Welcome to My Weekly Mixtape, a podcast that
takes the classic mixtape approach to building
a modern playlist. I'm your host, Brian Colburn.
Joining me tonight as guest curator is Sherry
Thomas, writer for the Aquarian Weekly. Sherry,
thank you so much for joining me on My Weekly
Mixtape. Thank you, Brian. I'm excited to be
here. Excited to have you. And since it's your
first time on the program, I get to start by
asking you my first -timers question, which is,
what does the word mixtape mean? mean to you?
Oh my gosh, it means so much. It means my childhood,
basically. I had one of those large boom boxes
with two cassette tapes, and I would make mixtapes
for my friends, for myself, off of the radio
station, or using my cassettes to express my
feelings. Well, tonight is the first in a new
style of episode at My Weekly Mixtape, that being
the Songs About series. This is where we pick
a random object. and craft a playlist dedicated
to that object. And we couldn't have started
with a better opening topic than the reason I
love podcasting so much, and that is my love
of the radio growing up. Sherry, what were you
looking for in the songs that you brought to
the discussion this evening? Well, Brian, basically
they were songs that I loved that I listened
to on the radio. or songs that just grabbed my
attention. And for me, it's definitely those
two things. And adding into that, I wanted the
radio to be kind of a focal point of the song's
theme as best as possible. Sometimes the word
radio, at least in some songs on my bank, might
not actually be in the song title, but they're
a central part of the song. So I'll be very curious
to see how often the word radio comes up in the
songs we're choosing tonight. Well, let's get
down to business tonight. As I mentioned at the
top of the show, Sherry and I will be curating
a songs about the radio mixtape, and we'll use
the old cassette deck approach. Sherry, as my
special guest, will begin side A with her first
song choice, and then I'll add a song that I
feel best follows up that choice. We'll then
flip -flop choosing songs until we've mapped
out 10 songs for side A. We'll then give our
mixtape a proverbial flip and we'll map outside.
Be only this time. I'll kick things off with
Sherry choosing second. Our overall goal for
the episode is to craft the best songs about
the radio mixtape possible through only 20 songs.
At the end of the show, you can take our conversation
to the next level by visiting the episode page
at myweeklymixtape .com to give our final mixtape
a listen via the embedded playlist. And if you
like what you're hearing on the show, you can
help me out by either telling a friend, leaving
the show a five -star review wherever you're
tuning in, or becoming a Patreon mixtaper at
patreon .com forward slash myweeklymixtape. There
you can enjoy ad -free episodes of the show,
become a future guest, and so much more. And
a few of the Patreon mixtapers chimed in with
the songs they would use to kick off a songs
about the radio playlist, and they certainly
didn't disappoint. Seeker chimed in with Do You
Remember Rock and Roll Radio by the Ramones,
which is an all -time Ramones favorite for him
and me as well. Ben from the Too Vague podcast
chimed in with On Your Radio by Joe Jackson,
which he had picked in his bank of songs from
episode 31, the ultimate 80s and some 70s new
wave classics playlist. But you'll have to go
back to that episode to see if that song actually
made the final playlist. Sean Goff chimed in
with Mexican Radio by Wall of Voodoo. David Lee
Smith chimed in with the badass Heard It on the
X by that little old band from Texas, ZZ Top.
Chad LaMassa chimed in with four songs that he
couldn't choose between, which was 21 Pilots
Car Radio, REM's Radio Free Europe, Nirvana's
Radio Friendly Unit Shifter, and Rage Against
the Machine's Gorilla Radio. He then asked if
I could choose one for him, but since all four
of the songs are good, who needs to choose? Philip
Bergman chimed in with Oh No! The Radio by Owsley,
along with Songs About Rain by Gary Allen. Even
though The Radio is more of a backdrop, he said
it's still an interesting country song to include
in the mix. Jen Fink chimed in with Video Killed
the Radio Star by The Buggles, saying, there's
no other. And finally, brand new Patreon mixtaper,
Christopher Stile, chimed in with what he feels
is an obvious one, Rush, The Spirit of Radio.
First off, Christopher, love that song choice,
but more importantly, welcome to the Patreon
mixtaper family. Looking forward to talking music
with you in the forum. And once again, if you'd
like to chime in on future episodes of the show,
please consider becoming a Patreon mixtape or
at patreon .com forward slash my weekly mixtape.
With that said, Sherry, I'm going to officially
press the record button on this mixtape and the
floor is yours. What song did you stop on when
you were spinning the dial looking for your songs
about the radio track one? Well, I had to go
with my obvious choice, which was Radio Radio
by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. It's just
a timeless classic new wave song, and it comes
with controversy. So Elvis Costello was going
to be on Saturday Night Live, and he replaced
Less Than Zero with Radio Radio. subsequently
got him banned from saturday night live for 11
years yeah i never quite understood why pivoting
from one song to another would result in banning
i mean look less than zero is a great song and
sure it wasn't planned but for me radio radio
is my preferred track between the two it was
written four years earlier As a Bruce Springsteen
inspired song called Radio Soul. But then he
reworked it into the one that we've all come
to know and love, which was a criticism of British
radio at the time. 1978's This Year's Model.
And one of my favorite Saturday Night Live moments
was when the Beastie Boys were performing on
SNL in 1999 and they opened with Sabotage. But
before they kicked into the song, Elvis Costello
stopped them. reenacted the moment you just talked
about, and then they went into Radio Radio with
the Beastie Boys as Elvis' backing band. It's
probably one of my favorite SNL live moments.
Oh, it's definitely a classic moment. So following
up Elvis Costello, I kind of want to stay in
that indie vibe. And the band I want to go with,
I actually have two songs sitting right next
to each other on the list, and they both... work
perfectly. One of which was what Patreon mixtaper
Chad LaMassa chimed in with, which was Radio
Free Europe. And that will work 100 % in this
spot. However, the band's Out of Time album hit
for me at a perfect age where I resonate with
that album a little bit more than I do some of
the earlier REM material. So I'm going to go
with the opening track because I'm a sucker for
album openers and the fourth single from that
album. And I'm going to go with REM's radio song.
It features guest appearances from KRS -One and
the B -52's Kate Pearson, who also appeared with
them on Shiny Happy People. The song reached
number 75 on the Billboard U .S. Cashbox Top
100. Not a massive single for the band, but I
always, always loved this one. And while not
making the soundtrack itself, which is something
I'll never understand, the song does appear in
the classic 90s movie singles. I could really
hear Radio Song on that soundtrack. I feel like
that was a missed opportunity. But following
up Elvis Costello's Radio Radio, I'm going to
go with REM's Radio Song. Well, that's a great
choice. And yes, it should have been included
on a singles soundtrack. Singles was probably
one of my favorite 90s movies. Just everything
from the grunge movement and the storyline. It
just captured me. So I definitely agree with
that choice. All right. Now we are going to be
following up Elvis Costello and R .E .M. What's
next? Hmm. Well. I think I want to mix it up,
since this is a mixtape. Sure. I want to go a
little bit to the left or to the right of the
dial, dependent on where you were located back
in the day, with Run DMC Radio Station. Nice!
Yeah, that song just... As soon as I heard it,
it just blew me away. And they actually use a
sample from a guy's song called Sing Sing. And
it's just so cool. It's just, you know, what
you would expect from them. It's classic Ren
DMC. 1988's Tougher Than Leather, one of my absolute
favorite Run -DMC albums. And Sherry, I got to
applaud the deeper cut because if I'm not mistaken,
that was never released as a single. No, it wasn't.
But that album, as soon as it came out, I picked
it up. And that was one of the first songs that
made me a believer in Run -DMC. And I've been
a longtime fan. So it just has the attitude and
the sass that Run DMC has. And you can't beat
the rhythm with them. They're just amazing. And
I will say, as I'm typing out our virtual J card
for our mixtape, I do applaud the synergy as
we have back -to -back bands that feature three
letters separated by periods with the R -E -M
and the D -M -C. So I know that's a real nerd
thing there, but bravo on that. You had mentioned
one of the samples on this track, two other songs
that Radio Radio samples is Public Enemies Bring
the Noise and LL Cool J's Dear Yvette. And I
think that's where I'm going to lean into this
because Radio Station teases you with some LL
Cool J. And when I think LL Cool J. I want to
hear I Can't Live Without My Radio. So following
up Run DMC's Radio Station, we're going to go
with LL Cool J's I Can't Live Without My Radio.
The opening track, once again, sorry, sorry,
sorry, from his 1985 debut album, Radio. It's
his love song to the boombox, produced by LL
along with Rick Rubin, his collaborator through
that time. It ranked number 12 on VH1's 100 Greatest
Songs of Hip Hop. And we just celebrated 50 years
of hip hop. And LL was such a huge part of those
celebrations. And this song was one of the keys
to hip hop having that longevity over 50 years.
Even a few years down the road, if you listen
to Easy E's Easy Does It album, and you heard
the song Radio from Him, the line, and your radio's
deaf when my record's on, comes from I Can't
Live Without My Radio. It's a classic hip hop.
anthem about the boombox so i feel like what
a great way to come out of run dmc keep that
classic old school 80s hip -hop vibe going with
ll cool jays i can't live without my radio that's
a fantastic song brian i love it i that was in
my alternate choice but i had to go with run
dmc but i'm glad that you chose ll cool jay because
he's a you know ladies love cool jay So now you
get to follow up a pair of indie rock songs and
a pair of hip hop songs. Where do we go from
here? Boy, what a choice. I think I'm going to
go with a song that I skated to at the roller
rink many, many times. And it was just one of
the ultimate songs from Donna Summer, which is
on the radio. As a matter of fact, it was on
the radio all of the time. Yeah. And it was produced
and arranged by Giorgio Moroder. And it's just
a wall of sound, a wall of disco sound. Originally
written for the 1980 film Foxes. It was included
on her Greatest Hits compilation on the radio,
obviously, Greatest Hits Volume 1 and 2, and
reached No. 5 on the U .S. Billboard Hot 100.
For some reason, I thought that was a No. 1 hit.
I'm actually surprised that it wasn't. And a
funny thing about this song, if you grew up in
the 80s like I did and you ever stayed home sick
from school, you know that old home from school
starter pack meme, which was saltines, chicken
noodle soup, and... The Price is Right on the
TV. This was the song that played when they gave
away stereos or jukeboxes. So for some reason,
every time I hear this song, you think roller
rinks. I think The Price is Right. I don't know.
Well, I use that starter pack every once in a
while. Yeah, I'm not going to lie. But yes, I
definitely remember the song being included on
The Price is Right. Well, coming out of that.
I think I'm going to pivot musically a little
bit, and to quote a line from Happy Gilmore,
we're going to go with The Price is Wrong, because
this song's kind of a darker story by one of
my favorite artists of all time, and that is
Tom Petty. And I'm going to go off of his 2002
album of the same name. It's the lead single,
and once again, opening track, The Last DJ. reached
number 22 on the billboard us mainstream rock
tracks charts and petty had explained that the
song was about a dj in jacksonville florida who
became so frustrated with his inability to play
what he wanted that he moved to mexico to get
his freedom back and the song is sung by a narrator
who's a fan of that dj this song actually created
A lot of controversy for Tom Petty because Clear
Channel Stations banned the song for being quote
unquote anti -radio. And I think, if anything,
that just made the song more infamous. And that's
something that Petty took a lot of pride in.
So following up Donna Summer, it's my first musical
180 of the night. But it's a good one because
it's a song that we have to talk about tonight.
Tom Petty, the last DJ. Yes. And that DJ, when
he passed away, the song was used as tribute
on many radio stations, as well as satellite
radio and posts on Facebook, Instagram, X, all
over the place. And it just personifies the person
that Tom Petty was describing to a T. It's some
of his storytelling finest, that song. Yes. And
I don't mind the switch up. That's what a mixtape
is for, right? Yeah, of course. And now you get
to switch it up. We're going from Donna Summer
to Tom Petty to what? Well, I choose Everclear's
AM radio. Oh, okay. All right. And I choose that
because the song, it just invokes nostalgia.
riding in the car with your family, listening
to the AM radio. And they played everything from
rock to country to disco. Everything was on that
radio station. And I know a lot of people, including
myself, had the AM radio on with their parents
and would listen to all sorts of different genres
of music. Before MTV, that was the MTV radio,
the AM radio. What a fun, uplifting song. This
one just always puts a smile on my face. It kind
of harkens back to the days of that old school
AM radio where AM was the traditional time when
music was played. It has that feel, 60s, 70s,
but it's still a modern song. And obviously the
happiness comes from... They're songs from an
American movie, Volume 1, Learning How to Smile
album. So it kind of fits that vibe. If you're
an Everclear fan, I do want to invite you to
head into the My Weekly Mixtape back catalog
and head back to Episode 29, the Ultimate Everclear
Playlist. That features a one -on -one interview
with Art Alexakis from the band. And we talk
about songs from across the entire Everclear
discography. So anything that I could say about...
AM radio or Everclear in general is said much
better by Art in that episode, so I'm going to
default to him on that one. But musically, I
actually am going to have a little bit of fun
here, Sherry. You've got Everclear and AM radio,
which kind of, again, harkens back to a different
sound. And there's a song that I know will go
perfect here, but it'll be even perfecter. I
know that's not a word. But even more perfect
than the original, even though the original is
amazing and I love the original and it's an iconic,
important song for many reasons, musically, this
cover version will pair up very nicely with Everclear.
So I am going to go off of 1998 soundtrack to
The Wedding Singer, and I'm going to go with
the Presidents of the United States of America's
cover of the Buggles' Video Killed the Radio
Star. It was originally recorded in 1979, and
it's topped the charts in 16 countries, only
reached 40 on the Billboard US Hot 100. So it
was a top 40 hit. However, in the US. Top 40
hit aside, it's always going to be remembered
as the video that kicked off MTV, which I think
makes the song important. And I, like I said,
I love the original and even Patreon mixtaper
Jen Fink chimed in with that one. But coming
out of Everclear, the president's back to back
sounds pretty damn cool. And I do love my cover
song. So this is kind of a way to sneak one in
here. Well, I agree. And you know, Brian, I was
there. I watched the television when a rocket
launched and MTV became what it was, which was
this portal into a musical world that I had never
experienced before. And my life was changed.
I think I watched MTV nonstop from 1981 until
1994. Is that when they stopped playing music
videos? Around that time, yes. All right. So
what are you going to follow up Video Killed
the Radio Star with? Well, I love the Beatles,
one of my all -time favorite bands. They don't
have a radio song. So I had to go to the next
choice, which is a solo member. And I went with
George Harrison's Devil's Radio. Nice. Yeah.
And that song was inspired by a church billboard.
And if someone has something to say about religion
or politics, it's going to be a Beatle. But it's
a fun song, too. And I love George's fun side.
Yeah. Shockingly, it wasn't commercially released
as a single. It was only released as a promotional
single. And even then it reached number four
on the Billboard album rock tracks chart. So
I think that just speaks to the strength of the
song and the lineup that George had on this song
is literally insanity. It's George Harrison,
obviously, on lead vocals and rhythm guitar.
Jeff Lynn, who produced the album, who you also
might know he did the Traveling Woolburys with,
on bass, keyboards, and backing vocals. Some
guy named Elton John on piano. Eric Clapton on
lead guitar. Ray Cooper on percussion. And, to
fill the Beatles quota, Ringo Starr on drums.
So you got half the Beatles on this track as
well. The song was produced by Jeff Lynn and
served as an inspiration for the songs that he
would go on to produce for Tom Petty's Full Moon
Fever and Into the Great Wide Open albums. So
given that connection to Tom Petty, it might
not surprise a lot of people when they ask me
what my favorite George Harrison album is. And
I say Cloud Nine. skip over all things must pass
there's a reason and that is because tom petty
is my favorite artist the connection to george
through the traveling woolburys and all the interwoven
lineups that happen between cloud nine full moon
fever roy orbison and the traveling woolburys
album to me is just such an awesome time in music
it was and i have to agree with you there because
That whole era was just, it was three living
legends working with each other with other living
legends and just created a soundscape of awesomeness.
That's the best way I can describe it. Yeah.
And I will also say to the Beatles fans out there,
and I mean this, zero disrespect to All Things
Must Pass. It's a masterpiece. It's an absolute
masterpiece. Oh, I agree 100%. And now to close
outside A. There's no way like artist -wise I'm
going to top having a Beatle. So what I'm going
to do is go with a song that I think sums up
my love of the radio and my love of the format.
I'm a 25 -year radio broadcasting veteran. I
grew up. laying on my bedroom floor, listening
to my boombox, recording songs off the radio,
hoping one day to be a DJ. And I did that in
college. And then I went into the backside of
things where I was working more in operations
and productions and actually on the air. This
podcast is kind of the way that I kind of scratch
my on air itch, so to speak. Shout out to my
friends at the itch rock radio podcast for copping
their name for that. metaphor, but the song I'm
going to go with was actually this artist's last
Top 40 hit. It reached number three on the Billboard
US Hot 100. Now, this song was released a few
months after Hungry Eyes, which was Eric Carman's
massive hit from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack,
which, believe it or not, only reached number
four. Now, don't get me wrong. The legacy of
Hungry Eyes because of the Dirty Dancing soundtrack
makes the song the one that most people think
of when you say, name an Eric Carman song. They
go to Hungry Eyes. But for me, I go to Make Me
Lose Control from the best of Eric Carman. I
bought this 45 as soon as it came out. And while
the word radio is not mentioned in the title
of the song, it's the central theme. of the track
it's the chorus turn the radio up for that sweet
sound hold me close never let me go keep this
feeling alive make me lose control some of the
songs referenced in the lyrics include uptown
by the crystals stand by me by benny king be
my baby by the ranettes and back in my arms again
by the supremes this song just always puts a
smile on my face every time it comes on my wife
knows I'm going to do what the song tells me
and turn the radio up. So closing out Side A,
Eric Carman's Make Me Lose Control. You know,
Brian, I love that song. It supersedes Hungry
Eyes just because it's such a fun song. I love
it. And I was a college DJ, too. Shout out to
college radio. Yeah, they all gave us that start,
right? Well, there you have it, Mixtapers. Side
A of our Songs About the Radio playlist, which
consists of Eric Costello and the Attractions
Radio Radio, REM's Radio Song, Run DMC's Radio
Station, LL Cool J's I Can't Live Without My
Radio, Donna Summer's On the Radio, Tom Petty's
The Last DJ, Everclear's AM Radio, President's
of the United States of America, Video Killed
the Radio Star, George Harrison's Devil's Radio,
and Eric Carman's Make Me Lose Control. Head
over to myweeklymixtape .com to hear all the
songs we've discussed in this mix through the
playlist embedded on the episode page. Now, Sherry,
why don't you tell people a little bit about
the Aquarian Weekly and what your role is there?
Okay. Well, I've been a music journalist since
1993, and I started writing for the Aquarian
Weekly. I want to say in 1998, and I've been
writing for them on and off throughout the years,
but have just recently rejoined as a staff writer
and columnist about seven years ago. So it's
an iconic publication. I love everything about
it. I used to use that as my Bible for places
to ghost. check out a band or find out where
the latest concert was going to be. I would gather
my friends. We would sit down with a copy and
plot out our next few weeks. Now, I'd really
enjoy writing for them. The editor -in -chief
is amazing, and it's just a pleasure to be with
them. The Aquarian Weekly is inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame archives. So I can
say that my writings have been included in the
Rock Hall, which is pretty damn cool, I think.
That's pretty damn cool. That's extremely damn
cool. I have been a reader of the Aquarian for
decades. That was my Bible when it came to what
I was going to do, whether it be... Concerts
I was going to go see at the Birch Hill or at
Club Binet or all in New York City. That's how
I found out what was happening. That's how I
discovered new bands that I might not be hearing
on the radio at the time. That was something
where I knew if I was in a record store and they
had a copy of an Aquarian, that was a record
store I wanted to be at. For some reason, it
felt like a status symbol to me to see the Aquarian
at a record store. And I'll tell you. There were
plenty of times that I would walk out of the
record store if I couldn't find any albums I
want. If there was a new edition of The Aquarian,
you bet your ass I was walking out with that
one. Well, you mentioned Burch Hill and Club
Binet. I went to those clubs rather frequently
myself. And it just gave you a feeling of something
tangible to look at. And as a matter of fact,
my first introduction into The Aquarian Weekly
was... For my college radio show, I sent an inquiry
to the paper to list my name and address for
unsigned bands to submit their demo tapes for
airplay on my radio show. And do you know that
my mailbox was stacked to the max for years because
of that? And there's a fairly good chance one
of my band's CDs is in that pile as well. It
was fun. Never underestimate the power of good
press. With that, we are going to flip over our
proverbial mixtape and begin side B. And this
time I'm going to kick things off and I am going
to go with a song that astonishes me is not a
top 40 hit for this band because this is a classic
rock staple, but it only reached. number 51 on
the billboard us hot 100 and that is rushes the
spirit of radio from 1980s permanent waves if
you're a rush fan i'm sure you along with me
are in shock that new world man is their only
top 40 hit it reached number 21 in 1982 and i
also want to take this moment to again Give a
welcome and shout out to brand new Patreon mixtaper,
Christopher style, who chimed in with this track
as well. And if you're a rush fan episode 52,
the ultimate rush playlist, which features fellow
Pantheon podcast network, made Steve from the
something for nothing, a rush fan cast episode.
If you want to get a rush fix, that is the episode
to do it. But for tonight, the spirit of radio
lives in hell. The Spirit of Radio by Rush. That's
a great pick. I can't believe that it didn't
crack the top 40. I'm shocked that Rush only
has one top 40 hit and it's not Tom Sawyer. I
agree with you on that because Tom Sawyer was
and still is everywhere. I'm surprised it didn't
crack the top 40 either. That's crazy. Well,
what are you going to follow up the spirit of
radio with? Well, I think I wanted to start out
a little bit on the punk side. And I thought
I would go with Ramones' Do You Remember Rock
and Roll Radio. Nice. That album was produced
by Phil Spector, and he wanted to take the band
in a new direction. And I think he really did
it. In more ways than one, but we won't go there.
But it gave them a new life and just catapulted
them even further into punk legend. 1980s, end
of the century. You're right. It was definitely
a Phil Spector produced track. It still had the
punk aesthetics in place, but it was definitely
a more commercial sounding Ramones band. But
for me, this song, this was in my bank and you
actually scooped me on the track because if you
weren't picking this, you bet I was going to.
That said, growing up, one of my favorite things
to do was Friday night music night with my parents
where we'd pull out albums and turn the TV off
and just drop the needle on songs we liked. And
my mom had this old K -Tel compilation and it
was called Rock 80. And it had Gary Newman's
Cars, Pat Benatar's Heartbreaker, Blondie's Call
Me, The Knacks' My Sharona, and the song that
I annoyed my parents with because every time
they pulled it out, I said, could we play the
rock and roll radio song? And that was the first,
every time she pulled it out, I'm like, rock
and roll radio? One of my absolute favorite childhood
songs. I love the fact that growing up watching
the Shrek movies with my kids, I was able to
relive that song because it was in the opening
scene of Shrek the third. And once again, I want
to give a Patreon mixtape or shout out seeker
chimed in with this one. So we're actually checking
off some of the Patreon mixtape or boxes tonight,
which doesn't happen all the time on the show.
So I'm pretty stoked to see that. Yeah, that's
really fun. I love that. And. Yes, I forgot that
it was in Shrek 3. Thank you for the reminder.
But going back to the K -Tel, I loved those.
Because 8 -track cassettes and all of the compilation
albums that came out at the time. Yeah, my mother
and I usually did something like that, too. Not
on Fridays. It was sporadic. But I definitely
remember just dropping the needle or putting
an 8 -track in. And just get on in bonkers with
different songs. Yeah, K -Tel was my weekly mixtape
before my weekly mixtape was my weekly mixtape.
You know, there was a toy called 2XL. I don't
know if you recall that, but it was a robot that
played basically eight tracks. I would take the
K -Tel eight tracks and put it into the 2XL.
I'm going to have to look that up. I don't remember
that one. It was a fun toy. Very cool. I'm going
to have to do some research on that. I think
I'm going to follow up by keeping the punk aesthetic
going. And I'm going to go with a band that I
want to first start by saying, while what I'm
about to say is perfectly clean, if you go and
listen to the playlist, this song is not safe
for work. It's from their 1992 album, White Trash,
Two Hebes and a Bean. I'm going to go with no
effects. Please play this song on the radio.
Once again, not safe for work. This is no effects.
And they have a style of humor that shines through
on this song. The song is absolutely hysterical.
It is very tongue in cheek. And it is perfectly
safe to play on the radio up until a minute and
45. From that point on, all bets are off. And
if you're listening with the kids in the car,
don't say I didn't warn you. I'm not going to
lie when I say there's always been a part of
me that wonders how many DJs got fooled and played
this song without actually giving it a full listen
before airing it. But with that said, no effects.
Please play this song on the radio. You know,
Brian, the Not Safe for Work songs are my favorite
because I had to get my FCC license and it was
a cardinal sin. The five foul swear words you
were unable to play on the radio or else you
would get a steep, steep fine. So listening to
not safe for work songs are my guilty pleasure.
And I'm not shy to say that. It's my favorite
thing to do. The more, the better. Especially
when you come from radio. I used to play a game
in college radio where I. would convince other
DJs that I knew a song so well that they could
play the uncensored version and I can on off
the channel with every curse in the song and
not miss a beat. And we used to try to test each
other with that on college radio. So there is
something about a not safe for work song that
always puts a smile on my face. So what are you
going to follow up our pair of punk songs there
with the Ramones and no effects? Well, I'm going
to keep in the kind of aesthetic by going with
The Highs and Rigor Mortis Radio. This is found
on their latest album released in 2023 called
The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons. It's an absolute
banger. I love this song. I love the whole album.
In fact. The death of Randy Fitzsimmons was probably
in my top 10 of the year. It's just a lot of
fun, and it just gives me so much joy. Well,
I will say this. Friend and frequent show guest
D .T. Carell from Space Castle is going to be
thrilled to hear that this song made the cut.
It's one of his favorite bands on the planet.
2023 is the death of Randy Fitzsimmons also was
something DT and I talked about on our ultimate
2023 mixtape. I won't say what song he chose,
but it is one of his favorite bands. So I guess
I could spoil the fact that the hives do get
brought up on that episode. This might be my
favorite song from the death of Randy Fitzsimmons.
And when you look back to a few songs ago that
do you remember rock and roll radio? It has that
vibe. that bop, that cadence to it, that it really
plays along with the songs we're choosing here.
That is probably subliminally why I chose this
song. The other thing I'll say about the Hive
song is there's a little bit of a dancey vibe
to it. And I know it's definitely in the Ramones'
Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio? And there's...
Not as much in please play this song on the radio.
That's a little bit more straight ahead punk.
But then we kind of come back to it with this
little bit more of a dancey vibe. So it gets
your head bobbing up and down and gets you grooving,
even though it's a rock song. So that's what
I'm going to use to follow up the hives. And
I'm going to go off their 1981 single. And I'm
going to tap into that little bit of dance, a
little bit of rock motif and go with the clash.
This is Radio Clash. And bring in a quote unquote
rock song that really is a quote unquote dance
song. This is Radio Clash on Pirate Satellite,
orbiting your living room, cashing in the Bill
of Rights. Bit of a divisive track for the band
because people wanted The Clash to kind of lean
into their punk roots. But instead, here they
were experimenting with funk and... rap and almost
reggae, but still keeping that punk edge to the
song. So while it might be divisive to some Clash
fans, I think it's an important song and one
that fits really well coming out of the hives.
I agree. I think it's kind of a crystal ball
into the future with big audio dynamite. too.
That's just my thought on The Clash. An iconic
band. Many say the only band that matters. I
agree. It's up there. The Clash is by far superior
to many of the other punk bands that emerged
from that era. So we've had a pretty punk heavy
side on Side B so far. Outside of the opening
of Rush, we had Ramones, No Effects, The Hives,
The Clash. We're up to track six. So Sherry,
what are you going to follow up this kind of
punk heavy Side B with? Well, I'm going to throw
in a monkey wrench and go with some hard rock
from the 80s. The autograph classic, Turn Up
the Radio. Every time I hear this song, it doesn't
matter. what kind of mood i'm in my spirits are
instantly lifted and i just want to bang my head
and turn up the radio like they say it's the
song's title and it's also a command when you
hear it you automatically want to do it from
1984's sign in please reach number 29 on the
billboard us hot 100 we talked about mtv before
this song was in ridiculous stupid rotation on
the channel This was the band's only mainstream
hit and they are kind of used a lot in one hit
wonder categories, which kind of bothers me because
they have other great songs, but technically
on the billboard charts, that's where they fall.
However, the song did have a resurgence because
in, I want to say it was 2011 in the now classic
or cult classic. I think it's classic, but to
most it's a cult hot tub time machine. The song
is featured during the opening of the movie,
which I think the movie is hysterically funny.
And people started playing that song again. I
started hearing it a lot more. Just a great hard
rock tune. One of the best from the 80s. I agree.
And Hot Tub Ply Machine has got to be one of
the funniest movies out there. Definitely one
of the more creative ones. The throwbacks were
perfect. It was very self -aware, very tongue
-in -cheek. Just like the NoFX song, it's really
not safe for work, but it's one of those movies
that just hit at the perfect time with the perfect
soundtrack. You change the songs in that movie,
and you change the whole feel and overall spirit
of the movie. And that is why Turn the Radio
Up is such a perfect fit for that film. But following
up Autograph, I'm going to do exactly what I
did on side A. I'm going to pick a song. But
I'm going to go with a cover of it instead of
the original, which is going to be divisive for
some. But musically, coming out of Autograph,
I feel like the cover version just makes more
sense. And while I love the original and the
original version reached number 13 on the U .S.
Billboard Hot 100, and that is Golden Earring's
Radar Love. However, since you brought Autograph
into play here, I am going to go. with White
Lion's version from their 1989 big game album.
That one actually reached number 59, not as high
as the original, but it was still a hot 100 hit
for the band. And musically, Autograph into White
Lion works the same way Everclear into the President
of the United States of America works. Plus,
I have zero evidence to back this up, so if anybody
out there knows if this is a fact, I'd love to
know. But this might be the last time that at
least I recall a quote -unquote hit song, like
I said, number 59 on the Hot 100, that included
a full -blown drum solo. Obviously, the original
had one. And then you think about, like, Edgar
Wintergroup's Frankenstein, Zeppelin's Moby Dick,
Iron Butterfly's In a Gata De Vita, even though...
Most times the radio station didn't play the
version with the drum solo, but I digress. Those
are references. But since Radar Love came out
in 89, I'm trying to think of a song that features
an actual drum solo in it. If you know one, reach
out and let me know. But following up, turn up
the radio, White Lion's Radar Love. Great choice.
I love the original, but selecting White Lion
after Autograph is the natural choice. Well,
what are we going to follow up this duo of hard
rock tunes with? We're at track eight now. Wow,
this is flying fast, Brian. I'm going to go with
Daryl Hall and John Oates, Rest in Peace, and
their song Portable Radio. Every time I hear
this song, it brings me so much pleasure. It's
just a fun, enjoyable track to listen to. Couldn't
agree more. And just for those out there listening,
as we're recording this, neither Daryl Hall nor
John Oates has passed away. Sherry is resting
and piecing the band itself because of the recent
breakup of their. musical duo not their actual
demise i'm sorry i should have clarified i just
people were probably going wait a minute hall
and oats are dead so yeah no they are perfectly
alive just not a band anymore well it was the
fourth single from 1979's x static and like the
clashes this is radio clash this song had some
pushback because some of the reviews felt like
Hall & Oates were trying to kind of produce an
out -and -out dance album. And while some of
the songs on that album I could agree lend themselves
to being more fully dance -oriented, portable
radio kind of rocks, even though it has dancey
elements to it. It's infectious, catchy, and
strangely enough, didn't chart. The only song
from that album to crack the US Hot 100 was Wait
For Me, and that was at number 18. So again,
this was kind of a deep pick, even though it
was a single, and I absolutely love where you
went with it. Well, thank you. And I agree, very
catchy. All of Daryl Hall and John Oates albums
were in my household. My parents were huge fans.
So anytime a new album would come out, it would
be on Very regular rotation. And that song just
stood out to me from the very beginning because
of the catchy, infectious vibes that it gives
off. And probably the dancing part, too. By all
means. And that's kind of where I want to go.
We each have one song left and I have two songs
left in my bank. And I feel like there's this
elephant in the room song for you and I. And
we haven't touched on it yet, but I'm going to
gamble here because I'm going to assume it would
make a great closing track and I'm not going
to go with it. So I hope you and I are on the
same wavelength here, but the song I'm going
to go with is going to continue that dancey vibe
and maybe even up that ante a little bit. It
was first released as a single in 1979 and then
featured on the band's 1980 album, Too Much Pressure.
I'm going with The Selector on my radio. While
it didn't make real waves here in the US, it
peaked at number eight on the UK singles chart,
and it is their most successful single. But sometimes
charts be damned because The Selector is such
an influential and seminal ska band that their
legacy is carved in the music that they produced
and inspired countless. ska and ska punk bands
for decades moving forward and while the band
split in 1982 they did reform and have released
17 albums including their latest which is 2023's
human algebra and once again i won't give away
a song spoiler but the selector was discussed
on episode 28 the ultimate ska punk playlist
featuring Scott Kloppenstein from real big fish
and the littlest man band. So if you're a fan
of two tone and third wave ska, and you like
the pick I dropped here, go back and check out
episode 28, but coming out of Daryl Hall and
John Oates, we're going with the selector on
my radio and my fingers are crossed for your
closing track, but first the selector. Well,
I love that choice. A fantastic pick. Ryan, I
love that band. They were seminal for the ska
punk movement. And thank you. It wasn't on my
radar, even though I enjoy it. So now you have
the final pick of the evening. And like I said,
there's this elephant in the room song. So either
we're going to be. Tackling that elephant in
the room song or apologizing about the elephant
in the room song? Well, I can't close out this
mixtape without choosing the best song about
the radio by one of the most amazing groups to
have ever blessed my life, and that is Queen's
Radio Gaga. All right. Okay. That's amazing.
The Live Aid performance was mind -blowing. And
even the recreation in Bohemian Rhapsody was
a fantastic revelation, too. I can't imagine
anything better to close out this mixtape than
that particular song. I could not agree more.
If you're a fan of the Live Aid performance,
you can actually listen to it. The first time
it was ever released was on the Bohemian Rhapsody
soundtrack. When I found out that happened, I
bought the soundtrack. Plus, if you're a Queen
fan, the opening 20th Century Fox fanfare is
performed by the current lineup of Queen, and
it's a really fun way to open up. playlists every
now and then i use it to start off a playlist
because it always makes people's kind of ears
perk up but yeah that live aid performance is
on the bohemian rhapsody soundtrack number one
in 19 countries but only number 16 on the u .s
billboard hot 100 united states i'm very ashamed
in us it should have been a number one hit it
should have been for weeks I mean, you think
about that Live Aid performance, 72 ,000 people
clapping along with that track. The song is a
moment in music history. And what a perfect way
to close out side B of our songs about the radio
playlist, which kicked off with Rush, The Spirit
of Radio. Ramones, Do You Remember Rock and Roll
Radio? No Effects, Please Play This Song on the
Radio. The Hives, Rigor Mortis Radio. The Clash,
This Is Radio Clash. Autograph, Turn Up the Radio,
White Lion's cover of Golden Earring's Radar
Love, Daryl Hall and John Oates' Portable Radio,
The Selector, On My Radio, and Queen's Radio
Gaga. Head over to MyWeeklyMixtape .com to hear
about all the songs we've discussed in this mix
through the playlist embedded on the episode
page. Sherry, if people want to learn more about
the Aquarian Weekly, how can they connect with
you on social media and read some of the stuff
you're writing for them? Well, they can go to
theaquarian .com and they can find my articles
by searching my name, Sherry Thomas, or by clicking
at the numerous articles that I'm listed under,
or they can go to theaquarian .com. sherry thomas
and that will bring up all of my articles from
the latest years well i appreciate all you do
there i enjoy reading your work every week sherry
this has been such a pleasure thank you so much
for joining me on my weekly mixtape thank you
brian it's been a lot of fun remember you can
find my weekly mixtape on almost all the social
media haunts at My Weekly Mixtape. You can also
head to myweeklymixtape .com to check out the
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for this week. Thanks again for listening. And
until next time, enjoy the tunes.