EP 99. Exit Sandman; or, Party Like It’s 1999 (Unless the Robots Take Over)
05/13/25 • 30 min
On July 3, 1999 Mark Sandman, frontman and two-string slide bassist of Morphine collapsed and died while performing onstage in Palestrina, Italy. Ironically a few years earlier he wrote aa song in which he sang about hoping to have french fries with pepper on September 9th of that year.
But don't let that get you down. As we approach our 100th episode, we turn back the clock 25 years to the strange, beautiful, and paranoid world of 1999. Clinton was impeached, Napster was born, and people were hoarding water in fear of Y2K. Now in 2024, we’ve got AI making music, faking voices, and threatening to write this podcast for us. Coincidence?
We explore the eerie parallels between Y2K fear and AI anxiety, all through the lens of the incredible music that defined the end of the millennium. Featuring everything from The Flaming Lips’ cinematic masterpiece The Soft Bulletin to Fiona Apple’s poetic rage, and from Rage Against the Machine's fury to Beck’s freaky funk, this episode is a tribute to the year that birthed some of the deepest—and weirdest—dad rock we still love today, including:
- The indie guitar heroics and existential hooks of Built to Spill’s “Keep It Like a Secret”
- The strange and defiant Primus’ “Antipop”
- Moby’s soundtrack to the digital dawn “Play”
- Pavement’s bittersweet farewell produced by Nigel Godrich “Terror Twilight”
- And Wilco’s “Summerteeth” which is Dad Rock and not New Dad Rock
This isn’t just a nostalgia trip—it’s a portal between two centuries, two technopanic moments, and a lot of great records.
🎧 Episode 100 is coming next... and it’s all about YOU. Send us your questions, dad rock confessions, or AI fears before the robots take over for real.
Did you know that The New Dad Rock has swag? Coffee mugs, pillow and t-shirts in a multitude of colors and arm lengths.
On July 3, 1999 Mark Sandman, frontman and two-string slide bassist of Morphine collapsed and died while performing onstage in Palestrina, Italy. Ironically a few years earlier he wrote aa song in which he sang about hoping to have french fries with pepper on September 9th of that year.
But don't let that get you down. As we approach our 100th episode, we turn back the clock 25 years to the strange, beautiful, and paranoid world of 1999. Clinton was impeached, Napster was born, and people were hoarding water in fear of Y2K. Now in 2024, we’ve got AI making music, faking voices, and threatening to write this podcast for us. Coincidence?
We explore the eerie parallels between Y2K fear and AI anxiety, all through the lens of the incredible music that defined the end of the millennium. Featuring everything from The Flaming Lips’ cinematic masterpiece The Soft Bulletin to Fiona Apple’s poetic rage, and from Rage Against the Machine's fury to Beck’s freaky funk, this episode is a tribute to the year that birthed some of the deepest—and weirdest—dad rock we still love today, including:
- The indie guitar heroics and existential hooks of Built to Spill’s “Keep It Like a Secret”
- The strange and defiant Primus’ “Antipop”
- Moby’s soundtrack to the digital dawn “Play”
- Pavement’s bittersweet farewell produced by Nigel Godrich “Terror Twilight”
- And Wilco’s “Summerteeth” which is Dad Rock and not New Dad Rock
This isn’t just a nostalgia trip—it’s a portal between two centuries, two technopanic moments, and a lot of great records.
🎧 Episode 100 is coming next... and it’s all about YOU. Send us your questions, dad rock confessions, or AI fears before the robots take over for real.
Did you know that The New Dad Rock has swag? Coffee mugs, pillow and t-shirts in a multitude of colors and arm lengths.
Previous Episode
EP 98. Montauk Mix and UFO Flix
🎙️ Episode 98: Montauk Mix and UFO Flix
Strap in for a cosmic ride back to the Summer of '98—when alternative rock was maturing, Montauk was still weird and wonderful, and UFOs might have been hovering just offshore.
Steve and Keith dig through the musical treasures of 1998, spinning tracks from Neutral Milk Hotel, Elliott Smith, Mercury Rev, Beastie Boys, Sunny Day Real Estate, and more. It's the year of In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, XO, Deserter’s Songs, and Hello Nasty—a golden moment when indie, emo, electronica, and even Madonna (Ray of Light!) all collided on our Walkmans and Discmen.
☀️ Along the way:
- Summers in Montauk: sand in cassette decks, longboard surf sessions, and the quiet magic of a sleepy beach town
- The Montauk Project: time travel? psychic experiments? Stranger Things vibes years before Netflix
- Lights in the sky, rumors around bonfires, and the sweet mystery of pre-Y2K anxiety
🛸 Expect music nerdery, heartfelt nostalgia, and just maybe a few unexplained sightings along the dunes.
Tagline: The year alt-rock grew up... and Montauk got even weirder.
Cue the mixtape, cue the conspiracy theories—it's Episode 98!
Did you know that The New Dad Rock has swag? Coffee mugs, pillow and t-shirts in a multitude of colors and arm lengths.
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/the-new-dad-rock-69856/ep-99-exit-sandman-or-party-like-its-1999-unless-the-robots-take-over-91110473"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to ep 99. exit sandman; or, party like it’s 1999 (unless the robots take over) on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy