Bill and Frank’s Guilt-Free Pleasures

While often remembered as a catchy novelty track, Was (Not Was)’s “Walk the Dinosaur” is actually about our own imminent extinction through nuclear annihilation. Who knew the song would continue to be relevant almost forty years after its release? We trace the band’s humble beginnings in Michigan to their surprising success throughout the 80s, with guest vocalists that included Leonard Cohen, Ozzy Osbourne, Madonna, Frank Sinatra Jr. and Kim Basinger (!). For us, and maybe to the chagrin of the Was brothers, we believe the highlight of it all is this way smarter-than-people-realize hit whose video was continuously on our TV sets in 1989.  

Links

Music Video

Frank Sinatra Jr Performance

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Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

Mick Hucknall may be a polarising figure in the British media (well, I guess it mostly is only the "hate" pole), but how can anyone deny the power of "Holding Back the Years"? It's a song birthed in a stream of consciousness writing exercise but steeped in a history of childhood sadness. We discuss our own sadness, give a deep analysis of the song and video, and we also discuss why we refuse to pair a wine with this Simply Red.

Links:

Official Video

Frantic Elevators version

Simply Red Live from Santiago

Thank you for listening! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at [email protected]! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends!

Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

Today, we dive into Dan Hill’s 1977 mega-ballad, "Sometimes When We Touch." Often labeled the ultimate "weeper," this track explores themes of masculine fragility and raw vulnerability. These concepts commonplace today but groundbreaking for the late 1970s. We discuss how a 19-year-old Hill penned these intense lyrics to compete for the affection of a polyamorous woman who was simultaneously dating a professional football player and a photographer. We also examine the song's unlikely collaboration with songwriter Barry Mann, which helped propel the track to number three on the Billboard Hot 100 during a week otherwise dominated by the Bee Gees. From death-defying encounters involving a gun in the Bahamas to a hostage-like bowling incident, we explore how Hill endured his "albatross" until he recognized it as an open door to a world of opportunities. Join us as we analyze the lyrics and determine if this polarizing hit is truly a guilt-free pleasure or simply "too effing intense" for the average listener!

1970s video

1990s video

SCTV "High Q" Sketch

Thank you for listening! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at [email protected]! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends!

Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

We go deep in this week’s episodes by delving into the complexities of relationship-mending. For example, the only way to keep someone is to let them go. It’s the paradox of Broken Wings, and we are here to learn to fly again. Despite a bad coffee order to start things, we get right on track and discuss the enduring influence of Khalil Gibran on music - or at least on a few Beatles songs and this Mr. Mister tune. We discuss redemption, healing, and dangerous blackbirds. Frank also brings a Hallmark movie to possibly end all Hallmark movies.

For a good few years, Paula Abdul was an unstoppable force in music. We discuss her beginnings and the creation of her bestselling debut album. It all culminates in this song - her 4th #1 Billboard Hot 100 hit featuring a rapping randy alley cat. It's a natural fact!

Links:

Official Video

Video before rotoscoping

Paula Abdul in 1978 - "The Party Song"

Thank you for listening! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at [email protected]! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends!

Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.