The Skip Button

For over 20 years, the band Train has been a mainstay on radio and Billboard charts, selling over 10 million albums and 30 million tracks worldwide. Yet, they are a constant source of frustration for people who think their music is safe and their lyrics are cringey and lazy. I talk to friends and music critics to find out how they got this reputation, and if it actually holds up to a deep dive into their music. Along the way, I ask questions like:

Is Patrick Monahan a self-aware lyricist? Is "Hey Soul Sister" about tokenizing a black woman? Can radishes be tasty if you put enough ranch dressing on them?

PLUGS:

Colin McGuire on Pop Matters: www.popmatters.com/author/colin_mcguire

Mark And Sarah Talk About Songs: www.markandsarahtalkaboutsongs.com/

Donate to Planned Parenthood: www.weareplannedparenthoodaction.org/onlineactions/KDlEsm4r6EizP0SdpEj8Fg2

Red Hen Press: redhenpress.org/

Soy Latte's and the Literal Dream Song by Sydney Bucksbaum: https://ew.com/music/train-drops-of-jupiter-tell-me-oral-history/

Follow me on Social Media: twitter.com/BarzNearMe instagram.com/skipbuttonpodcast/

The Black Eyed Peas are one of the best-selling groups in the history of Hip Hop. They’re also considered to be the most annoying. I asked my friends Matt and Aj to talk about the group’s many phases and see if any of the hate holds water. Along the way we ask questions like:

Did Fergie ruin the group? Is Labor Day the hot new holiday? And what the hell is a Apl.De.Ap?

Mastering by Carter Sanders: www.cartersandersmastering.com

Throughout the 90's, very few pop artists had a run as impressive as Céline Dion: Grammy awards, record-breaking album sales, a number of successful movie soundtracks, a gargantuan, international fanbase, and so on. And yet, lurking in the underground of American culture was a large and loud cohort of people who were convinced she was the epitome of everything wrong with the mainstream.

On this episode of The Skip Button, I try to get to the bottom of why she was public enemy #1 to so many people, and whether or not those people were onto something. Along the way, I ask questions like:

Is Céline's music really as cheesy as people say? Is a killer vocal enough to make a song good? And how many French words can Ben butcher over the course of a single hour?

PLUGS:

Read Chris Hanna's article on Céline here.

Follow Chris on Twitter: twitter.com/Chris_Hanna

Carl Wilson on Slate: https://slate.com/author/carl-wilson

"Let's Talk About Love" by Carl Wilson: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/383300.Let_s_Talk_About_Love

"Songbooks" by Eric Weisbard: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53998937-songbooks

In recent months, Nü Metal band Limp Bizkit has received something of a reappraisal: "Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage", a documentary on HBO, highlighted their role in the carnage that was Woodstock 99, they went viral for their recent appearance at Lollapalooza, and they just released a new album. Despite the fact that they were one of the highest-selling and most influential bands of the late '90s, people have always gone after the band for being "immature", "talentless", and "violent". The question is, is any of that true, and does any of it matter? In this episode, I speak with friends and journalists to get to the bottom of where all the hate for Limp Bizkit comes from. Along the way, I ask questions like: Why do even Nü Metal lovers hate Limp Bizkit? Are dumb, stupid cultural projects important? And would you, dear listener, risk it for the biscuit?

PLUGS:

Follow Magdalene Taylor: https://twitter.com/magdajtaylor

Mel Magazine's Nü Metal Article: https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/nu-metal-tried-to-warn-us-about-male-rage-but-instead-we-laughed-at-their-masks

Follow Miranda Reinert: https://twitter.com/mirandareinert

Miranda's Newsletter: http://mirandareinert.com/

Endless Scroll: https://open.spotify.com/show/002BZK0oGRZhDfFDjUoqcM?si=WOWBBX_oTsGKcZUSSOFo2Q

Justin Rubenstein's Comedy: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU0EoQzkNZKS01-bpIzcdlQ

Corny. Shallow. Sell-out. Dad. These are only a few of the names that Phil Collins - one of the best selling artists of the 80's - has been called.

On this episode of The Skip Button, I do a deep dive into the multi-faceted career of the prog-rocker turned pop icon and try to investigate some theories as to why he became such a musical pariah. Along the way, I ask questions like:

Did Phil Collins ruin Genesis? Is there a post-Phil Collins artist? And is the balding mullet a look?

Find me on Twitter: @BarzNearMe

Bernard Zuel's article on Phil Collins: www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jan/14/in-defence-of-phil-collins-what-is-the-genesis-of-all-the-hatred

Check out more of Zuel's writing: www.BernardZuel.net

Switched On Pop podcast: switchedonpop.com/

Switched On Pop Book: switchedonpop.com/book

How a recording-studio mishap shaped '80s music: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxz6jShW-3E

Jonah Bayer's article on Phil Collins: www.vice.com/en/article/687jzr/why-there-will-never-be-another-pop-star-like-phil-collins

Check out more of Jonah Bayer's writing: www.jonahbayer.com/