What do you do when you’re the biggest pop star alive and your record label can’t keep up? If you’re Prince, you declare war on your own name.
In this episode of Tape Spaghetti, Scott and Blake trace how the hitmaker behind Purple Rain became an unpronounceable symbol in 1993. After signing a massive $100 million deal with Warner Bros. Records, Prince chafed at their glacially slow release schedule.
Sitting on a mountain of unreleased music, he decided to engage in a legendary act of defiance. He abandoned the name Prince for an unpronounceable glyph—the Love Symbol #2—and wrote “slave” on his cheek at public appearances.
The media, baffled, dubbed him “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.” Warner had to send out floppy disks so journalists could even type the symbol.
Meanwhile, Prince by carpet-bombed them with albums until he fulfilled his deal, then released Emancipation on his own label. By 2000, he’d reclaimed his name and his masters.
Did Prince carve his name in music history by deleting it altogether? This is one of pop’s wildest branding stunts—and one of its boldest victories.
--------
1:04:52
--------
1:04:52
The Shaggs: The Prophecy That Built a Band
What do you get when you combine when rock ’n’ roll, destiny, and total dysfunction? The Shaggs.
In this episode of Tape Spaghetti, Scott & Blake share the bizarre tale of three reluctant sisters from New Hampshire who unwittingly became cult idols of the pop scene.
Driven by a domineering father determined to fulfill a prophecy that his daughters would become famous, the Wiggins sisters had no training, no exposure to pop music, and no particular desire to be in a band to begin with.
Their seminal work, Philosophy of the World, is an album defined by erratic rhythms, jangly guitar nonsense, and clashing vocals that somehow amounts to something…totally endearing. Frank Zappa praised it, Kurt Cobain loved it, and it now stands as a cornerstone of "Outsider Music" that challenges our very conception of pop.
Tune in to untangle the strange, sad, and ultimately joyful story of The Shaggs.
--------
55:40
--------
55:40
Alice Cooper’s Secret Club: The Real Hollywood Vampires
Picture this: mid-70s Los Angeles, Sunset Strip glowing, Rainbow Bar & Grill buzzing. Upstairs, hidden from the paparazzi, Alice Cooper presides over a drinking club comprised of the world’s biggest rock stars.
Members included Keith Moon, Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson, Mickey Dolenz, and regular guests like John Lennon, and Iggy Pop.
Their creed? Drink until someone literally drops.
From Lennon’s meltdown at the Troubadour to Keith Moon’s nightly costume reveals, the antics were as unhinged as the alcohol was endless.
Yet beneath the fun lurked the darker truth of rock’s excesses: careers derailed, friendships tested, and lives cut short. Alice Cooper barely escaped by embracing sobriety, while others weren’t so lucky.
Listen in as Scott and Blake unravel the myths, mayhem, and aftermath of a group that embodied both the heights and hangovers of the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle.
--------
1:02:27
--------
1:02:27
When Hank Williams Jr. Hit Rock Bottom (Literally)
What does it take to break free from your father’s shadow? For Hank Williams Jr., it was just about every bone in his body.
In this episode of Tape Spaghetti, Scott and Blake trace Hank Jr.’s journey from teen imitator of his iconic dad to one of country’s fiercest originals. Sparked by a mighty tumble off the Smoky Mountains that nearly killed him, Hank Jr. relearned how to walk, talk, and make music — and, miraculously, was all the better for it.
With “Family Tradition” and “Whiskey Bent and Hellbound,” he embraced southern rock swagger, celebrated his vices, and created music that was unapologetically his own.
Along the way, he reshaped country music itself, proving that second-generation stars could blaze trails, not just imitate them.
Tune in and hear the story of how one brutal fall gave rise to a legend.
--------
49:50
--------
49:50
Bob Marley, U2 & The Label That Changed Music Forever
What do Bob Marley, U2, Grace Jones, and James Bond have in common? The name’s Blackwell — Chris Blackwell.
In this episode of Tape Spaghetti, Scott and Blake dive into the unexpected story of the Island Records founder who reshaped global music.
Raised among Jamaica’s colonial elites, Blackwell was rescued from a near-death experience by Rastafarian fishermen who gave him a new lease on life and a newfound devotion to reggae.
From there, Blackwell founded Island Records and launched Jamaican music into the mainstream.
And that wasn’t all—he gave Nick Drake freedom to fail, signed Roxy Music for their style alone, and gambled on a scrappy Irish band named U2.
Was Blackwell a visionary who elevated voices from the margins, or a clever colonizer who repackaged them?
Welcome to Tape Spaghetti—where music history gets tangled. Hosts Blake Wyland and Scott Marquart dive into the wildest, weirdest, and most unexpected stories from the music industry. From legendary feuds to bizarre scandals, insane characters… and even murder! On this show we unravel the chaos behind the songs you love, the musicians you know, and stories that you need to hear.
Canada - english