In this episode, we discuss parody and novelty tracks, and their continuing popularity in American music. While there used to be a lot more novelty tracks on the pop charts, the genre continues to remain popular in several niches.

The number of entries may have gone down, but especially with the rise of Weird Al in the early 1980s, we can easily say that the quality of the parody and the novelty song, when you can find it, has dramatically increased.

Songs played during this Episode
1. Cheech and Chong- "Born in East LA"
2. The Ohio Players- "The Funky Worm"
3. Warren Zevon- "Werewolves in London"
4. Weird "Al" Yankovic- "Money For Nothing/ Beverly Hillbillies"
5. (Bonus) De La Soul- "Eye Know"

Beds utilized in this Episode
* Bad Brains- "Jah Love"
* Whackies Rhythm Force- "Feel it Dub"

Production elements used in this Episode (no samples cleared)
* Victor Allen (Voice)
* Voodoo Glow Skulls- "Insubordination" (segment)
* Downhill Battle.org "Wynona Ryder PSA"

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In this episode, We go through each of our top five television picks and critically analyze them in the context of television this year. We also agree on the excellence of the FX program "Reservation Dogs" which just finished its second season and is available on streaming.

Songs played during this Episode
1. Valeria Villas- "Freaks"
2. The Rolling Stones- "Paint it Black"

Beds utilized in this Episode
*Eddie Grant- "Electric Avenue (Bed)"

Production elements used in this Episode (no samples cleared)
* MC5- "Kick Out the Jams (Segment)"
* Downhill Battle dot Org- "Wynona Ryder PSA"

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In this episode, we go through each of our top five movie picks and discuss their contribution to the cinema. Mostly, this is both a list of our top ten favorite movies this year, but also the test of a new production method.

Songs played during this Episode
1. Exuma- "Exuma, the Obeah Man"
2. Weird "Al" Yankovic- "White and Nerdy"

Beds utilized in this Episode
* Avelino- "I Love Rhodes"

Production elements used in this Episode (no samples cleared)
* Victor Allen (voice)
* Downhill Battle dot Org "Anti-Copyright PSA"

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In this episode, we look at the history of alternative music in the 1980s. During this decade, alternative grew up as a genre from a mismash of various underground milieus and genres into something that could reflect the attitude and outlook of an emerging generation, one which would replace dance and R&B in the 1990s as the pop music for millions of Americans.

We discuss remnants of 2nd Wave Ska, New Wave, and glam as they morph into emo, atavistic and romantic music and finally college music, and serves as fertile soli for Grunge, Alternative Rock and jangle pop in the decades waning years. We also discuss, at length, the ability of Prince in crossing all popular genres of the time, and his influence on the rockers that followed him.

Songs played during this Episode
1. English Beat- "Mirror in the Bathroom"
2. Adam Ant- "Goody Goody Two Shoes"
3. Minuteman- "Viet Nam"
4. The Cure- "Close to Me"
5. Embrace- "Money"
6. The Church- "Under the Milky Way"
7. The Pogues- "Thousands are Sailing"
8. B-52s- "Channel Z"

Beds utilized in this Episode
* Bikini Kill- "Rebel Girl"
* Bad Brains- "Overdub"
* Bad Brains- "Ghetto"
* The Byrds- "Eight Miles High (Instrumental)"

Production elements used in this Episode (no samples cleared)
* Stacy Duffy (Voice)
* Victor Allen (Voice)
* David Moschella (Voice)
* Voodoo Glow Skulls- "Insubordination" (Sample)
* American Teachers' Union- "Union Solidarity PSA"

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Greg and Doc discuss the upcoming Midterm Elections, including the notion that Democracy is onthe ballot. They also take a look at the two main issues for this election, Inflation and Abortion, discussing how Democatrats, despite their hyperbolic rhetoric and the fact that most Americans prefer their policy positions, have such a difficult time winning elections.

Songs:

1. Bad Religion - “Do the Paranoid Style”

2. Gang of Four - “Not Good Men”

3. Pinch Points - “Reasons to be Anxious”

4. Mavis Staples and Levon Helm - “I Whish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free”

5. Sick of It All - “Work the System”

Beds:

• The Byrds - “Eight Miles High (Instrumental)”

• Boz Skaggs - “Dirty Lowdown (Instrumental)”

Production elements (No Samples Cleared)

• Stacy Duffy (voice)

• Victor Allen (voice)

• Downhill Battle.org - “Skidmark Anti-Copyright PSA”

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On this episode we discuss examples of Native American music and television. We discuss the history of Native Americans in the face of the onslaught of colonization and hoe more than five centuries of resistance to complete annihilation led to the contemporary music and humor of Natives in the US today, as well as the changing depictions of Native Americans on television and the big screen.

Songs:

1. The Porcupine Singers - “Song of the Dancers”

2. Blackfire - “Silence is a Weapon”

3. The Reddmen - “Supernova Earth”

4. The Haluci Nation - “Land Back”

5. (Bonus) Kevin Locke - “Four Directions”

Beds:

• Robert Tree Cody - “Dakota Love Song”

• John Trudell - “Bombs over Baghdad”

Production Elements (no samples cleared):

• Stacy Duffy (Voice)

• Victor Allen (Voice)

• Downhill Battle.org - “Leonard Peltier PSA”

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In this all-music episode, we play some great music from bands that are fairly underplayed and certainly underrated. This music is great and should be heard by more folks.

Songs played during this Episode
1. Cornershop- "6am Jullandar Shere"
2. Rough Francis- "Giving It Up"
3. The International Noise Conspiracy- "Bigger Cages, Longer Chains"
4. Zen Guerrilla- "Moonage Daydream"
5. The Bronx- "Style over Everything"
6. Ida Maria- "I like you so much Better when You're Naked"
7. The Knux- "Tequila & Vibes"
8. The Ting Tings- "A&E"
9. Rebelmatic- "Auction Block"
10. Tummyache- "Median"

Beds utilized in this Episode
* Avelino- "I Love Rhodes" (segment)
* Micky Avalon- "Jane Fonda" (segment)
* Nas- "We Major" (segment)

Production elements used in this Episode (no samples cleared)
* Stacy Duffy (Voice)
* Victor Allen (Voice)
* Speech (Voice)
* MC5- "Kick out the Jams" (segment)
* Sick of it All- "Step Down" (segment)
* Downhill Battle.org- "Wynonna Ryder PSA"

In this episode, we discuss the effects of 9/11 on American music and society. From the infamous banning of certain innocuous songs by Clear Channel (which contained lyrics that might trigger audiences and criticize the US Government) to the lies the Government and Media used to sell Americans on two criminal wars, we trace how the seeds for our current social envrionment, one that is rife with mistrust and conspiracy, were laid down in that important time.

Songs played during this Episode
1. Cat Stevens- "Peace Train"
2. Rage Against the Machine- "Calm Like a Bomb"
3. Beastie Boys- "An Open Letter to NYC"
4. Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros- "Ramshackle Day Parade"
5. (Bonus) Ani DiFranco- "Self Evident"

Beds utilized in this Episode
* Bikini Kill- "Rebel Girl" (segment)
* Boz Scaggs- "Dirty Lowdown" (segment)

Production elements used in this Episode (no samples cleared)
* Stacy Duffy (Voice)
* Slayer- "Disciple" (segment)
* Faith No More- "Easy (Like a Sunday Morning)" (segment)
* Downhill Battle.org- "School of the Americas PSA"

In this episode, we explore American Exceptionalism, the mythical belief that Americans are meant to provide the example of excellence in humanity to the rest of the world, whether they want it or not, as well as the notion that the normal rules that apply to all other countries do not apply to us, because we are some how special.

We explore the effects that this ideology has on not only our self-image as a people, but also how it affects our political behavior, both domestically and internationally. We also discuss the sources of that belief, and the ways it perpetuates itself in our national conscience.

Recommended Reading:

• Founding Myths by Ray Raphael

• The People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn

• Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen

• The Myth of American Exceptionalism - Stephen M. Walt (from the periodical Foreign Policy)

Songs played during this Episode

1. Bruce Springsteen- "Born in the U.S.A."
2. The Descendants- "'Merican"
3. Billy Joel- "Allentown"
4. Brother Ali- "Mourning in America"

Beds utilized in this Episode
* King Dubby- "Searching the Dub" (segment)
* Wicked Dub Division- "Sinking Sand Dub" (segment)

Production elements used in this Episode (no samples cleared)
* Victor Allen (Voice)
* Stacy Duffy (Voice)
* Downhill Battle.org- "Leonard Peltier PSA"

In episode 1 of Season 4, we discuss movies we've seen recently and offer a few words in review.

We also talk about the role that music and the soundtrack played in telling the stories of these movies. We discuss Baz Lurmann's biopic Elvis, the thriller Last Night in Soho, the adventure film Uncharted, and the mind-bending action sci-fi philosophy film Everything Everywhere All At Once. Plus weird news about Donkey Meat in China!

Songs played during this Episode

1. Elvis Presley- "If I can Dream"
2. Siouxsie and the Banshees- "Happy House"
3. Apache Sun- "The Rain that Never Came"
4. Son Lux- "This is the Life"

Beds utilized in this Episode
* Immortal Technique- "Sierra Maestra Loop" (segment)
* The Skatalites- "Fidel Castro" (segment)

Production elements used in this Episode (no samples cleared)
* Digital Underground- "The New Jazz" (Sample)
* MC5- "Kick out the Jams" (Sample)
* Downhill Battle.org- "Downloading PSA"
* Victor Allen (Voice)

On this episode, we discuss American Folk music. Related to Blues and Country, what is commonly thought of as "folk music" is, perhaps, the last genre to gain significant popularity before Rock & Roll took over American air waves.

We discuss the music as "atavistic" in that it, often, seeks to reject modernity, industrialization, and instead emphasizes the romantic value of nature, simplicity, and traditional lifeways which have, in many places, been sacrificed to automation and depersonalization. It therefore is backward looking, and could be described as "right of center music".

This, however, does not mean that Folk music is without social content or critique. In many ways, folk music as a form is indeed a critique of what inevitably came after it, and many of the most prominent folk artists often hold, and espouse, progressive political beliefs. This continues today in the "indie folk scene" and alt-folk music of bands like Old Crow Medicine Show and musicians like Ani DiFranco and William Elliot Whitmore.

Doc Recommends:
Elvis - directed by Baz Luhrmann, starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks. In theaters now, check out the trailer below.

Greg Recommends:
Boston punk rock stalwarts The Dropkick Murphys recently released the first single (“Two 6’s Upside Down” included in the episode as a bonus track) from their upcoming album This Machine Still Kills Fascists, a collection of songs created from a selection of previously unused lyrics taken from the archive of American folk music legend, and OG punk, Woody Guthrie. They also announced a theater tour this fall to support the album, so check them out if they visit a city near you. Check out the album trailer below:

Songs played during this Episode
1) The Band- "The Weight"
2) Bob Dylan- "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright"
3) Indigo Girls- "Three Hits"
4) William Elliot Whitmore- "Johnny Law"
5) (Bonus Track) Dropkick Murphys- "Two 6's Upside Down"

Beds utilized in this Episode
* Bad Brains- "Raga Dub" (segment)
* Boz Scaggs- "Dirty Lowdown" (segment)

Production elements used in this Episode (no samples cleared)
* Mili Vanilli- "Girl You Know its True" (Sample)
* Eric B and Rakim- "Paid in Full" (Sample)
* Victor Allen (Voice)

On this episode, we review recent Supreme Court decisions that ended federal protections for abortions (Dobbs v. Jackson), overturned a New York Law regulating the carrying of concealed firearms (NY State Rifle & Pistol v. Bruen), allows for a HS football coach to openly promote religion using public resources (Kennedy v. Bremerton School District), and forces taxpayers in Maine to subsidize private religious schools (Carson v. Makin).

We discuss the potential implications from the SCOTUS’s erosion of substantive due process, encouraging our listeners to be skeptical of the Court’s statements that the decision impacts only the right to have an abortion. It is hard to see a world in which the current Conservative supermajority will not continue to attack protections of privacy, due process, and civil equality across all of society. Rolling back abortion protections is just the start.

Songs played during this Episode

1) Mudhoney- "FDK (Fearless Doctor Killers)"
2) Tilt- "Die of Shame"
3) William Elliot Whitmore- "Don't Pray on Me"
4) Lily Allen- "Fuck You"
5) (Bonus) Rage Against the Machine- "Bulls on Parade"

Beds utilized in this Episode
* Wicked Dub Decision- "Sinking Sand" (segment)
* L7- "Pretend that We're Dead" (segment)

Production elements used in this Episode (no samples cleared)
* Voodoo Glow Skulls- "Insubordination" (Sample)
* Victor Allen (Voice)

On the Supernova Earth show, we take the opportunity to once more acknowledge the contributions of black culture to tv and music, and the myriad benefits it provides to American Society, as well as the work that still must be done to achieve full equality between blacks and whites in the US.

Also Check out the Following Books:

• Juneteenth - Ralph Ellison

• Lovecraft Country - Matt Ruff

• The Bingo Long Travelling All Stars and Motor Kings - William Brashler

• The New Jim Crow - Michelle Alexander

• Are Prisons Obsolete?- Angela Y. Davis

Songs played during this Episode

1. Nina Simone- "Feeling Good"

2. Lupe Fiasco- "Audubon Ballroom"

3. Mary J. Blige- "Be Happy"

4. Arrested Development- "Never Had Your Back"

Beds utilized in this Episode

• Bikini Kill- "Rebel Girl" (segment)

• Boz Scaggs- "Low Down" (segment)

Production elements used in this Episode (no samples cleared)

• Victor Allen (Voice)

• Digital Underground- "The New Jazz" (segment)

• Stacy Duffy (Voice)

• Downhill Battle Dot Org- "Payola PSA" (PSA)

Doc and Greg explore the influence of Jamaican reggae on music from the UK and the US. Following its export from Jamaica and its rise in popularity in other anglophone nations, especially the UK and the US, reggae went being from music made primarily by black artists to music which is enjoyed mostly by whites.

We discuss Reggae’s influence on punk and New Wave, R&B in the US, and punk and ska during the 90s. We also discuss Reggae’s adoption by stoner culture, and explore why it is not more popular with American born black music lovers.

Songs played during this Episode
1. The Clash- "Armagideon Time (Live at Shea Stadium)"
2. Culture Club- "Do you Really Want to Hurt Me?"
3. Shaggy- "Boombastic"
4. Rancid- "Life Won't Wait"
5. (Bonus) UB40- "Red Red Wine (12 inch)"
6. (Bonus) 311- "Extension"

Beds utilized in this Episode
* Wackies' Rhythm Force- "Motherland Dub" (segment)
* Wackies' Rhythm Force- "Stay On Dub" (segment)

Production elements used in this Episode (no samples cleared)
* Samantha Angelique (Voice)
* Victor Allen (Voice)
* ATU International- "Union Solidarity" (PSA)

For our 50th Episode, we celebrate with a little help from our friends.

The Supernova Earth Show has a conversation with our long time friends Dan Andrlik, Ant Pruitt, and Mike Salchert about their musical backgrounds and the sources of their tastes in music.

We also briefly touch on how music is used in marketing today. In all, this is a free form and wide-ranging discussion about music, with people we like and respect.

This is an extended episode, with lots of music and lots of conversation about the only topic that really matters anymore.

Check out Dan Andrlik on Twitter @ExplorersWanted and at Explorerswanted.fm and read "The Murderbot Diaries" by Martha Wells.

Check out Ant Pruitt on Twitter @Ant_Pruitt, Youtube, and This Week in Tech.

Join Mike Salchert outside!

Songs played during this Episode
1. Living Colour- "Glamour Boys"
2. Chris Smither- "Hey hey Hey"
3. MC Eiht- "Goin out like Geeze (feat CMW)"
4. Public Enemy- "Raise the Roof"
5. Ministry- "Lava"
6. The Pogues- "If I Should Fall From Grace with God"
7. Too $hort- "Don't Fight the Feelin'"
8. The Black Crowes- "Wiser Time"

Beds utilized in this Episode
* Skatalites- "Fidel Castro" (segment)
* Mickey Avalon- "Jane Fonda (Loop)" (segment)

Production elements used in this Episode (no samples cleared)
* Voodoo Glow Skulls- "Insubordination" (segment)
* Digital Underground- "The New Jazz (One)" (segment)
* Victor Allen (Voice)
* Stacy Duffy (Voice)
* Downhill Battle.org "Wynonna Ryder" (PSA)

The influence of a band like SoaD can still be seen in today’s music, though they have not released a studio album in nearly two decades. SoaD continues to be highly regarded within the world of Hard Rock, which is undoubtedly tied to their ability to appeal to a mass audience, while directly attacking society’s ills and the dangers of political manipulation. Sadly, the band’s indeterminate hiatus has left a hole in Hard Rock, with no other bands stepping forward to assume their role as “movement music”. While this reality is lamentable, it reflects the highly materialized, narcissistic, nature of our society.

Also, the music just plain rocks.

Songs Played in this episode:

1. “P.L.U.C.K” - from System of a Down

2. “Prison Song” - from Toxicity

3. “Boom!” - from Steal this Album

4. “BYOB”- from Mesmerize

5. (Bonus) The Dead South - “Chop Suey” (cover)

Beds utilized in this episode:

• King Dubby - “Stalag Riddim” (segment)

• The Clash - “Armagideon Time (Dubplate)” (segment)

Production Elements used in this episode (no samples cleared)

• Victor Allen (voice)

• Stacy Duffy (voice)

• Downhillbattle.org “GDub Music Downloading” (PSA)

On this episode, we discuss Southern Rock, from the Allman Brothers and Lynnard Skynyrd to The Black Crowes and The Dave Matthews Band. We cover how Southern Rock is different from the broader category of Hard Rock, what also separates it from country music, and the legacy of Southern Rock in hard Rock today.

Songs played during this Episode

1. The Allman Brothers- "Ramblin Man"
2. Lynnard Skynyrd- "Saturday Night Special (Live)"
3. The Black Crowes- "Thick N Thin"
4. North Mississippi Allstars- "Po Black Maddie"
5. (Bonus) Alabama Shakes- "I Ain't the Same"

Beds utilized in this Episode
* Dead Prez- "Hip Hop (loop)" (segment)
* ABBA- "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme (Loop)" (segment)

Production elements used in this Episode (no samples cleared)
* Speech (Voice)
* Stacy Duffy (Voice)
* Downhill Battle.org "Wynonna Ryder" (PSA)

Last weekend, the 2022 Grammys awarded musicians who they claimed were the best artists in various genres, both artistic and technical. In this episode we discuss how, and why, the Gramophone voters got a number of selections wrong, and especially why the band Dream Theater ought to have their very own category at any future award ceremonies.

We also discuss our own picks for various "Best of..." categories.

Songs played during this Episode
1) Brandi Carlile- "Right on Time" for Song of the Year
2) DMX- "Bath Salts, Featuring Jay Z and Nas" for Best Rap Song
3) Gojira- "Amazonia" for best Metal Performance
4) Billie Eilish- "Happier than Ever" for Best Pop Solo Performance

Beds utilized in this Episode
* King Dubby- "Stalag Riddim" (segment)
* Avelino- "I Love Rhodes" (segment)

Production elements used in this Episode (no samples cleared)
* Victor Allen (Voice)
* Cheech Marin- Segment from "Up in Smoke"
* www.lasolidarity.org- "Leonard Peltier" (PSA)

On Friday March 25th the music world lost one of its most joyful stars, and one of the greatest, and most admired drummers of this century, with the passing of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. Hawkins had been with the band since 1996 and had previously been the drummer for Alanis Morisette in addition to fronting his own band, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders. His death has reverberated through the music world with tributes coming from across the music world from artists and fans alike.

Songs in this Episode:

1. Nearly Lost You - The Screaming Trees

2. Hangin’ Tree - Queens of the Stone Age

3. Your Shoes - Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders

4. Cold Day in the Sun - The Foo Fighters

Beds utilized in this Episode:

* Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan- "No Place to Fall" (segment)
* Foo Fighters- "Learn Fly (Instrumental)" (segment)

Production elements used in this Episode (no samples cleared)
* Victor Allen (Voice)
* Stacy Duffy (Voice)
* AAP, Every Child by 3 "Vaccinate your Children" (PSA) (edited)

In this episode, we interview two young men, Graeme and Victor, about their views on the Ukraine Crisis. We decided to interview them as their generation will live with the aftermath of the Ukraine War far longer: Young Americans are the ones who could potentially be drafted if this conflict spreads into a hot war between the US/NATO and Russia; They have far more at stake in the conflict than two guys who are too old to be enlisted or drafted; and while they are our sons and the future generation who will take over when we are gone, it is amazing that nobody ever seems to ask the younger generation to weigh in on foreign conflicts.

Turns out they have a lot to say and are at least as well informed on the matter as the average American whose consent is being manufactured for an escalation in American involvement in Ukraine.

Things you should check out:

Fax from Sarajevo - a graphic novel about the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s, by Joe Kubert (https://bookshop.org/books/fax-from-sarajevo-new-edition/9781506716633)

Mischief Brew, "Bacchanal 'N Philadelphia"

Songs played during this Episode

1) Edwin Starr- "War!"
2) Stiff Little Fingers- "Tin Soldiers"
3) The Cranberries- "Zombie"
4) Vladimir Andriyuk- "Just Don't tell Mom I'm in Chechnya" (Bonus)
5) Credence Clearwater Revival- "Fortunate Son

Beds utilized in this Episode

* Boz Scaggs- "Lowdown" (mix)
* The Coup- "My Favorite Mutiny" (loop)

Production elements used in this Episode (no samples cleared)
* Victor Allen (Voice)
* DHS- "Peace of Mind" (PSA) (edited)