A (Mostly) 80s Music Podcast: What Difference Does It Make?

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John Frost Is Radio's Prod God Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

From 1987 to the early aughts, award-winning creative genius John Frost created the offbeat cartoony sounds heard in between the songs at the World Famous KROQ in Los Angeles.

He now works with many of your favorite Alt Rock stations via his company, ⁠Frostbytes⁠.

On the podcast, he shares insights into his career and his opinions on songs 30 to 21 from the 1989 KROQ year-end chart.

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Richard Blade Rides The First Wave Back To 1989 Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

Richard Blade makes his third appearance on the podcast, following his book Imposters and his upon turn as Master MC for the Howard Jones “Things Can Only Get Better” Tour.

This episode showcases Richard's music curation skills, giving us some insight into the 80s music played on the World Famous KROQ, as we look at songs 40 to 31 from their 1989 year-end chart.

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Julie Gidlow Gives Us Some Confessions Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

Julie Gidlow is first and foremost a music fan. She used her USC Graduate degree in Journalism to land an editing job at Radio & Records (R&R). She helped shape this music industry newspaper, and ushered it into the new century. Her love for Duran Duran and attending concerts led her to realize she had a book in her. We now have Behind The Setlist: Confessions Of A Non-Groupie. It's a thinly veiled, true-life story about a music fan's encounter with a rock star.

Julie joins the podcast to share her story, and her love for 80s music, as we discuss songs 50 to 41 from the 1989 KROQ year-end chart.

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One-Hit Wonder Day Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

Did you know September 25th is National One-Hit Wonder Day? Well, neither did we, but since we now know it's a thing, we created this episode.

Did we invite friend of the show, Craig Rosen onto the podcast because Steve Rosen, the creator of One-Hit Wonder Day was unavailable? Possibly, but Craig does give us his unique perspective on the songs. What constitutes a one-hit wonder artist? We don't know, but we do know a hit when we hear it, so please enjoy our salute to 80s one-hit wonders!

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Glen Matlock Sees Consequences Coming Sep 18, 2026

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Glen Matlock has seen a lot, and he pours it all out on his new solo album, Consequences Coming. Glen steps into our virtual studio to discuss his solo career and the amazing band he's assembled. But no chat with Glen would be complete without us asking about The Sex Pistols, what life was like working with Vivienne Westwood at her shop, SEX, and what his favorite song is to play as the touring bass man in Blondie.

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Roland West Compares KROQ to LIVE 105 Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

Los Angeles vs. San Francisco is an age-old competition: Dodgers vs. Giants, sunny weather vs. chilly weather, Hollywood glamor or crunchy granola vibes. Back in the 80s, we had KROQ in Los Angeles and LIVE 105 in San Francisco.

Roland West worked on air for both radio stations. He steps into our What Difference Does It Make virtual studio to compare the two iconic radio stations and the personalities behind them.

He also leads us through his musical journey as we look at songs 60 to 51 from the 1989 KROQ year-end chart.

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Tim Pope Shoots Rock Stars Aug 28, 2026

Show notes

If you watched MTV in the 80s, then you've seen a Tim Pope-directed video. Queen, David Bowie, Hall & Oates, and The Cure - the band he's most associated with - are among the hundreds of bands that have performed in front of a Tim Pope camera.

It's all documented in Tim's memoir, I Shoot Rock Stars. Tim now places himself behind the What Difference Does It Make microphone to tell us a few stories he's accumulated over an amazing 40 year career.

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Jacob Givens Goes Back To The 80s Aug 21, 2026

Show notes

Jacob Givens⁠created a social media sensation with his authentic and hilarious reaction videos to what it was like when he first heard the 90s music from his youth. Now Jacob steps into the What Difference Does It Make studio to give us his genuine reaction to hearing 80s music. Specifically, songs 70 to 61 from the 1989 KROQ year-end playlist.

You can hear Jacob on his own Pantheon Podcast, ⁠Waterproof Records With Jacob Givens

Podcast cover photograph by Emil Ravedo.

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Tyler Measom Rocks The Sunset Marquis Aug 14, 2026

Show notes

The Sunset Marquis hotel in West Hollywood is located just steps from the Sunset Strip, and has been a haven for rock stars for the past six decades. But how did it come to be such an iconic place for rock stars? What is its story? Enter Co-Directors Craig A. Williams and Tyler Measom, of the documentary, If These Walls Could Rock. They sit down with Bruce Springsteen, Slash, Ringo Starr, Morrissey, Sheryl Crow, and many more rock stars to hear, in their own words, why this is their home away from home. Tyler steps into our What Difference Does It Make virtual studio to tell us how he was able to tell this amazing story.

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Duran Duran Appreciation Day Aug 07, 2026

Show notes

August 10th is Duran Duran Appreciation Day. As it turns out, not only are we self-proclaimed Duranies, but our guests love the Fab 5 as well. So for this episode, we've compiled comments and observations from our past guests (and ourselves) about the music we love so much by Simon, John, Nick, Andy, and Roger. Happy Duran Duran Appreciation Day!

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