We care about the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, but not nearly as much as Joe Kwaczala and Kristen Studard, hosts of the Who Cares About The Rock Hall? podcast. We learn all about the ins and outs of who gets in to the Rock Hall, and who is on the outs. We also learn why the actual music fan is the least important factor regarding the induction process.Hear the music from every Rock Hall member with a free one month subscription to Amazon Music, courtesy of your friends at the What Difference Does It Make? podcast.Both What Difference Does It Make? and Who Cares About The Rock Hall? are proud members of Pantheon Podcasts.

To tell you the truth, David Wild knows everyone in Hollywood. Because it was our first time talking with him, it felt like a first date. David laid out his career resume, from interviewing his Tenafly neighbor, George Benson when David was 9 years old, to his recent Emmy loss to Stephen Colbert in the Outstanding Variety Special (Live) category. He was also in a nostalgic mood, as the day we recorded this episode, was the 20th anniversary of his Emmy-nominated work for America: A Tribute to Heroes. He also fills our head with stories about The Grammys and The Beatles, to his friendship with Brad Paisley and his passion for the Dodgers. The good news is he has agreed to a second date with us, so please enjoy our first of hopefully many talks with David Wild on the What Difference Does It Make podcast.Get a month of Amazon music for free thanks to your friends at What Difference Does It Make. getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcastWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

The coup de main, or surprise attack, for Jude Cole, is that after 21 years, he's released two records in 2021. Coup De Main is an album of originals, and Coolerator, showcases his love of 50s music with all cover songs. His early career took off when Moon Martin (the guy responsible for writing "Bad Case Of Loving You") plucked a 19 year old Jude Cole to play in his band, but Jude is best known as a solo artist in the 80s and 90s, with a top ten hit "Baby It's Tonight". His career has experienced many highs and lows, and we get into it all on the What Difference Does It Make Podcast.Hear Coup de Main and Coolerator for free on Amazon Music.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Alec Wightman may call himself a corporate lawyer, but he's also a huge music fan. He's chronicled his personal journey of fandom into a memoir entitled Music In My Life: Notes From a Longtime Fan. The book details Alec's discovery of rock and roll through the music of Dion's The Wanderer, to his side gig booking shows for his favorite artists in his hometown of Columbus, OH, to his involvement with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, where he served as board chair. It's a unique rock and roll story from a fan's perspective, and we get into all of it on the What Difference Does It Make Podcast.Listen to all the music you want with a free month of Amazon Music courtesy of the What Difference Does It Make Podcast. getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcastWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Jay Jay French may be best known as the guitarist in Twisted Sister, but he's used all the experience he's acquired throughout the course of his life to become a columnist, author, and motivational speaker. Jay Jay, along with his business partner Steve Farber--a leadership and management expert himself, has written a "bizoir": part memoir, part business advice. It's called Twisted Business: Lessons From My Life In Rock and Roll. Both Jay Jay and Steve join us as we learn all about the (mis)adventures and the lessons learned along the way.Hear Twisted Sister's music with a free month of Amazon Music courtesy of the What Difference Does It Make podcast.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Journalist and author Paul Rees has previously written about Robert Plant and The Who's John Entwistle; two rock stars that kept a low personal profile. Paul completes his rock star trilogy with a biography on John Mellencamp. We talk a lot about John's grit and determination, which helps in no small part to make his artistic dreams come true. Paul immerses himself into John Mellencamp's life, and we come to really understand what continues to drive this Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artist.Hear John Mellencamp's music for free by subscribing to Amazon Music courtesy of the What Difference Does It Make Podcast getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcastWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Fee Waybill, lead singer of The Tubes takes us on his musical journey as the band moves from cult status to striking it big, after landing producer David Foster for their classic album, The Completion Backward Principle. His solo album, Fee Waybill Rides Again was produced by his best friend, Richard Marx. Fee has appeared in many cult film classics, from Xanadu to The Fabulous Stains to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. His next dream is to play King George in Hamilton, so he can sing "You'll Be Back". It's all true, and it's all on the What Difference Does It Make podcast.Hear The Tubes music for free with a month of Amazon Music. getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcastWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

This week, we step back from the task of asking questions, and instead let Bob Bland of the Bend & Scoop podcast inquire into our record collection with a segment he calls, "Is That Your Vinyl Answer".Here is your friendly reminder to subscribe to our podcast as we release new episodes every Friday. Reviews are also appreciated!Video clips from each episode can be found on the What Difference Does It Make YouTube page.Get a month of Amazon Music for free. getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcastWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

You might know Lawrence Gowan as the keyboardist and songwriter for Styx for the past 20 years. Canadians know Lawrence Gowan as the artist with two top-ten albums from the 80s, Strange Animal (1985) and Great Dirty World (1987), as well as numerous top ten singles, including "Criminal Mind", Juno award winner for best video of the year in 1985. Needless to say, we dig into his entire career, up to and including his latest album with Styx, Crash Of The Crown.Listen to all music by Styx and Lawrence Gowan with a one month free subscription to Amazon Music courtesy of What Difference Does It Make. getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcastWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Gary Myrick has had quite an adventurous musical journey. This Texas native left for greener pastures in Los Angeles and formed Gary Myrick & The Figures. Any fan of the film Valley Girl will remember their 80s song, "She Talks In Stereo". From there, it was on to London to meet up with former Clash bassist, Paul Simonon, and Nigel Dixon to make up the band Havana 3AM. Today, Myrick's adventures include motorcycles, his dogs, his 12 string guitars, and his love of the blues. This brings us to Gary Myrick's latest album, Forever (Adventures In 12 String) . The album covers the songs that inspired him, the songs he created with The Figures and Havana 3AM, as well as some originals all played on the 12 string guitar. You'll hear all about Gary's (mis)adventures in this episode of What Difference Does It Make.Hear Gary Myrick's Adventures in 12 String on Amazon Music with a free one month subscription. https://www.getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcastWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Kurt Larson, lead singer of Information Society, is quite an interesting guy. First of all, he's only a part-time rock star, as he spends most of his days composing music for video games. We learn all about video games, the forgotten 80s music format CD +G, and of course, we get the 4-1-1 on their 1988 top ten hit "What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)", and the hoops they had to jump through to get Paramount's permission to use Leonard Nimoy's voice. And, oh yeah, they have a new album out now called, "ODDfellows".Want to listen to "ODDfellows" by Information Society? Sign up for a free month of Amazon Music courtesy of What Difference Does It Make.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

If you're a fan of 80s music like we are, you might say some of your favorite bands are The Police, REM, Squeeze, The Go-Gos, The Alarm, The English Beat and The Bangles. First of all, we would say you've got great taste in music. We'd also say it was artist manager and music executive Miles Copeland that helped usher in this 80s music renaissance. Miles documents his successes and failures in his book, Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: My Life In The Music Business. He shares his insights and some of the crazy cast of characters he's managed in his legendary career.Get three FREE months of Amazon music, courtesy of your friends at What Difference Does It Make. getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcastWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Most of us initially learned about Gary Kemp though his work as the musical architect for the 80s band, Spandau Ballet so naturally we wanted to touch on everything surrounding the band. But first things first, as we launch into a talk about the creation of his cool new album, INSOLO, his work stepping into David Gilmour's spot in Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets and his excellent podcast, Rockonteurs. Gary also gave us a history lesson on all that went into the Blitz Kids club scene in the late 70s to early 80s.Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It Make.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts

Grammy-nominated folk singer and songwriter, Mary Gauthier, steps into the virtual What Difference Does It Make podcast studio and gives us inspiring insight into the process and healing nature in the creation of songs. Mary's book, Saved By A Song, touches on the songs that inspire her, as well as the songs she's written, to provide insight into her transformation from a restauranteur battling addiction into a beloved songwriter.Hear the audiobook version of Saved By A Song for free, courtesy of What Difference Does It Make. audibletrial.com/wddimpodcastWhat Difference Does It Make is a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Midge Trubey has quite a story. Back in the 70s, Midge found an opportunity to create a business by providing Rock Stars everything they need when they come into town. Turns out stars like Lionel Ritchie and Kenny Rogers like it when they can have a freshly prepared meal while on tour! Rock Doesn't Roll on an Empty Stomach: Stories and Recipes from a Rockin' Cook's Journey Fueling America's Biggest Touring Bands of the 70's And 80's is the book, which is part memoir, part cookbook. It was a delicious treat to hear about some of Midge's encounters along her amazing journey.Get three free months of Amazon Music courtesy of the 80s music podcast, What Difference Does It Make. getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcastWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

What do you do when the creative juices are still flowing twenty years after your band breaks up? Well, in the case of The Jenny Thing, you get the band back together and release a new album. Lead singer/songwriter Matt Easton joins the What Difference Does It Make Podcast to talk about what led to creation of their new album, American Canyon. Matt gets into the details of the music, the videos, and that time the band appeared on Star Search.Get three months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music podcast, What Difference Does It Make. getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcastWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Kristin Hersh might be best known as the singer-songwriter in the band 80s music band, Throwing Muses, but she is also an acclaimed author. Her latest book, Seeing Sideways, takes us on an emotional journey as she reflects on thirty years of creating music, raising kids, and maneuvering her way around the trauma she has faced in balancing the two. Kristin is a true independent spirit. We were delighted to welcome her into the virtual What Difference Does It Make studio to share her thoughts on life as an artist.Get three months of Amazon Music for free (including Throwing Muses, 50 Foot Wave, and Kristin Hersh solo work) thanks to your friends at What Difference Does It Make. getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcastWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts

Darren Brady-Harris gained fame as nerdy Cliff in the iconic 80s teen movie, 16 Candles. He's also one of the most passionate music fans we've ever met. Darren loves to talk 80s music, and he calls it like he sees it. This makes him the perfect guest, as we count down songs 10 to 1 from the KROQ 1984 year- end chart. Darren is also the former music director for the student-run radio station at UCLA, and as such, has many opinions, which he is very willing to share with us. Could Echo & The Bunnymen possibly be a better band than U2? Who's better: English Beat or General Public? 1984 brought us Purple Rain, but is it possible that Welcome to The Pleasure Dome by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, and Run-DMC's debut were better albums? All will be revealed, as well as how a kid sitting in the front row of a movie screening was selected to be the best friend to John Cusack and Anthony Michael Hall in a John Hughes film.Get three months of Amazon Music for free getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcastWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Singer/songwriter Kat Goldman has a unique insight into the music industry, and writes about it in her book Off The Charts. Like anyone who has stepped onto a stage to entertain for a living, Kat has experienced many highs and lows. She shares it all with a charming sense of humor and awareness, which makes her a great guest for our podcast.You can hear Kat's music by signing up for three free months of Amazon Music. getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcastWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Her name is Annie and she dances on the sand...whenever she hears the album Rio by Duran Duran! Writer Annie Zaleski joins us in the virtual What Difference Does It Make podcast studio to talk about her 33 1/3 book, Rio. Like us, Annie is a self-described 80s music nerd, so were thrilled to nerd out together over all the details that made this band, and in particular, this album. It gave us a "cherry ice cream smile".Give a listen to Rio by clicking on the link and receive three free months of Amazon Music. https://www.getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcastWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Simply put, Dan McGrath is a huge Depeche Mode fan, I mean his initials are DM. The Creative Director of No Sheet Music and soon to be member of the duo cover band "Master and Servant", that plays only music by duos, steps into our virtual studios. We discuss songs 20 to 11 based off radio station KROQ in Los Angeles' year end chart from 1984. We let Dan chose this ten song chunk because it not only contains two Depeche Mode songs, but also the song the What Difference Does It Make podcast team thinks should have been the number one song for that year.Get three months of Amazon Music for free getamazonmusic.com/wddimpodcastWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Many of you know Jose Perez Navarro as the original anchor of Contacto Deportivo or as the play by play announcer for World Cup games since 2002. What you may not know, is his career started in radio back in his hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico. He is particularly passionate about music from the 80s which is why we happily invited Jorge Perez Navarro into our virtual What Difference Does It Make studios. The original idea was to talk about songs 30 to 21 from the 1984 year end chart from radio station KROQ in Los Angeles. We manage to do that but we mainly touch on Jorge's love of Air Supply, Elton John and music from the late, great Jim Steinman.Get a free audible book courtesy of the What Difference Does It Make podcast. https://www.audibletrial.com/wddimpodcastWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

People listening to KROQ in the mid 80s got the good fortune to hear "Mega-mixes", a medley of songs from artists like Duran Duran and Pet Shop Boys that stretched out into one ten minute jam. The man responsible for these mixes is Christer Modig, aka Swedish Chris. Chris steps into our What Difference Does It Make virtual studios and discusses exactly how a high school kid from Sweden landed at KROQ in Los Angeles. In between stories, we discuss songs from the 1984 KROQ year end chart. This week we look at songs 40 to 31.We also invite you to subscribe to our YouTube page for more shenanigans.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Our favorite Los Angeles radio station is 885FM, so it was very cool to get Marc "Mookie" Kaczor into our virtual What Difference Does It Make studios. Mookie has turned us on to so many new artists that it was great to return the favor and introduce him to some of our favorites as we look at the songs KROQ played back in 1984. This week we focus in on songs 50 to 41 which covers everything from Prince to Killing Joke. Oh, and if you know Dave Grohl, please put him in touch with Mookie. He needs a favor.We are a proud member of the Pantheon Podcast family.Subscribe to Audible and the first book is free courtesy of What Difference Does It Make. Just go to audibletrial.com/wddimpodcast

JC Douglas, steps into the What Difference Does It Make virtual studios to discuss songs 60 to 51 from the 1984 KROQ year end list. This ten song chunk of songs really encapsulates why the music was so influential to our burgeoning musical taste. In this episode, we cover artists from Lou Reed to The Time to R.E.M. and our titular song from The Smiths shows up as well. J.C. the "Hyperactive" Canadian can be heard afternoons on 89.9 The Wave in Halifax, Nova Scotia,Enjoy a free Audible book courtesy of What Difference Does It Make.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts