Rita Wilde is simply put, a radio legend, having spent over 25 years as a DJ, Music Director and Program Director at 95.5 KLOS in Los Angeles. She epitomizes the rock fan's dream of playing and talking about the music and actually getting to meet and talk with your rock idols. Rita represents all of us, which is why we love to hear her enthusiasm whenever she flips on a mic. She shares our joy in the music. So, of course it was our joy to invite Rita into our virtual studio to talk about her career and the music she continues to love with "no surrender" (shoutout to Springsteen) in site. Afterwards, we discuss a station to the extreme right of 95.5, 106.7 to be exact, as we get to songs 90 to 81 from the 1986 KROQ year end playlist. We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

We get into many of our favorite touchstone moments that helped define the year,

We welcome back music journalist and friend-of-the-show, Craig Rosen, into the What Difference Does It Make garage with a toast to the new year. Craig is hitting a milestone year, so we ask the author of The Billboard Book of Number One Albums, "What was the number one album the year you were born?”. Craig guides us through his top albums of 2022, and we also remember the extraordinary work of Terry Hall. And what would a visit by Craig be without talk about Costco? What could possibly be Craig's "Pick Of The Year" at his favorite warehouse club store?We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts

David Wild steps out of his comfy zone writing for The Grammy Awards and the upcoming TV salute to Paul Simon (airing on CBS on December 21), and enters into the wild of our studio/garage. David faces the hard-hitting questions, like "Which rock stars are shorter than he is?" and tries to understand why we can't remember the host of last year's Grammys (Spoiler: it's Trevor Noah. He's also hosting next year.). We also pay tribute to Christine McVie, salute the brilliance of Paul Simon, and try to understand why the ladies love LL Cool J, but LL seems to love David Wild. We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Mark Thompson grew up loving radio, comedy, and with an appreciation for the absurd. These qualities made Mark uniquely qualified to create one of the most iconic morning radio shows in history. The Mark & Brian show started out in Birmingham, Alabama, but within a year, made its way to Los Angeles and 95.5 KLOS. It quickly became the #1 morning show in the #2 market. Mark & Brian were inducted into the Radio Hall Of Fame in 2020. Mark's memoir, Don't Bump The Record, Kid: My Adventures with Mark & Brian is out now, and he steps into our virtual studio to regale us with some of his (mis)adventures.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

If you're still "high as a kite" from watching Elton John's final US show at Dodger Stadium, we just might have the podcast episode for you. Gillian Gaar has authored a beautiful coffee table book, Elton John @75, examining Sir Elton through the lens of 75 career accomplishments and life events. Gillian steps into our virtual studios to say so much about Sad Songs and much more related to the Rocket Man.  We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

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Michael Lockwood has lived a full musician's life. Starting out with the band Lions & Ghosts, he lived the dream of getting signed to a major label, and releasing two albums in the 80s. Following the dissolution of the band came work on movie soundtracks and collaborations with Aimee Mann, Carly Simon and Fiona Apple. He now runs Sparkle Plenty Records, and one of the first orders of business is to finally give a proper re-release of Lions & Ghosts debut album, Velvet Kiss, Lick Of The Lime. We get deep into Michael’s history, and the ins-and-outs of the music business as we welcome Michael to the What Difference Does It Make Podcast.

Steve Rapport's camera has taken him on quite a journey, from the very beginning, shooting Robert Plant's Honeydrippers while he was at University, to being in the camera well at Live Aid, getting shots of Freddie Mercury and Bono. His journey continues now in New Orleans where he has the good fortune to capture Amy Schumer and Arcade Fire in action. And WE have the good fortune to talk with Steve about his life and career today on the podcast. We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

We continue our two-part look at Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets with two guys from the band. One guy is Guy Pratt. He's played with Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Madonna, The Smiths, Echo & The Bunnymen, Tears For Fears, and the list goes on. We also have a friend of the show, Gary Kemp. You know him as the guitarist and principal songwriter for Spandau Ballet. Currently, they are spending their time with Nick Mason, recreating the music of Pink Floyd circa 1967-1972. We get into all the secrets this week on the What Difference Does It Make podcast. We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason is bringing early Pink Floyd music back to life by taking it on the road with his band, Saucerful of Secrets. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member steps into our virtual studios to talk about the music he created with Pink Floyd from 1967 to 1972, and the all-star band he assembled to recreate these iconic songs.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

There is no denying that Stevie Nicks has captivated audiences since she first burst onto the music scene in the mid 70s. It is a combination of a uniquely gifted rock and roll voice, songwriting chops, and a distinctive look that led to her musical journey. Author Simon Morrison explores these elements and so much more in his latest book, Mirror in the Sky: The Life and Music of Stevie Nicks. Simon steps into the What Difference Does It Make virtual studios to further cement the case as to why Stevie is the first woman to be twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

The Smithereens dominated modern rock radio in the early 80s to mid 90s with songs like "Only A Memory" and "A Girl Like You". Despite the tragic loss of their lead singer, Pat DiNizio, the band soldiers on with guest vocalists Marshall Crenshaw and The Gin Blossoms Robin Wilson taking the vocals. Guitarist Jim Babjak and drummer Dennis Diken visit the What Difference Does It Make virtual studios and talk up their passion for 60s pop songs, the road to success, and this mysterious lost album from the 90s, strangely enough, called The Lost Album. We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Thanks to Rob Juarez, founder of the Lost 80s Live concerts, this is quite possibly our most 80s music episode ever. We went down to San Diego to learn why the artists and fans keep coming back to these shows. We talk with members of Wang Chung, Animotion, and The Untouchables. We also talk to some passionate fans that still love the music that shaped their lives. We wrap it all up by talking with the man himself, Rob Juarez.The What Difference Does It Make Podcast are proud members of Pantheon Podcasts.

Director Andy Fickman has brought Heathers back to life. Yes, the beloved dark comedy classic, Heathers, is now a movie musical and it is so "very". Andy takes us through the ten year process of making this daydream a reality. And Andy may be so crazy, you'd swear he had a "brain tumor for breakfast". After you listen to our podcast, watch the movie, now a musical, and streaming on Roku.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

This year, David Bowie would have turned 75. To recognize this occasion, Rock Historian/Author/Podcaster Martin Popoff has authored a coffee table book, simply called Bowie @75. One might think Martin would love everything about Bowie, but being the contrarian he is, Martin makes his opinion known as we touch on a number of the significant landmark moments in Bowie's storied career.  We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Twin brothers Adam and David Moss have been harmonizing together since their days as kids trapped in their parents car, forced to listen to 60s folk and show tunes. As it turns out, they actually love this music, and now we benefit from it, courtesy of The Brother Brothers latest album, Cover to Cover. It's a love letter of sorts, dedicated to the music that has inspired them throughout their lives.  Adam and David talk with What Difference Does It Make to detail the journey that led them to cover these classic pop and folk songs. We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts

Rob Juarez is the mastermind behind the Lost 80s Live shows. This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the concert series that features so many of your favorite 80s bands like Devo, ABC, and A Flock of Seagulls.  We get into Rob's story on how he came to create the brand, and all the hard work that goes into putting on a show. It's all on The What Difference Does It Make podcast.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts. We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

We continue our look at the first songs played on MTV by reviewing videos 16 to 25. In this episode, we agree that Iron Maiden segueing into REO Speedwagon is a horrible idea. Holly learns about Mr. Briefcase, AND she teaches Dave about the real meaning behind Phil Collins, "In The Air Tonight". After all this excitement, we test ourselves with a little MTV trivia quiz. It'll make you demand, "I want my MTV podcast!" We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts

It was the early days of MTV, and it was also the early days of our podcast, circa 2018, when we dissected the videos played on August 1, 1981, the day MTV was launched. This day was so important, we made it a two-part episode. In the first part, we debate our way through the first 15 videos played on MTV. We discover that one of our favorite Pat Benatar songs is, in fact a cover. We question the musical direction of Styx. And, Holly learns the definition of brass when it's in one's pocket.We are a proud member of The Pantheon Podcast Family

Simon Morrison is a Professor of Music at Princeton University, with an emphasis on the musical, cultural, and political histories of the Soviet Union, Russia, the United States, and France. With all that said, he's also a fan of pop music, in particular a band from the UK called Roxy Music, their lead singer Bryan Ferry. He wrote a 33 1/3 book on the band's 1982 album, Avalon. His Princeton homepage quotes him saying "I can explain why and how music matters then as now." and that's exactly what we do this week on What Difference Does It Make podcast.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Carla Olson is a true musician. She might be best known to our listeners for her work with the Textones, but she has had and is continuing to have quite a full career. Carla played guitar in Bob Dylan's first music video, she was the first woman to sing with John Fogerty, and she now has a compilation album comprised of many of her musical friends playing train-themed songs, called Americana Railroad. Carla has an endless supply of stories, so hop aboard!  We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.