Completely Conspicuous

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  • 5.0 (5)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Monthly

Quality podcastification since 2006.

  1. 5d ago

    Yankee Rose

    Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we discuss our favorite American artists. Show notes: Recorded in the CompCon HQ backyard studio America's 250th birthday  Looking at our favorite American singers and bands, pre-2000 and post-2000 Starting off with our top 10 of bands who debuted pre-millennium Sticking to rock artists for the most part Phil's honorable mentions include: B-52s (toughest omission from top 10), Beach Boys, Beasties, Beck, JB, Cars, early Chicago, Doors, early Foos, Little Feat, Nirvana, Pixies, Linda Ronstadt, Seger, Sleater-Kinney, SRV, Stevie Wonder, VU, VH, Wilco Jay's HMs: Living Colour, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Run DMC, Beasties, Public Enemy, Dino Jr., the Cars, JB, Fugazi  "Love Shack" overstayed its welcome  "Good Vibrations" could be a perfect pop song Seger was obsessed with a certain topic Billy Joel's metal roots with Attila Mutt Lange's production methods were tedious Fugazi refused all offers to reunite Phil's # 9: Pearl Jam formed almost by accident after another band broke up Still doing their thing all these years later Jay's #9: Were only together for about 8 years, but Husker Du amassed a legendary catalog Sound evolved from speedy hardcore punk to more melodic sounds Phil's #8: Tom Petty was a late bloomer who was hard to categorize at first Took advantage of the advent of MTV with plenty of iconic videos Jay's #8: The Afghan Whigs were the first non-Seattle band signed by Sub Pop Quickly distinguished themselves from their peers by combining soul and R&B influences with indie rock Jay's #7: Nirvana was only around for a short time, but they had a seismic impact Nirvana merch is now a lifestyle brand Saw them a week before they taped MTV Unplugged in NYC Packed a lot into a brief period To be continued Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

  2. Jun 20

    Knee Deep in the Hoopla

    Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we count down our favorite music of 2026 so far. Show notes: Breitling's #6: Kurt Vile's love letter to Philly KV writes songs about nothing and they're great Kumar's #6: Great album from Chicago's Ratboys Leading the wave of bands with sweet female vocals and rocking instrumentation Breitling's #5: 17-track compilation from the Laughing Chimes It's like a typewriter, retro and satisfying Kumar's #5: Hot indie rock from Philly's Gladie Led by former singer of Cayetana Breitling's #4: First new LP from Broken Social Scene in a decade Reembracing the combustible Freakin' Fanelli Bootlegs became readily available in the early '00s Kumar's #4: Montreal post-punk trio with an excellent release Political lyrics Breitling's #3: The Notwist returns with a sound that combines their different phases Back to basics Documentary captures their weirdness Kumar's #3: Austin synth-punk weirdos Drakulas return with gloriously fun release Featuring members of the Riverboat Gamblers and Rise Against Breitling's and Kumar's #2: We did it! Courtney Barnett with a triumphant album recorded in California Sings about everyday issues in her life Breitling's and Kumar's #1: We did it again! Alex Edkins of METZ with his second Weird Nightmare album Not as dark and heavy as METZ, but exciting and exhilarating Very hooky and uplifting Looking forward to new stuff from Kiwi Jr., Strange Pains, Johnny Foreigner, Afghan Whigs, The Cramps (archival release), The Fall, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Evil Island   Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

  3. Jun 9

    Completely Conspicuous 677: Time for a Slacker Revolution

    Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about the best music of 2026 so far. Show notes: AI music is apparently a thing on streaming services Saxophone Colossus, mfer (RIP) Blue dot syndrome: Tours getting canceled because of poor ticket sales Who woulda thunk Kiefer Sutherland couldn't sell out concerts? Many artists are trying to fill venues that are too big We're going to a lot of concerts Why is beer so expensive at music venues? What is a walking class? The Osbourne family has licensed an Ozzy hologram for use in ads ABBA does a hologram show of them in their prime Maybe older bands should be replaced by holograms Car Seat Headrest remade their 2016 album, removed swear words and drug references Books are being updated with current references AI is used a lot to make pop and R&B music Young H-Dawg is into grunge now Breitling's honorable mentions: Crooked Fingers, Sleaford Mods, Stomptalk Modstone, Softjaw, Reds Pinks and Purples, Mclusky, Fugazi, Hedge Kumar's HMs: King Tuff, Bevis Frond, New Pornographers, Gord Downie and the Sadies, Damaged Bug, Sub*T, Ecca Vandal, Broken Social Scene Breitling's #10: Philly's Nothing with a different sound Influenced by the singer's neurological disorder Kumar's #10: Mclusky returns with a killer mini-album Recent spate of touring has made the band even better Breitling's #9: Lofi Legs may or may not have released an album this year The time is right for a slacker revolution Kumar's #9: Joyce Manor sings about getting older LA trio makes with the emo pop-punk Breitling's #8: Reunited original lineup of the Grownup Noise Band deserves more props Kumar's #8: Pure pop magic from the Lemon Twigs Reminiscent of Sharp Pins and Redd Kross Breitling's #7: Pittsburgh's Feeble Little Horse persevere without Ryan All killer, no filler Kumar's #7: Canadian artist Daniel Romano continues to bring the heat Split up songwriting duties for this album To be continued    Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

  4. Jun 1

    Completely Conspicuous 676: Out There

    Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we discuss our favorite guitar solos. Show notes: Continuing our top 10 Phil's #9: Trey Anastasio of Phish stretches out No studio version of the song Jay's #9: The concise awesomeness of Alex Lifeson A virtuoso in a band of virtuosos Phil's #8: Back to the jam with RIck Mitarotonda of Goose Another band that saves their best for the live setting Jay's #8: Another Matthew Sweet song, this time featuring Richard Lloyd on lead guitar Features a fake ending with even more soloing Phil's #7: Square dancing in gym class led Phil to this Beatles song George Harrison with a beautiful, heartfeld solo Great video, too Jay's #7: A ripping solo from J. Mascis from '93 Video wasn't directed by Matt Dillon; he did the "Get Me" video Mascis has recorded a ton of great solos over the years Phil's #6: Eddie VH's magnum opus The instrumental that changed the face of hard rock Wasn't meant to be recorded at first Jay's #6: Less overplayed solo from Jimmy Page A lesser-known album from Zeppelin Phil's #5: Mick Taylor shines for the Stones The band started jamming at the end of the song and they kept recording Jay's #5: Robert Fripp with a ripper of a solo for Brian Eno Eno's first solo album after Roxy Music Phil's #4: The Allman Brothers' tribute to Django Reinhardt Three different solos Jay's #4: More Richard Lloyd along with Tom Verlaine on a 10-minute art-rock classic Kind of jam band adjacent Phil's #3: Neil Young with an epic love song Recording starts in the middle of a jam Jay's #3: Monster instrumental featuring Eddie Hazel's psychedelic playing Mike Watt does a cover with J. Mascis handling the guitar The interesting career of Prakash John Phil's #2 and Jay's #1: Hendrix blows minds with acid blues rock SRV does an incredible cover Jay's #2: Nasty riff and solo from Eddie VH One of Van Halen's darker songs Phil's #1: A Grateful Dead classic that highlights Jerry Garcia Cover of a Bonnie Dobson folk song Builds to a roaring crescendo Completely Conspicuous is available wherever you get podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

  5. May 26

    Solo Flights

    Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we discuss our favorite guitar solos. Show notes: Occasional chiming in from CC intern Lily Rolling Stone recently released a top 100 solos list Phil likes the long jammy solos Solos can go along with a riff or go off on crazy tangents Steely Dan used many guitarists Jay used to be into '80s speed guitar Vinnie Vincent went way over the top Charlie Sexton was a guitar prodigy who went on to play in Dylan's band The greatness of early Dire Straits Tough to narrow down our lists Appreciating Billy Idol Eagles bad, Joe Walsh good Terry Kath could rip So many great Jimmy Page solos The vast and weird catalog of Frank Zappa Billy Corgan has many excellent solos Kim Thayil was an unconventional soloist Bowie worked with many great guitarists: Mick Ronson, SRV, Belew, Earl Slick, Reeves Gabrels Townshend's solo on "I Can See for Miles" is simple but intense Fun weirdness from Focus on "Hocus Pocus" Phil's #10 is a tie Roger Hodgson of Supertramp was better known for playing keyboards Many hidden gems in the Who catalog Jay's #10: Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age Phil's not a fan of mosh pits To be continued Completely Conspicuous is available through wherever you get podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

  6. Apr 14

    You Can Leave Your Hat On

    Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we celebrate the return of the MLB season by counting down our favorite baseball hats.  Show notes: On to our top 10 Phil's #10: Reaching back to the '50s with the Phillies Jay's #10: Mid-90s Mariners  Good use of seafoam green '90s uniforms had a lot of bold colors: Teal, purple Phil's #9: The simplicity of the SF Giants hat Hat designs got pretty weird over the years Corduroy hats were a thing for a while Jay's #9: Classic A's green and yellow look Phil's #8: Dodgers' classic blue and white is another look that hasn't changed Bandwagon jumpers are inevitable Jay's #8: St. Louis Cardinals navy blue with red logo Had one that got ruined at Lollapallooza '93 Phil's #7: The mid-70s Angels hat with the halo Lots of different looks for the Angels over the years Jay's #7: Phillies' hat from late '70s/early '80s Phil's #6: Sticking with Philly with the A's from the '30s Some hats are instant conversation pieces for middle-aged guys Jay's #6 and Phil's #4: Another classic look with the Tigers Ruining hats by working out in them Phil's #5: Kansas City A's with the kelly green Jay's #5: Brooklyn Dodgers with the classic B Jackie Robinson era Jay's #4: Can't go wrong with the Cubs "C" hat Some cool Cubs hats over the years Phil's #3: Iconic Red Sox blue hat Jay's #3: White Orioles hat with the cartoon bird Tried a more realistic bird in the '90s Phil's #2: The Braves' 70s hat with the lower case A Jay's #2: The Blue Jays' all-blue hat introduced in the late '80s Are middle-aged guys more likely to wear hats? Phil's #1: Orioles' mid-60s to mid-70s black hat with orange bill Jay's #1: Original Expos hat In Canada, Toronto fans hate the Canadiens but love the Expos Defunct but beloved team Completely Conspicuous is available through wherever you get podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

  7. Apr 7

    A Tip of the Cap

    Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we celebrate the return of the MLB season by discussing our favorite baseball hats.  Show notes: We've both purchased many hats over the years Back in the '70s and '80s, you didn't have a lot of viewing choices for baseball games Baseball cards were a big factor in figuring out the hats and logos you liked Hats can fade, especially the dark blue ones When you just can't wear a Yankees hat Now there are so many alternate jerseys, hats, logos You can get hats in different colors and styles Old guys like us don't like flat-bill caps Other sports don't wear hats as part of the uniform, but you can get hats for their teams We often get hats of teams we have no affinity for Phil's honorable mentions: Black Sox-era White Sox, Boston/Milwaukee Braves, Cardinals from the '40s, Pirates pillbox hat from the '70s, Cleveland Chief Wahoo hat from the '50s Jay's honorable mentions: Reds, Brewers '70s hat with the glove logo, Royals, Expos all-blue hats in the '90s, Mariners '70s hat, Blue Jays original hat Phil: Seattle Pilots had a bad hat, with a touch of stolen valor     To be continued Completely Conspicuous is available through wherever you get podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

  8. Mar 2

    Amazing Disgrace

    Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we pick our favorite underrated albums.  Show notes: Jay's #6: The Spinanes with a decidedly not-grunge album on Sub Pop Female singer-songwriter teamed with kickass drummer Phil's #5: Power pop that never hit big from Boston's Gigolo Aunts Got a song on the Dumb and Dumber soundtrack Jay's #5: Another power pop gem from the Velvet Crush Saw them play in Austin in '94 Phil's #4: B-52s avoid the sophomore slump and getting labeled as a novelty act Didn't hit as hard as the debut, but strong nonetheless Jay's #4: Late '80s/early '90s anthemic indie rock from O-Positive Influenced by R.E.M. and briefly on CBS Phil's #3: More Boston-area indie rock with Belly Tanya Donelly had a great rock pedigree, first playing with Throwing Muses and Breeders Jay's #3: Ex-Dumptruck guitarist Kevin Salem with Replacements/Tom Petty sound Released a couple of strong albums in the mid-90s before moving into production Phil's #2: U2's electronic departure that turned off a lot of their fans They were ahead of the game with the techno sounds Bad choice for lead single Jay's #2: Again with the power pop, this time from the Posies Band fell out of favor, Geffen refused to promote it Angry album that nobody heard Phil's #1: The Neil Young album where he was backed by Pearl Jam but couldn't publicize it "Godfather of grunge" with the biggest band at the time Did a brief tour of Europe, couldn't play here because of PJ's Ticketmaster litigation Jay's #1: Another major label flameout courtesy of Jawbreaker Punk act that faced sellout cries from fanbase, but label didn't like finished product and dropped them Great album that was a big influence on emo acts to come Completely Conspicuous is available through wherever you get podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

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