The (unofficial) Lifers Database

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David Bowie

Referenced in 30 episodes

Episode 252 cover

#252: Boorman and The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Pt. 2 (unfiltered)

April 10, 2026

Scott Lucas, Ben Reiser, and Gabe Rodriguez draft their picks for potential 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees from the 17 nominees, with Lucas selecting Iron Maiden, Wu-Tang Clan, Luther Vandross, INXS, and Lauryn Hill; Reiser picking Joy Division/New Order, Sade, Oasis, Jeff Buckley, and Pink; and Rodriguez choosing Billy Idol, Mariah Carey, Phil Collins, New Edition, and Shakira. The hosts also discuss Lucas's recent tour with Filter and Finger Eleven, which experienced van troubles in Nashville, and briefly touch on Rush's performance at the Juno Awards and the documentary "Boorman and the Devil" about "Exorcist II: The Heretic.\

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#244: Richard Shepard and the Best Movies of 2025

January 8, 2026

Scott Lucas, Gabe Rodriguez, Ben Reiser, and director Richard Shepard discuss their favorite films of 2025, with Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" emerging as a consensus top pick. Shepard shares stories about his career, including making documentaries about John Cazale and his own cinematic journey documented in "Film Geek," rescuing "The Linguini Incident" from obscurity, and working with David Bowie who met his wife Iman on that troubled production.

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#241: Tha Caterer III

November 28, 2025

The episode features guest Josh Caterer from the band Smoking Popes. They discuss his band's upcoming shows with Scott Lucas and the band Menthol, reminisce about touring together in the 90s, and play a game called "What's the Best" about the best guest spots on songs.

Episode 240 cover
🎸 Replacements

#240: Vinnie Dombroski

November 21, 2025

Scott Lucas from Local H interviews Vinnie Dombroski, lead singer of the band Sponge, about touring together recently and Dombroski's long career in music. They discuss the challenges and joys of being on the road for extended periods, Sponge's musical influences, and swap stories about the Detroit music scene. The hosts and Dombroski also play a game picking their favorite songs by Detroit artists.

Episode 228 cover
🎸 Replacements

#228: Larry Karaszewski

July 31, 2025

Larry Karaszewski, the famous screenwriter known for films like Ed Wood and The People vs. Larry Flynt, joins the Lifers podcast to discuss his career and love of cinema. Karaszewski talks about growing up obsessed with movies, meeting his writing partner Scott Alexander in film school, and how they transitioned from writing "crappy comedies" to revitalizing the biopic genre. The discussion covers many of Karaszewski's films as well as his passion for screening and championing obscure and orphaned movies.

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#227: Ozzy

July 25, 2025

Ozzy Osbourne, the pioneer of heavy metal music and reality television, died at age 76 after being treated for Parkinson's disease in recent years. The podcast hosts discuss Ozzy's life and career, from his working class upbringing in Birmingham to his success as lead singer of Black Sabbath and later as a solo artist known for his rock and roll excess. They also share personal stories and memories related to Ozzy's music and choose their favorite Ozzy and Black Sabbath songs.

Episode 205 cover
🤘 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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#188: Album Imploder: Whatever Happened to PJ Soles? (Side 2)

September 13, 2024

The second half of a deep dive into the album Whatever Happened to PJ Soles? by the band Local H. The two band members discuss the writing and recording process behind each song on the album's second side. They reflect on the album's varied musical styles, lyrical themes of midlife crisis and self-reflection, and how they pushed themselves creatively on an ambitious record that didn't always meet external expectations upon release.

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#187: Album Imploder: Whatever Happened To PJ Soles? (Side 1)

September 6, 2024

Scott Lucas of the band Local H discusses the writing and recording of their 2004 album Whatever Happened to PJ Soles? with two of the album's producers. They go in-depth on the creative process, influences, and production techniques behind each song on the first half of the album. The band aimed to create an ambitious, experimental rock record that was "handmade" with analog recording methods and a wide variety of sounds.

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

#176: John Haggerty

June 21, 2024

John Haggerty discusses his influential guitar playing with the bands Naked Raygun and Pegboy, the 1970s Chicago punk scene, and his upcoming show at Metro. He also shares his favorite guitar solos of the 1970s, heavily favoring classic rock and metal.

Episode 173 cover
🎸 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.

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#155: Jack Douglas

January 26, 2024

Record producer Jack Douglas recounts working with John Lennon on the Imagine album after a fateful meeting years earlier when Douglas, as a young musician, had traveled to Liverpool and made headlines for getting deported. Douglas shares anecdotes about his relationships and experiences working with Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Aerosmith, and Cheap Trick throughout his producing career.

Episode 150 cover
🤘 Iron Maiden

#150: Brendan Kelly’s War On Xmas

December 22, 2023

Brendan Kelly from the band The Lawrence Arms joins the Lifers podcast hosts to discuss their most hated Christmas songs. The group talks about why they dislike popular holiday tunes like "Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime", "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", "Last Christmas", and others, breaking down the annoying lyrics, instrumentation and overall cheesiness.

Episode 146 cover
🤘 Iron Maiden

#146: Jess Margera

November 24, 2023

Jess Margera, drummer of the band CKY, discusses the early days of the band and how their unique mix of music and skate videos helped them gain a following. He shares stories of touring with Guns N' Roses in their "weirdest period" and reflects on the challenges of the music industry and staying creative during the pandemic. The hosts and guest also banter about their favorite songs with "black" in the title to tie into the Black Friday theme.

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#142: Jon Hertzberg, T.R. Baskin and Chicago Movies

November 3, 2023

The podcast episode discusses Chicago-based movies with guest Jonathan Hertzberg, who runs the boutique Blu-ray label Fun City Editions. Hertzberg is releasing a Blu-ray of the 1971 film T.R. Baskin, which was shot in Chicago and features an audio commentary track by the podcast hosts.

Episode 129 cover
🎸 Replacements

#129: REM Draft Day With Jason Narducy

August 4, 2023

Jason Narducy and Michael Shannon put on a show at Metro Chicago playing REM's album Murmur in full for the venue's 40th anniversary, with REM's Mike Mills making a surprise appearance to sing backing vocals. The podcast hosts and Narducy discuss the show, their favorite REM songs, and do an REM song draft.

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.

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🎸 Replacements

#92: Mike Willison

November 18, 2022

In this episode, Scott Lucas and Gabe Rodriguez interview Mike Willison, formerly of the bands Fig Dish, Caviar, and Prairie Cartel. Willison discusses the history and evolution of those projects, his songwriting process and use of sampling, touring mishaps and adventures, and his current career in the wine industry.

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🎸 Replacements

#87: Mike Alonso

October 14, 2022

Mike Alonso, drummer for bands including Flogging Molly, Electric Six, and Five Horse Johnson, discusses his long music career touring and recording with various rock acts. Alonso shares anecdotes about touring with bands like Dio and Motörhead in the 90s, his love of horror movies, and the importance of playing with great musicians who inspire him to keep performing.

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🎸 Replacements

#75: Louise Post

July 22, 2022

Louise Post, lead singer of the band Veruca Salt, discusses her early music influences, the formation of Veruca Salt, their rapid rise to fame, challenges the band faced, and her current solo project. She reflects on the ups and downs of her musical career and feeling creatively liberated working on her upcoming solo album.

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#72: Matt Walker

July 1, 2022

Matt Walker, a prolific drummer who has played with bands like Filter, Smashing Pumpkins, Cupcakes, Morrissey and Garbage, discusses his music career. He talks about growing up in a musical family, early bands he played in, almost touring with Nine Inch Nails, the ups and downs of playing with Smashing Pumpkins and Cupcakes, and his long stint drumming for Morrissey. Walker also shares stories of encounters with musical legends like David Bowie, Chrissie Hynde and Bono.

Episode 69 cover
🎸 Replacements

#69: Pete Beeman

June 10, 2022

Pete Beeman, drummer of the band Killer Hill, discusses his musical history including playing in the bands Guzzard and Burning Brides. The hosts and Beeman have an amusing debate about favorite bands and movies, and whether one's favorite has to be considered the objective best. They also discuss Killer Hill's heavy metal sound and Beeman's experiences touring with bands like Mastodon.

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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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#47: Page Hamilton

December 31, 2021

Page Hamilton, guitarist and vocalist of the band Helmet, discusses the band's early days playing in New York City in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He talks about the influence of jazz and classical music on his guitar playing, getting signed to Interscope Records amidst a major label bidding war in the wake of Nirvana's success, and briefly playing guitar with David Bowie in the late 1990s.

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#44: Kellii Scott

December 10, 2021

In this episode of the Lifers podcast, drummer Kellii Scott discusses his musical journey, from starting out playing along to KISS records as a kid to delivering cocaine in LA to make connections in the music scene. He talks about joining the band Failure, recording the album Fantastic Planet in Lita Ford's house, the band's breakup and eventual reunion years later, and his current prolific output recording drum tracks remotely for many artists during the pandemic.

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#43: Steve Tulipana

December 3, 2021

Steve Tulipana, owner of Record Bar in Kansas City, discusses his experiences as a musician and venue owner. He talks about discovering punk rock, starting bands like Season of Risk, opening for bands like Fugazi, getting signed to and dropped from a major label in the 90s, appearing in the movie Strange Days, and eventually opening Record Bar to support the local music scene. Despite setbacks, he's kept going and adapted. He also discusses challenges venues have faced during the pandemic with restrictions and getting government aid to stay afloat.

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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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#16: Troy Van Leeuwen

May 28, 2021

Troy Van Leeuwen discusses his music career, from starting as a drummer and learning guitar at age 13 to playing in bands like Failure, A Perfect Circle, and Queens of the Stone Age. He talks about enjoying the role of being a multi-instrumentalist "secret weapon" in bands rather than the frontman. Van Leeuwen also shares anecdotes about the intense touring lifestyle with Queens of the Stone Age and the bands' evolutions across different album eras.

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#10: Michael Shannon

April 16, 2021

In this podcast episode, Scott Lucas, Gabe Rodriguez and Ben Reiser interview actor Michael Shannon. They discuss Shannon's theater work in Chicago in plays like Killer Joe and Bug, his transition into film, and his experiences working with directors like Martin Scorsese, William Friedkin and Curtis Hanson.