Completely Conspicuous 312: Dawn of a New Age

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1998. I've also got music from Johnny Foreigner, Fuzz and The Dismemberment Plan.

Show notes:

- Recorded via Skype

- Check out Brian's comics podcast The Hour Cosmic

- The Pixies' ongoing bass situation

- Brian: Zwan was underrated

- Pixies have become the butt of jokes

- In 1998, Jay was 30, Brian was 16

- We both had just started dating the women we would marry

- In '98, being eclectic became cool

- JK: Was getting into more funk and soul

- Big year for pop

- TRL started in '98

- Lots of one-hit wonders: Eagle Eye Cherry, Chumbawumba, New Radicals

- The New Radicals featured former child actress in band

- JK: Saw Fastball open for Matthew Sweet in a tiny pub in Portland, Maine

- Semisonic's drummer wrote book about the record industry

- The MP3 revolution began in '98 with MP3.com

- MP3.com got sued by the labels before Napster

- BS: Beginning of Latin influence and the height of the short-lived swing dance craze

- The Titanic soundtrack was huge

- Aerosmith had big hit with "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"

- Pop country was big: Shania Twain, Faith Hill

- Rap metal was a lowlight: Korn, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock broke through

- Sugar Ray had a DJ named Homicide

- The year of Van Halen III: The Gary Cherone era

- BS paid 8 cents for VHIII

- To be continued

Music:

Johnny Foreigner - Le Sigh

Fuzz - Till the End of the Day

The Dismemberment Plan - The Ice of Boston

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The Johnny Foreigner song is on the album You Can Do Better on Alcopop! Records. Download the song for free at Soundcloud.

The Fuzz song is on the 7-inch single L.A.M.C. #10 on Famous Class Records. Download the song for free (in exchange for your email address) at Bandcamp.

The Dismemberment Plan song is on the album The Dismemberment Plan is Terrified on DeSoto Records. Download the song for free (in exchange for your email address) at Noisetrade.
The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.