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The Oscars, The BRITS, & Ray Of Light (with DJ John Michael)
133 Plays10 days ago
DJ John Michael is back, and we’re serving up a sizzling pop culture catch-up! 🌟 We’re breaking down the Oscars’ biggest moments, bowing down to Charli XCX and JADE at the Brit Awards, and showering Max Martin in well-deserved birthday love. Plus, who are the big male pop stars these days? We’ve got thoughts. 💭✨ We’re also diving into fresh bops from Rebecca Black and Melanie C, and, of course, celebrating the iconic anniversary of Madonna’s Ray of Light. Buckle up, pop fans—this one’s a ride!
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Transcript
Introduction and Hosts' Background
00:00:00
Speaker
Fascism, put it all on me. That's exactly what we're getting for 2025. Literally. Okay. Do it. Do it. like Okay. i got that out and Now that we got that out, welcome back to Homophonic, everybody. it is Zach, your host. We are joined once again with DJ John Michael. What up?
00:00:22
Speaker
we are we We were just ranting about social media and social justice and maybe maybe maybe or maybe not ghosting. Who knows? and with So that essentially this has become our therapy hour.
00:00:37
Speaker
We, yeah, we needed to we need to be a little therapy session because life has just, life has been crazy. Life has been lifing, as the kids say. Anyway. A lot has happened. A lot has happened. Let's celebrate that.
Oscars Highlights and Surprises
00:00:51
Speaker
So, I mean, top of mind, Oscars just happened.
00:00:54
Speaker
Yes, I have not in full transparency. I did not watch the full broadcast, but I did make my way through the highlights. I also didn't watch the full broadcast. And i actually, I missed and I still haven't been able to watch the Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande performance. I saw the snippets. phenomenal.
00:01:09
Speaker
And oh I was like, ah Cynthia Erivo, like... We all have been giving her her her flowers for a minute because she's incredible. But, like, it's truly every time I see her sing, like, jaw-dropping.
00:01:25
Speaker
I just haven't seen, like, I haven't figured out what she can't sing. Right. At this point. Like, because I've seen her be sort of plugged into all these different places. And I'm like, there's nothing that you don't that you you don't do well.
00:01:36
Speaker
Right. And this, like, just to hear her sing Home from The Wiz was, like, Mind-blowing. She nailed it. It was so, so good. Yeah. I love her. i'm so i love all the love for her Yeah.
00:01:48
Speaker
And so, like, I was able to see the ah the the snippets of her and Ariana singing. Her, you know, the war cry sounded perfect. Like, just insane.
00:01:59
Speaker
i kind of, I got into the Oscars after Adrian but Brody won his Oscar. and Saw some of the technical awards, saw the costume. i think i think I tuned in right as they were giving out the costume design. Oh, nice. I did see that one.
00:02:15
Speaker
Yeah. So like Bowen was dressed as his character. And that was so yeah, it was so wonderful. um i have to say I was shocked. So then so and in all of this, too, after me bitching about not being able to sleep, I did fall asleep early last night.
00:02:31
Speaker
So I missed best actress and best picture. So I had to wake up at this morning and find out who won. um I was shocked that Demi Moore did not win.
00:02:42
Speaker
i I would think that Demi Moore was shocked that Demi Moore didn't win. I was like, and I have to say, like and this is no shade to Mikey Madison because I've heard that her role in Enora is absolutely incredible. And I really want to see Enora. I have not seen it.
00:02:57
Speaker
But the way that this Oscar campaign and awards season has been rolling out Correct me if I'm wrong, has Demi not won every single for Best Act? Leading up to this.
00:03:07
Speaker
believe Leading up to this? Like, I know that she won the SAG. Yeah. And believe- Did the Golden Globe? She won the Golden Globe. I think she won the BAFTA. Uh-huh. yeah. So, like, traditionally, traditionally, right the SAG award has kind of predicted the Oscar winner.
00:03:23
Speaker
Right. I don't know. But, like- And Demi hasn't won an Oscar, right? She's not. And I believe this is her first um Oscar nomination. Right. That's crazy. She has said in interviews, and I don't know like how factual this scene is, basic because I feel like I've seen her at award shows before, but she said that this is her first time being really nominated for anything for acting.
00:03:43
Speaker
And so, yeah which is kind of crazy when you think about Demi Moore being like this like iconic actress. and Right. And her roles are just always so yeah provocative and and she always just delivers such an incredible performance. So,
00:04:01
Speaker
Yeah. That's so insane to me. Yeah. So, I mean, again, no disrespect to Mikey, but just was, was i the entire weekend I kept being like, oh, well, Demi's going to get it.
00:04:14
Speaker
Like, she's going to get the best actress. And I was like, Zoe Saldana is going to get best supporting, which she did. She got best supporting actress.
Controversy Over 'Amelia Perez' Oscar Win
00:04:21
Speaker
um I do have to say, and i saw another, like i don't know if it was Twitter or something, but someone had mentioned that um Out of all of the wins for Amelia Perez, no one thanked or as said or like said anything about the trans community.
00:04:38
Speaker
And felt that felt like just very on brand with the whole rollout of the movie. I'm just... You know, I haven't seen it because everybody that I've spoken to, like whether it's the Mexican community or the trans community, both communities seem to be very upset by this.
00:04:56
Speaker
Yeah. And the clips that I have seen have been bizarre, which isn't a bad thing because there are bizarre like indie budget, whatever musicals that I've seen that...
00:05:08
Speaker
are sort of like a cult following and I'm maybe this will be that although I don't it doesn't seem to be but I don't know like I think of like Hedwig and the Angry Inch or repo the genetic opera have you ever seen that no I haven't no oh my god it's the most bizarre thing you've ever seen Sarah Brightman's in it but so is Paris Hilton and like it's Paul Sorvino I think Paul Sorvino I feel like – no, not Paul Servino. What's the guy? The guy from Buffy. Giles from Buffy.
00:05:34
Speaker
Okay. um Anthony Michael – not Anthony Michael Head. Is that his name? Maybe. Anyway, it's really ridiculous. And and it's like a – if you're into horror movies, it's it's sort of bizarre, but I think you might like it. but Anyway.
Doja Cat's Oscar Performance Review
00:05:45
Speaker
And then you had messaged me, and I didn't get back to you, about Doja Cat. You know what? – i
00:05:55
Speaker
I don't want to be shady, but i feel like there there are so many people that are putting on this show. And I just maybe it's because of what I do at Peloton. I understand the chain of command when it comes to TV production.
00:06:09
Speaker
Yeah. But I don't understand. Like Shirley Bassey is an extremely specific singer in the way that she sings Diamonds Are Forever. And it's like ah it's whatever. It's one of those iconic songs.
00:06:20
Speaker
Yeah. And you do kind of need a specific voice. This is not a shade at Doja's talent, but more like a why did you think that she was the one. Right.
00:06:31
Speaker
To do this. Well, it was very clear that there was some sort of deal done because it was her, Lisa and Ray when they just released that song Born Again. right So clearly, so when they it was first announced that they were performing, people were saying, oh, they're performing Born Again at the Oscars. And I was like, they don't do that. Like they're not performing a random pop song at the Oscars for no reason. i was like, what?
00:06:56
Speaker
But so I, at first I thought it was just like misinformation being spread. And then it was confirmed that they were performing, but they were like, no, they're not performing their song. So clearly it's, I would still say it's probably in, in some sort of deal to help promote the fact that they have this song out.
00:07:12
Speaker
Sure. But yeah, I, it's not, it's not that it was necessarily bad, but it just was like, when I saw her singing it, I was like, this felt more like a Like you're kind of doing an impression.
00:07:24
Speaker
Well, not even just an impression, but I feel like it's, again, this isn't, i'm I'm really not trying to shade her talent, but I feel like she wasn't set up to succeed. Yeah. and Right. I feel like there's a very large chain of command that would have had to approve this, including herself, I would imagine.
00:07:39
Speaker
Yeah. But it's just, and I'm sure, you know, again, knowing the industry, there's probably so much that went on behind the scenes that we don't even know about. Right. Yeah. it just felt a little strange that I was like, you really just sent this girl out here to just sort of like, I don't know. Like it felt like she was struggling a little bit and I felt bad for her, but it's, it's a really difficult song to sing. Like really difficult. Yeah.
00:08:01
Speaker
I mean, Ray killed it, killed her. I mean, but Ray is. Yeah. That like last note that she had, I was like, this girl is on a mission right now. Right. And I really hope she gets there because she is so deserving of all of the praise.
00:08:16
Speaker
And I feel like people sleep
Ray's Struggle for Mainstream Success
00:08:17
Speaker
on her. they do and i'm so curious as to how and why that is because she is very much revered critically like critically acclaimed she won her seventh brit the brits happened this weekend as well right um and we'll get to that in a second but she you know won her seventh brit this weekend ah she swept last year uh had excellent reviews for her performance at the grammys this year um was nominated for best new artist at the grant mean she's And she's, you know, the industry loves her as a songwriter. I mean, she's written several songs for Beyonce now. Mm-hmm.
00:08:51
Speaker
But why she hasn't like broken through in the mainstream sense or i don't know. she's one of those She's one of those artists where it feels like she's constantly has to prove herself.
00:09:02
Speaker
Which I know I don't get. But I think it's just I don't know. Is it like a name? Is it ah is it a British thing? Is it? I don't even know what it is. Because by all accounts, it doesn't make sense. She's done enough things to her credit yeah for her to be a superstar, I feel.
00:09:16
Speaker
You know, sometimes I feel like when there's an artist that's really talented and multifaceted and can, you know, kind of do different things with the genre and they're known for being a singer, but also a rapper, but also a songwriter. right And a producer.
00:09:32
Speaker
Sometimes I feel like being that talented almost hurts you because I think that people in general, the people who are not like us. Right. um Who.
00:09:45
Speaker
you you know, um might maybe the casual music fan, the average music listener, they need things to be in neat little categories. and For sure. Neat little pockets. So when you have an artist like Ray, or we can even, you know, do more mainstream, someone like Beyonce or Madonna or Lady Gaga.
00:10:03
Speaker
And when they shape shift and do all the different sounds and genres and try out different things or whatever, people are suddenly like, wait a minute, hold on. Right, right. So I wonder if that's it.
00:10:15
Speaker
Probably.
Vinyl Production and Music Release Strategy
00:10:16
Speaker
And I mean, it could possibly be that the things that she's done, whether it's being featured or as a songwriter, even as a, as a lead artist, I don't think that there has been, and I hate to say this, but I understand how marketing works.
00:10:32
Speaker
I feel like there hasn't been enough um brand image consistency with her. Sure. That there's not much to even have a base for like, who is this girl? What has she done? Like there, I feel like that's still very much the question and it's,
00:10:46
Speaker
I don't know. Like, I feel like with some of the other girls, like if they're in an era, you know that they're in an era, you're committed to the bit and we're doing the whole bit. Yeah. Sort of go from each thing. But I think that the struggles that Ray has had with her label and with all of the other things that she's talked about openly um probably have something to do with that. So I feel like this hopefully is like the first time where it's like things are panning out. She's starting to take off and that's it. And then we'll see that kind of as the albums go forward. Right. Everything before this, I feel like was like weird label shit.
00:11:16
Speaker
Right, yeah. Well, it's also strange too because last year at the Brits, she had previewed Genesis during her performance, but then the song didn't get released until months later.
00:11:28
Speaker
And it's stuff like that too. I mean, Chapel Roan kind of did the same thing with The Giver, where it's an interesting tactic. It's like... I don't know. Part of me gets it.
00:11:39
Speaker
And part of me is like, oh, yeah, like definitely. like And I would maybe prefer that versus like you know the never-ending TikTok and Instagram snippets. But at the same time, it's kind of like, oh, you tease the song, but then you wait, what, four or five months to actually release it.
00:11:55
Speaker
So then it's like... But there's so many things that have to go into play for that. Yeah. you know, and it's like they have to submit and be in line to get their vinyl pressed. And, you know, that's got to be taken care of. And it's like there's so many, you know what I mean? Like there's so many little things that end up adding time to a rollout when you start to figure out the logistics between all the moving pieces and when you can schedule.
00:12:16
Speaker
appearances on talk shows to promote or whatever. It's such a long run. didn't think about that. schedule like The schedule of it all. Right. And that's really what a lot of it comes down to. Sometimes, like and Charlie actually spoke about it in her Brit Awards speech when she won for, what was the Best New Artist?
00:12:31
Speaker
Best New Artist? No, Best Song of the Year. Song of the song of the Year, yeah. And she was like, you know we just sort of run and gunned it. you know We just really didn't You know, she's like, I asked her like three days before she said yes. She's like, and it's really cool that she was able to do that because not a lot of musicians are able to sort of mobilize that quickly.
00:12:47
Speaker
Right. Yeah. But I think that a lot of this is sort of what happens. And they're just like, well, because the record labels now will be like, well, we'll do it on SNL and then it'll be like a long lead. Right. And then that'll be like the buzz thing and we'll test the waters. And it's like all those sort of buzzwords.
00:13:01
Speaker
Yeah. And then. And then we'll come back to it and it'll be like a nice second wave or a nice, you know, like they use like words like that to sort of justify. And I'm like, whatever it is, what it is just, you know? Yeah. Yeah. If there's some budget behind it, I'm happy to see it.
00:13:13
Speaker
Right. Yeah. And I'm glad that you brought up the the vinyl pressing of it all, because i know that people were kind of had a little, were kind of gagged a little bit because chapels, the giver, which is still not out yet, but we're very excited.
00:13:25
Speaker
Yeah. But she ah did announce the vinyl single for it but it's not getting shipped until August. Yep.
00:13:36
Speaker
Which is kind of strange to think about because one would assume that maybe the album will be out before then. Nope. And it's all because, wait, let me tell you, because I had this with Rufus Dussault.
00:13:50
Speaker
And their last album, let me see when it came out, released October 2021, I think. ah hu I want to say it was like a good eight months that the vinyl arrived later.
00:14:05
Speaker
Wow. Is it just because it's so backed up with printing? there's ah There's something like four or five in the world That makes sense because for a long time, records of vinyls were pretty much obsolete.
00:14:20
Speaker
Right. So nobody was really printing as many. So there wasn't that. There's there're starting to be more indie ones, I think, that are kind of coming up. But it's like, you know, the bigger you are, you're, you know, ah the smaller you are, you're sort of waiting in line to sort of get your your time. But...
00:14:35
Speaker
Yeah. It's really kind of nuts. There's like one in the Czech Republic. I think there's one in Sri Lanka. There's one in like these random like countries throughout the world. But, and of course I don't think we have any here in the U S. But fascinating.
00:14:47
Speaker
So everybody's got to wait. Like, and also like sometimes artists will move their albums back if they hear while they're planning that, Oh, Adele's releasing something. I might write back.
00:14:59
Speaker
Yeah. That's what happened. Like they, when she was releasing her last album, she jumped ahead in line i was just like, no, we need to have these records printed by Christmas. These have to go out for Christmas.
00:15:10
Speaker
And that makes sense. and then And then that pushes everybody else back. Yeah. Because they know that who's going to sell Adele who's going to sell Taylor Swift. Yeah. Right.
00:15:20
Speaker
Right. Fascinating. So, I mean, the logical thing would be like, hey, why don't we just build a record plant? who Right. what One would think. one Right. thing Right. Hey, Universal Music Group, you have the money, as it turns out. Right. Yeah.
00:15:33
Speaker
Interesting. it would be kind of cool to bring that to. Come on, American manufacturing. Let's bring that to the States. like Come on. What a concept. Right. What a concept. hmm.
Charlie XCX at the Brit Awards
00:15:45
Speaker
But, you know, speaking of out of the country, we mentioned the Brits and shout out to Charlie XCX. I believe she swept her words. Incredible. As she should.
00:15:56
Speaker
As she should. She looked amazing. I love a Mesh moment. I did a Mesh moment this weekend as well. um But I loved her outfit. I loved that. I mean, she won. I know that for sure she won Best Song, Dance Act, Album. I know that she won five awards altogether. I don't know if she's like swept every category that she was not nominated for. but I do not remember. But I'm so happy that she won Album of the Year. like Oh, for sure.
00:16:22
Speaker
That is so cool that she just... I don't know. And she mentioned in her speech that like the Brit at like, she doesn't always feel like she's accepted specifically in like British music.
00:16:36
Speaker
Right. And which is crazy. it is crazy because she's so British to me. Right. Yeah. Same. Like it's not even like she's just sort of like passing. Like she's so British. Yeah. And she's another artist too that I would say has to constantly prove herself ah time and time again.
00:16:51
Speaker
Absolutely. Well, because here again, i feel like here in America, she's been, she was the girl that did the chorus of fancy. Right. Yeah. And then she was the girl with the boob clap. Right. And that was it. And then for a little while, I feel like the drop that kitty was like the thing. And like, I heard about that, but again, that's like 10 years ago.
00:17:09
Speaker
her Yeah. Years ago. so I mean, it literally took this girl a decade to kind of be this iconic and here for it. Like, yeah. Meanwhile, writing huge hits, like same old love for Selena Gomez.
00:17:21
Speaker
um She wrote senior Rita by Camila Cabello and Sean does, or, sean desmond johnn mendez found dead oh my gosh do you know who sean ah desmond is i feel like i do is he he was a canadian pop star is i should say like i believe he's still with us um he and and funny enough that's so funny that like that was like a strange what is that called what like a um Oh my god Freudian Slit Because I was listening to one of his albums The other day because he had one I think it was a self titled album or maybe was called Let Go or something like that Anyway it came out like 2005 and I was Obsessed with it
00:18:05
Speaker
I wanna ask everybody out there and you can put it either in the comments of the video or or whatever we post from this episode online, but would you be interested if we did an episode of all male pop stars?
Gender Expectations in Pop Music
00:18:16
Speaker
Ooh, yeah. Because I feel like that's something that we don't, and nobody ever really talks about. And there's so many that are good that I feel like don't get the flowers. There are so many that are good. And you know what's really interesting? There has been like discourse on Twitter specifically regarding this about how there's quote unquote no good male pop stars.
00:18:35
Speaker
Oh no. And i i hear what people are saying and I think what it is is the fact that as we've talked about before that female pop stars have to do it all, right? Right.
00:18:47
Speaker
They got do the choreo. They got to the hair. They got to do the makeup, the looks. They've got to do ever the theatrical production, right? Right. um Or if it's not a theatrical production, you have to be like Adele and you have to have the huge voice and right yeah and you still have a look, right? There's ah there's still a look regardless.
00:19:05
Speaker
um Whereas a lot of male artists... don't have to do all of that and well, and don't have to have like the dancing and the theatrical performances and the costumes and the eras of it all.
00:19:22
Speaker
Right. Right. No, I do definitely see that, but I feel like when I see people discuss male pop stars, it's either what the, the, the couple of things that I see is either that, that they're really not doing the most, which again, like,
00:19:36
Speaker
Shawn Mendes, when I think of Shawn Mendes was never like pop star dancer, you know, he's always' been sort of like, you know, with a guitar and doing our own thing. Yeah. um But people want to see him looking handsome and sexy and they love the little lift the shirt up, nipple slip, that sort of thing. Slip it.
00:19:57
Speaker
Right. But then it's like, oh, well, he's queer baiting. And I'm like, is he or is he just hot? Right. Yeah. Because you you can just be hot and it doesn't mean that you're queer baiting. Does he know who his audience is? I'm certain he does.
00:20:08
Speaker
Yeah. But again, I don't find that that's not queer baiting for me because I don't think that there's malintent. Right. And I don't like that discussion. Right. Right. And especially specifically with him, because his sexuality has been questioned time and time and time and time and time again. Right. To the point where I think recently he did say that he ah at a concert, like he's figuring it out like the rest of us.
00:20:31
Speaker
Right. And and I think that there were some allegations then with him being like oh, he's just queer baiting. But it's like, no, like, as you just said, he's being accused of this constantly and being questioned constantly. Right.
00:20:45
Speaker
And like the it's giving Cher moment, right? Right. And I have to be honest, like i I just thought that he was like an attractive kid or guy or whatever, man. Yeah. Because he always seems so young to me.
00:20:55
Speaker
but Right. Yeah. He was just always like a good looking guy. And then when I saw that moment specifically with the it's giving Cher and I was like, oh, It's like, maybe.
00:21:06
Speaker
oh maybe. i would. Oh, I would welcome it. I mean, I see you at the parade. I'll see you at the parade. It's OK. Yeah. Right. Right. Right. Yeah. Right. No. But um I remember like the first time people were kind of questioning it was like his mannerisms. Like apparently like he did something with his hands.
00:21:22
Speaker
And I was like, okay, I was like, that that's right a bit much. That's too far. That's too far. Yeah, way too far. And there are a lot of men. And I don't even want to say that they're effeminate. I don't know. We could go into this whole discussion about masculinity and femininity because that's something that I have to deal with a lot.
00:21:39
Speaker
Yeah, but do i do I want my pop stars to be super masculine? No. Right. So that's what I mean. like and that's the So I had this discussion ah with one of the girls at my job, and we were talking about and very flamboyant um pop singer, male pop singer, who is gay.
00:21:58
Speaker
And i one of the girls was like, you know well, do you do does the gay community like him? And I said, you know, I said, it's funny. I said, because i said, for me, what I see with our community is that They're so fixated on masculinity, which I think is rooted in a need to survive.
Masculinity in the Gay Community
00:22:17
Speaker
Yeah. Because I think that's what we all sort of do. Like when we realize like if I've got to survive in this world, I'm going to butcher it up. Like what 18 year old me look like and what this version of me look like are very, very different.
00:22:28
Speaker
And I was like, I always say I didn't come out of the closet. It just burned down around me. And it's, I mean, really? Yeah. But you kind of like i had gone through that and like had adapted the masculinity and for me i had had a ah friend at the time that was very very flamboyant and it would bother me he was doing nothing wrong right he was doing everything right i was the one with the problem and i was so nervous to be around somebody that flamboyant and i feel like and i so i told her i said what ends up happening is that you sort of, a lot of the community looks down on the members of the community that are more flamboyant because they don't like to acknowledge that part of themselves.
00:23:09
Speaker
And it's a very, very weird thing. I said, and they do it too. I've seen people, look at Look at Sam Smith's comments on anything that he posts. Anything that they post. Sorry, excuse me. Yeah. it's it's It's a disaster.
00:23:20
Speaker
And it's like, I don't understand that. I really don't. But yeah. So I understand the whole male pop star, like weird, like not wanting to whatever, because no matter what you do, you can't win this game. Everybody's going to say you're queerbaiting.
00:23:31
Speaker
Right, right. And the thing is, I mean, like, so if you think about male pop stars, I mean, we have some of the greats like Michael Jackson, George Michael, Elton, Elton, Elton, Elton.
00:23:46
Speaker
anti elton anti elton Who Chaplin performed with at his foundation over the Oscars party over the weekend. And incredible, incredible.
00:23:57
Speaker
um who Who are some other big, Troy Sivan, I would say is a current, current one right now. Ali Alexander. yep ah I love Ali. still haven't made it through Polari. I need to listen to the album. I feel like I have to pay attention to this album.
00:24:10
Speaker
There is a song. i think it's Archangel. that I'm obsessed with. I'm excited. Okay, good. And um it's, it's one of those songs where like when I, at first listened, I was like, Oh, it's just okay. And then I like listened to it again. And I was like, wait a minute, there's something really special in here.
00:24:30
Speaker
And it's going to be one of those songs now for the rest of my life where it's going to very much call to, it's going to be one of my winter songs where it's like not a Christmas song, but it will remind me of Christmas time.
00:24:41
Speaker
And yeah. Oh, I have to listen. Yeah. yeah but Yeah. Like Jake Shears. ah Love Jake. Like his voice, his last album was so good. And I feel like it did not do anything like it should have.
00:24:52
Speaker
I need to revisit it because yeah, I completely forgot that it was out. He does a duet with Kylie on it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And isn't it also like really mixed together? Like it, like all the songs like yeah are mixed into kind of like a confessions on a dance floor, if you will, or. Cause it's supposed to be like a party.
00:25:09
Speaker
Yeah, I just love him. And I just, yeah. Yeah. and there are are there some, I mean, obviously we talk about Z all the time and Bentley, but it's, there are really good pop star, good male pop stars out there. They don't even have to be gay per se.
00:25:21
Speaker
But not that I can really think of any straight male pop stars that I really love. Well, I guess Usher. Usher. I don't know if I hate calling him a pop star. Well, that's the thing. It's like, you know, what is a pop star, right? This is like, you know, what I talked about with my brother on the episode with my brother is like, what is pop music? Like, what is, and I kind of have a similar thing. It's like, like it's even Shawn Mendes, like Shawn Mendes does pop music and definitely has leaned more pop in certain songs and certain albums. But i think of him as more of like a,
00:25:56
Speaker
maybe not rock per se, but like, it's like indie folks, singer, pop folk. Yeah. More in that, that line. Jason Mraz adjacent. Yeah. Cause I think that when we say pop star, we are thinking of people who are doing straight up like pop dance music. Yes.
00:26:14
Speaker
for Absolutely. yeah Right. Which is why it's always so funny when I hear people talking about like a main pop girly. Right. And they will like throw Lana Del Rey in there. Pop star Alicia Keys. I'm like, uh, I don't know. And I'm like, I guess kinda, but like, but like, even like Beyonce, like Beyonce is, I mean, obviously one of the biggest pop stars in the world,
Defining a Pop Star
00:26:38
Speaker
but I don't know. There's something about.
00:26:41
Speaker
I don't know. I don't want to say it's bigger than pop. but it But it is. It is in some ways. it Yeah. or Or is it the encomp like all-encompassing, what am I trying to say? like Is it the definition of pop? Because you are kind of creating the trends and creating the culture, kind of like Madonna.
00:26:57
Speaker
Right. But I mean, pop is to be popular. like That's what it means. But at the same time, like I don't feel like that has the same connotation anymore because... When I think of a pop star, I think of a Britney Spears. I think of a Christina Aguilera, like they're pop stars. Like, yes, does Christina do more?
00:27:12
Speaker
But she's still a pop star to me. Yeah. It would be interesting to ask people, what's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word pop star? Oh, I like this. Yeah. Like, what's the first what's the first thing that comes to mind? Because I asked my brother this on the on his episode. I was like, what's the first thing that you think of when you hear the word pop song?
00:27:31
Speaker
So what's the first thing that you think of when you think of pop star? Max Martin. ah King of pop. Right. Her reigning king of pop. Happy belated birthday. Mr. Happy belated birthday. Mr. Max Martin.
00:27:43
Speaker
A Pisces. Yeah. I mean, a man after my own heart. Love. A fellow Pisces. Yeah. I mean, but that's what I think of because like he he has done not just pop music, but almost all of his music has been popular. Yeah.
00:27:58
Speaker
Yeah. you know, and it's, I don't know, like it's, it's, it's, it's the, there's drama in a pop star's music for me. Oh, absolutely. Right. Like, and that's why like Shawn Mendes to me, i don't calling him a pop star feels strange because like, if your concert is 90% you and the guitar with a band, like that's not necessarily pop music to me in the way that I think about it. Again, these are all Right. Relative to anybody.
00:28:26
Speaker
No, this is science. Right. This is gay science. This is gay science. This is gay science. Yeah. Rob Anderson. This is, oh my God, this would be, Rob, if you steal this from us, I will hunt you down.
00:28:37
Speaker
Absolutely. Because look, you want to do it, we will give you all the facts that you need. Exactly. but All the facts and all the fags. Right. Right. Yeah. But it there is something about that. And I think that that's, it's sort of like there's an infrastructure with pop music. And I think every decade has its own with the producers that sort of come along with it.
00:28:54
Speaker
And you make a great point with Max Martin because he has defined several different decades with his music. I mean, i just put together that like birthday post for him, which I felt like such an idiot. There were two typos in it. and i like And that took me forever to make. believe it.
00:29:12
Speaker
Oh, my God. Anyway. um So like I felt like absolute shit, but I was like, whatever, I'm not taking it down. but um But I mean, 90s Max Martin, right? You've got Backstreet Boys, Britney.
00:29:24
Speaker
Robin S. I mean, Robin. Robin. You've got NSYNC, that like very like late ninety s teen pop sound. Right. and then again in to with like the pop rock sound with kelly and jovin bon jovi pink the veronicas um and then it morphed again into like a dance pop sound in the 2010s with again britney and um katie perry and uh swift and our and then kesha no kesha was dr luke
00:30:00
Speaker
cut there was a couple cut of songs though there are yeah yeah i think he's a co-producer on blow yes yes and and then it morphed again with uh as he kind of but was doing stuff with taylor and then he kind of i don't know it's like his sound almost kind of took on that minimalist sound in a way with taylor's music and then ariana grande's music and while in the adele track
Max Martin's Influence on Pop Music
00:30:24
Speaker
Yeah. On Adele.
00:30:25
Speaker
Yeah. But then, I mean, i he kind of goes all over the place. He's, he knows he's the king of hooks, king of melodies. And it's, and I loved how you said that there's drama because with the key changes that he does and the huge choruses that he does in the way that he, I mean, he's the reason why Justin Timberlake saying may, and right it's going to be may.
00:30:47
Speaker
Right. Yeah. Yeah. Like he's, he's the reason why these singers will bend their words in those ways. I forget who it was. There was, he received some sort of songwriter's award.
00:31:01
Speaker
um I want to say this is maybe close to 10 years ago now, but he, mean and someone had mentioned that he uses the voice and kind of use the voice like an instrument.
00:31:12
Speaker
1000%. And I feel like you can tell that the most in the Femme Fatale album. Yes, absolutely. Like beyond like that, that i mean, Blackout was two in a different way. But that to me is a producer's record.
00:31:26
Speaker
Yeah, it's a Britney album, but that is a Max Martin album. Yeah. yeah Oh, my God. Talk about the legends. I mean, i will I will go down on record any day saying that Femme Fatale is her best album for me.
00:31:37
Speaker
I love that. It's so good. so good. It really is. Yeah. I mean, i Blackout is Blackout, but it's it's that one for me is that's the one that I, when I think of Britney, I always go to that album first. Yeah. I want to, I think Z Machine agrees with you.
00:31:52
Speaker
I don't. is going to be on the show soon. he um will ask him when he's on. Because because i want to say that he and I have talked about that before. Yeah.
00:32:05
Speaker
Um, yeah, I mean, incredible, incredible, incredible. I i like don't know what else to say. Like I just every time I listen to his songs, it's it's it takes me down memory. And then he has so many good deep cuts to like, maybe all I mean, the man has 78. You're hearing this right, everyone.
00:32:21
Speaker
He has produced 78 top singles in the spanning 2024.
00:32:30
Speaker
to last year twenty twenty four right that is so crazy crazy so but i mean he's got a bunch of songs too that people don't really know and you know when i heard one of them yesterday because i was at the dunes resort in sagatuck michigan which is a gay gay resort love um did a look my first drag be a drag queen bingo for the first time it was so fun it's so fun um i'm broke ah didn't didn't win a single game, but that's okay.
00:32:58
Speaker
um But they played ah time machine by Rob. I was, that's the one I was waiting to bring up. And I was like, one of his best, one of her best. It's so good. And talk about, it goes right back to that like that that late, late ah early 2000s, early 2010s, as he started getting into like more dance music vibes.
00:33:18
Speaker
and ah i I specifically remember, I don't remember the outlet, but I remember watching something on when they were talking on the news was talking about her album Or was talking about um Hold It Against Me.
00:33:30
Speaker
And when the break happens in the video where it's like the whole like dance break and she's like fighting herself or whatever. And people were like, Max Martin brings dubstep to Britney Spears. And I'm like, I don't, I don't, I don't i don't know if that's it. i was know if that's dubstep, so to speak. I was like, I get what you're saying. It's, it's, you know.
00:33:48
Speaker
It's Timu dubstep. Exactly. It's dubstep light. Right, right. But still, I mean, him bringing... Iconic. I would say that song also, I mean, it also has trance elements to it as well. For sure It's all around that album.
00:34:05
Speaker
Yeah. And so, I mean... And apparently he was like in a punk band before like he became a producer. i mean, sure. Yeah.
00:34:16
Speaker
Absolutely. But it's it's it's so cool to see how much of it. And you know what song I love that he produced and co-wrote? People kind of give it shit now.
00:34:26
Speaker
And I get it. i get why people don't like it and don't like this singer. But personally love it. And every time I hear it, it brings me joy. is Can't Stop the Feeling.
00:34:38
Speaker
You know what? i it it's it's it's It's music to shop in Zara and zara too. and It sure is. and And cut to me being one of those gays that's always walking.
00:34:54
Speaker
you know no No, no, absolutely. And look, I can't deny it. I mean, when you when you think of the Trolls movie, like it it is iconic in that way. But that song and Pink's Never Not Gonna Dance Again are like, the a and b side of the same coin yeah yeah and and i have to say that particular pink song is not my favorite pink song because here's the thing too is that that whenever i make this post because i do this annual birthday post for max martin p there are certain people who will kind of drag him for being very generic and i'm like that nothing could be further from the truth nothing I was like, he creates the sound that becomes generic. Right, right.
00:35:27
Speaker
So I was like, you think it's generic because every other producer under the sun is trying to recreate his melodies and his hooks for the next... three to five years but he is the one that kind of conceptualizes it and comes up with it and puts it out first right um you know another max parton song that i love that a lot of people hate that i love what or give shit i should say raise your glass by pink i love that song i love it too but i do like that one i prefer that over fucking perfect
00:35:59
Speaker
I love them both. I like them. I mean, they're very, very different songs, but like thematically, like, you know, because pink has that sort of like can do spirit in her. Yeah. so When she became soccer mom, pink. Right. Right. Yeah.
00:36:10
Speaker
And so I'm here for that though. Yeah. Which like side note, I really want her to do the Superbowl. Just, you know, it would be good. I think it would be perfect because she, like, she, I feel like she's one of those artists that, like, everyone, first of all, she's Pops Underdog. Right.
00:36:27
Speaker
And she's one of those artists that people kind of, quote, unquote, forget about. But then you, like, look at the catalog and everyone loves them and everyone knows the songs. the The I'm Not Dead album, I cannot even tell you the obsession that I had with that.
00:36:43
Speaker
Yeah. That album with, oh my God. It's so good. Conversations with my 13 year old self. Thank you for the drama at the end, Pink. Right. But even like the Funhaus album. So good. Oh, so I could do a whole episode just about Pink. Love her Pink. Love Pink. Love Pink. We can credit Max Martin for kind of bringing her back into the limelight. Cause she had a lull.
00:37:00
Speaker
She had a ah flop era with, with what was it? Try this. Yeah. I don't even, God is a DJ and out. yeah Right, exactly. Exactly. i love God as a DJ. Same. um Immortalized in Mean Girls, thank God.
00:37:14
Speaker
um But she, I mean, when she came out with this album, Stupid Girls was the was the lead single, which did moderately okay. Right. But then Who Knew is what started blowing up on the radio.
00:37:27
Speaker
And, oh no, actually, that's that's that's a lie. Who Knew was released as the follow-up and it initially flopped. And then she released You and Your Hand. That's what blew up.
00:37:39
Speaker
Yes. And then they re-released Who Knew and then it became a hit. Because that video, You and Your Hand, phenomenal. One of best videos. Yes. So good. I love pink with red hair.
00:37:49
Speaker
Oh, so good. Whenever she goes red or like she also went like kind of like she did that kind of a black red thing in the Just Like a Pill video. Mm-hmm. Ugh. Yeah. Pink with red hair is, is one of my kinks, I think. Right. And she's, but she's one of those artists who live that like, it doesn't even matter. Like if you think you're not going to know any, ah I mean, you're going to know the songs, but yeah I don't think people realize how much fun you will have at one of her shows.
00:38:14
Speaker
Yeah. I've gotten to see her once and it was phenomenal. She, I've never had the opportunity to see her, but I have several of her concerts on DVD because DVD is just irrelevant in my house, even though don't have a DVD player.
00:38:27
Speaker
um But there's some of my favorites. Like she puts on such a good show, like her live at Wembley's um ah DVD. So, I mean, when she does fingers, oh my God, yeah like insane. But, and she's another one. Like I, I, you know, i want the duet from her and Gaga.
00:38:44
Speaker
I feel like those are the voices I want together. Like imagine them like tearing apart like a Led Zeppelin or tearing apart like just something that's like ah I don't know. i just feel like they both have that grit in their voice. that Oh, absolutely. like Put them together and give me an album of heart music.
00:39:01
Speaker
Yeah. Give me magic, man. Give me, give me, oh my God. That would be kill. That would be incredible. That would be insane. Oh my gosh. You're welcome. Ideas. People just saying like pink friend of the pod, friend of the, friend our friend of the pod, pink Alicia Moore.
00:39:20
Speaker
um that would be That would be amazing. What was I going to say? oh it's It's funny that you bring up Gaga because as soon as you said that, ah my brain immediately went to, what was it, the 2010 Grammys where she sang Glitter in the Air?
00:39:39
Speaker
and Gaga that had her debut performance at the Grammys as well. And I remember someone talking about like – like trying to compare both artists and trying to be like Gaga needs all the costumes and stuff to like be big and pink, all pink needs to do is sing and, and, and whatnot. And I'm like, but they're both theatrical in different ways. Right.
00:39:59
Speaker
And again, talk about two huge pop stars. Yeah. who do it so differently. Right. You know, Pink is, you know, flying all over the place in some contraption doing God knows what, doing her silks. Right.
00:40:14
Speaker
You have Gaga in her costumes. Playing her piano. Playing her piano with her feet. Like, but both are doing it excellent. And there's room for both. Well, and that's it. Like, i actually, I just posted when before we started recording this, part of the acapella from Ring the Alarm.
00:40:31
Speaker
And I just posted like the last minute of it, the last 60 seconds of the song, which are just ridiculous. And I'm like, Not only is this woman, has her mic been on this entire time, but it's, she's doing the all the lead vocals and all the backing vocals as well and the layers. And it's like all her, except like, you know, you get the guys and they're going, whatever. Everything else is her. whoa Right.
00:40:54
Speaker
And it's so good. And I'm like, but there are so few artists that really do that. Yeah. You know? So it's like, I don't, I don't know, like, if you you go and you listen to the acapella for Ring the Alarm, and I'm like, who's going to be able to do that? Like, there's not many people who could actually do that.
00:41:11
Speaker
And you don't really think of Ring the Alarm as being a song like that where would have a lot of vocal layering. Right. But it's insane. Yeah, I know. i didn't I didn't hear that acapella until you had posted it. And and when I heard that, I was like, whoa.
00:41:23
Speaker
And there's, like, other parts in there, too, that I was like, oh, um my goodness. Like, it's... it Yeah. So, I mean... That to me is a pop star. Speaking of pop stars and big vocals at the Brit Awards, Jade performed Angel of My Dreams. Did would did you get a chance to watch it yet?
00:41:39
Speaker
loved it. Oh my God. That is what I want. Like she... knows her fan base right right she knows and she knows what they want she that is an award show performance right like to me that is to me that is gaga paparazzi vma level of award show performance oh for sure Like it was five acts.
00:42:11
Speaker
um It was predominantly Angel of My Dreams. And she incorporated a little bit of my my girl, it girl. And you know what? and Let me tell you when it happened, you were the first person I thought of.
00:42:22
Speaker
I was like, I am the eight girl. Like, just like, oh my God, i was obsessed, but it was so good. And in, Everything from the theatrics of it all. Like she did what three different costume changes, yeah wig changes.
00:42:38
Speaker
She like fell out of a trap door. She flew. Should they put angel wings on her? I mean, that last moment. Oh my God. The Brits put money into their award shows. Right.
00:42:52
Speaker
Right. Grammys take note. I'm saying like, but it was like, that was a performance like, and you know, that shit had to be rehearsed. purs And she was giving us vocals. She slightly remixed the song. i mean, like it was just, that's what I want.
00:43:08
Speaker
That's what I want in an award show performance. And she also won best pop act. Yeah. and deservedly so i I wasn't sure she was going to win yeah to be honest but she really she did and she gave a great speech and I'm just like so and it was nice to see everybody happy for her yeah well except for except seemingly seemingly we can't confirm but that I forget was it Lola Lola Young right which I I know who she is I have not heard her song another her song messy I think is number one in the UK right now I know the song I haven't listened to the album yet
00:43:39
Speaker
She's kind of giving me... who Who's the young... Gail. She reminds me of Gail. Yes! Yes, that's exactly what I thought. That's exactly... Oh, my God. I was like, she's giving me the ABCDFU, whatever that song was.
00:43:53
Speaker
that was That was a moment in time. Right. Oh, for sure. That was moment time. And then she's also somebody who has written music for so many other people. Really? Yeah. Gail? I can't think of it. Yeah, I can't think of it on the top of my head right now, but she had she's written like a bunch of things for them. i Maybe...
00:44:08
Speaker
Olivia Rodrigo. I don't remember. I'm probably getting that wrong. But she's she's done, she's co-written a few things for some big people. Go off, Gail. Yeah. Wow. And then, okay so like now we're, we're fine. We got there, folks. We finally, we're getting to all the things that we were going to cover.
00:44:23
Speaker
Sorry. There was, and this shocked me. Well, shouldn't say shocked me because I liked her last project.
Rebecca Black's Artistic Evolution
00:44:31
Speaker
But Rebecca Black's new EP, Salvation.
00:44:36
Speaker
Let's talk about it. It's phenomenal. it really is. I, so I put, i so I loved trust that came out of what what was that last summer, last fall ish sometime.
00:44:48
Speaker
I was obsessed in the music video is phenomenal. Music video is so good. and the song's incredible. Absolute banger. And then she put out sugar, water, cyanide, which I liked, but I saw that it was going to be part of this EP. So I intentionally knew it. it was like, it's like what? Six or seven songs.
00:45:06
Speaker
yeah So I was like, I am going to save this till it comes out. Because what will happen is I will get into these two songs and it play them to death. And then I won't be as excited about the EP. Right, right. I'm glad I did that.
00:45:20
Speaker
Because this EP, like sell the song the title track, Salvation. I was going to say the opener is so good. It's so good. the music video, I mean,
00:45:33
Speaker
I haven't watched it yet. It's tough to watch. It's your, if you love to trust, you're going to love this one. Like it's, she is delivering like mini movies with these videos. And I love this for her.
00:45:44
Speaker
Me too. What a redemption arc. What a salvation. Right. Like, come on. says Okay. Does it call me? Tell me if I'm taking crazy pills.
00:45:56
Speaker
Or maybe it's just her anniversary. But the song Salvation itself, does did it give you any sort of ray of light? Like feels? Specifically the bridge of the song? Right. i was not the Not the song Ray of Light, but just the Ray of Light project as a whole.
00:46:13
Speaker
Right. I think that there's... um What's the one? Is it not skin? Skin. It reminds me a little bit like the under of it. Yeah. sort of has the same type of like.
00:46:24
Speaker
need Yeah. Like it has that same sort of like feel. I see what you're saying. there Yeah. There was something in it that I was just like, I was like, it's not that it sounds like it, but there's something in here that is, that's making it bubble for me anyway. Right.
00:46:38
Speaker
Incredible. Incredible. And so happy for her. And girl, whatever you are doing, just keep doing it. Keep doing it. there're The other, i mean, so I listened to it during my workout on Friday.
00:46:50
Speaker
Just kind of on repeat, to be completely honest. the track The closing track, Twist the Knife. Also, I mean, a straight up club banger. So good. um American Doll.
00:47:01
Speaker
Love. I love. Tears in My Pocket. Tears in My Pocket, I think, was maybe my... No, I was to say it was my least favorite, but like honestly, like all of these songs are so different.
00:47:11
Speaker
Right. They're like they're like there's songs you can dance to, but it's also there's a lot of like feeling in her music. Well, what I like about it is the project to me in general feels very like... um was like an MTV Diary. You think you know, but you have no idea.
00:47:30
Speaker
Literally. it gives me that sort of vibe. Like anything, like you've heard my name, anything that you know about me from however many years ago from whatever song. Yeah. I'm going to show you who I actually am. And it's just sort of like literally leaving it all on the floor. And I love it.
00:47:43
Speaker
It's it's so I love this for her because i mean, she was such a joke for such a long time and probably to some people she still is right because of Friday. what people fail to realize is that Friday came out when she was 13. I think she said she I was watching an interview with her and Trixie and she's I think that she said that she recorded it when she was 12 and it came out when she was 13.
00:48:05
Speaker
and no one treated her like she was a 13 year old no they all everyone treated her like she was a 25 year old adult and she really had to prove herself i mean talk again going back to this like i've someone that has to prove of themselves time and time again notice how it's always women all Always ways women.
00:48:29
Speaker
Always women. Literally. Right. Literally. But her last project I thought was really good. I had i likened it to like a love child between Charlie XCX, Carly Rae Jepsen, and i there was a third. Oh, ah Caroline Polachek.
00:48:48
Speaker
Absolutely. um That was how her last album was to me. But this project, she's definitely leaning into her queer side, leaning into dance pop of it all club. They, you know definitely taking notes from Charlie I have no notes. Like no perfect no not a perfect DP.
00:49:05
Speaker
Like I was, and I say I was shocked because again, I but probably from my own, like we don't take her seriously as an artist. So to you, Ms. Rebecca Black, I apologize because you are incredible. Her voice is also amazing on this.
00:49:23
Speaker
Just saying like the work has been done. Yeah. And proof that you don't, because this is one of my biggest pet peeves. You, I, I understand the love and desire for big vocalists and don't get me wrong.
00:49:36
Speaker
I, I appreciate talented singers and people who can, you know, do the vocal gymnastics, anything that's beautiful and it's wonderful. And I love that. There's so many singers that love that. Right. I don't think that every singer has to be able to do that in order to be considered a good singer.
00:49:53
Speaker
Absolutely not. And again, talk about that conversation. It is only done with women. Only, but it's, and it's been like this forever because they did the same thing to like artists like Stacey Q in the eighties.
00:50:07
Speaker
She was just a fluffy little pop girl. And in many ways she was, but two of hearts we connect are literally two of the most iconic 80 songs. And it's like, I don't know, like it was just, there it's again, it's only women. Like you would have to go through so much to sort of prove yourself. And I'm like,
00:50:26
Speaker
what is the point? Like there's so much room for everybody, but I feel like that's an old way of thinking. Yeah. like you couldn't have that many doing it at that level at the same time. Yeah. And now it feels like so much more democratized in many ways, in many ways not, but also like when I hear this Rebecca black project, it sounds like freedom for her.
00:50:46
Speaker
Yes. And I feel like that is what makes a really good pop project. Yeah. you know, like everything about this. I'm like, I am so like, so rooting for you. I'm so rooting for her. And i like i Maybe this is like extremely wishful thinking. I really want this to get a Grammy nomination.
00:51:04
Speaker
Oh, God, that would be so phenomenal. i would be I don't know if it would be up for album. I think it might be a little too short for album because it's only seven tracks. And in and it's 21 minutes. I think that there there is like a time.
00:51:15
Speaker
I think there has to be like a minimum. but Oh, probably. But maybe she'll put out Deluxe or something. I don't know. But like this... is a phenomenal project and i'm so excited to see what she would like what she does next like she wow it's so good it is so good i'm really again i just i get very very happy for her so yeah so so good and then another project that came out was the new melanie c single Girl, it is so good.
Melanie C's Musical Journey
00:51:43
Speaker
oh my God. So good. Like, and seriously, like Anna, Anna Luno, like I don't know if she produced it or if she, I think she might have. She probably, she probably because I think she's the lead artist on And I, and I had never heard of her before.
00:51:55
Speaker
Oh, what's the big song by her that I know? um She had a few songs. She's been featured on a bunch of things that I feel like she was somebody that I came across in the very early days of Peloton, like in 2014, when I started getting into more of like,
00:52:10
Speaker
the more I don't want to say mainstream EDM, but just like EDM type music to put in a fitness class. Anyway, but the The way that they, it's not a sample, but it sounds like the synths in the back, like the 90s synths sound like they're from um Inner City's Good Life. Let me take to the place I know you want to go. It's a good life. Yes, I hear that. du du den du den du den du den di den Like it's that same type of sound to me. And it's, I mean, what could you say about Melanie's voice? It's just, it's so good.
00:52:42
Speaker
She's phenomenal. She really is. She does not get her flowers. I mean, I know that everyone loves Northern Star and it's an incredible album, but like she's so many others. She has so many others. Her last album is really, really great.
00:52:54
Speaker
And this single just like continues to prove that you she's just getting better with age. Oh, beyond. And I'm actually, I'm, I'm saving my songs. We don't talk about enough. I'm going use one of hers.
00:53:05
Speaker
Oh, I love that. yeah i love that. Yeah. Because yeah, I, when, when I saw it, I think that they announced the song was coming out, like maybe the day before, or at least I saw the announcement the day before.
00:53:17
Speaker
ah welcome surprise. Like, I don't, I don't recall the last time she's put something out where I've been like meh. I just love it. Yeah. Yeah. There was a, there was an album. This is like, we're probably looking at like 10 plus years ago.
00:53:32
Speaker
ah want to say maybe it was the reason that was kind of like, and that for me, I think out of all of them, that's probably the one that I would agree with you on the most. Yeah. But it's now I got to look like, but I love her dance music era. And I i think about it. is heard That song. Think about it by her. Do you know that one?
00:53:51
Speaker
Is that from the last album? it's No, it's from this has got to be like 2011. No, I don't know this one. Oh my God. It's like a bop, an absolute bop. It was just a random. So she put out um my favorite album. My favorite solo album of her is from 2011.
00:54:06
Speaker
So like this is all like, again, in the femme fatale era when all this is happening. Yeah. The Sea is the name of the album. Okay, i so, okay, I think it was The Sea and The Reason are the, like, the two albums, like, it's not that I wasn't interested, but they just, there wasn't much noise about them, so that I just kind of got lost in the shuffle. No, totally, because this was, that was the album after Northern Star was raised The Reason, and then the other one was Beautiful Intentions.
00:54:31
Speaker
Got it. ah Okay. That Next Best Superstar, I love that song. Yes. Now I'm going to fall down a Melanie C rabbit hole tonight. Right, oh my gosh. A sea hole, if you will. sea, right. I love her so much.
00:54:44
Speaker
Oh, that's so good. But you said think about it is a bop. Think about it is an absolute bop. If you have not heard it, you have to hear it. You would love it. Okay. Okay. Yeah. I'm, I'm so here for her like dance music era. And I love that she's DJing. I mean, she did an incredible remix for, um, Oh my God, I'm blanking on her name. Jesse where for free yourself that I absolutely loved. Like when I saw it, it was like Melanie C remix. I was like, Oh, I was like, okay. Right.
00:55:09
Speaker
And it is fire. Give me more Melanie C. remixes, please. I need to see her as a DJ. I'd be so excited. Like, when she does these sets in the yeah UK or, like, she does the festivals. And I'm like, ugh, that's what I want to see so bad That would be so much fun. Right.
00:55:23
Speaker
It really, that would be so much fun. She ah she did, um like, during the pandemic, was doing, like, you know, like, live DJ sets on Instagram and stuff just for, you know, to keep people entertained. And one of my favorite things that she did was she played a mashup between,
00:55:39
Speaker
her Spice Girls, Who Do You Think You Are? and Nirvana Smells Like Teen Spirit. Work. And it worked perfectly. That is wild. ah Right.
00:55:50
Speaker
Like, talk about polar opposite songs. Right. And I was just like, this is brilliant wow yeah yeah i'll have yeah i'll have to like i'm sure that there's someone posted this dream somewhere because it's it's when you hear it you're like whoa like right now if i heard that at a club i would just go off right i'm like now i'm in my head i'm like maybe i could recreate that let me see No, literally. yeah Please do.
00:56:16
Speaker
Cause we all need it. We all need it. Or Mel or Melanie. So you just, please put it out. Please put it out. Please put it out. I'm sure the licensing is so cheap. So Nirvana, historically, very cheap. Historically ah Nirvana, very, very cheap.
00:56:31
Speaker
But I mean, again, like 2025 in a lot of ways is not very exciting, but music wise. um Music wise, but I feel like that's what ends up happening.
00:56:42
Speaker
Yeah. And this is also, this is a very heavy anniversary year. It is. Well, I know that there's one we want to talk about, but it's also 25 years of Oops, I Did It Again.
Britney Spears' Iconic Album Anniversary
00:56:54
Speaker
That's nuts. Isn't that crazy? That's crazy. i mean, it's crazy. I remember, oops, I did it again. i remember the music video premiering on TRL.
00:57:06
Speaker
I remember like the that the hype. And did that, okay, correct me if I'm wrong. Did it not feel like an eternity between Baby One More Time and Oops, I Did Again coming out? Oh, yeah.
00:57:17
Speaker
It felt like an eternity. It was a year. Barely. Like a year, like maybe a year and three months. Right. Something like that. Because Baby One More Time, the album came out in January of 99. And I think Oops, I Did It Again came out May of 2000.
00:57:30
Speaker
They also released a lot of singles from Baby One More Time. Yeah. Yeah. they They released four stateside and then yeah one overseas. Yeah. And so, but damn.
00:57:40
Speaker
like Four singles in a year is a lot from an album. In one year, that's a lot. It is. yeah's It's really... and what's crazy is that it's... Right, but it's like one year later and like what a very different Britney we got from album one to album two. One year.
00:57:55
Speaker
Yeah. yeah you know like It was similar in the Max Martin-ness of it all, but like she went from being like really sort of childish, I feel like, in the baby one more time to all of a sudden like...
00:58:07
Speaker
yeah She figured out what her nipples are. And like, baby, in the hoops, I did it again. She said, oops, my nipples are here.
00:58:14
Speaker
You know, you know ah do you remember what the original album title, wait, was it for this album? I want to say, she there was ah another album title that she wanted to call it.
00:58:25
Speaker
um And I think that she even mentioned on TRL. That's how I know this. I watched TRL religiously as a kid. right And um she wanted to call the album Shock Your Mind. Yeah.
00:58:37
Speaker
That would have been very interesting. Right? Yeah. i Britney, I think, had a lot of really, they really, like, squashed her creativity. I'm sure. Yeah. But she had a lot of ideas for her music.
00:58:49
Speaker
And so, yeah, I'm very curious to know what Shock Your Mind would have sounded like. Yeah. Reminds me of Debbie Gibson's Shock Your Mama. oh she heard She heard that and she said, Isle, do you want to?
00:59:00
Speaker
I see, bet. Yep. Yep. Got it. and I will never forget buying the Debbie Gibson album and the sticker on the front of the album for the Body, Mind, Soul album was a review, a clip of the review from Rolling Stone. And it said, um what Debbie does on on Shock Your Mama, which was like the lead single, Madonna only talks about on erotica.
00:59:28
Speaker
Oh my God. It was like, so like, and I was like, I don't, I don't know if this album is that racy. Like there's moments in here. And like, she talks about some deep stuff, but like, I was like, what a crazy comparison to put Debbie up against Madonna at this point in their careers in like 1995.
00:59:42
Speaker
right yeah so well that is wild um it's funny kind of going back to erotica like i mean erotica is ah one of my favorite madonna albums but like comparatively to what pop music is now i mean it's so tame wait i feel like if we're gonna oh so i gotta to pull all this stuff up now because we talked about it earlier if we're gonna get into this madonna discussion oh Pull it up.
01:00:07
Speaker
Pull it up. I mean, come on. So, i well, first of all, let's talk about the anniversary is... Ray of Light. The iconic. yeah i My favorite album of all time.
01:00:19
Speaker
But it's yeah what could you possibly say about this album that hasn't been said? Because I've been thinking about that all day, like about what I would say about this album. Aside from it happening at such a pivotal moment in my life personally... yeah The effect that it had on the music industry, the effect that it had on pop music, like the effect that it had on dance music.
01:00:40
Speaker
It's so crazy how she was able to pull all of these things into one body of work. One body of work that is so cohesive yet different, that is so of the time yet style...
01:00:52
Speaker
sounds so fresh today. it does it does not sound like anything really out there. Right. Um, I, e what's, what blows my mind. I mean, I'm not throwing shade at confessions on a dance floor. We all know I love it.
01:01:08
Speaker
But al this album, to me, should get the recognition that Confessions the Dance Floor gets. I agree. I agree. It is just so... the I don't know what to yeah how to even start. like i i mean, the songwriting is next level.
01:01:27
Speaker
Beyond. The lyrics are insane. The orchestrations. The orchestrations, the production, the layers, the textures... What does William Orbit say in ultrasound? He's like, bubbles, bits, crunch, bites.
01:01:40
Speaker
I left so hard when when you use the Anna Navarro clip. The power that that has, the influence that that has, the international acclaim that that has. I left every time and I was like, this is such a good use of that. And for those that don't know what he's talking about, is I made a meme about me talking about the ray of light symbol, which is like basically a line in between two parentheses.
01:02:04
Speaker
But like was I drew that on everything as a kid. Well, this is the Illuminati and we are members. Literally, i was like, I am so mystical. Right.
01:02:18
Speaker
I'm not even kidding. that You know there is some F slur out there that has that as like a tattooed tramp stamp. Oh, you know it. It's me. I'm just kidding.
01:02:28
Speaker
I'm like, I'm never going to get a tattoo. But now I'm like, maybe I will. Oh, my God. I'm not kidding you, though. Like this album. I mean, name another pop star that sings in Sanskrit. i None that I know.
01:02:42
Speaker
None that I know either. None that I know. Like, let's go, girls. Right. And even, I mean, okay, so even if you just look at it, like I'm just, I just pulled it up on my Spotify account. Yeah. Frozen Alone has 95 million streams.
01:02:56
Speaker
Iconic. Should be more. Right. Should be more, but just Frozen Alone. Yeah. And it's like, i that is just the amount of people who have listened to it on streaming. This is still before a time when streaming was a huge thing.
01:03:09
Speaker
i can't tell you what it was like. And I feel like this is perhaps the nuance that gets lost in the before digital to now digital era. Yeah. How big or how much of a big deal it was to have an album with such critical acclaim, do numbers and reach literally global global. Like just the peak of global stardom.
01:03:32
Speaker
Yeah. And was, at the time, wasn't this her highest selling album, like first week sales? I want to say it was like 400 some thousand copies or something like that or 300 some thousand copies, which I know just a lot of people doesn't sound like a lot, but at that time was a lot. At that time was a very, very big deal. So it's like,
01:03:49
Speaker
To see something have done all of that, and then even now in the digital age still, and again, while I feel like some of these songs could be streamed higher, still have that much of an audience right is crazy to me.
01:04:02
Speaker
Yeah. Because there is not one song on this album on Spotify alone that is not in the millions of streams. Right. you know because she's the goddess right like frozen's got 95 like drowned world has 12 million streams love right like that's crazy to me like i wouldn't think that like ray of light of course 60 million streams but like
01:04:23
Speaker
Skin and swim were always the two for me. Yes. I love all of it. I love everything else. We got so much good brunette Madonna in this era, which love. my God. Yes. Which there's been a lot of discourse on Twitter lately about like Gaga copy.
Lady Gaga vs. Madonna Comparisons
01:04:38
Speaker
First of all, we need to stop with this comparison. It's so annoying at this point. Like I'm, I truly like anytime I see someone bring up lady Gaga copying Madonna or Madonna copying lady Gaga,
01:04:49
Speaker
shut the fuck up. You're so fucking annoying. Right. It's just the most intellectually lazy argument that you could make. So lazy. And, and just kind of like, it's dance music. It's pop music. Like it's going to be sounding similar.
01:05:01
Speaker
They have, they work in the same industry. Like it's, it's stylists work for, I, but we could go down. They have similar influences. It's like, there's so many. Yeah.
01:05:12
Speaker
Yeah. Like anyway, we're, we don't want to ruin a good moment with this. ah Um, Where was I going with this? ah Oh, the brunette Madonna. but the like The whole like gothic. like she did Was it the VH1 Fashion Awards? Yes. Where she wore like three or four different gowns that were just stunning.
01:05:31
Speaker
She was in her Hindu bag. yes Yes, she was. She had she had all the all the stuff on the hands. and i yeah yeah um She was also in her Geisha bag. with Again, that wig. Yes.
01:05:42
Speaker
that chat wig phenomenal nothing really matters that wig is phenomenal that was a wig I don't know if that's her hair. I would be surprised if that's her hair. I thought it was her hair.
01:05:55
Speaker
i don't know. i don Don't quote me, but I don't know. i could have. i mean i mean, you could be right. and A lot of the times we think that the it's these artists' as hair and it's it's their wig.
01:06:07
Speaker
Power of Goodbye, that feels like that's her hair. Right, yeah. That video, I'm like, that's her hair. That's definitely her hair. I don't know if this is just her hair with like... a flat iron within an inch of its life right literally like absolutely no flyaways and if you if you fly away you're done right just pluck it out yeah pull it it out right um because she had the same hair on the larry king interview with that with that leather jacket that kept making sound right it's so great um um
01:06:38
Speaker
But no, I mean, it hurts it hurts that Skin was allegedly going to be the final single from the album.
Nostalgia for Rebel Record Store
01:06:46
Speaker
Yeah. I would have loved to have seen a music video for it. They commissioned remixes.
01:06:52
Speaker
They did. There's they the the collaboration remix with Peter Rohhofer and Victor Calderon. Yep. I don't know if there's any others that have seen The Light of Day. I would have loved to have...
01:07:02
Speaker
heard them. i don't think for swim. I think Peter might have done a few others that he would play privately, but nothing that was ever supposed to be out. Okay. But ah yeah. um Yeah. Yeah. I think. Yeah.
01:07:14
Speaker
So there was a store in in the city called Rebel Rebel, it was a record store. And when I tell you this was like your quintessential record store, it was, there was music packed into this tiny, tiny space in every corner. And it was imports and bootlegs and, you know, picture discs and just anything you could possibly want it just the the guy that ran it I can't remember his name off the top of my head but if you're in New York City in this in this era in like the 90s 2000s Rebel Rebel really was amazing in the West Village anyway um they used to have these CDs and I don't know who made them but they would sell them there and they were called Veronica Electronica and it was all of these sort of either bootleg or music that was ripped from other things that were like
01:08:00
Speaker
They would do like themes. It would be like, you know, Veronica, a lot of Veronica, electronica volume one. And it would be like all stuff from Ray of Light. Then it would be other things where it was like all stuff from erotica. Some of them were bootlegs. Some of them were not, you know, yeah remixes. But in this era, I bought like three of them and I was beyond obsessed.
01:08:17
Speaker
Like, oh, my God, that that's what makes me think of when I think of Ray of Light. Yeah. And I have to say, like she mentioned in the making of the music ah of the frozen music video that Veronica electronica was going to be the name of the remix
Madonna's Celebration Tour Surprise
01:08:31
Speaker
record. Right.
01:08:32
Speaker
And i and it never materialized and which probably for various reasons, probably, i think part of it had to do with, I think that the, unfortunately nothing really matters. Flopped is a single, ah which is crazy, crazy, crazy. Cause it's one of her, one of her best. And when she opened the celebration tour with that, I almost fainted on the spot. I was not expecting that at all. Yeah. She was like, I'm going to give the fans what they want.
01:08:59
Speaker
Oh my go She said, I'm going give the fags what they want. Literally, literally like a net remix that Stewart did for it. Like, Oh, it's so good. Yeah. But, um yeah, I mean, Skin was supposed to be the sixth single, but I think that, you know, with with Nothing Really matters Matters kind of underperforming, they moved on to Beautiful Stranger, and then after that was The Next Best Thing, and right yada, yada, yada. So they they just kind of moved on from the project. Right.
01:09:26
Speaker
I would have loved to have heard like what William Orbit had up his sleeve for the Odyssey. Cause she called it the Odyssey record. So, Veronica electronica quote unquote Odyssey record. And so I, yeah I would have loved to have heard remixes for like candy perfume girl and, um, i like andn and junior did junior did his own remix of power of goodbye that he used to play all the time.
01:09:49
Speaker
Oh, did he? yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It wasn't, it wasn't like an official, like anything, but, um, He had one that he was very famously playing at like Twilo and like all these other places and in this era.
01:10:00
Speaker
Oh my God. Now that you say that, I thank God for file sharing services. i remember oh yeah seeing it on those services. i I don't know if I ever downloaded it.
01:10:13
Speaker
Oh, look, I have it somewhere. Oh my gosh, you're going to have to that to me. I know, I will. Because I have to say, out of all the remix packages from the album, I want to say that The Power of Goodbye was probably my least favorite of the bunch.
01:10:25
Speaker
Oh, for sure. It's a very difficult song to remix. Difficult um song to remix. Dallas Austin did a remix for it, um who worked on the Bedtime Story album, um and has worked with TLC, blah, blah, bla blah.
01:10:37
Speaker
But then there were a couple club remixes that were just... really aggressive right and that's even for juniors like it's it's the problem is like the the bpm that she's singing in the original doesn't really translate very well for dance music yeah and it just makes her sound really chip monkey when they speed up her vocals and it's right yeah it's just not one of my favorites from junior by any means yeah yeah um but i mean the rest of the remix packages were phenomenal stacked mean stacked i mean we got our this is my introduction to victor calderon
01:11:09
Speaker
Nothing will beat the Sky Fits Heaven remix. It's unbelievable still to this day to me. To this day? Fuck When they put the Drowned World remix EP on streaming, ah let me tell you why. It was one of the happiest days of my life because not only did we get the Victor Heldron remix, but we got the Sasha remixes. Also amazing.
01:11:33
Speaker
got the BTN Sasha remix for Drowned World. Like, But that remix in particular, so good. That remix, um he has another remix for a group called Mandalay Beautiful.
01:11:46
Speaker
That remix and his remix of Garbage's Push It.
Favorite Madonna Remix
01:11:52
Speaker
Those three are all in the same world to me. I love that. There's like a bunch from that time. I mean, obviously Frozen too, but it, it yeah specifically, there was like a sound that he had for a little bit and it was just like those three mixes. I feel like exemplify them the most.
01:12:07
Speaker
Yeah. Is that your favorite remix from the era? Uh, the, oh yeah. Sky Fitzheaven for sure. I mean, I used to hear that all the time at Roxy. Yeah. was just incredible. I, I, I love it.
01:12:19
Speaker
It's just one of my favorite songs on the album. it's so It's so good. It's so good. It's so good. And I love and i love that this was during a time, too, where, i mean, Sky Fits Heaven wasn't a single, but they commissioned remixes for it and used them as the B-side to Drown World, which was released as a single in the UK and I think other parts of Europe.
01:12:38
Speaker
Mm-hmm. I just love that. I don't know. There's just something magical about that time period. And I can't put my finger on it. The single art I was obsessed with. And you know what? And it's funny that we're talking about it now. And I'm actually, I'm going to put my finger on it because I was thinking about this the other day.
01:12:52
Speaker
and I actually want to say this here because I need to have a space to say it that's long enough. And I think this is the place. Put your finger on it. Okay, go. So one of the things that I realized, so this past Friday, Nelly Furtado dropped a new remix of Say Right.
01:13:07
Speaker
Oh, I didn't know that. Oh my God. Okay. So it's by Debra DeLuca, which if you are not familiar with her, she's an, I would say up and coming techno DJ. She's great. Very, very good in her field.
01:13:17
Speaker
It's always very like hard, fast, whatever. She had a remix that she did of Robert Miles' children recently that I really liked as well. Okay. um And the remix is fine. There's nothing wrong with it. It's not bad. It will do very, very well, I'm sure, on Peloton once we get it.
01:13:31
Speaker
Yeah. But- What I realized in that moment while I was listening to, because it's like 140 beats per minute, it's very like driving hard techno. And it's very what she does in her sets.
Evolution of Remix Culture
01:13:43
Speaker
What I realized while I was listening to it was that back in the day, and I don't want to sound like an old man, but it's just to observe the difference. Is that back in the day you had record labels that were commissioning remixes that were going to hit various genres.
01:13:57
Speaker
for various audiences, because they realized that these remixes would have to appeal to a global audience. And so you would get like here in the States, it was like Junior and Victor and Peter and like all of the guys that were doing really big stuff here in New York and whatever.
01:14:11
Speaker
And Then they would do other ones. There would be like an R&B remix. Maybe there's a hip hop version. Maybe a drum and bass, whatever. like Excuse me. So there was just, it was a suite of remixes that they would put out and it was just like, okay, we feel good about this.
01:14:25
Speaker
It's going to hit all the people that needs to be hit. Now, since we've shifted from DJ and dance music culture from going to the party and it being about the party, like, yes, you're there to hear a DJ. You want to hear Junior and he's going to play all night long and whatever.
01:14:40
Speaker
But You're going there because the party's going to be amazing, the music's going to be amazing, whatever. But you're not staring at him the whole time. He's not on stage. It's not about him.
01:14:51
Speaker
His name isn't flashing all over the place. like It's this whole environment. And now, since the DJs are the superstars, they're putting out a remix here and there that works for that DJ in her set, and that's it.
01:15:05
Speaker
Because if you're like a regular average DJ in any town in America that isn't playing a festival, that isn't playing a huge room, and this brand new remix, which to be honest, Say It Right needs new remixes because the ones that they did do when the song first came out are a little bit dated.
01:15:21
Speaker
I love Peter death. They're fine. Yeah, but they're very of the moment. A new version that would be amazing, like what they did with the new Waiting for Tonight that they just put at the Pesto, I think it was recently.
01:15:31
Speaker
Yeah. yeah And it's very of the moment and it updated the song and it made it very easy to play for your average DJ. Absolutely. Yeah. That's what I feel like is happening now is that the label is putting out things because they think the DJ's name will carry it enough.
01:15:45
Speaker
And I'm like, you're not doing service to the song. Right. And it's like, and it's not great for DJs at large because I'm like, now I've got this 140. I do not get to 140 beats per minute in my sets when I pass.
01:15:56
Speaker
That's really fast. That's really, really fast. Right. And on Peloton, it's going to be great. People are going to love it. Yeah. It's going to so well. But yeah. Yeah, that's that's why I feel like the shift has happened. And I feel like that's why when we talk about this or how you feel about this stuff, this is the part of the reason why this is happening.
01:16:14
Speaker
Yeah. And I remember you mentioning this before in another episode about how, you know, like promo only remixes are commissioned for the clubs. And i because I think I had asked you once I was like, it just doesn't make sense that.
01:16:25
Speaker
a label would commission a remix to not put it out, right? Because because capitalism, right? You would think that if they're going to commission money to you know have a DJ a remix or a producer make something, you they would want a return on that investment.
01:16:40
Speaker
But the return on investment that you pointed out was the DJs would play it in the clubs. People would be like, what song is this? And then they would go out and buy the single and or the album and not necessarily care about their remix being on it. I mean, maybe they would.
01:16:55
Speaker
I would care. But like, right but like the, it was more to put, as you mentioned, like putting these songs out awareness, different audit. Yeah. Awareness. Right. Out to different audiences.
01:17:08
Speaker
And yeah, I miss that. I miss, I miss getting a plethora of different types styles of remixes. i mix or I make, I mix. um I miss like, you know, getting different versions of it. Right. Like you get the extended version, radio edit, the dub, whatever.
01:17:24
Speaker
um Well, it's funny, my but je Jess from Peloton, Jess King, she texted me today and she was like, she's like is Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding's Miracle the most remixed song of all time?
Variety in Modern Remixes
01:17:36
Speaker
And I was like, I said of all time, literally of all time. I was like, there's something like 17 remixes for it on Spotify or something insane like that. And I love that.
01:17:43
Speaker
And I love that. Yeah, it seems ridiculous. But when you're going through and it's like, if there's enough of a, I love it when there's a broad range of producers, I should say, I don't yeah don't give me seven of the same tech house track.
01:17:55
Speaker
Right? Give me a range. And I love that. And so she was like, this is so great. She's like, I'm just seeing all of these remixes. She's like, I could literally put a different one into my next 16 classes and be totally fine. Exactly. Right.
01:18:07
Speaker
That's the point. Right. It's like, that's the whole point because there's a lot a lot of people who hate remixes. Yeah. And I get it. Like maybe not every remix is for you, but the whole point is that the remixes were supposed to cater to different audiences, different clubs, different vibes, different parties. Right.
01:18:24
Speaker
And so that you had a flavor for kind of everyone. And yeah, I don't know. There's just something and there's something about the quality. There is a o how do I, I feel like my brain is just like malfunctioning right now, but there is ah quality, something about the Ray of light remixes at the project at large. Yeah.
01:18:47
Speaker
That are just high level. Oh, yeah. I mean, she got some of the biggest DJs in the world, the biggest producers in the world. I mean, the the Drown World BT Sasha, the Bucklage Ashram remix. Right.
01:19:00
Speaker
Has a chokehold on me currently. So good. and It's so good. It's so like you could put this. I mean, it just again, that's the age so well. Right. It aged beautifully. I mean, BT, I love BT BT. If you ever hear this, I would love to have you on this show. Oh my God. Friend of the pod, BT friend of the pod, BT.
01:19:21
Speaker
Like that would be insane. That would be, I would, I would probably. Oh, I have so many questions for him. I do too. Right. um But I mean, that is such a stunning remix.
01:19:32
Speaker
um this The Sky Fits Heaven remixes, as you mentioned, Sasha's remixes for Ray of Light. ah Both the Twylo and the Ultraviolet. I could not believe that that was the version I got to see her perform during Celebration.
01:19:45
Speaker
Oh, my God. I was so not prepared for that when it started. I was like, you're kidding me, right? I was like, the Sasha remix? Oh, my God. And the way that they... That that Stewart was able to see it from... mean, if you...
01:20:00
Speaker
i mean if you I'm like losing my words because I'm so excited. Like you want to excite me. Give me a really fucking good transition. Oh yeah. None of these transitions on Tik TOK where you just do it.
01:20:14
Speaker
Don't get me wrong. A crossfade can be cute and can work really well. Right. But I want something that's very intentional and, And very into the anyone listening Go to my Instagram Click on my mixes I used to do like quote unquote DJ for my friend Mary's classes I was known for my transitions I know what I'm talking about And the way That they went from Basically album version Bedtime story Into Junior's Sound Factory mix And then into Sasha's Ultraviolet mix of Ray of Light Right
01:20:49
Speaker
I don't think I've ever had as many orgasms as I did than when I saw that live. Right. Like that was insane. Insane. Insane. No, she really delivered.
01:21:00
Speaker
She really did. And I mean, then, I mean, the Nothing Really Matters Remixes by Peter Rohofer, Club 69. But even, even the Kruder and Dorfmeister ones, which I didn't, I didn't appreciate. I don't think as when they came out because I was like 18 years old.
01:21:16
Speaker
And I was like, what exactly is this? And where would I ever play this? yeah And it just seems so like bizarre to me, but I ended up using it like during the pandemic in like a mix that I had made like a three hour long mix of just like down tempo stuff and it is so beautiful it's beautiful it's it when i start so since i'm like working out in the mornings now a lot of times what i do is if i get to the gym depending on depending on how i'm feeling like if i'm feeling really tired sometimes what i'll do is i'll like maybe like sit in the sauna for five minutes to just kind of like warm up and just kind of get into the like headspace
01:21:50
Speaker
And I will put that remix on. It's so nice. It's meditative. It's great. It's, it's so good. And that's a great mix to put on while you're cleaning. It's a great mix to put just.
01:22:01
Speaker
Yes. Yeah. You need, if you need to hear, they, they also did a remix of, uh, uh, what the hell's name of the song? Depeche mode. It's so good. Wait, Depeche mode. I'm sorry. I'm looking it up right now. Um, Cruder and Dorfmeister that I can even remember how to spell that is ridiculous.
01:22:18
Speaker
Right. I love that. What is it? Useless. Listeners are like, who the hell is Kruder and Dorfmeister? Useless. They have a song called Useless that Kruder and Dorfmeister did a remix of.
01:22:29
Speaker
It's very along the same lines. You would love it. Okay. I love that. It's super trippy. Is it on streaming? Yeah. Oh, perfect. Okay. I will be- I will say, and shout out to Depeche Mode. Because I know that they're not ones that people think about or talk about, but not only do they commission phenomenal remixes still to this day of music that they're doing.
01:22:48
Speaker
They've put one out recently. i think it was Oliver Heldens. um That was phenomenal. they They are so good at putting all of their catalog up online. Everything, all their remixes are available.
01:22:59
Speaker
They're great. Love. They really do like that. And you if you, People Are Good, that was the name of the song. It just came out last year. And they had a whole two sets of remixes. I want to say they had one with Analia, Chris Avant-Garde, Boris Bray, like the really like current, current guys.
01:23:16
Speaker
and Love. Yeah. So. Love that. little bit of love for Depeche Mode. Love that. That's one thing I want. I would love. I mean, she's starting to do it. Madonna. I mean, she's announced that there's going to be a bedtime stories 30th anniversary coming out this year year, which I'm excited.
Madonna's Bedtime Stories Anniversary
01:23:32
Speaker
Allegedly, allegedly demos, which.
01:23:36
Speaker
which you know what that means right you might be we might be finally hearing shep's version of secret it would be crazy that so for people that are like what the fuck are they talking about madonna's bedtime story album was initially started the production started with shep pettibone shep pettibone is a famous house dj that she worked with on vogue i think that was their first song that they collaborated on that was not a remix right correct And then he produced the erotica album. And I mean, he was the go to DJ in the late 80s, early 90s for like any sort of remix.
01:24:09
Speaker
I think he he is the man that pioneered the machine gun type type snare drum snare roll. Yes. Up to the beat drop. Yes. All of that stuff that he's the guy that put that together.
01:24:21
Speaker
And so if if you're wondering what that is, just listen to the song Vogue and you'll hear what we're talking about. Or listen to Yes And. i mean, Yes And it uses that same style as well um by Ariana Grande.
01:24:32
Speaker
um But when Madonna started recording the Bedtime Stories album, music the and music initially shifted a lot and was very much more into the R&B hip-hop phase.
01:24:45
Speaker
And so she decided to go down that route and... the work that Shep Pettibone did for the album did not make it onto the album. my But allegedly he did a version of Secret.
01:24:58
Speaker
And that's why i believe in early pressings of the album, he did not have a writing credit, but I believe he now does get a writing credit on Secret still. Oh, I didn't that. Yeah. And so, and I think that this first came out with GVH2 or GHV2, excuse me, Greatest Hits Volume 2 for those.
01:25:16
Speaker
Yeah. we are We are so like niche right now. like this I'm like living right now. people We probably lost every listener. They're like, what the hell? No, I'm kidding. um but But I believe that that's where the the writing credit first started appearing was for that.
01:25:33
Speaker
Interesting. Yeah. so I'm very curious to hear... yeah how it sounded and like what it what it was like yeah i i'm excited but i would love madonna to do more um anniversary releases i would have i would love an anniversary release for a ray of light and i'm assuming that we probably wouldn't get it until it's 30th yeah but still i want one for erotica too I want one for erotica. Yeah. i So for anybody who's who doesn't know me or doesn't know anything about me, so I worked for Shep Pederbohn for five years before I started working at Peloton. He was the owner of the club that I worked at, and I was there resident TJ every weekend. And at some point in the course of our relationship, I also turned into his hairdresser, and I was going to his house every two weeks and getting his hair.
01:26:19
Speaker
I love that. in which I love that so much. Yeah. And I'm just like sitting there to ask him, it says tell me more about Madonna. You know, so is the he what's Cyndi Lauper really like? You know, like this crazy shit. um And while they're not my stories to tell, I'm not going to tell them. He is still of this earth and I will not, you know, whatever, anything that he said to me, he said to me in confidence.
01:26:37
Speaker
But there, I will just say there is, i believe, more than what even the public and the serious Madonna fans know about that, about things that have not been released and even things that Shep has.
01:26:52
Speaker
Wow. Oh my gosh. I'm sure. i mean like the, the, the famous rain tapes is like what I think what they call them. Right. Which is like a bunch of demos of erotica of different versions of songs that, I mean, ah some of it has leaked online and onto YouTube and stuff, but, um, I mean, there was a song allegedly called jitterbug. There was a song.
01:27:13
Speaker
Um, I mean, erotica was very different originally. Yeah. Um, uh, My God, the lore. The lore. wonder if she's even aware of like all the stuff. I don't even know because it's like the the way that they would work was so different back then versus what they do now. And it's yeah like, I used to get mad at Shep all the time because, you know, even that the 30th anniversary of Vogue was coming up while I was still working with him. And I'm like, you know, you really, i was like, you can do remixes. You can do anything like a new version from you would be so cool. Like, and i used to like try to push and poke him, but.
01:27:47
Speaker
Yeah. She's a grumpy old lady. So it's like sometimes, you know she didn't want to hear me. But Shep, does he still produce? No, no, at least not that I'm aware of. Oh my God. That would have been insane to get a new Shep Pudderbone remix of Vogue. God.
01:28:02
Speaker
always say he is he's got an apartment here in New York City that he never, ever went to, at least at that time when I knew him. And I'm like, girl, you got all the good stuff there. I was like, let's go. I was like, come on, I'll go with you. I was like, I'll help you. Like, just come on, let's go see.
01:28:14
Speaker
Come on, Shep. What the fuck? know. ah Wow. yeah I mean, we could go down this rabbit hole for hours. For sure. But i do think it's time that we do our famous segment, Songs We Don't Talk About Enough. This is the segment where we talk about ah deep cut, a rare album track.
01:28:35
Speaker
Maybe it's the song Jitterbug from The Rain Tapes.
Melanie C's Emotional Track 'Weak'
01:28:40
Speaker
But we like to give these songs a highlight because you know what? No shade to the singles. We love the singles. Absolutely.
01:28:46
Speaker
but there are plenty of other songs that we can talk about enough. Well, and I'm going to, like I said, I said, I was going to do this. So I'm going to go back to miss Melanie C. um Give it to me from the album, the 2011 album, the C the, the song, I think it was the lead single week.
01:29:01
Speaker
It is, i mean, the album in general has a very sort of like melancholy, like undertone about it yeah in many, many different places. Cause there's another, have to pull up that I haven't seen it. I haven't heard it in so long. Um,
01:29:15
Speaker
Week was amazing and Burn, Burn and Drown. Drown was the other one. They're all amazing deep cuts, but Week was the single. And it's, I don't know, she just, it felt like such a different progression from the albums that had just happened. Like Northern Star happened, The Reason happened, Beautiful Intentions how happened.
01:29:34
Speaker
And then this, I feel like this was the transition from her out of that sort of pop rock into more like pop, leaning dance because love that yeah think about it was also from this album but the album in general is phenomenal i would recommend it to anybody i love that week is so incredible lyrically it's fantastic like you could tell she's definitely been through some shit on this album but it's yeah phenomenal i love her i do i just ah really really do love her and i i She looks happy and i'm I'm happy for her. She looks really happy. I mean, she looks great. I mean, um talk about a fitness queen. Jeez. Like, I wouldn't look that good at 50. I wouldn't look that good right now. Right, right. She looks amazing. And this song, Week, also, obviously Mel C one of the songwriters, but co-written with Ina Rolson, who wrote Padam Padam.
01:30:24
Speaker
oh And let's celebrate that. Right. like That is amazing. Wow. That's incredible. So we have Mel C to thank for Padam Padam is what you're saying. That's I'm just saying that it's like two degrees away.
01:30:36
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Just just saying. Yeah. Where's the Melanie C remix of Padam Padam? ah Where's where's Kylie Minogue thanking Melanie C? No. Yeah. ah Exactly. Incredible.
01:30:48
Speaker
Well, I'm going to go back to Max Martin. And I had mentioned earlier that Max Martin has a bunch of deeps cuts that, you know, 78 top 10 singles is nothing too bad an eye out, but he also has a lot of songs, album tracks, things like that, that just,
01:31:03
Speaker
you know, either didn't get a release as a single or he also has had some flops. Um, but there was a song that he did not produce it, but he co-wrote it that not many people know.
01:31:14
Speaker
Um, Cindy Lauper's Into the Nightlife. Oh, I love it so much. So much. It's a like it's a random co-write. like It makes me wonder, I'm like, how the hell does this even happen? Right.
01:31:27
Speaker
But this song came out, what was this, like 2009, 2010-ish? Oh, yeah, because they actually filmed the night ah the video at Splash Bar in New York City, which I used to go to all the time, and it was so ridiculous.
01:31:39
Speaker
Yeah. I love that. Yeah. Gay Bar. Like just, it is, this was for Cindy's dance album, which was called, say wait, the album called Bring to the Brink. Bring It to the Brink.
01:31:50
Speaker
And I was going to say, same old so same old fucking story is was the single. love that song too. sit Lead single from the album. um But yeah, I mean, great dance pop track. I forget who produced it.
01:32:01
Speaker
i want it was some it it was i want to say it was a Swedish guy. It is. It's one of the other co-writers, Pierre Astrom, William Woodman, Pierre Astrom, and Cindy Lauper. Okay, that make that tracks. yeah And so, um but yeah, phenomenal dance pop song. I mean, i would love to hear more dance music from ah Cindy. I mean, she's incredible. And even like the other one from that album, Echo.
01:32:23
Speaker
So I don't know the album very well. So I just know Into
Cyndi Lauper's Dance-Pop Adventure
01:32:27
Speaker
the Nightlife. Oh, you need to go down this rabbit hole. Okay. I think I'm ready. Yeah. I think I'm ready. Echo is another really, really great one. Okay.
01:32:34
Speaker
Excellent. And she has a song on there called Rain On Me. I'm just saying Ariana and Gaga, we see you. Oh, we see you. we see I mean, too everyone's saying that ah we just say everyone's saying that but that she's stealing from Madonna, but looks like it's really Miss Lauper. They arrested Bobby Brown for fucking on stage.
01:32:53
Speaker
Stop it. Stop it right now. They arrested Bobby Brown for fucking on stage. Oh, I hope he's in jail when I get there. Oh my God. I am not kidding you. I've been trying to think for ages how to use that in a meme.
01:33:06
Speaker
Because it was the same cadence of what you just said. like it Yes. It just said the same thing and that's what it made me think of. They arrested Bobby Brown for fucking on stage. They arrested Bobby Brown for fucking on stage. Oh my God. Nikki Harris. Nikki Harris is from my hometown. Nikki Harris, friend of the pod.
01:33:20
Speaker
Friend of the pod. I'm just going to keep saying. i She is... Have you ever seen the movie Noises Off? This is the most random thing ever. Okay, never heard so it's a movie from the 90s. I want to say like late 90s. It's a super ensemble cast. It's like John Ritter, Marilu Henner, Christopher Reeve, Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, Nicolette Sheridan.
01:33:38
Speaker
Oh my God. It's like the Mark Lynn Baker. It's the most insane cast. It was ah a Broadway show that they turned into a movie and then it's been like a Broadway show again, whatever. um But the intro of the movie is a song called The Broadway Melody.
01:33:53
Speaker
sung by Nikki Harris. Incredible. Phenomenal. Her version of this song is the best version of the song I've ever heard. So I, Nikki, some real, real weird deep lore there, but so good. And for anybody who's listening, if you have not heard yet, Nikki and Donna got together with Miss DJ Tracy Young recently and did a version of Last Night at DJ Saved My Life. And it's wonderful.
01:34:14
Speaker
Very good. Yes. Very, very good. You're the one that sent that to me. So thank you for highlighting that. Yeah. Very, very good. Wow. We covered eight shitload of ground on this episode. Random.
01:34:26
Speaker
But that's how we like to keep it. That's how we want to do these things. um i want to end this episode really, really quick. And I just want to say a shout out to my friend Megan. colleague, my my friend and colleague, um she has been so supportive of this show.
01:34:42
Speaker
Every time we release an episode, she will go on and on about how much she loves it, how she's proud of me. i love that. she It's literally so sincere, so genuine. it almost brings me to tears every time. So Megan, if you are listening, which I know you will be, I just want to say thank you because it is so sweet because she she recognizes the amount of work that we do putting into this. right And so, um yeah, I just want to say that.
01:35:11
Speaker
Megan, we love you. Really appreciate it. And we didn't get get into it on this episode, but we will be looking at the comments of Madonna's worst song in a future episode. and Okay, that's how we have to start the next one.
01:35:23
Speaker
That's how we have to start the next one. We we have notes. We have notes. But um until next time, everyone, have a great day. Bye. Bye.