Rose-Colored Headphones

Ralph and Michael have been assigned a Disney tribute album featuring Sun Ra, Tom Waits, Garth Hudson, one of The Beatles, Sinead O'Connor, Bonnie Raitt, Michael Stipe, Herb Alpert, The Replacements, and more. Hear us out. It's... eerie. Later, a response from a Disney Adult and the return of Saucy Walter. Thanks for listening to our second season. We liked making it, and we'll b

In the eighties, Nina Simone recorded one of her most eclectic and personal albums. It’s also one of her best, and Ralph and Michael are here to tell you all about it, doing our best to understand her as a musician, as a person, and as a political figure. (Michael says this is his favorite album we've covered on this show so far. What do you think, listener?) Later, Ralph perfor

This is another one of those episodes where Michael struggles to get into the album, and Ralph has to take the wheel. What is it about the Red Hot Chili Peppers that Michael doesn’t get? Seriously, what crawled up that guy’s butt? First Lil’ Wayne and now this. It’s like he hates fun or something, that Scrooge. Don’t worry, listener; empathy and open-mindedness will win i

Dee Snider drops by to talk about Christmas music, his time as a choir boy, and the making of a yuletide metal classic on our first annual Holiday Spectacular! Yeah, we do holiday specials now, like Doctor Who! And don't worry, listener; we ask him about that book and he's got news about it. Also in this episode, Michael is visited by ghosts and he and Ralph grapple with complicat

Aaron Carnes drops by to educate Ralph and Michael about the wide world of Ska. Why is “Third Wave Ska” a misleading term? Where do the Bosstones fit into the larger story of the genre? Plus more listener mail from Michael’s arch-nemesis Derek. Ugh. Later, Ralph is joined by drummer Elwood Bond as he brings a Bosstones anthem back to the roots of ska. Be sure to check out

Ralph and Michael dive into the Christian-Rock equivalent of Thriller and weigh DC Talk’s evangelical credentials against DC Talk’s counter-cultural inclinations. To whom is this album speaking? What is being said? Is it more than a collection of 1990s pastiche with religious lyrics? Maybe this album isn’t what you remember. (Well, it probably is in a lot of ways, but there�

Ralph and Michael are on their best behavior as Dan Charnas stops by to detail the history of J Dilla’s shelved-and-then-resuscitated should-be classic. What happens when a legendary hip-hop producer decides to rap over beats by other producers? More importantly, why would he decide to do this? Plus, Ralph explores the relationship between hip-hop and bossa nova by performing “

Ralph and Michael put on full KISS makeup (trust us) to contemplate this heady concept album that Michael keeps calling “Music FOR the Elder,” which is not the actual title. (Get it together, Michael.) Turns out there’s more to Gene Simmons than most people realize, and we’re going to convince you of that. Along the way, Ralph tries to define “butt rock,” Michael rethin

Ralph and Michael dive into the Beastie Boys Album That Time Forgot and reminisce about the hostile political climate that surrounded it. The Unhinged Lunatic who forces us to do this podcast likes giving us these trips down Painful Memory Lane. Anyway, how are you? Still profoundly uneasy about everything? Us too. Maybe just forget about it for a while and listen to these knuckleh

Ralph and Michael dig into the original “everybody hates it” album and try to unpack the incredibly negative reaction it received back in 1970. And wouldn’t you know it? It’s actually pretty dope! That’s right, Rose-Colored Headphones is back! Season Two is going to be so good, you guys. We’re definitely not as weird as before. This is a respectable show now. Maybe we�