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The Skip Button

The Skip Button

Ben Barzilai

1 Creator

1 Creator

Welcome to The Skip Button! This is a podcast all about the music we love to hate. I’m Ben Barzilai, a music scholar, writer, and publicist. Each episode, I invite my friends to talk about some of the most hated on artists, albums, and moments in the history of pop music. We'll learn about the stories behind the music, and try to get to the bottom or where all the ridicule comes from. Are they actually trash, or do we just love to hate? Decide for yourself! Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skip-button/support

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Top 10 The Skip Button Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Skip Button episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Skip Button for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Skip Button episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

The Skip Button - The Worst Soy Latte: Why Do People Hate Train?
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04/19/21 • 47 min

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/

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skip-button/support
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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

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skip-button/support
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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

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skip-button/support
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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

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skip-button/support
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The Skip Button - Against Bald Odds: Why Do People Hate Phil Collins?
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02/19/21 • 41 min

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/

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skip-button/support
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When The Chainsmokers took the stage at The Hamptons this summer for a not-so-socially-distant concert, it seemed to do nothing more than remind many people what they already knew: These guys suck.

Now that the EDM-Pop duo seem to be past the peak of their powers, I talked to some friends about what makes them and their music so insufferable. Along the way, I ask questions like:

Do people hate their music, or them? Did you know Priyanka Chopra had a singing career? And.. really? 17.34 inches?

Check out The Skip Button's new website: https://www.theskipbutton.com/

Check out Sleeping Lion's Music: https://www.sleepinglionmusic.com/

And their podcast, Talking Lion: https://www.sleepinglionmusic.com/talking-lion

Check out Larry Fitzmaurice's writing and subscribe to his newsletter, Last Donut of the Night: https://lastdonutofthenight.substack.com/people/2544745-larry-fitzmaurice

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skip-button/support
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In 2008, no rapper had more power and goodwill than Lil Wayne. Yet, when he dropped "Rebirth", his self-professed rock album, all of that seemed to go away. Critics and fans alike tossed the album aside, with Rolling Stone calling it "One of the worst albums of the year." But what was initially hated and forgotten about might have maybe the most prophetic rap album of the century.

10 years later, I went back and tried to figure out why people hated "Rebirth" so much. I had the help of some friends, including Shanell, a Young Money artist featured throughout the album. Together we asked questions like:

What made Lil Wayne want to make a rock album? How did he predict where hip-hop was headed? And what's the opposite of a face-melter?

Drew Landry's article: https://djbooth.net/features/2019-05-06-lil-wayne-rebirth-rock-album-classic

New Design by Jack Confrey: https://www.jackconfrey.com/

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skip-button/support
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The Skip Button - Live. Love. Birds: Why Do People Hate Coldplay?
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06/08/20 • 41 min

When the NFL announced that Coldplay was going to play the 50th Superbowl Halftime Show, people lost their damn minds. So much so that one brave journalist, Matt Cantor from The Guardian, felt the need to come out as a Coldplay fan, and defend the band's decade-and-a-half-long career. Why did people hate them so much that it took all these years to admit to being a fan? I sat down with Cantor, as well as some good friends, to discuss the band's ever-evolving and ever-hated sound. Plugs: Where to Donate: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ab_mn "How I Came To Terms With My Coldplay Fandom": https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/dec/04/coldplay-fan-confession-superbowl-new-album The Golden Years of Dutch Pop: https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-golden-years-of-dutch-pop/1486279096 Jack Confrey's Art: https://www.jackconfrey.com/ Lawrence: https://lawrencetheband.com/ More of Matt Cantor's writing: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/matthew-cantor Cantor: https://cantorband.bandcamp.com/releases --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skip-button/support
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Mumford & Sons' folk-inspired pop sound pervaded the mainstream for over half a decade, earning them 2 no. 1 albums and 8 Grammy nominations. So why after all these years are we still giving them such a hard time?

I called some friends who ranged from casual cynics, to low-key fans, to seasoned Folk artists, and chatted with them about why the band's music feels so contrived, and why maybe that's not such a big deal. Along the way, I asked questions like:

Are Mumford & Sons trying to hack our brains? Did the band do Folk music any good? And is Ben for real gonna be able to keep up this dumb show during a pandemic?

Plugs:

Jake Blount's Spider Tales: https://jakeblountmusic.bandcamp.com/album/spider-tales

Parsonsfield's Happy Hour On The Floor: https://parsonsfieldmusic.bandcamp.com/album/happy-hour-on-the-floor

Cloud District: https://clouddistrictmusic.bandcamp.com/

Un Auto Arteriado: http://www.notnothing.ooo/books/trilce.html

Nukka and Sirko: https://www.instagram.com/nukkaandsirko/

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skip-button/support
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The Skip Button - Welcome to The Skip Button!
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01/22/20 • 1 min

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FAQ

How many episodes does The Skip Button have?

The Skip Button currently has 16 episodes available.

What topics does The Skip Button cover?

The podcast is about Music and Podcasts.

What is the most popular episode on The Skip Button?

The episode title 'The Worst Soy Latte: Why Do People Hate Train?' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on The Skip Button?

The average episode length on The Skip Button is 43 minutes.

How often are episodes of The Skip Button released?

Episodes of The Skip Button are typically released every 55 days, 2 hours.

When was the first episode of The Skip Button?

The first episode of The Skip Button was released on Jan 22, 2020.

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Ben Barzilai

@theskipbutton

Apr 22

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Excited to be on Goopods! Check out my podcast, The Skip Button, a show all about the music we love to hate.

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