A (Mostly) 80s Music Podcast: What Di...

Dave and Holly, your 80s music aficionados, talk to the artists and music industry insiders that made it the greatest decade for music. We are a proud member of The Pantheon Network - Podcasts for Music Lovers

Music History
Music Interviews
Music Commentary
126
BottleRock Festival
Our summer got off to a great start with an invitation from the good folks at Podopolo to hang out at the Feast It Forward house in Napa, California. As it happens, it was also the week of BottleRock, so we had the opportunity to talk to Ron Artis II, Mama Said, Kosha Dillz, and Chef Roy Choi. Special thanks goes out to Amanda Morck of My Rock Moment podcast and Al Manicini of the Food and Loathing in Las Vegas podcast.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts
43 min
127
John Easdale of Dramarama
John Easdale of Dramarama has quite an origin story. Local Jersey kid and his high school friends work at a record store and dream of being in a band, they make a record that gets picked up by a French DJ. The record makes its way to Los Angeles and is mistaken by a famous DJ for a French band. Yes, "Anything, Anything" can happen when it comes to rock and roll. We then segue to 1985, the year Dramarama's Cinéma Vérité was released and look at the top 10 year-end songs from KROQ, the radio station that first played "Anything, Anything".  We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts
64 min
128
Paul Myers Record Store Punk
Paul Myers is many things: Artist, Author, Producer, Podcaster, but above all else, he is a music and comedy fan. You can currently hear Paul as host of The Record Store Day Podcast. He is also a producer of the just-released documentary, Kids In The Hall: Comedy Punks.  We touch on all the hot topics: Beatles vs. Stones, comedy troupes, and donuts. Get a month of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make. getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcastWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
61 min
129
Hans Everling is the SOB taking on KROQ from 1985
Hans Everling is the owner of SOB Audio Imaging in Amsterdam, and this week he takes on the challenge of giving his professional and honest opinion of songs #20 to #11 from the 1985 KROQ year-end playlist. Can any of these tunes possibly compare to his beloved favorite band, Earth, Wind & Fire?Hear your favorite 80s songs with a free month of Amazon Music, courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make podcast. getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcastWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
51 min
130
Hear at Home with Andy Chanley
Hear at Home is an artist interview segment hosted by Andy Chanley on 885FM, but today we switch roles with Andy and WE talk to HIM about his radio career. Andy also helps us dive into songs from the 1985 KROQ year end list. In this episode, it’s songs #30 to #21. Get a month of Amazon Music for free courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make. getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcast We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
65 min
131
David Wild Is Totally Naked
David Wild has many friends, including us. He has just released a podcast with his good friend, Phil Rosenthal, entitled Naked Lunch. Fortunately, it's audio so we don't know if there's any actual nudity involved but there is definitely food and friends. David steps into our virtual studio to talk to us about the podcast, the friends, and the food, all on the What Difference Does It Make Podcast.Get a month of Amazon Music for free courtesy of your favorite 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make. www.getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcastWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
55 min
132
Ann Wilson Of Heart Finds Fierce Bliss
Ann Wilson, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and Heart vocalist, isn't one to rest on her laurels during a hiatus with the band. Finding inspiration through her songwriting, and creating thrilling new arrangements of cover songs with her band "The Amazing Dawgs", we have an Ann Wilson solo album called Fierce Bliss. We talk about the past, present, and future with Ann, including 2023 plans for a 50th Anniversary Celebration of Heart. It's all on the What Difference Does It Make Podcast.Hear Ann Wilson's Fierce Bliss and all of the Heart catalog with a free month of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
29 min
133
Suzi Quatro Is Stumblin' In To Our Podcast
Suzi Quatro has been rockin' for over half a century and is showing no signs of slowing down. As the recent documentary, Suzi Q, shows, she is still as passionate today about her music as the day she strapped on her bass guitar at the age of 14. We get into all of it, from her beginnings with the Quatro family band, The Pleasure Seekers, all the way to her latest album, The Devil In Me, playing and producing with her son, Richard Tuckey. Revisit the entire Suzi Quatro catalog with a free month of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make. We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
42 min
134
Martha Wainwright Tells Us Stories She Might Re...
How does Martha Wainwright survive growing up in the shadow of not only her father, Loudon Wainwright III, and her mother, Kate McGarrigle, but also her beautiful and extremely talented brother, Rufus Wainwright? It's all described in Martha's memoir, Stories I Might Regret Telling You. Martha steps into the What Difference Does It Make virtual studio to discuss her childhood, and finding her own way in her artistic family.Listen to all of Martha's music including her latest, Love Will Be Reborn, with a free month of Amazon Music, courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make Podcast. We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
49 min
135
Thomas Robsahm Takes On A-HA
Thomas Robsahm, Director of the just-released documentary, a-ha THE MOVIE, is our guest this week. Depending on where you live in the world, the band a-ha may be considered an 80s one-hit wonder band, but that is simply not the case. a-ha is still one of the best-selling live bands in the world. They've released ten albums, and eight of them hit number one in their home country of Norway, and sold nearly 100 million copies. Thomas is also the Producer of The Worst Person in The World, a surprise breakout movie that received two Oscar nominations this year; one for Best International Feature, and one for Best Original Screenplay. It's a lot to discuss as Thomas Robsahm steps into the What Difference Does It Make Podcast virtual studio.Re-discover the a-ha music catalogue with a free month of Amazon Music, courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
42 min
136
Palle Bo: The Radio Vagabond
Palle Bo is a radio legend in Denmark. He's been in the game since the 80s, and now this "Radio Guru" is taking his act on the road, traveling the world and sharing his exploits in a podcast called The Radio Vagabond. Palle took a break from his hectic schedule to talk to us about his early days in Danish radio, and to discuss songs #40 to #31 from the KROQ Los Angles 1985 year-end chart.You can hear all music discussed with a free month of Amazon music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
57 min
137
Bob Waugh Dares To Be Different
Bob Waugh's radio career brought him to the best of the best radio stations at the perfect time. When the excitement of New Wave first struck New York in the 80s, Bob was spinning records at "Dare To Be Different" WLIR on Long Island, just outside New York City. In the early 90s, when Alternative music became pop music, Bob was in charge at WHFS in Washington DC. He recently wrapped up the "first leg" of his career at WRNR in Annapolis, where he was able to play his favorite classic songs while still letting listeners in on new music discovery. Bob steps into our virtual studio to talk about the crazy turns his career has taken, and then we all settle in to talk about the year 1985, and songs #50 to #41 on the KROQ year-end chart.Discover all songs old and new with a free month of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
54 min
138
Keith Coes - Music Director for Lightning 100 i...
Keith Coes was destined for radio ever since he "won" a shift on the Vanderbilt University radio station, without ever actually attending the school. And he even became the Music Director! This metal-loving dude has now been the Music Director for WRLT Lightning 100 in Nashville for nearly 30 years. This makes him a great guest to discuss songs #60 to #51 on the 1985 year-end chart from KROQ in Los Angeles.Hear all the music discussed with a free month of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make. We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
46 min
139
Zeb Norris is Classic Hits Vermont
Self-Proclaimed "Hippie, Rocker, Seeker", Zeb Norris, enters the What Difference Does It Make virtual studio. Zeb was a K-Pop star long before any member of BTS was even born. In Zeb's case, KPOP was a radio station in Sacramento spinning rock of the 80s. After that, he departed the West Coast, making his way across the country to WNCS in northern Vermont. He now happily resides as the Program Director/Morning Guy at WCVT in Plattsburgh/Burlington, Vermont. CVT stands for Classic Hits Vermont. This makes him the perfect guest to discuss songs #70 to #61 from the 1985 World Famous KROQ year-end chart.Hear all the songs discussed with a free month of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
55 min
140
Tami Heide and KROQ 1985
In 1985, Tami Heide was a host on WBCN, Boston's #1 rock radio station at the time. Today, Tami steps into the What Difference Does It Make virtual studio to discuss her career trajectory from Boston to Los Angeles, where she became a host on KROQ in 1991. In between Tami's fart jokes, we're given some insight into her life as a music fan and radio talent. We also manage to discuss songs #80 to #71 from the 1985 KROQ year-end chart! Hear all the music we discussed by getting a month of Amazon Music for free courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make. We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
53 min
141
Brad Savage bringing Akron Quality Rock
Brad Savage is a self-described radio nerd, traversing the United States sharing his love of music via his love of radio. He's been with REV105 and KTCZ in the Twin Cities. Moved to Columbia, Missouri to program The Buzz and 102.3 KBXR. This led to Madison, Wisconsin and WMAD, when it was an Alternative rock station, and then on to WQKL "107one" in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He launched The Corner 106.1 WCNR in Charlottesville, Virginia, before finally landing at The Summit in Akron. He's always said "It's all about the music", so now Brad faces his toughest challenge, which is reviewing songs #90 - #81 on the 1985 year-end chart from KROQ in Los Angeles.Get a month a Amazon Music for free courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
65 min
142
Larry "The Duck" Dunn Dares to be Different
Larry "The Duck" Dunn steps into the What Difference Does It Make virtual studio to provide some insight into the New York 80s music scene. Larry started his career at 92.7 WLIR, where he became the Music Director and helped shape the sound of this influential New York radio station. In between our banter about WLIR, Larry's personal experiences with the artists, and his time in the clubs, we look to Los Angeles and the 1985 year-end chart from KROQ. This episode, we look at songs #100 to #91. There are a few lost classics, as well as some songs from classic rockers in this ten-song-chunk. You can also hear Larry on SiriusXM's 1st Wave channel and also streaming on WDARE.Get a month of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music afficionados at What Difference Does It Make.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
73 min
143
1985 KROQ songs 106.7 to 101
It's a new year in more ways than one for the What Difference Does It Make podcast, as we go "back to the future" and begin our look at the songs KROQ in Los Angeles played in the year 1985. In this episode, we look at 6.7 songs. We start at the bottom, with song #106.7, and for the first time since we started this look back at each year of the 80s, we actually have access to this earworm of a song. If you're ready to relive the music from 1985, you've come to the right place.Get a month of Amazon Music for free courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
28 min
144
1985 in Pop Culture
1985 was a year filled with incredible highs: LIVE AID!, The Breakfast Club, Eddie Murphy, and some soul-crushing lows: New Coke, the Super Bowl halftime show, the film Gymkata. It's all worth revisiting, so join us as we celebrate some of the most unforgettable moments in pop culture from 1985.Get a month of Amazon Music for free courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It MakeWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
46 min
145
Greatest Hits of 2021
Welcome to our greatest hits episode! First time to What Difference Does It Make? This is the perfect start to discovering our 80s music podcast. We look back at the highlights from 2021, as we talk with some of our favorite music artists and other creators.New episodes every Friday!Get a free month of Amazon Music courtesy of What Difference Does It Make. Your 80s music aficionados.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
56 min
146
It Never Ends with Tom Scharpling
Fans of Tom Scharpling might think they know him well. After all, he's hosted his own radio show/podcast, The Best Show for 20 years. Turns out, we only knew about a small portion of his life. It Never Ends is an appropriate title for Tom's memoir. In it, he talks about his issues, big and small, and how he's managed to rise above it all. And sometimes, he didn't. Tom is normally the guy asking the questions, so this is a unique opportunity for us to switch it up a little and dig into his life stories on the What Difference Does It Make podcast.Get the audio version of It Never Ends for free on Audible courtesy of your 80s music afficionados at What Difference Does It Makehttps://www.audibletrial.com/wddimWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
42 min
147
The Wild, the Phil and the What Difference Shuffle
Friend of the show, David Wild, returns, and he wanted to bring along his bestie, Phil Rosenthal. Phil is the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond, and Somebody Feed Phil, so first thing we do is throw him a food question. Phil retorts with a "What kind of podcast is this?!?", and we are off and running! Turns out, Phil wants to talk about Bruce Springsteen, and we're more than happy to indulge him! Our talk centers around what makes Bruce so unique, personal memories and encounters with The Boss, and eventually we get to some food-talk. Specifically, Phil taking Jack Nicholson to a pizza parlor in Phoenix. It's so crazy, it has to be true. It's all on the heart-stopping, pants-dropping, love-making, earth-quaking What Difference Does It Make podcast!Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcastWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts
74 min
148
John Illsley: Life in Dire Straits
John Illsley knew he wanted more out of life than a safe career working in the logging industry. His life took a major turn when he met the Knopfler brothers; Mark and David. With John taking the bass, and Pick Withers on drums, the band Dire Straits was formed. Through various lineup changes, John Illsley and Mark Knopfler remained the core members throughout the band's career. Dire Straits went on to win four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, and two MTV Video Music Awards. They've sold an estimated 100 million units worldwide, making them one of the biggest bands of the 80s. John documents it all in his memoir, My Life In Dire Straits. We cover it all, including their awkward entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.Listen to the entire Dire Straits catalogue with a free month of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It MakeWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
53 min
149
Michaelangelo Matos Can't Slow Down
Michaelangelo Matos realized at the age of 9 how magical the year 1984 was by simply listening to the radio, and loving each and every song he heard. His latest book, Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year, documents how this came to be by focusing on key moments. We talk about a few of our favorites from the Britain Rocks America-Again Newsweek cover in January, to the debut of Graffiti Rock in June, to the MTV Awards, and the recording of Band Aid. Of course, there was also Prince, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Bruce Springsteen. 1984 truly was a year like no other.Hear all your favorite songs from 1984 by receiving a one month subscription to Amazon for free courtesy of your friends at What Difference Does It Make.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
43 min
150
Gina Schock: Made In Hollywood
Gina Schock, drummer for The Go-Go's, may have been "Made in Hollywood", as the title of her new book suggests, but she was without a doubt, born in Baltimore. Her accent rings as loud as her drumming, loud and clear. It turns out Gina was also the unofficial photographer of the band during their heyday in the early 80s. Using her Canon camera, Gina snapped many candid and posed shots of her bandmates, many of which made it into the book. We chat all about Gina's start as a musician, which leads to her cross-country journey to Hollywood, and finally to her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame this year.Listen to The Go-Go's all you like by receiving a month free of Amazon Music, courtesy of your friends at What Difference Does It Make.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.
47 min