SAVAK have a new record, their 5th! Human Error/Human Delight, it’s a great rocker and has a wild array of bass players, just like the band. It’s been 192 episodes since Sohrab was last on and 208 since it was a full episode, and Michael Jaworski has NEVER been on. Here that is finally rectified as we do a song-by-song of Human Error/Human Delight, and also talk about carrying on as a band as real life responsibilities and adulthood happen, and many other hilarious topics. NO BLUES! NO JAZZ! NO ARBITRARY BORDERS!
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SAVAK have a new record, their 5th! Human Error/Human Delight, it’s a great rocker and has a wild array of bass players, just like the band. It’s been 192 episodes since Sohrab was last on and 208 since it was a full episode, and Michael Jaworski has NEVER been on. Here that is finally rectified as we do a song-by-song of Human Error/Human Delight, and also talk about carrying on as a band as real life responsibilities and adulthood happen, and many other hilarious topics. NO BLUES! NO JAZZ! NO ARBITRARY BORDERS!
Angela and Dylan are back… after 102 episodes and a full year to talk about their new record GRIND. Thoughts on discussion on touring in the age of COVID, continuing on without Rebecca. Bringing in new folks to the band. What adornments and embellishments an extra year (!) of sitting with a record provides, why trying too hard to be what is wanted in the moment is bound for unhappiness and a freewheeling breakdown of each of the new album’s songs.
That’s right, it’s Conan’s old friend the mighty Jon Weisnewski, host of the excellent TOMORROW WE DIE! An podcast about touring under adverse conditions that is probably a cousin to Protonic Reversal. Also, the mighty AKIMBO, SANDRIDER and now… NUCLEAR DUDES.
Are you looking for a comprehensive history of the Akimbo Discography? How about the origin of Sandrider? How about exactly what the heck is a Nuclear Dude and why should you care? How about ALL THAT, Alternative Tentacles, the perils of trying to record two albums at the same time and SO. MUCH. MORE. ok?
Wow! It’s the amazing Lenny Kaye! Guitarist, songwriter, Creator of NUGGETS and Author! His new book: “Lightning Striking: Ten Transformative Moments in Rock and Roll.” and it is AWESOME. Tales of creating songs with Patti and beyond. Horses! Easter! Radio Ethopia! and records made in recent decades soon. Rocking, writing, being a critic, a curator and providing a spotlight on the things you love. Because the Night. It’s a great talk with the Rockenteur, one and only… Mr. Lenny Kaye!
THIS CROSSOVER GOES TO 11! That’s right, it is the the classic (and endlessly quotable) Rob Reiner Mockumentary. With a round table discussion that includes Gerald V. Casale of DEVO, Brian Teasley (Birdstuff) of Man…or Astro-Man?/Polyphonic Spree and St. Vincent and so much more! The first ever crossover between Conan Neutron’s Protonic Reversal and Movie Night Extravaganza. “It’s such a fine line between stupid, and uh…clever.”
Wow! It is THE LIVING JARBOE, artist, singer, musician and ICON. Coming at last to Protonic Reversal to talk about the reissue, remaster and reimagining of the Skin/World of Skin record “blood, women, roses” being reborn as Jarboe – Skin, Blood, Women, Roses. CRY ME A RIVER, Eat or sleep tour, Hauling heavy vintage keyboards up and down stairs (and reloading sounds during power outages), BIRTHRIGHT and Swans, living in very dangerous environments, visual art, and making unique things. Only Lovers Left Alive and Jozef van Wissem. All that and collaborations with Jesu and Neurosis, Helen Money and Kris Force. People! It’s Jarboe!
The legendary singer and front-man of the iconic and influential The Pop Group comes on Protonic Reversal to talk all about that legendary band, as well as the Rip it Up And Start Again documentary on the “post-punk” scene. Which also refuses to just be a museum piece. Additionally lots about a brand new record of collaborations called VS, including with such folks like KK Null of Zeni Geva and Mike Watt! Lee “Scratch” Perry and lots more. Matt Groening! The Minutemen! Dispatches from that very special time in music that the Pop Group started. As well as returning to that music after many years. Taking the piss, etc. Lots of talk about moving forward and evolving.
Absolutely devastated to hear of Mr. Mark Lanegan’s passing. Here is a repost of episode 146, which came out before his book and just after Somebody’s Knocking was released. This episode was a couple weeks before COVID hit. What an incredible voice, and interesting man! There’s a lot of laughs in this episode. Enjoy.
-Doing the video with Travis and Joe (and Donel!) -Video with Jimmy the cab driver (reprising that character after years) -Making the other video at the Salton Sea with still photographs -“Don’t mind the crickets.” -The book! “Sing Backwards and Weep” (and companion piece record) -Recording the companion piece record to the book and linking the songs to it. -“A pandora’s box of shitty memories.” -Working with Rob Marshall of Humanist. -Making a double record/great double records. -Opening for Watt -Blues Funeral -Meet and greets at the merch table and getting ghost pain from shaking hands. -Complicated hand shake non-engagement -Older audiences. -Picking a setlist with so much material. -Ripping off Leonard Cohen -Rated R and joining Queens of the Stone Age -Gutter Twins with Greg Dulli -Playing on each other’s records, vs. working on things together. -Meeting Greg Dulli (and initially wanting to kick ass ass) -“Secret beef!” -Josh Homme in Screaming Trees -Walking the streets with Josh Homme, and Josh being misidentified as a cop! -The Conner brothers. -The story of the Screaming Trees. -Publically learning how to make records -Different crowds knowing different eras of the music. -Artist vs. entertaintainer vs. guy who stands there and sings. -Stooges and being in Iggy’s sights
KRÜLLER is the brand new album by Author & Punisher, the brainchild of Tristan Shone. We do a song by song breakdown at the end, but speak a but about the entire Author & Punisher catalog, as well as COVID hitting at the end of being on tour with TOOL. Why you must always have the correct tables. The logistics of getting so much hardware overseas for a tour. Bringing in people to collaborate on newer things. Accidentally pestering Neurosis backstage. Beastland! Drone Machines! And now Drone Machines the COMPANY, bespoke controllers designed to last and weather in a cool way straight from the A&P live show. All that and so much more!
That’s right! it is the proto-punk/rock ‘n roll icon himself. The mighty Deniz Tek. Perhaps you’ve head of RADIO BIRDMAN, friend? Anyway, let’s run through the discography and those wild days of bringing the motor city mayhem to Australia with a band that excited future record nerds and Seymour Stein but got as many lumps as you can handle as well. Listen in to a rock ‘n roll lifer whose modus operandi is to remember that rock ‘n roll is FUN as well as brutal and true. All that plus: ICEMAN! Fact or fiction. Records with James Wiliamson Tekona Coffee!
The incredible Steve Fisk of Let Them Eat Jellybeans fame. A wild and winding talk with the legendary producer and musician that stretches the epochs of time. Keyboard inspirations, finding and creating community. Punk rock, Pell Mell, Pigeonhed and more. An insider’s view of Seattle during the early 90s GOLD RUSH of grunge and a surprising amount of talk about Northern Exposure. Oh yeah, how about a pretty exhaustive insiders view on the Screaming Trees from the beginning to the major label era? Yes, Steve was there. The storied and varied discography of Unwound, recording Nirvana, Soundgarden, etc. Ladies and gentlemen: IT’S STEVE FISK!
Tight Bros From Way Back When were a damn hell ass rock band at a time where that wasn’t as appreciated as it should have been. That band is only one reason why Quitty is such a legend in certain circles. Nudity, Mukilteo Fairies, the list goes on. Of course why talk about that when he and Conan can opine about that little known Beatles GET BACK film, as well as “Why Am I Doing This? (A Film About Touring)“. In all seriousness, lots of Tight Bros talk, Nudity… and some about the man eventually ended up at the Law offices of Rock and Roll.
At last! It is the incredible Toko Yasuda. One third of the much missed and criminally underrated Enon. Live member of St. Vincent’s band, The Lapse, and… more. Hear all about finishing things and being lazy, being a bandmember vs. being a hired hand. Choreography and practice, joining up with the Sleater-Kinney live band for The Center Won’t Hold live tours. PLVS VLTRA (Story and the pretentious spelling), some stuff about the Lapse and oh yeah… the first Blonde Redhead record!
John Huston is the guitarist and singer for Chicago power-trio STOMATOPOD, who are releasing their 3rd record Competing with Hindsight. We get into a little of each of the Stomatopod records, the history of the band, the Pawners Society and lots more.
Well, hey, hey! It is the incredible Kim Coletta of Jawbox. A free ranging discussion about covid times, revisiting old material, holding the angle while the guitars do crazy things and a whole lot more. Covid kids, picking material for new shows, breaking news that can’t be broke (finger to the lip), Bill leaving and Brooks coming in and why WON’T COME OFF should absolutely be in all of the Jawbox live sets. A far ranging discussion with a consummate badass that also touches just a wee bit on the incredible DeSoto records.
William Goldsmith is the incredible drummer for Sunny Day Real Estate, The Fire Theft and now… Assertion, he was also in the original lineup of the Foo Fighters with SDRE bandmate Nate Mendel and it wasn’t the nicest time. Hear all about creating and playing at a furious pace in Assertion. Number songs! “Make it pink!”, the weirdness of playing late night shows with such personal music, cumulative loss and isolating from everybody. Making amends after many years and so much more. Dave, call the man.
WILD TYPE DROID! That’s right, new Failure record suckers.. song by song breakdown of it, as well as all the details of the weeks long improv sessions that made it , COMFORT, MAGNIFIED, FANTASTIC PLANET, THE HEART IS A MONSTER… all the things! Reconvening without being a nostalgia act. Deep dive into all of the FAILURE things, right?
Well hey there, it is 3/4 of the mighty Tar! A deep dive into the discography, the mythos, the digging through shoeboxes for all of the awesome ephemera that led to The TAR Box Set (Vol. 1). Lots on reconvening, long (really long) distance practice, doing something that means a whole hell of a lot for some people, and more than a little discussion about various songs and song titles.
2/3 of CHERUBS! Come on Protonic Reversal. Discussion of the “brand new” SLO BLO 4 FRNZ & SXY,2 Ynfynyty, Icing, Immaculada High, The mighty HEROIN MAN, and using the studio to make something truly noisy and cool and IN THE RED, competing with yourself to make something worthwhile. How much coffee it ACTUALLY took to regroup the band? Realizing that it works. Why King Coffey of Butthole Surfers wasn’t a great fit on drums, but was a great fit as a label guy. Challenging yourself as a band and connecting with fans new and old.
The incredible Tim Quirk is most known for the excellent and clever band, Too Much Joy. He’s also an excellent writer, and has been at the ground floor for a FEW stages of the digital music revolution. Bob Seger! The Incredible depths of “Seasons in the Sun.” Witness as we discuss the many records of TMJ, including the NEW ONE “Mistakes Were Made” and the even NEWER one, 12 months of joy, which has the songwriting itself crowdsourced. As well as 2 Live Crew, LL Cool J, the major label rollercoaster, what constitutes goofy vs. serious music. Bozo the clown and all that stuff.
The amazing Joe Carducci has a new book of screen plays called Western Stories. We speak of that, as well as the timeless Rock and the Pop Narcotic, the greater history of the creation of independent distribution systems and the architecture for the American DIY world. We also get into the Velvet Underound (and doc!), stand-up comedy, Stone Male: Requiem for the Living Picture, Enter Naomi, the changes in rock criticism, journalism, musical availability and cultural gates and gatekeepers past and present (looking at YOU, Rolling Stone) and so much more. It’s a very freewheeling conversation
He’s back! He’s back! After episode 208‘s comprehensive rundown of Sloan’s career (so far) the mighty Mr. Murphy is back to tell us all about Tuns and Trans-Canada Highwaymen and fill in some of the spots we missed. the Hit and Run ep (and the ACTUAL hit and run behind it), Silence Trumps Lies. Sloan on the OTHER Conan, a deep dive in Murder Records. Punk rock shows… Trailer Park Boys. Sloan: Founded in Fairness ™ and invested in each other.
After episode 206‘s epic length discussion of the Cows, it is only fair to do a deep dive into the discography of the mighty Heroine Sheiks! Especially now that Out of Aferica is being released on vinyl for the FIRST TIME. Hear how this very specific keyboard music came together as a NY band that was operating along with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol and such. Shannon Selberg is a deep thinking and an interesting guy, let’s listen in on the man’s criminally ignored second act and lots, lots more.
The Mighty Ben Verellen on Protonic Reversal at last. Conan and Ben talk a little about the Harkonen tour where they played along with a cd, layered harmonies, HA origin story, the 8/16 “Beavis and Butthead video”, as well as an album by album run through of the many wonderful Helms Alee records. Verellen Amplifiers! Bar House. ‘Tis a delight!
The relentless Trevor Dunn is back! This time with SpermChurch an international poly electro collaborative duo with electronic artist Sannety, releasing the brand new merdeka atau mati on his brand new label Riverworm Records. In this episode we discuss, growing up in Humboldt county and the origins of Mr. Bungle as well as the beginning and “cybernetic caveman” of the Raging Wrath of the Eastern Bunny demo. Fantomas origins, collaborations, and a run through of Disco Volante, California, the Mr. Bungle s/t amongst others. RETROVERTIGO, jazz pick up bands and lots more. All of that and a whole lot about this fascinating new release and collaboration.
The return of the Faith No More bass man! The early (grubby) days, and a deep, deep dive into the FNM discography. The myth and reality of Chuck Mosley. Rakija! Herzog and Kinski. Coming back to the band and all the various personalities. Kool Arrow! Last time we talked about MC50, Talking Book and (shockingly) Milk Cult, this is the detailed deep dive into the world of FNM you didn’t know you needed.
All Souls is a fascinating newer band! Although he lives in Los Angeles now, running the excellent Eastside Rehearsal studios, Tony and Conan know each other from the bay area heavy/noisy rock world. All Souls is a bit of a different animal though. Hear all about their touring with the Jesus Lizard, Melvins and TOOL, the band’s origin story and concept. Erik Trammel and Matt Price! Whatever happened with Last Days of Ancient Sunlight? This episode has a good overview, if not totally comprehensive look attheTotimoshidiscography. Some background on Tony’s… well… background. Rig Rundown! All that plus Tony’s tales of tour managing and road crewing bands like Neurosis, High On Fire, Melvins and more.
San Antonio’s The Grasshopper Lies Heavy have been making uncompromising heavy music for over 10 years. They have a brand new one “A Cult That Worships a God of Death“ out on Learning Curve Records. The record is examined on a song by song breakdown, as well as hearing more about splits with Gay Witch Abortion, touring Japan, what does and does not sell t-shirts and the hunt for tuning pegs in a foreign land. Get heavy, people!
Holy crap! @conanneutron interviewing Stu Spasm on @ProtonicPod is fucking great. I used to own Plays the Devils Music on vinyl in the '90s. Just awesome.
Also, this makes me wonder how hard it would be to interview Doc Corbin Dart, for some reason.
Our sister podcast @ProtonicPod is 30 subs away from 1,000 on YouTube! I'm sure @conanneutron would be super-appreciative if we got Protonic to 1,000 subs!
https://www.youtube.com/c/ProtonicReversal
Protonic is not a "youtube show", but it is a show on youtube (as well as other platforms) as of a year and a half ago. The amount of subscribers has increased
recently. Currently 33 away from 1K. If you don't sub & have an account, please consider?
https://www.youtube.com/c/ProtonicReversal
New episode of Protonic Reversal tomorrow. Thursday 8e/7c/6m/5p. STU SPASM of Lubricated Goat, the Art Gray Noizz Quintent, and Crunt. Tune in on youtube, twitch, and of course, good ol' Radio NOPE dot com.