Episode 85: Martinis & Disappointment

Explicit content warning

09/22/20 • 77 min

This week on #SlapperCast: record store memories from our youth, disappointing albums, musicians we like but wouldn't want to work with, difficult working relationships in bands.

Topics:

Eric's "ointment" story
Recapping our first full-length performance in months
How much time off is too much?
The challenge of developing an unspoken language as a band when we're not gigging
Managing different tempos and keys in a set list
Last week's show with Cindy Heywood (see Episode 84)
Slade Ham's recent outstanding stand-up comedy show at Improv Houston (see Episode 83)
Other comedy shows we've seen
The possibility of Blaggards doing shows with stand-up comedians
Eric's memories of Hi-Ho Records in Berlin, New Hampshire
Patrick's memories of Houston's Cactus Records in the old days
Patrick and Eric remember learning about new album releases by reading music magazines
Chad remembers the joy of discovering new album releases at record stores just by chance
Chad's deep disappointment with Peter Gabriel's "So" album when it first came out in 1986
Eric explains the one thing that makes Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" cool
Eric's disappoinment with the Boo Radleys
Patrick's disappoinment with Iron Maiden's Blaze Bailey period
Chad's disappoinment with Queen's "Hot Space" album
Patrick's disappointment with Freddie Mercury's solo material
Eric's disappointment with Sting's early '90s solo material
A critique of the "Synchronicity" album by the Police
The joy of a watching solid three-piece band perform like the Police or ZZ Top
Sting and Stewart Copeland's turbulent working relationship
Musicians we like but wouldn't want to work with (Chuck Berry, Buddy Rich, James Brown, etc.)
Tin Machine versus David Bowie's solo material
Bootsy Collins' experience working with James Brown
Ricky Gervais' friendship with David Bowie

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This week on #SlapperCast: record store memories from our youth, disappointing albums, musicians we like but wouldn't want to work with, difficult working relationships in bands.

Topics:

Eric's "ointment" story
Recapping our first full-length performance in months
How much time off is too much?
The challenge of developing an unspoken language as a band when we're not gigging
Managing different tempos and keys in a set list
Last week's show with Cindy Heywood (see Episode 84)
Slade Ham's recent outstanding stand-up comedy show at Improv Houston (see Episode 83)
Other comedy shows we've seen
The possibility of Blaggards doing shows with stand-up comedians
Eric's memories of Hi-Ho Records in Berlin, New Hampshire
Patrick's memories of Houston's Cactus Records in the old days
Patrick and Eric remember learning about new album releases by reading music magazines
Chad remembers the joy of discovering new album releases at record stores just by chance
Chad's deep disappointment with Peter Gabriel's "So" album when it first came out in 1986
Eric explains the one thing that makes Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" cool
Eric's disappoinment with the Boo Radleys
Patrick's disappoinment with Iron Maiden's Blaze Bailey period
Chad's disappoinment with Queen's "Hot Space" album
Patrick's disappointment with Freddie Mercury's solo material
Eric's disappointment with Sting's early '90s solo material
A critique of the "Synchronicity" album by the Police
The joy of a watching solid three-piece band perform like the Police or ZZ Top
Sting and Stewart Copeland's turbulent working relationship
Musicians we like but wouldn't want to work with (Chuck Berry, Buddy Rich, James Brown, etc.)
Tin Machine versus David Bowie's solo material
Bootsy Collins' experience working with James Brown
Ricky Gervais' friendship with David Bowie

Join us in IRELAND Fall 2021

Ireland 2021 — Sign up to learn more about our next Ireland tour

Show dates

Follow us on social media

Become a Patron

Join Blaggards on Patreon for bonus podcast content, live tracks, rough mixes, and other exclusives.

Rate us

Rate and review SlapperCast on iTunes

Questions?

If you have questions for a future Q&A episode,

leave a comment on Patreon, or
tweet them to us with the hashtag #slappercast.

Support SlapperCast

Previous Episode

Episode 84: "Super Invisible Nobody" with Cindy Heywood

September is National Suicide Prevention & Awareness Month, and this week on #SlapperCast, we talk with musician and author Cindy Heywood, a proud survivor of anxiety disorder and suicidal depression.

Cindy is a fierce defender of the rights of all who suffer from addiction and mental illness. She's a well-known mentor on internationally published suicide prevention forums, and her and editorials have been featured in internationally published magazines. She is currently working on the second edition of her book "Super Invisible Nobody", which details her recovery from anxiety disorder and suicidal depression.

Topic list:

Cindy's background in the Houston music scene and the "Richmond Strip", where Patrick and Cindy first met
How the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic compares to the 1979 oil crisis
How the uncertainty of the pandemic can lead to anxiety and depression
The world is in mourning for a culture and a way of life that we've lost due to the pandemic
How Cindy's anxiety disorder led to alcohol addiction
How suicidal depression is often not outwardly noticeable to others
Cindy's descent from anxiety disorder into suicidal depression
How understanding the dysfunctional roots of family relationships can be essential to recovery
Cindy's experience with family therapy, and how it doesn't always result in mutually happy endings
Never give up, your situation is not hopeless
Cindy's experiences with online forums and her Suicide Talkz Facebook page, and how that led to writing her book "Super Invisible Nobody".
The importance of reclaiming your perception of yourself
The epidemic of suicide in military and law enforcement
How the pandemic is driving innovation in mental health on the internet
Communication is essential / there's no shame in asking for help
The danger of isolating yourself ("You cannot do it alone")
Chad, Patrick and Eric's methods of coping during the pandemic
The value of productivity, creativity and physical activity
How sharing your own struggles with depression can be essential in helping others ("Go deep or go home")
The essential healing powers of humor and music
Eric's "Crown Royal" story
Recapping our recent gig at Sherwood Virtual Celtic Gathering

Join us in IRELAND Fall 2021

Ireland 2021 — Sign up to learn more about our next Ireland tour

Show dates

Follow us on social media

Become a Patron

Join Blaggards on Patreon for bonus podcast content, live tracks, rough mixes, and other exclusives.

Rate us

Rate and review SlapperCast on iTunes

Questions?

If you have questions for a future Q&A episode,

leave a comment on Patreon, or
tweet them to us with the hashtag #slappercast.

Special Guest: Cindy Heywood.

Support SlapperCast

Next Episode

Episode 86: Part-time Professionals

This week on #SlapperCast: a free-form discussion of metal/prog drummers, recent gigs, and how we're learning to navigate this seemingly never-ending pandemic as professional musicians.

Topic list:
• What coffee are we drinking today?
• Patrick’s coffee brewing tips
• Praise for drummer Dave Lombardo of Slayer and Mr. Bungle
• Dave Lombardo’s on-and-off again relationship with Slayer
• Lombardo vs. drummer Paul Bostaph
• New tour dates in early October (Wichita KS, Omaha NE, etc.)
• T-Bone Tom’s in Kemah on October 23rd
• Acoustic Blaggards shows... without a fiddle player?
• Many thanks to Tim Kennedy for providing video footage from our performance at the Sherwood Virtual Celtic Gathering
• Our recent show at Blackwater Draw Brewing Co. in Bryan TX
• Eric’s new drum kit
• Texas Governor Greg Abbott is choking our pubs and breweries
• Praise for Chris Buckley, former Blaggard fiddler who played with us last week
• Time signature changes vs. “feel” in rock music
• Eric’s favorite Rush song
• Eric’s upcoming PASIC roundtable discussion on Neil Peart, featuring Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater
• Do prog bands take themselves too seriously?
• Our habit of teasing audiences with brief bits of classic rock songs we have no intention of actually playing
• Our new album is in the mixing stage
• Looking forward to getting out-of-state for the first time since the pandemic started
• Memories of our first road trip with Eric back in 2017
• NEXT WEEK: a giveaway of Blackwater Brewing Co. beer on Episode 87
• Upcoming Houston-area shows in November
• People who request songs and then disappear
• Song requests that make no sense
• Billy Joel’s overt Beatles influence on “Nylon Curtain”