The number 23 has some obtuse, esoteric significance. I first read about it when I read the Illuminati Trilogy  by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea. I don't really profess to be a believer in the  23 enigma  but I've always found it fascinating. So here we are, Hour 23 of this podcast... and there's certain patterns emerging-- patterns that, frankly, I am not really happy about. It seems like every other week a great pop musician is dying. It's alarming how frequently it is happening. My former paranoid self would most definitely attribute it to some sort of conspiracy. But in reality, we are reaching a time in history where most of the notables we have come to know and love are merely going the natural route. And as the recently deceased Fats Domino would say, "Ain't that a shame." I was a fan of The Fat Man, mostly because his voice was so smooth and piano playing seemed so effortless. Check out his cover of The Beatles'  "Lady Madonn...

www.fornicatti.blogspot.com We continue with part two of our interview with Kyle Trittipo, discussing the ups and downs of record collecting and playing some choice cuts for the podcast listeners. I made a mistake in last week's episode by playing the music that Kyle had done for his friend's You Tube web show  Failed Horror Show 4D  but not linking it or mentioning it by name... so here it is. My bad. We get that out of the way first thing and then we begin to discuss and dissect music and songs of artists such as local punk group Mr. Clit and the Pink Cigarettes; Indonesian singer Annie Rae; The Rezillos (aka The Revillos); British shock rocker Screaming Lord Sutch; and soul singer Doris Duke, as well as more recognizable music and hits from groups and singers like Public Enemy, Velvet Underground, Isley Brothers, and Bobby Womack. This hour was a lot of fun to put together, thanks largely in part to Kyle's easygoing demeanor and enthusiastic knowledge of obscur...

Friday the 13th in October naturally conjures up images of scary monsters, ghosts, and all sorts of morbid associations. So it's fitting that my guest on this week's podcast, Kyle Trittipo, supplied me with some music he has done for an online horror movie show (think Svenghoolie or Elvira Mistress of the Dark) that helped color the mood of the podcast. It is a dark time, both musically and in society at large; the antidote is a thoughtful meditation on indie music in the Midwest, especially during the Eighties and Nineties. The aura of death permeates many of the luminaries Kyle and I speak of during our lengthy conversation (yes, it's another two-parter): from Grant Hart to D.Boon to Bob Stinson and even to Tom Petty (this podcast was recorded before his death a few weeks ago so our references are shadowed by this after the fact) there are plenty of punk casualties and rock 'n' roll spirits haunting our minds and hearts. We start the hour off amicably enoug...

Part Two of my interview with Gutbucket Records  founder and notable Bay Area jazz bandleader Nicholas Culp continues on this podcast, available on  iTunes  and  Soundcloud ... and maybe even  Podomatic  but I haven't really been feeling it lately. I know there's other platforms out there, I've just have been lazy about searching. Of course, I have to mention the death of Tom Petty. As I explain in the podcast, my appreciation of his music and persona grew over time. I had a weird feeling that Bob Dylan was the next major rock icon to pass away but as a friend said to me after Petty finally gave up the ghost, I was "only off by one Wilbury". I apologize if that's in bad taste, but it's a fine line with rockers whose presence is as pervasive as Petty's: my firmest memory of him in the Nineties, for example, is comedian David Spade's  impersonation  of him on SNL . Rather than play a song by him, I decided to go with a cover I recorded a yea...