Episode 176: The One About 'Such Great Heights' with Chris DeVille

Cold Open Question of the Week: If you could go back to see Elvis, Michael Jackson or Prince in concert, which one would you choose?Tonight we welcome author Chris DeVille, whose book “Such Great Heights: The Complete Cultural History of the Indie Rock Explosion” I recently read and which explores, according Chris, “how indie rock changed the mainstream and the mainstream changed indie rock in the 21st century.” The book was named one of Rolling Stone’s best music books of 2025.Chris is currently the managing editor of Stereogum.com, one of the first MP3 blogs and continues to be the leading online community for independent and alternative music news, downloads, and videos. In addition to his writing and editing duties, Chris has written for publications such as The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, The Ringer, and Deadspin.Watch TheBrianLennonShow on Substack:We learn about Chris’ childhood and teen years and early experiences listening to and playing music, as well as his writing and journalism background, from working at the Columbus Alive before moving on to Stereogum.com.Then we move on to discussing Such Great Heights and the evolution of “indie” rock from the 1980s through today.Then we discuss the role of technology on the early “indie” scene in the 2000s, from Napster to the iPod to eventual streaming services like Spotify.The culture at-large also played a role in the popularity of “indie” music, from shows like Fox’s “The O.C.” to movies like Garden State and Chris explains how that influenced and shaped the scene.As always, thank you to our sponsor: Rapp Brewing CompanyCongratulations to Rapp Brewing Co. for being recognized as one of the Top 30 Breweries in Florida by My Bartender.This Week’s Food Truck Schedule:* Wednesday, January 28th 5-8 p.m. Tower 10 Burgers* Friday, January 30th 4-8 p.m. Polish Babki Kitchen* Saturday, January 31st 5-8 p.m. Detroit Coney Island* Sunday, February 1st 4-8 p.m. Rising Sun Asian Fusion TacosWe also get into hipsters, “poptimism,” and get to ask Chris some rapid fire questions about topics ranging from Blink-182’s “I Miss You”, Cincinnati chili, Mumford & Sons, his favorite concert he’s ever attended, favorite “indie” musician he’s met, “guilty pleasures,” if he owns a typewriter, and how Stone Temple Pilots’ Scott Weiland’s solo album, “12 Bar Blues,” would be received in today’s music culture.Finally, we break down this year’s Super Bowl LX match-up between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, as well as Bad Bunny and Green Day’s upcoming appearances, and which “indie” band would be the best future halftime performer. Visit Chris’ Social Media:Substack: Such Great Heights Instagram: chrisdevilleofficialPublisher: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250363398/suchgreatheights/Stereogum: www.Stereogum.comTheBrianLennonShow is a reader and listener-supported publication. To receive new episodes and support our work, consider becoming a FREE or paid subscriber. Get full access to TheBrianLennonShow at thebrianlennonshow.substack.com/subscribe