A (Mostly) 80s Music Podcast: What Difference Does It Make?

A (Mostly) 80s Music Podcast: What Difference Does It Make?

Dave and Holly, your 80s music aficionados, talk to the artists and music industry insiders that made it the greatest decade for music.

Episodes

October 17, 2025 56 mins
Warren Zanes' recent career trajectory has landed him in Nebraska…specifically, Bruce Springsteen's 1982 album, Nebraska. Warren’s book, Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska, was released in 2023 to critical acclaim. Warren also hosts the concert performance of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska: A Celebration in Words and Music. It's currently airing on PBS and features performances by Emmylou Harris, Er...
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Matt Piucci and Steven Roback from Rain Parade join the podcast to celebrate the reissue of their second album, Crashing Dream, which is loaded with extras and live tracks. We chat with Matt and Steven about the origins of the band, the 80s Paisley Underground scene, and how they created that crazy pool picture for their album cover. This episode is sponsored by ⁠⁠The 80s Cruise⁠⁠. Use promo code "WDDIM" to get $250 in onboard cr...
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October 3, 2025 62 mins
As we conclude our year-long look at the music played on radio station KROQ in Los Angeles in 1988, we turn to the one-and- only Moon Unit Zappa. Moon's been busy, as her ⁠Moon Unit Tea⁠ business is thriving, and her memoir Earth To Moon is recently out in paperback. Moon now steps into our virtual studio to talk about the top ten songs the World Famous KROQ played back in 1988. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...
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September 26, 2025 78 mins
You may not recognize the name Danielle Claman Gelber but your pop culture references were forever altered by shows Danielle developed like Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place and The X-Files, to name just a few. It also turns out the band Oasis is one of her absolute favorites and so Danielle and her good friend Holly embarked on a trip across the pond to witness their reunion at Wembley Stadium in London. We get all the detail...
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September 12, 2025 52 mins
Chris Vos named his band The Record Company because he thought his band would never get signed. Turns out, not only did they get signed but The Record Company are now ten years and counting into their career. The band now has to its credit, four critically acclaimed albums and six top 10 AAA radio singles with "Off The Ground" and "Life To Fix" hitting the top spot. Chris joins the podcast to talk about the genesis of the band'...
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Spider Stacy of The Pogues joins our podcast just at the start of their all too brief Eastern North American tour to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of their classic album, Rum, Sodomy & The Lash. Spider talks up all the musicians in their current lineup and gives us some thoughts about the late, great Shane McGowan. This episode is sponsored by The 80s Cruise. Use promo code "WDDIM" to get $250 in onboard credit. Go to The80scruis...
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August 22, 2025 77 mins
Kat Corbett has been one of our favorite radio personalities since she started at KROQ in Los Angeles at the start of the 2000 millennium. Her enthusiasm for music is contagious. You can now hear her daily on both Sirius/XM's Lithium and PopRock channels. Right now, you can hear her origin story and her opinion on songs 30 to 21 from the 1988 KROQ year end playlist. This episode is sponsored by ⁠The 80s Cruise⁠. Use the promo code...
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August 15, 2025 60 mins
Dave Kendall may be best known in the US for his work as the host of the MTV Alternative Music Show, 120 Minutes,  from 1986 to 1992. Today, he's living in Thailand, and is a producer/reporter with the Bangkok Post TV channel, and a host/producer on the travel show Destination Thailand. We invited Dave into our virtual studio to discuss his current passions, from global warming, to his love of the music he played back in the day on...
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August 8, 2025 68 mins
August 10th is Duran Duran Appreciation Day. As it turns out, not only are we self-proclaimed Duranies, but our guests love the Fab 5 as well. So for this episode, we've compiled comments and observations from our past guests (and ourselves) about the music we love so much by Simon, John, Nick, Andy, and Roger. Happy Duran Duran Appreciation Day! Sponsored by ⁠The 80s Cruise⁠ Use promo code WDDIM for $250 of onboard credit Le...
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August 1, 2025 48 mins
You can call Rob Tonkin a whole lot of things: Music Industry Executive, Marketing Man, Media Creative, but now you can add a whole new title: Author. Friend of the Podcast, Rob Tonkin joins us to talk about a whole new venture. It's his memoir, and for SEO purposes we won't mention the title, but it reveals a whole new side of Rob. If we were to describe how much of a person Rob is, we might say, "a whole”. Learn more about your ...
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Jason Pettigrew may be best known for his 27 years as editor-in-chief at Alternative Press magazine, but besides being an editor, journalist, and DJ (you might have caught his opening set at the Cruel World fest), he is first and foremost, a music fan.  His fandom for the band Ministry led to his striking up a friendship with Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen.  Jason has authored the 33 1/3 book Ministry's Land Of Rape and Honey, a...
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From her newly-released books on Cher and Taylor Swift, to her recent featured articles in the LA Times and The Onion's A.V. Club, it's clear Music Journalist Annie Zaleski has a lot on her plate. Somehow, she found the time for us to discuss all that's going on in her world, as well as take a look back at the year 1988 and offer up her opinion on songs 60 to 51 from Los Angeles radio station KROQ’s year-end playlist. Learn mor...
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July 11, 2025 71 mins
Lori Majewski is one of us, a true 80s music fan. Her career started with Lori sneaking into hotels and airports because she wanted to meet her favorite artists. She now rubs elbows with many of those same people.  Her book, Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980s, celebrates the New Wave music phenomenon. You can hear her bring those stories to life every day on SiriusXM's 1st Wave. Her wee...
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Being an 80s music podcast, it's no surprise that when we learned music journalist Gary Graff authored the book, 501 Essential Albums of the ’80s, we would have to talk with him. Naturally, whenever there is a list deemed "essential", there will be debate, and so we had questions such as, "Why this one and not that one?". It's a good talk, and one that will inspire you to think about your own essential 80s music albums.   Sponsore...
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June 20, 2025 51 mins
Translator was one of those bands on the precipice of breaking big in the 80s. Signed to local indie label 415 Records, they soon found themselves part of the big-time music business when their label signed a distribution deal with Columbia Records. In 1982, their single, "Everywhere That I'm Not”, became popular on the burgeoning college radio circuit.  In 1986, the band decided to call it quits, scheduling a hometown show to rew...
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June 13, 2025 42 mins
We love our Dads. We wouldn't be who we are without their constant presence in our lives. Naturally, that also means we've incorporated their music into our lives. We have quite a few songs that remind us of our Dads, and we share our memories with you in our special Father's Day episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Imagine someone unfamiliar with Scott McCaughey, asking him the name of his band. It's not an easy question to answer.  Over a four decade career, indie rock cult hero, Scott McCaughey, has been a member of so many bands, including R.E.M., Young Fresh Fellows, Baseball Project, Filthy Friends, and Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3, to name a few. But The Minus 5 has remained one of the most enduring projects of his storied résumé.  A...
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May 30, 2025 46 mins
Murray Attaway, formerly of Guadalcanal Diary, one of college rock radio's favorite bands in the 80s, joins the podcast to talk about his new solo album, Tense Music Plays. It's the first album from Murray in more than 30 years, so we wanted to find out what he did upon dropping out of the music business, and what prompted his return. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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May 16, 2025 42 mins
Whether it's Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, or Duran Duran, music journalist Annie Zaleski immerses herself in each project. Now Annie takes on a true icon: Cher. The book is called I Got You Babe: A Celebration Of Cher. This gives us a chance to revisit all our favorite Cher moments, from her variety show with Sonny, to her fashion sense, to her movies. Cher has always fascinated us, and so we turn to Annie to figure out why Cher mea...
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May 2, 2025 47 mins
Singer/Songwriter Suzanne Vega has been recording her songs of personal reflection and social issues for more than 40 years. Her latest record, Flying With Angels, is her first full-length album of new music in over a decade. Suzanne joins the podcast to talk about the album, family life, and getting her start playing the New York folk scene in the early 80s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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