Hot Cakes from a 90s Stan
Sometime in the year 2000, seven-year-old Dov Brenner’s parents attended some random conference. Upon returning, they came back with a ruler that had the order of all the US Presidents. So Dov stared at the ruler most days, and quickly he became able to recite all the Presidents in order. It was at that moment, Dov realized that he had a gift. He realized he had an incredible memory and with that, great potential. So, did he use that ability to memorize advanced physics formulas? Nah. Did he use that ability to study and memorize key details of the French Revolution and ascertain its significance? Nope. Did he use that ability to memorize maps of the various cities he lived in? Negative. He used that god-given talent to memorize, well, random music facts from the songs and artists he grew up on. And with that, he is proud to bring you ”Hot Cakes from a 90s Stan,” a music history podcast focusing on the 90s where he gives unsolicited historical analysis, highly detailed lists, random facts, and staunch opinions about artists most people over 30 haven’t thought about in decades, and people under thirty have never really thought about, like ever. The show is comprised of Signature Song and Random Topic episodes, which 9 times out of 10 have to do with the 1990s. Artists he’s dedicated entire episodes to so far include Nirvana, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Oasis, Alanis Morisette, and Blink-182 among others. Random Topics he has addressed include the Mount Rushmore of Butt Rock, the best year for music in somewhat recent memory, and the greatest 90s albums by artists you probably never thought of as ”90s artists.” So if you’re a 90s kid or a Gen Xer who never threw out the flannel shirt they wore to their first Pearl Jam concert, next time you’ve got a 3-hour flight and are burned out from watching reruns of Love is Blind, find an episode to check out and get ready for peak nostalgia.
Listen on:
Episodes
Tuesday Dec 19, 2023
Tuesday Dec 19, 2023
In the second part of Alanis Morissette’s signature song episode, Dov brings on his sister, Rachel, to get a second opinion as to whether or not “Hand in my Pocket” can truly be considered Alanis Morissette’s signature song. They get to that discussion eventually, but not before reminiscing over the sly white lies told by their father as well as the rotation of depressing ballads their mother subjected them to. They also inevitably discuss Morissette's inadvertant contribution to the high school English class for millennial.
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
In the fourth signature song episode, Dov talks about legendary singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette. He details her ascent from kid actress to Canadian dance-pop singer to international rock star.
After analyzing the qualities that make Morissette’s music unique, he challenges himself in choosing a signature song from her heyday. Despite the difficulty in finding just one song to represent Morissette’s finest moments, it came down to one tiny instrument that ultimately helped crown the winner.
Time Stamps:
Intro: (00:00)
Morissette’s Childhood & Early Career: (04:22)
Morissette moves to LA: (07:05)
Jagged Little Pill & International Stardom: (10:21)
Morissette’s Signature Sound: (20:26)
Signature Song Runners-Up: (23:06)
Morissette’s Signature Song: (33:11)
Outro: (37:20)
Monday Oct 09, 2023
Monday Oct 09, 2023
On the second part of The Mount Rushmore of Butt Rock Episode, Dov welcomes back his good friend, Ryan Gillman, to make him laugh and forget that he just spent the past two months listening almost exclusively to Limp Bizkit and Creed. Initially they just shoot the breeze reminiscing about their dads thinking they were cool by listening to Nickelback. Then they compete against one another to come up with the better list of the all-time top 10 Butt Rock songs.
Monday Oct 02, 2023
Monday Oct 02, 2023
If y’all thought Dov couldn’t get any more insufferable, buckle your seatbelts, because in this episode, he praises Nickelback. Like a lot. The reason, this episode details the origins and heyday of the historically maligned, but now beloved, music categorization of Butt Rock. After pinpointing the first true Butt Rock album, Dov does that thing where he spends like a million years defining musical terms he could’ve just defined in a sentence or two. Then, he shares his Mount Rushmore of Butt Rock. Of course he compares each Butt Rock band to an actual president on the real Mount Rushmore, because why not be extra if you can be extra.
Be sure to check out the playlist that includes almost every song named on the episode. It’s titled “Mount Rushmore of Butt Rock Pt. 1” on Spotify.
Timestamps:
Introduction/History of Stone Temple Pilots: (00:00)
What is not Butt Rock: (06:48)
What is Butt Rock (13:37)
Mount Rushmore of Butt Rock band #1: (16:11)
Mount Rushmore of Butt Rock band #2: (22:06)
Mount Rushmore of Butt Rock band #3: (28:04)
Mount Rushmore of Butt Rock band #4: (36:05)
Wrapup (43:00)
Outro: (43:38)
Thursday Aug 17, 2023
Thursday Aug 17, 2023
Well folks, it has finally happened. Dov’s hipster past has caught up with him. Because in this episode, he discusses Radiohead’s signature 90s song. Before he is joined by his close friend, Dylan (also a hipster), he tells the origins of his Radiohead fandom as well as the history/vibes of the iconic English quintet, concluding with the crowning of Radiohead’s signature 90s song. Following the monologue, Dov conducts his first virtual interview. His buddy describes his evolution as a music listener from “classic-rock douchebag” to getting deep into the Oppenheimer soundtrack. He also showcases his Radiohead standom and explains to Dov what the hell mead is.
Timestamps:
Intro: (00:00)
History of Radiohead: (03:44)
Criteria for Radiohead’s Signature 90s Song: (24:32)
Radiohead's Signature 90s Song Runner-Ups: (26:44)
Unveiling of Radiohead's Signature 90s Song: (34:55)
Interview: (39:17)
Outro: (01:09:20)
Sunday Jul 09, 2023
Sunday Jul 09, 2023
For the second part of Dov’s second hot take/random topic episode, he rambles on extensively about three very distinct albums released in the 90s by artists who are better known for their work in other decades. The three artists he discusses are iconic in each of their respective genres; Country, Alternative Rock, and Latin Rock. Two of those artists are singular legends within the music world, so there are a lot of interesting stories that accompany them. Such stories include performing in front of inmates at a notorious prison, performing hours ahead of the original time while on intense hallucinogens, and shattering records set by Michael Jackson. After his insufferably long rant, on brand for him of course, he is rejoined again by his good friend, Ryan Gilman, to talk about the albums at hand and get a few laughs in during the process.
Timestamps:
Intro Music: (00:00)
Johnny Cash-American Recordings: (00:28)
Incubus-Make Yourself: (16:10)
Santana-Supernatural: (31:15)
Interview: (45:58)
Outro: (01:23:44)
Tuesday Jun 20, 2023
Tuesday Jun 20, 2023
For part 1 of Dov's second "Hot Take/Random Topic" episode, he gets insufferably random with the head-scratching topic of 90s albums by artists better known for their work in other decades. Dov shares stories and key events from each artist's career in the decade(s) for which they're best known, before discussing his favorite songs from each artist's awesome 90s album. Then, his buddy and bandmate, Ryan Gilman, rejoins the podcast to see how many times he can "go down the rabbit hole," before the two discuss moshing at their respective middle school dances. Somehow the topic of gnarly mosh pits leads to an Avril Lavigne shoutout.
Timestamps:
Intro: (00:00)
Criteria for albums discussed: (04:40)
Guns N' Roses-Use Your Illusion 1 & 2: (05:39)
John Prine-The Missing Years: (17:57)
System of a Down-System of a Down: (32:08)
Interview: (44:09)
Outro: (01:15:31)
Sunday May 21, 2023
Sunday May 21, 2023
After a two-month delay, Dov finally returns to prove he's a fraud by discussing Blink-182's "Neighborhoods," an album released 11 years after the 90s came to a close. In the episode, he recounts the timeline of Blink-182 abandoning their immature persona in favor of a more "serious" sound. This ultimately leads to an in-depth (that's a kind way of saying really really really really long) analysis of the band's first post hiatus album, the previously mentioned, "Neighborhoods." Following the monologue, Dov is joined by friend and bandmate, Russell, who is an actual pop-punk fan to learn Dov about the history of pop-punk, why Tom is the best member of the band, and why Dov is very silly for liking Blink's 2016 album, California.
Time stamps:
Introduction: (00:00)
Blink-182 Late 90s/Early 2000s History: (04:07)
Hiatus: (26:05)
Reunion: (29:06)
Neighborhoods Track by Track Analysis: (31:38)
Neighborhoods Wrap-Up: (44:22)
Interview: (53:26)
Outro: (1:49:52)
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
In the podcast's second signature song episode, Dov makes a boneheaded pick for the signature song of the immortal Britpop legends, Oasis. Before embarrassing himself with the silly choice, Dov gives a brief history of the band and analyzes the common themes of their music & lyrics before bringing on his guest, Oasis stan, Matt Lulay, who eloquently explains to Dov why he's wrong. And again, for some reason, The Killers are discussed in length.
Time Stamps:
Introduction: [00:00]
History of Oasis: [05:42]
Common Themes: [25:34]
Signature Song Runner-ups: [30:18]
Revealing of Signature Song: [39:22]
Interview: [49:03]
Outro: [01:27:12]
Wednesday Feb 22, 2023
Wednesday Feb 22, 2023
On the podcast’s first official “hot cake,” Dov makes the outlandish claim that 1994 has been the best year for music to date since 1990. For this episode, he takes listeners on a “guided tour” of sites important to the stories of the artists that released timeless albums that year. He then discusses the history, attributes, and themes of those legendary records. After making this rather excessively long argument in an attempt to persuade listeners, he is joined by his friend Ella to explain to him why he’s wrong, and also to reiterate her love for Taylor Swift.
Be sure to check out the playlist Dov made of some of the songs that he either mentioned by name or referenced during the discussion of each album. It’s titled "Music from '90s Stan' Ep #3" and can be found on Spotify.
Time Stamps:
Introduction [00:00]
Illmatic (Nas) [10:15]
Grace (Jeff Buckley) [14:22]
Ready To Die (Notorious B.I.G) [18:33]
Ill Communication (Beastie Boys) [22:47]
Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (OutKast) [27:26]
CrazySexyCool (TLC) [31:10]
The Downward Spiral (Nine Inch Nails) [36:13]
Dookie (Green Day) [41:12]
The Blue Album (Weezer) [45:37)
Vitalogy (Pearl Jam) [49:39]
Superunknown (Soundgarden) [54:40]
Conclusion of the Monologue [58:58]
Interview [01:01:27]
Outro [01:49:56]