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
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]
Thursday Feb 02, 2023
Thursday Feb 02, 2023
In the podcast's second episode, Dov demonstrates his Chili Pepper "standom," recounting the history of the band starting with the tragic death of their original guitarist, Hillel Slovak, to the reentrance of John Frusciante ten years later. Dov then gives a track-by-track analysis of their 1995 album, One Hot Minute, which he feels is tragically underrated. After he's finished ranting, he's joined by his good friend and cool guy, Matt Prieto, to discuss the Chili Peppers, One Hot Minute, and The Killers for some reason.
Thursday Jan 12, 2023
Thursday Jan 12, 2023
In the podcast's first episode, Dov breaks down the history of Nirvana, the common themes of their music & lyrics, and crowns one of their tunes as their "signature song." In addition, he is joined by his good friend and bandmate, Ryan Gillman, to discuss Dov's observations, commentary, and takes as well as learn about Ryan's history of being a fan of both Nirvana and music in general.