John Lennon

Referenced in 42 episodes

#263: Sisyphus! Sisyphus!! Sisyphus!!!

July 24, 2026

Ben discovers Scott hasn't heard a specific Beatles song's background vocals are "Frère Jacques," sparking debate about whether Beatles deep cuts exist and discussion of Paul McCartney's distinctive bass lines that reportedly annoyed his bandmates. The conversation meanders through game show memories, with Gabe revealing he grew up competing with his five brothers to win Name That Tune so the victor could sit on the couch instead of the floor, and Scott attending an STP show in Montana where Herb embarrassed him by wearing a Red Cross shirt—referencing the band's well-known "Big Bang Baby" resemblance to Red Cross's sound. Scott compares Gabe's vinyl shipping operation to Sisyphus repeatedly pushing a boulder uphill, though Gabe doesn't recognize the Greek mythology reference and has to look it up.

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#255: Jack Douglas R.I.P.

May 14, 2026

Jack Douglas, legendary producer behind albums like Aerosmith's Rocks and John Lennon's Imagine, passed away after a battle with cancer. The episode features a previously recorded interview where Douglas shares stories about his career, including how he met John Lennon after being deported from Liverpool in 1965, his work with all four Beatles members, and his contributions to iconic albums by Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper, and the New York Dolls. The interview was conducted by Scott Lucas at G-Man in Chicago, where Douglas discussed his friendship with Lennon, the creation of "Walk This Way," and his later venture into running an artist-centric record label.

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🎸 Replacements

#230: Randy Jackson

August 14, 2025

Randy Jackson, guitarist and vocalist of the rock band Zebra, discusses the band's origins in New Orleans in the 1970s, their move to New York and rise to success in the early 1980s with their self-titled debut album produced by Jack Douglas, and the ups and downs of their career on the Atlantic Records label. Jackson reflects on Zebra's musical influences, touring with bands like Cheap Trick, and the loyalty of their fanbase as they celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2023.

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🎸 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.

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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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🎸 Replacements

#186: Greg Norman

August 30, 2024

Greg Norman, an engineer at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studio in Chicago, discusses his experiences working at the studio and learning from Albini and others in the Chicago music scene. Norman and the podcast hosts discuss their favorite album productions, spanning genres from indie rock to heavy metal to country. They also reflect on Albini's legacy and impact after his recent passing.

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#181: The “Stick To The Music” Episode

July 26, 2024

In this episode, the hosts Scott, Ben, Gabe and Steve discuss politics and whether it should mix with music and entertainment. They debate online arguments about fascism and share their views on the upcoming US election. Each host also picks a favorite piece of political art, including songs, movies and books like One by Metallica, All the President's Men, and Idiocracy. Overall, they explore the intersection of politics and pop culture.

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🤘 Iron Maiden

#174: Angela Mullenhour

June 7, 2024

Angela Mullenhour from the Chicago band Sybaris discusses the band's upcoming album, which was originally recorded in 2011 but is just now being released. She shares her musical influences growing up in Indiana, how she started playing guitar and writing songs after moving to Chicago, and the formation of Sybaris in the early 2000s. The hosts and Angela also discuss songs related to the theme of murder.

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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.

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🎸 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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🤘 Iron Maiden

#169: Scott Quist and Real Rock’n’Roll Movers

May 3, 2024

Scott Quist, founder of Real Rock'n'Roll Movers in LA, discusses his experiences as a drummer in various rock bands and how he started his moving company staffed by musicians. Quist and the hosts reminisce about their time touring together when Quist was a drum tech, including pranks they pulled on each other. They also play a game picking the best songs about working for a living.

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#157: “Gabe! Who do we have on the show today?”

February 9, 2024

Gabe, Scott and Ben discuss nostalgic teen movies like Zapped and The Stoned Age, with Scott reading excerpts from a book called "Teen Movie Hell". They also talk about the duet performance of "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs at the recent Grammy Awards, which they found very meaningful and moving. The hosts go on several tangents, including about Gabe organizing a Super Bowl squares betting pool.

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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.

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🎸 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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🎸 Replacements

#152: 152. LIFERS Live!!! - At Gman Tavern with Deanna Belos on New Year’s Day!

January 5, 2024

Deanna Belos of the band Sincere Engineer joined the Lifers podcast hosts Scott Lucas, Ben Massarella, and Gabe Rodriguez for a special live New Year's Day episode at GMan Tavern in Chicago. The hosts discussed past New Year's Eve antics, Belos' music career, and played a round of Cards Against Humanity with guest Brendan Kelly before Belos performed a couple original songs to close out the show.

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🤘 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.

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🤘 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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🎸 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".

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#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.

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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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#89: Road Report #14 : Slurry Road

October 28, 2022

In this episode of the Lifers podcast, Scott Lucas, Gabe Rodriguez and Ben Reiser discuss Rod Stewart's disappointing concert performance, share stories from their recent show at The Metro in Chicago, and debate the best rock and roll voices of all time. They also talk about the new Halloween movie, reminisce about seeing actor Udo Kier at a film screening, and answer listener questions about their favorite venues, songs, and black and white movies.

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🎸 Replacements

#78: Brian St. Clair

August 12, 2022

Brian St. Clair, best known as the drummer of the rock band Local H from 1999-2013, discusses his music career on the Lifers podcast. He talks about his time in bands like Triple Fast Action and Rights of the Accused, touring with acts like Ministry and Liz Phair, and recording the album Here Comes the Zoo with Local H and producer Jack Douglas. St. Clair also admits to an incident involving defecating in a hotel room and letting a bandmate take the blame for years.

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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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#56: Happy Anniversary!

March 4, 2022

Scott, Gabe and Ben celebrate the one year anniversary of their Lifers podcast by discussing listener feedback on favorite moments and guests from the past year. They reflect on how the podcast has evolved, their own rapport and dynamic, and memorable interviews with musicians like Justine Frischmann, John McCauley, and Scott's dad. Despite not having a clear mission, the hosts agree the podcast works as an entertaining hangout capturing the experience of friends casually discussing music and life.

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#53: J. Robbins

February 11, 2022

In this episode, J Robbins discusses his musical journey, from getting into the DC punk scene as a teen in the 80s to playing in influential bands like Government Issue and Jawbox. He shares insights into Jawbox's experience signing to a major label in the 90s while maintaining their DIY roots, and talks about his transition into producing and recording bands. Robbins also touches on Jawbox's recent reunion shows and the challenges of revisiting old material.

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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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#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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#1: Ben's Bits #1 - Waiting for Steve Tulipana

December 7, 2021

Scott, Gabe and Ben engage in a wide-ranging conversation while waiting for guest Steve Tulipana to arrive. They discuss topics including the new Beatles documentary Get Back, albums by the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen, and various movies and TV shows. The conversation is filled with tangents, inside jokes and playful arguments between the hosts.

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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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#42: A LIFERS Thanksgiving

November 26, 2021

Scott Lucas, Gabe Rodriguez and Ben Reiser host a special live Thanksgiving episode of the Lifers podcast. They discuss their Thanksgiving plans, answer listener questions, and bring on several fans as guests to chat about topics like the upcoming Lifers movie, Scott's gorilla suit, and everyone's favorite bands.

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#37: Felix Pineiro

October 22, 2021

Felix Pinero, the director of the "Innocence" music video for the band Local H, discusses growing up in Chicago and his passion for filmmaking that developed from an early love of the arts. He talks about meeting and collaborating with Local H frontman Scott Lucas over the years. Pinero recounts the story of how he met actor Michael Shannon at a party in LA, and later convinced Lucas to ask Shannon to appear in the "Innocence" video, which Shannon agreed to do. Pinero describes the experience of directing Shannon in the video shoot. The discussion also covers Pinero's philosophy on directing and how he sees it as a collaborative, "tribal" process of getting the best out of the cast and crew. He compares it to his experience playing in bands. Lucas and Pinero also discuss their plans to shoot a concert film for Local H at the Metro in Chicago, done in an ambitious single-take style.

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#34: Road Report #6: Pizza Party in El Paso!

October 1, 2021

Scott Lucas, Ryan and Gabe Rodriguez are on the road in El Paso, Texas during the Lifers tour. They discuss the shows so far, driving through Texas, and sampling local Mexican food. Gabe is working remotely from an Airbnb in Florida while waiting to move into a new house. The conversation touches on 1990s Internet message boards for the band, a blizzard adventure Ben had in 1996, and the anniversary of Cliff Burton's death. They call their friend Herb to reminisce about old tour stories. The episode wraps up with a call to their tour manager Janine and the arrival of a pizza they ordered from a local place called Grimaldi's.

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#28: Michael Bland

August 20, 2021

Michael Bland discusses his career as a drummer, starting in church at a young age before joining Prince's band the New Power Generation in 1989. He reflects on Prince as a musician and bandleader, and shares behind-the-scenes stories from his time working with Prince. Bland also talks about drumming with Paul Westerberg and Soul Asylum, the Minneapolis music scene, and the challenges facing the music industry today.

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#25: Dave Pirner

July 31, 2021

In the podcast, Scott Lucas from the band Local H interviews Dave Pirner from Soul Asylum. They discuss the 1980s Minneapolis music scene that Soul Asylum emerged from, Pirner's creative influences and approach to songwriting, the challenges of sudden fame in the 1990s, and Pirner's move to New Orleans to recenter himself. Lucas and Pirner also share their frustrations with people refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, forcing them to postpone touring plans.

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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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#22: Jeff Murphy

July 9, 2021

Scott Lucas of the band Local H talks with Jeff Murphy of the band Shoes about their shared experiences growing up and starting bands in Zion, Illinois. They discuss the challenges and benefits of coming from a small town with strict rules, Shoes' early home recordings and unique album-making process, and working with record labels. Throughout the conversation, Murphy shares fascinating stories about Shoes' career and imparts valuable wisdom about staying true to your musical vision.

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#20: John McCauley Part Two

June 25, 2021

John McCauley discusses his early years working at a movie theater, his love of horror films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and the moment he decided to pursue music seriously despite naysayers. The conversation touches on his move from Nashville back to New England with his family, his musical tastes and influences, and funny tangents about movies and pop culture. Throughout, McCauley displays a laid-back, humorous rapport with the hosts.

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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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#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.

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