That Awful Sound

This is a new mini-episode and segment that rose organically from a surprisingly negative reaction I had listening to Velvet Underground's Heroin. I know this is a bad opinion, and Cahn is here to tell me why. Make sure to tell me just how wrong I am on Facebook and Twitter

It’s Halloween on That Awful Sound! Former Rob Zombie Superbeast Cahn Curtis joins me to discuss and dissect “Never Gonna Stop,” which, while not being terrible, still represents the end of his obsession with the artist. We hear about how Cahn sold his prescription meds in order to buy overpriced White Zombie bootlegs, make a revelation or two about these seemingly random lyrics, and wonder aloud at how a horror director could make a such a beautiful, but utterly ultra-nonviolent homage to A Clockwork Orange. Music We Like: Acid Witch - “Stoned” and Jesu/Sun Kil Moon  

This week we're covering the terrible rap metal your older brother wasn't listening to: Suicidal Tendencies side-project, Infectious Groove's "Therapy" featuring Ozzy. Guest Jerry "Wazzup" Woolbright remembers being introduced to this band in second grade by an older cousin as a way to bridge the gap between hair metal and punk, and we revel in another euphemism for mental illness involving a train and Ozzy Osbourne. Also in this episode: The band's appearance in Encino Man, this video's ties to adult swim, and multiple songwriting credits on this album attributed to a cartoon character invented by the band (really). Recommended in this episode: Suicidal Tendencies (obviously), Neurosis' "Fires Within Fires" and the films Murder Party, Blue Ruin, and Green Room

Disclaimer: Slightly spicier language found in this episode This week: first-time guest Chris Arias shares his memories of Aaron Carter’s Aaron’s Party, second-time guest Jerry Woolbright remembers being too old for this sh*t, and together we dissect this Kid Power throwback to the golden age of funk and hip hop. In this track: Out of control calls and responses, corny sound fx, anachronistic lyrics obviously written by much older men, and uncomfortable allusions of what was to come for the young artist. Stuff we like: Charly Bliss - “Urge to Purge,” Dinosaur Jr. - “Give A Glimpse of What Yer Not,” Lush - “Blind Spot EP”

This week Sloane Sache joins me for the first time to talk about Harvey Danger's Flagpole Sitta, and try to figure out what these misheard lyrics actually are. Turns out we both still kind of like this song, but there's plenty to make fun of, including run-together lyrical deliveries, eyeroll-inducing hipster kitsch, and bizarre financial decisions made by the band. Stuff we like this week: Other Harvey Danger songs! Outlaw State of Mind by Chris Stapleton and Mr. Fish by Pile.

This week we’re revisiting the titans of fart rock, Smash Mouth, and their 1999 single, “Then The Morning Comes.” We cover the meme-ification of the band and singer Steve Harwell, the incessant rhyming in the lyrics, fake sleaziness and forced nostalgia of the song, and tediousness of the “humorous” video. Plus: a painful but necessary mash-up with Steely Dan, the infinitely better songs from which these riffs were stolen, and the incredibly inappropriate lyrics included in actual Alvin & The Chipmunks covers. Stuff we like: Touche Amore’s "Stage Four," Wildhoney’s "Your Face Sideways," and BADBADNOTGOOD’s "IV"

First Ever Awful Sound Reissue! Wasn't able to get a new episode edited in time, so here's one from the back catalogue that I particularly enjoy. Back to the normal schedule next week. To celebrate the return of the show, we're dissecting two unlikely songs and videos from the cast of The X-Files: the titular track from David Duchovny's Weather Channel inspired, cliche-ridden debut album, "Hell or Highwater," and Gillian Anderson's hyper-sexual, spoken-word nonsense for Hal's Extremis.   Also: A review of Duchovny's ridiculous children's(?) book, Holy Cow, my guest relays a story about in-laws from Roswell, these two "red-blooded males" find Gillian Anderson attractive enough to acknowledge her personhood, and, as always, a selection of delicious YouTube comments.

This week we’re discussing and dissecting Usher’s inaccurately titled “Nice & Slow,” and returning guest James Hernandez talks about dedicating slow jams on the radio to his middle-school crushes and making the switch from RnB to Slayer. We’ve got helpful Genius annotations for lyrics that are anything but nice and slow, and a cinematic music video featuring probably-fake sign language, an inefficient kidnapping, and a load-bearing eyepatch. Stuff We Like: Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks and Rochelle Jordan’s “Follow Me”

This week we have an episode that I’m shocked was possible. I’m talking to Kevan Aguilar, who was more than happy to subvert expectations by sharing his summer-long love affair with the incredibly awful Kottonmouth Kings. We’re dissecting Peace Not Greed from the year 2G featuring Jack Grisham of TSOL and a total lack of perspective on police brutality. Kevan talks about identifying with the anti-authoritarian message of the song, his mom being cool with him hanging a poster of the band holding a giant platter of weed, and how this may relate to him becoming straightedge shortly thereafter. Also: a quaintly optimistic take on the effects of weed legalization, a weird intersection of fake libertarianism and new age spirituality, and lots of juicy youtube beef. Stuff We Like: New Ruin, Humanities, and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez’s Sworn Virgins

This week we’ve got a scoff-heavy episode as Derek Chacon and James Hernandez help me dissect the goth silliness of Coal Chamber’s “Loco.” Derek recalls a weird goth kid in his guitar class introducing him to the band, loving their edgy darkness as a kid, and, from his current vantage point, likening it to a stranger’s fart. Also: Are these nonsensical lyrics doing ANYTHING for unstable kids? Does buying a “vintage” Pantera shirt make you a hipster? And a last-minute epiphany that might mean nothing or everything. Music we like: Tribulation’s “Strange Gateways Beckon” and Helms Alee’s “Tit to Toe”

This week we’re covering the totally insane video for Livin’ on the Edge by immortal creepsters Aerosmith. My guest, Alexander Shaw, recounts his adolescent love for the band, allowing Stephen Tyler far too much influence over his fashion choices, and trying to reconcile a universe in which they coexist with his juvenile daughter. In this episode: Bizarre, moralizing lyrics, a non-sensical hodgepodge of music video set pieces, including cartoonish, post-apocalyptic wrecking yards and green-screen train solos, Edward Furlong playing a confused (and confusing) angsty teen, and a possible cameo from Johnny Depp in drag. Be sure to check out Alexander Shaw's New Century and School of Movies podcasts!

This week we have another anthem from the Post Breakup genre with Fallout Boy’s poppy, idiom-ridden crossover hit, “Sugar We’re Going Down.” We cover the fairly funny music video and, with help from dozens of overzealous Genius.com contributors, analyze its indecipherable wordiness. Also: “Double” dad jokes, possible Simpsons references, and a three-way mashup. Music we like: Autolux’s “P*ssy’s Dead” and Field Music’s “Commontime"

This week on That Awful Sound​ podcast we cover "You're So Last Summer" from early 00s "emo" "boys" Taking Back Sunday, its made-for-MySpace lyrics, and the apex (nadir?) of ironic hip hop in pop punk with a music video featuring Flava Flav for some fake reason. My guests recall the "hard two weeks" in which they were fans of the band, and I forget that I remembered them altogether. Also: peeing next to the singer at a urinal, wearing girl jeans, and the eccentricities of an aging web design teacher. See Nick's work on Instagram: @TerminalRadness

This week Aaron Brock and Kenny Geary return to help me cover Price William’s favorite band, Linkin Park, and their blessedly short debut single, “One Step Closer.” We go over their straight-forward, impossible-to-misinterpret lyrics and the random choices featured in the music video, including clueless teens, parkour, and levitating Monks. Also: my guests reveal their y2k-era DJ ambitions, a lengthy relationship with spiked hair, and another mysterious design from the 90’s. Music we like: Nothing's "Eaten By Worms," Dangers' "(D)anger(s)," and Graf Orlock's "Captive of the Thuggee"

This week Aaron Brock and Kenny Geary return to help me cover Crazy Town's infamous RHCP sampling, pet name spewing, single entendre of a song "Butterfly," and we keep a close eye on our drinks amid the greasy energy of the water-color crack-rave happening in its music video. Also: an entire segment devoted to the tattoos found therein, Shifty Shellshock's time on Celebrity rehab, and the terrifying origin of the album art featuring a character known as "Little Lolita."

On this episode of That Awful Sound podcast, guest Shaina Turian and I revisit the TRL-retired, Todd McFarlane-directed, sentient bullet-featuring video for Korn’s mega-hit “Freak On A Leash.” We cover why Korn can’t be a Chill Rap Rock band, how frequently the word “r@pe” appears in their lyrics, and analyze the song’s spooky scat. Also: Head’s born-again Christianity, An acoustic, renaissance-faire-sounding version of this song feat. Amy Lee of Evanescence, and a Nick News special that scared my guest into thinking she had AIDS at the age of 9.

This week Angie Burian and I revisit the incredibly urgent “Separate Ways” by karaoke kings, Journey. We dissect the infamous music video (named 13th worst by MTV), and its cocaine-fueled, sleeve-adjusting, invisible-intrument-playing stars. Also: why this feels like stepdad rock, dad-centric mustache phobias, early experiments in music video technology, and strong feelings about Steve Perry’s hair from keyboardist Jonathan Kane

This week we’re revisiting the CD single Michael Muñoz’s estranged grandma gave him as a peace offering: Ricky Martin’s Livin’ La Vida Loca. We’ve got trumpets upon trumpets, deceptively emo lyrics, and a fun drunk driving accident. Plus: Barbara Walters forcibly outing the singer on TV in 2000, Separate covers of the song performed by two entirely different anthropomorphic mice, and a serious conversation with Dad about Fastball’s “The Way.”

This week, first-time guest Tony Boswell details his childhood love of Cypress Hill’s orchestra-filled crossover hit, “Rock Superstar,” and how rap rock in general was a way to connect with both sides of his multicultural family. We dissect the song's spooky, goofy music video which seems to be at complete odds with the message of the lyrics, Cypress Hill channeling their superstardom into a lucrative free weed racket, and a plethora of late 90’s artifacts, including evil jacks in the box, jesters, 8 balls, and the mysteriously ubiquitous Stüssy S. Also: scaring away extended family members and potential stepdads with Van Halen and Slipknot, ghost congas, and monkey grease. Good Music: Drake's Views and Death Grips' Bottomless Pit

This week Matt Booth and I "back-muse" Teenage Dirtbag, the self-produced, nakedly sensitive, “comfortably pathetic” song I ended up kind of loving. Matt remembers using these lyrics to experiment with cussing, and I remember how weird the song sounded to me as a kid. We cover the violent DJ scribbling, superfluous (and completely inaudible) percussion instruments, “controversy” over the singer’s middle name, the teen-movie music video, the bizarre wikipedia/history of the band, an archived bio from their y2k webpage, and ironic sex. Good music: Blink-182's new-ish single (with Matt Skiba) "Bored to Death" “Were any of these scenes from the movie they’re referencing, or did they have to shoot a shitty movie and then shoot a whole shitty, involved music video too?”