If You Thought "I Am the Walrus" had Strange Lyrics...You'll Love This Episode

Exploring the Quirky and Thought-Provoking Song Lyrics: A Musical Journey

Music has a unique way of capturing our emotions, telling stories, and evoking deep thoughts. Sometimes, the lyrics of a song can be strange, interesting, or downright curious, leaving us pondering their meaning. In this blog post, we will delve into a compilation of intriguing song lyrics that have captivated our attention and sparked our imagination. From artists like Lemon Demonn, Lisa Loeb, and Live, these songs explore themes ranging from movies to personal experiences, offering a diverse array of perspectives. So let's dive in and explore the fascinating world of quirky and thought-provoking song lyrics.

1. Jaws by Lemon Demonn:

It's not every day that you come across a song that tells the story of a classic movie like "Jaws." Lemon Demonn's "Jaws" takes some creative liberties with the storyline but serves as an entertaining and unusual tribute to this iconic film. With strange and wacky beats, this song brings a fresh perspective to a beloved movie, making it a must-listen for any Jaws enthusiast.

2. When All the Stars Were Falling by Lisa Loeb:

In her song "When All the Stars Were Falling," Lisa Loeb presents us with a curious lyric that raises questions - "I may not be a Quaalude living in a speed zone." Loeb refers to an encounter with a New York cab driver who said this intriguing phrase to her. The juxtaposition of a Quaalude (a downer) and a speed zone (going fast) makes this lyric thought-provoking, encouraging listeners to interpret its deeper meaning.

3. Short Skirt, Long Jacket by Cake:

With their unconventional lyrics and distinctive sound, Cake never fails to surprise us. "Short Skirt, Long Jacket" is a perfect example of their unique style. Describing his ideal woman, the lead singer sings about a girl using a machete to cut through red tape and trading her MG for a white Chrysler LeBaron. These eccentric and vivid lyrics add an element of quirkiness to the song, making it an unforgettable experience.

4. Nausea by X:

X's "Nausea" is a punk rock anthem that displays the band's rebellious spirit. The lyrics, "At night you’ll fall asleep in clothes so late like a candy bar wrapped up for lunch, that’s all you get to face poverty and spit.” leave room for interpretation and intrigue. The song's mysterious atmosphere and cryptic lyrics reflect the punk rock ethos, challenging the norms and embracing individuality.

5. Lightning Crashes by Live:

Live's "Lightning Crashes" tells a profound story through its lyrics. One line that stands out is, "A new mother cries, her placenta falls to the floor." This striking lyric beautifully captures the circle of life and the emotions surrounding childbirth. It presents the listener with an uncommon perspective, emphasizing the vulnerability and power of the human experience.

Music has the power to surprise, entertain, and make us ponder life's intricacies. The song lyrics discussed in this blog post demonstrate the vast range of emotions and ideas that musicians can convey through their art. Whether it's a tribute to a classic film like "Jaws," enigmatic phrases by Lisa Loeb and X, or profound reflections on life by Cake and Live, these songs have left an indelible mark on the music landscape. So next time you listen to your favorite songs, pay attention to the lyrics and let their curiosity and strangeness transport you into a world of imagination and contemplation.

The Sister Show: Our Top Five List of Songs That Make Us Think of One Another

Welcome back everyone to the realm of what Annie and Kris like to call "the Top five podcast". In today's episode, they take a sentimental trip down memory lane as they discuss the top five songs that remind them of each other. From catchy rock anthems to heartfelt ballads, this list is filled with songs that have woven themselves into the fabric of their shared experiences. Join Annie and Kris as they dive into the stories behind each song and the memories they hold dear.

Our Top 5 Favorite Films Featuring Ensemble Casts

Well, happy Late Hump Day - or it might even be Thursday by the time this gets posted.  Regardless - Annie and I had a very busy Memorial Day Weekend, cranking out shows for y'all and trying to get ahead of the game while she's in Europe with the fam.

As for me - it's "Summertime" at the day job, so I'm doing as much as I can to catch up and put summer projects into motion.  I mean...nothing says "summer" like summer projects, summer movies...and Ensemble Casts. 

Well, almost nothing.

I really did love what Wikipedia had to say about Ensemble Casts:

"In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time. The term is also used interchangeably to refer to a production (typically film) with a large cast or a cast with several prominent performers.

Ensemble casts in film were introduced as early as September 1916, with D. W. Griffith's silent epic film Intolerance, featuring four separate though parallel plots. The film follows the lives of several characters over hundreds of years, across different cultures and time periods. The unification of different plot lines and character arcs is a key characteristic of ensemble casting in film; whether it is a location, event, or an overarching theme that ties the film and characters together.

Films that feature ensembles tend to emphasize the interconnectivity of the characters, even when the characters are strangers to one another.  The interconnectivity is often shown to the audience through examples of the "six degrees of separation" theory and allows them to navigate through plot lines using cognitive mapping. Examples of this method, where the six degrees of separation are evident in films with an ensemble cast, are in productions such as Love ActuallyCrash, and Babel, which all have strong underlying themes interwoven within the plots that unify each film.

Hollywood movies with ensemble casts tend to use numerous actors of high renown and/or prestige, instead of one or two "big stars" and a lesser-known supporting cast.[citation needed] Filmmakers known for their use of ensemble casts include Quentin TarantinoWes Anderson, and Paul Thomas Anderson among others."

And so, with that bit of borrowing from Wikipedia, it looks like y'all WILL get this episode on Wednesday evening.  ENJOY!!!

The Top Five Movie Musicals Released After 1980

In today's episode, Annie and I take on our favorite movie musicals that were released after the year 1980.  We get into a few little extra things, too - like how our parents and siblings shaped our view of movie musicals when we were younger as well as what we really think defines the concept of "Movie Musical."  While this was one of our first episodes recorded, it is coming out mid-season, if you will.   No worries - there's still a lot more movie-musical stuff coming!

Do you have a Top Five List idea or want to challenge our list?  Send us an email - maybe we'll share your idea for debate on the show!  That email address is hello@thetopfivepodcast.com.

Coming soon...

Our Top Five Favorite LGBTQ Shows and Films

Top Five Favorite Go-Go's Songs

Top Five Movies SO BAD, they're classic!

Top Five Worst Movies Ever Made!

Well, it's a great companion piece to the Top Five Worst Movie Musicals.  And wow, did we have a hoot and a holler recording this show!

This episode features Chris Corral and me going to town on the five movies we've seen that we consider being THE WORST movies ever made - EVER.  AT least, from our point of view.

Remember that neither Chris nor I am official pop-culture scholars and we don't have film degrees or work as film critics.  We just have really strong opinions and love sharing them.

What is it about these films that brought us to think, "SHIT, that's a really bad movie?"  Perhaps it was the writing, the plot, the casting, or just poor execution overall.  And keep in mind - some really bad movies turn out to become cult classics.  But as usual, that's a matter of opinion.  

Don't like our selections and want to challenge us?  GO FOR IT!  Shoot us an email at hello@thetopfivepodcast.com. You can also contact us there if you want to propose a Top Five topic for us to take on...and we are always looking to audition new co-hosts.  We would LOVE to hear from you!

Please check out our Patreon page if you'd like to support the show!  

Apologies that there’s no transcript for this show….but getting there eventually. ENJOY!

Top Five WORST Movie Musicals IOHO

Ewww....gross!

or - "Please, God, let me have those two hours back!"

There's one thing to watch a bad movie...it's another thing to watch a really awful movie...and THEN there are the Really Bad Movies that are also MUSICALS.

In this episode, my sister Annie and I each take on five films of the musical genre that just really grossed us out, pissed us off, or otherwise disappointed us.  And had a really fun time doing it.

This is also Episode One in a series Annie and I are doing regarding the musical genre as a whole.  So you can look forward to Best Movie Musicals released before and after 1980, best movies that AREN'T truly musicals but feature amazing musical performances, best animated movie musicals, and best musicals not based on Broadway plays...just to name a few!

Don't like our choices or want to challenge them?  Shoot us an email at hello@thetopfivepodcast.com

You can also pitch us a Top Five topic or request an audition to be a co-host!

And we'd love for you to support the show!  Visit our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/topfivepodcast 

Here’s the transcript of the show! ENJOY!!!

[00:00:22] welcome. My dear top five fans and we are here for another exciting episode of the top five podcasts. I'm your host, Kris McPeak. And with me as always again, this time, my youngest sister, Annie Mayer, Pruitt, Annie what's up? 

[00:00:43] Hello? Hello. 

[00:00:47] happy days. How are you? 

[00:00:49] I'm fantastic. How are you?

[00:00:52] I'm fantastic,

[00:00:58] , so we are engaging at the beginning of a journey. In musical land and we are going to be discussing several. There will be several episodes dedicated to top fives in the world of movie musicals. And we're starting tonight with 

[00:01:27] worst, 

[00:01:29] in our opinion, Annie and myself.

[00:01:33] So Annie let's define what we're talking about by worst movie musical. Like, how, how were it worse? Like you threw up a little in your mouth. 

[00:01:43] So yeah. Threw up a little in my mouth. Like wanted to punch somebody was so upset that they completely like, like completely misrepresented what the musical was supposed to be.

[00:01:54] Um, or just like changed it enough from the original. So cuz a couple of minor roommates that it was just like. You guys have completely lost the point of what this musical is about. 

[00:02:08] And so some of them could have been even laugh-out-loud moments like this was supposed to be really touching and moving, but it was so ridiculous that I had to laugh out loud.

[00:02:18] Yes. And, and, and like, partially mine is like the casting aspect of why did you put this person here? 

[00:02:26] Yeah. Yeah. All right. Cool. Well, let's dive in. We're gonna do this episode a little differently we're each going to count down one song at a time. So we'll start from. From the best of the worst at number five to the worst of the worst at number one.

[00:02:43] Okay. Okay. My number five is Lars V triers dancer in the dark from the year 2000, which starred the delightful Swedish pop star BJO. Um, and what I can only say was tragic. Maybe two hours and 20 minutes of my life. Um, this was the same movie for which Bjork wore the Swan dress to the academy awards. Um, I can't even tell you anymore what it was about, and I can't even tell you anymore how it ended.

[00:03:18] I just know that I hated every minute of it. And I wanted to, like you said, punch somebody, punch a wall. Um, how could this have happened in a hundred thousand years? And I didn't know how to answer that question. And I just went, can't have those two and a half hours of my life back. So that's all I have to say about dancer in the dark.

[00:03:38] Just I hated 

[00:03:39] it. Hated it. Yeah. Hated it. So I have not seen that one and I'll put it on my list of movies to not watch. Very 

[00:03:47] good. I highly recommend this. Go on the don't need to watch list. 

[00:03:52] Don't need to watch list. Okay. All 

[00:03:54] right. Annie, number five, 

[00:03:56] my number five, and I made this point some people, but my number five is mama Mia.

[00:04:02] Um, okay. Who, who in the world ever thought it was a good idea to cast Pierce Brossman in a singing role? Um, should have their like, should be like punished severely. Yes. Um, I'm, I'm an ABA enthusiast down to the very, like every cell of my body. Oh yeah. Breathes ABA. Um, I like, I would, even though it's not a musical, I would put Muriel's wedding, like number one over mama M any day of the week.

[00:04:31] So what they did to the album music, I got it. You know, it was, there were certain aspects of it that a lot of people loved. It's a great Broadway while I'm not talking about the Broadway. I'm talking about the movie, a film. Um, yes, as much as I love Meryl Streep, I did not enjoy her performance at all. Not one bit.

[00:04:51] I didn't like her little sisterhood. I didn't appreciate any of that. I hated her suitors. I just thought the whole musical was an absolute, ridiculous mess. And they, they destroyed a music. They, they, it was a travesty where they did ABA music with that musical. 

[00:05:09] Fair enough. I have to say, I agree with you.

[00:05:12] And thus, we go to number four, my number, my number four is LAA land from 16, which again, many people will be rolling their eyes and saying, what are you talking about? It's an outstanding, modern musical snore. I didn't even finish watching it. I was so bored. I love Emma Stone. I love Ryan Gosling. They've done several other movies together with amazing, beautiful chemistry, but I just had zero love for anything happening in this film.

[00:05:53] I couldn't even be impressed. That they supposedly shut down the 1 0 1 freeway for three hours on morning rush hour to film the opening saying I'm like, I can fucking care less because this is snore. Yeah. Well, that's all I have to say about that Lala land. Was not LA LA horrific does not Valentine the city.

[00:06:15] The great city that I live in now. So over it. 

[00:06:19] Yeah. Uh, I will agree with you. Uh, it's not on my list, but it, but it definitely is something that I don't ever have to watch again. Definitely right. With you on that one. Yeah. Well, I give 

[00:06:29] you, I give you props for sticking it out, cuz I couldn't even do that. I was like, oh my God, I'm done 

[00:06:34] over.

[00:06:35] Yeah, I finished it because Goling but oh. Yeah. Um, so mine is the 2014 version of Annie. Okay. I have no idea what they were thinking with that production. I got through like, like you, I, it was a snooze Fest. I got through maybe like three quarters of it and I got so bored and I, I thought all of the musical numbers were completely.

[00:07:08] Ridiculous. I, I did not, I just did not enjoy it whatsoever. Um, and again, maybe this is just, I loved Carol Barnett too much. Mm-hmm I, I loved her. She was like the, the best miss Hannigan ever. Um, Albert Finney he's, you know, he could have been replaced with, you know, 10 of 10 other actors that sing as mediocre as he does.

[00:07:31] Right. Um, but the child cast that the kid, you know, the kids, all the orphan. The singing voices and the talent pool in the original, um, or at least the what, 1984 version was ridiculous. Like phenomenal voices. Yeah. And I just didn't, I didn't feel like the, the 2014 version. It wasn't about the supporting cast.

[00:07:52] It was just all about JB Fox and the one girl. And I just didn't, I, I didn't like it at all. I just, that's my number four. 

[00:08:01] Okay. My number three is the the Mamamia movie itself again. So yours was number 

[00:08:10] four minus number 3, 2, 5. 

[00:08:14] Yeah. I'm gonna, yours was gonna number five. I'm gonna echo everything that you had to say.

[00:08:19] I just, the, I don't even know if I could stomach this on Broadway, either. The, the concept, the entire concept of them creating a plot. out of all these Abba songs that weren't even on the same album, it had been different. If it was like, let's gonna take one album and make a concept out of it. Yeah. But they didn't, they were picking and choosing from all the greatest hits.

[00:08:41] And again, love everybody. Although at that point in time, I did not like Amanda seri. And it's probably very likely that it was because of that film. I thought this is ridiculous and I hate everything about it. Um, same, I couldn't handle Meryl. Streeps creepy little. Overall outfit that she had. And I don't even remember who her posse was, but I just know there's a picture of her on the internet, in this like staunch, like I'm gonna go marching thing, like, and where are you going?

[00:09:14] If you remember what was such a big deal that you have to March with your posse? Yeah, but, um, that's my, that's my number three could not tolerate it. And then did we really need a mama? Me part two. Couldn't even believe that that, uh, became a thing. So, yeah. Yeah. Sorry. Abba. Same as Annie. Uh, love your songs.

[00:09:34] Hate your movie musical. 

[00:09:36] Yeah. Well, and on top of that, like the ridiculousness of like the fact that these three suitors would come back and still bevy for Meryl streets love great all over again. I'm like really. 25 years later. Yeah. You're still pining for this person that you left. 

[00:09:51] Well, I might have a daughter.

[00:09:53] I don't know. Cause I don't remember. 

[00:09:55] Yeah. Marilyn, you're such a whore. Yeah. and we won't even get started on Ricky in the flash. I, I don't even count that as musical cuz that was just terrible. It, so my, so my like honorable mention runner up was gonna be Ricky in the flash, which Springfield is in that.

[00:10:14] Right. Yeah, because they sang some songs. It wasn't a musical. Um, alright. So my number three, it's a movie that I love to hate, and I actually love this movie, but it's so bad. My number is. Oh, my, my, I love God. Bless you. Robert Williams. You know, I, you were phenomen. He was a great Popeye. He really was. I, I don't know why they, they ever would've thought it was a good idea to make a musical.

[00:10:46] Of Popeye. Um, oh Lord. There's just so many things wrong with that movie, but it's still like you it's on my, like, it's almost on my guilty pleasures list. Yes. Because I love, I love it, but I don't know if that's my childhood, but like when I watch it now, it's like the production value is just, oh my God, you had so.

[00:11:07] You could have done so much more with this, however, pop. I just knew be a musical in any way, shape or form. So cause he would 

[00:11:16] gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today, right? Hamburger 

[00:11:18] today. Yes. And God bless her. Shelly BU you, she, she was olive oil, olive oil, like through and through no business singing.

[00:11:28] Right. Any anywhere time don't ever do it again. I love you, but don't ever do it again. Just stick to screaming through the door. Well, you know, Dear Jack is trying 

[00:11:38] to kill you, pounding a knife through, 

[00:11:39] correct? Exactly. So pop Popeye is my number three. Okay. 

[00:11:45] My number two is Woody Allens. Everyone says I love you from 1996.

[00:11:51] Okay. And again, uh, who idea was it to try and ask all. Actors to just sing random songs. Um, and there's people, again, that, in that movie that I love, and even like Edward Norton, that movie came out in the same year as, um, as primal fear. And when. When Edward Norton got one of his critics awards, it, you know, sometimes they'll list multiple films for the year.

[00:12:23] And everyone says, I love you was listed in his little, little pack of movies that he did for that year. And it just. It just makes me cringe to, to think about it. And again, I love Edward Norton. He's not a singer. We also know he's not a crier. He's a terrible crier. Yes. But, uh, definitely not a singer. So I think of him and drew Barrymore having their scene in that film.

[00:12:45] And again, it just, it just makes me, makes me squirm is bad, bad. A hundred times over bad, 

[00:12:52] a hundred times over bad. That's my number two. Yeah. I think I got through like 20 minutes of that and just couldn't. I can get into it so painful. Okay. So I don't know if my number two counts, because you said hit the silver screen.

[00:13:08] This was a Netflix movie. That's okay. Okay. My number two is the prom 2021. Okay. 

[00:13:16] Is Meryl Streep in that 

[00:13:17] too? Yes, I have two Meryl Streeps on my was she has a lovely voice with her, with her, with her voice, but the fact that her love interest in that movie. Was, um, the guy from key and peel and I, if my internet was working, I would be able to pull up his name, but this love interest that she has was just a ridiculous, the, again, the casting was freaking.

[00:13:44] Stupid as I, I can't even, I , I just can't. Um, they completely lost sight of the message of the movie with, with showcasing Meryl Streep, instead of focusing on the teenagers and the prom itself, or the alternate prom that they were trying to, you know, show James cord. Is is a stupid, hot mess and oh, like borders on like pedophile character.

[00:14:11] I just, I hated everything. I hated everything about it. It could have been, I'm sure it's a great Broadway show. Um, I'm sure that they took their liberties with whatever they did on Netflix. But they there's just so much more that they could have done to empower teenagers and, uh, and help, you know, those that are question, you know, those that are having, you know, different time in high school.

[00:14:32] And that's just not the way the message came across. It came across as a, you know, a love story about Meryl Streep, which was stupid. So that's my Nu that's my number two. 

[00:14:42] All right. And it's called prom or the prom? 

[00:14:45] The prom 20, the pro I think it's 20, 21. Okay. 

[00:14:49] Don't even right. No surprise what my number one is because it was already on your list and that would again be Popeye the musical 1980 directed by wait for it.

[00:15:04] Robert fucking Altman. Yes, that's right. The man who directed mash and the player and shortcuts and McCabe and Mrs. Miller, one of the core amazing directors to come out of the seventies and the oter movement decided to create this ridiculous. Musical film based on the comic book that again, and I'm with you, Annie.

[00:15:28] If you were to sit down tonight and say, Hey, I'm not doing anything, let's watch Popeye, I would say sure. And I can probably sing along to a lot of the words in 

[00:15:36] the song. I totally sing along, 

[00:15:38] but I like a rolling my eyes to think just why.

[00:15:47] Why there's just, you just can't answer the question and why not is not an answer. I will tell you that right now. So there you go. That is my that's my number one. So your number one 

[00:16:00] is okay. No, no big surprise. And, and quite honestly, I didn't even have to watch it to make it my number one. Wow. The, the cats movie.

[00:16:12] Oh, the, the cats. I didn't even think I need to say anything else. I saw the preview. All I needed to see was the preview to realize what a horrific mistake that this was. Yeah. And between, between the malfunctions of, of digital. Trying to make like people's junk look bigger or, you know, Cod pieces or, and just like Taylor swift, just know God bless America.

[00:16:41] What on. Yeah. And so it's like, now I understand why people are signing petition to say, James Gordon does not need to be in another musical because we love you, but just stop, stay out of him. You, you don't belong anywhere near go away productions ever again. 

[00:16:59] So I had forgotten about that, I guess. Cause cause led.

[00:17:02] Yeah. If, if, and when I'd seen a trailer, I've clearly gone to great lengths to psychologically block that from my memory. So I don't have to 

[00:17:10] think about as should, as you should. And what, what an absolute insult to like, you know, one of the longest running Broadway, most iconic, like some of the most beautiful music that, you know, I could listen to Barbara Streisand, sing memories day in and day out.

[00:17:27] Mm-hmm so how on earth? They thought it was a good idea. To do that type of that version where they just, it was all again, like when you take something beautiful and just muck it up with CGI, then you know, then you should know right there. If you, if I had the CGI, the shit out of this thing, it probably should be made in the first 

[00:17:48] place.

[00:17:48] Yeah, exactly. 

[00:17:50] Oh, they, wow. Yeah. Okay. Well that is quite a list. We had two overlaps. Yes. So my, my, my top five is dancer in the. LA LA land mama Mia. Everyone says I love you. And Popeye mm-hmm and then your list 

[00:18:08] included. Mine was mama Mia, the Annie 2014, Popeye the prom, I think 2021. And then cats 2020. 2018.

[00:18:21] Yes. Well, all right, so that you're welcome, Annie. And I just wanna say, you're welcome. You can, now 

[00:18:28] we saved you roughly, we saved you roughly 10 to 12 hours of your life. 

[00:18:32] Just about yeah, yeah. And, and some sanity. Um, and you won't have to punch anybody or throw up a little bit in your mouth. Yeah. 

[00:18:41] So you wanna tap up the wall because you know, you've destroyed it or right.

[00:18:45] You. 

[00:18:46] There will be no asking of your time back from God, cuz he won't give it to you anyway. Exactly. All right. That is another fun-filled episode of, I almost said God side hustle, another fun-filled episode of the top five podcast for Annie Pruitt. I'm Chris McPeak and we will catch up with you next time.

[00:19:09] All right. 

[00:19:10] Wa wa.

Top Five Classic Rock Songs

First of all?  What the fuck is classic rock?

According to Wikipedia, Classic Rock "is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s."  It is considered the main "genre" of music that was listened to by the Baby Boomers.  

But you certainly don't have to be a baby boomer to appreciate the concept of Classic Rock, as my co-host Chris Corral and I take on today.  We chose to define Classic Rock as anything released prior to 1985.  Our lists are eclectic and thoughtful with a couple of surprises.

This was an incredibly fun show to record and I give major props to Chris for his insight here - he's not only a pop-culture enthusiast like myself but he's also a musician, composer, and songwriter and I sure did learn a lot from him during our discussion.

And by the way - Chris Corral did compose the show music for this very podcast as well as my other show, Higher Ed Happy Place.  

As always, feel free to contact us about our lists, challenge our choices, or propose a Top Five subject of your own!  The email address is hello@thetopfivepodcast.com

and now…here’s the transcript from this week’s show :)


[00:01:01] So we are going to cover the five best. Classic rock songs. Um, classic rock. I think we defined, like could be anywhere between like the sixties.

[00:01:12] And I think in the mid eighties, 

[00:01:14] I think you said pre 85, pre 85, I guess that is what I went on now. So I would like to know what you're, what your, I know we defined a period, but now let's get some, what is your mental context when it comes to classic rock? Like where are you deriving your feeling? What a classic rock song 

[00:01:33] is.

[00:01:33] Okay. So first off I was, I grew up as a person who was exposed to a lot of like commercials and stuff like that. And part of what I would consider classic rock is, well, what would I hear on a classic rock station? Exactly. Which is messed up because now I'm hearing like stuff that, you know, I grew up with in high school, on a classic rock station.

[00:01:59] and so that's totally skewing my thought process on what I would choose. Sure. But yeah. So anyways, that's but that's, you know, not withstanding, I think. Yeah. We still, you know, I think classic rock, because when you get into the eighties, eighties becomes like hair metal or glam rock or that kinda thing.

[00:02:21] Right. So eighties becomes eighties. 

[00:02:22] Yeah. And there's a whole bunch of different little mini pockets that you can. Put in there. Right. And I, and I don't know about you. I Googled. I Googled top classic rock socks of all socks. rock socks. I Googled classic rock songs of all time to kind of look and see like, okay, where are other people going?

[00:02:44] And what does rolling stone say? And, and so for me, I went back to, so my upbringing, my childhood and Parker, Illinois, I listen to. You can hear the music on the AAM radio. I listen to S am radio, right? And they had a countdown every week. And you could go into the like gas stations or grocery stores and get these little flyers, these little paper flyers.

[00:03:08] And it was the WLS countdown for the week. Now, admittedly, not all of it was what I would now consider classic rock because there was a lot of more like pop music on there. Um, I, I do not think of Fleetwood Mac when I think of classic rock. Other people might do that, but I, I don't, although I would've heard of Fleetwood Mac song on Doug Yos am 89, right.

[00:03:31] And then they of course do their annual top 89 songs of whatever year it was. So, so for me, my list is definitely STR uh, stemming from songs I would've heard in those years between probably 1973. and 1982, when I left the Chicago area and moved to Arkansas and then everything I listened to from then would definitely be what I would call eighties music.

[00:03:56] Right. Right. Okay. So do you wanna go first or do you want me 

[00:03:59] to go? Um, I'll go first. Okay. Now also, so putting into the, uh, context, my criteria is yes, because there is a, there are so many. There's so much stuff that is, uh, you know, that could qualify as being one of the best songs of all time, you know, in totally classic rock period.

[00:04:20] Right. I mean, just, you know, there's, you know, you would talk about, you know, um, velvet underground in Nico. Like how many people, you know, really, uh, were influenced by that how many people were influenced by Hendrix, how many people were influenced by Zeppelin and all that kind of stuff. Right? Yeah. So I had to leave all that behind.

[00:04:41] Okay. And I, and so the thought process is what are the first songs that you think of when you think of classic rock and. That that, so that to in my head was where I was going with it. Right. Okay, cool. Oh, I can't wait to, I look list when I look at my list and I'm like, okay. Yeah, there are some typical fucking songs on there.

[00:05:05] but I will say this is that they do not disqualify. That does not disqualify them for being thought of as one of the best classic rock songs of all time. Okay. Fair. and I do understand that people would say, well, you know, you could have been a little bit more creative about it. this is my list. Fuck all.

[00:05:25] Okay, 

[00:05:25] great. And, and before you go into your list, just a reminder to everybody listening that Chris and I are not scholars, academics, sociologists, anything like that. We are just pop culture enthusiasts with some rockstar 

[00:05:40] don't opinions. Look at my background. Okay.

[00:05:47] Anyway. Yeah. Cause we're talking about music, right. So, yeah, for sure. We're gonna think that I have some kind of acumen just cuz I Tiner 

[00:05:53] around you are a musician. Yes. And a karaoke enthusiast, which is something else we share. That will be another episode. Absolutely. Karaoke commandments. Okay. Here we go.

[00:06:04] Number five. Okay. 

[00:06:05] Number five. Revolution by the 

[00:06:07] Beatles. Oh, wow. That's a good one. Yeah. And that opens up a whole bunch of doors too. Right. Right. All right. Let's talk about 

[00:06:14] revolution. Yeah. So, I mean, it's just basically, you know, you gotta Chuck Berry riff, right. BA you know, they essentially kind of took this, you know, this sort of like, kind of Chuin you get a distorted guitar.

[00:06:26] It's kind of like one of like the proto distorted guitars that's, you know, just sort. Just aggressive. It's really aggressive. Now you could also sort of like put Helter Skelter in this kind of like yeah. You know, it's just, it's got that same kind of, but this had a little bit more swagger to it. and it was on, um, in, uh, KLS X.

[00:06:51] It was sort of like the, what introduced them during a commercial and that's sort of my first exposure to it. And that was oh, cool. Cool. What is that? That's cool. Right. So nice. That was my exposure to that. And then, awesome. Yeah. So, but I was a fan of the Beatles from. Sergeant pepper and listening to Sergeant pepper.

[00:07:11] So like our, you know, like the intro to Sergeant pepper is this, like this really gritty guitar sound. It's fricking awesome. So, yeah. So anyway, but, um, I chose revolution just because like, when you, when I think classic rock. Yeah. 

[00:07:24] Yeah. Cool. Oh, I like it. 

[00:07:27] Yeah. Okay. So number four is one of my favorite songs of all time, and I probably could qualify all of these on there, but it's one of my favorite songs of all time.

[00:07:40] And that's called it's it's, uh, Tom Sawyer rush. 

[00:07:43] Oh my God. I almost put that on my list. Yeah, that's such a fucking good song. I love to play that song and red Barta in the car at. All cranked all the way, the hell up. Yes. 

[00:07:56] So good. It starts off. They have that. They have that, that synthesizer. Yes. And, and then, and then the beat and the beat just gets you.

[00:08:05] It's like, it's like a warmup and then they get into it and then they get into it some more. And then they F. I mean, it's like, yes, hard to just like break down and hook his voice. Just soars. It's awesome. In a way. So get Lee has a very strange voice. 

[00:08:22] He does. Yes. 

[00:08:24] And this is a, this, he does it, he sings this in a way that like, because I think that, you know, there's like, um, so I did not put journey on this list.

[00:08:38] And it had cross my mind to put don't stop believing on this list. okay. that's okay. Um, now Steve, Perry's got that sort of, that kind of smokey high pitched kind of que kind of thing with Tom's. So and so, and, and, and, uh, Getty Lee's voice is a lot more just. Just thin and narrow and just kind of, no, it mine, not for ring.

[00:09:13] like 

[00:09:15] a little, a little sniffly, a little 

[00:09:18] sniffly. No, you just kind of like, Ugh. But when he sings, he sings enough times where it's in the range. That is pleasant. Yeah. And he hits you occasionally with like, You know, babe, you know, and it just brings up the, the energy and you know, everything. And it's amazing 

[00:09:42] what singers that have that range, where they can hit that really high Octa in a, like that just sort of opens up your whole world.

[00:09:51] Yeah. And makes the top of your head come off in a good way. yeah. Like that those songs are awesome. Right. They, I mean, you can feel, you can feel them in your being right. There's like a visceral. Yes. There's a, there's a physiological psychosomatic reaction, absolutely. To songs like that. Absolutely. Yeah. I, I dig that you, yeah, I almost put that.

[00:10:12] I almost put that 

[00:10:13] song on my list. Yeah. And on top of that, it's got it. It's built in steps. Right. So you've got like the intro that's chill, but it's proving. Yeah. You know, you like, just sit there, like all I'm gonna, this is me driving talk. And then, and then you get into the, you know, more of the singing part and then they get into like, kind of more the instrumental part.

[00:10:35] And then they got that really cool breakdown. What he say about his company. Right. So when he gets into that part, yeah. It's just this really great riff. It's got this cool character to it. And then they go into the midsection where like he pulls out the synth and then there's a guitar solo, and then there's a punk solo.

[00:10:53] And then, then the lyrics come back and it's like, oh, oh, that's yeah, yeah. Oh yeah. Cause I was fucking lost in all this, like, you know, amazingness. Right. So anyways, just one of the 

[00:11:06] greatest songs of all. Well, yeah, two enthusiastic thumbs up on that one. 

[00:11:10] All right. Third one is walk this. 

[00:11:13] Oh Aerosmith. That's a good one.

[00:11:16] Yes. Yeah. And so walk this way is just,

[00:11:22] yeah, it's got this really cool. Just. It's gotta cool. Everything like there's like a, um, so I grew up originally, like I thought like, oh man, like run DMC, did a great song called run. Walk this way. I had to hear the version, like after that I'm like, oh, okay, whoa, what is this strange that anyway. So, um, they.

[00:11:48] What, what they ended up doing now, there is a reason why run DMC used that as that they covered it is. Yeah, it's fucking cool. Absolutely not that you hear any music being sampled by a hip hop artist. That's like, I mean, I, one of things that I really enjoy about hip hop and I particularly the golden age of hip hop, which is around like, um, 80, like 88 to about 90.

[00:12:17] They were taking great samples and they were finding all this really. Yeah. And kind of like, it really put a, a mark, like a, like a star on like whatever they ended up sampling. So like, if I, if that ever comes back around, whatever, and if I ever write something and somebody ends up sampling it. Yes.

[00:12:36] Because they dug deep into crates. Fine. Oh yeah. Let's find a, you know, like I think. 

[00:12:43] I think wild thing from tone lo has a van Halen riff in it. Right. Or maybe it's funky Cole, Medina. I don't remember which one, but I, you know, you read about that stuff and you're like, what? No 

[00:12:54] way. Yeah. Yeah. There's um, and sample hunt, like I like listening the stuff and then thinking like, man, where did they find that?

[00:13:01] And then when you find the original, it's like, oh, that's awesome. Yeah. That's so cool. Walk this way. Um, also one of the, like the, what the guitar is doing during walk this way is a really mm-hmm understated cool thing. Um, yeah. And Joe Perry is a fucking genius and Brad Whitford, the, the rhythm, uh, guitar player and, and Tom Hamilton, like with the, with the base riffs, he's doing some awesome shit that he doesn't really get credit for.

[00:13:36] Uh, big ups to, uh, Aerosmith for walk. 

[00:13:39] Yes. Another two enthusiastic thumbs 

[00:13:42] up. Awesome. Okay. Uh, number two. Um, here's where we start getting into, uh, what I would consider a little, um, you know, I guess a little, um, what are the, what's that word when you, uh, uh, when, when people are not, you know, Sorry. I, I couldn't think of the word anyways.

[00:14:05] um, so this, this one is, uh, highly contested. Okay. Highly contestable. Okay. Stairway to heaven. well, 

[00:14:18] why is it 

[00:14:18] contestable? Well, because it's so it's, it's the proto, it's the proto of, 

[00:14:25] uh, if I could quote Wayne and Garth right now. Right. It's so obvious. Yeah, 

[00:14:29] exactly. It's, it's super obvious. And, um, because it's so obvious, you know, that's the, you know, that's, that's what makes it just so contestable.

[00:14:40] um, but obviously, um, you know, it is one of the greatest rock songs of all time. Um, the lyricism, it really kind of called into, you know, a really like, kind of a mystical place. And it kind of puts you in a, in an, in an area, puts you in a mood stairway, 

[00:14:58] takes you on a journey. Absolutely. That's, that's a, I mean, contestable, all of the things like aside, it it's, there's a catharsis in listening to that song, the, the right way, like in the spirit for which the song was recorded initially.

[00:15:17] And yeah. So I'm I'm with you. Yeah. People can say what they want. Like, oh yeah. That's a cop out. Well, no, it's your opinion. So, I mean, and yeah, it's number two. 

[00:15:26] come on. So. Some of the best playing that John Bonham has ever done. Mm-hmm as a, as a drummer. Yeah. It's highlights. Uh, John Paul Jones at, you know, sitting, he does a recorder.

[00:15:42] He does the keyboards he's bass player. Oh, wow. Yeah. So he's, I know that he's all over the place like John Paul Jones as the bass player of, um, who is a fucking excellent bass player. , but not just that, but overall like an excellent musician is probably the most underrated member of, uh, of, um, led Zeppelin what's Zeppelin and yeah.

[00:16:07] So, um, uh, then you get one of the most perfect iconic guitar performances overall by Jimmy page, Jimmy page, obviously. Sure. And then. Robert plant. Yeah, obviously just it's. I mean, it's just royalty, they're fucking royalty and that song has a lot to do with it all. Hail, all hail, all 

[00:16:34] hail, no stairway. All 

[00:16:37] right.

[00:16:37] Number one, number one. Woohoo. Classic rock song of all time again from the fucking obvious category. Bohemian RHAP? No, no. 

[00:16:52] way. Oh my God. Okay. I'm not gonna spoil it. Just you go ahead. And 

[00:16:58] you, you, okay, so, so Bohemian RH is stairway to heaven on steroids and they're with supplements. They're, they're built pretty much identical.

[00:17:16] Oh, I never thought about that. So real life. Do I have a intro? That's super iconic. you know, right. Yeah. They build it up and it takes you on a ride. Mm-hmm it takes you through hell cuz the guy like, you know, oh yeah. You know, he just killed a man, killed a man. Um, and and the, all the, the things that, that.

[00:17:40] That go into the performance. You know, you've got Freddie mercury with the piano, just amazing. Um, Brian May awesome. But Roger Taylor, as the, as the drummer. With, with the backing vocals. Golly. Lao got, yeah. Yes. So Roger Taylor gets big, you know, he needs big some, some big credit on that. Right. So I think 

[00:18:09] that is, I think my favorite scene from the movie Bohemian Rhapsody when they're recording that song.

[00:18:14] Yeah. Cause he's like over it, I don't wanna do anymore. Golly. Laos. And Freddy's like, no, we need another gal Lao. I just find that so humorous, but it's it. I mean, it's beautiful and it's iconic, like you said, 

[00:18:25] totally iconic. Yeah. And then, you know, obviously, you know, Fred Mercury's vocal performance, John deacon's base performance.

[00:18:33] Mm-hmm , it's amazing. And then, uh, Brian May with just riff after riff, after riff, after riff of cool shit, meaning NA our solos are all great. Yeah. Is hit the, the, the riff, you know, during the iconic like head pounding thing. And then they come out of it and it just resolves super beautifully. And it gives you yes, goosebumps.

[00:18:57] Yeah. And so right. You, you get closure there, there is. There you are not left in limbo with that song. No, you go on a journey and you get closure and, 

[00:19:09] and then you go anywhere with the wind blows any 

[00:19:12] way the wind blows anywhere. The wind blows. Is it way or where way? I think anyway, yeah, I'm down with that.

[00:19:20] Two mega enthusiastic thumbs up, thumbs up. Cool. That's a good list. Corral. Really good list. Wow. All right. Whew. I feel like I need a cigarette. okay. Um, you ready? I'm gonna go down my list now. All right. Let's do when I actually, now that we've been talking I'm, I'm changing one of mine, but same, same artist, different song.

[00:19:44] Okay. Okay. Number five on my list of classic rock songs of all time is jukebox hero from foreigner. Okay. And I will tell you this, talk about. Manically like song of my youth, my brother and I bonded over this song, so, so much, but I love, I love the story of this song. Mm-hmm um, there's, you know, he's standing in the rain with his head, hung low, couldn't get a ticket.

[00:20:09] It was a sold out show, but I mean, he wanted this per this character wanted to be in that space. I want to experience this music. I wanna be all those. Exactly. I, yes, I want that. And so he bought a beat up six string in a second hand store and he didn't know how to play it, but he knew for sure. So like, this is like the story of the ultimate rock star.

[00:20:31] Like I, I wanna be that. Yeah. And you hear, I mean, you have heard this story a thousand times from a thousand different artists I saw, so and so play. I heard this song. I, I saw this person wear these boots and I wanted that life. And so for me, like, I think jukebox hero is like, what rock and roll is all about.

[00:20:52] Yeah. Um, and it's, and again, my, like my brother and I go talk about going down a rabbit hole. We will, we will lip sync perform that song when we hang out together. Cuz that, that just, that song is part of our childhood and it, it just tells the perfect. rockstar story and I love it. Awesome. Okay. So number four was come sail away by sticks, Uhhuh

[00:21:16] But since you have been talking, I've changed my mind and I'm putting fooling yourself. Angry young man in that space, same album, right? It's the same album, the grand illusion. Which again, I, when you talk about concept albums, I think you have to talk about sticks all day long. Yeah. Um, and this is a, you know, one of their concept albums and I, there is not a bad track on that entire album as far as I'm concerned, but fooling yourself.

[00:21:41] Like Tom's lawyer is one of those songs where you put it on the radio or on the radio, in the car, whatever I'm cranking it all the way up. I am going to perform that song myself in the vehicle. and it's going to be a classic performance. I, I mean, there there's just so much heart, soul and guts in that song.

[00:22:01] I really, I should do that at karaoke sometime, cuz I think, I think I'm in the range. I think I could think I could pull it off. Okay. Um, but yeah. It it's, it just, it's a song. It's not a very happy song, but it makes, it makes me happy to be in its space. Right. And, and I love, I love everything about it. I love Tommy Shaw.

[00:22:21] That's his, that's a Tommy Shaw song. It's not a dentist to young song. Um, And yeah, it just, I don't know. It, it brings me to another space and time pace and pace and time. Right. That just makes me, makes me happy. Um, okay. So number three on my list is, and you have to put these two together. They belong together for play slash long time by Boston.

[00:22:42] Yeah, that was gonna, yeah, that was one of those was gonna end up on my list. Yeah. So, and I, I 

[00:22:46] can't remember which song you were describing that has the build, but like for me, The, in the foreplay intro, really the best, the best 

[00:22:54] part. Right. Because that's exactly what it is. 

[00:22:56] Yeah. The, the, the part where it starts all instrumental in foreplay and it starts to get silent.

[00:23:03] And then you hear that guitar in the back, it's really D

[00:23:11] and the drums just explode and like, it's, it, it opens up a whole new world and then that guitar kicks in and then. Been such a long time, like, wow. I'm like, I am in the zone. Yeah. When that song comes on. Yeah. And I have been known to beat the holy living shit out of a dashboard as a passenger. And I wanna like time it just right.

[00:23:35] Cuz if you're not paying attention, you'll miss. When that drums just explodes. Oh, that's awesome. So like, I mean, all three of these songs so far have. Like you were talking about a, a physical, a visceral psychosomatic reaction. They all take me there. They all knew that to my body. And yeah. Anyway for play long time is just one of those, what a great song.

[00:23:56] I, I could play that little. In that, uh, that intro interlude over and over and over again. I just love it. I love that build. Um, okay. number two. And here's my it's so obvious. Uh, I can't get no satisfaction by the rolling stones. Oh, hell yeah. And I think when I, like, when I close my eyes and I think about the iconic.

[00:24:20] Classic rock song. I, I think about like in the sixties where you had, you had the Beatles camp and you had the rolling stones camp, they both came out around the same time. Um, I guess you could both consider them British invasion, but they, they sang very different kind of. Music. And I would even, like, I would even argue that the Beatles are more pop than the stones.

[00:24:43] That sounds right. Yes. But that that's another episode. 

[00:24:45] The stones were, the stones were more blues based. 

[00:24:48] Yes. Yes. Which is, you know, now that I'm learning all about punk rock music, same like same thing. It's so interesting to hear these bands talk about where they came from with their punk origin, but it's still no, no one calls it blues.

[00:25:01] Call it punk, but anyway, right. Um, yeah, I can't get no satisfaction just as like, okay. This is like the song I think they're probably most known for. And I, they. Kind of created a genre. I don't know. There's just something about that song that, and it's not even like stairway in the fact that stairway put, takes you on this journey and it, I can't get no satisfaction is a slower, it's a shorter song.

[00:25:25] It's not, it's 

[00:25:26] not a long song. Yeah. But it came about like probably a good seven years prior and it really opened up what was possible. You know, particularly, you know, radio play and getting people sort of into that, you know, into that realm, you know, without, without satisfaction, you don't get stairway for 

[00:25:47] sure.

[00:25:48] Yeah. Yeah. That's fair. That is a fair sentiment. Totally. Yeah. So, and I, I don't know, that's not even my favorite early in stone song, but when I think of it is your 

[00:25:57] favorite rolling stone song. 

[00:26:00] That's a really good question. I know that it's not satisfaction, but might be painted, might be painted black and it might be, um, start me up.

[00:26:11] Oh yeah. What a great, like, I love, I love that song. It starts the, the rhythm shift that they do at the beginning. I can hear, I can listen to that all day. 

[00:26:22] Yeah, totally. Okay. Well, I, this is not going to come as a surprise. I don't think my number one classic rock sock of all song of all time. Why do I wanna keep saying classic rock socks, um, is Bohemian and rap sea from queen.

[00:26:37] So see great minds think alike. Yeah. And for all of the reasons that you shared earlier, but what for me, I guess, um, and again, like they were. Even though I think this came out in 74. Yeah. Night. It was the night at the opera album, I think. Um, But the reason this, cuz this had a staying power, that was really interesting.

[00:26:59] And then when it was resurrected by Wayne's world in the late eighties and Penelope spirits, by the way, who directed that film and created those decline of Western civilization films, I don't know if you've seen those. Yes. Um, there really. Amazing amazing movies. Um, but so for my, all of my sister's friends who were in high school, when Wayne's world came out and they're all doing this, like, Hey, have you heard about this new band queen?

[00:27:26] And I'm like, oh my God, I wanna kill all of you. you have no idea. And I think for me, just this notion of music that defines generations that arguably. This is the most iconic classic rock of all of all time, because it has transcended generations. So you had its original release and the radio airplay and the music video that became, and then you had this resurgence with Wayne's world and people embracing that.

[00:27:58] Music again. Mm-hmm um, and then when they made the Bohemian Rhapsody movie with, um, Rami, Mallek playing Freddie mercury, I think that you had a lot of other people in an new generation, so yeah, your baby boomers slash gen Xers, and then your millennials, your early millennials, and then your gen Y people that are now like, okay.

[00:28:19] This is a, this is an amazing band. What a great story. It's, it's a song for all time. It is. Yeah, it 

[00:28:25] absolutely. You know, and it's just, there's so much that it there's, there's so much present there to kind of, you know, for everybody, you know, you can hear it and you can like, wow, like you. Philosophies about it, or you can, you know, as a guitar player, you know, I'm sitting there kind of trying to figure it out.

[00:28:48] Like as a, as a, you know, music producer, just like sitting there going, like, how the fuck did somebody sit down and do all of these things that, yeah, there's a, I don't know if you knew this part of it. There's this old, like kind of this lore, the story that they passed it through the tape deck. So many times towards the end of it, they could start seeing through the actual.

[00:29:10] Oh my gosh, um, through the tape, because it was starting to wear off the, the, um, the silver, um, 

[00:29:17] Whatever the stuff is silver 

[00:29:18] mag needs like the magnetic material like that. Mm-hmm brownish material, whatever. Oh, wow. So they were like, shit, well, we need to get this, like, you know, we need to get this, we need to lay it down.

[00:29:30] down. Cause they were starting to get to a point where, you know, the tape wear was so significant that you know, they, but it's a super clean recording. And Freddy mercury, basically when he did all the parts he had already that he, that composed in his head. Yeah. At a fucking genius. Mm-hmm , you know, and actually, um, I don't know if you've seen it, but there's, um, some interviews with Brian May, as Brian May is listening to the recording and they take parts of it out.

[00:29:56] Oh wow. You can listen to, and he's like, and Brian May is sitting there. Man, like Freddy mercury played that piano part and he's not playing to a click and it is spot on like on time. Like you can pretty much wow. Set 

[00:30:10] O' clock to it. That's amazing. Well, I'm telling you what it's, I mean, it's a song I can listen to over and over and over again.

[00:30:18] It will, that song will never die for me. Right. Ever. Yeah, not ever. All right. Let's recap. Chris's 

[00:30:24] top five. Okay. Since I have a list this time. Excellent. So number five is revolution by the Beatles. Excellent. Uh, number four is Tom Sawyer by rush. Number three is walk this way by Aerosmith. Number two is stairway by led Zeppelin.

[00:30:46] And number one is Bohemian Rhapsody. It's so 

[00:30:51] obvious. It's so obvious. my five are jukebox hero from foreigner. Full fooling yourself, angry. Young men buy sticks, foreplay long time by a Boston. I can't get no satisfaction from the stones and same Bohemian Rhapsody by queen two. Enthusiastic thumbs up for real.

[00:31:15] Yeah. That, yeah. Good, good show. Like, wow. So many things to think about and kick around. Um, and if you listeners disagree, we wanna hear from you. We don't know how we will do that yet, but we'll figure it out. And when this gets released, it will be in show notes. So, yeah, 

[00:31:32] there's a common section somewhere.

[00:31:34] It 

[00:31:35] will be somewhere. Yeah. How about it? We'll figure it out. Okay. So thanks again for downloading this week's episode of top five podcast. I'm Chris. McPeak joined by my very good friend and fellow pop culture enthusiast, Chris corral. We will be back with more amazing top five lists. So I'll see you later, Chris.

Top Five Cult Classic Films

 Hello, fantastic podcast fans. Welcome back to another thrilling episode of the top five podcasts. I'm your host, Kris McPeak and today my co-host is my one and only. I will say youngest sister. So it's not to insult her further by calling her my baby sister, Annie Mayer Pruitt.

[00:00:50] Are we doing Annie or lean Anne? We are joined today by Annie Pruitt, who is my youngest sister who has been probably the sibling in my life that I have the tightest connection of pop culture with, and was the first person that signed on to say, I wanna do this show with you. So Annie, welcome. And how are you on this fine day?

[00:01:15] Fantastic. Fantastic. Now these two, the two topics, the two show topics that we're gonna do were your idea. If I remember correctly, 

[00:01:25] I think so. 

[00:01:26] I think they were too. So will, oh, actually first let me go back and share, um, this show, this fantastic new show concept has been inspired by the fantastic film, high fidelity.

[00:01:40] So props two, both John Cusack and Nick Hornby for creating this amazing screenplay and props to Todd Luo, Jack Black and John QSAC for creating amazing characters that brought this whole concept of a top five. To life. Whereas in the movie, they basically just focus on songs, theme related songs we are in this show, we are covering all aspects of popular culture and today's theme is Annie, would you like to do the honors?

[00:02:11] We're gonna do the top five cult classics, cult, cult, classic 

[00:02:15] movie films. All right. Yes. So who goes first? You or. You are totally 

[00:02:21] going first. I'm totally 

[00:02:22] going first. Okay. That sounds good. Yeah, you have the experience. So I gotta play off of, I gotta, I gotta see it done well first, so. Okay. 

[00:02:30] Fair enough. I, I shall go first.

[00:02:32] I, the oldest as well. Yeah. 

[00:02:34] Okay.

[00:02:40] Number five cult classic films. I'm starting off on the bottom with empire records. Okay. This is a somewhat goofy, silly look on high school craziness. The world of retail and the world of has been. Pop stars and our relationships with all of them life working in a record store, which funny enough is also what high fidelity is about.

[00:03:08] Um, but this film to me is a cold classic because it made zero money in the movie theaters and got panned by pretty much every film critic that ever walked on this planet. But I, I think personally that it is one of the funniest. And most quotable films out there. There's the casting is fantastic. It's clever.

[00:03:30] It it's goofy. I mean, you know, who would've thought that the biker guy from Greece two was gonna make a huge comeback in a film about a record store wearing a sat me purple suit and blue underwear, um, and really bad hair and really bad hair. And your new haircut sucks and we all hate the new album. So, uh, that's where I'm going.

[00:03:53] Number five is empire records. If you haven't seen it, you're a big fatty loser. So go see it. Um, number four on my list is from 1994. Kevin Smith's first movie, uh, clerks again. Small film clerks actually did do very well in the, in the box office, comparatively speaking. But this makes my list because this is an example, probably the greatest example I can think of, of true independent filmmaking.

[00:04:25] He filmed this movie, which is based on his own life and growing up, working in a convenience store in New Jersey, they filmed the film. In the actual convenience store he worked at, there's no real actors in this movie at all. And, um, yeah, he paid for it with credit cards and then, uh, Harvey Weinstein.

[00:04:48] Well, Miramax came along. Let's not give Harvey Weinstein any more credit than he needs came along and brought this movie to Sundance. And the rest is history. Another completely hilarious look at not so much high school teenagers, but you know, post-college and college aged folks. So, uh, here I am already kicking off, uh, two films in a row that are all about retail and coming of age.

[00:05:15] So now let's take a really big, deep, dark dive into a whole other world. My number three cold classic film is 1977 eraser head. The first film directed by major quirky O tour David Lynch, who one could argue all of his films are called classics. Um, This one makes the list for me, because again, it, it was an incredibly unique film for the time.

[00:05:47] Um, and you don't even really know what it's about. One could sit and watch this movie a hundred times and go, okay. What just happened. He had really funny hair and there was a chicken and it kind of moved around and he cut into it and all this black shit came out and it, it, yeah, I've only seen it twice, but indelibly, it sticks with you and kind of makes you go, huh?

[00:06:10] Okay. Weird. So that's that's number three on my. Okay. And Annie feel free to chime in and, and comment or, or share any, any thoughts as I'm going along here? 

[00:06:22] Yeah, so, well, so far we got no repeats, which is a good thing. Um, and yeah, erased her head. I definitely had the huh. Like I, but every, like every college student, like has to say that they saw it.

[00:06:34] It's kind of like a, a coming it's like. Yeah. It's like college coming of age. Extremely. You have to watch. If you go to college, you have to watch a movie erase your head 

[00:06:43] and Mo most likely, unless you went to college where we went to college, um, there was probably a midnight showing of this film somewhere in your community.

[00:06:52] Just not where we went to school. Um, I had to wait until I lived in St. Louis and took a class on David Lynch to see this. And in all honesty, I probably would not ever have seen this film if I had not taken that. Um, okay. Would not have seen a lot of films if I hadn't taken that class. So we have no repeats so far.

[00:07:10] That's fun. 

[00:07:11] No. Yeah. Okay. 

[00:07:12] Uh, and I think that is very much about to change number two from 1975, Rocky horror picture show. 

[00:07:22] Yes, you are correct. 

[00:07:23] And this made my list, um, for all, all of. It feel it fills in all of the feels. So this is probably the classic midnight movie experience, which I can't say I've had myself, but, um, it.

[00:07:40] It created a culture that you can't really explain. Uh, audience participation like takes a whole new, takes a whole new role in, in this film. Um, and the music is actually really good and the film's highly entertaining, although it's super strange and super weird launched the career. Of a bunch of people who went on to be mega superstars, um, Susan strand in particular.

[00:08:07] And I mean, Tim Curry is like the king of the cult classic, if you think about it, but he's gone on to do things as. Normal as like, what is, uh, not Crimson tide hunt for red October. Mm-hmm he plays the political officer on hunt for red? No, he plays the doc. Yeah. Not the political officer. Um, but anyway, so yeah, Rocky horror, definitely.

[00:08:30] And I was very close to Rocky horror being my number one, but okay. Um, when it, when all is said and done. Number one has to go to from 1971, a clockwork orange. Okay. To this day, the only rated X film. No, that's not true. Cause uh, midnight cowboy was a rated X film that won best picture. So it was the second movie that had been rated X to ever be nominated for a best picture.

[00:09:02] Oscar. Um, I go down the deep dark rabbit hole with this movie. Um, I've been watching this film since I was in the sixth grade, much to the chagrin of, um, more so our stepmother than, than our father. Um, but opened a lot of doors for me, at least in what I would consider now to be true. Film appreciation. I had a best friend growing up whose brother was obsessed with the O tour directors.

[00:09:33] So Hitchcock, Ric, uh, COA, all of that. And so all of those movies that would've been taboo to anybody else's kid, um, were, you know, wide open for me and, and Linda and I would, you know, When Dennis would be at work, we'd go in his room and steal his beta. Max cassettes sometimes bring them to our house, sometimes watch them at her house.

[00:09:57] But, um, yeah, I watched a clockwork orange before. I, I obviously really was old enough to completely understand what it was all about. Um, since then I I've probably seen the movie well over a hundred times, I've I've read the book. I've listened to the audio book about five times. Um, and I, yeah, I have a, a real appreciation of the concept of that film and what it, what it's all about, cuz it's not just about the ultra violence.

[00:10:26] It's about politics. It's about what we deem as I guess important in the world of, I don't know, where am I going with this? What we deem important in terms of, uh, society and. And what it means, I guess, to be a good citizen, a good individual mm-hmm and Alex's quest to try to be good, which we, we all know was, was faked.

[00:10:56] Um, but we still cheer for him and we still want him to win if you will. And I've done air quotes about eight times now. So, um, apologies that you can't see that. Um, so yeah, that's, that's my list. And. Sister, my darling. Any, any thoughts about anything else that I've spewed out here right now? 

[00:11:16] So I'll so a clockwork orange.

[00:11:18] I'm gonna tell you, so I'm gonna make it. It'll be my number five. Okay. So I that's a good segue. Right? Beautiful. The reason it's my number five is, um, like I'm older now. And nowadays when I look at it and like anything that glorifies rape is harder to watch that's cause that's, you know, you're, you're cheering for.

[00:11:40] Very disgusting person, but it's, it's like, uh, it was kind of like what, uh, kinda like reading Lolita, you know, I can't believe that they've, they've written this character so well that I actually want him to succeed. Mm-hmm but then when you think about it, it's so disturbing. So that's why that's part of, I think what makes it, the writing so incredible.

[00:12:00] Um, the story is the story is incredible because it's, it can turn your emotions like that. It can twist, it can make you question, you know, Well, you're what you're, you're watching when you're watching it. When you realize what you're, what you're watching, it's like, well, now I'm a little disturbed, but I still really want Alex to, to win in the end, you know?

[00:12:20] Yeah. So that's, uh, that's why, it's my number five, uh, that as a writer, um, having developing this whole like sub language, uh, was so creative for me. Yes. Um, and. That. So that's why I, that's why it's my number five. Um, I, I find it fascinating also that you see it in, in other pop culture. Mm-hmm when you see Bart Simpson, you know, basically mimicking Alex in a, in a Simpsons episode and you see that's like, do they realize what they're, you know, some people don't even realize that they're referencing this movie and they have no idea where, where origin of it.

[00:13:00] So I think that's funny. So that's my number five. Um, and it's a good, so a good connection to my number four, uh, American psycho. Oh, that's 

[00:13:15] a great choice. 

[00:13:17] Yeah. 

[00:13:18] So yeah, you know, a guy who, you know, you're. He's he's a maniac. He's killing people. He's, uh, raping people. Well, not raping, but I mean, he is just like, he's a disgusting, disgusting person.

[00:13:32] Mm-hmm uh, but you absolutely love him. And then I'm not gonna give away any kind of twist ending. I'm not gonna give that up. Um, but talk again, very quotable and I did not get the years to these movies, so I apologize for that. That's OK. Um, I believe Americans 

[00:13:46] very quota came out in 2000. Yeah, 

[00:13:49] I think, um, I I'm very, uh, I'm very liberal with, with my kids, which, uh, with watching movies, just like, you know, I think I saw clockwork orange when I was in like sixth grade.

[00:14:00] So I've not, I don't shield them necessarily. So my 15 and 17 year old have watched American psycho of me quite a few times. Uh, my daughter like, like loves the, loves the hip to be swear scene. It's one of her favorite scenes of all time. It's yeah. Um, So that would be, that's why that's my number four. Um, and 

[00:14:24] pretty, that's a great selection.

[00:14:26] And that, that film had not even crossed my mind as going on this list. Okay. 

[00:14:30] Okay. Um, I'm gonna have to go. Just because it was your number two. I'm gonna, I'm gonna, Ugh, this is hard. I wanted to avoid musicals and horror, but it's really hard to do so I'm gonna try say Rocky horror. I'm with you. It was a tough, that was a tough one.

[00:14:48] That's another one. Kids love it. Um, we, we do the time work in the, you know, in the, in the living room all the time, we've introduced it to all the friends. Uh, all their friends now are Rocky horror, fanatics um, that the music is fantastic. I'm actually kind of glad that they don't do the midnight shows anymore.

[00:15:09] Mm-hmm because the audience participation, if you actually go back and read like the script to what the audience participation dialogue is, it's super. Like super raunchy. I mean, I'm talking like if, have you ever seen it? 

[00:15:25] I'm aware of some of it. Um, I I've never experienced it in person, but, um, okay. And I'm not, 

[00:15:33] is it?

[00:15:36] Yeah. I mean, they talk about, sorry, you know, JS and, you know, you know, to that, to that, just like that, just super du raunchy. So I'm kind of glad that my, that I don't want, I don't want experience that repeating those, you know, that kind of stuff because, uh, I just like, they, they appreciate the creative aspects of the movie.

[00:16:02] Yeah. The music is super fun. Um, it's, you know, it's a little ridiculous. But that's why that's one of the reasons I love it. And it's, it's kind of a, like for generationally, like the fact that what you said came out in 77, 75, 75, um, with the, with gender roles now, you know, people identifying and understanding gender roles a lot more these days, and the fact that Rocky, um, or the Rocky horror, you know, Dr.

[00:16:32] Franken is this fantastic, beautiful, you know, Transvestite mm-hmm and, and he plays it like he, like with no shame whatsoever, right? Yeah. Like, I don't think I've, I don't think I have seen since other than maybe, you know, John, John Waters, you know, with, uh, with his movies, like pink flamingos mm-hmm , but where, uh, a character pulls it off that well, with that much confidence and, and that, and that he's sexy.

[00:17:02] Yeah. He's sexy 

[00:17:03] as hell. 

[00:17:04] Yeah. So. . Yeah. Um, so that's my number three. That's good. Um, so my number two is gonna have to be Monte Python in the search, the holy grail. Beautiful. Um, that's good. It's it's timeless. I don't know the year off the top of my head. Um, again, I, I relate to, you know, how well. How, how much do they transcend, you know, generations?

[00:17:30] Because this was, uh, you know, our brother introduced us to Monte Python. Yeah. And then when the fact that my kids can watch it as teenagers and it's still like a. It holds up. It's still, it's still, uh, it's still meaningful. Uh, it's still funny. Yeah. So it's still extraordinarily quotable. So I mean, everybody, you know, can, can, can quote a, a part of it, even if they've never seen the movie.

[00:17:57] Yeah. Um, and clever and, and silly. Um, so I think that's why that's my number two. Um, that's a good one. I have a lot of before I give you my number one, I have some honorable mention. 

[00:18:12] Go for it. Let's hear. I love it. Yes. Let's do some mentions. 

[00:18:16] So honorable mentions and it's like a, kind of a tie seven and fight clubs to two Brad Pitt movies, kinda they're they're close.

[00:18:23] They're kind of, you know, they're, they're up there, but I think they need another generation of, uh, I don't know. I think they they're close. Let's just put it that way. They're they're knew David 

[00:18:32] venture directed both of those, right? Yes. Yeah, 

[00:18:36] exactly. Oh, okay. Yeah. Um, There were some musicals. So like the wall and Willie Wonga, you know, they're on a lot of people's lists, but they, um, I don't know that, that they didn't, they didn't make the cut for me, but I can see how they'd be in somebody else's 

[00:18:53] top vibe.

[00:18:54] Yeah. If you were to Google called classic films, you'll likely. See both of them. 

[00:19:00] Yeah. 

[00:19:01] Willie Wolf is an interesting idea. I, I, that would not have, yeah, but I, I can see that too, because it is a very odd film. Parts, um, not really so much a kids' film as, as much as we would want for it to be. Yeah. Um, very adult themes in that version anyway.

[00:19:25] Yeah. Um, when we do our, our horror movies, I almost like we're gonna have to do a horror movie one, um, because. Evil dead two should be my number one, but I almost, I wanna save it for like my, my top five horror comedies. okay. 

[00:19:42] That horror comedy. Yeah, 

[00:19:43] shoot. I can, cause I can do that too, but evil dead two is what introduced the horror comedy.

[00:19:48] Okay. And it is, it's probably, it's a lot of people's number one. Um, and I, I mean, I. Who can't hear the word groovy and not think of, you know, evil, dead too. 

[00:20:00] I can't, I've never seen it. 

[00:20:03] Okay. So, so ch challenge, you have to watch that, or maybe you just wait for my next visit and we'll watch it together. 

[00:20:10] Why is evil dead too?

[00:20:12] And not the first one? 

[00:20:15] Interesting that we can tell you what we could binge. All three of 'em. We can go one, two, and then army adopt this and you'll see why. 

[00:20:21] Okay. Fair enough. And you'll see why. 

[00:20:23] Okay. So that was, that was my other, that was my, my honorable mention. So my number one, um, is the movie Heather's Christian Slater, his breakout performance, trying to pull off.

[00:20:34] Trying to pull off a little bit of a Jack Nicholson vibe with his, the way his, the way he talked in that movie. Mm-hmm but when Noah writer talk about, so you wanna talk about high school angst yeah. And teenage drama, but that movie tackled some like significant, serious issues. Mm-hmm um, with between peer pressure and being, uh, sexual.

[00:21:00] Sexual escapades, sexuality, um, violence and suicide. So, and also really depression. Cuz when you think about a Christian Slater's character is very, very depressed mm-hmm . And now with like this is being mental health awareness month and we see a, a lot of mental health issues with our, with our kids, our kids these days and across, you know, across the generations.

[00:21:22] So I think that one, if you were to go back and analyze it again to really see all of the problems. The, uh, even, you know, the mean girls, but the Heathers, the, the wi you know, the, the teenagers themselves all have serious issues. They have eating disorders eating. They have. Yeah. So, uh, that's why it's, it's my number one.

[00:21:44] Um, and I love, I love that, uh, I love the message it sends in the end. So again, I don't wanna give up the ending. Yeah. But I love how I love that at the end of the movie, you walk away thinking, I, I think I can talk to somebody about this. I have a, I think I have a problem. I think I can talk to somebody, but as far as like cult classic movie goes, it is like, Everybody knows corn nuts from Heather's everybody.

[00:22:11] There's so many quotables. Um, and it's my number one. It, it launched me into loving cult plastic movies. Ah, okay. That was my launch. Yeah. Nice. So that's my number one. So there's our there's there's my top five. That's a beautiful 

[00:22:28] list. Well, okay, so we had two. Crossovers. Yeah. Um, okay. So to recap my list, I had empire records at number five clerks at number four.

[00:22:39] Erase your head at number three, Rocky horror, number two, and a clockwork. Orange is number one. And then before top five list was I 

[00:22:49] went clockwork, American psycho, Rocky horror. Monty Python, holy grail, and then Heathers with a whole lot of honorable mention. We could have, we could have done a top 30 cold classic.

[00:23:06] Yeah, I mean, but so five was hard. Um, and I still have, I still have more written down on my note. 

[00:23:12] Well, you mentioned pink Flamingo, although that wasn't on either of our list and for that matter, not a, not a single John Waters film on either of our lists. No, that would probably be on somebody else's top five list, probably any, any John Waters film for that matter.

[00:23:27] Um, and some of the other, you know, lynching things, blue velvet, twin peaks. Yeah. Wild at heart. Um, Not so much the elephant man, but yeah. Dune perhaps. And now you have two versions of dune to kick around if you 

[00:23:43] want. Yeah. And there's a lot of like cheesy comedy that, that couldn't made the list, like, uh, raising Arizona mm-hmm or big travel, little China.

[00:23:52] Yeah. Which those to me were mainstream enough to not be a cult classic. Cause I kind of see it as, um, none of these were. None of these were blockbusters, um, true necessarily that they, they gained their popularity through. Word of mouth. And just by, just through generations of people loving these either movies that are so bad.

[00:24:15] They're good. Yeah. 

[00:24:16] Um, which is, which is another episode in itself. But, uh, Chris corral already claimed that one. So yeah. 

[00:24:23] Yeah. I don't think, I don't think I could get through that one because I saw show girls on, on somebody's list. I'm like, oh my God. just know. 

[00:24:32] I, I have, I have. Lists started. Um, I have three movies on there.

[00:24:38] I have not finished. So that's 

[00:24:40] well that, one's not a, that one's not as so bad. It's good. That's just a, it's a so bad. It's 

[00:24:44] bad. Oh, I, we, well, we called it movies that are so bad. They're 

[00:24:48] classic. Oh, okay. 

[00:24:50] I don't know. We'll see. We'll see how that goes. We haven't recorded that one yet, obviously, so, yeah. OK, cool.

[00:24:56] So, um, If you want to, well, the show doesn't have a website yet, but if you want to learn more about me and my other shows, you can go to Chris MC peak.com. Annie is going to be a regular cohost with this show. So you'll hear from her a lot more, any parting thoughts on cult classics? 

[00:25:17] Um, I think. I think the thing about cult classics, any, any lover of, of movies, if you ha you know, if you don't gain appreciation for, you know, some of the things that influence your favorite filmmakers, um, it's kinda like, it's kinda like with musicians, if you don't know, like don't know that, you know, Jimmy Hendricks influenced the Beatles, you know, it gives you a better apprecia, greater appreciation for, for the, for Jimmy Hendrix.

[00:25:40] So knowing that like some of our favorite filmmakers today, Were influenced by, by some of these earlier works, you know, Ric is every, everybody could say, you know, cupric influenced them. Um, any, anybody can say, you know, Monty Python. Absolutely. It crosses every generation. There's no, you know, there's nothing, uh, there's nothing particularly seventies about it, you know?

[00:26:08] Yeah. Yeah, sure. So my closing thoughts are that one of the reasons I. Cult classics it's cuz it, for me, I I'm a total nerd. Um, I, I love connecting with people that look at things creatively from a different perspective. And I like that with these movies, uh, and raising my kids, I give them that same kind of appreciation for, uh, other, other art forms and other ways of looking at at the world and, and just there's some really, you know, interesting and creative ways to express your.

[00:26:41] Through, uh, through film that way. Yeah, 

[00:26:45] totally. And your kids are gonna be very well read scholars of popular culture by the time they reach their twenties and their thirties. Um, oh yes, they will obviously. I mean, and we had access to a lot of stuff when we were young. Yeah. Um, they will have forest surpassed.

[00:27:02] What we've had access to with the oh, Lord technology that we have today, so, okay. You have been listening to the top five podcast and we are signing off, so we'll catch next time. 

[00:27:13] See ya.

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