47. Scott Pianowski Discusses Pretenders (self-titled)

Send us Fan Mail Scott Pianowski of Yahoo Sports joins me on this episode to discuss the Pretenders’ 1979 debut album. In addition to breaking down this classic album in depth, Scott talks about how he got started playing fantasy sports, how he embraces variety in both sports and music and how sees the Pretenders’ musical legacy beyond their first album.Random notes:I’d commented that the band is listed as “Pretenders” on all of their albums, but on some, they are listed as “The Pretenders,” including on Learning to Crawl — an album I actually owned.I have few pet peeves greater than hearing someone say “Chrissie Hyndes,” so I was mortified to hear myself pronounce her name that way at 36:30.Kudos to our dog, Branny, for providing sound effects at 41:36, when I was talking about “being floored” by Talk of the Town. That’s the sound of her trying to open the door to my podcasting room.Scott mentioned that there is an oral history of MTV. I’m assuming that he was referring to I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution. https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780452298569Scott mentioned the Breakfast Table podcast he does with Michael Salfino. You can find episodes here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-breakfast-table-fantasy-sports-podcast/id1027990226You can access Scott’s work — both columns and podcasts — right here: https://sports.yahoo.com/author/scott-pianowski/Follow Scott on Twitter! @scott_pianowskiAl is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.1:10 Scott joins the show1:47 Scott enjoys covering a variety of sports3:20 Scott’s obsession with baseball stats set the stage for playing and writing about fantasy sports6:58 Scott absorbed a lot of musical knowledge in high school and college11:24 The Pretenders were part of a great cohort of new bands in the late 70s13:35 Scott sees the Pretenders’ debut as fitting in with a pattern of debut albums being a band’s best album14:08 Scott sees Chrissie Hynde’s versatility as a key part of what makes Pretenders a great band16:27 Scott cites some albums he also considered discussing on this episode19:16 Scott explains why he did choose the Pretenders’ debut23:06 Scott and Al shared the formative experience of listening to music on vinyl24:06 Scott talks about the ‘80s movie that references the Pretenders’ debut27:10 Pretenders or The Pretenders?Track-by-track breakdown27:55 Precious33:00 The Phone Call37:36 Up the Neck39:23 Tattooed Love Boys41:14 A brief discussion of Talk of the Town44:24 The Tattooed Love Boys video and the early years of MTV46:18 Space Invader49:43 The Wait52:27 Stop Your Sobbing56:12 Kid58:12 Private Life1:02:05 Lovers of Today1:04:33 Mystery Achievement1:07:13 Scott and Al take an R.E.M. detour1:09:19 Brass In Pocket1:10:09 How does Scott view the rest of Pretenders’ discography?Support the show