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The Radio Star Murders

The Radio Star Murders

The Pensky File
Music

In the 1980’s, a crime wave rocked the music world. A new kind of technology enabled the systematic murder of hundreds of musicians, artist’s whose only crime was having a face for radio. In this podcast, internet sleuths Wes and Clay review hundreds of case files in an effort to solve a mystery that has endured for decades: did video kill the radio star? Listen as the duo analyze music videos, looking for any kind of evidence to finally crack the case.

17 - blink-182 – All the Small Things
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  • 17 - blink-182 – All the Small Things

    Our journey through 1999 continues with pop punk sensation blink-182 and their smash hit, “All the Small Things“. It’s two minutes of romantic pop-punk sensibilities filled with bombastic drum fills and nasally declarations of love. And the video is supremely 1999, even if that means that you won’t get half of the references.









    Join Wes and Clay as they talk about a band that neither finds particularly enjoyable and a video that both find to be obnoxiously unfunny and boring. Punk rock has a reputation for subverting cultural values and mocking those in power, and blink-182 adds to that perception by… imitating pop stars from 1999 by dressing up like them and dancing in an airplane hangar?



    The guys also discuss the importance of having a good drummer, meeting rocks stars as a youth, and why “Damnit” is the best blink-182 song!



    * Listen to the songs we’ve covered!* Spotify Playlist * https://open.spotify.com/user/thepenskyfile/playlist/1SvoYXpmFmDJEWYZTX4d7X?si=8XoDVTARSWGuXEu2j-rM8A* Listen and Subscribe: * Website* https://thepenskyfile.com/* iTunes* https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-radio-star-murders/id1453430163* Spotify* https://open.spotify.com/show/3eqYAkRneGzmFqE0BHyv3u* PocketCasts* https://pca.st/qD7x* RSS* https://thepenskyfile.com/category/podcasts/radio-star-murders/feed/* Support the show:* Patreon* https://www.patreon.com/thepenskyfile* PayPal* https://www.paypal.me/thepenskyfile* Merchandise * https://teespring.com/stores/the-pensky-file* Connect with us:* Wes on Twitter* https://twitter.com/PenskyFile* Clay on Twitter* https://twitter.com/DeadMeatComic* Facebook* https://www.facebook.com/thepenskyfilepod/* Discord* https://discord.gg/WQTYbzt* E-mail * thepenskyfilevideo@gmail.com
    Wed, 28 Aug 2019 - 29min
  • 16 - Eminem – My Name Is

    Our coverage of 1999 continues with the song that The Ringer ranked 22nd on its list of the biggest singles from 1999: Eminem’s “My Name Is”. It was our introduction to the Slim Shady persona, platinum blond hair, and endless controversies of a young man named Marshall Mathers aka Eminem.





    Hi kids, do you like Primus/violence?



    Eminem would later call the song “cheesy”, but as an example of what the young star sounded like during his early years it works as an excellent introduction. It’s full of cultural references, nods to a difficult childhood, insults, and non-sequitur stories. It’s also interesting to look back at what we thought about Eminem when he first appeared on the scene, as opposed to the rap icon who has been lingering in our cultural consciousness for over two decades.



    Wes and Clay discuss all of this, and they also discuss the first video the podcast has covered where censorship has completely changed meaning and interpretation of the song!
    Wed, 31 Jul 2019 - 34min
  • 15 - Santana Ft. Rob Thomas – Smooth

    In today’s episode, Wes and Clay discuss Santana and Rob Thomas’ 1999 smash hit, “Smooth”! It’s one of the most successful songs of all-time, it brought Santana back into the cultural consciousness, and it allowed Rob Thomas to brag about having a smoking hot Latina for a girlfriend!









    The guys discuss yet another video from 1999 and try to figure out who exactly is responsible for the color and exposure that’s ruining so many of them. They also break down the story behind the song and try to figure out who should actually be tagged as “featured”. Plus, they talk about the cinematic history of apartment building fans, magical incense, and what it takes to write a Latin-flavored song when you’re a white guy who looks like Rob Thomas.



    The oral history of “Smooth”



    Funny or Die sketch



    * Listen to the songs we’ve covered!* Spotify Playlist * https://open.spotify.com/user/thepenskyfile/playlist/1SvoYXpmFmDJEWYZTX4d7X?si=8XoDVTARSWGuXEu2j-rM8A* Listen and Subscribe: * Website* https://thepenskyfile.com/* iTunes* https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-radio-star-murders/id1453430163* Spotify* https://open.spotify.com/show/3eqYAkRneGzmFqE0BHyv3u* PocketCasts* https://pca.st/qD7x* RSS* https://thepenskyfile.com/category/podcasts/radio-star-murders/feed/* Support the show:* Patreon* https://www.patreon.com/thepenskyfile* PayPal* https://www.paypal.me/thepenskyfile* Merchandise * https://teespring.com/stores/the-pensky-file* Connect with us:* Wes on Twitter* https://twitter.com/PenskyFile* Clay on Twitter* https://twitter.com/DeadMeatComic* Facebook* https://www.facebook.com/thepenskyfilepod/* Discord* https://discord.gg/WQTYbzt* E-mail * thepenskyfilevideo@gmail.com
    Wed, 24 Jul 2019 - 27min
  • 14 - Britney Spears – … Baby One More Time

    Is a desperate plea to keep a lover from slipping away? Or is it the cry of a woman who needs some domestic violence to make herself feel alive? Whatever the case may be, it’s a catchy little diddy from 1999 that sparked the career of a pop star who burned too brightly in the early 2000s.



    It’s Britney Spears and the song is “… Baby One More Time“.





    Oh baby, baby…



    Our coverage of 1999 continues as we dive into the pop star renaissance that brought us acts like Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera, and many others. How manufactured was it? What happened to alternative rock? What was the deal with sexualizing high schoolers?



    Wes and Clay discuss this and much more in this episode of the show. Enjoy!



    * Listen to the songs we’ve covered!* Spotify Playlist * https://open.spotify.com/user/thepenskyfile/playlist/1SvoYXpmFmDJEWYZTX4d7X?si=8XoDVTARSWGuXEu2j-rM8A* Listen and Subscribe: * Website* https://thepenskyfile.com/* iTunes* https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-radio-star-murders/id1453430163* Spotify* https://open.spotify.com/show/3eqYAkRneGzmFqE0BHyv3u* PocketCasts* https://pca.st/qD7x* RSS* https://thepenskyfile.com/category/podcasts/radio-star-murders/feed/* Support the show:* Patreon* https://www.patreon.com/thepenskyfile* PayPal* https://www.paypal.me/thepenskyfile* Merchandise * https://teespring.com/stores/the-pensky-file* Connect with us:* Wes on Twitter* https://twitter.com/PenskyFile* Clay on Twitter* https://twitter.com/DeadMeatComic* Facebook* https://www.facebook.com/thepenskyfilepod/* Discord* https://discord.gg/WQTYbzt* E-mail * thepenskyfilevideo@gmail.com
    Wed, 10 Jul 2019 - 27min
  • 13 - Smash Mouth – All Star

    SUM BUDDY once told me…



    To kick off their celebration of the musical styling of 1999, Wes and Clay do a deep dive into “All Star” which entered the public consciousness and has never really found its way out. It was a huge hit for Smash Mouth and was included in numerous film soundtracks, cementing itself into the history books. But is the song good?





    Hey now, you’re an all-star!



    And more to the point, is the video any good? To both Wes and Clay’s surprise, it focuses heavily on the Ben Stiller comedy Mystery Men (with a Doug Jones cameo!) but it otherwise follows a lot of what would become tropes of the era: oversaturated colors, bowling shirts, and hair gel. But the bright, cheery subject matter has kept this song in heavy rotation.



    Wes and Clay discuss the forgotten clothing of the late ’90s, metal bands finding their footing with inoffensive Top 40 pop, and how to properly frost your tips!
    Wed, 26 Jun 2019 - 33min
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