Though Maggie Rogers began songwriting in her teens, it wasn't until Pharrell Williams critiqued her masterclass at NYU when she got her big break. Many of the songs on "Heard It In A Past Life" deal with this overnight success and all the wave

Television, "Marquee Moon"

Apr 27th, 2021 42m 26s

In this episode, we're diving into one of punk's most enduring albums, "Marquee Moon" from 1977. We'll talk about Television's role in CBGB & OMFUG becoming the epicenter of American punk and the history of the venue, as well as the friendship

The Weeknd, "After Hours"

Apr 13th, 2021 26m 25s

"After Hours" is like a film noir in album format. It depicts the rise and fall of an anti-hero, The Character, as he admits that his loneliness is more unbearable than he lets on. In this episode, we discuss The Weeknd's whole visual campaign

Music Criticism with Jamieson Cox

Mar 23rd, 2021 54m 50s

In this episode, I talk to music writer Jamieson Cox, whose work has been featured in Pitchfork, Time Magazine, and more. We discuss how he finds new music, what made him get into criticism, and towing the line between having a hobby and keepin

Between The Buried And Me, "Colors"

Mar 16th, 2021 1h 29m

Even though metal isn't at the top of my list, "Colors" is one of the most interesting albums I've heard in a long time. Between The Buried And Me is a progressive metal band made up of virtuosos and friends, most of whom have been playing toge

The Radio Ga Ga Podcast is on Patreon!

Mar 9th, 2021 3m 59s

Exciting news... The Radio Ga Ga Podcast is now on Patreon! We're talking swag, we're talking exclusive content, all the good stuff. Get all the details in this mini-episode update and join at Patreon.com/radiogagapodcast. Thank you for your on

10 Great Albums I Just Realized Existed

Mar 2nd, 2021 32m 47s

One of my personal goals for 2021 was to listen to a LOT more new music, or at least "new" to me. In this episode, I'm sharing 10 albums I just listened to for the very first time recently. To be fair, a few of these just came out in 2021 so th

Mariah Carey, "Daydream" Pt. II

Feb 23rd, 2021 40m 6s

In the final installment of our Mariah Carey series, we get into the later years of her career, the tryst with Derek Jeter that was the catalyst to ending her abusive marriage, and the surprising side hustle Mariah was working on during the rec

Mariah Carey, "Daydream" Pt. I

Feb 16th, 2021 50m 10s

Though we know Mariah Carey as a high-maintenance diva, there's a LOT more to the story. She grew up in an incredibly turbulent environment with a family that could have very easily kept Mariah down (and keeps trying to). Her professional and p

Song Stories, "Spirit In The Sky"

Jan 26th, 2021 24m 29s

“Spirit In The Sky” by Norman Greenbaum is a fantastic song, and one of rock music’s definitive one-hit wonders. Its omnipresence across television, film, and advertisements has earned it a permanent spot in classic rock history. And from "Apol

R.E.O. Speedwagon, "Hi Infidelity"

Jan 15th, 2021 41m 16s

I always thought of R.E.O. Speedwagon as an '80s band, but their breakthrough album, "Hi Infidelity" from 1980 was actually the band's ELEVENTH album. Formed in 1967, R.E.O. spent basically the first decade of their career struggling to expand

The Vince Guaraldi Trio, "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

Dec 15th, 2020 37m 34s

Vince Guaraldi’s soundtrack for "A Charlie Brown Christmas" was perfect for the animation of the Peanuts comics. It’s not just jazz, it’s what Charlie Brown sounds like. It’s what Christmas sounds like. And it perfectly encapsulates that melanc

Shania Twain, "Come On Over"

Dec 8th, 2020 1h 11m

“Come On Over” is still the all-time best-selling country album, and one of the best-selling albums of all time in any genre. In this episode, we explore Shania Twain's rise to pop-country fame, from her early days as Eilleen Twain in Timmins,

Sleater-Kinney, "Dig Me Out"

Nov 17th, 2020 1h 32m

"Dig Me Out" is an album that feels harsh and feminine at the same time. It’s not comfortable or nurturing, and in direct contrast with expectations of female vocals at the time. Guest Phoebe Reilly and I discuss Sleater-Kinney's role in the ri

Production Profiles: Bernard Herrmann

Oct 29th, 2020 34m 41s

American composer Bernard Herrmann is most remembered for his spooky, suspenseful film scores in collaboration with directors including Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, and Rod Serling. From the shower scene in "Psycho" to some of our favorite e

The Killers, "Hot Fuss"

Oct 21st, 2020 1h 43m

“Hot Fuss” is one of my all-time favorite albums. In this episode, I'm diving in to the history of the album and how it came to be the Killers' signature work. My guest is Jon Landman of The Syndicate, who worked with the Killers in their earli

Alice In Chains, "Dirt"

Oct 6th, 2020 1h 14m

Musically and lyrically, "Dirt" was far more sinister than anything that had come before it in grunge music. Nearly half of the album's songs are explicitly about heroin addiction, which we'll find is the one true villain in the Alice In Chains

Song Stories, "Take On Me"

Sep 22nd, 2020 20m 6s

"Take On Me" by Norwegian trio A-Ha is one of the greatest pop songs ever made. We'll talk about the history of the song, Morten Harket's vocal gymnastics, and all the '80s instruments they used including the LinnDrum and the Roland Juno 60 syn

Halsey, "Manic"

Sep 15th, 2020 55m 44s

Listening to Halsey is like touching a wire you know is going to give you a shock. But you touch it anyway, letting little sparks of electricity bolt through you. She's an artist who has grown on me over the past few years, and her story is wil

The Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Axis: Bold As Love” Pt. II

Sep 1st, 2020 1h 12m

We conclude the story of Jimi Hendrix starting with "Axis" Side 2, which has one of the most beautiful songs Jimi ever wrote, "Castles Made of Sand." We talk about the techniques and gear Jimi used, what it was that made him such a good guitari

The Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Axis: Bold As Love” Pt. I

Aug 25th, 2020 1h 7m

We all know Jimi Hendrix, one of the most legendary and influential musicians to ever walk the planet. But there's a lot about his life we don't hear about. In this episode, we talk about Jimi's rough childhood and life before he had a guitar i

Hole, "Live Through This"

Aug 12th, 2020 1h 30m

Hole's prophetically titled "Live Through This" would release just one week after the suicide of Courtney Love's husband, Kurt Cobain. The album is haunted, a bit psychic, and stands up against any of the big '90s grunge albums. If you’re like

Vampire Weekend, "Modern Vampires of the City"

Jul 28th, 2020 1h 21m

In this episode, we dive into the world of Ivy League indie pop with Vampire Weekend's third studio album. Though much of the indie world fell in love with this band from the start, some music media pegged Vampire Weekend as privileged, waspy C

The Story Of Disco Pt III: Demolition Night

Jun 30th, 2020 1h 16m

In the summer of 1979 came one of the harbingers of disco’s doom, Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park. In this episode, we talk about how that evening at the baseball field got increasingly out of control, and the many other reasons disco f

The Story of Disco Pt II: Disco Fever

Jun 16th, 2020 1h 20m

Get ready to dance! In the second installment of our series, we talk about the artists that brought disco to the mainstream including Donna Summer, the BeeGees, and Gloria Gaynor. There’s also a number of other artists who created songs just to