Listeners Like You

In this episode, did Brian enjoy the Old Gods of Appalachia horror podcast? Cort didn’t listen to it, despite promising to, which prompts Brian to demand a new, more reliable system for assigning homework. AUDIOBOOKS ARE ON THE TABLE! (accountability is not) Brian recounts his recent trip to see The Wiz, a show marred only by an unfortunate tangle of hair. We discuss the Memphis craft beer scene, including the loss of Memphis Made Brewing. There’s a detour into South Park’s latest political parody and ICE’s apparent attempt to draft Superman (seriously). But the real, "bury the lead why don't ya," bomb-drop is that Brian went to Colorado and saw not one, but two live shows: The Lumineers and Regina Spektor. Tune in to see which blew his mind. Finally, Cort’s next assignment is a Colorado-trip-inspired, Brian-curated playlist of Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats tracks, so we're giving you an early link to the playlist in case you want to play along for next episode. Theme Music: Cyrus Oh Cyrus – The Flying Scrub Jays Check out Old Gods of Appalachia here: Old Gods of Appalachia Cort's Next Assignment: Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats playlist → Listen on Spotify → Listen on Amazon

Brian assigned Talking Through Tin Cans by The Morning Benders, and what starts as Cort’s simple album review turns into a deep dive on the band’s identity shift, artistic shift, and the fact that the name change apparently changed everything. Cort did his research, people, but Brian came with doctorate-level analysis, as per usual. Elsewhere, the new Ben Folds Live with the National Symphony Orchestra gets full marks (who’s surprised?), and the first part of HBO’s new two-part Billy Joel documentary sparks conversation, appreciation, and… Cort’s possibly under-examined thing for pianists. Brian watched more shark movies (it was all for research, of course) while Cort recommends something different to Brian to shake things up for the next episode. And they might’ve made it through an entire episode without talking politics, but no guarantees. 🎧 Talking Through Tin Cans by The Morning Benders 🎶 Theme music: Cyrus Oh Cyrus by The Flying Scrub Jays

We’re back with Brian’s thoughts on Tyler, The Creator’s Chromakopia, an album recommended by Cort’s daughter. While Brian’s reaction is, let’s say, unsurprising … the conversation actually gets pretty deep into the weeds in a good way. We dig into the fact that what makes a challenging album listenable (or even inspiring) to some, maybe does not to others, and Cort may give a demonstration on how not to defend art that plays with uncomfortable lines (a.k.a. our new podcast in the works Why Some Things Are Better Left to Those Who Know.) From there, it’s a stop at Chelsea’s FIFA Club World Cup victory, which gives Brian a reason to celebrate and to wade (briefly) into the geopolitical glorious glory (or fiery dumpster fire) surrounding the win. Then it’s capes and cowls time with a check-in on the new Superman movie, before we wrap up with a ChatGPT songwriting experiment that is very on-brand, if not exactly the next Spotify hit. Theme music: Cyrus Oh Cyrus – The Flying Scrub Jays Featured Album: Chromakopia – Tyler, the Creator Bonus Link: Superman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

This week, the guys welcome their youngest (and likely most musically gifted) guest ever, Brian’s son, Whit Faughnan, who gave them a playlist of Fugazi tracks because he likes Fugazi and the DC Hardcore scene (you know, the one from before he was born). Cort surprises Brian by liking it; Brian, predictably, does not. They dig through the legacy of Dischord Records, the Hardcore movement, and what happens when you really listen to a band like Fugazi and what they have to say. They also discuss Whit’s own band, Over Under, based in Blacksburg, VA, check them out if you're ever there. Also in this episode: Cort assigns Chromakopia by Tyler the Creator for next time and gleefully predicts Brian will loathe it. 🎧 Whit’s Fugazi Playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6SsTEzPeuDPOOAmkqqK7U5?si=f4ef5a30351e45af 🎧 Whit’s Fugazi Playlist on Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/c39f04327ab44f7c816765df935bbd8dsune?ref=dm_sh_X9pH1TDWvYjL9CO4ZJ88mzEKJ&referrer=dm_sh_messages 🎶 Theme Music – “Cyrus Oh Cyrus” by The Flying Scrub Jays: https://open.spotify.com/track/3S9T5HUS4cwky1922WhF1J?si=111345d6cdc04093

This episode, Cort reports back on Not Animal by Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s and yada, yada, yada, next thing you know Brian is practically giving a TED Talk on the original makeup of the band, its founder Richard Edwards, and the band’s “break-up.” So what actually is Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s? The original members only? Or anyone Richard feels like dragging into the studio? (Shoutout to The Shins' James Mercer.) We issue a formal apology to Carrie (the 1976 version) for the figurative bucket of pig’s blood we dumped by failing to mention it in our last episode during our roundup of “good” Stephen King adaptations. Our mea culpa leads us into a topic we have tiptoed around in the past: are King’s short stories easier to adapt to the screen than his novels? And if so, does that rule hold for all writers, or just King? On the TV front, Cort and his wife binged We Were Liars on Amazon Prime, featuring Candice King (aka Caroline from The Vampire Diaries). And when we switch to movies, Brian reflects on the emotional trauma of seeing Jaws as a child, which led to his totally rational adult obsession with shark movies. Cort saw The Materialists recently and … didn’t leave before it ended. So that’s something. PLUS - Next episode, we welcome our next guest: Brian’s son, Whit, who assigned us a Fugazi playlist to listen to and discuss. You can listen along too: Whit’s Playlist on Spotify Whit’s Playlist on Amazon Music Theme music: Cyrus Oh Cyrus by The Flying Scrub Jays Featured Album: Not Animal by Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s

In this episode, Brian goes on a three-album detour just to reach Cort's recommendation of Strange Ranger’s No Light in Heaven. Cort actually listens to one of his own recs for a change, and his feelings are … mixed. But! His one-time stated, but frequently ascribed "long-standing belief" in the power of tracks in the position of "7th" may finally be justified. Cort dives into the Irish History Podcast, Brian hits him with a quiz on Rangers, Rovers, and Wanderers (the football kind) with just enough football (ahem, soccer) information to make Cort feel dumb—but not quite enough to qualify this show as a sports podcast. Brian posits that the real cult following of this show won’t bloom until the year 3000 when we’re all living underground and podcasts have replaced history books. We also ask the big questions: Why are Wes Anderson movies so consistently lauded when they're so inconsistent, and why are Stephen King movie adaptations so consistently inconsistent? There's always room for more. I didn't even mention our now seemingly regular segment that could be called "Detour into Reality TV." Theme music is Cyrus Oh Cyrus by the Flying Scribe Jays, from the album Love Beneath the Moonlight. Check it out here Strange Ranger’s No Light in Heaven Dive into the Irish History Podcast if you like that sort of thing

This week, Cort gets an assignment that's pure rock and roll gold: Tell Me I’m Pretty by Cage the Elephant. Spoiler LOLZ, he loved it. Brian takes us deeper with his thoughts on the band, trivia about the Shultz brothers who formed it, and the band’s (or at least the brothers') southern origins. Brian also wanted to gush about the new Counting Crows release, Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!, but Cort hasn’t listened yet, obvi, so they had to vamp. Is August and Everything After a Top 10 Album of all time? Then things literally got weird. Brian brings up the syndicated column News of the Weird because he wanted to talk about whether it's reached its end, but Cort zeroes in on the true story Brian cites: Woman Suffers from Fear of Ketchup. This, naturally, unearths Brian’s deep-rooted condiment aversion. Things spiral quickly, and Brian's final word may or may not involve pickle slander. We also touch on a scientifically indefensible (but alas mostly true) story involving the Town of Collierville and a blooming battle with fluoride. And to wrap it all up, Cort recommends something for Brian to hate for the next episode. It’s the circle of life, podcast edition. Listen to the Ep. 57 assignment and judge for yourself: Cage the Elephant – Tell Me I'm Pretty Theme music: “Cyrus Oh Cyrus” by The Flying Scrub Jays from Love Beneath the Moonlight Listen here

In this episode of Listeners Like You, Cort assigned homework. Brian turns in a meh review, and somehow Gracie Lawrence walks away with a Tony nomination anyway. Cort made Brian listen to Family Business by Lawrence. In Cort's opinion it's a funky, soulful, horn-infused joyride of an album featuring the Tony-nominated powerhouse Gracie Lawrence (yes, that Gracie, now starring in The Sex Lives of College Girls on MAX and in Just in Time with Jonathan Groff on Broadway). Cort’s a fan. Brian … titled the episode Jazz with No Soul. So, you do the math. We also salute the phoenix-like rise of Wrexham’s football club (three promotions in three years), lament the ever-worsening indignities of modern air travel, and channel our inner doomsday preppers by predicting what goods might vanish first if Trump’s tariffs tighten the supply chain. (Cort is hoarding soup. Brian ... probably jazz CDs.) Are cat food lines in our future? 🎧 Give Cort's assignment to Brian, Family Business, a listen here: Lawrence – Family Business 🎵 Theme music: “Cyrus Oh Cyrus” by The Flying Scrub Jays from Love Beneath the Moonlight Check them out here: Love Beneath the Moonlight – The Flying Scrub Jays

Brian and Cort have a guest, which of course means our listeners should quadruple. Come listen to us discuss Peach Pit's album Magpie and compare it to one of their earlier works, You and Your Friends. On a personal note, Brian had a lot of fun recording with Cort's son, who reminds Brian a lot of what Cort was like back when he was young and fun. On a sad note, this episode may have led directly to Cort's son taking out a restraining order on Cort. Magpie by Peach Pit - https://open.spotify.com/album/1LNCdy3xZoibzDh0WllxHY?si=pHBby4tJTdCLXGQPpys-zQ "Cyrus Oh Cyrus" - The Flying Scrub Jays - https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0BD2HJ21S?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_VrTdsVhZSdQbGxiCG13xFkYMk&trackAsin=B0BD3HYRSL

The boys are at it again. This Side of the Island - Hamilton Leithauser - https://open.spotify.com/album/06d60TFUm7t91QHcVKq65T?si=iL4Ii2vSQvGc5ojrhTgm3A "Cyrus Oh Cyrus" - The Flying Scrub Jays - https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0BD2HJ21S?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_VrTdsVhZSdQbGxiCG13xFkYMk&trackAsin=B0BD3HYRSL

We get a little straight-up saucy in this one. Brian talks about Finneas' 2024 album, For Cryin' Out Lout. There are rule-changes afoot in Traitors US and UK, and Brian doesn't like it! Speaking of rule changes, did I mention we're saucy? Our rules are out the window for a little segment we like to call: So You're Thinking of Leaving the US? There's more. You know we're just two guys sharing our opinions about the things we've heard, and rumor has it we may have missed some music things back in 2020. You got funny. You got some angry. You'll get some new information too! Or hey, it's new information to us anyway. For Cryin' Out Loud - Finneas - https://open.spotify.com/album/7swV2ssDdlKc89h1DxUNh7?si=GKtoOn2uQLeA0jmeToJ11g "Cyrus Oh Cyrus" - The Flying Scrub Jays - https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0BD2HJ21S?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_VrTdsVhZSdQbGxiCG13xFkYMk&trackAsin=B0BD3HYRSL

The guys discuss their somewhat differing opinions of Michigander's 2025 self-titled album. They discuss which talents such as singing ability should really be considered when determining the winners of acting superlatives in races such as the Oscars. Their ever-increasingly popular segment, So You're Thinking About Leaving the United States, meanders over to Liechtenstein, a doubly landlocked microstate in Central Europe. There's also a discussion about Brian's experience with chemistry. "Cyrus Oh Cyrus" - The Flying Scrub Jays - https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0BD2HJ21S?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_VrTdsVhZSdQbGxiCG13xFkYMk&trackAsin=B0BD3HYRSL Michigander by Michigander - https://open.spotify.com/album/40hEeqidvpcsJrUqYN4jTL?si=FqYh892dRgahhQ0tap7kHA

There is a definite difference in musical taste when it comes to musical tastes. Brian reviews Steep Canyon Rangers' 2023 album Morning Shift. The guys dream of escaping to Norway. There is a discussion about the touring version of the Broadway show Hamilton that just recently passed through Memphis. And Brian even reviews a book (although he was silent on the suspected non-audio aspect of the book), The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi. Come on aboard; I promise you, it won't hurt the horse. Morning Shift - Steep Canyon Rangers - https://open.spotify.com/album/5AK94KLNpCTGCWf0r23UQn?si=zJWqhh6mRfOGv6QsJ3Yl5g "Cyrus Oh Cyrus" - The Flying Scrub Jays - https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0BD2HJ21S?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_VrTdsVhZSdQbGxiCG13xFkYMk&trackAsin=B0BD3HYRSL

Surprise surprise. The guys have thrown together a little bonus episode to celebrate the release of The Lumineers new album, Automatic. Join them as they spend twice as much time discussing the album as it takes to listen to it. Laugh along at Cort's wildly incorrect interpretations of the songs. It's fun. As always, there is some hilarity doing some ensuing. The Lumineers - Automatic - https://open.spotify.com/album/5WMQEzS5EBCPU5IYKSY7BM?si=tL6ZLeQrSleXyzIqZYeFLA

Brian and Cort welcome guest Trisha Rich. They discuss Bob Dylan's The Freewheelin Bob Dylan, a little revisiting of the play Girl from the North Country, and Bob Dylan biopic A Complete unknown, which of course leads to a broader, longer conversation about this year's Oscar nominations and Trish's annual endeavor to watch all Oscar nominated films prior to the actual awards ceremony. Trish and Cort dissect the listening/viewing habits of a long distance runner and running in general. "Cyrus Oh Cyrus" - The Flying Scrub Jays - https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0BD2HJ21S?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_VrTdsVhZSdQbGxiCG13xFkYMk&trackAsin=B0BD3HYRSL The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan - https://open.spotify.com/album/0o1uFxZ1VTviqvNaYkTJek?si=JTkmc0L7TgCdTXGh6dgi0Q

In the penultimate episode of season 5 of Listeners Like You the guys . . . sorry, this just in, Listeners Like You famously doesn't do seasons. But if we did, this would be an awesome penultimate episode. Cort talks about the revelation that is Wishy's Triple Seven (henceforth "777") and the disappointment that is Franz Ferdinand's new album (disappointment to Cort anyway; Brian stands by the recommendation). Talk of Wishy naturally leads into a conversation about bands with multiple lead singers. There is a discussion about the complete whiff of a list by some "rock & roll magazine" that purports to name the top 250 Albums of the new millennium so far - garbage and more utter nonsense (and we ain't talkin the band Garbage here either, just the travesty of a list). "Cyrus Oh Cyrus" - The Flying Scrub Jays - https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0BD2HJ21S?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_VrTdsVhZSdQbGxiCG13xFkYMk&trackAsin=B0BD3HYRSL Triple Seven by Wishy - https://open.spotify.com/album/0xCWaLwotmO3NtVQsHrhNf?si=F65AUtSvQx6o2w_CdDMnjw The Human Fear by Franz Ferdinand - https://open.spotify.com/album/7LbR1L8thzNldHceu3tj1a?si=VzOGLQLMRXi2l88ZwrovOQ

In this episode the guys discuss Brian's experience with Depresh Mode with John Moe. It leads them into a pretty in depth conversation about podcast production and production values, which is totally not as dry a conversation as it sounds! Because ... these boys are on fire. What motivates the "rebrand"? When companies rebrand why do they do it? Which rebrands have been successful and which have failed? We discuss it all. Cort revisits Episode 47 with some thoughts on Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks pre-Fleetwood Mac album, Buckingham Nicks. There's a discussion of the first couple of episodes of the third season of the US version of Traitors. Check it out. "Cyrus Oh Cyrus" - The Flying Scrub Jays - https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0BD2HJ21S?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_VrTdsVhZSdQbGxiCG13xFkYMk&trackAsin=B0BD3HYRSL

Wherein the guys discuss the album Cunningham Bird (a song for song remake of Buckingham Nicks) by Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham. Cort digs in to the subtle differences between the audio versions of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone read by Jim Dale and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone read by Stephen Fry. Have you ever considered moving to Switzerland? In our ongoing series So You're Thinking About Leaving the United States we discuss the fact that you better straighten up and act right if you want the Swiss people to vote in favor of your citizenship in their country. Finally, Cort's recommendation for Brian's next listen almost flies right off the rails, but Brian manages to reel it back in. "Cyrus Oh Cyrus" - The Flying Scrub Jays - https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0BD2HJ21S?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_VrTdsVhZSdQbGxiCG13xFkYMk&trackAsin=B0BD3HYRSL Cunningham Bird by Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham - https://open.spotify.com/album/7oqmbxce6KT0PZ8manQXJB?si=mOdx2QUDScu9D7JuGwb0lg Buckingham Nicks by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks - https://youtu.be/DXa6CIfhls8?si=QsXL-JdT-RqrDVOL

In this episode Brian gives his take on Lin-Manuel Miranda's concept album, Warriors, and ever the overachiever, he also went out and watched the 1979 film it was based on, The Warriors. There is a discussion about Cort's Spotify Wrapped list, and then the guys take a hard right turn into Yacht Rock. So You're Thinking About Leaving the United States makes its return in this episode and the guys do a deep dive on moving to Vatican City or Kuwait.

Brian and Cort welcome another very special guest on this very special episode of Listeners Like You. Long-time listener, first-time caller Hanson Tipton peeks in to share his thoughts on music and music history. The group discussed MJ Lenderman's "Manning Fireworks." "Cyrus Oh Cyrus" - The Flying Scrub Jays - https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0BD2HJ21S?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_VrTdsVhZSdQbGxiCG13xFkYMk&trackAsin=B0BD3HYRSL Manning Fireworks by MJ Lenderman - https://open.spotify.com/album/1bKiiYGt1fzm9YMlTnUqpN?si=764hRZZnQ0S4wfbVIZdTBw