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Happy Birthday, Britney! (with DJ John Michael)
76 Plays3 months ago
It's Britney, bitch! In honor of the Princess of Pop's birthday, DJ John Michael and I go down a rabbit hole of how we first learned of Britney, what our reactions were and how our love only grew from those moments on. We also discuss deep cuts like "Autumn Goodbye" and the unreleased "Britney" cuts "She'll Never Be Me" and "When I Say So."
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Transcript
Introduction and Britney's Birthday
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome back to Pop Theory. I am your host, Zach Rickel, a.k.a. a functioning gay on Instagram, and I'm once again joined by the iconic DJ John Michael. It's Britney, for those listening, it is Britney Spears' birthday today, the recording of this episode, so... I mean, how do we even begin to celebrate? i Literally, how do we celebrate at this point?
First Encounters with Britney's Music
00:00:20
Speaker
Well, what is your relationship with one Miss Britney Spears? Like, how did it begin? Where do where do you where do you see this happening for you?
00:00:27
Speaker
Yeah. Well, my relationship with Brittany started right when she kind of burst onto the scene with baby one more time. I remember, I want to say I heard it on the radio first. I remember hearing that like, done on like the piano and for, I mean, I'm sure that sounded identical to the piano, what I just did. I'm sure everyone was like, wow, is he just hit play on a CD?
00:00:49
Speaker
but Is that Max Martin? Is that Max Martin in the room? um But I remember hearing that and just being absolutely mesmerized. I was, God, when did that come out? That came out 1998. People forget. That came out late 1998, probably like I think October. Right. And so I remember hearing on the radio going to the CD store and and buying the CD. What is the CD store near you that you went to?
00:01:13
Speaker
Oh my God, what was it called? I don't even, in my hometown, I don't remember what it was. We had and we our mall, which is now like, I think completely closed in my hometown of Benton Harbor, Michigan. The Orchard Mall in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Okay. Yeah. RIP. RIP has spent lots of days there. right right um Gosh, I want to say, I don't think it was FYE. There were originally two stores and Then, like as we got into like the MP3 era, one closed down and then one stayed open.
Music Formats and Generational Changes
00:01:47
Speaker
Because there was like a CD store, but they also had like videos and stuff like that. And everything was like way too pricey, of course. like That was like during the time where you'd go in and buy a CD and it was $25. Right. you Remember that? Right. Only for what? you Right. right like like you'd You'd go in and you'd buy a CD with 12 tracks and you'd bring $25 and you're just like, okay. And I have no idea if this is good yet because I have not heard it on the internet.
00:02:10
Speaker
Right. Right. Right. Exactly. I remember. And they had like those little stations where you could like preview CDs right like and it would play you like what like people. Gen Z is probably like, what the fuck are they talking about right now? no You don't even know we were in the trenches.
00:02:23
Speaker
in the trenches. But I remember getting the CD single for baby one more time. And it has Brittany has brunette hair. It's more like a like a an ashy blonde. She's not like full on dark brunette, but she does not have her blonde hair that we all know her for. Correct. And it's like in like, it's like in that cardboard, not really a digi pack, but it's like that cardboard CD sleeve. The B side was autumn. Goodbye. One of her best the from the early years one of her best don't even get me started. Like just from the right from the get go like they grab you. I never promised you a happy ending. I live.
00:03:01
Speaker
Oh, it's like it's i truly that song is like if if pre Barbie movie like honestly, I feel like that song should have been in the Barbie movie. Oh, yeah. Like that song is what I think of when I think of like Barbie dolls and just like that. for Sure. World, especially like with the Baby One More Time album cover.
Britney's Impact on Fans and Performance Highlights
00:03:19
Speaker
I mean, just like that whole aesthetic that they tried to give her with that first album. Mm hmm.
00:03:24
Speaker
Now that I'm thinking about it I'm thinking like what was that like 50-50 song that when I close my eyes It's a fantasy from the Barbie soundtrack. It's kind of it's kind of autumn goodbye adjacent Yes, I thought you were talking about a Britney's album and I'm like what I was like i you' talking about right yeah But that was where my relationship with Britney started got it and Was obsessed ever since like instantly instantly and I remember like and see and I always want to know, though, like, what is it? What is because I have a story, too. And I feel like for all of the F slurs like us that are sort of of this age, like, what was it about her? Because there's something that we all have that moment where as soon as we heard it, something activated.
00:04:11
Speaker
Something activated like for real and all of us were just immediately like yep This is it. This is the new era. We're just this is the thing and right well crazy to me Yeah, and that's you know, what's interesting though. Is that like this again? I think we talked in ah in our last episode that um You know 1997 1998 was like the time that I really kind of came into music so that's where it's like I just began soaking up everything like a sponge and Brittany came out during that time and I don't know, like there's something, I loved her instantly, but I think it took maybe, I don't know, I loved it.
00:04:50
Speaker
I don't know, I can't put my finger on it. i love I loved how edgy her performances were. her It was one thing, because one thing I thought that was really interesting about Britney was that, yes, you had her album versions of of the songs that we all know and love. But then in her live performances, a lot of times, especially in those early years, were completely remixed for live performances. Like the VMA performance for Baby One More Time at the 1999 VMAs, where it was like her and NSYNC on stage sharing the stage. First of all, asking her to share the stage. Right. Right. Right. Like what? but it was a world What a world, but it was that Wade Robson remix where it was like it had rock and hip hop. And it was just like, it did that, like that like little like DJ scratch thing. And it's like, I'd like to introduce you to some of my friends. She totally sounds like AI, but it's not.
00:05:41
Speaker
Britney Spears, AI pioneer. led Literally, she invented AI. right She really did. And then obviously the infamous, ah I can't get no satisfaction, oops, I did it the following year. That like that changed my life, honestly.
00:05:54
Speaker
ah ji I think that was probably the moment where I was like, I went from loving her to being like, oh, this is she's that bitch. Right, right, right. She's that bitch and she's not fucking around. yeah And I've been saying for years, here's the thing, Brittany, I love you. And if you want to make new music, I would welcome it with open arms. I don't necessarily need it. What I do need What I do need as she opens her list are the, yeah, exactly. brick Because Brittany's listening and she's like Santa but and I need these studio versions of these performance mixes online. Yes.
00:06:34
Speaker
i want like I want the Baby One More Time VMA remix. I want the Oops It It Again VMA remix.
Unreleased Music and Speculations
00:06:41
Speaker
yes I want one that is like really underrated and people don't talk much about. She performed at the European Music Awards, the MTV European Music Awards, and then also the Billboard Music Awards. And both times she did a medley of Baby One More Time and You Drive Me Crazy. yes And the Baby One More Time version she performed was like this re-sung cabaret style. like hold baby be there yeah yeah It was like so good. And then it went into this like weird rock hip hop dance. Wade Robson asked early 2000s remix of ah You Drive Me Crazy. yeah And I was obsessed with it. Starting out like Britney Spears, the Abbey Road Sessions.
00:07:22
Speaker
literally invented Abbey Road. Right, right. Invented Abbey Road. So yeah, like that's what I need from her and throw in maybe some like her because she's she's like Madonna and Kylie like she will remix her songs for her tours and her right. I i need she'll never be me. I need that on streaming. I need the full version of that. I yes. Yeah, it's so good. It makes me wonder like obviously, obviously she went through a lot.
00:07:51
Speaker
Right, right, right. And through your well to your point, I want to say too, is that while I will never stop manifesting new music from her, I want it to be where it's new music from her and not a cash grab from the label. Exactly. Because even like i as much as I was happy to hear like the matches song with the Backstreet Boys and what was it, Swimming in the Stars or whatever that other one was from Glory, like I felt like it that was it felt like the label just trying to figure out what the hell to do at this point. Well, oh my god, I'm glad that you kind of brought that up.
00:08:21
Speaker
I think it was today I was kind of scrolling through Twitter and I love how I was like, I'm deleting Twitter and I'm still on it. Like I, uh, I need it. I want, I want to get off of it. Here's the thing. The second pop crave moves over and is as active on blue sky i know and or threads, I will gladly join forces and or like be present. I'm surprised that they haven't done it yet. yeah Even if, if anything, just to claim the name.
00:08:46
Speaker
Right. Yeah. so And I think that those algorithms are still kind of working and trying to figure it out anyway. um I digress. But I was on Twitter and someone was talking about the canceled B-10 album, obviously with the conservatorship and everything, the cancel of the domination residency.
00:09:02
Speaker
it was allegedly tied into that. But someone was just kind of like kind of doing a I don't even call it a deep dive. But they were just kind of doing a thread about like, what was kind of talked about what we kind of know what leaks and whatnot. There was speculate. Well, it did leak there was a song called I feel so free with you with that she did with Mark Anthony and Pitbull? Yes. Yeah. and so And so that song has leaked in various versions. There's I think two or three different versions. Wasn't there another one though? that was Was it Hema? There was also Hema. Wasn't it with them too or was it with Pitbull? It was with Pitbull.
00:09:38
Speaker
Oh my God. I want to see if there was another person on that song. I don't think it was Mark Anthony. No, it wasn't, but it was Pitbull and somebody else though. Yeah. And then I think that that was eventually given to Camilla Cabello instead. Yes. And I want to say that was for a Fast and Furious soundtrack. Hold on. I see. I'm like, i'm we're pretending that we don't have the internet. Right. Yeah. Romeo Santos. Romeo Santos. Yes. And then it went to, yes, Camilla Cabello and J Balvin.
00:10:03
Speaker
that's what it was. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And so Brittany in her Latin era, try and she has no idea about I'm sure it's just producers putting her vocals on things. She was she was like, first, we're going to tackle the British market with screaming shout, right? and Now we're going to tackle the Latin market with right with these legends. And our international era.
00:10:25
Speaker
Yeah, but in this thread, they were saying that matches was actually intended for it was not a scrap song from glory, it was intended for the follow up. And, and I guess what was interesting is that it was ah it the bachelor boys had recorded it, they decided that they didn't want to use it. So then that's when Brittany recorded it.
Reissues and Anniversary Editions
00:10:47
Speaker
And then somehow the label or something, someone frankens kind of the two. So that's how it became a ah song with the Backstreet Boys. And there was another song that I think that was mentioned in it. um I don't remember the name of it or whatever. But then there has also been a bunch of leaks from Glory, um like Axaholic and Dance Your Fuck Off, which
00:11:09
Speaker
ah Not my favorites, if I'm being honest. Right. So here's the thing. I actually really liked Axaholic, but it sounds... That one was okay. I think that there a lot of people made remixes because from what I know is that that song leaked, but it didn't have a drum track to it. Like it was just like the vocals and synths and whatnot.
00:11:26
Speaker
And so people did a lot of remixes and there was someone, and I don't remember, sorry to this sorry to this man, sorry to this DJ, don't remember who did it, but someone did like a house remix to it yeah um with like a Vogue beat and it was really, really cool. And I was like, well, if this is the route that it went, that would have been really sick. right Long story short, it was just a real fascinating read about like what could have been, but obviously we know what ensued after.
00:11:50
Speaker
um So that's the thing. So it's like I'm i'm i'm totally fine with her. Never like putting out anything again if she wants to because like i I can find myself endlessly going through her catalog and still enjoying it. like And that's fine. I would love new music, but again, i I just want what's best for her. And whatever she thinks that is, it's her choice.
00:12:10
Speaker
Right. Yeah. I think that she's completely earned the right to just kind of do whatever she wants. Yeah. As long as she's being healthy, you know, obviously we want her to be healthy and we want her to be, you know, living her best life that she can, but make, let her, and people are always talk about worrying about her because of like the quote unquote weird videos she posts, but I'm like, her dancing in her living room is not Like you might find it weird, but what's dangerous and harmful? Right. What I feel like is weird about it to them is that like she's not full glam. The hair isn't full glam. And it's like it just sometimes I feel like that's the perception because she's not done up to the nines to perform like she normally is. But I'm like when I look at these videos like I know it seems strange because it's just her in her living room. But I'm like and then I look at rehearsal footage of her and I'm like this is the same person.
00:13:02
Speaker
Like, i don't I don't really see a difference. Like, I think that the context of where she is and that she's posting it on Instagram and she writes these long-ass captions and whatever, whatever, you know, look, I think that there is for sure damage to her mental health that has been done. How could you not? Absolutely. This woman has literally survived, like, the the craziest of things. Right. So, that being what it is, like, it doesn't really bother me, like, to see her doing it. I'm just like, okay, you're happy. You're doing your thing. You're still here. You're cool. All right, great. Right. like I'm good like and I just it's whenever I see those comments. I'm like, that's just you projecting your own shit on to other people. Right? Exactly. I am curious to know if and why her label and her aren't interested in kind of doing the reissue trend that a lot of people are doing with like 20th anniversary and in and things like that because I feel like fans would eat that up.
00:13:56
Speaker
Well, I mean, they've done like a, but like they've been really hitting the vinyl market with her stuff, like, and they've been doing a lot of vinyl reissues and a lot of like, but again, they're, they feel like cash grabs where it's like, now we're doing a new pressing of every album with colored vinyl. First it was, we're going to put them all on regular black vinyl, but now we're going to do the blackout one is going to be red and the circus one is going to be yellow and that's it. And I'm like, all right, like you didn't add anything. The artwork isn't different.
00:14:21
Speaker
It's not signed. like you know like it like if it's If it doesn't have any of the boxes that you're checking, like it just feels like you're just trying to get money from us. And that's that's the type of stuff I don't like. Right. And that's the thing is that like you know I'm the type of fan where like I'm a fan of, this it's for me, it's music first, music and performance first.
00:14:40
Speaker
The collectible items such as like the CDs or vinyls or posters or books or whatever, that's all fine and dandy. And some of those things I have, I still haven't been like behind me or to the side of me. You can't see it, but I do still have a ton of my old CDs and stuff. But I personally don't own a record player, so I don't own many vinyls. um It's an expensive habit. I don't recommend it. It's very expensive. And but also like to me, I'm just kind of like,
00:15:06
Speaker
Again, what's important to me is the music. right And so
Label Constraints and Musical Experimentation
00:15:10
Speaker
I'm more interested in hearing like the bonus tracks, the unreleased stuff. you know Maybe it's old remixes, new remixes, whatever. And that's the thing is that I'm thinking like her and her label, I would love if they were able to start putting out these like expanded versions of her albums, much like Mariah Carey did and it and is continuing to do.
00:15:30
Speaker
with, you know, the European and international bonus tracks, maybe songs that we've never heard, you know, well, and that's, I wonder if this all comes down to either people saying no, her saying no, like how contracts are drawn up for certain things, like, because I think it's hard for
00:15:52
Speaker
I don't know because it's always going to be that weird thing because even if the label came out today and was just like, hey, we're going to do a 20th anniversary of whatever, the Britney album, and we're going to put in all of these demos or whatever like, it's still not really her promoting it. Right? Yeah. And it's like, I think that's where I and I think some of the more hardcore fans for Brittany have like a harder time to like connect to because I'm like, yes, of course, I want to hear the stuff. And yes, of course, I'm going to listen to it if you put it out. Yeah, it's like, I don't it just feels icky.
00:16:24
Speaker
Sure, you know, but here's the thing though too with especially I'm glad that you brought up the Britney album because as I was like kind of putting together my carousel to like celebrate her birthday and on on Instagram, I was revisiting some of the just like the old memes that I had made and one of them was the ah celebrating the Britney album specifically and I was like, you know, it would be really cool to, and and an in revisiting these things, then I was like, you know, kind of going down a deep dive and just doing my you know additional research. And that album in particular had a lot of like an early pressings and an early um promo for the album.
00:17:06
Speaker
in interviews and stuff, she talked about certain songs being on the album that didn't end up making the cut, not even as bonus tracks. And one of those songs is an unreleased BT song called ah When I Say So, which has since leaked online. Right. um Excellent song. um Another one being She'll Never Be Me.
00:17:27
Speaker
And seemingly in these interviews, Brittany was heavily involved with the creation process of these songs. So that's where I'm kind of like it. seems yeah Again, to your point, she absolutely should have the final say and and and give her blessing to do all of this stuff. Right. You'd think that she'd want that.
00:17:45
Speaker
he One of the things. Yes, I would think so, but having read the book and everything, I imagine it has to be hard to go back, because especially the Britney album specifically, there was such heavy Justin Timberlake involvement. Right, yeah. You've got full-on songs where he's singing vocals that you can hear, like him, Wade Robson. I feel like that's probably where a lot of the drama between her love life and stuff was really taking place across that album.
00:18:14
Speaker
Right. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. So it's just interesting because like it's clear that she wanted to go down very experimental routes early on in her career. Right. Her record label had a different trajectory. I think that she was able I think that the brainy album was kind of the start of that. And then she was able to kind of do I would say in the zone. Well, I think how I think that there's in those early years, too, because I see this in the boy band stuff as well, where I think that the importance felt like it had to, they were trying to break the American market. And I feel like they were sort of throwing ideas at the wall and like tapping into the European markets first. Cause a lot of the earlier stuff like the Autumn Goodbyes or even like the BTs and like there was some really early dance, like Euro dance stuff amongst these people's catalog. Like if you go the back to like the very first NSYNC album that was released in the UK,
00:19:11
Speaker
Like, I Need Love is like a complete Euro, like, Labouche song. Yes. Or have you heard Riddle? Of course. What's the Riddle of it all? Like, I lived. I was so, like, just so gay for these songs. and i Gina J found dead. Right. Shook. Shook. Shook. Shook. But all of that stuff. So it's like, I feel like since most of the music, almost all of it was coming from Sweden.
00:19:34
Speaker
that they this was just stuff that was popular over there that they were having them sing even the early backstreet boys they had some of this type of stuff too right um there was like so many different iterations of their first album there was the uk version and they did the american version and then they did the american version but the uk release of the japanese release and it was like Please, it took me forever to track down, and I have like all of the bonus tracks, everything. I've ripped all the CDs. I have all the stuff. Because of course, a lot of it's not online, or it's only in a specific territory in another country, yeah which is a whole other discussion. i I remember learning that the Backstreet Boys' US first album is actually a
00:20:12
Speaker
compilation of their first two studio albums from overseas. Correct. I didn't know learn that until- What's a few songs put in and some other things taken out, but yes. Yeah. Yeah. I didn't learn that until, gosh, like later on in life. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And so I remember just like my mind being blown. There was a song on the first album, Nobody But You. Yeah. So good. is so That needs to be on streaming.
00:20:38
Speaker
Yes, that one. And then there was another one. I love AJ's voice from the Backstreet Boys. He's always one of my favorites. So when he did a song called 10,000 Promises that wasn't on the American version, I don't know if it's on Spotify or not. I have to say, I'm going to look right now. But that one, anything that's ah an AJ vocal, I am like 100% on.
00:20:58
Speaker
No. like See, they don't have it. That's not on streaming. They have like some karaoke band version of it. AJ's vocals. Oh, he's so sexy. He, like, first of all, I consent. Right. A hundred percent. Or a hundred percent. but Even now. Even now. Yeah. But that voice, holy shit. Have you been following his solo stuff recently?
00:21:21
Speaker
and Now, I have a little bit. i yeah I haven't so much in recent years, although you had posted a song not too long ago. Electric. It's so good. You would love it. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. I need to revisit that one. But he released an album that is not again, of course, not on streaming that I want to say this is like somewhere between 2007, 2009. And it was called shit. What was the album called? I just remember there was a song on the album called Drive by Love.
00:21:50
Speaker
that I absolutely loved. and And that time, that's when like a lot of like, there was a lot of leaks happening online. So I was a part of different like talk forums and things like that. That's how I got a lot of this like music, illegally, unfortunately, but still. um mean i was like Oh, yeah, he had an album out called have it all have it all. Okay, interest looks like and of course, it came out in Japan on a Japanese label. Okay, which would be the reason I guarantee you if you go to Japan. Yeah, it's probably on their Spotify. and I heard he does car commercials in Japan. ah like But I mean, it's all the same, like a lot of it. So it looks like almost the entire album was written by him and, uh, Christian London, who was one of, you know, Max Martin to cycle. Yup. Yup. And then even JC Shazzeh has a writing credit on the first track. Ah, JC. Gosh, I love JC. I would say AJ, best vocalist of the Backstreet Boys and then JC, best vocalist of NSYNC. Hands down.
Backstreet Boys' Influence and Solo Careers
00:22:50
Speaker
hands down hands down i will say though like as a young kid as a young gay um i was really into howie from the backstreet boys was like oh and i will i will defend it i don't care absolutely and because of those abs right that shirtless and and was it uh quick playing games with my heart I was so horny. Right. I me dead and do yeah literally found that I never stopped masturbating. I'm still masturbating now. Like there that rain in the video. Sorry. that's what i know like Like I know I'm right there with you. I found a lot. I pretty much found all of the Backstreet Boys sexy at one point. Like I found I was like, I think that I think the only moments they all had moments. I think the only one that I was never that into was was Nick.
00:23:35
Speaker
I was going to say the same thing. I was never really into Nick, not my dad. Yeah. Yeah. i You know, although this past fall, I revisited some of his solo work. And he has some bops. It's not bad. and Yeah. but I mean, like, they're all talented. I mean, and they've all done really good stuff solo. I mean, Brian's, I don't really care for. I think it's mostly religious stuff, so whatever. But like, but he's got a great voice. He always has. and Yeah. just i think that'll look crazy I think Brian's also a Trump supporter. I think so too. so yeah um sorry Sorry to this man. sorry be Sorry, B Rock. Look, is it one in every five? So I mean,
00:24:08
Speaker
Right. Yeah. There's the one. But um but i Nick did a song ah on an album back in like 2015. I think it was called All American. But the the song, he did he did a song with Avril Lavigne and it was called Get Over Me. Work. I don't think I know that.
00:24:24
Speaker
Oh, it's like it makes me feel like I want to be in like a teen summer movie from like the early 2000s. It's so good. It's so cheesy. It's about like being in love with someone who like stalks you and won't leave you alone. and it's like It's so cheesy, but it's a bob and a half. and they Their voices blend perfectly together. I'm excited. yeah so I love her. I feel like she doesn't get enough credit either.
00:24:51
Speaker
She doesn't she was I mean, gosh, what a I mean, so talented, great singer, great songwriter, great song, great gowns, beautiful I don't want to derail until like pop punk, but you know, it's it's yeah, I do. I like her. I've always yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But back to Brittany. What was you what was what was your moment that like got you hooked? Well, so I was I was working in the mall in the Staten Island Mall when this all happened and the Britney and it all started coming about.
00:25:23
Speaker
I worked in a store called Gadzooks, which was like a crazy clothing store. and Fun. And um one of my best friends worked at Sephora, and my other best friend was the manager or assistant manager at um Sam Goody, which was our record store. And it they were we were all in the same wing. So i would just it was it was like a ridiculous time in my life. It was so much fun. I love that. So I would go in like every day pretty much when I was working and just to see David, and we would hang out. And like I would look through all the CDs and stuff.
00:25:51
Speaker
They had, as I was checking out one day, I was buying, of course, a bunch of CD singles. and At the register, they had like a little cardboard display with those singles that you were talking about, the Baby One More Time with Autumn Goodbye, yep in it at the thing. And I was like, and it was 98 cents for the one single, 98 cents, I remember that. And I said to the girl, Lisa, who was working behind the counter, who I used to see all the time, and I was like, who is this? And she's like, oh, I don't know. She's like, it's some girl some pop girl. She's like, you know, they Sam Goody does these things where they try to introduce new artists and they'll have them like come and perform at like, um
00:26:27
Speaker
like, ah team events that we do, you know, like, what do they call them? Like conferences. She's like, and then they'll do like a showcase where artists will come by and perform. She's like, and they had Brittany come by and perform. It's like some new pop girl, you know, it's like some 18 year old girl or whatever. She's like, I don't know if she'll be any big or anything. She's like, but it's, you know, the song's all right. And I was like, all right. mike I said, you know what? I said, for 98 cents, I'll take it. And so I just threw it in the pile, just having not heard it ever before. Right.
Pop Music Revolution and Cultural Impact
00:26:51
Speaker
Wow. And then literally go to my car, stick the CD in and I'm like, what is this? Literally. Activate. Activate. Activate. I love how you said.
00:27:05
Speaker
when this all happened, because truly when Brittany blew up, it happened, it happened. It was a moment in time, right? You had to experience it to understand. And this was again, this was like, literally, quite literally, I feel like peak pop music culture because you had MTV, everything was TRL was a big, everything was an event. Everything was a big deal. When Britney stopped by the studios at TRL, Britney in sync, Backstreet Boys, like that literally Times Square was shut down. Right, right. No, and it was crazy. And so I immediately loved both songs and I was like, okay, so so this sounds nothing like anything I've ever heard before, which is what I think
00:27:48
Speaker
Like we talk about, whenever the stands at least, or are what I see online, whenever we talk about Brittany, like it's always, she's incredible, she's amazing, she's gorgeous, she's one of the best dancers, if not the best dancer. like And all of that is 100% true. But I really do feel like we don't credit the Max Martin of it all enough. right And I will always go to bat for him and all of those little Swedish people that he's got going on over there. I swear it's like a factory and he's just got a bunch of minions that he's just,
00:28:14
Speaker
Oh, he's the wizard and the mushrooms are hit. yeah a hundred Yeah, that's what really what what which is all about. And so by this point, I had been so deep into like 90s club remixes and the Deborah Cox of it all and the hex sector and the junior Vasquez and all that other stuff that we obviously talked about and bonded over.
00:28:31
Speaker
So I was very much like reading the CDs, understanding who the songwriters were, trying to figure out because this isn't a time that's really right as the internet is happening. right So not everything is on the internet yet. yeah And I'm still like doing like hard reading, hard research and trying to figure out like what is, who are these people? Who is making this music? Who is producing? Who is Max Martin? Who is Christian London? Who is, you know, Andres Carlson? Like all these crazy people.
00:28:57
Speaker
yeah and I think that it was so clearly a new era of pop music and it wasn't even just the Britney of it all. It was the whole beginning of this era. She was just clearly at the front. I felt like her and the Backstreet Boys were really like the two front runners of this.
00:29:15
Speaker
Absolutely. And we have to shout out Robin. A hundred percent. Who like was, I would say Robin kind of ushered in this sound into the US. She had two huge hits produced by Max Martin and rest in peace, Dennis Pop. Yes. And um who, for those who don't know who Dennis Pop is, Dennis Pop is, was Max Martin's mentor. Right. So unfortunately. And responsible largely for Asa Bass.
00:29:41
Speaker
Yes. And so unfortunately, Dennis Popp had passed away from I believe cancer yeah shortly shortly after um Robin had released those singles. um But Max Martin kind of took over and and I even there's so one of the things that I loved about these CDs is that they were enhanced. Right. Right. And I they which for those listening that don't know what that means for For all of us millennials, you know exactly what we are talking about. You put that in your CD-ROM. You put it in your CD-ROM on your computer and it had enhanced components where it would like maybe it was a video player and of course it took five minutes to load. Your computer was not that powerful. you had Your computer was like, what the fuck is this? And you probably didn't even have the right whatever you needed to like whatever. You put the CD in and everything just went...
00:30:31
Speaker
you ah Literally right exactly what happened. You weren't sure if it was going to like overheat. Oh my God. Take me back. Right. Memories. But in one of those CDs, because I think that like between like her, I think her first three albums, like everything was enhanced. So like there was all these features. And on it was either the baby one more time CD single or album was one of the two.
00:30:57
Speaker
there was an interview with her where she talked about um her musical influences and what she wanted her career to be like, and she mentions that she wanted a career like Robin's, which I was just like, what a time to be alive. And I was like, at that time, like Robin was at her like commercial peak, then that's that's how we knew her then. And I was like, fuck, yeah, she's gonna be like Robin, like, right.
00:31:21
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. What could have been, what could, right? What could have been, what could have been. I know. Yeah. It's crazy. Yeah. And so, but I think, although I have other specific memories around Brittany, like I remember being with my friend Damien in my parents' living room, which is where our main computer was downloading. This was when oops, I did it again, came out. And this is like the limewire of it all. Cause this is 2000. Yep. And.
00:31:48
Speaker
downloading and here because it was like you had the ability to preview the song like while it was downloading so if it would download like 30 seconds and you would listen to the first 30 seconds and I remember Stronger had downloaded and I had never heard the song before and right from the get-go that noise I was like my body has been ignited I don't even know what's going on I was never more hardcore right right more more metal right Then when I heard that fog horn go off. The SS Britney Spears is here. Is here. I'm sorry. Marilyn Manson who? I just know Britney Spears stronger. Nine Inch Nails found dead.
00:32:31
Speaker
They fucking died. died Trent Reznor dead. i think I have to tell you, that stronger music video, one of the best music videos ever. Yeah. Oh yeah. as well oh yeah Dancing, incredible cinematography, Joseph Kahn, shout out to you for like yeah literally just being a music video legend. But that video, I'm laughing because, OK.
00:32:55
Speaker
This was what, the year 2000? I was a freshman in high school. I was a nerd, you guys. i i i was I was your quintessential like chubby teenager with glasses, a bowl cut. like i I had just cut my hair. ah when In my middle school years, I had really long hair down to my nipples. Very long hair. I'll un post a picture about it. i'm sure I've posted it before. I'll show you all again. and But I was just like,
00:33:22
Speaker
very much not sure who I was aesthetically. Right. And I was trying to come into my own. I remember. So but that song and music video had just come out as a single. And I was ah going to a Christmas dance that was being held. I went to a Lutheran high school. There was a hundred and twenty some students in that high school. And I go to this dance. I'm wearing a white t-shirt with a beige sweater vest and like khaki cargo pants.
00:33:53
Speaker
And I remember trying to be like, I know the choreography from the video. and item one Get me a chair. get i literally I said, get me a chair. but Hold the chair out onto the dance floor. I did like the hush, just stop. stop like And I like jumped on the chair. Fag a tree. Fanning the flames. Everyone was like, oh, this bitch is going to hell. right like ah this This is, this is not secular. This is not, yeah. This is yeah what my grandparents would call worldly music. Exactly. That was never good. Yeah, so of course from then on I was bullied at that school. And it was one of the worst.
00:34:34
Speaker
Let me tell you about the time I put a target on my back. I'm not even kidding. I'm not even kidding. Yeah. It ended up being one of the worst years of my life, but that like i I do. But started iconic. Started iconic. And it was
Collecting Rare Singles and Import Treasures
00:34:49
Speaker
really fun. And I still laugh thinking about it because I do have a very like special. I mean, truly because of that being one of the worst years of my life. I mean, I music was what right had me hanging on. And so I remember that.
00:35:03
Speaker
said it again album being one of those like albums that like got me through that time. Oh yeah I mean and I was listening to songs like just like upset about people I had never been in relationships with like just because like all of this what was the um can't make you love me and uh where are you now oh god heartbroken to where are you now oh my god can't make you love me and what's uh I've given up one kiss from you. Oh my god one kiss, which was like a bone like that was one of the bonus tracks. It was like a bonus I want to say. Oh my god. Do you remember? I think it was McDonald's did like a special CD. It was Brittany and in sync.
00:35:46
Speaker
And I want to say that that so it was like a little EP that had like, I think two or three instinct songs and two or three, two or three tracks from Brittany. And I want to say one kiss from you as one of the ah tracks on there. I think you're right. And I'm gonna look because I think I might have actually that might be one of the CDs that I got from my storage unit. Just by chance, I think it happened to be i in there I have to look. You guys yeah earlier today, John Michael texted me with a video of him. He like he just said he went to a storage unit and got you said two books. of like I got two books of CDs. I got like two bags of CDs, like a bunch of clothes. I was just I haven't been there in months. So I was trying to figure out what was in there. Yeah. And it was like, I just grabbed bags. I was like, Oh, this is CDs, whatever. And then I came back the other night and I was going through them. And I'm like,
00:36:28
Speaker
reorganizing them, putting everything into books because I'm like, I'm trying to throw out stuff and like, yeah, anything that's like available on streaming. I'm like, I don't really need the CD. Like I don't, it's not, I can find the files. It's not that serious. I'm just keeping anything that's like the imports and like the bonus stuff, like all of that. Bonus stuff yeah remixes, promo only things like that. Yeah. And that CD had had one kiss from you. It had the Ronnie Durkin remix of oops, I did it again. Yeah.
00:36:53
Speaker
I don't remember the NSYNC songs that were on there. um I wanna say it might've been a remix of Bye Bye Bye. Yes, I think you're right. and the current Your memory. yeah I really like, right, right. Let me tell you. Incredible, because I really, I got nothing. I clearly was, I mean, No Shade, I loved NSYNC, but I was very much much more focused on Britney at the time. um But yeah, like she just, everything that she did, and I remember,
00:37:21
Speaker
you just mentioned imports. The money that I have dropped on Britney Spears specifically because a lot of her because this is also during a time where the music industry was changing. So in order to up until like 1998 or like late 1999 in order to be eligible to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 you had to physically release a CD single.
00:37:43
Speaker
right And if you did not, you were eligible for airplay charts, so but you did not chart on the Hot 100. So for example, songs like Don't Speak by No Doubt, which would have been number one had it as CD single, it did not. So it did not chart on the Hot 100. Crazy to think about. And so Britney, that they the rules had changed as she had burst onto the scene. So she her label was withholding CD singles in order to boost album sales, I believe.
00:38:13
Speaker
And so she did not release a CD single for You Drive Me Crazy, the stop remix, which was in the music video. So who spent twelve dollars and ninety nine cents for a three track CD single? Yep. Was me. It was Britney Spears. It was the the You Drive Me Crazy album version. Oh, no, the stop remix, the stop remix, like instrumental, maybe. Yeah. And then like the Mike ski pimp juice dub or something like that.
00:38:41
Speaker
which music to my ears like just hearing that. I think mine had I want to say it was the space dust vocal dub. oh oh oh Oh, maybe that that's it. That's it. Sorry. yeah The pimp juice one was on the vinyl. Yeah, yeah. and Yeah. And let me tell you worth every penny. Yep. I did it again for the born to make you happy CD single with the bonus remix on there. Yeah. And I think that also had the jazzy Jim's hip hop remix. Correct. You ah you drive me crazy.
00:39:10
Speaker
Yep. I did that one. This is why this works. Right, right, right. i did the I did the I'm a Slave For You import, which had I'm a Slave For You, I want to say a remix and then it had the song ah Intimidated. and Intimidated. And then it also had an interview and interview on it as well. Or there was like one time where she was putting out CD singles where they were having voicemail intros recorded on it.
00:39:33
Speaker
Yes, oh my God. That was the thing. Yeah, so like all of these, I think I have to go through and I have to find and see if all the Britney ones where they are because I have almost all of these. I was super obsessed with her at this point. Yeah, absolutely. I definitely have all the Backstreet Boys ones, but yeah. Yeah, and then I also purchased, there was like a European CD Maxi single of Oops I Did It Again remixes, which again had the Rodney Jerkins remix. For those of you who don't know who that is, first of all, how dare you? Second of all,
00:40:01
Speaker
Dark child. dark child nine nine dark child tony braxton e yeah My ex used to call her marble mouth. Oh my god. I love her. I do too. I do. I know i love Tony Braxton. And that's another person who has a bunch of remixes that need to go up on streaming. For real. I'm trying to convince Brian to go and see her in her Vegas show for my birthday in February, but I don't think it's going well. Oh, but come soon come on, Brian. Come on. We'll believe him.
00:40:31
Speaker
Well, seriously, bring bullying back. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. It works. It works. This is this is the types of things that bullying is is good. It's right. Good to use for. Right. um But yeah, and then there was like rip rock and Alex G.
00:40:43
Speaker
They were like my saviors at that time. Anytime I saw anything with Rip Rock and Alex G on it, I was like, I am buying this. Same, because it yes I did it in remixes. Live. Live. They did remixes for In Sync. They produced yep Space Cowboy yep for In Sync, which again, another song that I never felt edgier, never felt harder than when I heard Space Cowboy. Finger on the pulse I am. I was like, I am the future. Right.
00:41:10
Speaker
like Take that, Jamiroquai. Seriously, I was like, sorry, treadmill floor. like I am the future. yeah And like I was basically in my head, I was like living in minority rapport at that time. right know like You're like, this is me working at NASA. Literally. Right, right, right. I'm not even kidding. I belong to space now. Yeah. Yeah. And, uh, and speaking of space cowboy, that rap by Lisa left eye Lopez. I can't just everything by Lisa left eye Lopez. I know. So good. So good. i so good Right. So even though she, there was no reason for her to be in Melanie C's never be the, the, the, never be the same again. No reason whatsoever. But I'm like, I am so glad you're here. Literally. Oh, my God. Again, this time period. Again, I say 97 and 98, but literally I would say more like 97 through like 2001. Right. I mean, theres obviously, there's so much good music that happened before. And and afterwards, but like that time period specific.
00:42:13
Speaker
Well, and I think too, like it was so easy to stay like because it the success happened so quickly that all of a sudden you had so many other acts, artists, groups, whatever popping up that we're all trying to get.
00:42:27
Speaker
the Swedish sound and what this was all sounding like. So it's like, there were tons of other like lesser known, well, I don't even to say lesser known, people know who 98 degrees is, O-town, yeah no authority, boys and girls, I-5, like there were so many random ass, nobody's angel, you know, like it's the just these, Michaela, like, you know, like all of these, right? Like they just started popping up everywhere. yeah And I was like, obsessed, give me anything that sounds like this.
00:42:54
Speaker
and Anything and all icons in my book, and icon i icons, icons, Michaela. I reference her quite frequently on on the Instagram page. i really hope they like I want her to be on somebody's Spotify wrapped. I cannot. Right. You cannot do that. You're Apple music. Yeah. And no, no, no. But well, I don't know if I mentioned this to you. I actually I did not switch. I still Apple music is still my main girl.
00:43:18
Speaker
right But I did get a side piece named Spotify and um Spotify because, because, and this is very unbrand for me. You're
Streaming Frustrations and Music Rights
00:43:27
Speaker
written. This is like not going to shock you at all.
00:43:30
Speaker
I, again, I've told you earlier today before we started recording that I obviously have going, been going and down a big deep dive of the dance music of the late nineties. Have I sent you my, my playlist of this, by the way, that I've, that I've put together that has like a lot of, I have a lot of playlists that I can send you that will help you with this. I would love that. I would love that. And so I have been compiling in and my own and I need to update the name of this playlist. Cause I think it currently says like dance 2000 to 2005, but now it's like 97 through 2008. But like, anyway.
00:44:00
Speaker
Long story short, I have been kind of, griev last summer I started revisiting YouTube because there's a bunch of accounts that had put stuff that's not available anywhere else. And so that's unofficially on YouTube. And a remix that I had been revisiting was the Hex Hector remix of Feelin' Me by Kim Sasi.
00:44:21
Speaker
It's, this is your white whale. This is my white, and let me tell you what, one of my favorite remixes, one of my favorite dance tracks ever, it's so good. Those synths, the way that they just stab in my ears, I'm like, give me more. That's my quail. And so it's not on Apple Music. but it And so i it i so I put it on in my stories, I said, and I tagged her. I said, who do I, I said, it I think I even said, who's dick do I have to suck to get this on streaming? I think you did. I did.
00:44:49
Speaker
And she was like, it's on Spotify. And I was like, sorry, Kevin, I don't you don't sound like that. She does not sound like that at all. got at all I don't know where that came from. And um and so I was like, oh, fuck. I was like, I don't use Spotify. But I was just like, but then there was like one other remix. Oh, it was Shannon, the Hex Factor remix of Shannon's.
00:45:11
Speaker
give me tonight. Again, the full club version, not the radio edit is not on Apple Music. So I was like, you know what, fuck it. I listened to music enough. I listened to these songs enough. So I was like, I will die. i So I have for my dance remixes, have a Spotify that I do re revisit. And I do listen to a lot because I this is what I listen to when I'm at the gym.
00:45:31
Speaker
I'm gonna I'm pretty sure this is a public playlist too in case anybody else listening was to hit was it was a divas where I put a divas on the dance floor I think I called it yeah divas to the dance floor because an old junior song divas to the dance floor please love and I started putting together so I actually did And I know Junior still listens to it because I get notifications when he does. um Just sitting here at home listening to his own music. um But I did a playlist for all Thunderpuss that I could find on Spotify, all Hex Hector, all Junior Vasquez, all Razor and Guido, all those guys. yeah um I'm going to put it in the chat of our thing where we're recording right now so you can get that. yeah ah Love. Thank you. But I mean, like you can just like you start clicking around on everybody's name in there, and it just like takes you down the craziest rabbit hole.
00:46:15
Speaker
ah And now me see now I'm seeing there are tracks on here that are now grayed out. ah On Spotify? Yeah. ah Oh no! Hex Hector's remix of Diana Ross's Until We Meet Again?
00:46:27
Speaker
That okay, this this brings me into a new segment I want to bring into the show. And maybe we can alternate this with you know, ah the songs we don't talk about enough. I don't want to let that go. But right there's something I just feel like certain things happen in the world that are insanely homophobic. Mm hmm.
00:46:52
Speaker
F-A-U-X. Say it. And I am going to go ahead and say right now, just in general, songs that are not available on streaming, such as the Hex Hector remix of Diana Ross until we meet again, or when songs are available on certain platforms, but not others, or maybe it's like available in certain regions. Right.
00:47:17
Speaker
How are gay men supposed to thrive in the world and live when when we can't access all of these obscure dance remixes that literally no one else cares about? Right. They're just rolling back DEI in our faces.
00:47:34
Speaker
rolling it back and it is, and it is offensive. It is. And I'm going to sue everyone. Everyone. Everyone. Because let me tell you, because now I'm looking and when you look at the single now on my Spotify for Celine Dion's, that's the way it is. The Metro Club remix and the extended Thunder Post are both great out. Not available. Only the radio edit.
00:47:53
Speaker
ah What is going on? Why is that a thing? Like I understand why it's a thing, but I don't understand why it's a thing. Like I go back and forth with this. Right. Yeah. So there's a thing and I'm not even, I don't even know if I could do this properly now, but like for anybody who is unaware, sometimes when things are grayed out, a lot of times what it means is that.
00:48:11
Speaker
the record label does not have the rights to put up this song to stream in the territory in which you are. So if you are in the US market and it is grayed out, it is probably available maybe in the UK, maybe in Canada, maybe in Japan, maybe in other territories and other markets, but just not the one that you're currently in. So a lot of times And you'll see this a lot, especially with dance music, especially stuff from the 90s. A lot of this stuff starts to happen because I'm seeing there's a bunch of stuff on here. yeah And I'm like looking through this list now. I'm like, this is terrible. I got to go through this and update it. But um but yeah, it's really, really annoying. And I don't like, I think Carly Rae Jepsen is one of those artists too that I've had run-ins with where it's like some of her stuff is like split ownership where it's owned by one, look because she's a Canadian artist.
00:48:56
Speaker
there's a Canadian label that owns part of her catalog and only has the rights in Canada. And then it's another label in the US, s Ireland, Canada, or no, um you Australia, the and the rest of the world. So it's like, we have to do something special on our end to make sure that we have that covered because it's like, everything has a special code. It's an ISRC. And it's ah a please I could I could really geek out until I don't want to yeah make everybody bored. But That's crazy. It's just so annoying and for what I don't understand. Just give it to all of us.
00:49:32
Speaker
Don't make me whine. Well, because this is this is like the new like when they would put out like when Mariah Carey on like the Japanese version of the Emancipation of Mimi would release the song Secret Love, but on no other version. And I'm like, yeah now I got to import this thing from right Japan. Dua Lipa just put out a version of Radical Optimism ah specifically in Japan with a whole new cover and everything on it. Oh, right. Just I have no idea why. It's like she's not even on the cover. It's like a artwork drawing or something. And I'm like,
00:50:02
Speaker
i I was like, the collector in me wants this. I was like, I don't know. Do I really need this $45 CD that has nothing different on it? No, not really. But it's got like a bunch of the remixes on the end. Yeah. Yeah. ah Yeah. I know. so Crazy. Crazy. Do you have anything that you feel like is homophobic that you need to that need something in the pop music world that needs some justice? Um, wait, where is my list? Let me pull up my list about Okay, so well this is songs we don't talk about enough. um Yeah, I'm gonna go with this this Celine Dion remix because honestly, like this is really gonna bother me now. Like I actually my my Sony rep is about to get an email. Yeah. um And just be like, why is this because I don't understand why like this specific remix would be
00:50:47
Speaker
not available. Like that doesn't, I don't get why. So like a lot of, so when these remixes were hired back in the day, they did what's known as a work for hire. And it's basically the record label saying, Hey, you know, hex actor, we want you to do this remix. And he says, okay, my price is $5,000 or whatever his price is. And they give him the money and he does the remix and whatever. And they do all that. Right. And that's it. He doesn't make money on the streaming. It's not, as you stream the his remixes, he's not making money on that unless he's an artist or a songwriter or anything like that. So right. I don't understand like I'm looking at the Diana Ross album, every other track is available, except this specific one at the end. And I'm like, what? What is the reason for that? This is homophobic to specifically gay men in their 40s. Literally, because targeted, target it's targeted, targeted, and
00:51:37
Speaker
Yeah, that's it's's it's incredibly frustrating because this is, in my personal opinion, the some of the best dance music to ever be created. And it's something that I so desperately wish we could revisit. and And I wish, you know, in this world of, you know, I beat this to death like every other episode, but like the short song of it all, I would love if we were able to get back to a place where club mixes existed that were dare I say, eight minutes, nine minutes, 10 minutes long, because these producers, these remixers were able to take you on such a journey with all of these build ups and breakdowns and drops and all of these things, so many elements that like, that weren't even in the radio edits. Like I i loved how, like in Deborah Cox's it's over now, the Hex Hector club mix is this whole like breakdown section that is not in the mix show, it's not in the radio edit.
00:52:34
Speaker
It's so cool. I'm sorry, you cannot give me the Tony Breckson Spanish guitar remix without that flamenco breakdown in the middle. This is why this works. That's why this works. That's why this works. Right, right. Fag on, fag off. Literally! Just like, like, oh my god, it would be a dream. We need to get Hux Hector on here.
00:53:00
Speaker
You know what? And I bet you that we could probably ask him. I know he would probably, he's a doll. He's like literally one of the nicest people ever. And I would be, and I'm going to just sit here and be like, what the fuck? I know he probably has no problem. He has no idea, right.
Dance Music Evolution and Club Culture
00:53:11
Speaker
I, from what I've gathered and I've known Hex for a little while now, I mean, I don't know him well, he's not like a close friend or anything, but he's just, he's somebody that I could definitely talk to. Yeah.
00:53:21
Speaker
He I feel like it was such a very specific point in time and it is like I think it was the money of it all yeah, and so there's a lot of music that I think that he did or that his name is on that I don't want to say that he's not proud of but that he doesn't really think about because it's the commercial stuff that sort of got him success whereas now and there's some things that have stayed with him that he'll still play but now it's He's always been into more drums, more tribal, like he's Latin, like a lot of his stuff is very Latin influenced and he's the house music of it all, you know, and it's less about like the poppy vocals and whatever. like right But he'll still drop, because he knows his audience, but he'll still drop every once in a while. I will never forget, I was doing lights for a Pride event that he was doing at this hip-hop club I used to work at called Amnesia.
00:54:05
Speaker
And he played his Mary J. blymick ah mary j Blige-up, He Think I Don't Know. which is now It is so good, and it's never one that I feel like people think about or talk about. And as soon as it came on, I was gagged, and I like ran up to him, and it was like screaming in his face, and I was like, you better work, bitch! Yes!
00:54:24
Speaker
and there are that i And he was like, really? And I was like, yes, I was like, this one of the your best, you kidding me? It's so good. And it's one of those songs that's like a slow, eight like, it's a slow build. Like, it's not just one of those songs where like, when the chorus hits, that's when there's like, you know, get this, whatever, it kind of slowly builds, and then it just finally gets there. His mix of the intro the for his mix of Kelly Clarkson, Kelly Clarkson's Kelly Rowland's Daylight, that intro,
00:54:53
Speaker
Unreal. um Unreal. That's the type of shit that I miss. that yeah When I think of the string section in his mix of Gloria Estefan's Don't Let This Moment End, that's missing. like It's all of that sort of stuff. But you have to... There's so many other things that I feel like would have to change in order for us to get back to that. It's not just the music industry. It's the nightlife industry. It's radio. It's streaming. There's so many reasons why this is the way that it is. right And without that change, I feel like that's going to be what would hold everything back from going back to this. Because what's the point? Nobody's playing these long songs. Their sets are only an hour, two hours, three hours. Right. You know, that's part of the problem with a lot of these DJs now. And it's not their fault. They're working within the system as it's built by promoters and nightclubs.
00:55:34
Speaker
right So it's like there's so many fingers that you could point. but yeah no it's it's ah literally I feel like it's the glorious era of dance music that like no one has really done the job to preserve and discuss and make like a ah ah sort of like put a flag on it right and you know declare declare it as what it was for that time. but Some of it feels so, and I'm glad that it's reached you because I feel like some of it felt so regional to New York at the time for me.
00:56:04
Speaker
yeah that it like there's so much of it that people don't know, that people have just never heard. I had no business as a 12-year-old in my bedroom in Michigan, Benton Harbor, Michigan, listening to the you know Hex Hector remixes of I Turn To You, or right there the Richie Santana remix of Gloria Estefan's No Me de Histe Cadera. These like insane remixes that like- Meanwhile,
00:56:29
Speaker
That one specifically, um, there was a club called Exit and this is one of my favorite moments. I will never forget this. I can still see it as I'm telling you now for as long as I live, walking into, and maybe I've talked about this on the podcast previously, i think so going into the club and in the middle of that song while Richie sent it. And then while the Spanish part came on, they just made it snow inside the venue.
00:56:48
Speaker
um And it was like the most insane moment. I was like, I don't even understand what's going to on right now. Literally. It was yeah wild, but it's like all of those guys. And it's, it's so never ending because there was so many of them that were working and putting out such incredible music. Johnny Vicious.
00:57:03
Speaker
Even that alone, my God, like the rabbit hole to fall down is unbelievable. Literally his 13 minute remix of Whitney Houston's, it's not right, but it's okay. We obviously all love the Thunderpost remix, yeah but that remix came first and is truly momentous. And I think it's even later. Yeah, it's called the momentous. mix yeah yeah it No, it's unbelievable. yeah That one, his mix of no mercies kiss you all over. Unbelievable. I don't know that one. I will have to find that.
00:57:31
Speaker
I don't know if you'll be able to, honestly. I don't know if it actually exists anywhere, but I will send it to you because it's unbelievable. Yeah, I would love that. That is one of my favorites. June used to play the hell out of that one. Anyway, I don't want to go down that rabbit hole, but Brittany. But Brittany, happy birthday. But what was crazy is that so at that moment in nightlife, while this is happening in my life, I'm 18, 19, 20, 21 years old in this era.
00:57:57
Speaker
I'm loving the hex hector of it all, the thunderpuss of it all and whatever. yeah But that is also supporting the Britney of it all, the Christina of it all, the because they were using all of these guys to sort of bridge the gap. So you had this yeah new era of Swedish pop music that was sort of disrupting American pop. And then you had all of these Jonathan Peters and these like,
00:58:22
Speaker
American DJs that they were using to take the songs and break them into huge club anthems that would then go global around the world in that way too. And it really, like, this is when you see, like, the peak of A and&R people at record labels. And there are, like, very specific A&R. There are guys like Bobby Shaw in New York and Hashkarelli and, like, some of these other guys that are legends in the industry. i Sorry, I'm rambling, but... Oh, I love this.
00:58:44
Speaker
Yeah, but it it really like they were the ones that were sort of pushing all of this to happen and it's like such a very specific few key players that were making this all happen that it's like I really do and I look I feel like I'm gonna have to be the person to do this because it's me my friend Billy who lives in or William I should say he goes by William now ah No, William. Yes. I know I met him as Billy, but he's William now and I want to respect that William and he He's like, he has like the hard drives with absolutely everything. He's organized in a way that I just never could be. Him and my friend, John, that lives in New Jersey, like the three of us, whenever we get anything, like we're the ones that are sort of keeping the keys to the kingdom and we have DAT tapes and we have this and we have like our putting all these pieces together. I don't know what we're going to do with it yet, but yeah I, that's why I said I have to see you in person because like, I don't, I wouldn't even know where to begin to just spam you with links. Like, I feel like you need to like see the books and like go through and pick stuff.
00:59:38
Speaker
I'm not even kidding. We need to figure out, we we've mentioned this before, we need to figure out how do we sell or pitch a documentary or docu-series about dance music to like Netflix or something. um it it needs to I think it would be so interesting.
00:59:53
Speaker
yeah and I mean, they do them all the time. Defected's done a bunch of ah great ones on house music and like different labels and stuff. Like they're really good at this, but it's... Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. It is something very specific, but it's something specific. And if we're going to be honest, I think that the reason why a lot of this era, if we're talking about homophobic... Yeah.
01:00:13
Speaker
Kinda might get overlooked is because it really was super gay it was like a lot of this was happening in the gay clubs that a lot of these things like a lot of these remixes were made for the gay clubs like they were some of them were popular on radio too, but like a lot of this was happening when you had gay people sort of Controlling this like everybody that I've just named dropped had these are all gay men. Yeah, so it's like it was really us making this music for us to go out and dance to, you know, and then during the day we had our, you know, regular album versions of Britney and whatever. And it was, it's right kind of wild. And yeah I mean, you saw Madonna you know gravitate to this. You saw, I mean, all the pop girls right gravitated to it and allowed it to happen. They knew. and And knew. I mean, Whitney Houston at the Pride Festival in right the in New York. which But they'd been working with these people for so long, you know, like CNC Music Factory back in the day. Like, you know, it's, it's So I keep telling people like, you know, what it's, I think that's why at least for men our age two, like when they say, well, why did gay men love pop divas so much? And I'm like, well, because we knew at the time when they were talking to us. Yes. I don't know how else to explain it except that way. It's a special relationship. It really is. And it's like, I know when you've made something for us and I know when you've made something for them. Yep. And I don't want to say us first them, but it's very like when I listened to an album, like I was looking through the, but we didn't even touch the Rolling Stone thing and I know we're going to wrap up soon, but
01:01:36
Speaker
the list like Dochi's album is on the top 10 and I'm like it's a good album but I feel like there's the main song the big one that that went big for her I think is Nissan Altima that like the upbeat number and I'm like oh this one's for the gays like I live like it's very sort of country country country like whatever so the album is very much like hip-hop mixtape and I'm like okay that's for them got it right you've got the song for us you've got the song that's for them like I get your catering to the audience is it yeah that moment, that era of dance music, I feel like was so much catering to gay people. Absolutely. To to to paraphrase Miss Houston, I mean, like the clubs are happening. yeah They keep it and then she goes, she goes, the gay people keep them happening.
01:02:18
Speaker
ah It's true. oh Girl, I have so much, please, I can't even ti i came to talk about publicly the things that I have that I would love for you to sit to sit down and listen to with you. It's so wild. Oh my gosh. rain We'll
Unreleased Tracks and Experimental Sounds
01:02:28
Speaker
make it happen. We'll make it happen. And I will just say, sort of related, if we're are we going to do a song that we don't talk about? Sure. Why not? Why not? I'm just going to quickly, because we're on the subject of 90s Clubs Divas, and and one of them is Tamiya. Officially Missing You. Yeah. It is such, it is when I think of like,
01:02:48
Speaker
pinnacle female R and&B track. That is what I think of something like that. And it's, it's so good. i So I was listening to the flow album. Have you listened to it? I have not yet. I need it. I need to give it a fair listen. A lot of people have been telling me that I need to listen to it. Their vocals are so incredible. The way they blend is really unbelievable. They just put out, I think an extended with like five extra tracks that have features on it, which is good. One's Kalani, one has, um,
01:03:12
Speaker
was the other was just listen Chloe and Hallie. It's really yeah, like it's really like they did a good job. And it's if you like R and&B, this album is incredible. But it sent me down a rabbit hole. And I was just like, Oh, you know, my I'm just having a female R and&B day and I got to Tamiya missing you. Oh my god, that whole part where it shifts into the ain't nobody do it like you like ah I love so much. It is so good. So good. So good. what That truly is a magical time. ah yeah and Again, just talking about these R and&B women who then
01:03:50
Speaker
collaborated with all of these DJs to create these fierce dance remixes yeah and just like you had all of these genres kind of blending together and it was just, I love it. But again, you know, like we could really like do an episode of the history of it all because if you go back further, like even into the 70s, like a lot of the Broadway girlies were doing this at the the gay clubs in New York then, like You had Jennifer Holliday and Cheryl Lee Ralph and Betty Buckley and Patti LuPone going to the Saint at Large in New York in the seventies and performing at two, three, four o'clock in the morning after they had just done their shows on Broadway. And they would do like disco versions and different things. And like they were just, they were with the gays. Like there's always been this relationship. It's always been there. Yeah.
01:04:32
Speaker
So magical. Yeah, cool. I'll go ahead and wrap it up with a song we don't talk about enough with the birthday girl Miss Britney Spears herself. I kind of mentioned it earlier. um It is an unreleased track. Technically, it didn't think online. It is the song when I say so it was produced by BT BT is one of my favorite producers out there and electronic dance floor trance legend.
01:04:57
Speaker
Legend. Legend. Literally, I mean, I feel like he's called the the godfather of trance music. He really pioneered a lot of electronic dance music in that we kind of know today. I feel like he was coming up all around that time. It was like the Armin van Buren, him, Fairy Corsten, like all of these trance guys. Yeah. Yeah. Paul Venn. Paul Venn Dyke. Paul Venn Dyke. Do you know his song with Plum? I Don't Deserve You?
01:05:22
Speaker
No. You have to send that. to I'm going to send that to you. Okay, sorry. Please, please, please, please. But when I say so, is this really cool experimental track that kind of blends R and&B, hip hop, um electronica, and rock. And it has a really explosive chorus. She talked about it in the interviews, um and I want to say possibly even in the Rolling Stone interview,
01:05:44
Speaker
prior to the album being released. Unfortunately, the song did not get released. um But it did leak online. It's an incredible song. It features a rap. I'm i not sure who the rapper is on the song. It might be it might be guru. It sounds like guru who's worked with BT on other songs. Oh, maybe so. But I'm not sure who the the rapper is on it, but it's a really fun, cool song that just truly blows me away and really just showcases how Britney really wanted to be experimental with her music and has been able to a little bit throughout her career.
Fan Favorites and Conclusion
01:06:22
Speaker
But yeah, she's she's just such a queen. So it shattered glass for me. a That's the one that but when it comes to Britney that we don't talk about it. We don't. We don't. it's So good. And it's not long enough.
01:06:34
Speaker
<unk> Yes, yes, yes, yes. So good. Every time I do these with you, I end up like putting on my Spotify and I have like the craziest walk of have the craziest walk to the train trying to go through all this shit right now. So insane I love it. Well, everyone, thank you so much for listening to this episode of Homophonic. I didn't even do an intro because we just got right into it today. But that's okay. That's what I love about this show. I'm so excited that you were able to join me.
01:07:01
Speaker
um stay tuned for the next episode and everyone have a wonderful day night evening whatever