The 1993 MTV Awards included an awesome performance from Lenny Kravitz with John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin on bass, and Aerosmith rolling out their new hit “Livin’ On the Edge”. But I can’t show you those! For some nerds in the audience, the highlight of the show might have been a video appearance from Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and William Shatner himself in a parody of his show Rescue 911.
Thank you to Marco from the Contrarians for your awesome contributions to this week’s discussion: Alice Cooper Deep Cuts! And thanks as always to co-host Harrison the Mad Metal Man! Harrison really came out of the box with some obscure but still notable songs that you need to check out. The thing about Alice Cooper is…he’s so prolific, and even on the albums you might not like as much, there are always a standout song or two. I was surprised to find so much love for certain songs (“Roses On White Lace”, “Aspirin Damage”, “Make That Money (Scrooge’s Song)”, “Fresh Blood” and more). Alice’s albums were well represented on these lists, with only a handful going unmentioned. Even so, our runners-up lists covered the shadowy corners of the discography.
More thanks: Holen & Buried On Mars with two more lists of great songs that need to be heard and appreciated more often.
If you watched this episode live, I appreciate you too! Another great Friday night for the books!
The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano and Friends
Episode 107 – Alice Cooper Deep Cuts – Nigel Tufnel Top Ten lists
Tonight, please tune in to a list show over a year in the making! Harrison the Mad Metal Man has been asking to do this theme for ages now, and we finally got the right trio to do it. Marco from the Contrarians will be completing the panel tonight as we list off our Alice Cooper Deep Cuts. No singles, no live concert staples. Each of us will be listing 11 tracks for the full Nigel Tufnel Top Ten experience.
Think about it a minute. There are all the classic Alice Cooper Band records, including the obscure opening duo of Pretties For You and Easy Action. Not long after the classic run, the “blackout” albums that Alice doesn’t remember making. The late 80s had their fair share of great deep cuts on Coop’s horror-themed Constrictor and Raise Your Fist and Yell. Then we have Cooper’s entire output for the last 30 years with plenty of hidden gems. Add in some pretty cool soundtracks and B-sides. Yes, there will be a wealth of Alice riches tonight.
Your live participation means all the world to us, so I hope you can make it. Go Leafs?
Friday May 6, 7:00 PM E.S.T. on YouTube, Facebook and also Facebook!
Visual accompaniment to Record Store Tales #985: Do You Know How Quickly a Pair of Glasses Melts in a Fire?
Music: “I’m Glad Now” by Max the Axe, from Max the Axe (2004)
Another in a long line of superb Erica Ehm interviews! Alice Cooper seems like a pretty easy guy to interview, but in the late 80s Alice was on the cutting edge (pun intended) of horror-themed live shows. He was a more controversial figure then, but as usual, Erica had a great rapport with her guests. As a bonus, Alice brought with him Kane Roberts to premiere his new solo album and music video “Rock Doll”.
The two guys banter back and forth like a comedy duo, while Erica peppers them with both fun and topical questions. This interview is a must-see front to back. Topics covered:
When I was a kid, I watched this interview over and over again. I even used it in a highschool project on censorship. This is a full Power Hour episode (sans music) and you want to watch the whole show from start to finish.
John Bush and Gonzo Sandoval stopped by the brand new Power 30 in September 1991 to talk about their new album, Symbol of Salvation. Founding guitarist Dave Pritchard passed after a short but impactful battle with leukaemia. The band had to carry on, and they did with a smashing album. There’s a bit of footage from their gig at Rock ‘N’ Roll Heaven. Great if short interview with a couple guys who are now heavy metal legends.
Today’s chat with Montreal’s POLYCHUCK revealed many insights to his music and career thus far. It was a wide-ranging interview covering the following subjects and more:
Support original talent like Polychuck! The new single “Hero” is out now on all the usual platforms. The next single drops in May, with the concept album in late 2022 or early 2023. Keep your eye on this exciting new artist at Polychuck.com – all the links to his socials are there.
Also a special thanks to Tee Bone who wanted to co-host this episode but could not due to a natural disaster! I used his questions and observations, which were excellent.
The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike Ladano and Tee Bone
Episode 106 – The Return of Polychuck
Polychuck has remained busy since I last spoke to him back in July of 2021. Since that time he’s released the EP Shadows Remain, and his current single “Hero” featuring Derek Sherinian of Dream Theater on keyboards. We can’t wait to talk to him about the song, its important meaning, and the band he has backing him on it. This talented multi-instrumentalist has been creating a catalogue of songs that defy categorisation. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also a mixed martial artist! Polychuck literally and figuratively kicks ass!
We always like to support Canadian talent, and Polychuck hails from beautiful Montreal, where he also teaches music. Truly, the guy is inspiring and if you don’t know that already, you will this Saturday at noon on the Train. Please join myself, Polychuck, and special co-host Tee Bone for this sure-to-be awesome episode.
Special Time!
SATURDAY April 23, 12:00 Noon E.S.T. on YouTube, Facebook and also Facebook!
A wonderful social gathering tonight with some rapid-fire action! Robert Daniels stepped up to the plate at short notice to talk music, movies and TV. We were joined by Harrison the Mad Metal Man, and Uncle Meat for some quiz fun. It was an impromptu night of loose and entertaining chatter among friends.
Topics discussed:
We also played a bunch of music including the debut of a track called “Bones ‘N’ Clothes” by Plasticine, featuring Rob Szabo and Steve Strongman. This song was very well received by our viewing audience and will definitely be heard again.
Thanks for watching!
Next week: POLYCHUCK
Happy Easter weekend everyone! Without going into too much detail, Covid has upended plans here at LeBrain HQ, so we’re going live tonight instead. Don’t worry…as I write this, Jen and I are not sick, but people close to us are and as a result, I am not going away this weekend as planned. Instead it’s gonna be a LeBrain Train weekend.
Please welcome pinch hitter Robert Daniels tonight as he joins Harrison and I to discuss what we’ve been listening to and watching these last few weeks. Those who watch Rob’s mid-week live streams know he has been working his way through a couple of big projects. One is listening to all his soundtracks in alphabetical order. Another is watching all the Star Trek episodes (and series) in order. Huge projects, on a galactic scale!
We’ll be playing lots of videos (Max the Axe, Tee Bone and more), and deep-diving on some music and movies.
Friday April 15, 7:00 PM E.S.T. on YouTube, Facebook and also Facebook!
mikeladano.com 