Patti Smith

Referenced in 11 episodes

#254: May Day!

May 1, 2026

The Lifers podcast hosts attempt to record an episode during the first night of the Toady's tour in Abilene, Texas, but face constant technical difficulties due to poor Wi-Fi and cell signal while Scott Lucas records from a van. Between connection dropouts and signal interruptions, Scott briefly describes their opening set which included songs like "I Saw What You Did," "Misanthrope," "Everyone Alive," and "Bound for the Floor," while the hosts debate movies featuring Rachel Ward, James Foley films, and whether Scott should release the episode or use pre-recorded material instead. The recording devolves into a chaotic but comedic exercise in trying to maintain a conversation despite repeatedly losing connection, with the hosts joking about the technical disasters while Gabe eats Tombstone pizza during his lunch break.

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#249: Balthazar De Ley

February 26, 2026

Balthazar De Ley, founding member of Menthol and former Hum guitarist, discusses the Champaign music scene's evolution, the band's major label struggles with Capitol Records, and his current work building and repairing guitar amplifiers after spending a decade with Smashing Pumpkins. The episode includes a "best debut records" segment where the hosts and guest debate classic first albums from Jesus and Mary Chain, Violent Femmes, Iron Maiden, and others.

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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.

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🎸 Replacements

#180: Vic Bondi

July 19, 2024

Vic Bondi, punk rock veteran of bands like Articles of Faith and Jones Very, discusses his 40-year music career, the Chicago punk scene in the 80s, and his viral essay "The Last Fourth of July". Bondi expresses deep pessimism about the direction of the country, predicting the U.S. will become a fascist one-party state under Trump, and voices concerns about climate change going unchecked by Republicans. The hosts and Bondi also discuss their favorite 70s punk songs from bands like the Ramones, Sex Pistols, Television and Blondie.

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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.

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🎸 Replacements

#122: Post-tour Reflections, Dolly Parton’s Coleslaw & How To DJ A Prom (w/Steve Reidell)

June 16, 2023

Scott Lucas, Gabe Rodriguez and Ben Reiser reflect on their recent live podcast shows in Chicago and Madison. They are joined by guest Steve Reidell, who DJed the shows under his former stage name Steve Sleeve. The hosts discuss 1982 prom songs they would hypothetically DJ, including hits by Adam Ant, The Dazz Band, Duran Duran, Prince, and Billy Idol.

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🤘 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.

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🤘 Iron Maiden

#101: Allen Epley

January 20, 2023

Alan Epley, frontman of the bands Shiner and The Life and Times, discusses his musical journey from growing up in a musical family to his early bands in Kansas City. He shares stories about Shiner's rise, near-misses with major labels, and eventual breakup, before detailing his subsequent projects like The Life and Times and his new solo record.

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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.

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#65: Pittsburgh and the Night of the Living Picklebacks (with Justine + Rookie + Karen)

May 13, 2022

The band Local H was on tour in Pittsburgh with the band Rookie. They hung out in a hotel room on their night off, drinking Jameson and pickle juice shots called "picklebacks". The members of both bands had a rambling, humorous conversation covering topics like the early days of Rookie, their mutual love of classic rock bands like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, and funny tour stories.

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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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