Let It Roll EXTRA

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox and Ed Legge continue their discussion of Michaelangelo Matos' "Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year" with a look at Bruce Springsteen's breakthrough to national superstardom with Born in the USA. Nate struggles to maintain his official stance of aesthetic neutrality.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox and Ed Legge continue their discussion of Michaelangelo Matos' "Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year" with a look at the 1984 inaugural MTV Awards and some of the artists who dominated the channel that year.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox and Ed Legge continue their discussion of Michaelangelo Matos' "Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year" with a look at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and some of the musicians featured there including Etta James and Lionel Richie. There's also a discussion of a man much missed at the Olympics, the late Marvin Gaye as we…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox and Ed Legge continue their discussion of Michaelangelo Matos' "Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year" with a look at the dance club scene that produced Madonna, her work with DJ/producer Jellybean Benitez, the emergence of House music in Chicago, the HI-NRG scene in the gay clubs and the rapid evolution of electro in…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox and Ed Legge continue their discussion of Michaelangelo Matos' "Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year" with a look at a historic year for indie rock, post-punk and hardcore groups like R.E.M., Big Black, Naked Raygun, Husker Du, Black Flag and the Meat Puppets plus the whole neo-American rock scene headed up by X, the…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox and Ed Legge continue their discussion of Michaelangelo Matos' "Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year" with a look at the rise of Prince through the early 80s and his massive triumph with the film and album "Purple Rain."

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox and Ed Legge continue their discussion of Michaelangelo Matos' "Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year" with a look at the biggest tour of 1984: The Jackson's Victory tour.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox and Ed Legge continue their discussion of Michaelangelo Matos' "Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year" with a look at hip-hop in 1984 from the deluge of quickie exploitation movies, an attempt at a hip-hop Soul Train, the rise of Run-DMC and the meeting of Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin that resulted in Def Jam record…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox and Ed Legge continue their discussion of Michaelangelo Matos' "Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year" with a look at country music in 1984 from Willie Nelson's collaboration with Julio Iglesias to the rising new traditionalists Reba McEntire, George Strait and the Judds.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox and Ed Legge continue their discussion of Michaelangelo Matos' "Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year" with a look at Island Record's success with Bob Marley's Legend compilation, the rise of reissue labels like Rhino Records and the quest for the "next Bob Marley."

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox and Ed Legge continue their discussion of Michaelangelo Matos’ “Can’t Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop’s Blockbuster Year” with a look at the musical movies of 1984: Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense, Flashdance, Footloose, This is Spinal Tap, Repo Man and more.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox and Ed Legge continue their discussion of Michaelangelo Matos' "Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year" with a look at the incredibly glamorous 1984 Grammy awards when Michael Jackson reigned supreme (except for one surprise moment from Annie Lennox), Boy George gaffed, The Police were far away and Cyndi Lauper was pri…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox and Ed Legge continue their discussion of Michaelangelo Matos' "Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year" with a look at the glam metal scene on Hollywood's Sunset Strip which was led by Van Halen, Motley Crue, & Quiet Riot as well as the international metal scene headed up by Def Leppard, Iron Maiden and the Scorpions.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox and Ed Legge continue their discussion of Michaelangelo Matos' "Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year" with a look at the pair of music biz downturns that created the space for the new pop of 1984 to triumph: the early 80's record biz recession that followed the implosion of disco and the deeply moribund state of AOR …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox and Ed Legge continue their discussion of Michaelangelo Matos' "Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year" with a look at the pair of music biz downturns that created the space for the new pop of 1984 to triumph: the early 80's record biz recession that followed the implosion of disco and the deeply moribund state of AOR …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox and Ed Legge open their discussion of Michaelangelo Matos' book "Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year" with an overview of what made 1984 so special for pop music: Thriller, Purple Rain, Born in the USA, Like a Virgin, She's So Unusual and many many more beloved classics that all hit the radio at once and reinvigorat…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox, Eugene S. Robinson & Alexei Auld discuss the fan-funded "Extreme Metal" episode of the documentary series "Metal Evolution." The Puncholes wrap our look at metal evolution with a discussion of grindcore, death metal and black metal.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox, Eugene S. Robinson & Alexei Auld discuss the "Progressive Metal" episode of VH1 documentary series "Metal Evolution." The Puncholes debate the history of progressive metal with a lot of contention about whether or not Tool represented a clean break with the previous prog metal tradition.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox, Eugene S. Robinson & Alexei Auld discuss the “Power Metal” episode of VH1 documentary series “Metal Evolution.”The gang struggles to come to grips with Sam Dunn’s definition of power metal, his belated coverage of German metal bands like the Scorpions and Accept, as well as discussing both first and second wave power metal bands from …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox, Eugene S. Robinson & Alexei Auld discuss the "Shock Rock" episode of VH1 documentary series "Metal Evolution." The gang grapples with the "shock rock" umbrella that Sam Dunn uses to discuss a wide range of acts that combined intense rock with the shock aesthetic of the Grand Guignol. Slipknot emerges as a surprise favorite of the Punc…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox, Eugene S. Robinson & Alexei Auld discuss the "Nu Metal" episode of VH1 documentary series "Metal Evolution." Nate struggles to keep the team on track as long-held anti-Nu Metal biases threaten the attempted objectivity that's sacred to the Let It Roll approach.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHosts Nate Wilcox, Eugene S. Robinson & Alexei Auld discuss the "Grunge" episode of VH1 documentary series "Metal Evolution." Nate and the team grapple with the meaning of grunge, its place in heavy metal history and our own tastes and biases.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox returns with cohorts Eugene S. Robinson, lead singer of the art-punk band Oxbow and veteran entertainment attorney Alexei Auld to discuss Sam Dunn's sixth episode of "Metal Evolution" and the team debates the virtues of the various thrash bands of the era.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox returns with cohorts Eugene S. Robinson, lead singer of the art-punk band Oxbow and veteran entertainment attorney Alexei Auld to discuss Sam Dunn's fourth episode of "Metal Evolution" which focuses on the meaning of hair metal and how it produced its own nemesis in Guns N Roses.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox returns with cohorts Eugene S. Robinson, lead singer of the art-punk band Oxbow and veteran entertainment attorney Alexei Auld to discuss Sam Dunn's fourth episode of "Metal Evolution" which focuses on the era after punk rock took over Britain in the late 1970s, when a new wave of heavy metal bands emerged in response.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox returns with cohorts Eugene S. Robinson, lead singer of the art-punk band Oxbow and veteran entertainment attorney Alexei Auld to discuss Sam Dunn’s third episode of “Metal Evolution” which focuses on the era when three legendary bands ruled the hard rock roost in Britain in early 70s but none of them really accepted the term “heavy met…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox returns with cohorts Eugene S. Robinson, lead singer of the art-punk band Oxbow and veteran entertainment attorney Alexei Auld to discuss Sam Dunn's second episode of "Metal Evolution" which focuses on the rise of American hard rock in the late 60s and early 70s.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox returns with cohorts Eugene S. Robinson, lead singer of the art-punk band Oxbow and veteran entertainment attorney Alexei Auld to discuss Sam Dunn's take on the origins of heavy metal music in the blending of rock n roll, blues, jazz, classical and opera.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox returns with cohorts Eugene S. Robinson, lead singer of the art-punk band Oxbow and veteran entertainment attorney Alexei Auld to continue their discussion of Netflix’ Hip Hop Evolution. This week, they look at the mix tape phenomenon and artists like 50 Cent, TI and Lil Wayne who thrived in the medium.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox returns with cohorts Eugene S. Robinson, lead singer of the art-punk band Oxbow and veteran entertainment attorney Alexei Auld to continue their discussion of Netflix’ Hip Hop Evolution. This week, they look at a new generation of producers who emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s: Virginia's The Neptunes and Timbaland & Missy Elli…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox returns with cohorts Eugene S. Robinson, lead singer of the art-punk band Oxbow and veteran entertainment attorney Alexei Auld to continue their discussion of Netflix’ Hip Hop Evolution. This week, they look at the innovations of Houston’s DJ Screw, Three 6 Mafia from Memphis, and Atlanta’s Lil Jon.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox returns with cohorts Eugene S. Robinson, lead singer of the art-punk band Oxbow and veteran entertainment attorney Alexei Auld to continue their discussion of Netflix’ Hip Hop Evolution. This week they look at New Orleans hip-hop from bounce to No Limit & Cash Money Records.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox returns with cohorts Eugene S. Robinson, lead singer of the art-punk band Oxbow and veteran entertainment attorney Alexei Auld to continue their discussion of Netflix’ Hip Hop Evolution. This week they look at the birth of the Atlanta hip-hop scene from the early commercial breakthroughs of Jermaine Dupri with Kriss Kross and LaFace Rec…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox returns with cohorts Eugene S. Robinson, lead singer of the art-punk band Oxbow and veteran entertainment attorney Alexei Auld to continue their discussion of Netflix’ Hip Hop Evolution. This week they look at “Pass the Mic” which features Mos Def & Black Star, Eminem and an in-depth look at cyphers and open mics and their role in 90’s …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox returns with his cohorts Eugene S. Robinson, lead singer of the art-punk band Oxbow, and veteran entertainment attorney Alexei Auld, to continue their discussion of Netflix’ Hip Hop Evolution. This week they look at Notorious B.I.G’s “Life After Death” and his mentoring of Lil' Kim, how Puff Daddy dealt with the loss of his friend and t…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox returns with his cohorts Eugene S. Robinson, lead singer of the art-punk band Oxbow and veteran entertainment attorney Alexei Auld to continue their discussion of Netflix’ Hip-Hop Evolution. This week they discuss the first episode of season 3 "A Tale of Two Coasts" which focuses on Tupac Shakur, Suge Knight and Death Row Records and th…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox and his cohorts Alexei Auld and Eugene S. Robinson discuss season 2, episode 4 of Hip-Hop Evolution "A New York State of Mind" which covers Nas, the Wu-Tang Clan, and Biggie Smalls aka The Notorious B.I.G.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox and his cohorts Alexei Auld and Eugene S. Robinson discuss season 2, episode 3 of Hip Hop Evolution: "Do The Knowledge" which returns to New York to cover The Bridge Wars and Native Tongues groups like De La Soul and Tribe Called Quest.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox and his cohorts Alexei Auld and Eugene S. Robinson discuss the second episode of Hip Hop Evolution’s second season, “Out The Trunk: The Bay" which takes us to Northern California to talk about Too Short, MC Hammer, Digital Underground and a young 2Pac Shakur.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox and his cohorts Alexei Auld and Eugene S. Robinson discuss the first episode of Hip Hop Evolution’s second season, "The Southern Way", which looks at the first Southern rappers to make a national impact: Florida’s 2 Live Crew and Texas’ Geto Boys and Underground Kings.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox and his cohorts Alexei Auld and Eugene S. Robinson discuss the fourth episode of Hip Hop Evolution "The Birth of Gangsta Rap" which takes us from Schooley D in Philly to Ice T, Eazy E and NWA in Los Angeles.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox and his cohorts Alexei Auld and Eugene S. Robinson discuss the third episode of Hip Hop Evolution: “The New Guard.”The show focuses on the dawn of hip-hop’s golden age and the emergence of Run-DMC, Def Jam Records, Public Enemy ,and Eric B. & Rakim.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox and his cohorts Alexei Auld and Eugene S. Robinson discuss the second episode of Hip Hop Evolution “From the Underground to the Mainstream.”The episode covers the early New York rap battles caught on bootleg cassettes, Hip-Hop’s move from the Bronx to Manhattan and alliance with punk as well as the first hit rap records, The Sugarhill G…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox is joined by Alexei Auld and Eugene S. Robinson to talk about the first episode of Netflix' Hip-Hop Evolution: The Foundation. The conversation covers DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox & music writer James Porter conclude their discussion of Ken Burns' Country Music with a look at the emergence of country music's neo-traditionalists like Randy Travis and Ricky Skaggs, and the brief golden period they kicked off before the economics of superstars like Garth Brooks changed the game.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox & music writer James Porter continue discussing Ken Burns' Country Music with a look at the triumph of Outlaw Country practitioners Willie Nelson & Waylon Jennings outside the Nashville system, the massive crossover success of Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris’ knack for bringing traditional country to the top of the charts from Los Angeles …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox & music writer James Porter continue discussing Ken Burns' Country Music with a look at episode six “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” which covers the rise of Kris Kristofferson and a new generation of Nashville songwriters, Mr & Mrs Country music George Jones & Tammy Wynette, Johnny Cash’s emergence as a superstar and the Nitty Gritty Dirt…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox & music writer James Porter continue discussing Ken Burns' Country Music with a look at Charley Pride’s efforts to integrate country music, the rise of Roger Miller, Buck Owens & Merle Haggard’s Bakersfield Sound, Loretta Lynn and the new wave of female singers she led.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox and music writer James Porter continue their discussion of Ken Burns' Country Music with a look at the sudden emergence of rockabilly from Memphis, the new generation of stars like Johnny Cash and the Nashville Sound that producers Chet Atkins and Owen Bradley came up with for artists like Jim Reeves and Patsy Cline in response.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit letitrollpodcast.substack.comHost Nate Wilcox and music writer James Porter continue their discussion of Ken Burns' Country Music with a look a Hank Williams, the living avatar of honky tonk, his closest rival Lefty Frizzell, as well as Eddy Arnold, who offered a pop-country alternative, and Kitty Wells whose answer song prefigured feminist country music.