Hot Cakes from a 90s Stan

Episode #23: What is Pearl Jam's Signature Song?

On Hot Cakes’ eighth signature song episode, Dov proves why the inclusion of the term “Stan” belongs in his podcast’s title as he repeatedly glazes the Alt Rock icons, Pearl Jam. Before establishing the heart of the band’s sound, he shares the history of the band and contextualizes Pearl Jam’s placement in the 90s zeitgeist. After choosing a signature song some might find questionable but all will agree is a banger, he is joined by his co-host, the now-internet-famous Ryan Gilman. Ryan once again gets nostalgic talking about his goated high school bus driver and the butt-rock radio station he always had on. Ryan then almost basically forces Dov to reveal the true meaning of the second verse of the song, “Alive.” 
Time stamps: 
Introduction: (00:00)
History of Pearl Jam: (03:41)
Signature Sound of Pearl Jam: (36:47)
Signature Song Runners-up: (39:35)
Signature Song revealed: (49:27)
Dov and Ryan have a conversation about Pearl Jam: (52:39)
Outro: (01:39:22)

Episode #22: Deep Dive into Californication

On the 22nd episode of Hot Cakes from a 90s Stan, Dov takes a close look at what he considers the last great album of the 1990s, Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. After giving a detailed history of the events leading up to the album’s completion as well as the writing/recording process, he discusses the success of the album, its significance to him as a fan, and its legacy as a personal triumph for the individual members of the band. After the monologue, Dov is joined once again by his buddy Alejandro Castillo. In addition to bantering back and forth regarding their many opinions of Californication, the two of them talk a stroll down memory lane as they reminisce on their decades-long tenure as super fans of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The second part of the interview includes Dov and Alejandro grading each song on the album as either Red Hot (really really great), Hot (solid), Lukewarm (meh), and Chilly (not good). While they agree on the grades for most songs, there are certainly moments of bitter contention. 
 
Timestamps:
Introduction: (00:00)
Turbulence of 1997-1998 (03:38)
John Frusicante rejoins the band: (08:44)
Writing and recording of Californication (12:08)
Music and lyrics of the album: (16:33)
Commercial & critical reception: (26:40)
Legacy of Californication: (31:16)
Interview part 1 (shooting the breeze and talking all things Chili Peppers): (35:08)
Interview part 2 (grading each song from Californication): (01:12:45)
Outro: (01:46:36)

Bonus Episode: The 10 Greatest Pop-Punk Songs of All-Time

Y'all get a bonus episode! Free baseball! Hooray!
In this bonus endeavor, Dov and Ryan are joined by Alex Urbina who was the guest on episode #21. The boys team up to create a draft of the 10 greatest Pop-Punk songs of all time. So the episode functions like a fantasy draft but with choosing Pop-Punk songs instead of grown-ass adults that sweat a lot. The rules of the draft are as follows:
1. No songs can be repeated
2. Each participant can only reuse 1 artist. Therefore, each participant's list will consist of at least 9 different artists.
3. Every song has to be a banger.
At the conclusion of the draft, Dov, Ryan, and Alex sort through the list and come together to decide the winner of each round to ultimately compile Hot Cakes from a 90s Stan's official list of the 10 greatest Pop-Punk songs of all time. 
Also, whoever of three dudes chose the most songs that ended up on the final list gets crowned winner and gets a mug or something. 

Episode #21: The History of Pop-Punk

Playlist from this Episode
After reluctantly taking a five month break, Dov is back to his rambling ways as he somewhat chronologically covers nearly 40 years of Pop-Punk history. After spending way too much time talking about 70s Punk, he discusses a few important underground bands with funny names before identifying and detailing the five most important years in the development of Pop-Punk as a mainstream subgenre. He then is joined by his good friend, Alex, who is disgusted by Dov’s omission of one very important Pop-Punk band in the monologue portion of the episode. 
Side note, virtually every song mentioned in the episode is featured on the playlist linked above. 
Time Stamps:
Intro-00:00
Origins of Pop-Punk: 03:06
Pop-Punk becomes mainstream: 25:08
Pop-Punk explodes in the 21st century: 36:50
Interview: 45:14
Outro: 01:23:35

Episode #20: What is the Cranberries' Signature Song?

On the podcast’s 20th episode, Dov shares his most vivid memories from his first time at a sleepaway camp before getting into the fascinating story of the legendary band, the Cranberries. He discusses their early days of listening to and emulating sad-boy British bands and then transitions into their early to mid 90s heyday. After Dov shares his take on the band’s signature song, he is joined by his good friend Zach Natale, who came prepared with an almost PhD level knowledge of the Cranberries. But of course he used his time to try to get Dov to rant about Fleetwood Mac’s antics.
 
Timestamps:
Intro: (00:00)
History of the Cranberries: (05:21)
The Band’s Signature Sound: (24:39)
Signature Song Runners Up: (27:53)
Signature Song Revealed: (36:06)
Interview: (40:30)
Zach’s Pick for Signature Song: (01:25:20)
Outro: (01:32:10)

Episode #19: The Top 5 "Where Were You" Music Moments for 90s Kids

What do Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, and U2 being distastefully kind have in common? They are all discussed on the 19th episode of Hot Cakes from a 90s Stan. In this one, Dov brings back his good friend, Ella Hyder, to discuss the top five “Where Were You Moments” for 90s kids like them. Throughout the episode they discuss music events between the years 2004 and 2014 that are forever etched into their memories, for better or for worse. 
Time Stamps:
Introduction: (00:00)
Conversation with Ella: (06:18)
Outro: (01:32:53)
 

Episode #18: What is Green Day's Signature 90s Song?

On this signature song episode, Dov discusses the history of Green Day and the development of their career during the 90s. He highlights the unique trajectory of their success, but not without throwing in some ridiculous stories highlighting the band’s endearingly reckless behavior. 
He of course finishes his monologue by coming up with a detailed description of Green Day's 90s sound, before crowning their “signature” song for that decade. He then is joined by his co-host Ryan Gilman to talk all-things Green Day as well as Ryan’s cat’s recent UTI, for some reason. 
 
Timestamps
Intro: (00:00)
History of Green Day: (04:18)
Signature Sound: (19:37)
Signature Song Runners-Up: (22:53)
Signature 90s Song Revealed: (32:18)
Interview: (35:56)
Outro: (01:15:55)

Episode #17: The Mount Rushmore of 90s One-Hit Wonders

After yelling at him for over a year, finally Dov’s ride or die homie, Alejandro Castillo joins the podcast to discuss the greatest one-hit wonders of the 90s as they both unveil their Mount Rushmore of that category. Before the extended interview with Alejandro, Dov gives his shortest monologue yet where he briefly discusses the defining one-hit wonder of childhood, and what initially intrigued him about that song.
Make sure you check out the playlist on spotify, “Mount Rushmore of 90s One-Hit Wonders,” which includes all of the songs on both Dov & Alejandro’s respective Mount Rushmore as well as honorable mentions.
 
Timestamps:
Special Tribute (00:00)
Monologue (01:15)
Start of Interview (08:10)
Honorable Mentions (19:56)
Mount Rushmores (41:20)
Outro (1:58:27)

Episode #16: What is 2pac's Signature Song?

In Dov’s sweet sixteenth episode, he finally breaks away entirely from rock, and instead focuses his attention on perhaps the most lionized rapper ever, 2pac. With such an eventful yet short life, he concentrates on 2pac’s early life, as well as his career as a solo artist. Since lyricism is such a key component of hip-hop music, much of the episode centers on the development of 2pac as a writer. Before naming a signature song, he first shares how he would describe the rapper at his finest. 
After the monologue, Dov is thrilled to be joined by his friend and coworker, Ashton Combs. Ashton is a music teacher, who has been involved in the music industry on the production side for years and has worked with famous names such as Lil Wayne, Sean Paul, and Trey Songz. Once Ashton stops laughing after hearing about Dov’s first memories of Hip-Hop, he shares his memories of 2pac’s death and speaks fondly of the impact of his life and music. 
 
Timestamps:
Intro: (00:00)
2pac’s Life & Career: (05:54)
Signature Sound/Signature Song Runners-Up: (23:55)
Signature Song Reveal: (34:08)
Interview with Producer & Musician, Ashton Combs: (38:37)
Outro: (01:09:17)

Episode #15: Top 10 Hard-Rock Male Vocalists of the 20th Century & The "Not Exactly" 27 Club Pt.3

On the third and final part of the “not exactly" 27 club episode, Ryan and Dov have a little fun and debate as to which 20th century male vocalists rank as the top 10 hard-rock singers. In the process, both Dov and Ryan inevitably imitate multiple singers on the list and Dov reveals which one is his doppelganger. Then the boys discuss the final member of the “not exactly" 27 club, Layne Staley of Alice in Chains, who naturally wound up on both Dov and Ryan’s list. Within their back-and-forth, Ryan tells a story of how Alice in Chains became involved in a running joke in his high school friend group, and Dov mentions which animal he deems the “most metal.”