The (unofficial) Lifers Database

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Band

The Who

Referenced in 42 episodes

Episode 214 cover

#214: Tim Hunter

April 4, 2025

Tim Hunter, director of River's Edge and episodes of Twin Peaks, Mad Men and Breaking Bad, discusses his career and the current political climate in this episode of the Lifers podcast. Hunter compares the blacklisting of his father during the McCarthy era to "Gestapo tactics" and a "blacklist of thought" under Trump. The hosts and Hunter also debate their favorite uses of heavy metal music in films.

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#212: Dag Juhlin

March 21, 2025

Dag Juhlin discusses his music career, including playing with the band The Slugs, joining Poi Dog Pondering, and recently touring with "The R.E.M. Experience" tribute shows featuring Michael Shannon and other musicians playing R.E.M. songs. Juhlin reflects on what keeps him passionate about making music and his aspirations to continue creating and writing in the future.

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🤘 Iron Maiden

#205: William Goldsmith

January 22, 2025

In this episode of the Lifers podcast, Scott Lucas, Gabe Rodriguez and Ben Reiser interview Will Goldsmith, drummer of the influential band Sunny Day Real Estate. Goldsmith discusses the band's early days, getting signed to Sub Pop, their breakup and recent reunion, his drumming influences, and working with bassist Greg Saran. The hosts also discuss the recent passing of filmmaker David Lynch and share their favorite music moments from Lynch's films.

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#192: Road Report #22: The Last In Line

October 11, 2024

Scott and Gabe discuss their experiences on the current tour, including meeting fans, playing shows at high elevation, and visiting unique venues. They debate favorite movie topics like RoboCop sequels and the films of Francis Ford Coppola and Todd Phillips. The conversation also covers Scott's upcoming movie screening in Chicago and his hopes to show the film in other cities.

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#190: Road Report #20 (Sincere Engineer edition!)

September 24, 2024

Scott Heisel, Ben Riser, Gabe Rodriguez, and guest Deanna Belos of Sincere Engineer record a road report podcast while on tour. They discuss Belos's recent tours with New Found Glory and at Riot Fest, the definition of novelty songs, and attempt to name the best novelty songs. The conversation is humorous and meandering, with the hosts frequently talking over each other and getting sidetracked.

Episode 185 cover
🎸 Replacements

#185: Johnny Wator

August 23, 2024

Johnny Wator, longtime Chicago musician and founder of Daredevil guitar pedals, discusses his experiences touring and playing in bands like The Last Vegas and The Evictions. Wator and the hosts have an in-depth discussion about 80s hair metal bands and songs, debating their favorites from that era of rock music.

Episode 182 cover
🎸 Replacements

#182: Jim DeRogatis

August 2, 2024

Jim DeRogatis, a veteran music critic, joins the Lifers podcast to discuss his career, the R. Kelly case he helped expose, and his favorite drummers. DeRogatis shares anecdotes about interviewing Kurt Cobain, touring with the band Wire, and turning down an opportunity to participate in the Surviving R. Kelly documentary.

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🎸 Replacements

#173: Jonny Polonsky

May 31, 2024

Jonny Polonsky discusses his musical journey from growing up in Chicago to becoming a professional musician in LA. As a teenager, he made home recordings that he sent to Frank Black of the Pixies, which led to getting signed to Rick Rubin's American Recordings label. Polonsky has since worked as a solo artist and played with bands like Puscifer. His new album Supernatural Radio is coming out on Loose Groove Records.

Episode 170 cover
🎸 Replacements

#170: 170. QUITTERS - Tim Edwards

May 10, 2024

Tim Edwards, former booking agent for the band Local H, discusses his career in the music industry and his decision to quit booking bands in 2018. He shares anecdotes about booking shows for Local H, including an infamous college frat party gig that went disastrously wrong.

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🎸 Replacements

#168: Scott McCaughey

April 26, 2024

Scott McCaughey discusses his long career as a musician, from founding the Young Fresh Fellows in the 1980s Seattle music scene to collaborating with R.E.M., Robyn Hitchcock, Wilco and many others. He shares stories about touring, songwriting, recovering from a stroke in 2017, and his tendency to write songs about other bands and musicians. Throughout the free-flowing conversation, McCaughey reflects on his prolific output and enduring passion for making music.

Episode 167 cover
🎸 Replacements

#167: Jake Burns

April 19, 2024

Jake Burns, lead singer of the punk band Stiff Little Fingers, discusses the band's early days in Northern Ireland during the Troubles in the late 1970s. He talks about the influence of The Clash on Stiff Little Fingers' songwriting, getting support from BBC DJ John Peel, and the band's decision to participate in Rock Against Racism concerts. Burns also explains the factors that led to Stiff Little Fingers' initial breakup in the early 1980s before later re-forming.

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#161: Scott Lucas and the Married Men

March 8, 2024

In this episode, Scott Lucas discusses the history and dynamics of his band The Married Men. He talks about how the band formed, their songwriting process, and shares stories from their tours and performances over the years with bandmates and friends.

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🎸 Replacements

#160: Bobby Talamine

March 1, 2024

In this episode, photographer Bobby Talamine discusses his long career photographing rock bands. He talks about starting out shooting industrial bands in Chicago in the 1980s, and his approach of capturing moody, high-contrast black and white photos. Talamine also shares anecdotes about photographing bands like Depeche Mode, New Order, and The Replacements over the years.

Episode 154 cover
🎸 Replacements

#154: Tyler Spencer (aka Dick Valentine!!!)

January 19, 2024

Tyler Spencer, also known as Dick Valentine from the band Electric Six, discusses the longevity of his music career and putting out an album nearly every year since 2006. He reflects on the band's early days playing in Detroit and touring, as well as their breakthrough hit "Danger! High Voltage". The hosts and Spencer also debate their picks for the best disco songs by rock bands.

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#153: 153. LIFERS Live!!! - At Gman Tavern with Fig Dish (01/02/24)

January 12, 2024

Scott Lucas of Local H hosted the Lifers podcast live at the Gman Tavern in Chicago. The show featured Scott playing some acoustic songs and discussing topics like working remotely during the pandemic with co-hosts Gabe and Ben. Special guest Rick Ness from the band Fig Dish also appeared to discuss an upcoming album of previously unreleased recordings from the 1990s.

Episode 143 cover
🎸 Replacements

#143: Freddy Herrera

November 10, 2023

In this episode of the Lifers podcast, Scott Lucas, Gabe Rodriguez, and Ben Reiser interview guest Freddy Herrera, the bass player from the band Everclear. Freddy discusses his musical journey, from starting out playing punk rock in California to eventually joining Everclear in the 2000s. The group also plays a game where they each name their picks for the best bass performances and bass lines in songs, with selections ranging from the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" to Iron Maiden's "Killers".

Episode 130 cover
🎸 Replacements

#130: Rick Ness

August 11, 2023

Rick Ness, member of the band Fig Dish, discusses the band's history, from their early days playing Neil Diamond and REM cover songs to getting signed by a record label using creative tactics. The band recently released a collection of unreleased tracks recorded with producer Andy Gerber during sessions for what would have been their third album. Ness also shares humorous tour stories and anecdotes about the 1990s Chicago music scene.

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#127: Bleeps, Barbies, Boxes & Bubonic Butter

July 21, 2023

In this episode of the Lifers podcast, Scott Lucas, Gabe Rodriguez and Ben Reiser discuss a wide range of pop culture topics including Scott's celebrity encounters, Barbie and Oppenheimer movies, offensive terms, childhood TV shows, and the top 10 talk box songs in rock music. The conversation is filled with humorous tangents and nostalgic references.

Episode 118 cover
🤘 Iron Maiden

#118: Jerry Newbrough

May 19, 2023

Scott Lucas and his co-hosts Gabe and Ben interview Jerry Newbrough, an old friend of Scott's who he was in his first band with called the Family Cruisers back in the 1980s. They reminisce about playing music together, the punk rock scene in Madison, Wisconsin, and Jerry's experiences working at the legendary music venue OK's. Though Jerry no longer plays music publicly, he explains that quitting the music business allowed him to regain his pure love for music itself.

Episode 117 cover
🎸 Replacements

#117: Tommy Stinson

May 12, 2023

Tommy Stinson, founding member of The Replacements, discusses his early start in music, playing bass in The Replacements from age 11, the band's trajectory and breakup, and his later work with Guns N' Roses and other projects. He reflects on the music industry, learning experiences, and his continued passion for making music despite the challenges.

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#113: What's The Best?!?: U2

April 14, 2023

Scott Lucas, Gabe Rodriguez and Ben Reiser continue their discussion from last week's episode on their top 3 favorite U2 songs. The hosts share their picks, with songs like "New Year's Day", "One", "Bad", and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" making their lists. They also discuss U2's evolution over the years and ability to reinvent themselves on albums like Achtung Baby.

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🎸 Replacements

#111: Mike Zelenko

March 31, 2023

In this episode, Scott Lucas interviews Mike Zelenko, drummer of the Chicago band Material Issue. They discuss Zelenko's musical background, the formation and early days of Material Issue, and the new documentary film about the band called "Out of Time".

Episode 110 cover
🤘 Iron Maiden

#110: Jimmy Flemion

March 24, 2023

Jimmy Flemion, founding member of the band The Frogs, discusses the band's history, creative process, and upcoming documentary in an interview. He shares anecdotes about collaborating with notable artists like Sebastian Bach and Beck, and discusses The Frogs' unique blend of catchy pop songwriting and controversial, comedic improvised home recordings.

Episode 109 cover
🎸 Replacements

#109: Todd Philips

March 17, 2023

Ben Riser and Scott Cade interview drummer Todd Philips about his career playing with bands like Blue Lavolta, Juliana Hatfield and The Lemonheads, and his current work producing movie trailers in Los Angeles. Philips discusses his start in the Boston indie rock scene in the late 80s/early 90s, touring experiences, and balancing his music and film careers.

Episode 105 cover
🎸 Replacements

#105: Walter Schreifels

February 17, 2023

In this episode, Walter Schreifels discusses his musical journey from Gorilla Biscuits and Quicksand to CIV and Rival Schools. He reflects on the challenges of making music in the major label system in the 90s and the creative process behind Quicksand's 2017 reunion album Interiors.

Episode 100 cover

#100: 100th Episode!!!

January 13, 2023

In this special 100th episode of the Lifers podcast, hosts Scott Lucas, Ben Reiser, and Gabe Rodriguez reminisce about their favorite moments and guests from the show's history. The conversation covers many of the most memorable episodes, interviews and stories that have made the podcast entertaining over the past 100 weeks.

Episode 93 cover
🎸 Replacements

#93: Chris Anzalone

November 25, 2022

Chris Anzalone recently took over ownership of Stereo Jack's Record store in Somerville, Massachusetts after working there during the pandemic. As a longtime professional drummer, he has played with many Boston area musicians like Juliana Hatfield and Evan Dando, and brings his music industry experience to running the record store. Though vinyl is the main focus, the store also carries CDs and may expand to cassettes, but Anzalone doesn't expect VHS to make a comeback.

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#90: Road Report #15: Wausau You Have Me Do?

November 3, 2022

In this episode, Scott, Gabe and Ben discuss the current Local H tour, reminisce about old video games and candy, and debate the merits of The Replacements vs Iron Maiden. They also discuss the horror movie Terrifier 2 and the Beatles' newly released Revolver box set.

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#82: Eddie Applebaum

September 9, 2022

In this episode, Scott Lucas interviews his long-time band manager Eddie Applebaum. They discuss how Eddie got into artist management, his experiences working with local H on albums like Here Comes the Zoo, and a harrowing incident where Scott got lost in Russia while on tour. Eddie also shares his perspective on the current state of the music industry and the challenges new artists face in building a passionate fanbase.

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#68: Joe Kelly

June 3, 2022

Joe Kelly, former singer of the band Lost Cause, discusses his early music career, including touring with Ministry and the Mentors in the late 1980s. He also talks about his later band Beer Nuts and their antics on tour with Local H in the 1990s, such as playing shows naked and destroying the band Creed's career by opening for them with the song "Number of the Beast".

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#64: Tamar Berk

May 6, 2022

Tamar Berk discusses her long music career, from early bands like Starball in Chicago to her recent acclaimed solo albums. She opens up about the challenges of being a woman in rock, her musical family, and continuing to make music after losing her father. Berk also expresses admiration for artists like Fiona Apple and Lana Del Rey who have stayed true to their artistic visions over many years.

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#60: Joe Shanahan

April 1, 2022

Joe Shanahan, owner of the Metro and Smart Bar in Chicago, discusses the venues' 40-year history. He shares stories of booking and befriending influential artists like REM, Nirvana, New Order and Gang of Four in the 1980s and 90s. Shanahan also talks about his own battle with cancer and subsequent activism to support cancer research.

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#59: Greg Suran

March 25, 2022

Greg Suran discusses his long career as a touring and session guitarist, playing with acts like Cupcakes, Sunny Day Real Estate, the Goo Goo Dolls, Joe Walsh, the B-52's, and Lionel Richie. He shares stories of his experiences, from recording with famous producers to meeting musical legends while on the road with Joe Walsh. Suran reflects on the all-consuming dedication required of professional musicians and the disorienting impact the pandemic had on those who've built their lives and identities around performing.

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#58: Blake Smith

March 18, 2022

Blake Smith, formerly of the bands Fig Dish and Caviar, joins the podcast. They discuss the Chicago music scene in the 90s, touring mishaps and pranks, and the ups and downs of being in major label bands during that era.

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#54: Juliana Hatfield 2: The Quickening

February 18, 2022

In this episode, Juliana Hatfield discusses her experiences and struggles with touring, performing live, and the music industry. She shares anecdotes about the Boston music scene in the 1990s, seeing bands like Dinosaur Jr. and The Replacements early on, and working with producer Scott Litt. Hatfield also reflects on her own insecurities as a performer and songwriter, despite her successful career.

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#52: Dave Brooks

February 4, 2022

In this episode, guest Dave Brooks discusses his experiences growing up immersed in the New York City music scene, from hanging out at his father's Harlem jazz club as a kid to later playing in bands and working as a sound engineer. Brooks shares stories of crossing paths with famous musicians over the decades and reflects on how the NYC venue landscape has evolved, expressing concern about rising rents forcing out iconic clubs.

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#49: Joe Dapier and The French Dispatch

January 14, 2022

In this podcast episode, Scott Lucas, Gabe Rodriguez and Ben Reiser discuss the movie The French Dispatch and other pop culture topics with their guest Joe Dapier, who was the drummer for the band Dovetail Joint. They debate the merits of various Wes Anderson and Woody Allen films, reminisce about the 90s Chicago music scene, and argue about Led Zeppelin songs.

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#27: Road Report #1: Pre-Opening Night Jitters (LIFERS re-TOUR Week #1)

August 13, 2021

Scott Lucas and Ryan Harding of the band Local H discuss going back on tour after a 17-month hiatus due to the pandemic. They talk about the challenges and uncertainties of touring again, including opening act cancellations, potential shutdowns, and venues requiring proof of vaccination. Despite the difficulties, they are eager to get back on the road and play shows again.

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#24: Hey, Killer/Side 2

July 23, 2021

The members of the band Local H reflect on the writing and recording of their 2015 album Hey, Killer. They discuss the creative process behind specific songs, the production techniques used in the studio, and their thoughts on the album's lyrical themes of death, religion, and personal choice. The conversation also touches on the largely positive critical reception to the record upon its release.

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#19: John McCauley Part One

June 18, 2021

In this episode, Scott Lucas and John McCauley from the band Deer Tick discuss McCauley's musical career and influences. They also touch on McCauley's experiences playing with the surviving members of Nirvana.

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#13: Joe Bosso

May 8, 2021

Scott Lucas interviews Joe Bosso, the A&R representative who signed Local H to Island Records in the 1990s. They discuss Bosso's background as a music journalist, how he discovered Local H's demo tape, and his experiences working with the band and helping them develop their career. Throughout the conversation, Lucas and Bosso reminisce about the music industry in the 90s and share behind-the-scenes stories from Local H's early days.

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#6: Josh Caterer

March 19, 2021

Scott Lucas interviews Josh Caterer, lead singer of the band Smoking Popes, about their upcoming album The Hideout Sessions which releases on March 26th. They discuss the album's mix of classic American songbook covers and reinterpreted Smoking Popes songs, Caterer's songwriting influences, and the ups and downs of the band's career. Caterer also shares plans to record another live album called The Space Sessions in May.