Josh Homme & Opinions on Superchunk

Queens of the Stone Age founder Josh Homme joins Jim and Greg for a live conversation. And later, a review of I Hate Music, the new record from North Carolina  indie rockers Superchunk.

Josh Homme
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Every generation has its moment of nostalgia, from fans of New Kids on the Block to fans of The Pixies. But millennial nostalgia? Can our hearts tug for bands that broke up a mere 10 years ago? Apparently so, according to the recent Billboard albums chart. Backstreet's back with a Top 5 debut. We sent our own Gen Y expert Annie Minoff to see the Backstreet Boys' reunion show here in Chicago. She reports that the now "Man Band" still has the chops, but has added some unnecessary attempts at authenticity.

Josh Homme

While only just 40, Josh Homme is already a rock ‘n’ roll veteran with a ton of projects under his belt. The most famous of those is Queens of the Stone Age, the Palm Desert band who is touring behind its most recent release, Like Clockwork. But before Queens, there was the pioneering stoner rock band Kyuss. That band broke up in 1995, and Josh quit music altogether. But, it was The Screaming Trees and his stint as "youth pastor," that brought him back to his fans. One of those fans is none other than Dave Grohl. And, while celebrating Grohl's 40th birthday at, where else, Medieval Times, he linked up with John Paul Jones. The trio formed Them Crooked Vultures over a turkey leg, and thus was born one of the greatest rock creation myths ever.

I Hate Music Superchunk

I Hate Music

Over three decades in rock, Chapel Hill's Superchunk has kept true to the idealistic indie spirit of its era, regularly turning out records even as members Mac McCaughan and Laura Balance started Merge Records (still one of the most successful indie labels in the game). The band's latest album is I Hate Music. On it, Greg says he hears the band questioning the "music is life, life is music" philosophy it's always held onto. Can music still rejuvenate in the face of death, aging, and burnout? For Superchunk, Jim says, the answer is always yes, and you can hear it in those guitars. I Hate Music might not be the exuberant celebration that was 2010's Majesty Shredding, but Jim and Greg agree it's nevertheless a Buy It record.

Greg

For his Desert Island Jukebox selection, Greg celebrates the musical legacy of Cowboy Jack Clement, the country music producer, songwriter, and artist who died recenly at age 82. Jack made his name at Memphis's Sun Studios during the 1950's, recording greats like Jerry Lee Lewis. But it was at Columbia that he helped craft Johnny Cash's inimitable "Ring of Fire." The night before the "Ring of Fire" recording session, Cash had a dream about Mariachi trumpets. And he knew just who to turn to make that dream a reality. Greg credits Clement's horn riff on "Ring of Fire" with the track's enduring energy and distinctiveness.

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