Make it Stop: A Bad Music Podcast

After helping mold and define the counter-culture of the late sixties and early 70s, Neil Young pulled an about face in the 80s, throwing his support behind Ronald Reagan, the war on drugs, and welfare reform. Tired of being pigeonholed, he shifted away from the socially conscious folk rock he was known for, releasing a series of headscratching albums that saw him experimenting with rockabilly, banjos and vocoders. Geffen Records became so fed up with his new direction that they sued him for 3.2 million dollars. On the Season 4 premiere of Make It Stop, we discuss the album that came on the heels of that court case's settlement -- 1986's Landing On Water. A bizarre amalgamation of all the worst that the 80s had to offer, the album explodes with ear splitting drums and tinny synths. There is nary a bass player to be found. Neil eschews both the personal and the political in most of his lyrics, instead settling into a banal sort of opacity. Joining the fray to try to make sense of it all are fellow Pantheon podcasters and longtime local legends Mike Hsu and Luke Condon, hosts of deep dive Neil Young podcast Long May You Young. Make It Stop is finally back, dear stoppies. If you missed the bickering and sniping and the endless war between the factions of pro-ska and pro-nu-metal as much as we did, then you're in for quite a treat! Part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.

Oh, Liz Phair. An indie darling and feminist rock icon who DIY-ed herself into underground superstardom with her classic 1993 album "Exile in Guyville", Phair had gone through some ups and downs musically and personally after her breakout album, putting out a few quietly mediocre albums in the late 90s and getting married, having a child, and divorcing. So why did, at the age of 36, Liz "Fuck and Run" Phair team up with bubblegum pop wizards The Matrix, known for their songcrafting for teen pop ingenues Avril Lavigne and Britney Spears, to write aggressively bland midtempo cougar pablum? No one knows for sure, and certainly nobody wanted it - not her loyal fans, not the young girls the Matrixified monstrosities on the album were seemingly marketed to, and certainly not rock critics, who famously derided the album, with Pitchfork giving it a legendary 0.0 rating. Liz Phair's 2003 self-titled album is a mainstay on numerous Worst Albums of All Time list. But is it really all that terrible? Mostly, yes. Parsing through the poor decision making is returning guest, BLOWW wrestler VQ, who once again is asked to analyze the motivations of self-absorbed white women. Give us your Hot White Cum, stoppies. Part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.

Aerosmith are regarded as true legends in the classic rock pantheon. As famous for their backstage escapades and interpersonal drama as for their meticulously layered production, bar rock bangers, and multi-platinum power ballads, the band managed to stay in the spotlight for at least four decades, no small feat indeed. Does that mean they've earned the respect of this podcast's intrepid hosts? Dream on. Seasoned rock author and interviewer Martin Popoff joins the fray to take on Aeroesmith's most recent and least successful album, 2012's Music From Another Dimension. This 70 minute slog garnered extremely poor reviews and sold a paltry 63,000 copies, a far cry from their previous platinum selling album Just Push Play. What led to this fall from grace? Was it the fact that it took six years to make? Was it the fact that the band members hated each other so much that they wouldn't even visit a hideously injured Steven Tyler in traction? Or is it just that Aerosmith sucks, has always sucked, and they're finally getting what they deserve? Find out this week on Make It Stop, part of the Pantheon Podcast Network!

It's the Worst, Least-Wonderfulest time of the year. March was always a brutal month, but this one is definitely the Baddest on record - with a global pandemic forcing entire cities on lockdown, hospitals desperate for gowns, masks and ventilators, and scary spiky death graphs getting ever more urgently plotted. This is a Bad Time, #stoppies, but what are we to do in a crisis besides doubling down on this, our deepest dive so far into the most despicable, soulless, self-indulgent rock music ever made? As we stand here, dangling on the precipice of total destruction, our precious time on this planet is more important than ever. So relax, grab a tasty quarantine edible or two, and spend the next hour and 45 minutes with us as we argue over whether Nickelback or Imagine Dragons is more bad than the other one. Just like our toes dancing on that cliff's edge, it's a razor thin margin and a heckuva ride, #stoppies. Won't you join us from the safety of your own homes as we settle this, once and for all? Part of the Pantheon Podcasts Network.

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IGH! It's The Big Day today, Stoppies, the Season 3 Premiere of Make It Stop! And to celebrate our Big Day, we're reviewing... The Big Day! Chance The Rapper's "first album" and massive fall from grace.

After dropping his all time classic mixtape Acid Rap and following it up with the massively successful gospel rap fusion of Coloring Book, Chance finally released an official album -- a concept album about loving his wife, loving god, and really really REALLY loving his wife. Devoid of replay value or any remotely appealing elements and clocking in at over 70 minutes, The Big Day is in the running for biggest disappointment in hip-hop history. And is there something dark and sinister beneath the glossy surface? Is there a great pain and resentment lurking between the lines?

Chance The Rapper Ex-Superfans Mike and Heather hit the studio by their lonesome to ponder these thoughts, searching for an answer to the grand question of WHY? WHY DID HE DO THIS? WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR CHANCE? It's "great" to be back Stoppies!

This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts

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