — House Of Blues — Cleveland, OHOct 28 — Bogart’s — Cincinnati, OHOct 30 — Egyptian Room at Old National Centre — Indianapolis, INOct 31 — The Vixen — McHenry, ILNov 1 — First Avenue — Minneapolis, MN Nov 2 — Thalia Hall — Chicago, IL
The Local H tour with Everclear and Sponge is headed back east - so Scott called in from a hotel in Baker City, Oregon and this time Gabe and Ben were ready. With YOUR questions! Well, at least it's something.
Local H is on tour with Everclear and Sponge - so Scott called in from a hotel in Medford, Oregon to file a Road Report about being on tour with Everclear and Sponge.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Local H's major label debut album, Ham Fisted. To celebrate this milestone, the band has recorded and released a brand new re-imagining of the album, which they are calling reFISTED. On this special edition of song imploder Ben Reiser sat down with frontman Scott Lucas and G&P records head honcho Gabe Rodriguez for a deep dive into their thoughts and feelings about the original Ham Fisted as well as a thorough exploration of every track on the new release.https://gandprecords.com/?srsltid=AfmBOooP2kEik_ANOdGL4WDSG6ZN-cEDL9dapWO1xasE0c7Be7ZwIvDv
This week we welcome our ol’ buddy Art Alexakis to the podcast to talk about this little tour he’s doing with Scott in about two weeks from now. No big deal. We also talk about Art’s band Everclear, their major label breakthrough SPARKLE AND FADE (which turned 30 this year and is the reason for this little 2 month tour that Everclear’s doing with Local H and Sponge, by the way), their indie label breakthrough WORLD OF NOISE, California projects, Portland haters, ditch digging, sobriety, girl dads, smoking cigars with Butch Vig, Geddy Lee, Paul Stanley, and we pick the best(?!?) California songs (don’t worry, we didn’t let Art pick “Santa Monica”). PLUS: Scottie Rose tries to put the kibosh on all of it.
The New Orleans rock band Zebra has always existed out of time. Despite having one of the fastest selling debuts in Atlantic Records’ history, Zebra never really fit in with the glammed up ‘80s metal bands they were being lumped in with on the pages and airwaves of Hit Parader and MTV. But that apparent inability to fit in may be exactly what endeared them to a herd (or a zeal) of avid fans who would wear out their bare bones cassette of ZEBRA and eventually go to Kmart and stealthily rip open a vinyl copy of the record to steal the lyric sheet so he could figure out what Randy Jackson was singing. Okay. We may be talking about Scott here. ANYWAY — this week we’re thrilled to welcome Mr. Jackson to the podcast to talk about the 50th anniversary of Zebra, recording with Jack Douglas, being a rock band in New Orleans, being a rock band in Long Island, befriending Twisted Sister, touring with Cheap Trick, seeing The Beatles live, being forced to talk about Bon Jovi, and the lyrical prowess of the Moody Blues. And more black beans.
The fallout from the Great Chips & Salsa Incident continues as we invite Dino Proserpio from the I EAT MOVIES podcast to help us stage a cultural intervention for Gabe. As most of you are aware, interventions are never pretty — so we’ve lightened things up with some petty squabbling over East Coast vs. Third Coast, Sean Connery impersonations, Jennifer vs. Bailey, Greg Giuffria, potatoes vs. tomatoes, and we pick the best(?!!) uses of food in pop culture. You’ll understand when you hear it.
Picture the scene: You’re a young screenwriter getting your first taste of success — but it’s with a movie that didn’t quite come out the way you wanted and the victory feels hollow. Suddenly, you find yourself being typecast as a writer of silly comedies while the industry boxes you out and the opportunities and (self)respect begin to slip away. What do you do? If you’re Larry Karaszewski (and long time screenwriting partner Scott Alexander) you swerve hard out of that lane and typecast YOURSELF as auteurs of your own re-invented genre: The Anti-Biopic! Out of this savvy strategy the enduring classic ED WOOD is born and you are swept up in Hollywood’s warm and loving embrace. Cut to a montage of THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT, MAN ON THE MOON, BIG EYES and a lifetime of accolades, happiness and total fulfillment. THE END! On this episode we talk to Larry about going to inappropriate movies at the drive-in with his dad, a college experience that actually paid off, writing PROBLEM CHILD and then watching Robert DeNiro watch it, having a roommate that wrote HEATHERS, resurrecting Frank Perry, producing AUTO FOCUS, David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian, orphan films, Milos Forman, and we pick the best(!!!) New York movies.
More than any other band from the ‘90s, Failure was a perfect fusion of technology and art. If you put on a Failure record — you knew it was gonna sound great. So it stands to reason that Failure’s new documentary — EVERY TIME YOU LOSE YOUR MIND (now on HULU) — is gonna LOOK great. Perfectly shot. Perfectly edited. But what really elevates it above the current glut of streaming documentaries is an innate understanding of the simple art of storytelling. It sucks you in and never allows itself to become a cheap advertisement for the band. It helps that singer-guitarist-director Ken Andrews has a background in film and video production, but it also speaks to Failure’s entire career of meticulous high-production values and DIY quality control. It’s an ethic that persists to this day with a remarkable run of post-hiatus classics that began in 2014 with their comeback album THE HEART IS A MONSTER — an album that kicked off a successful and well deserved second act for one of America’s finest rock bands. One that actually merits a documentary about itself. On this episode we talk to Ken about ALL that stuff. We even touch on some stuff that ISN’T in the doc.ALSO: We pick our favorite documentaries.
This week it’s the conclusion of our special Album Imploder episode commemorating the 30th anniversary reissue of Fig Dish’s THAT’S WHAT LOVE SONGS OFTEN DO. Rick, Mike and Blake are still on hand as we take a deep dive into side two (or at least what we assume is side two) of the band’s beloved major label debut. FINISH IT!!! Elsewhere: Scott’s mad at Sharon Osbourne, Ben loves Yungblud, and Gabe’s afraid of pompadours.
It's 4th of July - so that means it's time for hot dogs, fireworks, and Fig Dish! On the eve of the 30th Anniversary re-issue of That's What Love Songs Often Do (first time on vinyl), 3/4s of Fig Dish (Blake Smith, Rick Ness, and Mike Willison) stop by to shoot the shit about their upcoming live gigs opening for Letters to Cleo, and stick around for a special edition of Album Imploder!
This week on the podcast: We’re babysitting. We’re also protesting on the mean streets of Madison, talking about Danzig at 70, watching the trailer for the Bruce Springsteen movie, pondering Puff Daddy, calling Pegboy, disparaging fake Father’s Day, wondering who the hell Fun Boy Three is, and picking the best songs of summer.
Ben Kweller’s excellent new record COVER THE MIRRORS comes with a heartbreaking back-story —it was borne out of the tragic death of his teenage son Dorian— but in typical Kweller fashion, the album is an inspirational and life affirming collection that also happens to be the best thing he’s ever recorded. On this episode we talk to “the kid” about producing himself, growing up in Texas with a drummer dad, Face Time collaborations, Radish, his first slug-bugging meeting with Scott, Jewish rockers, Nirvana and Garth Brooks, why you’ll never make it through his new song “Letter To Agony” with dry eyes, and we pick the best(!?!) Beach Boys songs. Upcoming Ben Kweller Tour Dates:Tickets at benkweller.comFollow BK's socials @benkwellerJuly 9, 2025WednesdayAspen, COBelly UpJuly 11, 2025FridayDenver, COBluebird TheaterJuly 12, 2025SaturdayFort Collins, COAggieJuly 14, 2025MondaySalt Lake City, UTUrban LoungeJuly 17, 2025ThursdaySeattle, WANeumosJuly 18, 2025FridayVancouver, BCBiltmore CabaretJuly 19, 2025SaturdayPortland, ORMississippi StudiosJuly 21, 2025MondaySan Francisco, CAIndependentJuly 22, 2025TuesdayVenice, CAThe Venice WestJuly 23, 2025WednesdayLos Angeles, CATroubadourJuly 25, 2025FridaySan Diego, CACasbahJuly 26, 2025SaturdayPhoenix, AZCrescent Ballroom
After a week off, the boys are back on their mics (Gabe's is working!) for a fond look back on an iconic Local H morning television appearance. Also: An informal What's the Best Spielberg?!? What's the Best grilled cheese?!? Gabe contemplates breaking his exclusive LIFERS contract, Ben goes third person, Scott stays limber, and Justine dares Gabe to say it to her face. Enjoy!
After an attempt at a laid-back hangout episode is marred by Gabe’s faulty computer — things get out of hand when the guys engage in an escalating game of Uninvited Guest that quickly spins out of control. Will anyone survive?Cast of characters:SCOTT LUCAS — The helpless host.GABE RODRIGUEZ — The careless computer operator. BEN REISER — The hapless tech “expert”.MAHMOOD SHAIKH — The outside agitator. DEANNA BELOS — The unwitting ingenue. STEVE REIDELL — The mysterious train passenger whose motives remain opaque (what does he want?).MIKE LUSTIG — The ‘original’ uninvited guest (what does he KNOW?!?).HERB ROSEN — Herb.JOE CARSELLO — The ominous spectator behind the curtain whose evil knows no bounds and maybe all of this is his doing and we’re just pawns in his sick game and we probably should’ve just taken the week off but here we are. Listen at your peril. You’ve been warned…
Returning champion Deanna Belos just released a new documentary about her band called NOBODY’S GONNA DO IT FOR YOU: TEN YEARS OF SINCERE ENGINEER. You can watch it for free on YouTube right NOW (just like 2 out of the 3 of us did — guess who didn’t) and then you can come back and listen to us talk about it on this episode. We also talk about real amps vs. fake amps, Big Boi vs. Andre 3000, Scott vs. Deanna, and we try to pick our favorite comedies of the ‘90s.
This week we’re all about the art of the hustle in the land of multi-hyphenates. Or the art of multi-hyphenating in the land of the hustle. Whichever the case — we’re facing our fears and talking shop with Chicago expat and longtime lifer-ing comrade Bethany Dwyer. The LA-based comedian-actor/writer-director-musician has a new self-help book out (BREAK FREE FROM FEAR) that’ll fit in nicely with the media-spanning body of work that she’s amassed through her single-minded willingness to try everything. Of course, who knows if she’d even agree with that assessment? It’s hard to pin Bethany down. And she likes it like that. PLUS!: Scott’s voice is cashed while we dive into conspiracy theories, tease a new Haunted Heir single, and pick the movies that shaped us. Or something like that.
One of the all time great bands, L7 fused laugh out loud humor with a caveman punk aggression that made them stand out like a blistered sore thumb against the L.A. hair metal landscape of the late ‘80s. But they were chicks, man — so rather than be spoken about in the same righteous breath as the Stooges or the Ramones, the members of L7 had to put up with inane questions about Vixen(?!?). No matter. As with most awesome things, L7 are still here and their influence looms larger than ever. On this episode we talk to co-founder Donita Sparks about Matthew Sweet covers, Epitaph records, the siren song of LA surf music, Slash records, Sub Pop, yacht rock, Rock For Choice, Milwaukee book makers, fights at Exit, John Waters, SMELL THE MAGIC, and we play the best round of what’s the best ever!
This week: They finally killed Gabe’s car. Don’t worry. My dad’s got this ultimate set of tools. He’ll be able to buff it out, no problem. Trust us! ALSO: Mulholland Drive, roundabouts, red Barchettas, crosswalks, red 4-doors, fender benders, band vans, manic mechanics, Chevy Novas, and what’s the best songs about cars? (By the way — you’re gonna wanna stick around for the end of this episode. You’re welcome!)
To a generation of misfits not all that interested in what John Hughes was serving up in the ‘80s, writer-director Tim Hunter is a god. And his twin teen-movie testaments OVER THE EDGE and RIVER’S EDGE remain quotable sacred texts that serve as a secret language to communicate to other like-minded individuals that you too are a member of the anti-Breakfast Club. And in the land of television, he’s a bona-fide legend — filling the director’s chair on some of the greatest shows ever made: TWIN PEAKS, MAD MEN, BREAKING BAD, HOMICIDE, DEADWOOD and that’s right, Gabe! He even directed the pilot of BEVERLY HILLS 90210. So how do you interview THAT?!? That’s the kind of gravitas that turns Scott into something resembling an awestruck 12 year-old backstage at a Led Zeppelin concert in 1973. Or a 54 year-old talking to Tim Hunter via Zoom. At any rate — it was a thrill. PLUS!: The complete and total breakdown of WHAT’S THE BEST?!?
Operating in direct opposition to the never ending barrage of anonymous content being foisted on us by algorithmic goose-steppers - film programmers are cultural rebels and excavationists entrusted with the sacred duty of helping you find your new favorite movie. The best ones even manage to turn it into an art. And Jim Healy —director of programming for the Cinematheque at the University of Madison-Wisconsin— is definitely one of the best. On this episode we talk to Jim about the upcoming 2025 Wisconsin Film Festival, 16mm, The Clash on “Fridays”, Argentinean noir, David Koepp and “Apartment Zero”, George & Linda Eastman, Steve Buscemi, Richard Widmark, working with Ben, Jim’s brother Pat, “Conan The Barbarian”, the filthy mouth of Groucho Marx, and we pick the best movies about movies. Oh, yeah. It’s about to get real nerdy up in here. Gabe’s gonna have to wait.
Dag Juhlin hasn’t NOT been in a band since 1978. A mainstay since he formed The Slugs with his brother Gregg in 1983, Dag has wandered the Chicago music scene —ronin-style— lending his guitar prowess to bands like Poi Dog Pondering and, most recently, Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy’s successful REM tribute tour. In between all the gunning for hire, Dag keeps himself busy with (among other things) solo records, his cover band Expo ‘76, a daily podcast with Steve Dahl, and the project closest to his heart: Sunshine Boys. If you want to know what it takes to be a successful working musician — check out this interview. PLUS: We pick the best solo Beatle tracks.
Scott started the LIFERS movie tour last week in St. Louis at the Arkadin Cinema & Bar — and this episode finds him in his hotel after a particularly long day that took him from a showing in Portland, Oregon at the Clinton Street Theater to a showing at the Clairidge Theater in Montclair, New Jersey. The dude was a little rough. (AND there was a fucking Tesla involved!)PLUS!: Micro-cinemas, cat-pigs, Enuff Z’nuff at The Whiskey, The Lumiere in L.A., Gabe’s face in IMAX at the Esquire in Sacramento, cineastes, Ryan’s nipples, Married Men at the Metro on March 15, the fall Everclear tour, ripping off Amadeus, English accents, and the royal “we” game.(Not discussed, but definitely felt — The Coolidge in Boston and the Film Society Center in Philadelphia.)Remaining dates on the LIFERS movie tour:MARCH 19 — Oriental Theatre — Milwaukee, WIAPRIL 6 — Wisconsin Film Festival — Madison, WIAPRIL 7 — Screenland Armour — Kansas City, MO APRIL 8 — The Varsity Cinema — Des Moines, IA APRIL 9 — The Trylon — Minneapolis, MN
ANORA dominated the 97th Academy Awards last Sunday and as Sean Baker superfans — we’re still riding high. Well, maybe not Gabe. Nevertheless! We invited our good buddy and Boston-based music writer Michael Cristopher on the show to talk to us about movies, DVD collections, Philly pride, interviewing Brian Johnson and Tony Iommi, Van Halen vs. Depeche Mode, Scott’s movie tour, uninvited guests, Scott Ian, the Duck of Death, and we pick the BEST?!? best picture winners of all time. None of that made sense, right?
It’s that time of year again! The nominees for this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees have been announced. Exciting, right? Yeah — we didn’t think so, either. That won’t stop us from talking about it, though. Because what else are we gonna do? Air that lost Larry Damore interview we’ve been sitting on? Oh, Larry…
Let’s face it. Most rock documentaries suck. But not BORN INNOCENT: THE REDD KROSS STORY. Why? Lots of reasons. There’s the great music, of course. And the way it’s sweet instead of cloying and self-effacing where it could be self-serving. But mostly? It’s the joy of listening to two funny guys telling a good story that’s worth hearing. Well, this week we have one of them on the show: Steven McDonald. A true lifer who’s been doing it since he was eleven (ELEVEN?!?) — he also happens to be one of the best rock bassists out there (AND an all around swell guy). On this episode we talk to Steven about “Crazy Horses”, Moose lodges, his brother Jeff, misbegotten childhoods, runaways, THE Runaways, Black Flag, Rodney Bingenheimer, taking a beer can in the face for the Melvins, comparing notes with Tommy Stinson, Air Supply’s gangster manager, and the I-told-you-so’s of life.
Brothers, right? We all got ‘em. Well, not Ben or Scott. But Gabe does! And this week we have his brother Tom on to help us unlock the enigma that is Gabe Rodriguez. You’ll laugh! You’ll gasp in awe!! You’ll bear witness to unbreakable fraternal bonds!!! And you might find yourself unexpectedly moved. So step right up — this is the LIFERS episode you never knew you needed. We’re not crying — YOU ARE!!!
Boston-bred singer-songwriter Will Dailey has a new record out called BOYS TALKING. Well, it’s not “out” out. As in: It’s not streaming on all the usual platforms — which means it’s not available to be randomly and conveniently ignored. If you want to get Will’s new record, all you have to do is…1. Get out of the house.2. Go to a club that’s hosting one of his live performances. 3. Look him in the eye and purchase it from him. Simple, right? But in this world of complacent digital bubbles, this basic act of human connection feels like a clarion call of spiritual rebellion. And we at the LIFERS podcast are here for it. Join us for a deep (deep) conversation with Will about art, music, commerce, and being fucking ALIVE!!!Also: Gabe forgets that he already showered for the day.
When Scott and William Goldsmith first met in 1993, Local H and Sunny Day Real Estate were sharing a bill at the Avalon in Chicago (RIP). The next day, Sunny Day went into Idful studios with Brad Wood and started recording one of the best and (turns out) most influential indie-rock records of the ‘90s. Who knew? On this episode we talk to Will about Sub Pop, Neil Peart, Emo, hardcore, walking away, coming back, being in a band as a child versus being in a band as an adult, Will’s brother Brian, Will’s band Assertion, Greg Suran, Lionel Ritchie, and then we pick the best music from David Lynch movies. Silencio!
Who’s the coolest guy in the world? No question about it. Sean Rice by a fucking mile. Designed and born in a lab funded by rock and roll, Sean started working at the Cubby Bear when he was 20 — and from there he was transformed into a mythical Chicago Sasquatch who could be spotted attending every show, working every bar, and inhabiting the center of every tall tale. A true legend. These days —over at his company LAWLESS LURES— he’s down in Mississippi manufacturing and selling his own kick-ass fishing bait. Which, you know — OF COURSE, he is. Hey, everybody! Meet our buddy Sean Rice.
Scott’s in Lancaster tonight with the LIFERS movie — so we figured we’d run this in lieu of an actual episode: A recording of Ben, Gabe & Scott presenting a showing of LIFERS: A LOCAL H MOVIE to a packed house in Hobart, Indiana on January 2nd of this new year. Special thanks to the great audience and crew at the Hobart Art Theatre. We had a great time!
Ho ho ho and all that jazz!Christmas is here so be of good cheerMore LIFERS you say? Well have no fear!Far be it for us to brag and to boastbut we've got Steve Economou and Paul Zamost!That's right, a yuletide visit from The EffigiesOn show day at the Metro, if you please.Plus, Max Headroom, hissing at the Music Box, and a Family Feud edition of WHAT'S THE BEST?!?
Help! We’re trapped inside our 200th episode and we can’t get out!!! The celebration extravaganza continues into a second week with a fond look back at our favorite episodes — featuring a legion of special guests (both past and present) that includes Kelly Wey, Kyle Kinane, Jeff Murphy, Andy Gerber, Walter Schriefels, Tamar Berk, Michael Alago, Kay Hanley, Rick Ness, Rick Froberg, Blake Smith, Max Crawford, Jess Margera, John McCauley, Joe Bosso, Chip Z’Nuff, Justine, and Scott’s dad. This one’s a doozy!
200 episodes and we still haven’t solved the mystery of Zoetrope. On this tenscore extravaganza we welcome our favorite panelists Steve and Mahmood to help us celebrate, reminisce, and (most importantly) try to put the whole Iron Maiden vs. Replacements debate to bed.
You probably wouldn’t think that becoming a tattoo-sporting member of the FBI-listed Insane Clown Posse Juggalo gang would lead to a long career in the music business. But according to Bob Lugowe — you’d be wrong. And seeing as how Bob is one of the most stand-up dudes we’ve ever encountered in this biz; we can’t really argue with the results. On this episode we talk to the Brutal Panda honcho about running a record label, working at Relapse, starting out on the Local H street team, having the cool mom, Sony, Beyonce, Priest, Mariah, Christmas downloads, alt-rock reissues, the late Mike Lara, Fight Amp, Couch Slut, Cherubs, and we play an insanely/brutally hard round of WHAT’S THE BEST?!? featuring Prince.
Lorri Francis was there. She doesn’t remember a lot of it, but she WAS there. On this episode we talk to one of Chicago’s great movers and shakers and connectors about Medusa’s, the Rock Room, Cubby Bear, Double Door, G.G. Allin’s chair upholstery, Rights Of The Accused, Death Angel, Gabe’s tattoo, the P.P.P., whippets, the continuing saga of Zoetrope, Mark Stephens, Tom Popp, Joe Shanahan, Wrigleyville Tap, The Rolling Stones, Richard Ashcroft, D.D. Halloween shows, Nirvana hatred, and Jesus Christ LIFE MOVES FAST!!! As usual, we had a great time catching up (and trying to KEEP up) with the great Lorri Francis. We love you!
Frank Phobia is a sweetheart. He’s also the leader of Anthrophobia (who happen to be releasing their new J. Robbins produced record GOING OUT SWINGING on the 22nd of this month). But mainly — he’s a sweetheart. One that has been a low key hero to countless touring bands that have made their way through various venues in Pennsylvania for God knows how many years. The man’s an institution. On this episode we talk to Frank about his mentor Carol Schutzbank, Chameleon Club, bouncing around PA, major label lessons, pseudonyms, being a punk-rock pillar, Steve Harris, Bob Stinson, booking Local H, booking the Local H movie, Zoetropolis vs Zoetrope, pussy and money, Lititz, hair farmers, Rights of the Accused, New Coke, and WHAT’S THE BEST?!?: 1985.
Jesse Malin is about as New York as you can get. How New York is he? Well, he’s in a Martin Scorsese movie for starters. Jesse got his start in the hardcore band Heart Attack before pivoting to the rough and ready D-Generation in the ‘90s. After that band’s demise, Jesse made an even harder pivot when he turned to his acoustic guitar and released the Ryan Adams-produced THE FINE ART OF SELF DESTRUCTION — in effect, reinventing himself as a rock and roll troubadour and NYC ambassador. And then about a year and a half ago, Jesse suffered a rare spinal stroke that threatened his ability to ever walk again. But in true LIFER fashion —and with the help of his community and his friends— Malin has soldiered on and is gearing up for a pair of benefit shows at the Beacon Theater on December 1st and 2nd that will mark his return to the stage. It’s a pleasure to have Jesse on the show this week to put some shit into perspective for us and talk about Johnny Thunders, CBGB’s, Bruce Springsteen, Ian Hunter, “Bringing Out The Dead”, Green Day, Rickie Lee Jones and a WHAT’S THE BEST?!? with The Clash. The future is unwritten, everybody!
Full of anxiety about the upcoming election? Well, in troubled times it’s good to know that you can still rely on your friends. So join us —and two of the show’s best friends: Steve “Sleeve” Reidell and Mahmood Shaikh— as we take a long, lighthearted LIFERS-look into the yawning American abyss. You’ll laugh. You’ll definitely cry. And you’ll be faced with Dennis Quaid’s asshole. But one cannot live on fear and loathing (and Dennis Quaid’s asshole) alone — so here to save the day is PAVEMENT (just like in the ‘90s!!!). We talk about their great new movie directed by Alex Ross Perry and then we pick our favorite songs by the magnificent slackers from Stockton. PLUS: Steve Reidell outdoes himself (trust us — you’re gonna want to stick around for the final song). Happy voting, America!
It’s been just over a week since the two events that constituted the “grand finale” of Local H’s WHATEVER HAPPENED TO P. J. SOLES? 20th anniversary tour — but Scott’s head is still swimming. Both the LIFERS movie screening at the Music Box and the epic 3-hour set at Metro have left him feeling like a bit of a whisper of a husk of a shell. So forgive us while we perform a post-tour postmortem to sort it all out. It’s a decompression process that includes werewolves, harmonicas, Paul Di’Anno, Freddy Kruger, cartoonish physical reactions, future LIFERS screenings, P.J. encores, Gabe’s acting process, Eddie Mahoney, and we answer some burning questions from our listeners.
Okay… Well, that was a LOT! In many ways, this last Tuesday & Wednesday in Wrigleyville (let’s call it LOCAL H DAYS 2024) was a culmination of everything that’s been in the works since that day when Scott got the call that Helmet was cancelling the tour — just BEFORE he’d received the call that the LIFERS movie was getting a release date at the Music Box (see episode #186). Of course, one could argue that this H convention had been building up since the movie was shot at the Metro almost 3 years ago (to the day — just shy a month!). And that same person could also argue that it all started with the original WHATEVER HAPPENED TO P.J. SOLES? release 20 years ago — while the zen hippie across the room is babbling about how Scott’s entire LIFE has been leading up to this! And they’d all be right. Whatever the case — there is a lot to say about the LIFERS world premiere at the Music Box and the finale of the WHTPJS? 20th anniversary tour at the Metro — BUT!!! Not on this week’s episode. Instead, Ben has put together a… uh. Vibe? A mood piece? Ah. Here’s what it is: A chunk of audio verite constructed to capture a moment that is already starting to fade from memory like a far-off and hazy dream. Go to bed, Scott!
Ben's got a head cold. Gabe's got cats. Scott and Ronnie are holed up in a haunted hotel room in Utah so naturally the conversation turns to merch lines, REM vs Van Halen, the LIFERS movie, and our favorite subject these days: dinosaurs. Also, you've got lots of questions, and we've got some answers. It's a road report, people!
Hey, everybody! It’s Ronnie DiCola!!! The WHATEVER HAPPENED TO P.J. SOLES? tour is in the home stretch as we welcome the third partner in the Local H throuple to the show. For the very first time! You’d think we’d take this opportunity to query Ronnie about his hopes and dreams and history playing drums in Chicago institutions like The Arrivals and All Eyes West. But noooo! We squander that chance with inane chatter about Was Not Was, Three 6 Mafia, Gabe’s cats, WHAT’S THE BEST?!? road movies, boob jokes, the fucking LIFERS movie, and a skit about Kris Kristofferson (R.I.P.!) and Toby Keith.
Local H are STILL on the road. So you know what that means. ANOTHER ROAD REPORT!!! But this time we’re dragging Sincere Engineer’s Deanna Belos into the hotel chat room to talk about laundry, P.J. Soles movies, Riot Fest, New Found Glory tours, M.A.S.H, Hootie & The Blowfish, Bruce Springsteen noogies, and (as promised) a supersized round of WHAT’S THE BEST?!?: Novelty Songs.
- LIFERS - Road Report #19 or: How To Stop Worrying and Learn To Pronounce Lititz, PA. by The LIFERS Podcast
You’re listening to SONG IMPLODER — where musicians take apart their songs piece by piece and tell the story of how they were made. And then talk shit about those songs and make you embarrassed you asked about them in the first place. On this episode we conclude our examination of Local H’s 5th studio album: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO P.J. SOLES? Released in April of 2004, the album marked a major stylistic departure and reevaluation for the band — paving the way for all that’s come in its wake. Now on the day of a remastered re-release, we join singer/songwriter/guitarist Scott Lucas, producer Andy Gerber, and master of his domain Gabe Rodriguez to look back on the writing, recording and reception of the album that Lucas and many of the band’s fans have come to see as their finest. I’m Ben Reiser.
You’re listening to SONG IMPLODER — where musicians take apart their songs piece by piece and tell the story of how they were made. And then talk shit about those songs and make you embarrassed you asked about them in the first place. On this episode we examine Local H’s 5th studio album: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO P.J. SOLES? Released in April of 2004, the album marked a major stylistic departure and reevaluation for the band — paving the way for all that’s come in its wake. Now on the eve of a remastered re-release, we join singer/songwriter/guitarist Scott Lucas, producer Andy Gerber, and master of his domain Gabe Rodriguez to look back on the writing, recording and reception of the album that Lucas and many of the band’s fans have come to see as their finest. I’m Ben Reiser.
When people think of Electrical Audio Recording in Chicago they usually only think of the late, great Steve Albini. But the studio is (and has been) home to a distinguished troop of engineers and operators that continue to keep the venerable institution running — including our pal Greg Norman, who’s been doing the Lord’s work over at Electrical since he LITERALLY helped lay the foundation of the building before the studio opened its doors in 1997. On this episode we talk about sneaking into Shorty shows at Lounge Ax, Albini’s tighty whities, Adobe bricks, Alain Delon’s dog, The Jesus Lizard, The White Album, The U.K. Squeeze, broken Calrec Soundfield mics, and WHAT’S THE BEST?!? recording production.
Like most lifers, Johnny Wator has no intention of going back. He’s not going back to a life of shit jobs, he’s not going back to being told what to do by assholes, and he’s definitely not going back to his hometown with his tail between his legs. But after 11 years of ups and downs on the road with his band The Last Vegas — those outcomes were starting to look very likely. So what’s a guy to do? You bet on yourself, of course. What else? Through grit and determination, Johnny is the one-man owner/operator of DAREDEVIL PEDALS — the coolest boutique guitar pedal company in Chicago. Anyway — on this episode we talk about Johnny’s band The Evictions, Green Day, the Crybaby Fuzz Wah, Slayer, Nirvana, going on tour with Motley Crue, screaming in a 3 piece, Phil Donahue, Atomic Cocked, and a WHAT’S THE BEST?!? featuring ‘80s hair metal jams.
This week: Ben is on the road again so we catch him at his hotel in Pennsylvania to talk Metallica weekend in Chicago, new seats for the Music Box, Stan Bush’s “You’ve Got The Touch”, the history of government cheese, and WHAT’S THE BEST?!? “Seinfeld”.
Our ol’ buddy Dave Rockland comes to the show ready to play — which means he’s wearing his X-tra large Gabe Rodriguez “God’s Gift” Local H shirt. What does THAT mean? Find out on this week’s episode as we talk to Dave about spending over his half his life working at JAM Productions, living down the street from Gabe & Scott, litigious Local H shows, X-tra large Prince jerseys, and WHAT’S THE BEST?!? from 1993.
If you were at all worried that famed Chicago rock critic, SOUND OPINIONS co-host, and prickly pear-par excellence Jim DeRogatis might be mellowing with age — fear not! We’re here to assure you that Jim is is just as fearless and opinionated as ever. And it’s a delight. On this episode he talks about being transformed by Lester Bangs and The Velvet Underground, seeing The Feelies 100 times, 8 1/2 months of Rolling Stone, 22 years of R. Kelly, assholes at The Sun Times, Wire cover bands opening for Wire, getting the truth out of Genesis, and WHAT’S THE BEST?!? drummers.
In these hopelessly divided times, is it possible to come together and talk about our differences while understanding and revelling in our commonalities? Uhhh… Nope. So instead we talk about tiny alligators, old jokes, vegans, keyboard warriors, and farting in the tub. Viva la diplomacy!!!
Let’s get political! This week we’ve got punk rock legend Vic Bondi on the show to scare the hell out of us and talk about the specter of fascism in America. Fun stuff! We also talk about Vic’s band Articles Of Faith, his other band Jones Very, Howard Zinn, Microsoft, Chicago punk rock, John Haggerty, Reed Mullins, Husker Du, and why living in Seattle sucks so bad.
“A bartender is the aristocrat of the working class”. Douglas Coughlin said that. And he could’ve been talking about Mike McIntyre. Like all great bartenders, Mike is an iceberg: You look behind the bar and you see a guy with a sharp sense of humor and wicked way with a cocktail shaker — but underneath the water is a hustler with gravitas and a shit load of life experience. On this episode we talk to Sir McIntyre about alligators, fishing boats, Mike O’Connell nicknames, 9 Day Wonder, the Chicago music scene of the ‘90s, beating Steve Albini at poker, holding court at Simon’s Tavern, bar jokes, and bon vivants. Good day to you, sire!
“An art house version of ‘Friday The 13th’ from Jason’s point of view” is the kind of brilliantly simple movie hook that makes every armchair director slap their forehead and shout “Why didn’t I think of that?!?” And from the moment he was given the script to Shudder’s very fun horror hit IN A VIOLENT NATURE, editor Alex Jacobs knew he had to work on it. Turns out, he was the perfect guy for the job. With a history in experimental “ambient” video —and his deep love for horror and genre films— it was a match made in slasher movie heaven. On this episode we talk to Alex about Racer Trash, Norm MacDonald, the UW Cinematheque, video store employee bucket lists, knowing the right person at the right time, uneven franchises, Ozu summers, and we pick the BEST(!!!) horror movie kills. Boy, oh boy! Drop your crocs and grab your socks. Let’s do this!
This week we’re all about rockers and their movies. After Scott engages in some hemming and hawing over the threat of competing “pseudo-narrative” concert films, the guys welcome rock and roll movie director Dimitri Coats to the show to talk about his new OFF! flick: FREE LSD. We touch on the upcoming final OFF! shows and his first band Burning Brides, but Dimitri’s laser focused on his cinematic future — and what’s more LIFER-ey than that? So here’s a list of where you can see the future cult classic FREE LSD:July 17 — Music Box Theater — Chicago July 19 — Village East Cinema — NYCJuly 21 — Coolidge Corner Theater — Brookline, MAJuly 22 — Ritz Movie Theaters — Philadelphia, PAJuly 27 — Grand Lake Theater — Oakland, CA July 28 — Palm Theater — San Luis Obispo, CAJuly 31 — Hillcrest Cinema — San Diego, CAAugust 2 — Nuart Theater — Los Angeles, CAAugust 6 — Laemmle Clairmont 5 — Clairmont, CA
Some have claimed that Freud thought the Irish were impervious to therapy. While we may never know if he actually said that — we know for goddamn sure that John Haggerty is impervious to any of Scott’s lines of questioning. But that’s okay. Like all great heroes, John’s stoicism belies a heart of gold beating with generosity, fairness, and a firm belief in the human collective. Did we mention that he’s also a hell of a guitar player? On this episode we try to get Mr. Haggerty to talk to us about Pegboy, Naked Raygun, the Chicago punk scene, Steve Albini, Stratocasters, Herb Rosen, O’Banion’s, disco duds, plumbers, Renaissance faires, and the loneliness of saxophone playing guitarists.
This week on LIFERS we’re getting schooled on goth, punk, the ‘80s club scene, Diamanda Galas — shit, we’re getting schooled on EVERYTHING! We must be talking to Chicago legend DJ Scary Lady Sarah. Sarah just celebrated her 36th year as a professional DJ and producer of the longest running goth event in North America: NOCTURNA. Take that, whippersnappers! On this episode we talk about Chicago hardcore shows, NEO, sushi with Siouxsie Sioux, The Damned, Joe Shanahan and the Metro, putting Peter Murphy in a deprivation tank, Pandemic Goths, The Bellwether Syndicate, being the Elizabeth Taylor of goth, and Scott gets gonged.
Angela Mullenhour’s voice is like a force of nature. And nature is kinda scary. Luckily, her band Sybris is the sort of band that can keep up with that force — loud, bold, and capable of summoning up hurricane squalls of melodic noise. After an extended haitus, the beloved Chicago band is back with their long-awaited third record “Gold On Hold” (set for release in September on Absolutely Kosher) and we here at LIFERS couldn’t be more excited. On this episode we talk to Angela about rainy street fests, open mic Steve Miller covers, mall-goth, JCM and suckin’ on chili dog country, Touched By Ghoul, collaborating with Local H on “8:46”, the psychopathy of Rod Stewart, “All Nerve” by The Breeders, and we pick the best songs about MURDER!
It’s great to have an old friend on the show — and this week we’ve got Jonny Polonsky. Lucky you. This is a great episode where we talk to the great singer-songwriter-studio rat about moving to and prospering in LA, growing up as a backstage-teenaged Chicago presence, bossing around Rick Rubin, Mark Lanegan, playing on a Neil Diamond session, being Frank Black’s boy, Chris Cornell & Dio, Gabe as Sid Haig, and Jonny’s great new record that comes out June 7 on Loosegroove records.
Unleashed in the East! Gabe and Ben talk to Scott and Justine while they’re doing laundry in a hotel in Osaka before making their way to Monkey Island. Confused? You won’t be after you hear this episode featuring Japanese metal bars, overconfident deer, Hear ’N Aid, Japanese toilets, rainy neon umbrella nights, Facebook posts that are actually ransom notes, and songs that start with choruses.
Scott is supposed to be on vacation in Bali, but Gabe and Ben are relentless. So they dragged him out of bed from half a world away to record this goddamn podcast! This week the guys talk about fine Balinese cinema, spice-averse Australians, Brittany Grinder, cat poop coffee, Steve Albini’s love of Costco, Susan Backlinie, Roger Corman, “One Handshake Away” with Peter Bogdanovich, silly middle names, and saving the chorus until the end.
On another edition of the QUITTERS Podcast: Tim Edwards used to be Local H’s booking agent until he decided enough was enough and he walked away from the entire industry. What would drive a person to throw away the good fortune to be working with Scott? Well, if there’s an answer — good luck trying to get it out of him. On our shortest interview ever, we talk to Tim about toga parties, Russia, sub-tertiary markets, the glory days of Flowerbooking, forcing Scott to sing the National Anthem, and we pick the best songs about giving up. You can’t quit us, baby.
When the LIFERS Podcast moved offices and we needed movers — we wanted real movers, real service… real rock and roll. So we called the guys at REAL ROCK ‘N’ ROLL MOVERS. These guys delivered rock solid service. If you’re planning a move —residential, commercial, whatever— you gotta call the REAL ROCK ‘N’ ROLL MOVERS. Plus their boss man used to play drums in Starball and Moreno (and was also the drum tech for Local H). You’ve seen their cool black skull moving trucks everywhere. That’s them! REAL ROCK ‘N’ ROLL MOVERS. These guys know the meaning of rock!
Behold the quintessential lifer in these matters: Scott McCaughey. Now this podcast is getting somewhere. Scott was a king of Seattle before it was cool while his band Young Fresh Fellows were roaming the untested wilds of the ‘80s college-rock countryside. This led to now-mythical tours with The Replacements and a crucial and long-standing musical friendship with Peter Buck — which, of course, led to The Minus 5 and Scott being something of a 5th member of REM. From there, he went on to play with EVERYBODY. We’re not kidding. You could do a Kevin Bacon-style six degrees of separation game with Scott that would probably make the universe fold in on itself like a slice of New York pizza. Anyway — Scott’s great. He hung out with us. We are grateful. Take a listen.
It’s legend time again around here at the LIFERS podcast. Of all the bands to emerge from the punk explosion of the late ‘70s, few were as adept at fusing melody and fury in quite the same way that the great Stiff Little Fingers were. Seminal in every way, SLF would go on to influence Naked Raygun, Green Day, and pretty much every punk band that ever cared to carry a tune. This week we welcome the voice of that band —a one Mr. Jake Burns— to tell us about growing up in Belfast, seeing Rory Gallagher on TV, soccer, getting a call from Pete Townsend, touring with the Tom Robinson Band, Eric Clapton and Rock Against Racism, soccer, KT’s Kids, Sir Kenny Branagh, moving to Chicago, moving to West Virginia, soccer, and how to cut down on touring without quitting.
Twin-Cities ex-pat, L.A. transplant, and Local H’s album cover go-to guy in the ‘00s — Kii Arens joins us on the show this week. But as you’ll hear, all is not smooth and bump-free in podcasting land. Nevertheless, we managed to talk with our ol’ pal about huge boy bands in the UK, singing on KISS records, opening up for DIO as a mime, Jack The Rapper, working at Twin Tone, photo-shoots with P.J. Soles, “12 Angry Months” vs. “Heart On”, brutalism, Liza Minnelli, photo shoots with Dolly Parton, and we TRY to give ABBA the WHAT’S THE BEST?!? treatment.
Around here at the LIFERS Podcast — we kinda HATE April Fool’s Day. And now you people are gonna hear about it! PLUS: Taco Bell, “Rampage”, a mini-round of WHAT’S THE BEST: Lemonheads, Japanese “Alias” bootlegs, Un-punk Gabe, River vs. Rivers, Joe Flaherty, The Wisconsin Film Festival, “Tuff Turf” vs. Tuff TERFs, dumbbells, and we may or may not be waiting around for Kevin Tihista again.
Doni Blair is the kind of lifer that isn’t content to just sit around between tours and wait for the call. He likes to get his ass kicked. Literally. You probably know him as the bass playing dynamo in The Toadies — but an ever growing number of people know Doni as a practitioner, instructor, and advocate of martial arts training. In fact, he wrote an amazing and REALLY funny book about becoming a black belt in his 40s called EVEN IF IT KILLS ME — and you should totally buy it and read it. But even with all that, all Scott really wants to talk about is Doni’s old band Hagfish. So on this episode we do that — BUT we also talk about Willie Nelson, Judo, Doni’s brother Zach, having a DJ for a dad, mailbox baseball, mooning, straight-edge, a new way to say Zoetrope(?!?), first tours with Bad Brains, Only Crime, learning to play bass with a pick to get the Toadies gig, recording their new album with Steve Albini, and —thanks to Doni— the long awaited Iron Maiden round of WHAT’S THE BEST?!? is NOT going to go the way Gabe had planned.
It's been a bit of a rough week over in LIFERS podcast land. Ben had unexpected oral surgery, Scott had to unexpectedly travel, and Gabe is still unexpectedly living in Florida. But don't fear, faithful listener. A few weeks back we played a mighty fun round of What's The Best with Bruce Lamont, and this snowy blowy day in the midwest seems as good as any to share it with you. Enjoy!
Scott has a lot of friends who are also great songwriters. But none of them are geniuses. Except for Kevin Tihista. This week we finally welcome the legendary singer-songwriter to the show. We talk to Kevin about his musical influences, growing up in Santa Cruz, being an extra in “The Lost Boys”, playing bass for Triplefastaction, the difficult transition to solo artist, embracing life as a recluse, his new band Housesitters, and the valuable advice he received from Bob Dylan. Don’t miss out on this one.
Scott’s “solo” band —Scott Lucas & The Married Men— is actually a fairly large and open ended collective of Chicago music scene veterans and dyed in the wool lifers (it’s also a close-knit family of friends, but we’ll get to that). The list of bands that the members of The Married Men have been in (and continue to be in) could make up its own podcast series: The Tossers, Caviar, The Joy Poppers, Cisco Pike, The Cells, The Girls, A Band Called Horse, Sourball, Ness, and Jesus Christ! Our head hurts!! As we were saying — each member of The Married Men is a lifer with their own story to tell. But this isn’t that episode. On THIS episode, Ben and Gabe catch up with the band at the Local H practice space as they get ready to practice for their first show in a year: Playing The Metro in Chicago on March 16 — opening for The Tossers at their annual St. Patrick’s Day show. Topics include: Most of the bands that have already been listed, Double Door Halloween shows, how Randy created the first double Quarter Pounder with cheese, UFO, shitty videos, scary dolls, and THREE(!!!) rounds of Iron Maiden vs. The Replacements. This one is fairly chaotic. So watch out.
When word got out in 1982 that Wax Trax Records was looking for a house photographer, Bobby Talamine stepped up to answer the call. And he’s never looked back. Still out there photographing and championing bands he loves, you can spot Bobby in the pit of just about any show in Chicago (large or small) — looking to get the shot. On this episode we talk to Mr. Talamine about Gary Numan, sneaking a camera into Led Zeppelin, Skinny Puppy, Depeche Mode, Anton Corbijn, Roger Waters and David Gilmour, Peter Gabriel, Riot Fest with Corey Feldman, Peter Hook and New Order, Gene Ambo, JBTV, Pixel Grip, Sisters Of Mercy, Idles at Lollapalooza, and Gabe vs. Bez.
Bruce Lamont is a lifer’s lifer and a true embodiment of the fabled midwestern work ethic. His band Yakuza is celebrating its 25th year this Sunday at Thalia Hall with a show that will surely feature selections from their latest (and greatest?) album SUTRA. But that’s not all that Bruce has cooking — and Yakuza is far from his only band/project. Oh, no, no, no. If you’re new to the world of Bruce Lamont, you’ve got a lot of fucking listening to do. But fear not! We at The LIFERS Podcast are here to get you up to speed. This week we talk about Dyslexic Apaches, VFW halls, 85 dollar Queensryche shows, Pococurantes, saxophones, car rides with Sanford Parker, bag taxes and syntaxes, bar gigs at SXSW, more Warped Tour misery, and pizza parties with Pantera. As Bruce would say: DO IT!!!
If you grew up anywhere near Chicago, the history of JAM Productions is probably a mirror image to your own history as a concert goer. Founded over 50 years ago (and still independent and going strong), JAM has done more to shape the live music landscape in Chicago than just about any entity we can think of. In the late ‘80s and straight out of college, Nick Miller got a job at the powerhouse promotion company and quickly became an important (and beloved) part of the operation. In fact, if you’re going to a show in Chicago this week — there’s a good chance that Nick might be in the building. On this episode, Nick schools us on what it takes to be a concert promoter, how to make pizzas at Barnaby’s, WVVX, guitars, having a Rolodex for a brain, Jeff Beck, Emo & Judy, Nick’s band Viceroy, 4 nights with Cheap Trick, the 90s in Chicago, the Rolling Stones at Double Door, Ice T vs. The Police, the band that starts with a “Z” and ends with a “trope”, and an epic round of “What’s The Best?!?” featuring the best concerts (or if you’re cool, best “shows”). This is a good one.
We couldn’t book a guest so Scott got drunk, Ben got high, and Gabe sold a bunch of Superbowl squares.
This week on The QUITTERS Podcast: The last time we had Freda Love Smith on the show it was to celebrate/lament her decision to retire from a long and illustrious drumming career. Turns out that was just the tip of the quitting iceberg. In her terrific new book I QUIT EVERYTHING, Freda chronicles her year of furiously and very un-quietly quitting evvverrrything —and no surprise— it’s as funny, thoughtful, and wonderfully human as you would expect. On this episode we talk to Freda about being a big ol’ quitter, “The Bad News Bears”, book tours, Saturday morning cereals, spraying mace in John Strohm’s face, “Barfly”, caffeine, and WHAT’S THE BEST?!? songs about booze. Cheers!
You could call Jack Douglas the world’s greatest living producer and you probably wouldn’t get a whole lotta blowback from people who obsess about these things. Jack has produced seminal records for everyone from Cheap Trick to Aerosmith to Patti Smith to John freakin’ Lennon (he also produced a record for Local H, but we don’t need to get into that). In short — he’s the best. He also has the best stories. And in December at a live event at Gman Tavern (yes — we’re back at Gman), Scott got the chance to pry some of those stories out of him. On this episode Jack talks about his brand new label Confidential Records, his brand new signing Robin Taylor Zander (yup - he’s related), sailing with pirates to Liverpool to meet the Beatles, actually meeting the Beatles, the inspirational power of Marty Feldman, John Lennon’s dubious methods to win percussion contests, Cheap Trick gigs in Wisconsin, and (wisely) refusing joints from Jimi Hendrix. Jesus Christ — what a life! (Special thanks to our buddy Evan Peters for engineering and recording Scott’s interview with Jack.)
To the list of perfect and fully formed debut records — a list that includes “Nevermind The Bollocks”, “Murmur" and the first Ramones album — one has to include Electric Six’s “Fire”. 20 years and just about as many albums later, Electric Six and Tyler Spencer (aka Dick Valentine) are still going nuclear as Tyler joins us on a (getting into the) jam-packed episode to talk songwriting, touring, being fired vs. firing, and most importantly, what's the best rock song that's really a disco song. Plus: winter beards, Mats vs. Maiden, tavern-style goes Hollywood, and much more!
The LIFERS Podcast is STILL on stage! Night two at Gman Tavern in Chicago was (impossibly) even more drunken and uproarious than night one at Gman Tavern. This could’ve been due to Scott’s general exhaustion, the crowd’s general rowdiness or Figdish being locked in a basement for two hours — but the smart money is on Gabe’s Frank Booth performance. Whatever the case — it was a night for the ages and only a small portion of it is fit for consumption by those who weren’t there. This episode is a collection of those portions.
The LIFERS Podcast is back on stage! We started 2024 off right/wrong with a special LIVE New Year’s hangover party at the Gman Tavern in Chicago (it was Kelly Wey’s idea). Was it a success? Well… mostly. After talking about Gabe’s horrific performance as Jambi from Pee Wee’s Playhouse (and witnessing Gabe’s horriFIED performance as Richard Roma from David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross) — we welcomed our first guest of ‘24: Deanna Belos of Sincere Engineer! Who then proceeded to win over the audience with her winning combination of heartfelt bashfulness and good humor — that is until she let it slip that she hated dogs(?!?). It got ugly after that. PLUS!!!: Ben’s wearing Scrooge’s pajamas, Kelly’s Bloody Mary program, Colin Smith doesn’t want to be here, U2, Silverchair, “One Shot With Scott”, Deanna plays some tunes, Brendan Kelly stops by for a few rounds of “Cards Against Humanity”, and a good time was had by all (except for the dog thing).
Another year gone by — another LIFERS Podcast wrap up. The year in rear-view includes Rick Ness, Rick Froberg, Walter Schriefels, Tommy Stinson, Kyle Kinane, Brendan Kelly, Pat Healy, Allen Epley, and apparently no women! God, we suck.
Brendan Kelly and his excellent punk-rock combo The Lawrence Arms have been waging a war on Christmas at various Chicago venues for 9 years now. Just a couple of weeks ago, their beloved and annual anti-Yuletide concerts lovingly dubbed “War On X-mas” sold out two nights at The Metro. So we figured Brendan would be the perfect guy to drop by and vent some holiday spleen while helping us pick —not the best— but the WORST songs the Christmas season has to offer. It will come as no surprise to the many Lawrence Arms fans out there that Brendan was more than up to the task. Merry Christmas, everybody!!!
From a Holiday Inn outside of Rochester: It’s the return of the Road Report! Hang out with us.
There are all kinds of lifers. There’s the lifer that starts a band and then spends their life playing in that band. And that’s great. Then there’s the lifer that starts a band, watches that band fall apart, returns to the hometown scene that made him (in this case the wonderful and influential town of Champaign, Illinois), and then dedicates his life to giving back and cultivating the community around him. And in the process finds a life far richer and rewarding than he could’ve imagined — while simultaneously honoring the very ethos that made him start a band in the first place. Might as well stop being coy about this — we’re talking about our ol’ buddy Joel Spencer of the criminally (CRIMINALLY!) overlooked band Menthol. And his story has got us a bit sentimental and misty eyed over here. Sorry. On this episode we talk to Joel about reuniting a summer version of Menthol, the ‘90s Chicago music scene, the ‘90s Champaign music scene, Honcho Overload, Smoking Popes, Triplefastaction, Capitol Records, lasers shooting out of Louise Post’s mouth, two versions of DANGER: ROCK SCIENCE, that infamous practice space on Broadway, the Winter Dance Party, and the indestructibility of Herb Rosen. This is a good one. We’re glad we know you, Joel Spencer!
This week on the podcast: We can’t stop the plugs! One of our favorite music writer lifers —Michael Tedder!— joins us to talk about his new(ish) book “Top Eight: How MySpace Changed Music” (published by Chicago Review Press, by the way). We also argue/chat about his old(er) articles, Boston (the town not the band), Harvey Danger, the Oughts, Jann Wenner and his beef, Stereogum (that’s a plug), the quaint ‘90s dilemma of selling out, SPIN gaffes, and the magical music year that was 2003. WARNING: This episode doubles as a drinking game. Use caution!Check out Michael’s stuff here: https://michaeltedder.com/
Bored teenagers start bands. That’s about as ambitious as they usually get. But Jess Margera and his buddies in West Chester didn’t just decide to start a band — they started a media empire. CKY (the band) went hand in hand with “CKY” the video series — a bestselling string of pre-viral DVDs (and VHSs) that featured skateboarding, proto-Jackass pranks, and music from Margera’s band. Juvenile delinquent entrepreneurialism at its finest. These days, Jess spends his off-time from CKY with an impressive roster of extra-curricular bands and recording projects that include The Company Band, Viking Skull, and Sovereign Eagle. The dude is inexhaustible. PLUS!: In honor of Black Friday, we pick the best songs with “black” in the title. And oh, yeah — we’ve added a second LIFERS LIVE! show at Gman on January 1st. Sorry, Colin! Get your tickets here: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/84718562/
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! On this special mini-edition of The LIFERS Podcast we discuss the greatest Thanksgiving TV episode of all time: Episode 7 of WKRP IN CINCINNATI — “Turkeys Away”. Oh, the humanity.
Okay! We’re doing this. Whether Ben likes it or not. On the eve of the 30th anniversary of their major label debut —DOOKIE— we try and pin down the best (WHAT’STHEBEST?!?) Green Day song. Ben bitches and moans, Gabe waxes rhapsodic about the band’s glory days on Lookout! while Scott defends the move to Reprise, and returning guest panelist Steve “Sleeve” Reidell gets super high and has his own green day. PLUS: Jonathan Hertzberg returns to answer a certain question, “Welcome Back, Kotter” on Gabe’s TV Corner, pondering the fluteness of the new Andre 3000 record, and LIFERS LIVE! is back on stage at Gman in January! Get your 2023 hangover tickets right here: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/37589755/
This week it’s EVERYBODY’s favorite: Freddy Herrera! Former bassist of The Exies —and currently Art Alexakis’ right-hand man in Everclear— Freddy is the kind of guy you always want in the room with you. Positive, funny, and the kind of musician that will always make your band sound better. Which makes him the perfect guy to help us figure out the WHAT’S THE BEST?!?: Bass Lines. Plus:!: Freddy wins the golden ticket for skaters, Taylor Swift re-records Iron Maiden’s entire back catalogue, Freddy ALMOST gets fingered, and Gabe Rodriguez takes another bite of the Gorilla Biscuits.
Meet Jonathan Hertzberg. After years of working for companies like IFC Films and Kino-Lorber, he decided to start Fun City Editions — a boutique home video label that specializes in re-issuing overlooked movies from the ‘70s and ‘80s on a stellar roster of collectible Blu-Ray releases. It’s a totally DIY operation that he runs out of his home in New York (think of Jon as the Gabe of forgotten cinema) — and it’s attracted the attention of hardcore cinephiles everywhere. Fun City’s newest offering is the 1971 gem T.R. BASKIN — filmed in Chicago and starring Candice Bergen — and it just so happens that Ben and Scott recorded the audio commentary on the disc. So we had Jon on the show to ask him what he was thinking. And while he was here, we asked him to help us pick the best Chicago movies on a new FunCityChicago installment of WHAT’S THE BEST?!? The answers may surprise you. At least Gabe’s will.
This is the one you’ve been screaming for! On this final episode of our Halloween-obsessed October, we’re all about the movies. Specifically—horror movies (no shit?). And since the Music Box Theater has been terrorizing Chicago all month with their “Bride of Music Box of Horrors” series (not to mention last weekend’s infamous, annual and SOLD OUT 24 hour horror marathon) — we thought we’d recruit the theater’s sleep deprived general manager Ryan Oestreich to help us pick the BEST scary movies ever made. Did we succeed? Probably not. But here it is anyway. Happy Halloween!!!
On another special Halloween-centric episode we enlist our ol’ pal —and host and creator of the CAR CON CARNE podcast— James VanOsdol to help us with a “What’s The Best?!?” featuring our favorite movie monsters, psychos, and villains (oh, my!). PLUS!: Gabe Rodriguez’s TV Corner.
This week the podcast is in league with Satan as we draft our good buddies Mike Lustig and Steve Reidell to help us pick THE BEST devil songs to listen to during the Halloween season. PLUS: More Halloween horror movie picks, the Satanic Temple of Illinois, and Ben remixes episode #138.
Horror business abounds on an episode that Gabe has waited almost 3 years for: Episode #138! — featuring a feisty round of “What’s The Best?!?” where we invite Herb Rosen from Liar’s Club to help us pick our favorite Misfits songs. We also have viewing picks for your Halloween movie parties, a WHOLE lotta smack talking, and Herb ruins his sister’s laptop. Happy Halloween!!!
Not all talent buyers are nice guys. To be honest, it’s a profession that seems to attract more than its fair share of bastards. But that’s not the case with our good buddy Marc Solheim — who went from being a welcome fixture on the Milwaukee concert scene to being a big-cheese booker for Chicago’s own Riot Fest without ever losing an ounce of his good humored charm (not to mention a single strand of his famously perfect hair). In fact, the guy’s filled with so much goodwill that he actually attended Local H’s very first show (at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1990) and years later he was STILL willing to book the band. Anyway — on this episode we talk to Marc about serving food to Mark Slaughter at Alpine Valley, Stevie Ray Vaughan’s last show, flyering for “Jesus Christ Superstar”, working at The Rave, shows at The Unicorn, Corey Feldman’s bodyguard, Wesley Willis and The Frogs, Walter Schreifels’ three-peat weekend, vegan chimichangas, what goes into organizing a world class music festival, and a WHAT’S THE BEST?!? with Riot Fest headliners The Cure.
The guys had a busy week and so decided to delay the recording of this week's podcast and do it LIVE on Friday afternoon, over Gabe's lunch hour. Here's how the cookie crumbled...
Why this episode, you ask? Well, it’s back to school time again, so we forced our good friend (and “mystical-teen-noir” auteur) Jennifer Reeder to remain on the show to talk about our favorite high school movies (plus we had that whole Iron Maiden vs. Replacements nonsense to finish). Teen movie classics were chosen, teen movie classics were omitted, and at least one stone cold non-teen classic was given a questionably enthusiastic nod (we’re looking at you, Gabe) —but more importantly— we learned about each other. We found out that each one of us is a brain…a basket case…a princess…and a criminal. Does that answer your question?Sincerely, The LIFERS Podcast
Chicago-based filmmaker Jennifer Reeder makes movies that are personal, handmade, and too disturbing for Gabe to watch. This week we talk to the “mystical-teen-noir” icon about her new film PERPETRATOR (currently streaming on Shudder) and the Jennifer Reeder Universe. PLUS: High School horror, creepy paintings, attending the Art Institute of Chicago, being beloved by Germans, creating an interconnected body of work, Riot Grrrl energy, the importance of being a really good swimmer, Alicia Silverstone, Jennifer’s hatred of musicals, biting MAGNOLIA, the Music Box, and why the fuck is ‘90s music so expensive to license?
Still not sure what a LIFER is? Consider the case of Steve Berlin. He’s a musician, a producer, and a member of one of America’s greatest rock and roll bands: Los Lobos. The guy lives and breathes music and has a list of credits longer than a gibbon’s arm. The stuff that he’s done that we DIDN’T talk about on this episode could fill three OTHER episodes. So let’s just focus on what we DID talk about: ‘XRT, Top Taco Jimmy, why you should never go out to eat with Greg Allman, the legendary L.A. punk scene of the early ‘80s, X, The Blasters, the legendary Slash records scene, Faith No More, The Replacements, R.E.M., John Lee Hooker, John McCauley, Robert Rodriguez, what Jimmy Reed would do, and the unexpectedly moving story of Canada’s The Tragically Hip. This is a good one, folks.
In August of 2023, three Chicago residents disappeared in the woods near Elkhorn, Wisconsin while recording a podcast... A week later their recordings were found.
Our Rick Ness cup runneth over! Dr. Ness graces us with his presence for a second week as we: 1. Pick our favorite Figdish songs. 2. Pump him for information and stories about those songs. 3. Force Rick to pick his favorite Billy Joel songs. There’s also some stuff in here about Pink Floyd, Menudo Kiss covers, and stoned porn stars. You’re welcome.
blessed
Rick Ness is the Indiana Jones of UW-Madison. Sure, he might seem like he’s a mild mannered teacher of 18th and 19th century transatlantic literature — but, actually, he’s one of the dudes from Chicago legends Figdish! On this episode, we talk to THAT dude about the ‘Dish’s forthcoming sorta-new third record (Rick will explain), after-parties at Club Shakespeare, releasing the Kraken, paying off your debt to Brad Wood with a few well placed Radiohead covers, scamming A&R guys, Zima, Kevin Cronin’s scatting, deadly microphone stands, and hot August nights with Neil Diamond. Jesus Christ, we love Rick.
Scott’s dropping names again. After last Sunday’s 40th anniversary performance of REM’s “Murmur” (among other things) by Michael Shannon, Jason Narducy & “friends” at the Metro — Scott is lit up and bubbling over with memories of meeting Mike Mills, singing with Mike Mills, and hanging out and drinking with Mike Mills. We invited Jason (Narducy not Narduzzi) over to get a word in edgewise and join us for a (fairly) friendly round of REM drafting (we also learn what song Gabe wants played at his funeral). It’s all about REM this week and we feel… uh, pretty ok with it.
Does a Gen-X man have any place in a Barbie world? This week the guys welcome Metro media celebutante Jill Hopkins back to the show to help them with their struggles. Specifically: Scott’s struggle to square his love of Greta Gerwig with his hatred of blockbuster hype and pink-selfie mania, Ben’s struggle against society’s relentless march towards a meme driven cinema, and Gabe’s struggle to stay awake. In the process, Jill struggles to give a shit. PLUS!: Double decker pizza and Beyoncé Draft Day!!! Yesss…
Forced to go guestless yet again — the guys discuss Barbie bleeps, Scott’s relentless name dropping, Irish butter, Gigglesnort Hotel, Ben’s fond childhood memories of wearing a dress and throwing candy out of bi-planes, top ten talk-box jams, Napoleon, Gary Gnu, and Gabe’s insatiable need to watch the world burn.
Or: The Airing Of Grievances. Scott’s got a lot of problems with you people and now you’re gonna hear about it. Some of the topics of disgruntlement include Indiana Jones, the 4th of July, Dolly Parton, demons, baby eaters, black pumpkins, Roger Ebert, Jim Caviezel, Gabe-rock, Pesciwood, and the Hokey Pokey. ALSO: Justine and Steve Sleeve join us for a competitive round of “What’s The Best?” (AC/DC edition) and we pay tribute to Rick Froberg. Is this the best episode ever?
The last night of our world tour of two cities had us at The Bur Oak in Ben’s adopted hometown of Madison, Wisconsin — where we welcomed our favorite Queen of the Scene: Ms. Cathy Dethmers. As former owner of both O’Cayz Corral AND High Noon Saloon, Cathy was (and IS) a beloved key figure in Madison’s excellent and influential indie-rock community — and we were honored to have her. PLUS!: Gabe tries wasabi nuts, Iron Maiden vs. Replacements trivia is rigged, One Shot with Scott, a great crowd, and Cathy tries to dethrone Gabe in another round of Lifers Against Humanity.
It’s legend time around here again as we welcome Mr. Greg Norton. That’s right. THAT Greg Norton — trailblazing bass player from one of the all time great American rock bands: fucking Husker Du. What more do you want? Anyway — it was our pleasure to talk to Greg about mustaches, Black Flag, insane tours of the West Coast, the Twin Cities, playing the Longhorn, playing the 7th Street Entry, Replacements rivalries, rivalries from within, Sonny Vincent and Shotgun Rationale, becoming a chef, playing jazz in The Gang Font, Porcupine, cancer scares, bonus cups, talkative Bob, the Joan Rivers show, and Greg’s excellent new punk-rock supergroup Ultrabomb. This is a good one, folks.
This episode recorded LIVE at Gman Tavern in Chicago, IL on June 6 has it all: Bowling, Indian food, the most horrific day of Gabe’s life, Malort, Iron Maiden vs. Replacements trivia, Ben’s hell-ride with Herb, booster seats, ice cream, Shotgun Steve Reidell, UFOFU, a few more rounds of Lifers Against Humanity, and Josh Caterer of Smoking Popes makes his long awaited return to the show. PLUS!!! Another great audience to laugh at our stupid jokes. All in all — a terrific night! Let’s relive the magic.
The guys welcome returning champion (and LIFERS secret weapon that you may remember from episode 5 — aka “that Genesis episode”) Steve Reidell(!) back to the podcast to talk about last week’s LIFERS live shows, Scott’s trip to Tribeca, Dolly Parton’s coleslaw, the age of Carol O’Connor, Zach Waxer, the origin story of Stv Slv, Chip Z’nuff’s car, and the top 3 songs to play if you happen to be DJing a prom in 1982. This episode is simply breathtaking.
After a couple years of dipping our collective toe into this whole podcast thing — we decided to dip our toe into the whole LIVE podcast thing. Recorded live at the Gman Tavern in Chicago, IL. last Monday — this episode has it all. Herb making fruity drinks, Un-punk Gabe getting cute with a Chipotle dung-bag, Steve Reidell making shotgun noises, Kelly Wey pouring a few “One Shots with Scott”, Ben hosting a few rounds of Lifers Against Humanity, some one-man acoustic jams, and —to Ben’s disbelief— a surprise visit from Chip Z’nuff! PLUS!!! A terrific audience that made us feel good and laughed at all of our stupid jokes. You may ask yourself: What sort of person would show up to this particular brand of nonsense? As it turns out, a pretty great sort of person. And we had a blast.
On this week’s episode: Chicago comedy hero Kyle Kinane stops by to shoot the shit. In more ways than one. Having booked himself to appear on our podcast the same night he had to -um- “prepare” for a colonoscopy scheduled the next morning (it happens) — this is an episode with an air of suspense that’s worthy of Hitchcock. Kyle grins, bears it, and tries to sit still for Scott’s probing …questions. How do you get a guy who’s a C-hair away from shitting himself to honor his non-“binding” commitment to this silly podcast, you ask? Well, it might help that Kyle is a bit of a fan of Gabe’s deadpan style of comic cluelesness (although, in typical Gabe fashion, that didn’t stop Gabe from ramming in an oblivious insult or two). It also helps that Kyle has maintained a non-pretentious working class attitude about his career that’s allowed him to keep his head, not buy into the show-biz bullshit, and protect the part of his job that he loves the most: Telling jokes and making people laugh. We couldn’t be happier to have Kyle on as our first comedian — and before he had to run off to the bathroom, we managed to get him to talk about his new comedy special (“Shocks & Struts”), shutting down his long running podcast “The Boogie Monster”, honing a stand-up style in the eye of the Chicago music scene, how to shit in a box (again), Chipotle (also again), the meaning of success, “Casino” Rickles vs. “Natural Born Killers” Rodney, the Katt Williams effect, Loverboy adjacent stories, Kyle’s first run-in with Scott, always galloping on a desert island, and dropping wavs in folders. Back to basics, baby!
We all have that friend that got us into punk rock and was in our first bands with us. Jerry Newbrough was Scott’s. On this episode we talk to Jerry about going to high school with Gabe and Scott, Christian rock, moving to Madison, He Who Cannot Be Named, O’Cayz Corral, Cathy Dethmers, designing the “As Good As Dead” cover, loving music too much to play it, Greg Norton, Jerry’s bands Mr. Peabody and Pound, WI, and (of course) Zion food-punk legends The Family Cruisers.
And the legends just keep on coming. This week we’re pleased as punch to have Mr. Tommy Stinson on the show. If you’re like Gabe and you don’t know — Tommy is one of rock’s great bass players, great stars, and great lifers. Getting his start at age 11 (ELEVEN?!?) in the undeniably seminal Replacements , Tommy went on to form the bands Bash & Pop and Perfect before lending his bass chops and cool factor to Guns N’ Roses, Soul Asylum, and Puff Daddy. On this episode we talk to the man about being a punk star in high school, sneaking into clubs that he’s playing in, Husker Du, Wendy O. Williams, legendary SNL performances, disastrous tours with Tom Petty, and Tommy’s great new band Cowboys In The Campfire. Viva la lifers!
Hey! Waddya know? We got a legend on the podcast this week. Michael Alago knows everybody. No. Seriously. He knows EVERYBODY. So we asked the former A&R superstar (and current photographing king) about some of them. We also talk about Michael signing Metallica to Elektra records, living in (and embodying) New York, signing White Zombie to Geffen, working at the Ritz, making a ‘zine for the Dead Boys, Cliff & Simon & Garfunkel, making a blues record with Cyndi Lauper, L’Amour, Mike’s documentary (“Who The Fuck Is That Guy?”), Steve Earle, signing Nina Simone, being responsible for “Hands On The Bible”, Eric Bogosian and “Talk Radio”, Ether Coven, the PIL riot, and Gabe getting better questions. PLUS!: LIFERS goes live, and AI goes Local.
Eric Oblander —everybody’s favorite vocalist and harmonica player for everybody’s favorite heavy-rock blues band (Toledo’s 5 Horse Johnson)— is our guest this week and you are WELCOME! This episode’s been a long time coming and we got to talk to Eric about Detroit, going on tour with The Necros, forming the Johnson, going to strip clubs with Frodo, Motorhead, Aldo Nova, meeting Rights Of The Accused, the Megadeth backstage chicken story, Big Chief, temporarily joining Clutch, playing on a Local H record, firecracker fights, and Eric gives us HIS thoughts on U2. Goddamn, we love this guy!(We also make a little announcement that you MIGHT be interested in.)
It’s Bring Your Daughter To Work Week over here at The Lifers Podcast. First up we welcome Ben’s daughter Lily to the show — seems like she’s got a beef with her ol’ pops about his unflattering impersonations of her (as well as Ben’s way with a tall tale or two). And then it’s time for our favorite 11-year-old Green-Mountain-Garwin student — Helena Brandt (and her awesome mom Cara Gwinn). Turns out Helena’s doing a school paper on Scott (that’s right!) and has a few questions for him (questions that may or may not involve candy). Also on this totally beep-arific episode: Big Mac sauce, Canadians, COVERBOY, “Bunny Lake Is Missing”, the Therapy Cabal, bananas, and Gabe learns a new word. BEEP!!!
This week we flash back to LAST week to finish what we started with Mahmood Shaikh: Counting down our favorite U2 songs. The answers may surprise you. Or not. PLUS: Scott talks about Michael, Ben talks about Springsteen tickets, Louise Post drops by to talk about her new single and tour (and the useless Local H shirt she bought), and Gabe locks himself in his office. So un-punk.
We’ve been trying to get Mahmood Saikh on the show almost since the podcast started. And finally, he has relented, but with the caveat that he be allowed to appear not as a traditional guest —oh, no, no!— he wanted to be treated as “just one of the guys”. A panel position, if you will. Fine. We accept you. One of us. The indie-rock booking-agent maestro DID send us a bio, however — so here it is: “Mahmood Shaikh is an agent at Concerted Efforts. He represents a wide range of artists including Algiers, Boris, Frankie Rose, Jawbox, Karate, Mr Twin Sister, Nothing, SURVIVE, Ted Leo, We Were Promised Jetpacks, and many others in North America and other territories. Previously, he was an agent at Flowerbooking, Inc. where for over a decade he sat next to the guy that booked Local H. Last name is pronounced “Shake”.”Anyway, on this episode we talk about Mahmood’s love of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Scott’s Global Entry worthiness, 1982, Michael, Commie Liberal Pinko Tuesday, upside down pizza, U2 cover bands, Gabe’s fever for Pac-Man, and finally — COVERBOY: Chicago’s newest super-group. This is Ben’s kind of episode. Gooble gobble.
It’s not like Material Issue is the most obscure or overlooked band in the history of Chicago music, but no matter how many power pop music fests get named after them (like the long running International Pop Overthrow festival — which takes its name from their classic debut album), they will always land towards the top of the list of the city’s most underrated bands. And now there’s a new documentary —“Out Of Time: The Material Issue Story”— that seeks to rectify that injustice. We talked to drummer Mike Zelenko about the love the band’s been getting at the recent sold out Q&As for the movie, as well as his experiences recording in Scott’s hometown at the Shoes studio, going to high school with Mike O’Connell, opening the Replacements’ final show, Michael Chapman, tuna subs, fucking Enuff Z’nuff, the aftermath of Jim Ellison’s suicide, and Ted Ansani’s legendary pompadour.
Hey, everybody! It’s Jimmy Flemion from The Frogs!!! And we can scarcely believe it. To coincide with the elusive Mr. Flemion’s rare public appearances this week (tonight in Milwaukee and Saturday night in Chicago —with Scott opening up!) we were lucky enough to get the man on the podcast to talk about the forthcoming Frogs documentary, growing up in Milwaukee with his brother Dennis, glam rock, The Kinks, being in a band with Sebastian Bach, the sweet embrace of grunge, the Dio documentary, Pat Robertson, Smashing Pumpkins, and a certain Go-Gos cover gets the Song Imploder treatment.
Todd Philips has it all figured out. He’s got an artistically fulfilling day job in film editing that affords him the time to go on tour when the opportunity presents itself. He’s made a wonderful life in L.A. for himself while remaining super-tight with his Boston rock family. And —most importantly— he knows “Paddington Bear 2” is the best movie of all time. On this episode we talk to Todd about playing drums for Juliana Hatfield, Bullet Lavolta & the Lemonheads — touring with Soundgarden, getting screwed by Lita Ford, being a sorta “brother in law” to David Yow, teaching Scott to ski, Pedro Pascale, and why drummers make the best editors. PLUS!: “All The Kids Are Right” gets the Song Imploder treatment. You’re welcome?
Cool people don’t really like to talk about themselves — and Aly Jados (of the super awesome Chicago band Blood People) is really cool, so she REALLY doesn’t like to talk about herself. But all that reserved reticence won’t stop the guys from pestering Aly about her dad’s guitar, scary band names, her new Monday bowling nights, making heavy music that’s catchy as fuck, singing Steven Tyler songs in front of Steven Tyler, favorite Metallica songs, Punky Brewster, ghosts, and Gabe’s scented balls.
After a crazy weekend featuring a Local H show at The Metro, the guys get together and talk about underwhelming concert shirts, the Chicago mayoral election (sorry, Lori), and being on baby watch. And then our new pal Jim Rota of Fireball Ministry & The Company Band pops in to liven up the joint and talk about touring with Dio, making movies with Dave Grohl, Pop Up Video, Sonic Highways, Lemmy, Scott Reeder, Beck royalty checks, the Chronicles Of Narnia, and being a rock and roll Forrest Gump. You’re gonna love this guy.
On a happy Local H At The Metro Day, the guys count down their favorite covers. What’s the best?!? PLUS: Devil Gaby, These Are The Daves I Know, the Boston Globe calls us “dude-centric”, Gabe sold some books, Shmoo sucks, Mix Master Ben dredges up a traumatic childhood memory for Scott, and What’s The Most Un-Punk Thing Gabe Did This Week?
We finally got Walter! Our ol’ buddy Walter Schreifels has been in more bands than you’ve had hot lunches and on this episode we tried (TRIED!) to get to all of them. We failed, of course — but here’s some of what we DID get to: Quicksand, Gorilla Biscuits, Rival Schools, Youth Of Today, Gabe’s “Good & Plenty” zine, recording “Slip”, CIV, Don Fury, The Ramones, Walter sings the hits, Gabe’s Gorilla Biscuits jacket, Walter plays “La Grange”, and Ben whiffs hard on Van Halen. And oh yeah—before we forget. Thank you, Walter!https://deathwishinc.com/collections/iodine-recordings/products/quicksand-slip-deluxe-book
At 29, Dee Radke is the youngest guest we’ve had on the show — but even if you were to stack a group of 50 year old lifers twenty feet high, you still couldn’t out-lifer the guys in Radkey. On this episode we talk to Dee about bands of brothers, the influence of Richard Linklater’s ‘School Of Rock’, Fishbone hitting on your mom, touring with Foo Fighters, Jack White’s big hugs, dodging Covid on tour with Local H, and video games. PLUS!: The guys give their picks for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. You’ll never guess Gabe’s number one.
Chicago photographer Gene Ambo has shot more bands than you’ve had hot meals (and some of you really need to stop posting pictures of those meals). On this episode we talk to the long lens legend about his excellent photo book (HEAVY METRO: ACCESS ALL ERAS), shooting Motörhead (minus Fast Eddie), Lemmy’s short shorts, the heyday of rock magazines, fake blood with Samhain vs. real blood with Iggy Pop, getting in on the ground floor with Metallica, Paul Natkin, the days of actually mailing shit, and Ben finally gets a good Enuff Z’nuff story. PLUS!: The guys have Oscar fever — so they’re giving their picks for who will win, who should win, and who REALLY should win.
Sullen is one of the great bands of the ‘00s and Justin Slazinik —who, along with Shanna Kiel, was the co-leader of that band— is one of the great songwriters of the era. And now he’s back with a new band (called Slazinik, appropriately enough) and a great new record that comes out in April (called LICK ‘EM TOMORROW — equally appropriate!). On this episode we talk to our ol’ buddy about Sullen, Left Brain Heart, secret tour languages, being a sandwich artist, getting sober, THICK records, baseball, and OutKast. Welcome back, Justin. PLUS!: What do you call that hair that’s on Scott’s face?
When word got out that Allen Epley from Shiner and The Life And Times was moving to Chicago, folks were pretty happy about it. Not surprising. You know when people use that phrase “he’s a solid dude”? They’re usually talking about Allen. On this episode, Mr. Epley takes time out from hosting his own podcast —the excellent Third Gear Scratch— to talk to us about his excellent new solo album (called EVERYTHING), his excellent gig with Blue Man Group, the excellent Kansas City rock scene, opening for Shooting Star (excellent!), Chapman Sticks (excellent?), and Broasis — his excellent Oasis cover band. On a scale of one to excellent, this episode is pretty good.
Here it is, folks! The best episode ever. Our 100th episode. All of our favorite bits and guests are here. Compiled for you in one digestible episode. So, if you’ve been on the fence about listening to this show — here’s your chance, newbie. Get on board. And if you’ve been listening to this thing from the beginning — THANK YOU! Here’s to the next 100.
We all have stories. It’s just that Pat Healy’s are better than yours. If you’re Gabe, you know Pat from his directorial debut “Take Me” (now streaming on Netflix!)— but if you’re like the rest of us, you know Pat from fucking EVERYTHING! “Ghost World”, “Magnolia”, “Cheap Thrills”, “Compliance”, “The Post”, “The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford” — fucking “Better Call Saul”! He also hung out at Steppenwolf with Michael Shannon, Terry Kinney, and goddamned STEVE MARTIN!!! So just kick back, shut up, and listen to Pat tell you about the time he cried in Steven Spielberg’s office. You’re welcome.
In anticipation of Local H’s DUMB AND DUMBER themed New Year’s Eve shows this weekend in Milwaukee and Chicago (at Shank Hall and Bottom Lounge, respectively), the guys sit down and watch the unrated “extended” version of the 1994 Farrelly Brothers classic starring Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, and Duff. To provide some history and much needed analysis, we asked our resident D&D expert —Justine McMahon— to join us for our third “audio commentary” episode. So if you don’t know, here’s how it works: Turn the sound down on your TV and when Ben gives you the signal —“3, 2, 1, GO!”— press play on your copy (or stream) of DUMB AND DUMBER (make sure it’s the uncut and unrated version) and then follow us to a place where the beer flows like wine and beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. We’re talking about a little place called The LIFERS Podcast.
Sometimes you go out on tour with a band and you can’t wait for the tour to be over so you can get away from that band. And then sometimes you go out with a band and they become your new best friends. For Local H, that band is Helmet. On this frigid Christmas weekend we are joined by Wisconsin native, Helmet drummer, and all-around swell guy Kyle Stevenson. We talk to Kyle about moving to L.A., having a plane fly into your apartment building, Big Collapse, Ozzfest, murderous kangaroos, Flitter, drunk stories, the Indie Drummer Collective, Harry Schmerler, and where the hell is Gabe’s jacket?
On a super sized episode of the show: Scott returns home from the final leg of the HERE COMES THE ZOO tour (in Canada!) and joins Ben and Gabe for a chat with KT’s Kids founder Katie Augustyn about the annual benefit show happening at Liar’s Club this Saturday. As an added bonus, Ben went and set up a special social media Zoom invite so we could do a Q&A with anybody who wanted to tap in. Was it a success? Who made the cut? Did Gabe manage to stay awake? Listen and find out.https://www.zuma.live/event/76?fbclid=IwAR0pThAKwJeR_nr8v7C28yguaf7ZWUGsakcQUnOPH2oxVw8R_G7dMXNsh_Y
On their day off, Local H decided to play an acoustic show at a dispensary in Holyoke. And then this happened. The guys ramble about Boston (the town), Deee-lite, pickle quesadillas, Christine McVie, un-punk things that Gabe does, Pat Healy movies, Chinese food, the Shues, soccer, and being Poo-Bum kingmakers.
On a road report from Charlotte that can only be described as Poo Bum Poo Bum, Scott, Ryan, Dave, Gabe and Ben talk World Cup, Metallica, juicy bananas, Banana Splits, Bananas, Kanye Twitty, Robert Conrad, Pen Pineapple Apple Pen, Bad Religion Christmas songs, holiday card etiquette, and so much less. Best of luck with this one!
On this week’s episode we have a laid back hang with our friend Chris Anzolone — a great drummer and a long time fixture of the Boston music scene who, in a stroke of mid-life clarity, decided it would be fun to run a record store. So he bought Boston’s Stereo Jack’s and VOILA! He’s the proud owner of a record store in the Somerville area. There’s a little more to it than that — and we get into it. ALSO: Pesto, being a working musician, football vs. football, Evan Dando on the Vineyard, Dolly Parton, and Gabe finally says the “p” word.
Mike Willison is one of the lifers in Scott’s life, so this episode is full of — shall we say “inside baseball”? Some of that baseball includes: Figdish, Caviar, The Prairie Cartel, beard growing contests, salt water colonics on the road, sommeliers, Lou Reed taking all your money, Merit Badge, Portland, and the LONDON Suede. Also: The guys get Gabe to say a bad word.
Steve Barton is living the dream. After years of near-misses and being ignored, Barton has finally hit the indie-horror bullseye as an executive producer of Damien Leone’s surprise hit “Terrifier 2” — and he’s savoring every goddamn minute of it. Steve tells us about being a life-long horror devotee, his time at Dread Central, being Uncle Creepy, hero-peeing in George Romero’s hotel bathroom, smoking pot out of carrots with Sid Haig, looking like Paul Di’Anno (well, according to Gabe), why low budget horror is the best horror, and still being —above all— a fucking FAN of all of it!
Pointless doesn’t even begin to describe it. A Road Report with nothing to lose — featuring the charms of Wausau, the pros and cons of Jerry Lee Lewis, Ben’s skepticism over Todd Field, Dracula Juice, REVOLVER, the Daves we know, Gabe’s fever for the Pac-Man, adjectives, old bags, and Scott’s X-rated Sarah Silverman impersonation. Good luck.
After a “few” drinks at dinner, Ryan and Scott answer questions that Ben collected from the audience at the 10/21 Metro show. Topics include the squandering of Rod Stewart’s God-given gifts, the squandering of Steve Miller’s killer pop instincts, color Kubrick movies in black and white, the firing of Dewey Cole, booze hounds, useless hot sauces, sitting next to Udo Kier, Ben’s man love for Justin Hawkins, Ryan’s shower fantasies, and Gabe says “Fuck this”. This might be the best Road Report ever, but to paraphrase Billy Crudup in “Almost Famous” — we may have been in too truthful a mood.
It’s another road report. It’s also Gabe’s lunch hour — so he’s a little hangry. And pickle obsessed. Gabe is obsessed with pickles. This episode is sick. Not the good sick. The bad sick. Listen at your own peril.
Poor Mike Alonso. He’s played drums in a ton of bands (including Flogging Molly, Electric Six and Five Horse Johnson), was on a first name basis with Dio, saw “Dawn Of The Dead” IN THE THEATER on its original release, and has an encyclopedic knowledge of every bootleg from Black Sabbath to CCR —but even with all of THAT— the guy still thinks he’s not terribly interesting and doesn’t understand why we’d ask him to be on the podcast. Typical Mike. Join us as we disabuse him of that notion. Also: Ben is trapped in a hoary netherworld, the Dahmer series is some sick shit, and we talk a lot about Black Sabbath. Seriously. There is a LOT of Black Sabbath-y stuff on this episode. Halloween approaches!
About as lifer-ey as they get, Kevin Seconds is just one of those guys. The kind of guy that inspires you to be more creative, more independent, more mindful of those around you. He just fucking makes you want to be better. At least that’s what he did for us, and we couldn’t be more honored to have him on the show. On this episode we talk to Kevin about 7 Seconds (duh), building a scene in Reno, Cheech & Chong & The Dils, recording THE CREW, internet trolls vs. skinheads, Riotfest, sad band break-ups, triumphant band returns, touring with Circle Jerks and Negative Approach, playing Gabe’s birthday party, and designing the first Local H logo. This is a good one, folks.
Get in the van with Scott, hunker down with Gabe, and eat an edible and chill with Ben. This episode has it all — and less. Recorded in the middle of Local H’s latest white-line exodus back from the west coast — the guys talk about… well, shit. What DID we talk about???
The second week of the HCTZ tour finds the boys temporarily laid-up in Willows, California. Ben hears things, Scott talks, Gabe laughs, Ryan pees and Dave spends the episode in the bathroom. Plus PEARL, The Holocaust, Triumph and more on an all-new LIFERS Road Report!
Despite Scott’s objections, the Road Report is back! On this edition we discuss (if that’s the word you could use for it) the HERE COMES THE ZOO tour, trucker strange, Dave Lugo, the best road songs, the sweariest movies, “Barbarian”, open caption, PEN15, the “c” word — and in an effort to save the episode, Ben pulls out a new episode of Local H Song Imploder.
Having somebody believe in you for five minutes is hard enough — having somebody believe in you for over 20 years is a goddamn miracle. This week we talk to long-time Local H manager Eddie Applebaum about his musician parents, the recording of HERE COMES THE ZOO, Coke commercials, street teams, Morningwood, Flickerstick, Scott’s adventure in Russia, Tick Tock, Jerry Only, and why Eddie hates this podcast.
Some sound guys are assholes — and some sound guys are beloved low-key gods. Paul Massaro falls into the second category. This week we talk to the former Local H sound guy about his remarkable life working with Cheap Trick, Mastodon, Brazilian Girls, Paul Anka, Triplefastaction, Seam, and supervising the sound for the Pitchfork music festival. He also tells Scott’s favorite story.
Our guest fell through and Scott is out of friends — so this week we’re going guestless! On this episode we talk with Greg Corner (okay — Scott has ONE friend) about the Joe Cassidy tribute show at the Metro this Sunday, Gabe tries to sell us on Cinderella, best Aerosmith songs, full of shit Boston songs, muscle shirts, “The Sadness”, and Ben stages an impromptu “Song Imploder” on one of Local H’s most divisive songs.
If you follow this podcast at all, you probably know that Gabe is an inexplicably huge fan of GREASE 2. Well, we figured that for our second movie commentary episode, we’d throw Gabe a bone and cue that sucker up (if you happened to catch our Christmas episode where we watched IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, you’ll know what to expect). And in the interest of providing some context and behind the scenes knowledge —as well as providing Gabe with a much needed ally— we asked our friend and GREASE 2 expert Gwen Ihnat to return to the show and help us out. So when we give you the signal — you press play on your copy (or stream) of GREASE 2 and then join us for the greatest step ladder-straddling Michelle Pfeiffer movie of all time. Cool rider, indeed.
Just in time for the 20th anniversary of HERE COMES THE ZOO — we finally convince former Local H (and Triplefastaction) drummer Brian St. Clair to do the show. On this episode we talk to the bird-watching legend about recording with Jack Douglas, Bobby Brady, the correct way to pronounce Cheap Trick, Rod Stewart’s dick pics, selling Misfits records to Gabe, the break up of Triplefast, being one of the best drummers to ever come out of Chicago, and Brian comes clean about the great Rights Of The Accused poop mystery.
It stands to reason — the longer you stay in the game of writing and performing music, the older your audience gets. But Kay Hanley’s audience has only gotten younger. She went from pumping out the catchiest Cheap Trick influenced alterna-pop for the alterna-kids of the ‘90s in her band Letters To Cleo — to entertaining the kids of THOSE kids writing songs for shows such as “Doc McStuffins” and “DC Superhero Girls”. Along the way, she’s managed to maintain a stellar solo career — and the debut entry in that career (“Cherry Marmalade”) just happens to turn 20 this year. So she’s doing what we all do: Putting that shit out on vinyl and hitting the road. We’ve known Kay for a long time and there’s nobody cooler. On this episode we forget to talk about Josie And The Pussycats, Hannah Montana, and Adam Scott — but we REMEMBER to talk about “10 Things I Hate About You”, Heath Ledger, Mike Denneen, her work with the Songwriters of North America (a foundation she co-founded, by the way), baseball, covering each other’s songs, football, “Jesus Christ Superstar”, growing up across the street from the Wahlbergs, “Melrose Place”, Barry Manilow, and REAL football! We also put Kay’s Rain Man-like ability for remembering lyrics to the Elvis Costello test.
Max Crawford has been a revered and respected member of the Chicago entertainment community for over 30 years. He’s a sought after trumpet player and multi-instrumentalist who’s played with Wilco, Poi Dog Pondering, Archer Prewitt, The Waco Brothers, Scott Lucas & The Married Men, and even Willie Nelson. He’s also a long time bartender at the Metro — perhaps you’ve been served by him once or twice at a show. And oh, yeah! He also helps operate the scoreboard at Wrigley Field. He’s a goddamn Chicago treasure and we were thrilled to have him on the podcast. And then Gabe asked him a question…
In the Chicago music scene of the ‘90s, nobody’s rise seemed more sudden and meteoric than Veruca Salt’s — but that success was the culmination of many years of dreaming, conceptualizing , and waiting patiently for the right group of people to come along. And to hear singer-guitarist Louise Post tell it — a bit of luck and some chance encounters with actress Lili Taylor didn’t hurt either. We’re big fans of Louise around here and we’ve been trying to make this episode happen for well over a year. Luckily, she was able to take a break from recording her first solo album to talk with us about bowling, skiing, hanging out with Kim Deal, St. Louis, burritos, bunny suits, internal combustion, and indie-rock bitchiness. She also managed to paint us one too f the most complete portraits of a lifer that we’ve yet had on this show. Thanks, Louise. This is a good one.
It’s an excellent day for an exorcism. After singing the praises of Joe Barresi’s awesome remix of Dio’s “Holy Diver” album (and NOT doing that for FX’s “The Bear”), the guys invite Michael McMahon over to the mic to talk about “Raging Bull”, his time as a detective in New York City, AC/DC, and being Justine’s dad. Unfortunately, things did not get very far due to a certain diabolical corn chip… A lot of cursing on this one.
If the Music Box Theatre is a church (and to Scott, it definitely is), then Julian Antos is its high-priest projectionist. As the beloved movie house’s technical director —as well as being a co-founder of the Chicago Film Society— Julian has been preaching the celluloid gospel for over a decade. But to hear him tell it, it’s been a lifelong addiction. On this episode we talk about having a 70mm projector in your apartment, “The Master”, working at the Genesee theater in Waukegan, screening “I Saw What You Did”, being an infant at “My Own Private Idaho”, skulking around Facets as an 11 year old, and those mean-spirited “Room” fans. ALSO: Gabe attempts to make the setlist for the Local H show this Sunday at Taste Of Chicago.
Is Matt Walker Chicago’s most prolific drummer? Or as Gabe says, “The Skunk Baxter of drums”? Maybe. In any case, we love the guy and on this episode we talk about his pretty amazing career as drummer for (among others) Cupcakes, Filter, Smashing Pumpkins, Garbage, and fucking Morrisey!!! Also discussed: Michael Shannon, Sons Of The Silent Age, having Sinead O’Connor as a houseguest, favorite Bowie Songs, good parenting, and crumbling in the presence of Chrissie Hynde. It’s a good one.
Ed Valauskas is good people. Called the Zelig of the Boston rock scene, Ed is your go-to guy if you need to form a quick pick-up backing band for a music legend —or need to record an album full of Olivia Newton-John covers. He’s also the de facto musical director of the annual Hot Stove, Cool Music shows (the Chicago edition is coming up on July 1st at the Metro) and the studio manager at Boston’s legendary Q Division Studios. Did we mention he plays bass? On this episode: Covid, Christian rock, New Haven Pizza, Chicago Pizza, Graham Parker, Mike Deneen, Juliana Hatfield, The Gravel Pit, Tom Morello’s hat, and Scott falls on his ass.
Hot Stove, Cool Music info:
https://www.ftbnl.org/
Tix: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/4311746/
Way out in Chicago there was this fella... fella I wanna tell ya about. Fella by the name of Gary Kessler. At least that was the handle his loving parents gave him. There was a lot about Gary that didn't make a whole lot of sense. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place so darned interestin'. They call it Liar’s Club. And Gary lives a few floors above it. He spends his days dreaming up ways to pretty up the place. Innovatin’ and such. Yeah. He’s a real crafty fella. You could say he’s like the MacGyver of Liar’s Club. He even makes Liar’s Club t-shirts and Liar’s Club jean jackets. That might seem like a thankless job to some — but we’re talkin’ about a guy who used to play keyboards in a metal band. Ain’t no job more thankless than that. I only mention this because sometimes there's a man... I won't say a hero, 'cause, what's a hero? But sometimes, there's a man. And I'm talkin' about Gary here. Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Gary at Liar’s Club. Yup. Sometimes, there's a man.
You might know Pete Beeman from being the drummer in Guzzard —a mainstay of the early/mid ‘90s Minneapolis Amphetamine Reptile scene— or you might know him from his time playing for Burning Brides. But you’re probably going to want to know him from his latest band: the thoroughly excellent Killer Hill — a band that just so happens to be one of the finest metal bands around right now. But Pete’s not the kind of guy to promote himself, so the conversation quickly turns to other topics. Topics like torturing politicians, barf-o-ramas with Scott, gaslighting, playing drums for Local H, touring with Mastodon, “Soul Man” vs. “Soul Plane”, doing everything his brothers tell him to do, Ray Liotta, and posing as a beaver trapper. Yeah. That’s right.
Don’t even think of listening to this one at work. You WILL get fired. The Beer Nuts are the, um, Chicago gold standard for hooky, lawsuit-skirting, morally questionable, insult-comedy punk-rock (does that cover it?). At the center of this circus is the, um, mind of Joe Kelly: Part imp, part clown prince, and more than a little delinquent. He’s also a true lifer that has written some of our favorite songs and never fails to make us laugh. On this episode we (try) to talk to Joe about his first band Lost Cause, his years as a member of Ministry, David Mamet, military school in Canada, The Payolas, being the beer kid at Metro, Herb, the Creed meltdown show, and the time he kicked Gabe’s brother in the head. This episode is brought to you by toilet paper.
Freda Love Smith is retiring. She’s an indie-rock icon who’s been in more bands than you’ve had hot meals. Her first band —the fabled Blake Babies— helped define the late ‘80s/early ‘90s Boston music scene. Her tight, multi-faceted style of drumming evokes everyone from Moe Tucker to Ringo Starr. But that part of her life is about to end in a little over a month when —due to a variety of reasons— she’ll pick up her sticks for the final time when she performs at the long running Hot Stove Cool Music benefit at the Metro. At least that’s what SHE says. Time will tell. Regardless — she’ll always be cool. On this episode we talk to Freda about “Breaking Away”, moving to Boston, the first time she quit music, macrobiotic cults, Mysteries Of Life, living in a hobbit hole, Some Girls, her foodie/rock memoir “Red Velvet Underground”, her forthcoming book about Angela Atwood, Scott yammers on about “Network”, Jane Pauley, Sunshine Boys, and Freda is retiring.
If you were a fan of smart punk-influenced power pop in the ‘90s, chances are that one of your favorite “shoulda-been-bigger” bands from that decade are Ruth Ruth. This week, the band’s guitarist (and Ben’s old Park Slope Copy Center pal) Mike Lustig pays a visit to the show to talk about Ruth Ruth’s (sorta) beginnings as a blues band, why he hates the name of every band he’s ever been in, opening for Stevie Ray Vaughn on the night of his death, recording with Brett Gurewitz, getting wasted on the Mancow show, touring with Everclear and No Doubt, farming songs out to Kid Rock, and the Great Double Door Shit Show. Enjoy!
This episode has everything: Justine, Karen, Pittsburgh, picklebacks, padawan soundmen, Ryan, Rookie, birthday pizza, Greg Suran meets Skunk Baxter, big organs, Phil Spector fanclubs, Pink Floyd fanboys, end of tour ennui, jalapeño poppers, the return of “Mind Games”, and the specter of Gary Coleman refuses to go away. It’s a madhouse.
We love Tamar Berk — and now you’re going to love her, too. Tamar came up in the ‘90s Chicago scene with her band Starball, but her finest work would have to be the pair of excellent solo records she released in 2021 and ‘22. On this episode we try to figure out how that happened. We also talk about mean scenes, moving to (and moving out of)Portland, Matt Walker, finding your voice, Rush, being in a family of functioning musicians, The Countdown, her daughter’s band The Inflorescence, working with Ron Nevison, “Athena” vs. “Eminence Front”, Steve Malkmus, the things kids say these days, and (unfortunately) Gary Coleman comes up again.
The Music Box Theatre in Chicago puts on a lot of film festivals. And Scott goes to all of them. From the 70mm fest to the Music Box of Horrors to the Dolly Parton 9 to 5er — you’ll find that fucker at nearly every one. But maybe the greatest and most immersive fests at the Box are Chicago songwriter/composer/projectionist Daniel Knox’s weeklong David Lynch retrospectives. The first one took place in 2017 and the second (“The Return”) happened a few weeks ago. And Scott was in the front row. On this episode we pester Daniel about his love of Lynch, his hatred of inappropriate movie theater etiquette, why he’s living in Portugal, his excellent music (which has favored driving soundtrack status in the Local H van), projecting 70mm film, aspect ratios, owls, and why “Fire Walk With Me” rules. This is Scott’s dream episode.
Local H are on tour again — so that means it’s time for another Road Report. Which means drunken, inane, and pointless conversations in a hotel room. Ryan and Scott talk to Ben and Gabe about Joe Pesci, Dustin Hoffman, the second verse of “Jump”, G ‘n’ R, Kevin Costner, German “Queer Eye”, Danny Elfman, “Animal House”, and Jeff Daniels. This might be the most pointless episode yet. And it’s great.
Since 1993, The Onion’s AV Club has been the source for some of the best pop-culture writing around. And since their offices were located in Chicago, it had also been a distinct source of pride for midwesterners. All that changed when new owners G/O Media announced that they would be shutting down the Chicago office and moving operations to L.A. to “grow its entertainment relationships”. Members of the staff were given an ultimatum: Move to L.A. or quit. Gwen Ihnat —who’d been with the site since 2013 and is a veteran Chicago journalist if there ever was one— was one of those writers that decided to move on. On this episode we don’t really talk about the A.V. Club debacle (for contractual reasons, Gwen can’t discuss it), but we DO talk about her time at The Illinois Entertainer, screwing up the words to a Liz Phair song, Cheap Trick, Tom Jones, Jared Leto, pissing off Liane Moriarty, and why Gwen’s to blame for Local H’s cover of “Shock The Monkey”.
On the eve of a certain very invasive medical procedure for Scott (see episode 54), the guys try to get a little invasive with Metro owner Joe Shanahan. A task that proves to be near impossible, as Joe —writhing and squirming like a goldfish— deflects questions at every turn and attempts to transform the interview into something resembling an episode of “This Is Your Life” for Scott. Crafty. But that’s okay — the few times we were able to pin Mr. Shanahan down, we got him to talk about running the best music venue in the world, hanging out at the Hacienda, booking R.E.M., the days (or nights) when Smart Bar was on the 4th floor, helping Dave Grohl get a new drum set, pipelines to Minnesota, the best pizza in Chicago, smoking pot with the Clash, and why love means never having to say “I told you so”. This episode is sponsored by CLENPIQ.
Greg Suran has been called the Skunk Baxter of Chicago. Actually, only Gabe calls him that, but the shoe kinda fits. Since leaving his band —the brilliant but troubled Cupcakes— in the early 2000s to be something of a ronin guitar-slinger, Greg has gone on to play with everyone from Sunny Day Real Estate to Joe Walsh to Lionel Ritchie. On this episode, we talk about all of that PLUS: Playing with the B-52s, earthquakes, the lack of vegan food in Saudi Arabia, playing with Local H, L.A vs. Chicago, playing with the Goo Goo Dolls, A Band Called Horse, playing with Liz Phair, timing, and waking up with your head in the jaws of Slash’s pet mountain lion.
In the non-stop cavalcade of Scott’s ‘90s pals, Blake Smith is among the closest. As guitarist and vocalist for Fig Dish (and later, Caviar and The Prairie Cartel) — Blake has been there with Scott through a lot of the ups and downs of the Chicago music scene for the last — oh, never mind how many years it’s been. Just listen. On this episode we talk about bad band names, playing the Metro for the first time, bad touring experiences (where Blake tells the story that makes Scott gag), working with Lou Giordano and Tom Lord-Alge, “Eminence Front” vs. “Athena”, Sponge-jacking, Zebra, and for some reason Gabe is dressed like a leprechaun pimp.
A post-Keith Smith discussion on an all-new installment of everyone's favorite mid-week bonus episode: Ben's Bits.
Of all the impossible obstacles you could voluntarily place in front of you, being a Christian metal band in Nashville has got to be right at the top. Seriously. What’s the Christian metal scene in Nashville like? We don’t know — but we’re betting that Keith Smith’s band Oblivion Myth IS the Nashville Christian metal scene. And that’s a tall order, man. But Keith has always preferred the road less traveled — and that’s why we love him. He’s got guts. On this episode we talk to Keith about going to school with Gabe and Scott, balancing his love of secular metal with his faith, the best Randy Rhodes solo, jam spots, Scott Overby, Numbskull and Wrath, Mark Lanegan, and Gabe finally gets one for the Maiden column. Content warning!: This is a very Zion-centric episode. Listener discretion is advised.
After we talked to Juliana Hatfield a few weeks ago, we stayed on the line and went through a bunch of Facebook and Twitter comments about people's favorite moments from the first year of LIFERS Podcast episodes. Here is that discussion, along with a bunch of clips from shows past. Thanks for sticking with us for our first year. Happy Anniversary to all of us!
What makes the loss of Mark Lanegan so devastating? All you have to do is listen to that voice. It’s the best kind of beauty —the only one that matters, really— the kind that makes you appreciate the experience of living, while simultaneously hinting at the darkness and inevitably of death. It was the most amazing and unique instrument of our generation. Go listen to one of his many records today and be glad you’re alive to experience it. RIP, Mark. We love you.
Second chances are rare, man. And you ought to take advantage of them. On the one year anniversary of our first episode(s), we get a second chance with our first guest — Juliana Hatfield. On this episode we try to truly nail down what makes Juliana the quintessential LIFER. It’s also just an opportunity to catch up and hang out. We tried really hard not to mess it up this time. Topics include: ELO, the crippling nature of being your own point AND counterpoint, Scott finally watches “Wolf Like Me”, sharing plumbers with Damon from Galaxie 500, colonoscopies, acting on “My So-Called Life”, Dinosaur Jr., Scott’s Evan Dando story, “Breaking Away”, and Ben wins the game of “Iron Maiden vs. The Replacements” once and for all. So let it be written — so let it be done.
J. Robbins rules. As singer/guitarist of Jawbox (among many others) and producer of Gabe’s favorite records — J. has made a legendary (and envy-inducing) career out of perfectly balancing the visceral and the cerebral with a series of post-punk-post-hardcore masterpieces that have only grown in stature and influence. Anyway, J. is a hero to us — and on this episode we talk to him about: John Williams’ birthday, channeling your inner Fleming Rasmussen, Bob Mould’s guitar sound, how to bake tapes, playing bass in Government Issue and Scream, Texas Is The Reason, trying to save the Pony Express Record masters, Get Back (again), Killing Joke, the upcoming shows with Jawbreaker, and Jawbox’s 3 night residency in New York. Did we mention that J. rules?
Scott’s got some stuff to figure out. Until he does, the guys talk to dyed in the wool, hardcore lifer Dave Brooks about growing up in New York, seeing Zeppelin during the filming of “Song Remains The Same”, bouncing on Quincy Jones’ knee, seeing Blondie at Max’s, going to school with Julian Lennon, seeing the Ramones at CB’s, his band Honor Among Thieves, pizza, his dad’s awesome music club, and the time Joey Ramone saved him from being murdered by Hell’s Angels at Woody’s. People are the greatest.
One of the (many) things missing at commercial corporatized radio is personality. The kind of personality that makes a star DJ. You know the type. The DJ that makes you tune into their radio station during their time slot. The kind of DJ that you see at all your favorite shows. The DJ that makes you think, “Goddamn! It must be FUN to be a DJ!!!” Lauren O’Neil of 101 WKQX in Chicago (and the Don Pardo of this podcast) is all of those things — and her many listeners and fans know it. Which is why they love her. We love her, too. On this episode: Canadian doppelgängers, how round the clock plays of “Stairway To Heaven” gave Lauren the radio bug, Florida, Ben tortures Scott with the Barstool Pizza guy, the perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Gabe as a hologram, Scott loves “Queer Eye”, and Lauren loves Killswitch Engage.
In the pantheon of great rock and roll front men —right up there with Iggy Pop and Nick Cave— sits the mighty David Yow. Of course, he’d find the idea nothing less than ridiculous — but that’s just part of what makes David the sweet and unassuming legend that he is. It was our pleasure to talk to him about his bands The Jesus Lizard and Scratch Acid, acting in the new Toxic Avenger movie, the Austin punk scene of the ‘80s, AC/DC vs. The Knack, “Dinner In America”, the time he almost got murdered by R. Kelly’s crew, Andy Gill, Flipper, “Power Of The Dog” spoilers, Lil’ Bub, and the time David gave Scott a doomed piggyback ride. ALSO — Gabe really, really likes shakes.
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/127nGsZd9HJYaxP5WnVaW9?si=fae6190670e44749
Gabe doesn’t like THE FRENCH DISPATCH — and Scott’s got a problem with that. So now you people are gonna hear about it. Along the way, we drag our good buddy Joe Dapier into this mess to talk about his band Dovetail Joint, playing drums with Jonny Polonsky during the Rick Rubin days, the difference between Winnetka and Wilmette, LICORICE PIZZA, the fake ending of AC/DC’s “Problem Child”, Sandahl Bergman, Q101 compilations, Maxton Koc, the high pitched screaming of Silverchair fans, big balls, Gabe’s screwy crossword puzzle, and the time Scott tried to force Krist Novoselic to watch THE RED BALLOON.
In the first year of the LIFERS podcast there have been any number of running gags that have found various levels of traction with our audience and ourselves. Everything from Chipotle to Pizza to Mic technique to The Replacements vs. Iron Maiden to taking dump on a hotel room floor. The list goes on and on, but of all the threads, the one that’s gotten the least amount of interest or feedback by far is Ben’s obsession with Chicago area glam metal band, Enuff Z’Nuff. On the most recent episode of LIFERS, this subject reared it’s ugly head again. Guest Greg Corner mentioned The Thirsty Whale and Ben was on it like white on rice. Here now, for no one’s edification other than Ben’s, is a Chip Z’Nuff Minute…
With a new year (and another Dry January) underway, the guys are joined by ex-Kill Hannah bassist —and the man who puts the Greg in “gregarious”— Mr. Greg Corner. We talk about Greg’s journey from high school metal head to Dark Wave Disco impresario, Kill Hannah’s major-label frustrations, Gabe as an adjective, Frank Perry, Nicole Holofcener, eating dirt, ‘70s Scorpions, forming your own scene, being Obama’s DJ, and cougars at Def Leppard shows.
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2yt2IpS90OL5MxykmmhSeU?si=83b14c91e0564eca
Merry New Year! To close out 2021 we talked to our good buddy Page Hamilton. Or should we say Page talked to us? Anyway — after keeping his band Helmet going for over 30 years, the guy’s got some stories. Topics covered in this jam packed episode: The New York indie scene of the early 90s, cancelling 250 shows, Page’s time playing in Band Of Susans, odd time signatures, having a Gabed-up year, Scott and Page geek out over Gang Of Four, Amphetamine Reptile, time signatures, the post-Nirvana major label feeding frenzy, why Germans love Helmet, Gabe finally saw GET BACK, and Page fondly recollects his days playing guitar for David Bowie(!). Time signatures.
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5kvE23FrwLolugQJGGKBr6?si=fcb827f1c5904f7e
It’s Christmas Eve, so watch IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE with us! Scott’s seen it hundreds of times, Gabe has seen it once, and Ben’s number is somewhere in between. On this episode — the guys record a not-so-informative commentary track that you can sync up with your own copy of Frank Capra’s timeless classic (or, more probably, from wherever you stream shit). So grab yourself a cup (or four) of holiday cheer and see if you can make it through the movie without being reduced to a sobbing mess. Scott can’t.
If you’ve ever sneaked a peek at Scott’s pedal boards, you’ve probably noticed a few heavy duty and crazy looking guitar pedals from a company called Chase Bliss and wondered “Who the hell makes those things???” Joel Korte — that’s who. Joel started Chase Bliss Audio in 2013 and has watched his company rise to the top of the artisan FX pedal world with his ground breaking, forward thinking —and frankly— mind blowing pedals. He’s also a really great guy who just so happens to be able to read a schematic like you can read a stop sign. On this episode we talk to Joel about whammy bars, going to high school with Ryan Harding, the MOOD pedal, the insanity of owning a company with 20 employees, Christmas movies that aren’t really Christmas movies, and the intimacy of working another man’s wah.
Kellii Scott is one of our favorite drummers. He’s also one of our favorite people. On this episode we talk to Kellii about WILD TYPE DROID — the excellent new record by his band Failure. We also discuss contact lenses, recording at Lita Ford’s house, that time when Scott and Kellii took over a radio station in Hartford, Vanilla Ice, and the power of saying “yes”. PLUS!!! — Gabe’s Samhain shirt and the KT’s Kids Christmas extravaganza at Liar’s Club this Sunday. https://www.ktskids.com/
http://kelliiscott.com/
Despite what you might think, we actually DO edit episodes of The LIFERS Podcast. But every so often, Scott makes cuts that Ben finds just a little too painful. So we’re starting a new feature: Ben’s Bits! These are bonus versions of past episodes that restore some of those pieces that were left on the cutting room floor — and as a result, are a little more, um, “relaxed” than their official counterparts (and probably a much bigger waste of your time than the actual “official” episodes). On last week’s episode of The LIFERS podcast — Gabe, Ben and Scott spent close to an hour talking before the arrival of Record Bar co-owner Steve Tulipana (who was late due to dealing with shitty unvaccinated Harry Potter fans). It was a long rambling conversation that featured talk of • Christmas trees • The new Beatles documentary “Get Back” • Alan Parsons • Gram Parsons • The Upper Crust • And Ivan Neville singing a Nirvana song
And now —thanks to BEN’S BITS— you can hear that conversation in its entirety. You’re welcome? Enjoy BEN’S BITS.
Steve Tulipana is the definition of a lifer. As co-owner of Kansas City’s Record Bar and singer of Season To Risk, Steve has done more to cultivate and support his local scene than just about anybody we can think of. But don’t tell him that. He’ll just chalk it up to having nothing else to do. Well, we’re not buying it. On this episode we talk to Steve about keeping a small business going during Covid, touring with Local H on the Corrosion Of Conformity tour, being in STRANGE DAYS, and getting paid by lan McKaye. PLUS— Steve and Scott swap useless tips on how to live a full life.
Caller! Are you there? On a very special Thanksgiving day episode of LIFERS, the guys go live(!)to take listener calls(!!!) and talk about pies, movies, music, Canada, marriage, why Ben’s family eats so early, karaoke, brags, bummers, tamales and much much more. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!
Matt Radke is more than just the manager/road manager for the rock band Radkey. He’s their dad. And as such, he’s uniquely qualified to not only give some insight into the early days of Radkey — but also the early, early pre-Radkey days of Radkey. Matt also talks to the guys about his pro-wrestling Christian upbringing, home-schooling his kids, the origin of the Radkey logo, doing shows with the Foo Fighters, why he’s not the puppet master that some people think he is, and the formative influence of Jack Black.
It's the last day/night of the tour, the guys are moving along from Milwaukee to Chicago, it's a big night at Metro with a concert and a movie, and, depending on who you ask, Gabe's Birthday! Highlights include: • Scott, Gabe, Ryan and Ben have breakfast and talk shape-shifters and spanks • Jerry Slaughter, 1930s movie mogul • Ryan looks ahead • Justine humanizes Scott • Mark gets kicked out of Shank Hall • Theresa bakes cookies • Michelle fracture her foot • Kelly works the beer tub • Scott directs • Dave punches swans • Joe waxes poetic • The crowd sings happy birthday • Brian infuses Malort • Felix burns calories • Dewey listens • Herb slurs (some more) • Chip Z'Nuff intros Comasoft • Kelly sells out • Gman sings happy birthday • Herb sings happy birthday • LIFERS flashes their band signs • Justine says "fuck a cake" • 7 Seconds sings for Gabe • Justine sings Alice Cooper • Justine acts And much more...
It's the final week of the Local H LIFERS Re-tour. Scott's got three shows to play and a movie to direct, Gabe's got merch to sell, a tambo to bang, and a fiftieth birthday to celebrate. Ben's got a podcast to cobble together all by his lonesome and all roads lead to Chicago and The Metro for a spectacular all-hands on deck conclusion. But first, there are two days and nights in Milwaukee and the wall to wall carpeted Shank fucking Hall. Part one of this bonanza features Ben shmoozing with the fans, hanging out backstage with Radkey and Dadkey, doing shots with Herb Rosen, getting emotional with Uber drivers, and talking all kinds of shit with anyone and everyone. And don't worry, there's plenty more coming!
After an enjoyable day off in New York City, Scott and Justine check in with Gabe and Ben to talk about “Possession”, pizza, movie theater rage, Scott’s childhood home in Zion, severed toes at Trash Bar, Ozzy vs. Dio, being a child of 9/11, the lyrics to “Knocking At Your Back Door”, Mitch Gorman, and we try to get to get at the “truth” of Scott and Justine’s Rashomon-esque “meet-cute” at Mercury Lounge. Add it all up, and you’ve got the most heartwarming —and exasperating— episode yet.
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3wQh2uEx73noBKekGbvIzB?si=6a846757aa1040cf
With negative Covid tests in hand, Local H are set to resume the tour. Before they do, Scott swings by the Metro with director Felix Pineiro to do some location scouting for the LIFERS movie. What better time to talk with Felix? Director of “Adjunto”, the upcoming “Doll Eyes”, and Local H’s “Innocents” video — Felix has been a friend and trusted collaborator for years. We talk about the first time Felix and Scott met, what it was like to direct Michael Shannon, playing bass in Left Brain Heart, the nightmare logistics of the LIFERS movie, and Scott tells the Bono story.
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6bv41txt0mnPCVh1ZJdLHY?si=0ec9acc951914ef3
Brian Blockinger will tell you that he’s “just a fan”. But he’s a fan who’s put his money where his mouth is. Brian has worked in and owned record stores, been a tastemaker and a scenester, did time as a record label ninja, and hobnobbed with more rock stars than you’ve had hot meals. Brian is that secret ingredient that enriches your local scene. Without him, the scene just wouldn’t be the same. He’s also the guy who’s got the good stories — and on this episode Brian tells us about getting banned for life from Iron Maiden’s guest list, Cheap Trick teaching him how to drink Dom Perignon, playing Slayer covers for Trouble, and getting yelled at by Phil Anselmo. Also: Scott has Covid and we discuss the proper way to pronounce Zoetrope. Plus! We stumble into our best ending ever.
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0ydMfuVQMaqjz5HOwAszaN?si=ccaeadec64db4c51
Our ol’ buddy —and Local H’s original bass player— Matt García finally makes his way onto the show. Matt talks with us about going to high school in Zion, forming Rude Awakening with Scott, being a teenage metal-head, “El Burrito”, being miserable in Madison, batik art, how he ended up in Portland, Matt’s early but lasting influence on the sound of Local H, his record label, and (of course) that time he called Gabe a poser. If you have any interest in the origins of Local H — this episode is for you.
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1GHvHOFeHDyObCI6m2WLWw?si=c68fa5f1de3e4524
Local H on tour: http://www.localh.com/tour.html
Ryan and Scott have got pizza on the brain when they check in with Gabe and Ben from their hotel room in El Paso (after all, the guys hadn’t eaten in several hours). They touch on the official start of The LIFERS reTOUR with Radkey, an exhausting day off in Austin, Ben’s outtakes, Josie’s snoring, “The Grey”, Cliff Burton, and a couple of calls are made to Herb and Jeneen. But really — this one is all about the pizza.
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5l4BpGPf2CE5B1SUdRsSmN?si=a10feab577b34f5d
Local H on tour: www.localh.com/tour.html
This week we catch our great white whale. After a bit of kicking and whining, Wes Kidd joins the podcast to talk about Rights Of The Accused, his current gig at Red Light Management, his time served as touring guitarist for Local H, Australia, the legendary battle of the Cheap Trick cover bands, and how much fun it is to dress up in a bunny suit. Did we mention that Wes was the singer-songwriter in Triple Fast Action? We talk about that, too. Don’t expect a fuck-ton of insight — but goddamn, it was a fun hang.
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1YYjesRGhGJqbut1fdETUr?si=AW7vIFpFSy2moHMllv9Gfw&dl_branch=1
Local H on tour: http://www.localh.com/tour.html
Things move pretty fast on this episode — so try to keep up. This week: Scott vs. Dave Pirner, bassist Jeremy Tappero and guitarist Ryan Smith talk about how they wound up in the Soul Asylum camp, the Risky Business vs. “Risky Business”, the KISS principle, Emo again, Local H’s cover of “Dreaming” vs. Green Day’s cover of “Dreaming”, Jeremy’s dad was in Spooner(!), Tijuana Flats vs. Aunt Helen’s tacos, Norm Macdonald, staring into the Rodriguez abyss, how music chooses you, and The Rick Rubin vs. The Reuben Kincaid.
This episode is dedicated to Brandy Miller.
GoFundMe for Brandy's funeral: https://gofund.me/90a67dec
Local H on tour: http://www.localh.com/tour.html
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4J1rzWFLK3MyNn7SkpqSB8?si=cd8e5f75c3c14865
Gabe and Ben check in with Scott on a day off in Detroit as he waits for Ryan and Soul Asylum’s current bassist —Jeremy Tappero— to return from a trip to the local pot dispensary. You can probably guess how this turns out. While waiting, the guys discuss Val Kilmer, challah, “Melrose Place”, the heartbreak of Texas, Iron Maiden’s new record, tour pranks, Cars tribute shows with Michael Shannon — and Gabe caves on the Replacements.
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2OvvIYzpqZ55xjGiY2XT6J?si=031f9fe411b64aa4
Local H on Tour: http://www.localh.com/tour.html
The Samuel Beckett vibes are strong in this one. Scott’s idea to record an episode backstage in Texas —immediately following a show— backfires when the merch line turns out to be longer than expected. Ryan does his best to entertain Gabe and Ben while they wait for Scott to get done selling t-shirts. Will Scott ever arrive?
On the road, a day off can be a life saver. Two days off, though — can feel a little unnecessary. It tends to mess with your momentum. But three days off? That’s fucking MURDER! After a cancellation in Springfield, Massachusetts— Local H found themselves sucked into the vortex of the forced three day vacation. This week’s episode is what happens when two bands are cooped up in a hotel by the highway for too many days. Drunk, drunk, DRUNK!!! It’s not ALL bad —Soul Asylum’s tour manager Jeneen Anderson stops by with a bottle of tequila— but this is not an episode for beginners. Seasoned LIFERS listeners only. And R.I.P. Charlie Watts.
Local H on tour: http://www.localh.com/tour.html
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/64Y4BqovmIhqu0F77EYfyw?si=612478fcc0844e14
Seems like we’ve been talking about the Minneapolis music scene an awful lot lately. First with Dave Pirner. Then last week with Ryan. And now? A true Minneapolis legend: Michael Bland. Since the beginning of his professional career —when he was drafted into Prince’s New Power Generation— Michael has been one of the most sought after drummers in popular music. He’s played with Chaka Kahn, Maxwell, Paul Westerberg, and since 2004 he’s been the guy in Soul Asylum. On this episode we talk to Michael about church, the fraternity of music, classic rock’s Midwestern dominance, George Floyd, “Can’t Hardly Wait”, Prince (duh!), and how much he looooves touring with Local H. This is a good one, people!
Local H on tour: http://www.localh.com/tour.html Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qaMu7D7hJNFRbiHdHWJpt?si=3ce973ea0c184a37
After 17 months of being sidelined, Local H are back on the road — and they’re taking the podcast with them! Gabe and Ben check in with Scott and drummer Ryan Harding as the band heads to Virginia Beach to play the first show on their first post-Covid tour. Nerves are on edge as the guys grapple with the knowledge that the tour could be shut down at any time (again!) — so they proceed to do what any band does when they’re bored and sitting in a strange hotel room. They get drunk and argue about music. And movies. And food. Wanna know what life on the road is like? This is basically it. Drink deep.
Companion Playlist: https://gate.sc/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fplaylist%2F3A0CGWH1EzYBFVagwatHXN%3Fsi%3Db_m9JqJYQA-LOcBXWU909A%26dl_branch%3D1&token=2ff89d-1-1628963656132
Everybody loves Jill Hopkins. And with good reason. She’s fucking awesome! An influential DJ and personality at Chicago’s WBEZ sister station Vocalo (that’s 91.1 on your FM dial, babies), Jill is also a writer, a club DJ, and host of a slew of excellent podcasts (“Making Beyoncé”, “The Opus”). She also fronts a kick-ass Hole cover band. Topics discussed: Chicago pride, teenage blowies, movies featuring Insane Clown Posse, tamborines, who Jill is most looking forward to seeing at Riot Fest, and what the hell is up with all this Limp Bizkit stuff? Plus! — Gabe provides us with an Iron Maiden coda-chorus. https://vocalo.org/ http://www.gandprecords.com/store/p196/Local_H%27s_Awesome_Quarantine_Mix-Tape_%233_%28Format_CD%29.html
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/25ONVFxBJEKV9ku2fmeaTg?si=bcddfa7d85264a9d
In the history of prickly pears, Scott’s got nothing on Dave Pirner. The guys talk to Dave about Minneapolis, touring in the time of Covid, bullshit Rolling Stone interviews, and jazz. There’s also a few games of Fuck, Marry, Kill. Whatever. Dave’s a national treasure. Dig this episode.
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6siN8onvmPwMowb0iEbx9A?si=dbb79dfa27dc4494
In honor of its new bubblegum vinyl pressing, the guys (along with producer Andy Gerber) flip the record over and continue their rambling dissection of HEY, KILLER. For side 2, the conversation gets looser, funnier —and definitely drunker. With plenty of extended digressions concerning REM, John Waite, bad reviews, and Scott’s guilt over the inherent narcissism of spending two episodes talking about himself.
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6qn7L0Wc9rdJEc289GEAbE?si=887094ff06d448ae Hey, Killer bubble gum colored vinyl: www.gandprecords.com/store/p57/Loca…_Vinyl%29.html Local H Tour Dates: www.localh.com/tour.html LIFERS Podcast Mug: www.gandprecords.com/store/p180/The…offee_Mug.html 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s Podcast: @ben-reiser-605654396
Spurred on by Gabe’s track by track rundown over on Facebook (and feeling like it’d be impossible to top last week’s interview with Jeff Murphy), the guys decide to take a deep dive into the making of Local H’s 8th record: HEY, KILLER. The album’s producer, Andy Gerber, makes a return to the show to share his memories of the recording sessions (and to keep Scott honest). This one might be for the hardcores only — whether or not you fit that bill is for you to decide. Hey, Killer bubble gum colored vinyl: https://www.gandprecords.com/store/p57/Local_H_-_Hey_Killer_%28Bubble_Gum_Colored_Vinyl%29.html Local H Tour Dates: www.localh.com/tour.html LIFERS Podcast Mug: www.gandprecords.com/store/p180/The…offee_Mug.html Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/19G20tfafV1WSCAm9bH8Eg?si=5d19ed9ae422491f 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s Podcast: @ben-reiser-605654396
There are two kinds of pop music. There’s the pop music that wins Grammys and soundtracks teenage Tik-Tok videos. And then there’s the kind of pop music that Zion, Illinois’ SHOES plays: Pop music as a concept. A lost but golden ideal that bears little relation to what “popular” means in the real world. Reality be damned. SHOES would create their own reality. Virtually willing their band into existence, they recorded pop masterpieces on a 4 track recorder in the mid-70s that became the stuff of legend. When the majors came calling, SHOES were ready. But after three albums of seeing how the other half lives, they were dropped by the label and sent back to indie-land. It’s a common experience (boy, is it ever!) —and it’s one that’s broken more than a few bands— but it only made SHOES more resilient. They took their major-label money and built a world class studio in their hometown where they recorded countless bands, produced classic records by Material Issue, played mentor to Local H (who would soon go on to a remarkably similar career path), and somehow found time to make more SHOES records — stellar testaments to a pop reality that only they could’ve created. SHOES are a true American original and we were honored to talk with Jeff Murphy about his band’s history and their hard won ideals. If all this sounds a bit grandiose, don’t worry. It’s the Midwest, so no one’s taking themselves too seriously. This is a looooong episode, but we’re really proud of it. Thank you, Jeff.
Shoes Website: https://shoeswire.com/ Local H Tour Dates: www.localh.com/tour.html LIFERS Podcast Mug: www.gandprecords.com/store/p180/The…offee_Mug.html 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s Podcast: @ben-reiser-605654396
A lot of balls in this one. Depending on who you ask — Herb Rosen is the owner of Liar’s Club, the bass player of Rights Of The Accused, the mayor of Chicago, the bass player for Beer Nuts, or a huge fan of podcasts. Herb talks about his college days in Madison, being the O.G. of the cowbell, KISS, that time Brian St. Clair beat him at his own game, the pros and cons of acid, broken femur bones, getting cut off by the nitrous guy at RFK stadium, and a whole bunch of other stuff that we had to cut out. This episode had to happen sometime — so it might as well happen today.
Liar's Club: https://liarsclubchicago.com/ Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/61Fz2Qh2fEWnZdTl3ZnGKV?si=477071401d354070 Local H Tour Dates: www.localh.com/tour.html LIFERS Podcast Mug: www.gandprecords.com/store/p180/The…offee_Mug.html 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s Podcast: @ben-reiser-605654396
The second part of our interview with Deer Tick’s John McCauley is not so much an interview as it is a peek into an alternate universe where John is the fourth member of the podcast. On this episode: John’s time working at a movie theater, the relative greatness of Shemp, more “Mind Games”, “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, Joe Walsh as John’s spirit animal, Jason and Freddy as twin gynecologists, celery, John opening a beer bottle with his teeth, more “Raiders Of The Lost Ark”, Philip Baker Hall and the importance of being Sydney, Ted Hawkins, Gabe getting his mind blown by Suzi Quatro, Gabe getting his mind blown by Fanny, John’s falsetto, Matt Jackson from Jeopardy, and the lost recordings of John Scott Carlton.
Deer Tick on tour: deertickmusic.com/tour Phonation Kickstarter Campaign: www.kickstarter.com/projects/jamesv…lation-on-vinyl Local H Tour Dates: www.localh.com/tour.html LIFERS Podcast Mug: www.gandprecords.com/store/p180/The…offee_Mug.html 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s Podcast: @ben-reiser-605654396
Our good buddy ol’ pal John McCauley (from the thoroughly excellent Deer Tick) is the guest on this week’s episode. John is so near and dear to Scott that we had to cut this episode in two. Part 1 has the guys talking about Gabe’s dismissal of Indiana Jones, John’s time fronting Nirvana, Spoon, a forthcoming remix of DIVINE PROVIDENCE, and most importantly — John Lennon’s “Mind Games”.
Deer Tick on tour: https://deertickmusic.com/tour Phonation Kickstarter Campaign: www.kickstarter.com/projects/jamesv…lation-on-vinyl Local H Tour Dates: www.localh.com/tour.html LIFERS Podcast Mug: www.gandprecords.com/store/p180/The…offee_Mug.html 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s Podcast: @ben-reiser-605654396
Expletives, accusations and soggy wedding invitations. Emotions are running hot at the start of this episode of The LIFERS Podcast. But never fear, the Zen-like James VanOsdol is on hand to lend his calming influence. James has been a constant fixture on the Chicago media landscape since his tenure at Q101 during the alternative boom of the 90s. A lifer and a survivor, he’s put in time (up and down the dial) at some of the city’s most venerable rock stations, written books about the local music scene, and was an early podcasting adaptor with his stellar interview (and food) show CAR CON CARNE (and in the process, becoming a bit of a guru to us). We talk to James about the supposed death of radio, why he thinks editing is a waste of time, Waukegan, and his new project: A compilation of podcasts on vinyl called Phonation (and, hey — we’re on it! So check out James’ kickstarter). Also, there’s plenty of dog action and Jason Bateman comes up (much to Gabe’s delight).
Phonation Kickstarter Campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jamesvanosdol/phonation-a-chicago-podcast-compilation-on-vinyl Car Con Carne: http://carconcarne.com/ Local H Tour Dates: www.localh.com/tour.html LIFERS Podcast Mug: www.gandprecords.com/store/p180/The…offee_Mug.html 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/ben-reiser-605654396 Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/73wmSDmcDRmXhPRru9t3Uq?si=ec90cff314554835
Scott finally gets around to interviewing the LIFER he’s known all his life: his dad. Inspired by his own dad, David Lucas decided to be an artist when he was a teenager (sounds familiar) and has been refining his very regional brand of “north-woods” outsider art since he started doing it professionally in his mid-twenties (also pretty familiar). Getting straight answers out of Mr. Lucas can be like pulling teeth, but this is a pretty enjoyable visit to the dentist that includes: Trying to solve the mystery of the cabin. Why life is fishing and fishing is life. Who’s more stoic? Gabe or Scott’s dad? That time in the 1970s when Scott’s dad built the Zion nuclear power plant all by himself. How Mr. Lucas shaped Scott’s merch booth philosophy (and almost everything else, for that matter). And, of course, an epic dad-joke showdown. (And for the record, Dad — Scott copies EVERYBODY’s music!)
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/31nYtr7KRlyH0o9dk39YbU?si=e46b52bbf2f8466d David Lucas Paintings for sale: https://www.gandprecords.com/store/c12/David-Lucas-Paintings Local H Tour Dates: www.localh.com/tour.html LIFERS Podcast Mug: www.gandprecords.com/store/p180/The…offee_Mug.html
Troy Van Leeuwen’s not your typical lunkhead guitar player. Rather than kill himself trying to elbow his way up the ego-littered hamburger hill of guitar-slinging frontmen, Troy decided to carve out a niche for himself as a much sought after sideman and secret weapon. It’s a career that’s included storied stints in such heralded bands as Failure, A Perfect Circle, and (perhaps most famously) Queens Of The Stone Age. Whether it’s the chops, his work ethic, or just the fact that he’s such a swell guy — everybody wants Troy in their band. On this episode Troy takes a break from working on new Queens stuff to talk to the guys about Jimmy Page, Cheap Trick, that time Failure went on tour with Local H, Troy’s natty attire, that other time Troy failed to stop some dudes from breaking Scott’s jaw, Iggy Pop, the importance of moderate moderation —and if you listen very closely— you can hear Troy tell Dolly Parton to fuck off. It’s a good one. Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4MMVjOUiqHWAmdBHXH05tQ?si=a5a5ae785c56434c Local H Tour Dates: http://www.localh.com/tour.html LIFERS Podcast Mug: https://www.gandprecords.com/store/p180/The_LIFERS_Podcast_Coffee_Mug.html
If you’ve been to a show at the Metro in Chicago, you’ve probably been served a drink by Kelly Wey at least once. But like most great bartenders, that’s not all Kelly does. She books bands, helps manage the Metro, and maybe most importantly — spends an enormous amount of time and energy volunteering for the MCP dog rescue organization. She also loves the Wrens. This freewheeling conversation (to put it charitably) touches on all those topics — as well as: Kelly’s time working for D’Arcy from Smashing Pumpkins, Scott’s lysergic appreciation for Mike Nichols’ WOLF, and, of course, Gabe’s corporate overlords in Chipotle (is it time for that sponsorship?). This episode is as fun as we knew it would be.
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2LsqsjEqzgU08HkY2Zw4LJ?si=463db283530e4638
LIFERS Podcast Merch: www.gandprecords.com/store/p180/The…offee_Mug.html
They say you should never meet your heroes. Well, you probably shouldn’t be having them on your shitty podcast, either. Here’s how to fuck up an interview with one of your favorite musicians (in this case, Mr. Rick Froberg — the great singer and guitarist for the thoroughly excellent rock combos Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes and Obits).
- Ignore said musician’s warnings that he doesn’t have good luck with Zoom and set up an interview via Zoom.
- As the pretext for some sort of half-assed “surprise”, keep your equally enamored co-host in the dark about said musician’s appearance on your shitty podcast — thereby robbing your co-host (who’s supposed to be your fucking friend, by the way!) of his chance to prepare thoughtful questions to ask one of HIS favorite musicians, too.
- Proceed to ask this favorite musician of yours a bunch of dumb fucking questions.
But one seriously botched (and lo-fi) interview isn’t all this episode has to offer: There’s some talk about a shitty Rush bootleg, an idiotic discussion between Gabe and Scott (and—unfortunately for Rick—Rick, as well) about which is the better record: “Yank Crime” or Drive Like Jehu’s self-titled debut (there is no correct answer, by the way), and Ben reads a complete list of emo bands. Plus there’s ice cream.
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0UyMc3KB5RcyuFbDdkZnHP?si=0e8f10f002b64fc8 LIFERS Coffee Mugs: www.gandprecords.com/store/p180/The…offee_Mug.html Local H on tour: http://www.localh.com/tour.html
In 1993 —frustrated and at the end of their rope— Local H sent a ratty looking demo tape to Quicksand’s A&R guy and, as they say, the rest is history. This week on the LIFERS Podcast, the guys talk to screenwriter and journalist (and Local H’s former A&R guy) Joe Bosso and try to untangle some of that history. We also talk about Joe’s new film project, the Soprano’s episode he wrote, playing Freddie Mercury’s piano, and Gabe’s string of perfect bowling games. We didn’t want this one to end (and it almost didn’t).
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7tyOrt8XUybxtEN4b6EvRQ?si=9d5d6b78af424305
LIFERS Coffee Mugs: https://www.gandprecords.com/store/p180/The_LIFERS_Podcast_Coffee_Mug.html
Every band has been on a tour like the 3x5 Tour. Something that looked good on paper, turned out to be SO not good in practice, and then revealed itself as one of the most rewarding and formative experiences of your band’s young career. The 3x5 Tour (featuring Limblifter, Stanford Prison Experiment and Local H) was cooked up by the major label marketing machine as a way to draw attention (and attendees) to the baby bands being developed by the various labels. The chief idea being that your average music fan would not be able to resist the siren song of seeing three fairly unknown bands packaged together for the low, low price of 5 bucks. In reality, most people wouldn’t go see three fairly unknown bands even if you paid THEM the 5 bucks. We asked our good friend Phil Palazzolo —who had the Herculean task of being sound guy for all three bands on that tour— to come on the show and try to figure out if it was the worst tour ever or the greatest tour ever. For better or worse, no answers were found — but if you can keep up, there’s plenty of great stories about a long forgotten tour that (almost unanimously) produced an enduring troop of lifers.
Local H Merch: bit.ly/3du68Ow 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s with Scott & Ben: bit.ly/3qBEOl6
“The world will have you believe that you’re less and less and less relevant — and that could not be more false.” And with those words —spoken somewhere around the 59 minute mark— Network 77 creator Rachel Lichtman sums up the LIFERS ethos. For that reason alone, this might be our favorite episode of the show. But there’s a lot to love here. Rachel talks about the latest pieces of her ever expanding Network 77 universe —including Easy AM 66, New Dimension Records, and Israeli pop chanteuse Tamar— touches on her video work for Laura Jane Grace, Ted Leo and Local H, and then explains why the Lux Radio program is like fantasy baseball. Of course, this being a conversation between Rachel and Scott — the episode inevitably devolves into a “Goodfellas” quoting contest. You decide the winner. Helpful links: Ask LIFERS a question or leave a comment: https://forms.gle/tMBwJokxfnv7XcCLA
Rachel Lichtman Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5XNoHCHV6NX6gRPbml9mq3?si=tjsN4NmKQuyOn-X7WPzQ4g
Network 77: https://www.network77.com Local H Merch: bit.ly/3du68Ow Winter Western video: youtu.be/LGDS-0b7DIQ 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s with Scott & Ben: bit.ly/3qBEOl6
LIFERS - Michael Shannon Much has been made about the Chicago music scene of the 90s, but the city’s biggest legacy during that period might be its theater scene. Specifically, the plays “Killer Joe” and “Bug” — and Michael Shannon was in both of them. Pop open a bottle of wine and get laaaiiid back with Mike and the guys as they take a deep dive into his extraordinary career. Among the topics lazily discussed: Scorsese, Lumet, the work ethic of Eminem, why Scott should never be in charge of picking ANYBODY up, and that time Michael went to “Prison”.
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5yByWTqHGH8iTlf2ir2Zoq?si=Pr0Z0ovpQWy3mOZ3YCtJYg
John Agnello has worked on more great records than you’ve had hot meals (sorry, Herb). A true lifer, John has produced, engineered or mixed (sometimes all three) records by Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, Cyndi Lauper, Kurt Vile, Triplefastaction, Screaming Trees (Lanegan, too), Waxahatchee, The Hold Steady, Son Volt, Twin Peaks — Jesus! Everybody, okay? Too many to many list here — and too many to cover in this interview (indeed, we forgot to bring up Dream Syndicate, TAD, oral histories of hair metal—and the original version of “Tag-Along”). But we tried. Listen to this one, kids. You might learn something. (And don’t forget to listen to GEAR CLUB — John’s awesome, awesome podcast that he does with Stewart Lerman.)
Companion Playlist: https://spoti.fi/324QzG8 Gear Club: https://www.gear-club.net/ Local H Tour Dates: www.localh.com/tour.html Local H Merch: bit.ly/3du68Ow 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s with Scott & Ben: bit.ly/3qBEOl6
Scott is back on the coffee train, Ben deals with the after-effects of 15 hour car rides with the family, and Gabe is Gabe. It’s all here as Ander Monson from March Plaidness joins the guys for an unhinged episode of The LIFERS Podcast. In 2016, Ander (along with Megan Campbell) started March Xness, a series of yearly March-Madness-style tournaments featuring essays about songs that has steadily grown in size and, um, intensity. This year the focus was on the grunge/alternative era of the ‘90s — with writer John Melillo’s essay on Local H and “Bound For The Floor” emerging as the victor. Scott (clearly feeling the pangs of winner's guilt) talks with Ander about the history of the tournament, the inherent non-sadness of REM, the importance of building a community, and the bloody legacy of The Cruxshadows.
After the inevitable and seemingly mandatory Chicago vs. New York pizza argument (with Zion as a potential spoiler), Scott and Gabe decide to answer the real question: Just who the fuck is Ben Reiser? For those wondering the same thing, this episode is for you. Ben talks about what he did with all that Presidents Of The United States money, how a short film got him his job at UW Madison, and opens up about his late friend —and “Teen Move Hell” author— Mike McPadden.
Companion Playlist: https://spoti.fi/2PRqUhy Local H Tour Dates: http://www.localh.com/tour.html Local H Merch: bit.ly/3du68Ow 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s with Scott & Ben: bit.ly/3qBEOl6 Spotify Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0niiTSeAyuZPNGvFTkDTfa?si=yna4w0wIQdiDHn-HcZBcag
One of the finest and most distinctive singer songwriters to emerge out of—well, fuck, take your pick. Chicago? The ‘90s? Punk rock? EVER??? There’s simply no one quite like Josh Caterer and his band (the) Smoking Popes. Josh and Scott have a long (if low-key) history together and this episode barely scratches the surface. But until a Josh episode #2 comes along, this one will have to do. Topics touched on include: Josh’s new Covid-live record (THE HIDEOUT SESSIONS), Paul Stanley monologues, the Bee-Gee-ness of the Caterer brothers, Scott’s hot sauce holster, and why the Popes classic THIS IS ONLY A TEST is the best concept album since THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY.
Companion Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1NxMoTsNEwRQoJcR154Zqv?si=r0kGLyaQTXKJ3uSQNWVhlg
Helpful links: Local H Merch: bit.ly/3du68Ow 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s with Scott & Ben: bit.ly/3qBEOl6 Josh Caterer: https://www.smokingpopesmusic.com/
This week’s episode is devoted to song structure. Specifically, the song structure of “It’s Gonna Get Better” — an unheralded (and admittedly minor) Genesis deep cut that Scott has been recently obsessed with. We recruited Genesis uber-fan Steve Reidell —of Hood Internet and “Duke: 40th Anniversary” fame— to help us out and lend some Collins context (a tip: You might want to listen to “It’s Gonna Get Better” before you listen to this episode). The guys also conduct a full break-down of “Abacab” to determine what the song’s title should rightfully be. Plus: Listener questions are answered and Scott ponders the one year anniversary of Local H’s last club show.
https://www.stevereidell.com/ https://twitter.com/hoodinternet?s=21 http://www.thehoodinternet.com/ Local H Merch: bit.ly/3du68Ow 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s with Scott & Ben: bit.ly/3qBEOl6
After a long day recording new stuff at Chicago’s Million Yen studios, Scott convinces owner/operator (and long time Local H producer) Andy Gerber to take a break and be a guest on The LIFERS Podcast. Scott and Andy have a long history, so this episode goes to a lot of places — including: Andy’s time in the early stages of the ‘90s Chicago rock scene, the years that Scott took off of Andy’s life during the recording of WHATEVER HAPPENED TO P.J. SOLES?, and Andy goes fanboy over Michael Chapman, Rick Nielsen and Jeff Murphy. He also finds time to articulate the lifers ethos better than Scott ever could. This one gets deep, people.
Helpful links: Local H Merch: bit.ly/3du68Ow Winter Western video: youtu.be/LGDS-0b7DIQ 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s with Scott & Ben: bit.ly/3qBEOl6 Million Yen Studios: http://www.millionyen.com/
Scott, Gabe and Ben (sans guest) perform an autopsy of last week’s Juliana Hatfield episode — and in the process, try to pinpoint what they’re doing right and what they’re doing oh-so very wrong. They also answer some listener questions, try to figure out who Gabe sounds like, and Scott tells the Ted Nugent story.
Helpful links: Local H Merch: bit.ly/3du68Ow Winter Western video: youtu.be/LGDS-0b7DIQ 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s with Scott & Ben: bit.ly/3qBEOl6
We recorded the last episode so we could record this episode. The second punch in our opening podcasting salvo features our first real guest — the great Juliana Hatfield. Super-fan Gabe tries to hold it together while Scott does his best not to go full-on Chris Farley Show. Topics include: The art of looper pedals, the time Juliana and her band taught Scott how to ski, the great rock and roll restroom dilemma — and Ben drops some of his serious Robbie Benson knowledge. We’re getting there, folks.
Helpful links: Local H Merch: https://bit.ly/3du68Ow Winter Western video: https://youtu.be/LGDS-0b7DIQ Juliana Hatfield Livestream link: https://youtu.be/S2-YXgFwfLY 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s with Scott & Ben: https://bit.ly/3qBEOl6
Scott Lucas of Local H brings you The LIFERS Podcast. Every episode, Scott —along with Gabe Rodriguez and producer Ben Reiser— will talk to other "lifers" and compare notes of life on and off the road, the ups and downs of a career in music and entertainment. On the first episode: Scott, Gabe and Ben feel each other out, try to nail down a rhythm, and fumble towards a format for the show. Without a proper guest (THAT’s for the next episode!), this episode devolves into a grilling of Gabe — Local H's ex-tour manager, tambourine player, and now one-man merchandising and record company G&P powerhouse. Like HAM FISTED, a rough—but necessary—debut.