Morrissey: Beleaguered Poet or Pompous Whiner? Podcast out Today
Convince Me To Like This Band
“A podcast featuring ‘Super Fans’ of polarizing bands”
Third Episode Out Today!
Stream: “Episode Three – Morrissey: beleaguered poet or pompous whiner?”
CONVINCE ME TO LIKE THIS BAND, a new music-commentary podcast, is launching its third episode discussing MORRISSEY on Friday, April 3rd, 2020 on all major streaming podcast platforms.
“Not only would I vote for Morrissey, I would be his campaign manager,” says Morrissey “Super Fan” and guest on Episode Three, JOSE MALDONADO, when asked if he would support Stephen Patrick Morrissey if he were on a 2020 political ticket.
Is Morrissey a self-absorbed whiner or is he the tender and romantic voice of forlorn, underground youth? Did Morrissey peak as a lyricist and singer in the 1980’s during his time in The Smiths or has his solo career eclipsed the artistic merit of The Smiths? Is Morrissey a bigot and a xenophobe and at what point should Morrissey’s political views matter to his die-hard fans?
In this latest episode, the Denver musician, filmmaker and social agitator, ANDREW NOVICK, AKA “KC KSUM,” has played the role of “Hater” and indicted Morrissey on high crimes of intolerable pretension, tawdry melodrama, artistic stagnation and offensive political stances. Andrew, who while in the 1980’s brat-punk band, Warlock Pinchers, penned the brutish and comedic song, “Morrissey Rides A Cockhorse,” has emphatically argued that Morrissey is a terrible artist undeserving of the adulation he has received.
However, Episode Three’s “Super Fan,” Jose Maldonado, also known as The Mexican Morrissey, is a formidable foe for Novak and has gone to the mats to defend the mighty Moz on all accounts. Maldonado, who is a Super Fan of the highest caliber, has seen Morrissey perform over one-hundred times and is one of the biggest acolytes of Morrissey in the world. Since 1992 he has been the singer of a Morrissey and Smiths tribute band called Sweet and Tender Hooligans, he regularly DJ’s Morrissey and Smiths music sets at clubs in the LA metro area and, for the past eleven years, he has hosted a weekly, two-hour radio show called Breakfast With the Smiths: The World of Morrissey on the Independent FM Radio, Los Angeles.
Convince Me To Like This Band offers a forum for a musical artist’s “Super Fan” and a “Hater” of that same artist to passionately debate the music. On each episode, a different musical artist will be discussed with different Super Fans and Haters appearing as guests. Episode One, released on January 17th, discussed SLAYER and Episode Two, released on February 21st, discussed PHISH. When listening to this podcast, the listener is front and center for the most passionate music commentary and debate. The program will feature musical acts spanning all genres with the goal of discussing some of pop culture’s most polarizing musical artists over the past fifty years.
The guests who appear on the podcast are the most (in)famous and the most extreme music fans to be found, AKA “Super Fans”. This includes fans like Episode One’s guest, MIKE MEYER, who famously carved “SLAYER” into his arms with a scalpel and then lit his arms on fire (all of which was officially memorialized in the album artwork for Slayer’s 1994 record, “Divine Intervention”). Episode Two’s Super Fan guest was Brian Bavosa, a fan of the most obsessive type who has seen PHISH perform live over 454 times and who has a prodigious Phish memorabilia collection that includes 250 Phish T shirts. Conversely, the “Haters” on this podcast hold similar notoriety and musical pedigree such as Episode Two’s Phish “Hater” and consummate contrarian, TIM HARRINGTON, who is the singer of the seminal indie rock band, Les Savy Fav. For a full list of guests on forthcoming episodes, visit, www.convincemetolikethisband.com
Convince Me To Like This Band is created, produced, edited and hosted by ERIC SPECK whose former music business endeavors includes, A&R at labels like Island Def Jam and Warner Music Group, label manager at Knitting Factory Records, talent buyer at Brownies (the legendary but defunct music venue in NYC), and owner of also defunct, indie rock record label, Ace Fu Records (home to Pinback, Man Man, Devotchka, Ted Leo and more). Speck currently works at Pandora Media and hosts the radio show Time To Be Useless, which streams on The Independent FM and Radio Free Brooklyn. He also is the co-owner of the music-centric, rock and roll bar, Pet Shop, in Jersey City, New Jersey, and he is the current talent buyer for Double Parked music festival.
Subscribe and download this podcast to explore the fascinating world of music “Super Fans” and hear their impassioned arguments. Your host Speck will lead listeners down the rabbit hole of musical criticism and commentary while unpacking all the emotion, fun and absurdity that can only be found in the most dedicated and iconic music fandoms.
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