Completely Conspicuous

Unknown

Quality podcastification since 2006.

  1. 6h ago

    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.

    1h 9m

  2. 6d ago

    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.

    59 min

  3. 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.

    39 min

  4. 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.

    33 min

  5. 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.

    46 min

  6. Feb 25

    Welcome to the Boomtown

    Part 1 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey as we pick our favorite underrated albums.  Show notes: First episode of the year! Recorded right after the gold medal men's hockey game What is underrated? A well-known artist's less popular release or lesser-known artists Phil: Neil Young has a few underrated albums among his vast catalog Other Phil honorable mentions: Big Star, Bob Mould, Best Coast, Kaiser Chiefs, Bettie Serveert, Built to Spill, Keith Richards, N. Mississippi All-Stars, Ben Folds Five, Until the End of the World soundtrack, Til Tuesday, Neko Case, Passengers, Big Head Todd, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Fela Kuti, Dead Milkmen, Shuggie Otis, Uncle Tupelo, Waterboys Jay's honorable mentions: Trail of Dead, Material Issue, Peter Gabriel, The Church, PiL, Afghan Whigs, QOTSA, Smashing Pumpkins, Blind Melon, Elliot Easton, Pearl Jam, Elvis Costello, Matthew Sweet Phil's #10: Cracker's debut album Lowery's first post-Camper Van Beethoven release Jay's #10: Keith Richards releases a stripped-down solo album Was pissed at Jagger, created the antithesis to his flashy style Phil's #9: Prince creates a new band in the early '90s No more Revolution, going for more of a hip hop sound Jay's #9: Only release from David + David Studio musicians who teamed up to release atmospheric story songs Phil's #8: Indie supergroup comprised of members of Sleater-Kinney and Helium Only released one album Jay's #8: Living Colour's third album was criminally overlooked Introduced industrial elements but was lost in the wave of grunge Phil's #7: Jerry Harrison goes solo More pop than what Talking Heads were doing Jay's #7: Sebadoh unleashes ripping indie rock masterpiece Contributions from two songwriters Phil's #6: Self-assured debut from Elastica Waited too long to release their next album 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.

    55 min

  7. 12/31/2025

    Stacking the Deck

    Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite music of 2025. Show notes: Counting down the rest of our favorite albums of the year Kumar's #8: Indie rock godfather Bob Mould is still pissed off and rocking Mould has also reunited his '90s band Sugar Kumar's #7: Triumphant return for Mclusky Falco and crew having fun ripping on various targets Breitling's #6: Superchunk keeps going with new drummer If you thought they were angry in 2018... Chock full of "banglociraptors" Kumar's #6: Straight outta Asheville with Wednesday's killer combo of alt-country, shoegaze and heavy guitar rippers  Band features MJ Lenderman but it's Karly Hartzman's show Breitling's #5: Debut from Slumberland act The Cords Scottish indie jangle-pop banglociraptors Kumar's #5: Thrilling post punk from South London act Shame Returning to harder rocking sound of first few albums More albums are shorter nowadays Breitling's #4: Prolific Chicago psych-pop act Sharp Pins keeps bringing it Flashes of GBV and early Kinks Breitling's #3: Crutchfield sisters (Waxahatchee, Swearin') drop surprise release as Snocaps Again with the Lenderman, on drums this time Kumar's #3: PUP applies newfound maturity to pop-punk bangers Singing about adult stuff  Breitling's #2: Mini-album from Peel Dream Magazine Autumnal-sounding leftovers from previous album recording session Kumar's #2: Sloan keeps bringing the heat with 14th release of diverse and rewarding power pop Four singer-songwriters keep the offerings varied and on point Breitling's #1 and Kumar's #4: Monumental four-album conceptual triumph from Hallelujah the Hills Lot of guest stars including Ezra Furman, Clint Conley, Sadie Dupuis, Patrick Stickles Staggering amount of excellence  Kumar's #1 and Breitling's #7: NYC's Geese blows up with wide-ranging collection that grabs your attention Their club tour sold out immediately Frontman Cameron Winter leads a sound that ranges from Pavement to soul Looking forward to 2026 releases from: Notwist, Kiwi Jr., Courtney Barnett, Sleaford Mods, Crooked Fingers, Strange Pains Reunion shows next year from Silkworm, Superdrag 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.

    48 min

  8. 12/22/2025

    Fight the Good Fight

    Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite music of 2025. Show notes: The 17th annual year in music review AI-generated music is lame Especially fake music that purports to be by real artists Spotify is a juggernaut that still sucks Checking out other services (Qobuz, Amazon) You don't get to own downloads via streaming services The kids love the K-pop Only a handful of artists make any money these days Oh yay, LIve Nation is going to get richer Ticketmaster is now a ticket reseller as well We're still seeing the live rock Breitling: Thumbs up for the Aimee Mann/Ted Leo Christmas show Saw Oasis in Mexico City We both saw Hallelujah the Hills  Kumar: Saw Frank Black, Narducy/Shannon do R.E.M., Gang of Four with Ted Leo, Bob Mould, Greg Norton, Ducks Ltd., Pixies, the Who, Buffalo Tom Breitling's bubbling under music picks: Ava Luna, Lifeguard, Winter, Frankie Cosmos, Golden Apples, Lemonheads, Sister Ray Davies, Jeff Tweedy, Glimmer, Tiberius, Telephone Numbers Kumar's honorable mentions: Tweedy, The Convenience, Snocaps, Turnstile, The Hives, Viagra Boys, Pulp, Car Seat Headrest, Charm School, Horsegirl, Superchunk, Pile, The Beths, Tony Molina, Sharp Pins, They Are Gutting a Body of Water, Militarie Gun, Kestrels, Destroyer, Dean Wareham, Kinski, Ty Segall, Stereolab, Lunchbox, Cam Keiber, Husker Du and Replacements box sets Breitling's #10: Autocamper's debut asks a valid question  Kumar's #10: Debut solo release from TV On the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe  Breitling's #9: Energetic indie rock from Chicago's OK Cool  Kumar's #9: Ripper out of nowhere from The Men Breitling's #8: Urgent EP about ancient Greece by Strange Passage Reunion tours with strange combinations Triumph is coming around next year 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.

    53 min
See All (599)

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Quality podcastification since 2006.

Information