"Closer to Free" by Bodeans

[00:00:00] Hey everybody, Chris Fafalis here. If you enjoy One Hit Thunder, which I'm assuming you do considering you're listening to it right now

[00:00:06] I want to tell you about another great music podcast on the Evergreen podcast network

[00:00:10] It's called Riffs on Riffs. On this season of Riffs on Riffs, host Toby Braswell and Joe Watson are breaking down one

[00:00:18] iconic pop song each week. Everything from Taylor Swift's Cruel Summer to Journeys Don't Stop Believin' to Naughty by Nature's OPP

[00:00:26] Each week they crack open the song, trace its history,

[00:00:30] decode those cryptic lyrics and unearth the hidden gems in its musical DNA. Not only do they dive into the song's history, lyrics and impact

[00:00:38] They also go down some fun and oftentimes hilarious rabbit holes. So yeah, if you're a fan of One Hit Thunder

[00:00:44] I think you'll also enjoy Riffs on Riffs. So go hit that subscribe button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods

[00:00:52] You may remember this week's song as the theme song to a 90s teen drama

[00:01:11] But buckle up because you're about to learn about the long and prolific career of Boudin's before they broke into the mainstream with closer to free

[00:01:19] Believe it or not, this influential Jangle Pop staple were a favorite of fans and critics alike for well over a decade before their big break

[00:01:26] Thanks to our Patreon supporters, this week we dive into the long and occasionally dark history of this iconic band

[00:01:33] Tracing the roots back to the vibrant Milwaukee music scene

[00:02:13] So Matt, Party of Five seems like a show you would have or do watch. Am I right?

[00:02:18] I've never seen a second of Party of Five, but I get why you would think that because I've watched all of Dawson's Creek

[00:02:24] I'm watching the OC for a podcast. I love Gilmore Girls

[00:02:28] Party of Five just kind of missed me which is again crazy because it's Nev Campbell and Jennifer Love Hewitt who you think

[00:02:35] At that time I would have just been watching the show to look at those two actresses

[00:02:41] Not to mention Matthew Fox who is Jack from Lost

[00:02:46] Lacey Shabare the Queen of Hallmark Christmas movies. Did you know that she is called that?

[00:02:52] I

[00:02:53] Have heard people say that I didn't know that that was like an official nickname that she currently carries

[00:02:58] But yeah, she's in like two to three Hallmark Christmas movies every year or something like that. It's crazy

[00:03:04] Yeah for anyone who doesn't know who we're talking about. She's in Mean Girls

[00:03:07] She's Gretchen Wieners from Mean Girls. She's trying to make Fletcher thing

[00:03:12] Yes. Yeah, trying to make fetch fetch a thing. Yeah

[00:03:15] Jeremy London was on that show from all rats. Yeah Adam Scott Carol O'Connor

[00:03:22] Brittany Murphy was apparently on it

[00:03:24] Damn Laria. Do you know who damn Laria is? I

[00:03:29] Know that name and I'm trying to think of why I know that name. So just tell me

[00:03:33] He's the dad from Wonder Years. Oh

[00:03:37] Okay, yeah like the grumpy dad

[00:03:39] Breckin Meyer was apparently on this show. I'm like I

[00:03:43] This show I feel like there's a party of five Pluto Channel. I'm willing. Oh, I'm willing to bet there might be

[00:03:50] Okay, it seems like the type of show that would get one but alright

[00:03:54] Well, the reason we bring this up is because the song we are talking about today is

[00:03:59] closer to free by the

[00:04:01] Boudine's which is the theme song for the show

[00:04:03] So I really thought we were in store for another Rembrandt's style show

[00:04:07] It is a late 90s

[00:04:10] Janglepop band that is used as the theme song for a show who I never heard another song by

[00:04:17] Yeah, and I think similar to the Rembrandt's episode. I went into this thinking

[00:04:25] Okay, this was probably a band that had maybe one album

[00:04:29] That just like a producer liked and like pick this song at random

[00:04:34] But it's like oh no this band had been together for 12 years before the party of five thing came around

[00:04:42] Prolific band they have a lot of albums. They are still together to a certain extent we'll get to that

[00:04:48] But I think they released their 15th album like a year or two ago like they have not slowed down

[00:04:54] They have a new album. Yeah, they still play shows

[00:04:57] But I want to go into some history of this band because it was pretty interesting that this is a pretty beloved band

[00:05:04] Formed in Waukesha, Wisconsin

[00:05:07] Kurt Newman and Sam Yanis met each other in high school in

[00:05:12] 1977 which I gotta say it's funny to think about like okay. We knew this song from the mid to late 90s

[00:05:19] 1977 fills so long ago. It was 20 years earlier than the song being a hit

[00:05:25] Yeah, that's true. That's true

[00:05:27] But I don't know it's just it's just wild to me that I wouldn't have thought

[00:05:31] I would have thought this band started in the 90s or something, but not true

[00:05:36] These two Kurt and Sam began to sing and play guitar under the name

[00:05:40] Dubbo Deans

[00:05:42] Never changed it. I think that was the big mistake. That's why it took so long for them to become famous

[00:05:47] Yeah, they dropped the duck

[00:05:50] In 1983 Dubbo Deans began playing around Milwaukee's east side music scene with a higher drummer and bass player

[00:05:58] And I want to make note

[00:06:00] Along the way, it's one of those bands like Dexie's Midnight Runners or something where everybody

[00:06:05] Not everybody a lot of people have played for this band Kenny Aronoff the famous studio drummer has played

[00:06:12] Yeah, I mean this is this is Kurt like this band is Kurt for the well

[00:06:17] Kurt and Sam for a long time it's curtain Sam

[00:06:20] But even then so here's the big thing that I notice

[00:06:22] I'm not sure if you caught this when you were doing the research

[00:06:25] But it seems like from like the third or fourth album

[00:06:30] Kurt was recording every like this was Kurt by himself recording everything

[00:06:36] Right, right, but I very early into the band. He started just kind of being almost like that Billy Corgan

[00:06:42] You know, I mean like how Billy Corgan or Dave Grohl

[00:06:46] Records most of the instruments for those albums and then even though they don't have like a hired gun band

[00:06:52] It is like the Foo Fighters is a lineup of guys

[00:06:56] For many years, none of them were playing on those records

[00:06:59] I did see that about Kurt playing a lot especially as they got further into their career

[00:07:05] But I wanted to make note of it being curtain Sam because the song we're talking about closer to free

[00:07:11] Kurt and Sam are both listed as the two songwriters of it. Yeah, so yeah, you know

[00:07:17] Noted noted on that

[00:07:19] Yeah, like I'm sure that they wrote songs together

[00:07:22] But as far as when you're listening to a Baudin's record unless it's thinking unless it's the first two records

[00:07:28] You are almost definitely just listening to Kurt

[00:07:32] Playing every single instrument doing almost all the vocals. Yeah, he was the only Kurt that mattered in the 90s

[00:07:39] He truly was yeah

[00:07:41] Did you I before we get too deep into their history? I do have to ask

[00:07:46] Early on in their Wikipedia. I read a sentence that I needed to address

[00:07:51] They have their own permanent installation in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, Ohio

[00:07:59] Dude, we're gonna get to this as we go further through the history easy to me though

[00:08:03] This band is like considered Milwaukee's greatest band or most famous band ever

[00:08:09] They had some serious buzz in the mid to late 80s like music critics were raving about them and

[00:08:18] Rolling Stones listener poll rated them the best new American band in like 1987. Yeah. Yeah, so this band

[00:08:27] They were not just a TV theme song band

[00:08:30] I'm surprised that I didn't know them beforehand granted

[00:08:34] I was a little kid back then but I would have thought that I would have heard of this band at some point

[00:08:39] But I really I really hadn't before the party of it five theme song

[00:08:43] It seems like though especially because Rolling Stone in 1987

[00:08:48] I think is different than what Rolling Stone is

[00:08:52] Today in the sense. I think Rolling Stone was like a musicians

[00:08:56] Like it like how they refer to bands like a musicians band like you you were reading Rolling Stone

[00:09:03] if you were really really

[00:09:06] deeply into music and I think that that's what the takeaway is I got from the Bodians was like

[00:09:12] mainstream wise they had basically this and a couple minor hits but

[00:09:17] If you were like a musician

[00:09:19] This was like potentially your favorite band in the early 80s or late 80s early 90s

[00:09:25] Well, what is Rolling Stone now?

[00:09:26] All I think it is now is posts that come up on Facebook that I click into to read and then I can't read because

[00:09:32] I'm not subscribed and then once in a while they let one slip through

[00:09:37] I was real ashamed of myself when I clicked into one today

[00:09:41] It was one of the ones they let you read where it was the timeline of the Taylor Swift Kanye West kim kardashian

[00:09:48] I was like, why am I why did I click this and why am I reading it?

[00:09:51] Why am I why am I adding to this? That's what I was gonna say is I think Rolling Stone really became

[00:09:58] More of a pop culture as did most magazines it became like a pop culture

[00:10:04] Magazine that just happens to focus on what's happening in popular music

[00:10:10] But like I think the 70s and 80s Rolling Stone

[00:10:15] Was actively also trying to break and expose new bands to a wider audience

[00:10:21] Well, dude 90s Rolling Stone was so iconic think a couple things about it

[00:10:27] Once one thing about it was

[00:10:29] Rolling Stone was like bigger than the other magazines like I'm talking physical size wise wide magazine

[00:10:36] Wide and tall like it stood out and the the covers of Rolling Stone are some of the most

[00:10:43] iconic images of

[00:10:46] Bands and sometimes actors and actresses or whatever

[00:10:49] Of the 90s those Rolling Stone covers you think about like, okay

[00:10:54] Our boy genius just did a parody of the Nirvana the famous Nirvana one like they wore the same

[00:10:59] Things that Nirvana had worn but there's just so many of those those Rolling Stone covers

[00:11:04] So it was still part of the culture in the 90s whereas now I just think I

[00:11:09] The stuff pops up on a timeline and you click on I guess there's still a physical magazine, right?

[00:11:14] They are still a physical magazine, but it honestly is the story

[00:11:19] That we've heard a million times, but it was basically just the internet comes around and

[00:11:25] Like

[00:11:26] You can't really make it as a niche

[00:11:31] Print magazine anymore

[00:11:33] And then it's almost like you're a music magazine

[00:11:36] But you're like sort of tabloid II a little bit

[00:11:39] You're sort of just making clickbait because you have to

[00:11:42] Yeah, unfortunately. I mean there's positives and negatives to it

[00:11:46] I mean the positives are you're probably saving a lot of trees

[00:11:50] From being cut down if you're primarily on the internet

[00:11:54] But then I think the quality probably suffers to a certain extent

[00:11:57] They would probably argue it doesn't but I literally clicked into a thing that was about

[00:12:01] Kanye West and Taylor Swift beef today

[00:12:03] So I would say that maybe the quality is suffering to a certain extent

[00:12:08] But bring it back around to the boatings here a little bit

[00:12:12] So the boatings started becoming popular in Milwaukee

[00:12:15] They added a drummer Guy Hoffman in 1984

[00:12:19] One of many drummers that played for them and to compensate for not having a bass player

[00:12:24] Kurt modified his fender

[00:12:27] To with two additional pickups that would capture the low end frequencies, which I think is what

[00:12:34] Is that what the dude from local h did too?

[00:12:36] I think so. Yeah. Yeah

[00:12:39] Anyway, they started becoming popular around Milwaukee and they added a bassist in bob griffin in 1985

[00:12:45] And that's at that point when they signed that bassist

[00:12:47] Warner Warner was like all right now. We're ready to sign you guys in 1985

[00:12:52] They signed to Warner and they changed their name to simply

[00:12:55] Boudine's they dropped the da no more da boatings

[00:13:00] They were just boatings and they recorded their first album love and hope and sex and dreams with t-bone Burnett

[00:13:08] Matt what album?

[00:13:11] I mean he produced a lot of albums, but what important album did t-bone Burnett produce

[00:13:16] I know that name. I saw it hyperlinked. I almost clicked into it

[00:13:21] I'm gonna say something and I'm sure I'm wrong because I'm thinking of t-boss

[00:13:25] But did he have anything to do with tlc crazy sex? He did not t-bone and t-boss never teamed up as far as I could say

[00:13:32] He produced august and everything after

[00:13:34] Oh, of course

[00:13:37] That makes a lot more sense later on seven years seven years later. He did but uh, I'll say this though

[00:13:43] You telling me that information and from the older boedine songs I listened to

[00:13:49] I don't think it's impossible

[00:13:52] That the counting crows actively were like we need to find the guy who produced love and hope and sex and dreams by

[00:13:59] Bodeins because it feels I could see these guys being an early influence on the counting crows guy for that

[00:14:07] similar like 60s jangle pop like

[00:14:11] Rootsy rock and roll type sound that early counting crows especially

[00:14:16] Had in spades. I'll buy that. I think that's probably true because the band that

[00:14:21] Adam dirts was in before counting crows

[00:14:25] from like 89 to 91

[00:14:28] Was also like this style of music. I could see the boedines being an influence. They seemed to be

[00:14:33] a big jangle pop influence like i'm sure the gin blossoms like the boedines and and uh, that makes sense. So this this first

[00:14:43] major label album from boedines was critically acclaimed came out in 1986

[00:14:48] um

[00:14:49] And then their second album might Campbell from tom petty and the heartbreakers was going to produce their second album

[00:14:56] But he wanted to make their sound more like tom petty's sound

[00:15:00] So instead they went back to wisconsin and accepted the producer offer

[00:15:06] From jerry harrison from the talking heads to produce their second album

[00:15:10] And on that second album. They were given more freedom to experiment

[00:15:13] outside looking in was released in october 1987 and it had more of a modern 80s rock sound

[00:15:20] And the album's lead single only love

[00:15:24] peaked at number 16 on the u.s. Mainstream rock charts

[00:15:28] Well, there's two other

[00:15:31] It's a pretty good song. There's two other big things

[00:15:34] that happened

[00:15:36] Uh off this second album chris. Um one of them

[00:15:41] Well, actually just only one thing off the second album and then we'll dive into the third album

[00:15:46] This album also led to them being the opener for you too during the joshua tree tour

[00:15:52] Yeah, boedings weren't messing around man. No, that's pretty big

[00:15:56] And that had to be one of the biggest tours

[00:15:59] Of 87. Oh for sure

[00:16:02] There's I can't imagine outside of like a michael jackson or armadonna tour that has to at least be

[00:16:08] The biggest rock and roll tour

[00:16:10] That was happening that year because that joshua tree album was like

[00:16:16] massive like undeniably massive

[00:16:18] um, but the thing that made me

[00:16:20] Gasp out loud. Oh during my research

[00:16:24] Was that two years later?

[00:16:26] 1989 they record their third album

[00:16:29] And two of the songs off that third album made their way onto the soundtrack. I know

[00:16:35] Yep of the wizard the wizard, baby

[00:16:38] That's incredible. Yeah, it was the songs you don't get much and red river

[00:16:44] Those were those were from the third album. Those are from the 1989 album. Yeah, so two years later. They got those songs

[00:16:49] Man, can we just take a quick second to talk about how?

[00:16:53] Incredible the wizard still is like california

[00:16:59] It's so good dude. I mean

[00:17:02] It's fred savage. We all love fred savage

[00:17:06] It's jenny lewis right yeah lead singer of rylo kind

[00:17:10] Yeah, it's jenny lewis and

[00:17:12] That was the I mean, I feel like I've talked about this on podcasts a lot or something

[00:17:16] I don't know I first discovered that there was going to be a super mario 3 was watching that movie

[00:17:21] Yeah, I were you were maybe too young. Were you too young at that point to realize? I was very late to the wizard

[00:17:27] I know the wizard as like a

[00:17:30] bad movie podcast discussion fodder, but

[00:17:34] I know plenty of people who are alive at the time where it's like when I was you know x amount years old

[00:17:40] It was not a bad movie. It was just the coolest shit. I'd ever seen

[00:17:44] Well, when that screen opens it

[00:17:46] At the end of the movie at the yeah, you know the climax of the movie and it's super mario brothers 3 and you have never seen this yet

[00:17:54] Yeah, it's

[00:17:55] It was so I can't even describe the feeling of that

[00:17:59] You know exciting it was when super mario brothers 2 came out that was

[00:18:03] Oh my god that I I'll never forget where I say it was

[00:18:06] Nolan bergamaskos birthday party

[00:18:09] Got there and people are playing super mario brothers 2 or no was it vince wins

[00:18:14] It was actually vince wins birthday party, but I was playing it with dolin. That's right and

[00:18:19] I just couldn't believe my eyes and then I couldn't believe when I saw super mario brothers 3

[00:18:23] I couldn't believe when I saw sonic the hedgehog on a big screen tv for the first time

[00:18:27] It's sean rollins birthday party. Oh boy

[00:18:29] I these memories, you know, but uh wizard wizard was very very formative

[00:18:36] At that time. Yeah

[00:18:37] As it should have been, uh, but yeah, that's that's amazing. I love that so much

[00:18:43] That I literally yelled out loud in my house

[00:18:48] So back to the boat aens here. I'm 1991 they began recording with david z

[00:18:54] Who was the producer for prince at paisley park studios like this band?

[00:19:00] I gotta respect the fact that they like

[00:19:02] Worked with t-bone and then then they were like then they want to work with jerry harrison now

[00:19:07] They're working at princes studio. Like they're not they're not messing around. They're not staying necessarily in one lane

[00:19:15] but

[00:19:16] I will say

[00:19:18] That as I

[00:19:20] I was learning about the boat aens last night and i'm listening as i'm going i'm listening to the albums

[00:19:25] It always sounds like the boat aens. Yeah, it doesn't sound like a dramatic

[00:19:31] Thing it's a lot of mid tempo songs

[00:19:35] Nothing really ever grabs me too much. I didn't like that only love song that was a single

[00:19:40] I thought that and I even that song i'm like this is pretty good

[00:19:45] But like nothing where I was like, oh my god, I gotta get more into the bow deans

[00:19:50] Yeah, I think I mean we're getting pretty close to talking about the single and

[00:19:57] Like that is as much as I think the bow deans had some good songs

[00:20:01] I don't think they had anything that is as much ear candy

[00:20:07] No as this like

[00:20:09] Two minute and 40 something second closer to free song that is just like

[00:20:15] From that opening. Yeah

[00:20:17] To just that repetitive even though it's not as repetitive as you think it is like the lyrics kind of change each verse

[00:20:24] but it's just like

[00:20:26] That that med every piece of this song. I'm like holy shit. The song is so good

[00:20:32] I mean it fits perfectly into like okay Rembrandt's

[00:20:37] Their theme song it fits perfectly with that it reminds it puts me in the mind of something like rem stand or something where it's just

[00:20:45] over the top almost bubblegum jangle pop and

[00:20:50] It's pretty undeniable. It's it's pretty good. So we talk about party of five, right? Like for me

[00:20:57] The big thing I remember it from is the opening credits to heavyweights

[00:21:03] It's literally the first scene of heavyweights and it's the sound

[00:21:08] Of school being let out for the summer

[00:21:10] and that to me is

[00:21:13] Exactly what this song felt like as a 10 year old in 1995

[00:21:18] That would be a good first song when that final school bell rings

[00:21:23] Closer to free baby or maybe like four minutes before it rings four minutes before but yeah

[00:21:28] Like it's literally the scene in the movie

[00:21:31] Is for those of you who haven't seen heavyweights. It's a close-up of the clock

[00:21:36] And the clock just hits the time and the the

[00:21:40] You know bell rings letting everyone knows school's out and right when it happens. It's that yeah

[00:21:47] And then it's just all these kids bursting out of the classrooms

[00:21:50] Running out of the school and i'm like yep, that is the vibe that this song has always given me

[00:21:56] Is just get the fuck out of my oh, I love heavyweights

[00:22:00] Love heavy. Have you ever seen heavyweights? Of course. I've seen heavyweights

[00:22:05] I didn't know if that was one of those cringe worthy movies like when you watch it now

[00:22:09] It's like, oh, I don't know about this. No, I think it I think it holds up for a couple reasons, right like

[00:22:16] It's early jut up towel. It's one of his first scripts

[00:22:19] Oh, wow. I didn't realize that yeah, it's starring paul fig who create co-created freaks and geeks with him

[00:22:26] Really?

[00:22:27] Yeah, he plays the

[00:22:29] The counselor at the fat camp who lost all the weight and is super skinny and they always make fun of them

[00:22:35] For losing so much weight at the fat camp you've got not that he's a great dude, but uh, you got

[00:22:42] Uh adam sandlers like buddy alan covert is all in there from grandma's boy

[00:22:48] Well, he's not a great dude. I don't know anything about this

[00:22:50] He's let's just say he politically does not align with you and I

[00:22:55] Oh, no

[00:22:57] No grandma's boy. You can't do this to me

[00:23:00] A young teen uh keenon thompson fresh off of all that

[00:23:04] You've got jerry stiller and ben stiller in that movie like it's got a pretty stat cast

[00:23:10] It is there. I think it is very funny and I think that the important thing is like

[00:23:15] It always um

[00:23:18] It it doesn't lean into the fat jokes as much as I think someone else would make it's very empathetic

[00:23:24] to the kids at the fat camp and we're kind of

[00:23:28] Siding with them and wanting to see them overcome the bullies where

[00:23:32] I think in the hands of someone that wasn't jut up tal and paul fig

[00:23:36] It could have very easily

[00:23:38] Flipped to the other thing where we're almost supposed to be cheering for the sports camp taking these fat kids down

[00:23:46] Wow

[00:23:50] You ever see an 80s movies?

[00:23:52] All right

[00:23:54] You know what other movie this song is in?

[00:23:57] milk money

[00:23:58] Milk money. You ever see milk money? I saw milk money

[00:24:02] Exactly once in my life and it was

[00:24:06] Not unlike the kids in the movie milk money

[00:24:10] Someone had rented the movie milk money and we as young kids got together to watch it only to

[00:24:17] Uh discover that there was not in fact nudity in the movie milk

[00:24:23] Yeah, yeah, there's not but definitely like a weird premise where what a premise

[00:24:30] It's melanie griffith and edda harris are the stars of this movie. Malcolm mcdow is also in this movie as like a bad guy

[00:24:36] But it's a group of young boys

[00:24:39] Put their money together to hire a prostitute to teach them about sex

[00:24:44] but then the prostitute comes back home with the one kid and

[00:24:48] I think if i'm not mistaken he explains it to his dad that she's a tutor that she's his tutor or something

[00:24:55] And he doesn't realize that she's a prostitute and I think he falls in love with her and

[00:25:02] I don't know. It's it's a strange strange movie. It's a strange movie

[00:25:06] And i'm looking at the wikipedia page an r.i.p

[00:25:09] Obviously, but ann haish also plays the other prostitute that melanie griffin is friends with in that movie

[00:25:16] So closer to free was also in this movie closer to free just multi-purpose

[00:25:22] They were hoping that with their milk money, they could get melanie griffin to get her boobs closer to free

[00:25:30] Yes, that was the main thing. They just wanted to see a naked woman

[00:25:33] They were like let's pull together our milk money and we'll do this and then from the very quick

[00:25:40] Look at the wikipedia plot page that I just saw

[00:25:42] It's that they decide not to do it at the last second

[00:25:46] But find that someone has stolen their bicycles

[00:25:49] And then melanie griffin is like I will drive you. Sorry

[00:25:53] Melanie griffin is like I will drive you guys home. I will I will take you home. Oh, that's right. That's right

[00:25:58] That's right

[00:26:00] The synopsis is in milk money a group of young boys pull their money to hire a prostitute

[00:26:04] Teach them about sex but things get complicated when one of them develops feelings for her as the boys navigate friendship

[00:26:10] Curiosity and the complexities of adult relationships their unconventional arrangement leads to unexpected discoveries about love

[00:26:18] and acceptance

[00:26:20] Well going back to the bowdeens as a television series theme song band

[00:26:25] Apparently I have no recollection of this but according to wikipedia in 1999

[00:26:32] Party of five had a spin-off series called time of your life

[00:26:36] In which the bowdeens also performed the theme song, which was a cover of the Beatles. I've just seen a face

[00:26:42] In 1999 there's a show called time of your life

[00:26:45] There's a song that they probably could have used although that might have been too expensive

[00:26:54] In the darkest corners of the internet

[00:26:57] A nameless formless entity has been growing one dares question where it was created or what it wants

[00:27:06] But those who have been entranced by its musings chant its blood-cuddling name in unison

[00:27:13] Horror movie night

[00:27:16] Find horror movie night on your favorite podcasting app or at hmnpodcast.com at closer to free

[00:27:23] We got to mention it was from

[00:27:25] The album go slow down from their 1993 album go slow down once again produced by t-bone bernette

[00:27:32] Dude's a hit maker

[00:27:34] Dude's a hit maker and the thing that we kind of skipped over was that with their fourth album the album before this one

[00:27:41] They went in an insanely different direction tons of like synthesizers

[00:27:45] That's the one they did at princess studio

[00:27:47] Yeah, they did that one in princess studio

[00:27:49] And it wasn't well received and the quote that I read was that the band decided they were going to stop chasing having a hit

[00:27:56] And we're just going to try to make songs that they themselves would want to listen to

[00:28:00] But I was under that that they created their biggest hit

[00:28:03] But I do want to know I do want to note on that album on that album

[00:28:08] They they recorded at paisley park, which is called black and white the album's first track good things

[00:28:15] Is one of bowdeen's most popular songs and it was never released as a single

[00:28:19] It's just like a fan favorite and it's it's pretty good song

[00:28:23] But I think that there's something to be said there

[00:28:25] About the idea of like you know what we're not going to try to write a hit

[00:28:28] We're just going to try to write the songs that we want to hear and then

[00:28:32] When you're not it's almost like when you're not trying to chase that song

[00:28:36] Song finds you, you know, absolutely if you are I would

[00:28:41] I don't know what the percentages are but I would guess

[00:28:45] The percentages of people trying to write a hit song versus

[00:28:50] People just writing what's in their heart or what they love

[00:28:54] That those songs where you're writing

[00:28:57] What you feel are much more likely to become a hit than something that's just like

[00:29:02] Manufactured to be a hit right again. I would have to think that the people can subconsciously see through

[00:29:11] When something is just not authentic. Yeah, well, let's talk about when this song peaked for a quick second

[00:29:17] I'm not sure if you tracked down the billboards, but I certainly did and the song peaked at 16 on the hot 100

[00:29:23] On may 4th. We've got another stellar top five of what year? Oh, sorry of 1996

[00:29:30] Here's the top five of that it wasn't until 1996

[00:29:34] So this album came out in 1993, but then party of five. I thought started in 1994

[00:29:40] It did start in 1994

[00:29:41] It took a long ass time for this to break in the hot 100 because you have to imagine that maybe the first season of party five was like

[00:29:49] Not the explosion that it was similar to friends

[00:29:52] I feel like the boat the Rembrandt's theme song to friends took until the second or third season to really

[00:29:59] Blow up because we gave shows more time to like

[00:30:03] Find their footing, but listen to this top five real quick number five

[00:30:07] Coolios one two three four something new. Okay great jam

[00:30:12] Number three. We got a lanus morset

[00:30:15] Ironic, okay number three. We've covered it on the show already the Tony rich also number three. Oh, sorry

[00:30:24] Sorry, number four was a lanus number three is Tony rich projects. Nobody knows okay

[00:30:29] Number two

[00:30:30] Celine Dion because you love me which I think is one of her best songs

[00:30:35] Okay, and number one

[00:30:37] Potentially my favorite song by this artist

[00:30:39] Mariah Carey Always Be My Baby

[00:30:43] Yeah, that's a pretty good mariah jam. It's a pretty good mariah jam a few of the other noteworthy songs

[00:30:47] I pulled from the top 20 that particular week

[00:30:50] uh at number 19

[00:30:53] our

[00:30:55] fan favorite jan arden

[00:30:57] with

[00:30:58] insensitive

[00:30:59] Okay, number 14 tracy Chapman give me one reason

[00:31:03] Okay, whatever number 13 everything but the girl missing

[00:31:08] All right

[00:31:09] And then we got two rap songs. I want to mention number 12 ll cool j's doing it

[00:31:16] Oh, that's all right doing it and doing it and doing it well

[00:31:20] And then number nine. I can't believe that this song

[00:31:25] I want you to think about this for a second

[00:31:27] This song reached it to number nine on the billboard hot 100

[00:31:30] Which meant that at some point in time kc k them had to

[00:31:36] I like introduced this song on the radio

[00:31:40] Busta rhymes woo-ha got you all in

[00:31:45] Okay, that's pretty I tire than I would have thought that song would have been

[00:31:49] 100% I thought that that was like a song that did well on like the rap charts

[00:31:53] But didn't cross over to be in the top 10 is pretty damn impressive. Yeah. Yeah

[00:31:59] Because that's a like ll cool j and the coolio song

[00:32:03] I can at least like kindy hear the pop sensibility

[00:32:06] That's there where it wouldn't feel out of place on top 40 radio. I can imagine that song

[00:32:13] On top 40 radio with the weird beat with the like yaw yaw yaw yaw like in the background

[00:32:19] That's awesome. Yeah, good for you busta. Nice. Okay matt so it is necessary to note

[00:32:26] Like you said earlier on this album that closer to free is on

[00:32:30] Which is called go slow down produced by t-bone marnette. It was a more acoustic

[00:32:35] Like filled album and it did mark their transition into 90s alternative rock and like you said

[00:32:43] Kurt did play like most of the stuff on the album

[00:32:47] Yeah, and that is important to note because as we move through this story because um

[00:32:54] by

[00:32:56] 2003 the band terminated their former management because they got into a

[00:33:01] Into a battle with this mark mccraw guy who was kind of the guy who

[00:33:05] Managed them from the very start who like

[00:33:09] Gave them money to record and stuff. So I don't know what went wrong there

[00:33:12] But their seventh album resolution came out in 2004 and then they released their eighth album in 2008 called still

[00:33:20] Their ninth album. Mr. Sad clown was released in 2010 and then their tenth album indigo dreams came out in 2011

[00:33:27] prolific band

[00:33:29] I got her, you know, we're not going to be able to say the thing we said about bb mac with this band

[00:33:34] Like no, they've been doing it way before the song caught on

[00:33:37] They're still doing it way after the song came on. They are lifers. Well, kurt is anyway

[00:33:42] Let me let me ask you a question real quick

[00:33:45] So your your kurt you are the bowdeeds, right?

[00:33:50] The year is now 2024

[00:33:53] Yeah

[00:33:54] You're playing a show

[00:33:56] Are you starting the show with closer to free because it's such a high energy song

[00:34:02] And you can maybe like get the people who only know you for that one song out

[00:34:07] So you can play with the faithful fans or is it your closer?

[00:34:11] So that you have everybody there for the entirety of the show

[00:34:15] No, it's the next it's got to be the next to last song

[00:34:19] So they play closer to free

[00:34:22] And then I think they close with that good things song

[00:34:25] Which because that one was never a single it is just popular based purely on the fact that their fans love it

[00:34:33] You know, okay, so that I don't know. I'm just guessing but that's what I think

[00:34:38] I don't think they open with closer to free. I wouldn't I think they make them wait for it

[00:34:42] I I think that that's probably the correct case

[00:34:45] But I also think man if I was in a 90s cover band

[00:34:49] Let's say now now i'm not the bowdeans

[00:34:51] Just in a 90s cover band

[00:34:52] I'd be hard pressed to think of a better song

[00:34:56] To kick off the set

[00:34:57] In the way that you want a set to kick off quite like this song. This is a great

[00:35:03] Start to a show it you know what this song feels like it also feels for some reason really peat and peat

[00:35:10] I could see that I I'm willing to bet

[00:35:14] that the uh

[00:35:16] That the co-creators of peat and peat

[00:35:19] Probably were bowdeans fans just based on

[00:35:23] Like the different types of musical guests that they would have like you've already named them like you know having uh michael stipe from re m

[00:35:32] Show up in an episode and stuff like that it it

[00:35:35] Feels like it would make sense that they uh would be big bowdean

[00:35:40] folk bowdean bowdean folk

[00:35:44] So, okay, let's get into it in 2011

[00:35:49] one of the two founding members of

[00:35:52] Bowdean sam yannis

[00:35:54] Left the band due to differences of opinion that had been going on for years according to curt and the band continued on without him

[00:36:00] They made their 11th album american made in 2012 their 12th album came out in 2014 and then

[00:36:07] In june of 2018

[00:36:10] This is what this is pretty bad

[00:36:12] This is pretty bad and let's two things real quick before we get into this number one

[00:36:17] Uh, we don't do this a ton. There might be uh essay trigger warning

[00:36:22] We're throwing out there because we're about to talk about some really fucked up shit

[00:36:25] Number two, I just want to call out how shitty

[00:36:28] The way he quit this band was was that he just

[00:36:31] Didn't show up to a show and then text it the band and crew that he was quitting the bands

[00:36:36] Really fucked up way to quit a band, but we're about to find out that that's probably the least fucked up thing

[00:36:41] Yeah, that's sam did right so

[00:36:47] June of 2018

[00:36:50] Kurt newman stepdaughter

[00:36:52] What said in interviews that sam yannis

[00:36:57] curt's

[00:36:58] found

[00:36:59] Other founding member of bowdeans had subjected her to repeated acts of sexual abuse from 2001 to 2007

[00:37:07] While she was a minor this started when she was nine years old. Yeah

[00:37:11] Charges were filed. But then I read there was like a bombshell report from the milwaukie

[00:37:17] Paper are the milwaukie journal sentinel you can go read it online

[00:37:21] I sent it to matt last night where it tells tessa newman's story about all this and why she couldn't

[00:37:28] You know or whatever why she couldn't press charges and stuff and I watched this youtube of sam

[00:37:34] I think it was the milwaukie news or something saying I didn't do that. You know, it's like okay

[00:37:41] Go read the article

[00:37:43] In that article

[00:37:45] Sam tries to

[00:37:47] Act like this is

[00:37:49] Over royalties of some like he he deflects real hard. Yeah on the question

[00:37:56] Like he essentially just says like I didn't do that and shame on tessa and curt for doing this

[00:38:01] Just because we've had a disagreement about royalties or what and it's like

[00:38:05] Right

[00:38:06] No one no one would make an accusation about this

[00:38:11] Over the royalties on no offense the bowdeen spec catalog like yeah, yeah, it makes absolutely no sense and even

[00:38:19] Tessa newman had said in this interview like the reason she didn't I mean first of all she was a kid

[00:38:25] Second of all she was she knew that it would ruin

[00:38:29] I mean she loved curt

[00:38:30] You know that was her stepfather and she knew that it would ruin his life

[00:38:34] The band would be done all this stuff. So she didn't she didn't say anything about it

[00:38:40] It's awful. It's really if you if you read the article, I mean there's a giant article about it

[00:38:45] She said the the reports it was like 10 hours of recounting the incidents and stuff. This is not just some

[00:38:55] internet rumor made up to like

[00:38:58] Ruined someone's image or whatever it's pretty it's pretty bad and I'm not a jury in a courtroom

[00:39:05] But all I'll say is if you if you're interested the article's out there

[00:39:10] And

[00:39:11] You know it's it had to be the worst thing in the world

[00:39:15] I mean for her first and foremost, I can't imagine how curt felt about all this

[00:39:21] I mean he didn't know what was going on and uh

[00:39:26] You know it's it's awful and obviously

[00:39:31] I mean it has to be especially hard too because

[00:39:34] The all these songs back catalog songs they had written together curt has to go perform those

[00:39:40] But and what we've seen curt was

[00:39:43] The mastermind behind the music it seems that was like I hate to say like a comfort but like

[00:39:53] Knowing

[00:39:55] sometimes

[00:39:56] information like that contain a song and a band's back catalog and I think just the sheer fact

[00:40:02] That

[00:40:03] Sam seemingly

[00:40:05] Had less and less and less to do with the band's output over the years

[00:40:10] Makes it at least feel like

[00:40:12] All right, I can still listen to the I can listen to closer than free

[00:40:17] Uh

[00:40:18] And not feel bad about it quite the way

[00:40:22] Quite differently than listening to like a michael jackson song or an r kelly song or

[00:40:27] Or something like that where it's like no the person singing this song

[00:40:30] The person who wrote this song the person I crafted this song

[00:40:33] Is undeniably a a monster walking among us. It seems like sam had less and less and less to do with the bodine's

[00:40:41] output

[00:40:43] Pretty early on I think I think as early as the third or fourth album

[00:40:47] Uh, but yeah now that's

[00:40:49] You never want us to have to talk about this stuff on this podcast because it's supposed to be like a fun

[00:40:55] podcast, yeah

[00:40:56] I was shocked to to see that and and read about it and like I said, I don't like to

[00:41:02] Whatever jump to judgment without but if you go go read the milwaukey journal sentinel

[00:41:07] I mean it is a long piece about it at it. Yeah, it's not some

[00:41:12] It's not someone doing this to to simply defame sam yannis the guitarist of bodines like yeah, that's not

[00:41:19] That's not the point here, you know, so uh, yep pretty bad, but uh

[00:41:25] On the bright side. I believe that that you know

[00:41:30] Everything that's in the past for for everyone

[00:41:34] You know everyone who was affected by it and

[00:41:37] Bodines are still out there rocking

[00:41:39] um

[00:41:41] Yeah, I

[00:41:42] I thought it was a pretty interesting story

[00:41:44] I do have a game for you mad if you want to if you want me to lift your spirits a little bit here from

[00:41:48] There's no good transition from that topic

[00:41:51] There's no good transition and there's there's nothing really great

[00:41:54] There's no great insight that matt and I can add to this horrible story

[00:41:59] Not at all. So let's play a game. That's so it's play a game. That's what I say

[00:42:03] So matt you're not going to get multiple choices

[00:42:06] What okay? I'm the only thing I'm going to tell you is you're going to get questions

[00:42:10] I'm going to read you a lyric

[00:42:12] And you got to tell me what song that lyric is from

[00:42:15] But here's your one

[00:42:17] Clue every one of these songs

[00:42:20] Has the word free in the title

[00:42:23] Okay, I was going to say if this is just bo dean songs. I'm already going to lose

[00:42:29] Name this bo deans lyric that'd be a terrible game. How many out of 60 you think you can get?

[00:42:36] Out of six, let's go five. Oh, okay. I like it lyric one

[00:42:42] All the bad boys are standing in the shadows and the good girls are home with broken hearts

[00:42:53] Oh my god, I know that lyric

[00:43:00] And free is in the title

[00:43:03] Yep people at home are screaming at their podcast app right now

[00:43:08] I'm screaming in my brain right now because I know

[00:43:12] this song

[00:43:15] We referenced this artist at one point in this episode

[00:43:21] We referenced this song

[00:43:23] Don't be looking back at your notes. No, I'm not looking at my notes

[00:43:26] I'm trying to think of all the songs that we referenced because we talked about the counting crows

[00:43:31] And I'm trying to think if there's a counting crow song with free that I'm blanking on

[00:43:36] You know and I'm sure the audience knows but man when you're on oh, oh wait

[00:43:42] I look uh

[00:43:43] Okay, it's tom betty free finally

[00:43:48] Geez he got there finally. I could not find the melody to the lyric. I knew the lyrics immediately

[00:43:54] I don't know if you should get a full point for how long okay? You get a full point

[00:43:59] There's a lot of songs with the word free in its name. Okay. All right. You got a point

[00:44:03] lyric too, okay

[00:44:05] If I leave here tomorrow

[00:44:08] Would you still remember me?

[00:44:10] Leonard skinnered free bird Leonard skinned. You got it. You got it

[00:44:14] Okay, I didn't think you're gonna get that one so fast

[00:44:16] No, I had a feeling that one was gonna show up and there's not that many lyrics to free bird

[00:44:21] Okay

[00:44:23] All right you you did it in for a nine for a nine minute long song. It's got like eight lyrics

[00:44:29] Yeah, you did an inventory of all the free songs in your head

[00:44:33] All right, you're two for two

[00:44:36] three

[00:44:37] I wear tight clothing high-heeled shoes. It doesn't mean that i'm a prostitute

[00:44:45] I

[00:44:46] Don't think i've ever heard this lyric. Wow. I wear clothing high-heeled shoes. Don't mean i'm a prostitute

[00:44:58] I don't even have a guess

[00:45:05] Does that help at all now i've got mr. Sandman

[00:45:10] No, it's not mr. Sandman, but they do a part that's like mr. Sandman in the song

[00:45:15] Um, I really don't I have a feeling this is like a pop artist that like missed my radar. What is it?

[00:45:21] That is free your mind by invogue

[00:45:24] Oh, yep. Okay tight clothing high-heeled shoes. It doesn't mean that i'm a prostitute

[00:45:32] I feel like I obviously I know the song for your mind by invogue

[00:45:37] But I think I literally just know the free old mind and like nothing else

[00:45:43] It's from one of the verses mad. Maybe I assume that it wasn't the chorus

[00:45:47] I

[00:45:49] Assumed it wasn't free your mind. I'm a prostitute

[00:45:53] Hey

[00:45:55] And the rest will follow

[00:45:57] Um, okay you're two for three

[00:46:01] Laren four i got two. Oh, yeah, we're on four now

[00:46:04] I've fallen in love

[00:46:06] I've fallen in love for the first time and this time. I know it's for real

[00:46:11] I've fallen in love. Yeah

[00:46:17] I don't know this one either. I'm like I have like my list of like songs with the word free like sitting in here

[00:46:26] Um, I'm gonna make a random guess because it's it's a beloved hit song by this artist

[00:46:31] But I genuinely don't think I know most of the lyrics to it is any chance is this freedom by michael uh, george michael

[00:46:38] It is not okay. What is it? It's actually I want to break free by queen

[00:46:44] Ah

[00:46:45] Not my favorite queen song not not one of my go-tos. All right. Well, I've already failed at my five out of six

[00:46:51] But yeah, you got two left. Yeah, I got two left. Let's see if I can get four out of six

[00:46:56] lyric five

[00:46:58] You better get this one

[00:47:01] Sometimes you're ahead sometimes you're behind the race is long and in the end it's only with yourself

[00:47:06] Oh, that's obviously everybody's free to wear sunscreen by bas lerman. Yeah, I gave you one of my favorite songs of all time

[00:47:14] I bet that there are people so angry how quickly I got that

[00:47:19] While struggling with free fallen and not getting free your mind or I want to break free. Yeah, and the last one

[00:47:27] Okay, so you got three

[00:47:30] Looking into your eyes. I know I'm right

[00:47:33] If anything's worth my love it's worth a fight

[00:47:36] We only get one chance and nothing ties our hands. You're what I want

[00:47:41] Listen to me. Nothing I once out of my reach

[00:47:45] Shit, um, can you read that again because I had the melody and then I lost it

[00:47:50] Looking into your eyes. I know I'm right

[00:47:52] If anything's worth my love, it's worth a fight

[00:47:56] We only get one chance and nothing ties our hands

[00:47:59] You're what I want. Okay. I'm free by Kenny Loggins. Nice

[00:48:03] Once you said the one lyric I actually had to take my headphones off and sing that lyric before you read more and screwed me up

[00:48:11] You did pretty good man. I gotta give you good

[00:48:13] I didn't I thought that last one was a hard one and you got that one

[00:48:16] You have no clue how much I love the song. I'm free by Kenny Loggins

[00:48:20] I would have been pissed if I got that wrong honestly

[00:48:23] I think that's been in my top 20 spotified rap as long as I've used Spotify. Wow

[00:48:30] Lot of good free songs out there. Yeah, there

[00:48:33] Uh, some of the ones do you want to know what the ones were that I had like on back catalog?

[00:48:37] I guess freedom. I didn't even think of freedom George Michael

[00:48:42] Yeah, so freedom was one that was sitting in my uh, my brain

[00:48:47] Actually, I didn't think you were going to do everybody's free to wear sunscreen

[00:48:52] So that was one that was like sitting in in the frontal

[00:48:56] Lobe of my brain. Um, I didn't know if you were willing to do

[00:49:01] Uh get free by the vines. That was one that was sitting in my head thought about a little bit

[00:49:06] Yeah, I think those were the main ones that I was thinking of that was a fun game. I liked that game

[00:49:13] Yeah, you did all right. All right thunder blunder bowdeens go

[00:49:20] I think

[00:49:22] They are a good band. I think that they are

[00:49:25] clearly beloved to a lot of people

[00:49:28] uh, and

[00:49:29] I

[00:49:30] Didn't dislike anything

[00:49:33] That I heard by them

[00:49:35] But I also did not

[00:49:38] Clock or remember almost any other song that I listened to them

[00:49:42] I do think that I would if I was walking around cd warehouse

[00:49:46] And I saw LeBowdeen CD

[00:49:49] I would probably grab it

[00:49:52] What's the most you'd pay for it?

[00:49:55] If it was the one with closer to free, I would maybe pay up to five anything else five for a CD

[00:50:02] Anything else three dollars or less. I think this is probably the toughest one for me because I

[00:50:08] I have equal amount of reasons to go blunder as I do to go thunder on this

[00:50:14] But I guess who am I to give blunder to a band that is literally a permanent fixture in the rock and roll

[00:50:22] Hall of Fame. Yeah, I'm gonna go with I'm gonna go with a very

[00:50:26] Light thunderstorm on this one. Okay. I would say

[00:50:32] I like closer to free, but it does sound like a tv theme song like even if it wasn't a tv theme song. It sounds like one

[00:50:40] uh

[00:50:41] I listened to a lot of their back catalog last night. I started studying for this one. I had my earbuds in

[00:50:48] I'm listening to every album. I'm going through every album and listening

[00:50:52] And kind of like you said matt

[00:50:55] Nothing that I would add I was expecting I was gonna add something to a playlist like oh, that's a good one

[00:51:01] Yeah, didn't really do that closer to free would be the closest thing. I don't know just something

[00:51:07] kind of middle of the road

[00:51:09] And not exciting about their music to me

[00:51:12] I think that we named a bunch of jangle pop bands that we think were inspired

[00:51:17] By the bowdeens and I'd be willing to say I think that they also

[00:51:21] Elevate it the bowdeen sound

[00:51:24] In each case, you know, I mean like I don't think that it's impossible to believe that the gym blossoms and counting crows

[00:51:30] Are inspired by this band, but I also think they took what the bowdeens did and did it way better

[00:51:36] um

[00:51:37] Yeah, so yeah, maybe the bowdeens inspired a lot of great music that we like even if the source material isn't our thing

[00:51:46] uh

[00:51:47] This band

[00:51:48] started and sounds like

[00:51:51] When I was born or before then and is still a band

[00:51:55] Once again, I'll say it prolific put out so many albums even

[00:52:00] Through a terrible thing that happened that you know kurt continues on

[00:52:07] Far be it for me to get the bowdeens anything but thunder. So this is a certified thunder from us matt. All right

[00:52:16] No, I can't take it. This has been one hit thunder

[00:52:38] One hit thunder is hosted by chris afalios of the band punchline and produced by matt kelly of geekscape.net

[00:52:44] Underneath me you're hearing another tale of remember when off the punchline album lion visit punch lion music dot com for any

[00:52:51] upcoming news on the band our podcast is on patreon now find us at patreon.com

[00:52:55] Backslash

[00:52:57] Oh ht podcast for early access to episodes bonus conversations

[00:53:01] And a chance to vote on future songs for us to cover be sure to rate review and subscribe to us on any podcasting app

[00:53:07] And tune in next week for more one hit thunder

[00:53:25] In the wild to the forest scream the trees i need to

[00:53:30] Disconnect i need to

[00:53:33] Reset i need to empty my head

[00:53:38] lack of love the part of me that thinks that it knows anything

[00:53:54] You're listening to the geekscape network

[00:54:00] Hey, this is steve choy host of the musicians guild podcast part of the sound talent media podcast network

[00:54:06] Within the four walls of the musicians guild will be discussing the habits idiosyncrasies

[00:54:12] Experiences and general psychology of my friends and peers all involved with music in various capacities

[00:54:18] Listen and subscribe at sound talent media dot com

[00:54:22] Hey you do you have any plans this year?

[00:54:24] Ha, how's that going? Do you get 2020? We'll welcome to a brand new podcast called 2020 where myself benny goodman

[00:54:31] And my good friends kori paisen and shivan cronin from the band lost syphany also got 2020 and since the world ended this year

[00:54:38] We decided why not just check in with some of our friends in the music industry and see how everyone's doing

[00:54:42] We're going to get a candid look at life on and off the stage as well as the mindset of some of the most successful people

[00:54:47] In the entertainment industry new episodes drop every sunday and wednesday at 9 p.m

[00:54:53] Eastern and you can listen at 2020 dash d dot com sound talent media dot com or on your favorite podcast app