Hey there! Did you miss us? We missed you. Or rather, I should say that I missed you. Apparently Jason and Jeff don’t even care enough about you to show up, so they sent fellow Popdosers Michael Parr and Matt Wardlaw in their place. But unlike most recent episodes with the regulars, we actually have a topic this time! I’m sure you’ve all heard of the concept of addition by subtraction? What, you haven’t? Just think of “The Boys Of Summer” and you’ll get the idea. But that’s not what we’ve gathered to talk about. Instead, we’re discussing the opposite: subtraction by addition. In other words, times where major forces in pop culture combined to create something quite less than the sum of its parts.
The Popdose Podcast, Episode 13: Subtraction By Addition (1:04:30, 74.2 MB), featuring Michael Parr, Matt Wardlaw, and Dave Lifton.
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Show Notes
0:00 Dave introduces Matt and Michael and describes why Jeff and Jason aren’t around. This gives Michael the opportunity to steal Jeff’s catchphrase.
2:43 Michael starts us off with some examples from the movies. In most of these situations, either great, well-known actors were horribly miscast, celebrity couples were thrown together, or star-studded ensembles fought for screen time. Dave finds an exception.
13:34 Matt, true to form, begins the musical discussion by mentioning a couple of his favorite old fart bands that are still out there. Dave says that anytime a band splinters to create two or more versions of itself, the result is never as good as if they had stayed together. And yes, the phrase “Fuck Mike Love” is said in unison, or something close to it. The segment ends discussing one of the worst major-label releases in recent memory.
28:19 Michael pinpoints the moment when Sting’s career jumped the shark, which leads to a discussion about other superstar collaborations that failed miserably, and Dave recalls an offensive but very funny joke by Lewis Black and the worst B-side in history.
EnDOSEments
36:37 Matt recommends No Chocolate Cake by the Gin Blossoms, saying that it took them 15 years after people stopped caring about them before they learned how to write songs without Doug Hopkins. Dave describes when he realized it was all over for alternative, and Matt nearly gets away with a bad obscure reference before Michael calls him on it. (Song: “Miss Disarray”)
49:29 Michael enDOSEs the songs Kanye West is giving away on his website every week, which begins a discussion about whether Kanye’s behavior is hurting his career. (Song: “Lord Lord Lord”)
55:24 Because he has complete control over the show, Dave breaks from tradition and has two enDOSEments. The first is the second season of Bored To Death on HBO (our review of the Season 1 DVD is here). He’s also grooving on Majesty Shredding, Superchunk’s first album in nine years, especially its hilarious video. (Song: “Digging For Something”)
Wrappin’ It Up
1:02:36 Dave thanks Michael and Matt (and pimps Matt’s awesome Addicted To Vinyl blog) and wonders aloud if Jason and Jeff are ever going to show their faces again.
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