Bill and Frank’s Guilt-Free Pleasures

Was (Not Was): Walk the Dinosaur (Boom Boom Acka Lacka Lacka Boom)

While often remembered as a catchy novelty track, Was (Not Was)’s “Walk the Dinosaur” is actually about our own imminent extinction through nuclear annihilation. Who knew the song would continue to be relevant almost forty years after its release? We trace the band’s humble beginnings in Michigan to their surprising success throughout the 80s, with guest vocalists that included Leonard Cohen, Ozzy Osbourne, Madonna, Frank Sinatra Jr. and Kim Basinger (!). For us, and maybe to the chagrin of the Was brothers, we believe the highlight of it all is this way smarter-than-people-realize hit whose video was continuously on our TV sets in 1989.  
Links
Music Video
Frank Sinatra Jr Performance
Thank you for listening! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends!
Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.
 

Simply Red: Holding Back the Years (Holding ONNNNN)

Mick Hucknall may be a polarising figure in the British media (well, I guess it mostly is only the "hate" pole), but how can anyone deny the power of "Holding Back the Years"? It's a song birthed in a stream of consciousness writing exercise but steeped in a history of childhood sadness. We discuss our own sadness, give a deep analysis of the song and video, and we also discuss why we refuse to pair a wine with this Simply Red.
Links:
Official Video
Frantic Elevators version
Simply Red Live from Santiago
Thank you for listening! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends!
Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

Dan Hill: "Sometimes When We Touch" (Hold the last note without crying, Frank!)

Today, we dive into Dan Hill’s 1977 mega-ballad, "Sometimes When We Touch." Often labeled the ultimate "weeper," this track explores themes of masculine fragility and raw vulnerability. These concepts commonplace today but groundbreaking for the late 1970s. We discuss how a 19-year-old Hill penned these intense lyrics to compete for the affection of a polyamorous woman who was simultaneously dating a professional football player and a photographer. We also examine the song's unlikely collaboration with songwriter Barry Mann, which helped propel the track to number three on the Billboard Hot 100 during a week otherwise dominated by the Bee Gees. From death-defying encounters involving a gun in the Bahamas to a hostage-like bowling incident, we explore how Hill endured his "albatross" until he recognized it as an open door to a world of opportunities. Join us as we analyze the lyrics and determine if this polarizing hit is truly a guilt-free pleasure or simply "too effing intense" for the average listener!
1970s video
1990s video
SCTV "High Q" Sketch
Thank you for listening! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends!
Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.
 

Mr. Mister: "Broken Wings" (You got to release the one you love)

We go deep in this week’s episodes by delving into the complexities of relationship-mending. For example, the only way to keep someone is to let them go. It’s the paradox of Broken Wings, and we are here to learn to fly again. Despite a bad coffee order to start things, we get right on track and discuss the enduring influence of Khalil Gibran on music - or at least on a few Beatles songs and this Mr. Mister tune. We discuss redemption, healing, and dangerous blackbirds. Frank also brings a Hallmark movie to possibly end all Hallmark movies.

Paula Abdul with The Wild Pair: "Opposites Attract" (feat. MC Skat Kat)

For a good few years, Paula Abdul was an unstoppable force in music. We discuss her beginnings and the creation of her bestselling debut album. It all culminates in this song - her 4th #1 Billboard Hot 100 hit featuring a rapping randy alley cat. It's a natural fact!
Links:
Official Video
Video before rotoscoping
Paula Abdul in 1978 - "The Party Song"
Thank you for listening! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends!
Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.
 

Len: "Steal My Sunshine" (with Nathan Holmes)

Nathan Holmes rejoins us for an episode that will bring you back those summertime vibes even if it is the coldest time of the year (as it is for us at this moment in Canada). Len's "Steal My Sunshine" holds a special place in our hearts as the three of us all feel personally connected to the song. Bring out your butter tarts and your eight-foot heap slurpees: let's have a million miles of fun as we dive deep into this late 90s gem!
Links:
Official video
Video Shoot Day 5
Thank you for listening! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends!
Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.
 

Seal: "Crazy" (The only way to survive)

Although written about the world events that marked the end of the 1980s, Seal's "Crazy" can easily be about our own tumultuous times. Join us as we discuss the song's backstory and give our contemporary analysis of its lyrics. So fire up your speedboats and get ready for a montage sequence: it's time to get a little crazy. 
Links:
Official Video
Thank you for listening! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends!
Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.
 

Mike + The Mechanics: "All I Need Is A Miracle" (Tinder and the Genesisverse)

Bill is very excited to bring this episode to you. Not only is it a song out of the Genesis Extended Universe (GEU), but it also features Paul Carrack (which means this is part of the Carrackverse). It is also a song about long shots, which means this resonates with Bill's love life - Miracles DO happen. Get off your phone, Frank!
Links
Original Version Video
'96 Version Video
Top of the Pops '86
Thank you for being part of our journey! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends!
Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

The Outfield: "Your Love" (Sung in Stingsetto)

Where did Josie go after all? And can her friend be trusted? We certainly know that Josie's boyfriend isn't a man of honour, unless Frank's Hallmark movie is to be believed. Besides these questions, we cover the history of The Outfield, analyse "Your Love," and give a deep analysis of its music video. We're glad you joined us!
Links: 
Official Video
SNL Sketch
Acoustic Version
Katy Perry Version
Bruno Mars Version
Family Guy Version
Thank you for being part of our journey! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends!
Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.

The Pogues: "Fairytale Of New York" (with Dave Kitchen)

"That’s the challenge of the song: he’s giving us these people at Christmas and forcing us, in the spirit of the season, to find grace for them. He’s channeling the fundamental nature of Christmas." - Dave Kitchen
In honour of Bill's brother-in-law, Kurt, we are finally featuring the song that Nick Cave said spoke with "profound compassion to the marginalised and the dispossessed." It's a Christmas song unlike any other. 
Links:
Official Video
Live Version on Top of the Pops 1992
Demo Version #2
Jon Bon Jovi version
Vance Joy version
Bill Murray version
Glen Hansard and Lisa O'Neill tribute performance
Thank you for being part of our journey! Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, etc., or send us an email at BandFGuiltFree@gmail.com! We’d love your feedback—please rate and review, and don’t forget to share our podcast with your friends!
Our theme music is by the incredibly talented Ian McGlynn.