HowWasTheShow Podcast Archives

The Brandy of The Damned

The Brandy of the Damned Team in 1984 at KDIC (Left to right: Jean Silverberg, David de Young,
Johnny Coma and Fred Klatz.)

The Brandy of the Damned began production on February 8th, 1984 in the studios of KDIC at Grinnell College. The show, loosely based on National Public Radio's "First Hearing," (which reviewed new classical releases) debuted punk, hardcore and "new wave" music followed by pompous and sometimes amusing commentary by a panel of armchair critics with often dubious knowledge of the subjects under discussion. The show was hosted by the stoic Jean Silverberg, now of KFAI's "Radio Rumpus Room" in Minneapolis, and produced by David deYoung (aka Pi), now editor of HowWasTheShow.com.

The Brandy of the Damned panel was often long-winded, went off on insane tangents, and sometimes just plain made stuff up. But that was part of the show's conception and is certainly part of its enduring charm. Despite its frequent descent into chaos and absurdity, The BOTD has become a veritable music history artifact at this distance of more than 20 years, a chance to overhear real (and surreal) debates about the music of the early 80's by people who did not yet have the benefit of knowing how things would all turn out.

New shows will be added weekly until the series runs its course (about a dozen shows.) RSS Feed to come.

Brandy of the Damned Show #8

April 24th, 1984

[ Listen ] [ Download ]

Host: Jean Silverberg

Guests: Leon Louse, Johnny Coma and Mr. Toaster Coaster

New intro music. The guests rebel during the outro, scream over it, and threaten to attack the producer through the glass.

1. The Essential Firmament and the Elements - The Festival of Frothy Muggament
2. Geo - Keep Away (7 inch single)
3. From the Vaults: Richard Berry and the Dreamers - Next Time (Note: Richard Berry didn't actually die until January 27th, 1997.)
4. Buzz of Delight - Happy Town (Sound Castles)
5. Agent Orange - Somebody To Love
6. The Wallets - A Visit to the Temple of a Slowpoke (12 inch single B side)
7. Psychedelic Furs - The Ghost In You

Brandy of the Damned Show #7

April 17th, 1984

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Host: Jean Silverberg

Panel: David de Young, Johnny Coma and Leon Louse

David doesn’t know what the I-Ching is. Leon doesn’t use his real voice for the whole first part of the show. The predictions of what will happen to R.E.M is a really interesting bit. Some of it happened, some of it was so, so wrong. David rips up the setlist on air at the end of the show, and somehow we’d lost the original theme music of the show. New microphones courtesy of Johnny Coma.

1. Game Theory - Nine Lives to Rigel 5 (EP Distortion)
2. Clive Pig and the Hopeful Chinamen – “Happy Birthday, Sweet 16”
3. SPK – “Despair” (Would be great music to accompany happy pictures like of a birthday party)
4. “From the Vaults feature” - Captain Beefheart – “I Feel Like Ah-cid” (Strictly Personal)
5. The Style Council – “Headstart For Happiness” (My Ever Changing Moods)
6. The Invertebrates – Overtime (Let’s Have Fun)
7. REM – Second Guessing (Reckoning)

Brandy of the Damned Show #6

April 10th, 1984

[ Listen ] [ Download ] 43:21 - 60.9 megabtyes

Host: Jean Silverberg

Panel: David de Young, Johnny Coma and Leon Louse (Louse does the crazy show outro)

We finally started to get the talking under control and down to a minimum, or maybe the commentary was just more relevant. Embarrassing bit: I laugh when Johnny says (truthfully) that Mission of Burma's guitar player's ears were blown out by his amps, not understanding how serious that really was.

1. The The - The Sinking Feeling (Soul Mining)
2. John Noolon - Tappin' Phones (EP Mental Disorder)
3. The Reactionaries (Minutemen) - Tony Gets Wasted in Pedro
4. The Neats - Six (Propeller Products Sampler)
5. The Neats - Caribou (The Neats)
6. "From the Vaults feature" The Ramrods - Ghost Riders in the Sky
7. General Public - General Public

Brandy of the Damned Show #4

February 28th, 1984

Part 1: [ Listen ] [ Download ]

Part 2: [ Listen ] [ Download ]

Host: Jean Silverberg

Panel: David de Young, Johnny Coma, and Jeff Wienerbren

(Listen for tempers start to flair and more Jean abuse, and David claim he doesn’t like Iggy Pop)

Playlist Part 1:

1. Thomas Dolby - Hyperactive (The Flat Earth)
2. Eurythmics - Here Comes The Rain Again” (Touch)
3. Madness - Wings of A Dove” (Keep Moving)
4. Iggy Pop -China Girl (Choice Cuts - Double LP: The Idiot and Lust For Life)
5. "From the Vaults" feature: The Stooges – “1969” (The Stooges)

Playlist Part 2:

(Listen for weird audio problems with the cassette tape, David confessing his undying love for Cyndi Lauper, Jeff hating Laurie Anderson, and both David and Jeff not having heard of Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity Rainbow. Definitely, the most embarrassing show to date! Best quotation: "Who the hell is Gene Siskel?" Pi, theproducer, fires Jeff on air, then rambles in the show outro. Note "Take it away, Ken Scotten" at the end. Scotten was then station manager of KDIC, a job Pi would usurp the following year.)

1. Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (She's So Unusual)
2. Laurie Anderson - Gravity's Angel (Mr. Heartbreak)
3. Visage - Tar (Fade to Grey)

Brandy of the Damned Show #3

[ Listen ] [Download] 40:40 - 55.86 megabytes

Tuesday, February 21st, 1984

Host: Jean "Blood" Silverberg

Panel: Jeff Wienerbren, Johnny Coma (with a cameo panel appearance by Pi)

(Listen for Pi, the producer cutting off a song before it’s over, Johnny Coma walking off the set in disgust and Pi taking over for him. Outro music is by Pi.)

Playlist:

1. The Minutemen -The Product (Buzz or Howl, Under The Influence of Heat)
2. The Minutemen - Split Red (Bean Spill EP)
3. The Windbreakers - You Never Give Up (Any Monkey with a Typewriter EP)
4. Jah Wobble - Snake Charmer (Snake Charmer EP)
5. "From The Vaults" feature: Can - Mother Upduff (1969)
6. Sex in Miami - Japan Must Be Stopped”

[ Listen ] [ Download ] 45:39 - 62.69 megabytes

February 14th, 1984

Host: Jean "Blood" Silverberg

Panel: David de Young, Jean Silverberg, Jeff Wienerbren

Playlist:

(Listen for Jeff continually asking David for his lighter on mic.)

1. Violent Femmes – “Give Me The Car”
2. Christina – “What’s A Girl To Do?” (Sleep It Off) (http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/c/cristina/doll-in-the-box-sleep-it-off.shtml)
3. Magic Mose and His Royal Rockers Featuring Blind Sam – “Dating a Witch Beats Dating a Nun”
4. Pi – “Simple Ashtray, Complex Glass” (Fun with Pain, Cigarettes for Young Lovers)
5. The Proletariat – “Another Banner Raised” (from Soma Holiday)
6. The Freeze – “Won’t Come Alive” (Land of the Lost)
7. Jason & the Scorchers – “Absolutely Sweet Marie” (EP: Fervor)

Brandy of the Damned Show #1

[ Listen ] [ Download ] 36:09 - 49.66 megabytes

February 8th, 1984

Host: Jean Silverberg:

Panel: David de Young, Jean Silverberg, and Jeff Wienerbren

(Listen for the “It’s good to be pleasantly surprised” and the “I agree” annoying repetitions, which play out through the entire series. Also listen for the Dave “Rude” Masterman - of the infamous Margaret Thatcher and the Supply Side - reference.)

Playlist:

1. Butthole Surfers – “The Shaw Sleeps in Lee Harvey’s Grave”
2. Ism – “I Think I Love You” (Diet For The Worms)
3. The Slickee Boys – “Nagasaki Neuter” (Cybernetic Dreams of Pi)
4. Angst – “Neil Armstrong”
5. Young Turks – “Scholastic Ambush”
6. The Bangles – “The Nomag Commercial” (Radio Tokyo Tapes Compilation)
7. Butthole Surfers – “Hey”