Like many significant moments in our lives, we remember where we were when we heard the devastating news about John Lennon. We tell our stories and then turn it over to a couple people that surrounded the event of December 8. Mark Goodman was on the air on New York radio station WPLJ on the evening of December 8, 1980 and photographer Bob Gruen was a family photographer for the Lennon family, capturing John and Yoko during the recording of Double Fantasy. We also talk with author Tim English. His new book "John Lennon: 1980 Playlist" does a deep dive into the music that captured John's attention in the year he created his new album after a five year self-imposed hiatus.If you'd like to hear the music that inspired John we have a Spotify playlist for you.Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It MakeWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Jules Shear created a name for himself as a pop songwriter in the 80s writing Top 40 hits like "All Through The Night" for Cyndi Lauper and "If She Knew What She Wants" by The Bangles. He's also the originator of MTV's Unplugged series hosting and playing on the show in its first season back in 1989. He's been releasing his own classic material for nearly 40 years now. His just released album is entitled "Slower" and we sat down with Jules to discuss his songwriting process, Unplugged and of course, "Slower".Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It MakeWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts

November 6, 1970 marked the first ever gig for the band Aerosmith. It was played at Nipmuc Regional High School Gymnasium in Mendon, Massachusetts. To paraphrase "Walk This Way", we can easily imagine there were definitely at least "three young ladies in the school gym locker" that were staring at the band. The band continues to capture our attention so we talked with author Richard Bienstock to touch on just a few of the reasons on why we love this band. Richard is the author of "Aerosmith: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Bad Boys From Boston". The book which came out ten years ago has recently been updated with additional material to celebrate their 50th anniversary.We are a member of Patheon Podcasts.Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It MakeGet a free Audible book courtesy of What Difference Does It Make Podcast"

What Difference Does It Make celebrates the release of Strum and Thrum by talking with members of the Bangtails, The Ferrets, Great Plains, and The Darrows as well as Captured Tracks label head, Mike Sniper. The Strum & Thrum compilation includes an 80+ page booklet with an extensive oral history of the ‘80s indie scene and tons of archival images and ephemera. If you're wondering what "strum and thrum" means well so are most of the bands on this compilation. All we can say is that if you loved college rock from the 80s, this might just be the music you never knew you loved.We are a proud member of the Pantheon Podcast familyGet a free audiobook courtesy of What Difference Does It Make https://www.audibletrial.com/wddimpodcat

Bob Gruen has snapped so many iconic photos of our rock and roll heroes from Tina Turner to John Lennon to Led Zeppelin to Green Day. His memoir is called "Right Place, Right Time". As Bob tells us, it's a matter of anticipation, patience and skill as well as being in the right place at the right time.. We touch on just a few of the amazing stories in his book including how he created a magical photo of Tina Turner, getting on the bus with the Sex Pistols and why he thinks Bob Dylan hates him.This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.Get a free audiobook courtesy of What Difference Does It Make https://www.audibletrial.com/wddimpodcast

Dylan Jones new book "Sweet Dreams: The Story Of The New Romantics" covers our sweet spot of music fandom 1975-1985 and so we have many questions. The book is not only an oral history of the music scene in the UK but a personal one for Dylan as he shares his experience as a clubbing "Blitz Kid". We start with Bowie and Roxy Music and and go up to Boy George and Live Aid. Dylan Jones has amassed hundreds of interviews and it's great to hear his insight into a music scene that has not received the recognition it so richly deserves.What Difference Does It Make is part of Pantheon Podcasts.Get a free audiobook at https://www.audibletrial.com/wddimpodcast

You don't need to know anything about the guitar to know that what Eddie Van Halen did when he placed his fingers on those strings was something totally unique. Holly and Dave do their best to unpack the impact he had on popular culture with his guitar playing. When they run out of words they call in their friends, SiriusXM personality, Mark Goodman and journalist Craig Rosen to give their perspective.We made a Spotify playlist of some of our favorite Eddie Van Halen solos. You can hear it from our websiteThis show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.

Singer-Songwriter Peter Himmelman takes us on the journey that led to his latest album "Press On". We talk about the songwriting process and the discipline that Peter needs to keep pushing himself to become a better songwriter. We also touch on how his move to the east coast has affected his creation of new work, the frustration in his the inability to play in front of a live audience and his desire to one day start up a band again. Peter has his guitar with him and that makes for some fun improv songs. It's a great episode so press on and enjoy!Get a free Audible book courtesy of What Difference Does It MakeGet three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make

As we continue our talk with BrownMark, we get into his complex relationship with Prince, There are good and bad times in the studio and concert stage. BrownMark learns some valuable lessons about the music industry when he tries to create his own band, Mazarati, whom he believes could have been the black Guns 'n Roses.We also talk about the future as BrownMark is already planning a sequel to his current book "My Life In The Purple Kingdom" published by the University of Minnesota Press and available now from your favorite independent bookstore.Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It MakeThis show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.

BrownMark, bassist for Prince and the Revolution joins us to talk about his book, My Life In The Purple Kingdom. We get into the influence his mother, lovingly nicknamed Mama Vader had on his development, how Prince had to "break" him when he first joined the band and his infamous first gig with the Revolution opening up for the Rolling Stones in 1981.Want to hear an audiobook for free? Go to https://www.audibletrial.com/wddimpodcastGet three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It MakeThis show is part of Pantheon Podcasts

David Freiberg, Donny Baldwin, Cathy Richardson, Chris Smith and Jude Gold known collectively as Jefferson Starship join us again for the final part in our two part interview.. We talk about the difference between Starship and Jefferson Starship, the difference between Janis Joplin and Grace Slick and get into the making of their first new music in 12 years that led to "Mother Of The Sun". So "What Are We Waiting For?", let's get started!Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It MakeA free audiobook is available to you courtesy of What Difference Does It MakeThis show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.

It's Part 1 in our two part chat with all five members of Jefferson Starship. In on our Zoom call is David Freiberg, Donny Baldwin, Cathy Richardson, Chris Smith and Jude Gold. We talk about the creation of their new EP, Mother Of The Sun. It's been twelve years since we last got new music from the band and we get into what factors were involved that started to inspire the band to create new songs.Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It MakeThis show is part of Pantheon Podcasts.

Josie Cotton's iconic 80s record is Convertible Music but she is much more than just that one album. We get into her Russian send up song "Ukrainian Cowboy", recording songs in her studio, "Kitten Robot" and why she relates to the B-Movies of Russ Meyers and Nunsploitation films.   We also get into the creation of her image and her infamous appearance on the Merv Griffin Show. It's easy to love everything about Josie so dig right in!Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It MakeAfter listening to our podcast, check out a free book on Audible courtesy of What Difference Does It Make

This week's talk is with Josie Cotton, best known for the songs "Johnny, Are You Queer" and "He Could Be The One" which appeared in the movie Valley Girl. She now owns the rights to her own music so she happily discusses all the fun, frustration and excitement surrounding the songs on her 1982 Convertible Music album. And good news, since she owns the rights, she gave us permission to actually play some of her songs on this podcast. Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It MakeGet a free audiobook courtesy of What Difference Does It Make

Joel Graves: musician, recording studio owner and most importantly, composer of the What Difference Does It Make theme, virtually steps into our studios. Joel has spent his career with the bands Earlimart and Everest. He not only worked for Neil Young's label Vapor but got various opportunities to play alongside him including at Madison Square Garden. He's also a co-owner of Elliott Smith's recording facility, New Monkey Studio. We get into all of it in this episode.If you'd like to support New Monkey Studio, pick up a hat from their website. http://newmonkeystudio.com/storeIf you'd like to support this podcast, pick up a free audiobook at http://www.audibletrial.com/wddimpodcast

Our talk with Chris Frantz continues as we get into why Talking Heads initially passed on signing a record contract, the genesis of Tom Tom Club and the making of the 80s music classic concert film, Stop Making Sense. If you'd like to hear Chris narrate his book go to Audible for a free copy courtesy of What Difference Does It Make Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make

We are so thrilled to talk with a member of Talking Heads, drummer Chris Frantz. Chris' book "Remain In Love" is out and we get into the details of how a guy growing up in Pittsburgh puts down his artistic paintbrush, picks up some drum sticks and ends up forming one of the most iconic rock bands coming out from the 1970s New York music club scene. This is part one in our talk with Chris Frantz.Remain in Love is available on Audible. Download it for freeGet three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make

Craig Rosen, journalist and friend of the show, returns with more stories involving Pete Buck and a beer, keeping Johnny Cash off of a speaker phone and refusing a collect call from Lou Reed. Good stuff!Don't forget to check out Craig's Influences on SpotifyGet three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It MakeGet a free Audible book

Melanie Vammen, Karen Basset and Sheri Kaplan Weinstein are back to talk all things Pandoras and what happens when a band that created a loyal following in the 80s, breaks up and creates new opportunities. These musicians have formed a bond that continues to inspire.We encourage you to donate to ALS and Team Shattuck Also, relive the magic with a Spotify playlistGet three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make

Melanie Vammen, Karen Basset and Sheri Kaplan Weinstein join us for a talk about their band, The Pandoras. They share their experiences as a young Southern Californian band coming of age in the 80s music scene and keep the memories of Paula Pierce and Kim Shattuck alive. These women are still the best of friends and it certainly shows in this episode.We made a Spotify playlist of some of our favorites.A free Audible book available to you courtesy of What Difference Does It MakeGet three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make

Sure he's directed videos for Kylie Minogue and Bon Jovi (just don't tell Thom Yorke) but Nick Egan takes a punk rock approach to his videos. This leads to some clashes (pun intended) with Oasis and memorably Alanis Morissette; Nick dives deep into what went down which makes for a great listen.Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It MakeGet a free audiobook compliments of What Difference Does It Make.

Self-proclaimed "creative vandal" Nick Egan has created some of the most iconic 80s album artwork from The Clash and Bow Wow Wow to INXS and Duran Duran. In part one of our two part interview, we discuss how Nick got his start, all the way to working with Bob Dylan for his Biograph retrospective. Great stories are told and Nick made us this amazing Spotify playlist.Enjoy!Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make

We talk with director Alison Ellwood to discuss her latest documentary centered around the Laurel Canyon music scene of the 60s and 70s. Alison provides some great insight into what it takes to bring a documentary such as this to life. It's a really great film that is now available to view on the EPIX channel Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make

Our conversation with Kathy Valentine continues as she looks to the future as a Mother, Musician and Go-Go. We start off talking about the music she composed for her book "All I Ever Wanted", which leads to family life and the future of the Go-Gos.  If you want to hear the Audible book for free use this linkGet three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make

Anyone that has listened to our podcast for even a short period of time would probably recognize that we are huge fans of 80s music icons: The Go-Gos. You can imagine how much of a thrill it is to talk to Kathy Valentine, bassist of The Go-Gos. Kathy co-wrote "Can't Stop The World" and "Vacation", two songs that are easily in our top ten Go-Go favorites. Kathy's memoir is "All I Ever Wanted". It covers her childhood up to the early 90s and we try to cover as much as we can in our two-part interview.  By the way, the music in this episode is composed by Kathy and you can hear the album on SpotifyGet three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make