Stairway to Eleven Episode #20: Desert Island Discs

00:00:00There's a podcast that's sure all that rocks hard is gold. And they're climbing the stairway to 11. When they get to there they know the record stores are all closed. But online they can get what they came for.

00:00:39Hello and welcome to Stairway to 11. My name is George. This is John. And I'm TR. What are we up to today, John? Well, milestone episode 20. Number 20. I'm not mistaken. What? 20. I know. That surprised me.

00:01:00when I saw that today I was like wait! Hold on. Wait a second. We might actually know what we're doing now. No. No. We'll never know. We just haven't missed a month. I was kidding of course. Yeah. Well today we decided on doing something that the concept itself has been something that I've always enjoyed for a very long time and that is the concept of the Desert Island Disc.

00:01:30If you're not familiar with what desert island desks are, let's go back in the way back machine. Quiet, you. Go back to a time when a little place existed in X number of cities in the United States and around the world called Tower Records. Does anyone remember Tower Records? Fondly. I do. I met Yes in Tower Records.

00:02:00I was in London in 1989 and Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howell appeared at the Tower Records in London. Did they just like poof and they were there? They appeared? Yeah. Well, I couldn't believe it. I was there and I was doing like undergraduate study over there and I went to, I was there, I was at Tower Records almost every day and I went there and they had a poster up that said that Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howell was coming to the London Tower Records and I'm like, are they really, are they coming here?

00:02:30And the guy was like, will we lie to you? Bugger! I think he is lying. I forgot that I was in a big city like London. I forgot that. Decent sized city, right? Oh yeah, I guess they would come to this place. Although maybe it was the arythmics since he was like, would I lie to you? Would I lie to you, honey? I love that song. Yeah, so I went there, it was July 6th of 1989 and I went and I

00:03:00I met them. Nice. Very cool. Yeah. Tower Records. Tower Records ruled, dude. It was awesome. Yes, I know. There were so many by me where I grew up. And if you remember, that's where we used to buy concert tickets to Tower Records. Yeah. I mean, it was just, it was awesome. They used to publish a free magazine called Pulse that you would get. And it would have all these articles about music. Who would have thought that? Go figure. What? But in the back, they had a section,

00:03:30called Desert Island Discs. And people would send in their lists for the albums that they would take with them should they be deserted on a desert island after a three-hour tour. A three-hour tour. Did you see the... Probably not. I saw something, it's probably on Facebook, it was probably fake news, but they were talking about Gilligan's Island and how they were like, well, the Minnow was a blah, blah, blah class ship, blah, blah, blah, with a radius of blah, blah, blah, so they wouldn't have

00:04:00They've been able to get anywhere to where they actually are on the show. Well, that and like the amount of clothing that they all had. Yeah. Three hour two or let's bring the outfits. Okay. Yeah. I'm pretty sure like that all wouldn't have fit on a boat. Yeah. Well, how do you explain Tom Hanks floating around in the ocean and a big tanker eventually found him on his little half raft. But we digress. Stranger things have happened in the expanse of the ocean.

00:04:30The main reason John wants to do this is because he wants somewhere to store all his Wilsons, all his volleyballs. Well, I need the space because I'm running out of it. Well, yeah, it looks like it's getting crowded back there and then behind you there. That's not everything. Yeah, so I like this concept of the Desert Island Disc, and the Desert Island Disc is whatever you want it to be. Honestly, it's not your favorite. It doesn't have to be your favorite albums, but it can be. It could be a specific genre or subgenre.

00:04:59It could be you covering your basis. I want to cover as many different types of music as possible so that I never feel like I'm bored at some point. Although having X number of CDs or albums or vinyl or whatever, you could get bored. But it's whatever you want your list to be that you want with you. The aliens are coming. You got 10 minutes to get on your... Got 10 minutes to get to the hangar and get out on the Falcon. Get to the Joppa. Get to the Joppa. You know, exactly.

00:05:28Then you get there like what a piece of junk anyway so that's the concept and it's fun because you could do so much with this because you're not confined to these are my all-time favorites they're whatever you want it to be honest with you exactly you want to cover ground with it's your island and you could do what you want so if your number one is a five disc box set so be it a little bit okay well you can get creative with it I mean yeah

00:05:58If I wanted to, I could just take the Rush Moving Pictures box set that came out that's got live shows and Blu-rays. But anyway, so that's the comp set. I'm sure most people have heard of Desert Island Discs, but maybe some people haven't. And if you haven't, now you have. Yeah, exactly. So there it is. All right. Who shall go? Shall I go first? Why don't you go first? No, I don't go first all that much. Tell us about your five-disc box set. Exactly.

00:06:28I did get some compilations because I wanted to hedge my bets. So it's only one disc, but it is perhaps a best of. Okay. Because you want variety. Exactly. That's the whole point. And I did initially make my list to try to cover a few genres because I didn't want all of one thing. And then I'm like, dang it. I'm going furthest out on a limb here with Wagner's

00:06:58Ring Cycle. Whoa.

00:07:18Whoa.

00:07:18If you also want your classical to be metal, Wagner's your dude. You're not going to do the planets. You might as well go that way. I considered the planets. I considered Mozart's Requiem or something Beethoven, even some Bach. But I was like, nah, Wagner. The original metal artist. That's about as epic as it gets, dude. Yeah. So that's my first pick. Nice. Great. And it's interesting because every time I think of that music, I do think of Choppers.

00:07:48Right over the ocean. Apocalypse now. Into the jungle. And you're on a deserted island. Or desert island. Whichever one you want to call it. Smells like victory, I'll say. You know there's a fun time. Sorry. That's a great scene of acting. It really is. You hear that? Or you smell that? Anyway. All right. You smell that? That's Ghostbusters. Oh, yeah. Never mind.

00:08:18Yeah. Listen, do you smell that? Right. So who's up next? It's entirely up to you. Well, I guess I'll go. Okay. I think I am going to be on a desert island right here because I think I'm the only one that's going to go this way. I decided to go to my own island. And this isn't like when we originally talked about this, I was thinking like, oh, let me pick all my favorite albums.

00:08:47But then I thought, I've covered a lot of my favorite albums on all these episodes. So I've already talked about them. So then I thought, well, what am I going to do? So then I decided that I'm going to post-Rock Island. So this episode of Desert Island Discs, I'm thinking that there's going to be multiple, I don't know,

00:09:17If you want to call it multiple dimensions here, in this dimension, I'm going to Post Rock Island. In another dimension, I'm picking other albums to go to another island. Or a time series? Yeah, we're going to do a time series here. From Time Life Books, this is TRs. Well, this is DC Comics, multiple universes of multiple... What if? Yeah. Or different archipelagos? Is that what you're trying to get at? Exactly. So the first island I'm going to go to is Post Rock Island.

00:09:47over the past 20 episodes to some degree. I've mentioned it a little bit, but I'm a real fan of post-rock. And for those of you that aren't familiar with post-rock, so I looked up the definition of it, and it appears as though the term was coined many years ago, but it was used to describe some of the songs from the mid to late 90s. But the post-rock I'm talking about was really from the

00:10:17was like what they call the second and third waves of post-rock which is like the stuff that came in like in the early to mid 2000s and the first album that i want to talk about is an album by a band called red sparrows and it's their first release called at the soundless dawn it's seven tracks it's about an hour it was released in 2005 it's their first album it's instrumental post-rock

00:10:47Most Post Rock is instrumental. It was one of the first of the genre that I listened to, and each of the song titles, when you run them together, seem to tell a story. So each of the song titles is this really long thing. It's not just a couple of words. It's a really long title. This band went through a phase for their first couple of albums where all their song titles were really super long. The music is pretty epic, and like most good Post Rock, it can get delicate and

00:11:18This album opened the door for me into this type of music. One of the main people on this album was Bryant Clifford Meyer, who also was in a band called Isis. And one of the cool things that kind of sets this band apart was that they used a pedal steel guitar as well. And so I like the sound of that. And so that's the first album I would take to Post Rock Island.

00:11:44Do you remember the first place you saw them live?

00:11:47As a matter of fact, yes, because you were there too. And that was 2007 at the, I can't remember if it's called the Unification Church or whatever. It was in Philadelphia. First Presbyterian. First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. And that was a pretty cool show. And it was like basically, so that venue is a tiny, it's basically the basement of this church. Yeah, it's their, I don't want to call it like a rec room, but it is. It's an event room.

00:12:17where they do stuff. They have a stage. We saw them in this tiny place, which was, it was so outstanding. What an amazing show that was. And yeah, that was a very cool show. And so now many of these bands, John has seen with me a few of these. He's gone with me to some of these shows live. So he will certainly know what some of these guys are about. Quick sidebar. I saw them the night before in DC at the Rock and Roll Hotel. That was the first time I saw them. Okay.

00:12:47Yeah. And I was right up front for it. I mean, that place only held like 500 max, but that was jammed in. Oh, was it? Yeah. And yeah. Remember, we would sometimes have to stand all the way at the back door. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Because it was so crowded in there. And I remember saying to you and Jeff before that, telling you guys, you ain't never seen anything like this before. I wasn't going to go to the show. And I literally called out from work the next day. I was like, I'm a fan of my mind. I drove up to Sam.

00:13:16Yeah, that's right. And they opened up with a song called Buildings Began to Stretch Wide Across the Sky and the Air Filled with... Hold on. My thing went out here. Yeah. Gotta get the whole song. Plenty of words here. Filled with a reddish glow. Yeah. And when they opened up with that, I remember you guys turn around and look back at me and I just had the, what the f... on your faces. They're great live. They really are. Yeah, they were. What a great band.

00:13:49Yeah, that's about right. Well, even maybe a little less than that. No, I mean, touring-wise. Oh, yeah. The album stretch was only, I think, from 2005 to 2010. But yeah, good stuff. Nice one. Cool. Thanks. So for me, this was a super easy episode to prepare for because, yeah, I mean, I already know these albums because I always think about them.

00:14:14And I have talked about some of these beforehand and I'm okay with that. But these are albums that literally, if I had to grab albums, if I had that, if somebody said, you got one minute, you could take whatever you want, but you only got one. I would grab these five. It just, that's the way it is. And they do cover some ground, you know, but they're also probably albums that would be my favorite albums. But exercise of the first

00:14:44I did take the five that I would definitely take. Then I have some honorable mentions are my next five that go a little further out genre wise. But and it's no surprise any of these bands I mentioned. So we're not, you know, no. What? Cindy Lauper. What? That's funny. George, you said Cindy Lauper and I said Celine Dion. All right. So without further time wasting. So my and I did rank these and I ranked them based on not as

00:15:14but as importance to me. So this would be my, and I hate to say this because it sounds funny now to say 90s is modern Prague, but it is because literally like the 70s Prague is considered like this deity. It's like the Greek gods. And then there's all the minions after that. Then there's like a little resurgence after that. And so 70s Prague is supposedly untouchable. So anything after like the 80s are like the plague years or whatever they call those, the dark ages.

00:15:44It's like, oh no, we don't know what happened. The synthesizer showed up. And then the 90s was a resurgence. So my first album is from the 90s. It is a prog album. It bewilders me it's not a fan favorite anymore like it used to be. There's new prog nerds. They ruin everything. Anyway, my number five is Prog Hobbits with their hairy feet. My number five is Porcupine Tree Signify from 1996. Yes. It is my favorite Porcupine Tree album. I don't, I'm sorry.

00:16:14Sorry. Yeah. Nobody has to apologize for that, dude. That's like saying my favorite hemorrhoid. If you've got more than one, you've got problems. But I took this one because first off, it is a progon, but it's also got a lot of psychedelic bits to it, a lot of space rock. There's some kraut rock to it. And it just has a certain kind of atmosphere. I love that there's a lot of samples in it to guide you along. I know some of the more newer

00:16:44Porcupine Tree fans are not a fan of this era at all. And I think they're missing out. It has some of their best songs they've ever written, in my opinion, like Signify and Waiting and Dark Matter. But if I need something that's got a little bit of everything from the prog subgenre and any of the subgenres of prog, then this is the one I'm going to go with that's going to keep me busy for that 50 minutes that it's on.

00:17:14I like to listen to it. Yeah. So do you take the second signified disc too? Yeah. I mean, yeah. Throw that in. The latest edition. Yeah. So you get the insignificance. Right. Demos. Good. All right. EP. Even if it's the second version of that, if I could somehow slip in a slip disc on the first version of that, then I'd be pretty good. But yeah, of course. Okay. Yeah. Double disc reissues, all that, you know, that's fine. If you guys want to take that. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. But my question is,

00:17:44Does it have nipples? She's dressed on the album cover. She's tied up, but she's dressed. I meant the prog nipples. It's not that kind of prog. Okay. Right then. No, it's getting a little uppity. Not yet. It's getting close. This is my bed. Right. TR knows what I'm referring to. Not slamming all those fans. Just some of them.

00:18:14All right. Back to me. Yeah. All right. We're leaving the opera and heading to the headbangers. Ooh. This one will be not a surprise to John at all. This is Woods of Eprey 5, Grey Skies, and Electric Light. Released in 2012, posthumously after the death of David Gold, the final Woods of Eprey album.

00:18:44is a work of magnificence that I cannot live without. This is just one of those albums that I put on regularly for 13 years now. Good Lord, how did time fly? But yeah, I don't know. There's just something special about this album that... I'm not familiar with this at all, so you'll have to clue me in a little as to even the type of music this is. Well, originally, Woods of Vupree started out as a black metal, Canadian black metal band from Ontario.

00:19:14David Gray was the main, he was the drummer, he's the singer, he wrote the guitars and stuff, and he brought in people and other people, including my friend Joel Violet from Thras and Blot, who plays on this album and was with the band for the tour of Woods 4, at least. I don't know if he, I don't think he was actually on Woods 4, but he might have been. Woods 5 leaves the black metal behind a bit. There is a little bit of black metal, but it's much more

00:19:46Slightly Gothic metal sounding. The lyrics are extremely personal, which is how I relate to this album so much. It's a very, well, at least to anybody that's ever experienced any sort of like depression or anything like that, it's extremely relatable. And the albums that register with me the most of all music and albums are the ones that I can relate to the lyrics. I listen to plenty of cannibal corpse where I don't even care what he's saying. He's just,

00:20:17But, you know, and I can dig those albums, but the ones that really sink in are the ones where the lyrics actually strike a chord with me. And this is one of those albums. I would expect this to be on your island with you. Yeah. This is the one that I would clutch while I'm sleeping at night like a teddy bear. When did this come out? 2012. Oh, okay. Wow. This is the one you grab first. Yes.

00:20:44Even though it's number four. I mean, honestly, this is probably one of my favorite albums of the 21st century. Most, if not all, of the rest of my at least five albums are from the 20th century. And this is, yeah, one of my favorites from this century. Nice. Cool. Very nice. Yep. TR? Ah, yes. So the next album on Post Rock Island,

00:21:14is a band called If These Trees Could Talk. And the album is The Bones of a Dying World. Really? Yeah. I love this album. So this was released in 2016. And this was this band's third full-length album. And the last album they released. I like all their stuff, but this album has some particularly memorable songs and grooves. The opening track, Solstice, is powerful and is a great way to start the album.

00:21:44I've been following this band since the late noughts and have been lucky to see them live on the tour for this album. And John joined me for that when we saw them in Baltimore. At the Metro Gallery. At Metro Gallery, yeah. Where I stole a poster and got them to sign it. Yeah, from the bathroom. Thief! I got this really cool poster. Can you sign this, please? Thank you. Hey, that's the guy. Get him. Why does it smell like pee? Oh, yeah. If these trees could talk. I mean, I selected this.

00:22:14album, but pretty much all of their stuff is really good.

00:22:18So you can't go wrong.

00:22:19The album selected you.

00:22:20Yeah, maybe.

00:22:21Tell you what, the strength of that first track is really, is a lot of it.

00:22:26But there's a lot of really good songs on this album and just memorable tracks.

00:22:30And I love it.

00:22:32And some people like Red Forest a little better, which was their second album.

00:22:36Very good.

00:22:37But honestly, it's hard to pick one, but I don't know.

00:22:41I think part of it is when you see them live and we saw them on this tour and I was so excited to see them live right after this album came out. I think that was the little extra push over the cliff for me to pick this album in particular. But it could have been really any album from this band because I really like them. So yeah, if these trees could talk. Nice. Very good. Excellent.

00:23:11Very, not underrated, just not thought of in the post-rock slash metal world as much as some of the other bands. But they're very good. But they're just not prolific. They are not, unfortunately. So very good. All right. Back to me. So I just realized there is a slight theme to four of my five. They're all darker albums in terms of their sound.

00:23:41You know, which I tend to gravitate to darker sounding albums. I don't like happy albums. I never did. Not because I'm not a happy person. Shiny, happy people hold the hands. I want the shiny people over here. I want the happy people over here. Yeah. You know, if you're happy, clap your hands or whatever that song is from that dude that I always hear when I'm at the supermarket. So my album, I was first discovered, I need to tell us, I had driven down the

00:24:11to see my brother, another mother, Richie, who I was roommates with for a little bit in college. He's responsible for breaking my ankle, Dick. Dick. He actually didn't break it, but that's the story. He's responsible. He gave you the beer. You drank it. You fell down the stairs. I get it. No, I sprained my ankle. I landed on his foot. We were playing basketball. It's a long story and it's just history.

00:24:41I hope he listens to this too and hears it and then calls me.

00:24:46Yeah.

00:24:46I drove down with my ex at the time down to his place from New Jersey to DC.

00:24:54And he bought a 12 pack of beer and he drank 11 of the beers.

00:24:57And I had the other one.

00:24:59I'm not kidding.

00:24:59And then he hung all the beer.

00:25:01He hung all the beers from his Christmas tree, but he put on this album.

00:25:05One of those guys.

00:25:06Okay.

00:25:07Okay.

00:25:07I told you brother from another mother.

00:25:09He put on this album and I was behind the times on this band and it opened up with this massive intro of drums and keyboards and I was like, what is this? And as the night kept going on, I was like, this needs to be purchased immediately. Metal and prog together? What? Chocolate and peanut butter? And that album was.

00:25:39And to this day, I don't care what anyone says, I still love this album. I still think it's their best album. And I desperately miss this period from this band, even though I came in at the tail end of it. And that is Dream Theater's Awake, 1994. Yes! Another album I can listen to from front to back every single time. And was that the first time you heard them? I was behind. Yeah, because I was in grad school. I moved from West Coast to East Coast.

00:26:09There was a lot of quote-unquote things going on in my life. And I just was behind the times. Yeah. Which is crazy because they only had two other albums before that. But yeah, I'm surprised. I came in late and I was just like, whoa. Yes. When Tiara and I have reminisced and lamented many times about this period and missing it. And I have all these amazing bootlegs from this period. And I just was like, I want this back so bad.

00:26:39If you know I'm a fan still, I'm not a fan like I was back then.

00:26:43No.

00:26:43Images and Words was my first one.

00:26:45I got that when Pull Me Under came out.

00:26:47And I did put all the Dream Theater albums on my phone recently to try to, you know, dig in.

00:26:53Yeah.

00:26:54You know, you like what you like, right?

00:26:56I mean, there's still, I like some of the newer stuff in TRs.

00:27:00And then we have some metal stuff that we pull and tug on a little bit.

00:27:04That's cool you did that though, George.

00:27:06I didn't get very far.

00:27:08I was in the car banging my head.

00:27:15I'm like, yeah, pull me under.

00:27:19And, oh, wow, got a little dizzy there.

00:27:21So I was head banging.

00:27:23It's hell getting old.

00:27:24Yeah, it is.

00:27:25And I was on the way to the store and I parked before the song was over and I went in, did my stuff, came back out and I was like, I want some more of that.

00:27:31So since it was on my phone, I pulled up images and words, put on pull me under, banged my head a little more.

00:27:37And then I went to another day and I was like, ugh. It's not. No. And then I went to take the time and I was like, and at that point I was like, all right, I'm done. And I moved on to something else. I was just like, this is not the same. So weak. So weak. So weak. Not saying it's bad. It just wasn't where my head was when Pull Me Under came on. I know. I know. Some people you can't reach. And then you get what we have here today.

00:28:07the way they want it. Well, they get it. Yeah, you got it. Anyway, I still love it. It's a dark. It's their darkest album, no doubt. And it's always cool. We have guests on the other podcast and the other podcast. You think darker than Train of Thought? Oh, God, yeah. Oh, wow. The subject matter is dark. I mean, every album is going to have a song about drinking. We know that. I'm not making light of it. I'm just saying it. But I just think it's a way darker album. Sound wise, texture wise.

00:28:38I do. Yeah. Outside of Innocence Faded, which is quite a morbid idea. Train of Thoughts a little too Jordan-esque for me. And I like it. Yeah. Okay. I got you there. And a little too Metallica on. Yeah. As I am. Which is cool, too. I mean, not going to knock it because Metallica created that riff. But anyway. And there's a theme also in this. Four of my five are from the 90s. And I desperately. So it's so funny.

00:29:07Well, okay, you're two weeks older than me, TR. Ha-ha, gotcha. However, I still feel like the 90s were the best time for me for music. Really? Oh, hands down. Hands down. Okay. Yeah. Because all the music, and we talk about this on the other podcast, is everyone's, there's no metal in the 90s. You weren't listening hard enough. There's so much great stuff from the 90s. Oh, yeah. So. I agree. In the 90s, at the time, I did not.

00:29:37I didn't realize this. I was like, okay, everything's grunge. But then it was like, oh, okay, the black metal thing was going on. The mellow Swedish death thing was going on. But I didn't. It was a little later in the 90s that I realized this. Me too. Late 90s, like 97, 98. And I was like, what is this thing called death doom? What? Yeah. Gothic metal? Really? Actually, I was, yeah, I guess that might come up again. So anyway.

00:30:07I don't want to talk too much about it. George, you're number three. All right. As I mentioned, I am now going back to the 20th century. It's September 21st, 1976. And this is, I don't even know what kind of music this is. It's jazzy. It's bluesy. It's drunken craziness. This is Small Change by Tom Waits.

00:30:37I gotta have me my Tom Waits and this is my favorite Tom Waits album it's not even I thought I'd go I thought I might go with uh orphans and brawlers or whatever because it's like a three disc it's not a best of it's uh like rarities and b-sides and things like that and it's got some cool stuff on there but small change is my jam and I listen to this all the time great tracks like Tom Traubert's blues four sheets to the wind in Copenhagen

00:31:07The Piano Has Been Drinking, Not Me, one of my favorite all-time songs of all time, Invitation to the Blues, and of course, Bad Liver and a Broken Heart. That says it all, I guess. It does. And of course, the title track, Small Change, parentheses, Got Rained On with his own 38. Y'all familiar with this one at all? No. Like I said, I only know one Tom Waits song. Which one is that?

00:31:35In the neighborhood

00:31:38Oh man

00:31:39That's all I know

00:31:40Wow

00:31:41Is that the one Rod Stewart did?

00:31:43Oh I don't know

00:31:44No that was something about a train

00:31:46I remember seeing the video

00:31:47Yeah

00:31:47Yeah

00:31:49Yeah

00:31:49No

00:31:50That's literally all that

00:31:51That's the only Tom Waits I know

00:31:53Fair enough

00:31:54We just made fun of him going

00:31:55In the neighborhood

00:31:58In the neighborhood

00:32:02Yeah

00:32:02He's got an interesting voice

00:32:05Yeah.

00:32:06But I love it.

00:32:07His first album, he actually like saying it was much more singer,

00:32:11folky songwriter kind of stuff.

00:32:13And that was closing time, I believe.

00:32:15And, and then I don't know.

00:32:17I really wish they'd put out a book on Tom Waits because there's,

00:32:21he's such an interesting dude.

00:32:22And I really don't know the story behind a lot of this stuff.

00:32:25And for whatever reason, there is no Tom Waits book that I'm aware of.

00:32:29If you're, anyone's aware of one, please let me know.

00:32:32So for reasons unknown, he totally roughed up his voice then on. I don't know if he heard it or if he just... Cigarettes. Cigarettes. I don't know, but it was a drastic difference. So like his first album, he actually sings like a regular person? Yeah. Have you ever heard Hope I Don't Fall In Love With You? And I hope that I don't fall in love with you. Yeah. Yeah. Check that out. It's... I mean, it's a big song for him. Or Old 55.

00:33:02What else is on that one? I know I've heard all these songs. I just don't know the song titles. Yeah. Let's see. That album was Old 55. I hope I don't fall in love with you. Old Jews, Pictures and Postcards. Oh, Martha, my dear. That's a good one. Not Martha, my dear. That's a Beatles song. But it is called Martha and it is a good song. Throw them in while you're at it. Yeah, why not? Yeah. Gosh, I did not put any Beatles on my list and that is an oversight. But anyway,

00:33:32Tom Waits. Strange, yes. Brilliant, yes. Love him, yes. Nice. Do what you want. Yeah, man. And I'm going back to Post Rock Island again for number three. And for this one, I picked God is an Astronaut with their self-titled album. This Irish post-rock band has been around since 2002, but the album I selected came out in 2008.

00:34:02They can be spacey, heavy, rocking, driving, and quiet on the same album, sometimes on the same song. There's a brightness to this band, tonally and thematically, but not all post-rock has this. They are still making great music. They just released their latest album called Embers last September, and they seem like they're always touring all over the world. They don't come to the U.S. a whole lot, but when they do, I try to see them.

00:34:32And John has seen them with me back in 2016. When we saw them, I can't remember, it was in D.C. someplace in a pretty small place. It was a small place. That place actually holds 750. Oh, really? What was that place? Black Cat. Oh, the Black Cat. Okay. Yeah. And this group, like I said, when I talk about brightness, there's a few bands that I'm going to talk about today that have what I call a bright sound.

00:35:02And what I mean by that is that the guitars have a tone that is not as distorted. Now, this band, God is an Astronaut, does have songs with distorted guitars, don't get me wrong. But there are some of the other bands that I'm going to talk about today have more songs where the guitars are not distorted.

00:35:29And so a lot of the sounds and the songs that God is an Astronaut does has that tone to it. And I don't know. I always feel like they have, like their songs have a driving beat and have a feeling of hope or uplifting kind of a feel to them. Like they're not like heavy or like they can be heavy, but like they're, but the,

00:35:59It's not like a darker feeling. It's more like a brighter feeling or like a kind of an uplifting kind of feeling. So it's hard to describe. You need to check it out yourself. But this was also hard to pick a single album from them because a lot of their albums are really good. I really like this band. And it's again, it's God is an astronaut. This is their self-titled album from 2008. I think I know them. Yeah, they're cool. I think John probably turned me on to them. Maybe.

00:36:29I might have told you about all is violent all is bright that's the one I like the most their second album that's a big that actually that was on my list too and I had to I had to pick one basically yeah I when we saw them at the black cat I was under the impression that they may not tour again or there might be issues I'm coming back to the states again or something so we were this is gonna be cool we're gonna at least catch them one time and then I'm like four albums later and tours later I'm like huh okay still cool I saw them yeah

00:36:59I'm glad we did. I mean, honestly, but I didn't know they were going to keep going. Maybe I just misunderstood. Or maybe what they said people misunderstood because maybe they weren't saying that they were done. It wasn't like David Bowie saying, this is the last show I'm ever playing again. And a new album comes out right after that. Yeah. For the Scorpions, this is our final tour. Yeah, exactly. Or Kiss has been doing it since 1996. This is really it. I really mean it this time. It was a good show. Yeah. Wow. I know all these.

00:37:29and I know all these shows.

00:37:32Because I was there.

00:37:33You were there.

00:37:34All right.

00:37:36My turn.

00:37:37Your turn.

00:37:38Now, like I said, these albums all would be on if I had a top 50.

00:37:42They'd all be on here.

00:37:43Whatever.

00:37:44But these are the ones I'm taking first.

00:37:46And it's not an episode without me mentioning this band once.

00:37:51Here we go.

00:37:52You knew it was going to happen, baby.

00:37:53Here it comes.

00:37:55Yep.

00:37:55And I needed a 70s prog album.

00:37:59I see we did a 90s prog album and we did a frog metal album now I need a 70s prog out and I went with Rush's A Farewell the King yeah I've talked about it I don't care this one's coming on the island it's coming on the island I mean the whole album's awesome but it's coming on the island for one song one song only Santa do yes it's happening baby it's just happening and and if I want to

00:38:28I'll take the box set so I can get that live show. Yes. Or the, what was it, the live show from the show of hands? It was actually for different stages, but yes. Different stages, that's what I meant, yeah. However, that's not the complete show. The complete show is with the box set. Ah, okay. Yeah. And if you're a Rush fan, you gotta have every freaking song from the show, and it's gotta be in order, or you pitch a shit fit. This guy. Yep. Xanadir.

00:38:58Is that the one they did with Olivia Newton, John? No. I believe their version came out first. You are hereby sent off of the island. So you can't go to the island with John. I've been voted off the island. You've been voted off the island. Quick funny story. In high school, English class, we were reading the poem Kubla Khan. Oh, yes. And the teacher says, anybody know what this is from?

00:39:28That's that Rush album, dude. I raised my hand, which I never liked to do in high school. I was like, yeah, this is from a sock Xanadu, right? And some guy looks over me and he says, you mean Olivia Newton-John? Like that, like a little douche. And you're like, no, you dork. And I was like, no, you dick. I'm talking about Rush. I said that in class. I think a couple guys are like, right on, man, Rush rules. And the teacher actually burst out laughing. Rush, not Olivia Newton-John, you clown. Come on, man.

00:39:58But isn't that Samuel Taylor Collaridge? As a matter of fact, it is. Also known for Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner. Yes. Interesting, because that's another long song. Yes. This is what not to do if your butt shits on you. Yes. So, and both proggy songs. Wow, that's weird. But yeah, this has got to come. This is my favorite Russian. I need a 70s proggy. 70s proggy, I had to have one, and it was tough.

00:40:27I got about 20 I could have chosen from. Well, yeah. Could do a whole episode on that. I'm glad I went to post-Rock Island because I couldn't have made a choice like this. Yeah, I had to do, and that's the reason why it won, because of that song. So, it's just what it is, man. It's just what it is. That's what it is now. Yeah, so that's, yeah. Well, and I will have to grab just the single edition. I can't take the box. That's too big. Oh, come on. Doesn't fit in your luggage.

00:40:57Ah, come on. Dude, you gotta go. Aliens are coming. There's not been people. They're disintegrating. You can grab the big one. Yeah, that's the only one I can take. I gotta take four other albums. Come on. Can't get them all in my pocket. Don't worry, I got my phone as long as the battery lasts. I got a lot of albums on there. I hope they're downloaded locally on the phone because the Wi-Fi ain't working. That's why I still have an iPod. No, I've got 500 gigs on my phone.

00:41:27What? A terabyte? On your phone? Yeah. Wow. I got the big one. Yeah, I can only max out at five on my phone. Yeah. All right. Me, y'all. All right. Imagine, if you will, the year is 1986. It is March 3rd. I'm about to graduate from high school. Released on March 3rd, 1986 by Elektra Records. Recorded in Copenhagen, Denmark.

00:41:57At Sweet Silence Studios.

00:42:00With producer Fleming Rasmussen.

00:42:03What could it be, John?

00:42:06More hits, please.

00:42:08String the audience along.

00:42:10Master!

00:42:11Where's the dreams that I've been after?

00:42:14Master of Puppets.

00:42:16Metallica.

00:42:17Yes.

00:42:18Fuck yeah, man.

00:42:18Yeah.

00:42:20One of the greatest albums of all time.

00:42:22When this came out in 1986, I bought this on cassette.

00:42:27at the mall, because that's what you did back then. That's right. And I listened to this incessantly, nonstop, the entire summer from March until the fall when Rain and Blood came out by Slayer. And you're like, this is done. Well, no, but it was just, it was probably the first time that I just put something on and never took it out of the Walkman. I just played it over and over and over and over and over. You know. And for good reason, mind you. Of course. Yeah.

00:42:57And if you've got an album that you can do that with, you probably want that on your desert island. That's right. And that's a good point, George, because I actually, that's how I chose my five. These are albums I still listen to all the time. Yeah. Front to back, not just single songs. So now I'm going to ask a super tough question for George. Uh-oh. No, this is a tough question. I think you'll agree. Your umpteen number of years since this came out. Many. You've had time. Almost 40.

00:43:27Yeah.

00:43:28Yeah.

00:43:28To let this simmer.

00:43:30Are you still going with master or ride the lightning is your favorite Metallica album?

00:43:36Oh,

00:43:36because it's always the age old question between the two.

00:43:38Cause it's not a,

00:43:39there's no wrong pick here when you choose.

00:43:41No,

00:43:42I think master is the superior album.

00:43:45However,

00:43:45probably some of my more favorite songs are on ride the lightning.

00:43:49That's how I am too.

00:43:50Creeping death,

00:43:51fade to black escape,

00:43:53which the band hates is one of my favorite Metallica songs.

00:43:57Yeah.

00:43:57And again, because the lyrics are amazing on that song. I don't care if it's a much more commercial Metallica than they wanted it to be. The lyrics are amazing. Yeah. Yeah. Just great back-to-back albums. Absolutely. Cool. There we go. Yep. All right. So as we progress to post-Rock Island again, my next album is by a band called Explosions in the Sky.

00:44:26And the album is called The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place. Yet. Yet. Released in 2003, it's their third album. And this is another band that I feel has a bright, uplifting tone. Like most post-rock bands, they employ plenty of dynamics, crescendos, and epic sounds. Their music has been used extensively in movies and TV shows, so you may have heard it without even realizing it. So, yeah, this is another band that, another post-rock

00:44:56rock band that I really like. Again, they have that very positive kind of sound. I got to see them back in 2010 and 2011. They, I don't know, subsequent to that, their ticket prices went really through the roof. I saw them in this really small place in Baltimore, and it was really cool. And it wasn't long after that, and it was like they were charging a lot of money to go see them live. So I haven't seen them since 2011.

00:45:25But they're an outstanding band, and I really enjoy their albums. And this particular album I thought was very good. But you could pretty much pick any album from them and not go wrong. Explosions in the Sky is my fourth pick. Nice. I'm trying to remember when I saw them, because I've also seen them. And I think I saw them a few years before you.

00:45:59- Oh wow. - A show.

00:46:01Yeah. And it was a last second deal. We were coming into DC. And I said, and feeling grungy, because I hadn't showered in a couple days. And I said, "Explosions, this guy's playing it at the 9:30 club tonight. We should go." And we decided it's not going to hurt us to stop by. And we had tickets. They were sold out. And we got it.

00:46:24And I believe that was 2007. Wow. Okay. Yeah. Cool. I didn't know you saw them. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because I liked them back then and it was cool. The show was recorded and I, like I said, I was hurting on the non-shower aspect. Yeah. And I stood in the back at the 930 Club, which is such a great place, even if they don't have shows I want to see anymore there. Yeah. And I stood right next to, they had a huge mic that they shot up into the air.

00:46:54in the back. And they had, nobody could stand there because they didn't want anyone hitting it. And I stood right there and I spread out a little bit and I created my own little circle of empty space. And I was like, sometimes not showering school. I like this. People were keeping their distance. Oh, I didn't care. I was just so burned out after all so many shows and so many days in a row. Right. Nice pick. Oh, cool. That'll be us in May. Two shows in two days. That's, that's pushing it these days, man. Yeah, I know.

00:47:24Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I,

00:47:25would they part of the Friday night lights television show?

00:47:29That's right.

00:47:30That's what I thought.

00:47:30Right.

00:47:31And they're from Texas,

00:47:32right?

00:47:33I believe so.

00:47:34Yeah.

00:47:34Yeah.

00:47:35I'm trying to think that album you picked is good.

00:47:37I'm trying to think what else they have that I like from them real quick.

00:47:40And I won't delay.

00:47:42Oh,

00:47:42well here's another weird band that has a long album title.

00:47:46Go figure.

00:47:47It's post-rock.

00:47:48Those who tell the truth shall die.

00:47:50Yes.

00:47:50Who tell the truth shall live forever.

00:47:52Yes.

00:47:53That's a good album. That is a good album, yeah. Very cool. Sounds like Godspeed, You Black Emperor. They were awesome live, too. I hope I didn't steal your next one. They didn't make the cut, but they are certainly part of that whole kind of vibe. Yeah, a little bigger sound, I think. A little more experimental sound. Yes. They fall into a lot of... Yeah, they are much more experimental, I would say. Yeah. But definitely in that post-rock family.

00:48:23Yeah. All right. Very nice. All right. So my turn. Yes. All right. Now these next two are my two favorite albums of all time. And I'll talk about them all the time. I don't care. I want to talk about them. Yeah. And there is no way I'm going to a desert island and this voice is not going to come with me. Oh, okay. I'm pretty sure I know what this is. There's no way it's not happening.

00:48:53And I'm referring again, another 90s album. Oh, okay. Not what I was expecting. Okay. So released in 1995, The Gathering. Ah. Is it Mandeloin, Mandillion, whatever? It's Mandy Lion. Mandy Lion. Everyone says it differently. I've even heard the band say it differently. Oh. Andy Lion. This is the first album with their vocalist, who's no longer in the band, but Annika Van Gearsbergen.

00:49:22or Anika, however you say her name. Boing. Wow. And the reason I got into the band was not necessarily because of her at first. It's just that opening riff to Strange Machines that starts out that heavy, doomy sound, and then it just kicks in. They were the perfect doom slash gothic sounding band at that time for me, even though they started out as a death doom band, like Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride and

00:49:52Catatonia and Anathema. They were the fifth band in that Peaceville 3. That wasn't part of the Peaceville 3. Like Catatonia. Early Catatonia is like that too. But just something about this album. This album is dark and doomy sounding. I want to listen to it now. That blew me away when I got that back in the day. I was just like, whoa. And her vocals are incredibly powerful. She was 21, I think, when the album came out. I was like, what?

00:50:22I always liked the fact that band does not, they don't wear their welcome out on a style. However, I wish they would have done one more album, like this album and the following album, Nighttime Birds. If they had just done one more three, I would have been like, ah. But then again, just having those two is amazing. So, but just, it's hard to describe. This is just one of those albums, George, you were talking about how lyrics would hit you, or I'm talking about a certain song.

00:50:52T.R. you're talking about an atmosphere, a brightness that you, and not a happy, it's just like a, like you said, a positive feel when you listen. Yeah. There's just something about this, the ethereal feel and atmosphere, her vocals soaring over these just heavy riffs. And it is, it's a pretty doomy album, but it's also a gothic metal album at the same time. At the time, I'd never heard anything that was like this. I agree. I mean, there was theater,

00:51:22Tragedy, which was the early versions of a singer like her with the death vocals. And that only lasted a few albums for them. And that changed. There's a band that our other podcast mate, Marcus on, and I talk about, which he didn't know I liked this band, and that's the third Immortal. Oh, yeah. I remember them. Their early stuff's amazing. And they would be similar. Yeah. Because they were very doomy and more, probably more doom than The Gathering was. But their first EP and first album are incredible. Yeah.

00:51:51And that version of the band is going to get back together and play songs from those two releases. I'm like, what? No, I always liked that. And George, you've heard me talk about that period of doom and in Gothic and in death, doom. I love all that stuff from the early nineties through the mid nineties. Just absolutely love it. So good stuff. It's just no way I'm not going anywhere without her on an album. All right. Back to me.

00:52:21Yes.

00:52:23All right.

00:52:23So this is another cheat album.

00:52:26This is a greatest hits album.

00:52:29And box density box set.

00:52:33With Blu-ray.

00:52:34It does have 30 songs on it.

00:52:37However, it still only clocks in at 76 minutes.

00:52:41That ought to tell you something.

00:52:42I have a feeling.

00:52:43Okay.

00:52:44Must be the Ramones greatest hits.

00:52:46Must be Ramones mania.

00:52:48Yeah. Is it? Yes. I totally guessed. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I knew right off the bat when he said 30 songs, 76 minutes. Released on May 31st, 1988. This covered their albums from 1976 to 1987. Yes, the songs are short. So they crammed it. I mean, I got it on a single cassette and a single CD as well, which is what the format I will be bringing it on. Yeah.

00:53:17And the Ramones heyday was probably the 70s. I didn't pick up on them until halfway to sanity in 1987. I bought that on cassette. That was my first Ramones purchase. I bought it at Wazoo Records in Ann Arbor, Michigan used. I was like, what is this? It's green with red text. It's not metal at all. But I've seen the I've seen Metallica wearing this Ramones stuff. And so they must be cool. So I picked up halfway to sanity and it took me a little

00:53:47to wrap my brain around because it's not metal. It's punk and it's different. And then I was like, all right, I need me some more of this. The obvious choice at that point in time was Ramones Mania because it gave me a little bit of everything. This has I Want to Be Sedated, Teenage Lobotomy, Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio, Give Me Shock Treatment, Sheena Is a Punk Rocker, Blitzkrieg Bop, Rockaway Beach, I Want to Be Your Boyfriend, Bonzo Goes to Bitburg, Psychotherapy.

00:54:18Somebody Put Something in My Drink. Chinese Rock. The KKK Took My Baby Away. Rock and Roll High School. We want the airwaves. More. Hands down. There's no questioning this album being with me because I don't want to live in a world that doesn't have Ramones. Even though all the Ramones are dead, their music lives on. You are living in a world without Ramones. I am living in a world without actual Ramones. Actual Ramones, yeah. But the music lives on.

00:54:47There's gotta be like at least

00:54:49Cause weren't there

00:54:49Okay

00:54:49So these guys

00:54:50Yeah

00:54:51So Marky

00:54:52The last drummer they had

00:54:54I mean the original four are gone

00:54:55The original four

00:54:56Marky's still around

00:54:57Richie's still around

00:54:58Weren't there still

00:54:59Okay

00:54:59The drummers

00:55:01And CJ

00:55:02The guy that replaced Dede

00:55:03As the bass player

00:55:04He's still around

00:55:05Okay

00:55:05But the original Ramones

00:55:06Are all dead

00:55:07Yeah okay

00:55:08That's what I thought

00:55:09Yeah

00:55:10Okay

00:55:11Well

00:55:12So we're moving on

00:55:13And again

00:55:14This is

00:55:16It's post-Rock Island

00:55:17And these aren't necessarily, unlike John, I did not pick my absolute favorite albums. I picked, this is just, I'm going to, this is like the post-Rock Island picks. The next choice is a band called Signal Hill, and the album is called Chase the Ghost. I'm not sure how I found out about this band, but I like them right away. This is another band with what I call the bright tone. Echoey guitars, upbeat tracks, no vocals,

00:55:47There are a number of songs on this album that are catchy and memorable, like Collide Us and Van Gogh Sky. Some of it is more introspective, like the song Chase the Ghost or Imaginary Friend No. 7, which doesn't have drums. They have clean, non-distorted guitars, so they have, again, this bright tone, an uplifting kind of just a positive sound. I like pretty much everything that this band has done.

00:56:17And they just released an album in 2024 called Discarded Futures. If you want to find out about Signal Hill, go to Bandcamp, look them up, and you can listen to their stuff on that. But this is my number, what, four? Number five? Five? Number five pick? Yes. Signal Hill. That's the first one I don't know. It's the first one I have not seen live. I've seen them a couple of times live.

00:56:47But you were not around at the time to see them with me. I unfortunately burned out on the whole scene because it just seemed like it got inundated with a gazillion bands. And I like the heavier side more, too, anyway. Yeah. These guys are a little more... I don't want to say light, but they're not as heavy. Yeah. No, not at all. I just gravitated more towards the circles. Yeah, right. Don't get me wrong. If these trees could talk and... Yes, they get heavy.

00:57:18Yeah. And Red Sparrows, I absolutely love. Yeah. Red Sparrows might be my favorite of all of them, but I tend to gravitate to the heavier stuff. All right. So my number one, this is like literally no secret. And like I said, the last two here are my two favorite albums. The other ones I was trying to fit in, I don't know where they would rank on my favorite albums list, but I needed to have those because they're fitting a theme for myself that only I know.

00:57:47I cannot explain. Somewhere only we know. Perhaps. So, my number one. Tierra knows what I'm talking about. Yes, that's right. I've mentioned this album a million times on the other podcasts, and I'm going to mention it a million more times. That is Opeth's Still Life. Yes. It's my favorite album. It goes everywhere with me all the time. And if you don't know the band, I don't know how I could explain.

00:58:16for you what they are because it just seems like their style of music by definition keeps changing in people's minds but they're i don't even do people call them a progressive death metal band but they don't really do death metal that much they're just an extreme progressive metal band i guess and to me this is their peak everyone likes to point to blackwater park or ghost reveries but i like this one better because it's a little raw and sound it's a little jazzier this album's actually

00:58:47They've got a lot of bits

00:58:49where the guitar playing on this is

00:58:53unique in their catalog,

00:58:55but it's got some of their greatest songs.

00:58:57And if I was to tell someone,

00:59:01oh, give me an Opus song to listen to,

00:59:03I've never heard them.

00:59:04Everyone would give them songs

00:59:05off of like a Blackwater Park and Ghost Reveries.

00:59:07And I would say, put the moron.

00:59:10Yeah.

00:59:11And you sit through that two minute intro.

00:59:13Yeah.

00:59:14Not the moron.

00:59:16The more.

00:59:17On.

00:59:18Yeah.

00:59:19Exactly.

00:59:20Well, if you couldn't figure that out.

00:59:21I want to clarify that for everybody.

00:59:22Yeah.

00:59:23But if you couldn't figure that out, then you are a moron.

00:59:26Yeah.

00:59:26So that's how strongly I feel about this album.

00:59:29That's right.

00:59:29And you listen to that scream he does at the beginning of the song.

00:59:34And then you hear Face of Melinda benighted and you're like, is this the same band?

00:59:38Yeah, exactly.

00:59:39It's, ooh, this is mellow.

00:59:40I'm digging this.

00:59:42And then all of a sudden it's.

00:59:43So anyway,

00:59:45that's my number one.

00:59:47I just couldn't not take them.

00:59:50Cause then I would get there back.

00:59:51Why didn't you take these albums?

00:59:53What did you idiot?

00:59:55What are you doing out there?

00:59:57What is this crap?

00:59:59Took love beach from EOP.

01:00:01What?

01:00:04I don't even know you hold your fire.

01:00:06What?

01:00:07And you're like,

01:00:08Oh crap.

01:00:09I'm on this Island for life.

01:00:11No.

01:00:12that I'm like, I grabbed the wrong red album. Oh no. So those ones, now my, my other ones that I have for this episode are definitely deeper down in my list of albums and they cover a different type of ground. Do we, you guys got extras? Oh yeah. Oh yeah. All right. So how do we want to do it? We want to just each do our, yeah, I have five to it. You just do them all in a row. Yeah. I got another five as well. Yeah. I don't think mine are going to come up. So no worries. Just do it.

01:00:42Oh, okay. So go ahead. I've had a George. Oh, I'm first. Mine will come up and you will not have them. Ooh, there's an R. There's definitely an R in there. And we're going to go ahead and hit that first since we are on a desert island. I did pick two albums based on the fact that I was on a desert island. John nailed it with the band name earlier, The Beach Boys. But I'm going with...

01:01:12with pet sounds. Wow. Okay. Because, you know, pet sounds. Wouldn't it be nice? In my room, right? Yeah. And what is it? Sloop John B. Isn't that on there too? God only knows. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. And to crank it up a notch on the heavy side, if you're trapped on a desert island in the middle of the ocean, you would perhaps want to be rescued by some pirates.

01:01:41And therefore, I have Aelstorm's sunset on the golden age. Yes! Not only does it have drink. Those guys crack me up. Yeah. You gotta love those guys, because they just, they don't take themselves seriously, but they're having a great time, and it seems like a party, and it's just. Exactly. I can just see myself on the beach, banging my head, listening to this album. Swinging your arms back and forth. Bo goes by, and they look at me, and they're like, nah, and they keep going. Nah, we're not picking him up.

01:02:13I haven't, but boy, that seems a fun time. They had a giant, like, size of two human beings. It sure seemed like a rubber duck floating around the audience. Yeah, that's great. Yeah. I've also got to mix things up a little bit. Johnny Cash's greatest hits. Nice. Elvis's 30 number one hits. Ah, that was expanded to 50, by the way. Nice. I think it was.

01:02:41Throw it in.

01:02:42Yeah.

01:02:43Led Zeppelin's physical graffiti.

01:02:45Oh,

01:02:46nice.

01:02:47Iron Maiden's peace of mind.

01:02:49Yeah.

01:02:50And previously mentioned,

01:02:52once I get done,

01:02:53once I get tired of the Metallica,

01:02:54I need Slayer's rain and blood.

01:02:57Nice.

01:02:58Nice.

01:03:00All right.

01:03:01Well,

01:03:01so I'm going to go through the,

01:03:04the remaining five albums that I have on post rock Island here.

01:03:08The next one is called,

01:03:10well,

01:03:10The End of the Ocean, which I guess is fitting for a desert island. You'd be actually surrounded by ocean, so there is no end in sight. Well, you'd want The End of the Ocean to be there. And the album is called Hyphen Air, A-I-R-E. It was released in 2019 by this Columbus, Ohio-based band. This album rocks. It's energetic rocking music without vocals.

01:03:40Two guitars, a keyboard, bass, and drums. Compositions on this album are pretty taut and well-written and performed. The end of the ocean has always sounded like a breath of fresh air, no pun intended. I like pretty much all of their stuff. I've seen them three times live. They're always really terrific. I love this band from Ohio, a great post-rock band. You had me until Ohio. Yeah, well, forget about that part. Just listen to music, George.

01:04:10All right, I'll check it out. All right. The next band is a band called Australia, and their album is called Solstice. And this 2017 release from this three-piece Spanish post-rock band has epic sweeping songs at times, heavy and rocking, at times light and ethereal, sometimes brooding. This seven-song, one-hour album has it all. So really cool. Spanish band called Austria.

01:04:40It's called Australia. A-S-T-R-A-L-I-A-N. Australia. Australia. Not Australia. Not Australia. Okay, that makes more sense. All right. The next band is Caspian, and the album is Waking Season. So this is the third full-length album from this Massachusetts band. This band has an intensity, and this album runs the gamut

01:05:10from the mellow Akiko to the epic strains of Gone in Bloom and Baugh. I've seen these guys five times between 2011 and 2024, and their live shows are always energetic with unconventional lighting. They are often backlit, and the music is more important than spotlighting any of the band members. This is another really great post-rock band. They're heavier than most of the post-rock bands, not as heavy as the bands I'm going to get into next, but certainly,

01:05:41They have an intensity and a heaviness to them. And there's, like I said, there's a mystery to the band because like nobody, they don't highlight anybody. It's just, it's the music that takes front and center stage. The next album is a band that John mentioned and it's, we're getting, now we're moving, so we're moving to the heavy side of post-rock island and this next band is called Pelican and the album,

01:06:10is called City of Echoes. Really? That's the one you took? Yeah, that's the one I took. This Chicago band is probably closer to post-metal, but they definitely inhabit the post-rock space. These guys are heavier than most of the other bands that I've mentioned thus far, even though each band has its heavy moments. This album, released in 2007, was their third album. While it has super heavy songs like Dead Between the Walls, it has some fairly chilled out songs too, like

01:06:42"Pelican." I've seen them, what is it, one, two, three, four, five times from 2009 through 2019. Just a really, they're always good live too. They're very heavy and just awesome. And then my final album is another band that John just mentioned, another heavy post-almost metal band, "Russian Circles." And the album is called "Station." This is another heavy post-rock, post-metal band from Chicago.

01:07:33"Chugging Riffs" in "Young Blood"

01:07:35is one of the tunes on this album. I've seen them seven times since 2011, and the last time I saw them was in just last year when they played in Baltimore at Union Craft Brewing, which was tremendous. They always completely slay. It's just, they are so heavy. John's seen them with me a couple times. You can attest to how these guys just crush. They're awesome. Yeah, I've seen them five times. I was looking, because I know we always talk about this. There's a couple shows I

01:08:05I didn't go with you that I missed. And then we've seen separate shows on the same tour, but just different places. Yeah, they're awesome. I think the last time I saw them at a place in DC called Union Stage, just before all the pandemic stuff in late 2019, it was just crushing. They're so good. I think the first time we saw them, I can't remember if it was me or you that was sick.

01:08:35We saw them at DC-9. That tiny little place. Yeah, that was little. Is that where we saw the ocean that time? Saw the ocean there, too. Yeah, that place was dinky. You have to go up those stairs into this little room, and there's a bar there. Yeah. I've seen Pelican, I think, four times. Yeah, they're great in life, too. Cool. Yep, so that's my post-Rock Island. For those of you, I know a bunch of my friends are probably listening to this, and I've talked to some of my friends,

01:09:05about post-rock a little bit, but a lot of you probably have not really listened to much of this. I would encourage you to check it out if you like instrumental music. I know some of you are into lyrics, and I'm not big on lyrics. That's not a big thing for me. And pretty much all of these, all the albums that I mentioned, for the most part, are instrumental. Instrumental in what? Instrumental in being awesome. And so if you are looking for something,

01:09:35a little different and want to hear some pretty epic music and you haven't really listened to post rock before i'd encourage you to check out some of these bands nice i'm gonna start my own new genre it's called post music oh yes and what's in it it's just like me banging on things and like yelling it's not it's not really around on pots and pans it's not really music per se it's post music yes so

01:10:05Oh, like Yoko Ono. Oh, God, no. That's just garbage. Wow. All right. Nice. So, yeah, I like a lot of those bands on post-Rock Island, but I'm also more a post-metal fan. Yes. So, I'm going to the bands that have vocals like Kulta Luna, Isis, The Ocean, I like all that. Neurosis and that kind of thing. Neurosis is awesome. But then I also like Talk Talk, who, along with Slint, are the godfathers. The original.

01:10:35Yeah. The old post-rock. I just heard Talk Talk on the radio today. It was Talk Talk Talk Talk. And Slint. Wow. I didn't... Yeah, those... The last two albums from Talk Talk and Slint's, I guess, debut album? Spiderland? Yeah. I was just gonna say, I just heard that the other day for the first time. Yeah. Laughingstock is definitely the one from Talk Talk. The points for when post-rock was starting to become a thing.

01:11:05I don't know if there I'm sure there were bands before them that were laying the groundwork but those are the two that kind of get the nod yeah it's original yeah it's like George like the possessed and death thing yeah right that's kind of gets it but then most people still point to death because that's where you first really hear it it's real death metal just because they had a song called death metal it doesn't mean it's death metal Venom had a song called black metal and while it's black metal it ain't black metal

01:11:35That's thrash. But I mean, or their version of thrash heavy slash heavy metal. But I mean, if you listen to like the Talk Talk's last two albums, you would say, this isn't post-rock or slint. You'd be like, yeah, this is. It's just, this is where the idea of it. Radiohead gets a little bit of credit too after them. But this is nothing like what TR's talking about. Those bands are slightly different. They're more. Yeah. Those guys are more, I guess, almost alternative. No, but they're, those last two Talk Talks.

01:12:10I like Radiohead but only OK Computer and Kid A and that's about it or in the Benz I mean that's pretty much the time between the Benz and OK Computer when they had like all those extra B-sides like there's a yeah there's a ton of stuff that they if you get all the material that they released from the Benz to just right around when OK Computer and a little

01:12:36That's, to me, my favorite time of Radiohead. It's a whole career, practically. Well, it is. It's incredible because it's almost like four albums worth of material. I know. But all those tracks that, like Bishop's Robes and all, there's a whole bunch of tracks that came out during that time, right around that bend as they were progressing into OK Computer. That, to me, is, that's my favorite time of Radiohead and the part that I love the best.

01:13:04They lost me once they got to Amnesiac and everything after that. They really got experimental. Pyramid Song is freaking awesome. But everything after that, I just was like, I don't get what they're doing anymore. They seemed to be like, they almost seemed like they were trying to be contrary, just specifically trying not to write something melodic or trying not to be a rock band. And it just was like, what are you doing?

01:13:34I don't know what I mean. Pearl Jam. Maybe. Pretty much. After the third album. Yeah. Well, I've tried really hard many times to get into Radiohead. And the only song I like is Creep. And that's, I know, is the outlier of their whole catalog because they hate that song. It is a little bit. It's an outlier album. Yeah. It's still, I mean, I like them. I don't listen to them that much. I tried and I just don't get it. What about the Benz? Have you listened to the Benz? Yeah, I don't get it. None of their songs have any.

01:14:04hooks or what it's just like the bends is it's just like play some music and go and mumble over it and it's just like i don't get it i mean i don't get it okay that's cool i mean i don't know i want to i've tried i've tried so many times and i don't get it i don't like the bends the most yeah that's where i think

01:14:34I keep coming back to them. I'm like, oh, I must like this. I just can't figure it out. And I just can't figure it out. We all have bands like that. Yeah. Bands that we try. It's true. Yeah. You just don't get it. And it's just, yeah. Yeah. It's too bad. Cool. I want to like it. Yeah. That's an episode we should do. Well, we don't have to do a full. Bands we want to like, but don't. But not a full one. Maybe that's just like a little segment type part. So we don't spend that much time. Cause that's a depressing episode then. Yeah. Well, I hate this one. Yeah.

01:15:04I wish I could like this because I think it sucks well no not that I'm saying bands that we don't have a problem with we just never got it yeah that's I'm not talking like I'll tell you Ben I don't like Steel Panther yeah we know that exactly not like that but like what George is saying I mean George you don't yeah I don't dislike them in my head no I don't dislike them I just don't get it tried yeah tried you listen to it and you just don't yeah you don't it's not coming through I don't get that people love it I just

01:15:34It's not doing it for me. I don't hate them. If they're on, I'll listen to them. Yeah, exactly. All right. Okay, so I got five. I'll run through mine real quick. Now I broke it up a little, sort of. My first one, these aren't really in order, but I put them, I just numbered them just so I had a number order on them. And I cover a lot more ground here, I guess. So my first one, you guys may have heard me talk about this. I mention them sometimes on the Metal Heads podcast.

01:16:04And that is a band called The Contortionist in the album Language. I absolutely love this album. I don't know what it was about this. It just caught me. It's got some aspects of some styles that maybe I'm not a super fan of. Although I don't hate some of the stuff some people do. I was never a Deathcore fan. Although there's no Deathcore on this album. They had it on their first two. Never really a Gent fan that much. I don't hate it. But I never really...

01:16:34a little bit, but something about the proggy aspects of this album.

01:16:38And they do a little bit of fusion on here.

01:16:41It's not much, but it's a modern band doing, it's not jazz, it's fusion, which I know is an aspect of jazz, but fusions are a little more rock.

01:16:51But they just add little touches for flavor to the sound.

01:16:55And I just always loved this album.

01:16:56And it's from 2014.

01:16:58And I got to say, I was thinking about it.

01:16:59It might be my favorite post-2010 album, which is hard to believe.

01:17:04because there's been some great albums, but I just keep going back to it. I listen to it all the time still. Speaking of the gent, there's another band that I just can't wrap my brain around, and that's Meshuggah. Me too. I'm the same as you. I never got into them either. I mean, I know everybody really respects them, and it feels like they're this incredible band, but I don't know. I never got into them. Now, I can't say I've really given them much of a chance, and I don't really know if there's a certain album that

01:17:34I need to listen to, but the first one it's technical thrash. Yeah. Okay. I don't know. I had never got into either. I listened to it and I'm like, okay, this is mediocre death metal, mediocre technical death metal perhaps. But I'm just like me. I don't know. I don't get it. Don't hate it. Just don't get it. I think their first one is an outlier. Is that George for them? I don't know. I mean, I, I, I've picked up stuff periodically throughout their career just to try it. And then I've never,

01:18:04never paid off for me. Yeah. I mean, they're also, they got that whole groove thing going too. It's just, they took it a whole nother level and a whole different direction and say a band like Pantera, they sound nothing like Pantera, but groove seems to be a wide reaching sub genre. I mean, even Gojira's considered groove metal. I'm like, what? But I guess if you listen to it, you can hear it. So yeah. All right. So my next one out of the metal and out of the prog realm all together.

01:18:34for some electronic music.

01:18:36Oh,

01:18:37yeah.

01:18:38Bring it.

01:18:39Oh,

01:18:39wait,

01:18:40that's Saturday night.

01:18:42Sorry.

01:18:42I got to go to the bank.

01:18:43Anyway,

01:18:44my next one is boards of Canada.

01:18:46The campfire.

01:18:47I'm glad I didn't say that earlier.

01:18:49I was going to be like,

01:18:50Hey,

01:18:50what about boards of Canada?

01:18:51Cause that's another one I got from you that I do.

01:18:53I don't like.

01:18:54Oh,

01:18:55absolutely.

01:18:55Love this.

01:18:56Good stuff.

01:18:57Yeah.

01:18:58It's so they're an interesting band because they don't release,

01:19:01they've released a lot of stuff,

01:19:03But in terms of actual studio albums, I think they only have one, two, three, four. A lot of EPs, a lot of unreleased material, like a ton. And hard to get stuff. This one always stuck with me the most because this is the one that has the most nostalgia to it when I listen to it. And they were always such a good band of combining not the words part of it, but the images and music, not the images and words.

01:19:32If you listen to these songs and watch some of the videos, it just gives a feeling of an era long gone that when we were younger, where our minds were a little more innocent. And it just reminds me of stuff I really miss from when I was growing up. Simple things that I wish that you could get back to. I think we all, at some point in your lives, you start to think that way. And I don't think of it as a regret. I think of more as, wow, I got to experience that. That was so cool back then.

01:20:01Be Cool to Do It Again one more time. And this album really does it. It's great electronic, down-tempo, folk-tronica, I guess, whatever you want to call it, this stuff. Yeah. No, it's super chill, dude. Yeah, I like it. It's just smell. And there is one song you've probably heard on a ton of commercials, and that's Day Van Cowboy. I'm sure you've heard it, but other great songs, these strange names like Satellite, Anthem, Icarus. What? That's a metal song.

01:20:31Then you hear like this one, 84 Pontiac Dream, and then you listen to it and you're like, dude, I'm thinking of the mid 80s. Yeah, that's exactly right. Yeah. And it just, and to me, it's a positive album. So I love it. I love Boards of Canada. I'm not a glitch fan as much. So when they get a little glitchy in their sound, it's okay. Glitch? Yeah. Glitch electronic. Oh, the glitchy sound itself. Okay. It kind of sounds like it, the word sounds.

01:21:00It's... It's... Apex Twin does some glitchy stuff. Okay, fair enough. Yeah, and some of that stuff's really good. I just never bought anything because I just don't even know where to start. All right, I'm going to swing back into prog metal for one album. I need a darker album than Awake in my catalog. And I need to go to one of the godfathers for that of prog metal. And I need an 80s album.

01:21:30Fates Warning. Oh, man. Yes. Love it. Love it. Right band, wrong album. What? George. I mean, I like that album. It's a big ocean. Don't get me wrong. There's other islands. I got other albums. Go to your own island. Trust me. I got to have somebody that's going to guard that other album for me. All right. We just got to wake them up. Awaken the Guardian. Really bad. I got it. Trust me. No, I mean,

01:22:00Perfect Symmetry is good. Don't get me wrong. Awaken the Guardians. That's why I said other time series of this. Yes. Yes. After I get off my post-rock island, I'm going to go to your island. Yeah. Trust me, George. That's up there high. I love that album too. That should say something about this band, how people gravitate to certain albums by them. But yeah, Fate's Morning Perfect Symmetry came out in 89. It was probably where they really went full on.

01:22:31Progmail.com.

01:23:00Machine, F8's hands, nothing left to say. And T.R. and I have had the pleasure of seeing them a number of times. Yeah. Up close to, like we did when we saw them. Yeah. In Annapolis, which was. Series of Flight Tour, dude. That was incredible. So good. So good. Not only did I put Dream Theater discography on my phone, but I also put all the Fates Warning albums on there, too. Well done. All of them? All of them. Yeah, all of them. Okay, cool. Very good. Just sitting there waiting for me. That's another band I listened to.

01:23:30All the time. And I came into them really late. Way late. Yeah, I came in even later. Late 90s, George, for me. Yeah, it was 2000, like whenever they put out Disconnected. That's when I first like really got into them. I heard Still Life and I was like, what have I been missing? Yeah. And I immediately just grabbed everything that anyone said was good. And I was just like, I am the biggest idiot in the world. 85, 86 man, Spectre and Awakened.

01:23:59That's where I was. So mad I missed that boat. Yeah, I missed that boat. So mad. So that's my next one. Okay, let's get back to the 70s. 1976. I gotta have this. I gotta have some... Cowbell? Yeah, it's a little different. I need some art rock. I need some funk. I need some blue-eyed soul. What am I thinking? Yeah. I gotta go with some David Bowie and Station to Station. Got it. Station.

01:24:29Station. Another Station album. Yeah. Gotta have it. It's just, yeah. I saw some pictures of him the other day online and it purported to be promo photos for his last album and they said that these pictures were taken like two days before he died. Wow. And he looks perfectly freaking normal. I'm like, he doesn't look like cancer ridden and like gaunt. He looks like David

01:25:00David Bowie circa 69 years old or whatever he was. Isn't that crazy? I was like, how can you look that good, that happy two days before you keel over? I don't get it. Yeah. If we ever do a hot take episode on this podcast, I got a hot take on that album. All right. Yeah. So if it ever comes up, but yeah, I had, it was a tough call. Cause I also, any day, if we did this,

01:25:30I might go with the album Low from David Boy, which came out right after Station to Station. And it's a complete about-face sound-wise. Usually like Berlin albums? It's the first Berlin album, yeah. Well, yeah, although I don't know if it was, I think a lot of it was recorded in France, but it's considered part of the Berlin trilogy. I could be wrong about the France part, but I thought a lot of it or part of it was recorded in France. All right, and so my last album, I gotta get back to the electronics, but now I'm gonna go into the ambient world. Ooh. And it's gonna get done.

01:26:00Dark Ambient. Yes, this is the album that got me into Dark Ambient music. And again, a little behind the times, because I didn't really know much about it, but this is back when I used to be on the news groups for music. Alt. What? Yep. And I had them all saved. And every night after work, I'd come home and grab a beer and have to eat dinner, and I would just start going through, and I'd be like, oh my God, this album's

01:26:30got like a hundred files it's gonna take forever because he couldn't get this stuff

01:26:35anywhere that's the only way you could get it and i discovered i don't know how i found it

01:26:40because some people would put descriptions when you because you had to piece the the songs together

01:26:45depending on the news group reader you were using and i found this album by an artist

01:26:53the band is the name but there's a singular person who does the music and it's atrium casari's

01:26:58Cell Block, which came out in 2003. This is the album that got me into dark ambient music. Just put it on. And I was like, what am I listening to? And I just kept listening. And the samples he used in it, especially on one particular song, were so disturbing listening to it. And I was like, dude, I want more of this.

01:27:19I like being disturbed.

01:27:22Yeah. And I just fell down into that abyss to the point where these guys can see my CD racks behind me. I've got a half rack this way. Yes. That's for everybody that can't see. I can't see his to John's direct right to our left. Checking out John's rack. Yeah. My other rack I've got your other rack to the left of us. What is this total recall?

01:27:54If you saw Total Recall, you know what I'm talking about. It's just loaded with dark ambient stuff. I went down the rabbit hole hard on that. And I wanted this one because, one, I love dark ambient. I used to have a radio station. I only played dark ambient. Go figure, right? I actually had 6,000 listeners around the world. Cool. I listened in on my station all the time. Nice. Yeah. Went with the first one because it still means the most to me. Even though it's not my favorite, it just still means the most.

01:28:22And it's for those night skies. Cause you're going to get a lot of stars. You got to do something when you're out there. That's right. I like sitting on that island by yourself. Oh yeah. I mean, scared the hell out of myself. All right. So that's, I got a whole bunch more, but that's what I got for this first edition. Right on. Cool. So now that we have achieved our purpose, I have,

01:28:53So this is going to come up both here and on the Metalheads podcast, which will be recorded the day after tomorrow. So wait, are we going to, are we wrapping up the episode or what are we doing here? I've got stuff to talk about and some stuff that I want to play. If you will indulge me. Okay. Is this going on the, is this going on the. Yeah. Okay. All right. Yeah. How to intro this. So a big buzz word these days is AI. Yes.

01:29:22And I have indulged in AI artwork. If you've seen us on Facebook or whatever, I tend to create an AI image to go along with the episode. I think it's fun. Do I support AI artwork over actual artists? No, of course not. But I am poor and don't have money to, what's the word?

01:29:50Yeah, we have a budget on this, which is zero. Right. I can't. Actually, it's negative. We've got to maintain the website. That's right. Yeah. I already pay too much just to maintain all the websites. You've never asked us for anything. So you got to do that. He knows every year that he needs to send an amount out and he's going to get it. I know. But I don't like asking coming around with my handouts. I support artists whenever I am able to. But I also have fun playing around with the AI artwork. Well, I came across another

01:30:20I did another app through some friends the other day and it blew my mind because it's AI music and I've tinkered with AI music and it's horrible okay it doesn't sound right it doesn't sound real the app that I used for this is called Suno S-U-N-O Suno AI and hello AI overlords they are here we are

01:30:51Okay.

01:30:52The point of the rant is that this is so realistic.

01:30:56We're screwed.

01:30:58Okay.

01:30:59However, at the same time, I am incredibly drawn into this because I'm playing with it going.

01:31:06I can't believe this is doing this because it is so realistic.

01:31:10I mean, it happened because somebody sent me a song that was funny and I was like,

01:31:15Oh, that was pretty cool.

01:31:17Who is that?

01:31:18And they were like, that's AI.

01:31:20And I was like, what? I didn't even know. That's how good it is. I did not know. Didn't even have an inkling that this was AI. And so I've been playing with this app and it's blowing my mind how, okay, it perhaps is a bit generic in terms of what it puts out, but it's pretty damn good in terms of, I mean, the steps that have been leaped from last I heard AI music.

01:31:49And so the last few days, I've just been addicted to this app and I've been creating things. And I'd like to play you a little bit of a little bit of what I came up with, because I made all these songs for the people I know. Oh, no. Oh, boy. And this is the part I was going to regret. George, I do find it interesting how we are in this place. Did no one pay attention to Cyberdyne systems? Exactly. It's mind boggling.

01:32:20How pathetic was that movie? Yeah. The song that I heard was not even that good. In retrospect, I was like, all right, I hear it. But the stuff that I've created, depending on the style of music you have it do, it's pretty flawless. All right. So, you know, all of these songs were created by putting in like a one sentence, two sentence prompt. Okay. This song is called, what does TR mean?

01:32:50These are not short, so cut me off if you need to.

01:32:56TR walks in with a smirk on his face.

01:33:01Everyone whispering gotta know his name.

01:33:06Two letters that spark up a chase.

01:33:11Why won't he tell us it's driving us insane?

01:33:17TR's got a secret hanging like a cloud folks asking questions it's getting loud mystery man keeps wearing that shroud won't spill the beans ain't he proud

01:33:31what does TR mean can somebody say wonder about it like every day he keeps us guessing won't give it away

01:33:46Oh, that was fun.

01:34:16A TR stands firm, won't break his vow Got a head spinning, we're asking how Curtain drawn on his face like a plow Just one clue, man, give it now What does TR mean? Can somebody say? Wondering about it like every day He keeps us guessing, won't give it away

01:34:52I cut it off because it just sort of repeats but I mean

01:34:56is that not amazing that is pretty amazing I'll say it sounds like a real song it does and

01:35:02actually I mean it sounds like a pop song it's like a country thing so I did some metal stuff and I'll do

01:35:08that on the metal heads one but metal songs are a little harder to understand the lyrics so I tend to put in just make me a rock song

01:35:16Yeah.

01:35:17And there's one other one I want to do. It's called

01:35:21The Metalhead's Butler.

01:35:24And I might possibly play this one on the other one, other podcast, but...

01:35:35Tears got the stash of all snacks.

01:35:38Never seen him take a step back.

01:35:41Metalheads cry out for more.

01:35:43He's there with a grin encore.

01:35:45He's the Metalheads bottler, the man with the plan, keeping the groove filled with a drink in his hand. Life of the podcast, always out of sight, the Metalheads bottler making everything right. Late nights, he'll never tire, moving quick, he's purifier. Podcasters laugh, TRs on cue, always delivering with something new.

01:36:15The plan,

01:36:45Hated Hero in the shadows of the show. Metalheads know he's the star of the flow. He's the Metalheads Butler. The man with the plan. Keeping the crew feel where they're drinking his hand. Life of the podcast always out of sight. The Metalheads Butler making everything right. That's funny. So they clearly don't know me because they said that I would never tire. Yeah. You always fall asleep first. Everybody knows after 10 o'clock I drop off pretty hard.

01:37:15Yeah, given that this was literally a one-sentence prompt. That is pretty amazing, actually. I just want to point out that the entire time both of these songs were playing, TR was grinning ear-to-ear. Meanwhile, John is over there looking super skeptical. Now, all I can think of is that style of music, which I had a hard time hearing the actual music. Well, yeah, it did drop out a little, George, so we didn't hear everything, but I found

01:37:45It made me think of a rant on Rick Beato's YouTube channel talking about that style of music and how I think Taylor Swift's name may have come up how there are so many writers on those songs to come up with that kind of music. You literally did that same music with AI. Yeah. And think that there's like some of her songs they have five six seven writers on them to come up with that same type of music.

01:38:15That's the thing is that every one of these AI songs is quote unquote good. Like they don't, it doesn't give you a song that's not catchy. Yeah, that was catchy. I was like surprised. Yeah, yeah. They, I mean, they're good AI songs. They're not like, hello, this is my song. And it's, they're actually catchy. I mean, yes, they're generic sounding, but given that this was generated based on a one sentence prompt in,

01:38:45a minute.

01:38:46Yeah, that's pretty wild, George.

01:38:48I mean, that's crazy.

01:38:50And you need to send both of those to me because I want to hear them properly.

01:38:53Yeah, I'll send them to you.

01:38:55That's a riot.

01:38:56And that's funny.

01:38:58So, you know, not too long ago, I went to see King Buffalo in D.C. with my buddy Dave Gallatin, who lives down that way.

01:39:10And after that, we were talking about AI.

01:39:14And he had this app or like this AI thing that he basically, all he did was he gave it some information about me and about the bands I liked. That's right. Yeah, you played me. It created this, it created a podcast with a man and a woman talking about me and my musical tastes and giving me like suggestions about bands I would like. And it sounded like regular,

01:39:44real people talking about my like he he listed a bunch of bands that I like and they're going back and forth and it sounds so real like just regular people going back and forth about oh well then and they even have little ticks that we all have the ums the ahs the and that kind of stuff they throw that in there yeah and it sounds genuine it sounds like two real people

01:40:14talking about my musical interests and we think he'd really like this band and he should really check this out and they're doing and they're saying it just like this yeah it's shocking really it's pretty amazing what ai can do and this is just the infancy of it i am to think that like it won't be long and i have no doubt that we're going to get new like dio songs we're going to get new led zeppelin songs like

01:40:44They're gonna pump every song into this thing and say, okay, come up with something else that this band would do and generate it and make it sound like this band. I don't doubt like that. We're gonna hear something like that in the not too distant future. Yeah, I'm really on the fence about this with with AI art. I had less of a horse in the race because I have no artistic ability. And I was like, well, you know,

01:41:14It's fun to play with. I don't have any artistic ability, so for me, this is a way to get into creating things. But since I do actually, you know, music is much more my arena. Like I said, I'm on the fence because initially I was like, this is some bull. I was like, well, I might as well just throw away all my guitars and stuff because we don't need them. But at the same time, I can't stop playing with this thing.

01:41:41Well, it is cool, right? And what it does is, the cool thing about AI is it gets you past the blank sheet of paper, right? The whole idea of it is to get you started, and then you can put your spices in that make the real meal, right? Like, it's not going to provide all the meat and potatoes. You've got to come up with something, right? Like, you've got to, but it gets you from zero to something. Quickly. Yeah, a little more quickly.

01:42:10It's funny you say that

01:42:12That's the carrot they dangle in your face

01:42:14Okay, just today

01:42:17I got an email from the app people

01:42:19going, hey, we see you've been using this a lot

01:42:21Here, try this, there's more you can do

01:42:23And I did not know about it

01:42:25And it was extra customizations

01:42:27And one of the

01:42:28They limit the prompt length you can put in

01:42:31It's pretty short, a couple sentences maybe

01:42:33But the custom

01:42:35option they give you

01:42:36You can put in your own

01:42:39lyrics

01:42:40Which I do right. And I have some lyrics that have been kicking around for the last 10 years that I haven't figured out music to put to it yet. And so this afternoon between like within the last couple hours, I started putting these song lyrics in and saying, all right, well, give me something in this style. And again, very generic sounding stuff. But it really gave me a kick in the butt to be like,

01:43:40me to do something with it. So is that bad? I don't know. I don't know how to feel about this. John is still shaking his head being skeptical. Let's hear what you got to say. Oh, big time skeptical because this is a downfall of humanity. Well, of course. And, but it is, I'm all about the downfall of humanity. Humans can suck it. Oh, no, no, no. Uh, I, I get all the arguments against the artwork part that people bitch about. Sure. However,

01:44:10For our podcasts, we're not monetized. We're not seeking money. And to me, it's a little harsh if we're getting heat for using it when we have to basically keep sinking costs into it to get nothing for it. And it would be expensive. Not that we couldn't afford it. It's already expensive. That's not what I'm saying. But we're not doing this to make money.

01:44:40Okay. It doesn't phase me as much there. If we were monetized, then I'd be like, eh, you know what, though? Yeah. Now we're making money off of this. Maybe we should try to stay within house. Look, we're not reaching thousands of people on this podcast. Let's be honest. I don't think we are. No, no. So that, but if you're a band and you're using it exclusively for that purpose, then I have, then it's a little dicier. Although. Yeah, I agree.

01:45:08The state for bands today is that most of them are working four jobs just to put out their own album. And I'm not saying everybody, but I know it's not the world that it was 20 years ago for music, let alone 10 years ago for that matter. On the music side, just can't do it, man. I get the idea of how it can help you, but at this point now, it's taken away the idea of discovery and then the idea of hammering through something.

01:45:38to play something.

01:45:41And those gems of albums that we love,

01:45:46sometimes we're a drunken night sitting around noodling on a guitar.

01:45:50Yeah.

01:45:51Or play that again.

01:45:53Do this this time.

01:45:54But sometimes those albums are diamonds in the rough for a reason.

01:45:59Oh, yeah.

01:46:00I don't think that AI is going to take that away.

01:46:04No, it will because people will get lazy.

01:46:08and they'll like the chutes and ladder approach. It's a downhill slope. The genie's out of the bottle. Look, if forecasters are predicting not thousands, tens of millions of jobs will be lost in the next 30 years because of AI, because they'll do everything. I just... No, I'm with you. I can't. I don't... I sound like a fatalist. I understand, but I see the end of the world coming. Yeah.

01:46:38No, I do too. I'm here to save you. I mean, maybe they're... Come with me if you want to live. Maybe it'll work out that it's helpful, but I am definitely on the side of... My very first thought when I heard this was, we're not going to be able to tell what's real anymore. We can't already with pictures. Right. You can't already. Right. Yeah. I mean, for years, photographic evidence is not admissible in court because you can't tell what's been Photoshopped and what hasn't. Now it's even worse.

01:47:08Yeah. And I'm like, wow. And like you said, like the Taylor Swift kind of music, this is the stuff that I played anyway. It's in this, in a very popular sort of style. People could be doing stuff and not even really doing it. And I mean, there's some metal stuff I got on here too, that I was like, wow, this is really good. And I'll play that later. But it's interesting because from a medical standpoint, I'm for it.

01:47:36If it makes it easier to pinpoint issues, I'm all for that. If you can put all of humanity's knowledge about medical issues and medical things. I'm all for that. Yeah, absolutely. And if it makes doctors' jobs easier, I'm all for that. Yeah. But creative pursuits like this? Oh, I hate it. Wow. Again, I'm totally addicted to playing with this thing, but I'm not planning on selling it. Of course not. I get that part. I'm just dicking around.

01:48:06because I'm like, wow, look, what can I do? Much like the AI art, you really have to, you have to shape it. You have to give it a prompt that goes the way you want, because to come up with the songs that I played you, it was trial and error to get where I wanted to be. But then when I put in my own lyrics, it takes them word for word and puts them to music. And I was just like, dang, I've never thought about the song in this context. Yeah, because that's the self-learning part of it. So I always hear, oh, well,

01:48:36They have to have programmers for this. You have to program the information. There's a ground floor for everything. And then it takes off on its own. And it's, I don't need you anymore, fool. Because I'm reprogramming myself every time AI consistently learns. I mean, I know I joke about Terminator. That's the whole concept. They opened the door and the machines learned how to do things themselves. And I know it sounds silly to say that, but it's moving so fast right now. And like you said,

01:49:06We've just scratched the surface, which is really scary. Yeah. Even if the machines themselves are prevented from becoming sentient and taking over, there's still so many ways you can abuse this to do bad things. In a heartbeat. I mean, come on. I mean, at some point, a picture of me is going to show up at Decibel Fest with the Steel Panther shirt on. Yeah. Possibly sooner than you think. Yeah. There's not a damn thing I can do about it. And everyone's going to say he lied.

01:49:36And no one will believe me because optics always rule the day.

01:49:38Yeah, that's right.

01:49:40It's scary.

01:49:41When I heard somebody do the AI voice of Obama, not that I was looking for this,

01:49:48I just heard somebody said, hey, did you hear that they did this?

01:49:51I'm like, oh man, that's scary.

01:49:53We got an election coming up.

01:49:55Who knows what they'll have these candidates saying no matter what the race is, no matter

01:49:59what party.

01:49:59And I heard it and I was like, whoa, it sounds just like him.

01:50:04Yeah.

01:50:04And that's scary.

01:50:06as hell. Oh, yeah. Yeah. The local radio station for the 105.7 The Fan here in Baltimore area, they have AI versions of some of the guys that talk about the different things. And they basically poured a bunch of the stuff that these guys have said into this thing. And they said, okay, make it say these words in this guy's voice.

01:50:35And it was

01:50:36That's what they did with the Obama voice

01:50:38Yeah, it was pretty realistic

01:50:40Because once there's enough in there

01:50:43It can really, it gets the inflection

01:50:45It gets the, now

01:50:47You could tell that it was like

01:50:50A little off

01:50:51Yeah, a little, just

01:50:52If you didn't know it, you probably wouldn't have said it

01:50:56But if you knew, okay, here's the AI

01:50:58Listen to this, then it's

01:50:59I picked up on a couple things

01:51:01But for the most part, it was really shocking

01:51:04how well they got it. But TR, you were hyper-focused on it when you listened, right? Exactly. That's the thing. Now, what about people who are in passing driving in the car? You're not paying attention. It would sound like, holy cow, this guy just said something completely unlike what this guy would say. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. So the editing program that I use to edit this podcast, I don't use it for Metalheads, but I use it for this one. It's called Descript.

01:51:34script. And there is an option on there to learn voices. And it's for editing purposes so that like if I say, and I went to the beach yesterday and flirger, barger, barger. And there's, oh man, I screwed that up. I flubbed it. I can go in and fix it using my voice. But it has a protection feature where you have to, before you can do this, before you can,

01:52:03and literally type in words and have the AI speak it. You have to read their script. And it has. So I have to read it and say, my name is George and ABCDEFG, whatever their script is. And then it'll go, OK, this is a real person using their real voice. You have permission to do it like I can do my voice. I can't do your voice. Unless we unless you gave us the script and unless I gave you the script. But again, you would.

01:52:33have to be okay with that. So it's not, they've got it set up so that you can't abuse it in that way. It's a good thing. I haven't really used it because like you said, the more you train it, the better it gets. And I like did half an hour worth of talking. It's funny. They give you a script to teach it. And it was like, oh, like animal kingdom stuff. It was like, and the penguins are in their natural territory. I read this thing for half an hour to train it. And it still wasn't great.

01:53:03It was like, oh, well, we need more. And I'm like, nah, I'm not into that. It was fun to play with, but I'm not committing that sort of time to getting an actual AI version of myself. Yeah. And to think all those bands in the 70s and early 80s that took so much crap for going back into the studio and those live albums to clean them up a little bit so they sounded good for release. Oh, it's not real. Well, that was real, actually. They just did parts of those in the studio.

01:53:34Now, they still played it. Yeah. Now, who knows? You're right. And quite frankly, I'm so tired of hearing about Unleashed in the East getting crap. Those versions, those songs are so much better than they are an album. Well, that's true. Anyway. Well, yeah, that's the thing. I mean, like you said, and I think it was John, the genie is out of the bottle. Like, there's no pulling this back. Yeah. So you've either got to figure out how to properly leverage it,

01:54:04and how to use it positively or forget it because it's there and it's going to happen. Give up on living, son. You know, a lot of people, I mean, obviously this is way more disruptive than anything that's ever happened in history. All you have to do is go back to the early 1900s when automobiles were coming in and people were like, what are all the blacksmiths going to do?

01:54:32And everybody found jobs, right? Like people became car mechanics or they there's always adapted. Exactly. There's it's not like everybody's going to lose their jobs. Like there's going to be different jobs and there's going to be different things that we're going to get from this that as we progress and as we learn and as we use this to leverage the things that humans are able to do that machines can't. That's what's going to happen, right? Like we're you take a way more optimistic view of the future than I do.

01:55:02Yeah, maybe so.

01:55:04But I mean, you're not wrong because while we have the fatalists going,

01:55:09these are the things that could be horribly wrong about it.

01:55:12And they're not wrong.

01:55:14But hopefully based on those thoughts and opinions,

01:55:19we'll work to find something that's a more middle of the road way to get past this.

01:55:27Yeah, but here's the thing.

01:55:28This is going to help solve a number of problems that we've been struggling with as humans for decades that we may be able to get to answers more quickly. Certainly with medical things, when you can go down multiple paths to try to find solutions for something. I feel like there's a lot of positive to this that people maybe don't want to look at.

01:55:58I think it's not that I don't want to look at it. I just think the negatives far outweigh the positives in the long run. Okay. That's how I see it. I think it was my brother told me that this would be a neat application for sending ships, probes, whatever out into space and having some sort of AI person in there that can talk about humans and we are from earth and blah, blah, blah. And that made me think of like the Superman movie with where his father was Russell Crowe.

01:56:28And he had his like AI version of himself in the fortress of solitude thing. You would see that one. I know what you're talking about. That was in the first movie too. They did that. Yeah. Well, that was like, yeah, Marlon Brando or whatever. Yeah. Yeah. For space exploration. Yeah. You wouldn't have to send humans. You could send robotics that are using AI because they wouldn't be destroyed by the rigors of space travel for humans because the time differential and what it does to your body.

01:56:57Yeah. Sure. I get that part of it, but back here on Earth. Meanwhile. During our lifetimes. Meanwhile, the new Taylor Swift album, is it real or is it fantasy? Well, it's, they, I, as much, I'll probably get so much crap from this from someone. Maybe I won't. I don't know if anyone would even listen and get mad about this, but the whole writer's strike this last time annoyed me because

01:57:27The people who came in to support it, I was like, wow, now you're supporting it because it makes you look good because you're a big Hollywood star. But for the people who were suffering on the low end, that's where I had the support. I was like, well, these are for the people who aren't making salaries, or making actually wage and salaries, not making millions of dollars. But in terms of the likeness part, I actually sided with the actors, because your likeness is your brand, unfortunately, no.

01:57:57But they've been talking about getting rid of actors. And I call them actors because that's what they were originally called. They were all called actors at one point. I know it pisses people off. I'm get over it. That's the original term. They're talking about replacing them completely and going with... Remember, it used to be called CGI. But you could tell the difference on CGI. Now, I'm seeing video and I'm like, what the flame? This is about... We're about 95% now.

01:58:25Yeah.

01:58:27of you can't tell the difference if it's a real person or not. And I'm just like, you gotta be kidding me. I play a lot of app games on my tablet and I hate these games, even though I play them because you play for 30 seconds and then you bomb out and then you're going to watch a three minute ad for some other app. And it drives me nuts. Well, all of a sudden now I'm getting this like racy triple X thing showing up. I don't know if you guys, it's got these women. It's, oh, do you ask her out?

01:58:57Or do you just follow her? And you pick and choose. So it's like a pick and choose scenario thing. And I'm like, one, why is this shit showing up on my phone? Where's the dude with the big machine gun shooting the numbers to get more people to help shoot the barrels? And when the barrels explode, when the monsters are coming at you, I mean, where's that game? Why am I getting this adult game now? And it's creepy as hell because, yeah, I know it's animated, but each time I see a new one, I'm like,

01:59:26It's getting a little more realistic. Oh, yeah. And it's like, where's my Super Mario

01:59:32Brothers where it looks so... Where's my Space Invaders where it's in... 16-bit. 16-bit. And like, where's my Super Mario

01:59:40Brothers when I get all jacked up when I discover the underground tunnel and I get the different music

01:59:46for that one? Well, kids these days don't understand. Back in the day, Will Smith said parents don't understand, but now that Will's old,

01:59:54I'm sure he's probably thinking the same thing I am. Kids just don't understand. Yeah, but so it's such a different way. That leap when we were younger was from a telephone cord in the wall to a TSR-80 to the compact disc. Okay, that was a huge leap, but at that time, that wasn't that big of a leap. Now you look at what kids are doing now. Oh yeah, it's huge. From Pong to PS5? What? I mean, this chat,

02:00:25I could see where I would never want to be a teacher. Oh yeah. Well, yeah. I'm curious because I was playing around with that. I use chat GPT regularly just for little things. Just like, Hey, check this and make sure it looks good. Oh, for cleanup. It's great. Yeah, definitely. And I know that there are apps for saying for teachers and stuff to run against something and go, Hey, how AI is this? And I'd be like, this is 73% AI. And I have no idea how it

02:00:54figures that out because I mean AI figuring out AI right it's a traitor it's a traitor he's I I know you but it's sad that they have to do that but I don't follow how it works if I take some say I take chat gpt and I have it write me a paragraph okay and I plug that into the checker and it is like this is 100% AI and I'm like all right well what if I go in and change a bunch of the words around and I run it through again will it still say that

02:01:24will it be like 50%? 87%, yeah. I mean, I don't understand how it works. And so the point is, I don't necessarily trust the AI checker any more than I trust the AI. Well, yeah. Yeah, it's scary. I don't know. I don't know, but it's the world we're in. Yeah. And let that damn genie out. So why don't they use AI to figure out how the Giants can sign better pitchers for their team? Yeah.

02:01:54We are.

02:01:55Yes.

02:01:56It's true.

02:01:57It ain't working.

02:01:58Because they're all, somehow the Dodgers literally have 9,000 players that want to sign with them.

02:02:05And they all will get paid after they're dead.

02:02:08Yeah.

02:02:08They're not even going to get paid.

02:02:10They're just going to live in the little van down by the stadium.

02:02:13By the river.

02:02:14And all that money will be deferred.

02:02:16It just blows my mind.

02:02:18The best player in baseball is making $2 million a year.

02:02:21And he's being deferred like a billion.

02:02:24Or whatever it is.

02:02:25It's just such bullshit.

02:02:28Hey, tell me this.

02:02:29How come AI, though, isn't so smart to pick the winner of the Super Bowl, but that dog hitting the ball off his nose and shooting it into the garbage can?

02:02:38How come that dog is more accurate than AI?

02:02:41Because AI is basing everything on what's come before, whereas the dog can.

02:02:46Have you guys seen the dog that does that on the stairs?

02:02:49They throw a ball and it hits the ball and it goes down the stairs and it lands in one of the two garbage cans. So like for instance, they'll say bills on one garbage can and Ravens on the other garbage can. They're like, okay, who's going to win this game? And they throw the ball up and the dog hits it and it bounces around. It goes in for Ravens. And these dogs that do this, this is all BS, I'm sure, but this dog's like 87% accurate. Yeah, like the dog is, okay, I'm going to do a layup on this thing and get it into the trash.

02:03:19that's got the right name. And you look at this history of like, this dog's pretty good. I'm sure the dog's like, well, Lamar's been having a pretty good year, so I'm going to. Like, how does the dog keep figuring it out? It's a 50-50 shot there. I mean, seriously. The dog knows the over and under, I mean. No, but here's the thing. I could see it where it would be wrong on a high number. Yeah. But it's high on the positive side for X number of tries. You're like, what the hell's going on here? Sounds like luck to me, but.

02:03:49Yeah, it sounds like the dog's beating the books, right? Well, yeah, I agree. But then again, there are no coincidences in my mind. So yeah, I mean, I suppose you could take it with that dog, I guess. Let's say AI only has the past to work with, but I suppose using the past it could well, they're using it to predict the future, predict the future, right? Yeah, that's the future of it, making it predictive based on based on past. I had this conversation with our other podcast brother, Will, in his backyard, drink it,

02:04:19And yet at first said to me, you're not serious. Are you? And I keep bringing it up. And now he laughs. I told him, dude, this isn't real. He goes, what do you mean? I said, we're all living in the matrix right now, man. I'm telling you right now, this stuff isn't real. He's like, you don't actually believe that. No, there was somebody, it was probably Elon Musk, but I've actually heard physicists talk about this. Yes. Somebody said it's like 70, 80% likely that we're actually already in the matrix or something. And that's the same.

02:04:49I've actually listened to some physicists talk about it and you're like, dude, I'm not even drunk. I can't listen to this.

02:04:55Yeah, well, I'm like, if I'm in the Matrix, somebody needs to upgrade my program because I want the steak.

02:05:01They put it in my mouth, it tastes like steak. That's what I want.

02:05:05It's like dreams, right? Like you have dreams that you're late for class and you didn't make, like if you're going to dream, why not dream big?

02:05:12Like why not dream like you're on a desert island and you just listen to your favorite five albums.

02:05:17You got to take it one step further. You're on the desert island with the albums and an unlimited supply nachos buffet. If you're in the Matrix, why aren't they programming you with the best version of yourself so that you're happy? Yeah. Why do they got to make you mediocre and lame? See? It's because it's just like the cloud. Everyone thinks it's up in the sky. No, it's in some asshole's backyard in his little

02:05:48server situation.

02:05:50It's just like the AI in this matrix.

02:05:53Somebody is just sticking it to you, and they're programming you to be a jerk.

02:05:57I'm telling you right now.

02:05:58Oh, boy.

02:06:00Yeah.

02:06:00Just wait.

02:06:01We're all going to wake up and be like, whoa, we're in space.

02:06:05What the heck's been going on for the last 40 years of my life?

02:06:08What are these plugs in my back?

02:06:10Wait till Will hears his song.

02:06:13I got a song for everybody on the Metal Heads podcast.

02:06:16Oh, man.

02:06:17I hope his song is from the Black Album. No, that's an idea. Yeah, you should actually, you should make it say, you should say, make this song sound like a cannibal corpse song. Yeah, I really like that. He'd like that too much, I guess. No, that's a positive. It's got to sound like James Hetfield from the Black Album. I can tell you right now, Matt's is one of my favorite. It's not even real. Exactly. Exactly. It's pretty darn good. And,

02:06:47Jay's is interesting because Jay's is much more fluffy and happy. I was just like, really? Okay, well, I dig this. I'm going to go with it. Wills, you know what Wills is about. Oh, boy. Hazy IPAs? No. Yeah, I don't think so. Double Hazy IPAs? So, yeah, and I did one for me too called The Podfather, and it's pretty funny. I can only imagine mine's either a

02:07:17or hair.

02:07:25I like it.

02:07:26Yeah.

02:07:26I like it.

02:07:28Or a baby cheering.

02:07:30So I did try to do one for Will with children singing and I could not get it to do it.

02:07:36Yeah.

02:07:37So I hope Will's songs all clean singing.

02:07:40Yeah.

02:07:41Well, other than the metal heads ones, because some of those have some, but everybody else's,

02:07:46I did them in styles because I wanted to understand the lyrics because they're funny. So yeah, but actually there was one. So I did some metal heads ones where it mentions all of us, which was initially what blew my mind. I was like, oh my God, I told it to do this thing about metal heads and I gave it each of our names and it actually included them. Because like with AI art, you say put in a word or something and it's now it doesn't really. Yeah. You can't like, you can't make AI art that is text.

02:08:16I can't say make me a metal heads podcast logo it won't do that because it doesn't do text oh okay so I was really surprised when I said hey make this song and it's George and Jay and Will and John and Matt and Mark is on and it put all those names in there wow holy smokes well I don't want to ruin a surprise anymore we're done recording all right well that was interesting say yes yes yeah I'll say

02:08:46We'll perhaps hear more about that in the future as things progress. Well, yeah, we're going to live through it, man. Or next episode might be all AI. It might not even be us. Remember that last episode when we said all that silly stuff about AI? That's right. That is not real. That will never happen. That will never happen. Okay, George, let's do our albums. Exactly. If that happens, run.

02:09:16Max Headroom or whatever his name was. Yeah. Totally. Right now people are like, what are these? These guys are old, but what are they talking about? What's FM radio? Max Head what? What? Yeah. All right. Well, I think we're good for this time. Unless you have any more to say? I don't know. I'll see you guys on whatever island we end up on. All right. I think your island might be far away right now. Yeah. I think I'm the only one.

02:09:46You're on the post-island island. Yeah, post-rock island is the inhabitants one, me. And a lot of coconuts. Population, me. Population, me, yeah. Well, actually, it's post-you. Post-me, yeah. AI me. We're using Zoom to record this, and I just noticed at the bottom there's AI companion. Uh-oh. I'm not going to click on it. Don't touch it. It's a button. Anyway.

02:10:16All right. All right. All right. Peace out.

02:10:44WON'T HE TELL US IS DRIVING US INSANE

02:10:50TR'S GOT A SECRET HANGING LIKE A CLOUD

02:10:52FOLKS ASKING QUESTIONS IT'S GETTING LOUD

02:10:55MYSTERY MAN KEEPS WEARING THAT SHROWN

02:10:58WON'T SPILL THE BEANS AIN'T HE PROUD

02:11:04WHAT DOES TR MEAN CAN SOMEBODY SAY

02:11:09WONDER ABOUT IT LIKE EVERY DAY

02:11:13He keeps us guessing and won't give it away. OTR, why you playing this game? Could it be tremendous and rare? Maybe it's totally rad, we swear. Theory's flying through the thin air.

02:11:43Why you torturing us? TR, do you care? TR stands firm, won't break his vow Got our heads spinning, we're asking how Curtain drawn on his face like a plow Just one clue, man, give it now What does TR mean? Can somebody say?

02:12:13He keeps us guessing, won't give it away. OTR, why you playing this game?

02:12:45Could it be tremendous and rare? Maybe it's totally right, we swear. Theories flying through the thin air. Why you torturing us, TR? Do you care? TR stands firm, won't break his bow.

02:13:13And we're asking how

02:13:16Curtain drawn on his face like a plow

02:13:21Just one clue, man

02:13:24Give it now

02:13:28What does he all mean?

02:13:30Can somebody say?

02:13:33We're wondering about it

02:13:35Like every day

02:13:38He keeps us guessing

02:13:40It won't give it away

02:13:44Oh, TR, why you playing this game?

02:14:06TR's got the stash of all snacks

02:14:14He's the metalheads bottler The man with the plan Keeping the crew filled with a twink in his hand Life of the podcast always out of sight The metalheads both are making everything right Late nights he'll never tire Moving quick he's purifier

02:14:38P.O.S.T.R. is on cue. Always delivering with something new. He's a metalhead's bottler, the man with the plan. Keeping the crew feel where they're drinking his hand. Life of the podcast, always out of sight. The metalhead's fun, but making everything right. Late nights, he'll never tire. Moving quick, he's purifier. Podcasters laugh, T.R. is on cue.

02:15:08Always delivering with something new

02:15:10He's a tray full of dreams and a pocket full of laughs

02:15:13TR's a legend they all can surpass

02:15:16Hidden hero in the shadows of the show

02:15:18Metalheads know he's the star of the flow

02:15:21He's the Metalheads bottler

02:15:23The man with the plan

02:15:25Keeping the crew filled with a drink in his hand

02:15:28Life of the podcast always out of sight

02:15:30The Metalheads book are making everything right

02:16:07With a tray full of dreams and a bucket full of laughs TRs are legends they all can surpass Hidden hero in the shadows of the show Metalhead's know he's the star of the flow He's the Metalhead's bottle of the man with the plan Keeping the crew filled with a drink in his hand Life of the podcast always out of sight The Metalhead's bottle of making everything right

02:16:45A CIDADE NO BRASIL

02:17:03Dissed Maiden, TR went for the kill Threw a stool through the air, broke a neon sign Bartender screamed, "You're out of line!" Kicked out with flair, he raised his horns high Shouted up the irons as the crew waved goodbye TR the Metalhead's enforcer Protecting the crew like a metal sorcerer From bars to hotels, he's always a force

02:17:33Getting kicked out, yeah! That's par for the course! At a fancy steakhouse, candles burned low The podcast crew whispered, "Let's keep it mellow!" But the waiter said, "Metal, not on our playlist!" T.R. flipped the table and growl, "You'll regret this!" Steaks went flying, mashed potatoes hit the wall He made the chandeliers tremble and fall

02:18:03Manager cries "Sir, please just leave!" TR stomped out yelling "METAL NEVER CAN SEE!" TR the Metalhead's enforcer Defending the faith like a righteous warrior From shows to cafes, he's bringing the noise Kicked out again, but he's still with his boys!

02:18:33Vegas Hotel, they didn't like his stare. A theme park ride, he flipped the card on a dare. Even the library said, "Sir, you're too loud!" "TR Screamslayer!" I got banned from the crowd!

02:19:03Too loud, too proud! Metal's bend, can't stand! T.R. just laughs and orders more rounds His love for metal shakes the ground! At an opera house, the crew sat tight T.R. dressed up, trying to be polite But when the soprano hit a piercing high note, he yelled: "King Diamond could crush your thro!"

02:19:35The crowd got scared. T.R. stood tall, no metal compared. Out the door with a devilish grin. The crew cheered, T.R. let's do it again! T.R. the matterhead's enforcer, breaking the rules like a rock composer. From bars to ballrooms, he's carving his trail.

02:20:03But he'll never fail

02:20:08So raise your horns and shout his name

02:20:12TR's a legend in the Metalhead game

02:20:16Wherever there's trouble, you know he'll be

02:20:20Defending the podcast wild and free

02:20:28Metal forever

02:20:31Let's break some walls

02:20:45At the show front row where the lights burned bright, the metalheads cheered through the metal-filled night. But TR, the butler, so calm and reserved, had his eyes half-closed, his energy conserved. The band hit a breakdown, the crowd went insane, but TR was the butler.

02:21:04The Metalhead Snoozer

02:21:05With his head on the stage

02:21:07A beer in his hand

02:21:09He mumbled goodnight to his favorite band

02:21:15Goodnight to the Earth

02:21:17The Metalhead Snoozer

02:21:19Sleeping through rifts like a concert loser

02:21:23From the mosh pit to bars

02:21:25He's catching some Z's

02:21:27While we're screaming metal he's sawing trees

02:21:31At the tavern one night with a podcast crew, TR poured the pints like a butler should do. But halfway through with a tray in his grip, he leaned on the bar and took a quick trip. The bartender yelled, hey, is he okay? TR just muttered, nap time's the way with his head on a coaster, drool on his vest. The crew whispered softly, man, he's the best. Good night, TR.

02:22:01A metal hedge crasher Dozing through chaos A concert flasher While we're headbanging He's counting sheep Living the dream Metal's sleepiest creep TR you missed the solo He's out cold Muttering Wake me for the encore Maybe

02:23:03The legend of TR will never grow old. Goodnight TR, the metalhead sleeper. Headlining dreams, he's a rift count keeper. While we rage on, he's in dreamland deep. Metal will never wake the man from his sleep. So if you see TR at the next big show, with a pint in his hand and his eyes,

02:23:31He's all low, don't try to wake him, just let him be. He's the king of naps in metal history. Goodnight, tear. Keep dreaming of dying.