Discograffiti

Latest Episodes:

THE FULL STORY BEHIND RANDY CALIFORNIA & SPIRIT (PART 2: THE FAMILY THAT PLAYS TOGETHER, MODEL SHOP OST, & CLEAR) (Ep. 241B) Jan 13, 2026

Show notes

Discograffiti is the deep-dive podcast for music obsessives. In the first episode of this brand-new series, host Dave Gebroe talks with Spirit biographer Ryan Gabrinetti, and together they discuss the classic psych band’s entire recorded output with commentary, stories, and star ratings for every release. Part 2 covers the dizzyingly busy period of 1968-1969, during which Spirit became a big touring concern while simultaneously working on several projects at once.

Here are just a few of the many things that Ryan discusses with Discograffiti in this podcast:

The crazed madness of making two albums and a soundtrack basically all at once;
How Spirit wound up creating and releasing their hit single “I Got A Line On You”;
The evolution of their relationship with Lou Adler;
And an in-depth deep dive on every song off The Family That Plays Together, Clear, and the Model Shop soundtrack.

Sneak Peek: linktr.ee/discograffiti

For the full, ad-free, 37-minute podcast, either subscribe to Discograffiti’s Patreon at the Major Tier or higher, or just grab the episode as a one-off at the same link ($4).

The Full Podcast: Patreon.com/Discograffiti

THE FULL STORY BEHIND RANDY CALIFORNIA & SPIRIT (PART 1: THE RED ROOSTERS & THE SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM) (Ep. 241) Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

Discograffiti is the deep-dive podcast for music obsessives. In the first episode of this brand-new series, host Dave Gebroe talks with Spirit biographer Ryan Gabrinetti, and together they discuss the classic psych band’s entire recorded output with commentary, stories, and star ratings for every release. Part 1 covers the incredible story of the band’s early days, as the band coheres and releases one of the greatest debut albums of all time.

Here are just a few of the many things that Ryan discusses with Discograffiti in this podcast:

How Randy California wound up crossing paths with Jimi Hendrix in a life-changing moment as a teenager that set him on his path for the rest of his life;
How a teenage kid wound up playing in a band with his 45-year-old step-father in an era when you were supposed to distrust anyone over 30;
How Mamas & The Papas producer Lou Adler wound up taking the band under his wing;
The lawsuit with Led Zeppelin over “Stairway To Heaven”, and the Spirit song which they allegedly stole for it;
And an in-depth deep dive on every song off Spirit, their 1968 debut record.

Sneak Peek: linktr.ee/discograffiti

For the full, ad-free, 65-minute podcast, either subscribe to Discograffiti’s Patreon at the Private Tier or higher (only $5/month), or just grab the episode as a one-off at the same link ($3).

The Full Podcast: Patreon.com/Discograffiti

CAROL KAYE REVEALS THE FULL STORY BEHIND HER WORK WITH BRIAN WILSON ON THE BEACH BOYS' PET SOUNDS (Part 3, Ep. 240B) Jan 02, 2026

Show notes

Discograffiti is the deep-dive podcast for music obsessives. In this episode, we feature the next entry in The Chuck Granata Pet Sounds Interview Series: it’s Part 2 of Chuck’s chat with his close friend, legendary bassist Carol Kaye. This time around, they’re joined by Chuck’s bassist buddy, Ammo. Carol is one of the most prolific bass guitarists in rock and pop music, playing on an estimated 10,000 recordings during a career spanning over 65 years. She actually started doing session work in 1957 on guitar, and after a bassist failed to turn up to a session in 1963, she switched to that instrument, quickly making a name for herself as one of the most in-demand session players of the 1960s. She’s appeared on sessions by Frank Sinatra, Simon & Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, The Temptations, The Four Tops, and The Monkees. The intro on Glen Campbell's “Wichita Lineman”? She came up with that. Of course, that’s also Carol plucking away on The Beach Boys albums Today!, Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!), Pet Sounds, and Smile. Most famously, Kaye's bass lines are the driving force behind “Good Vibrations”, one of her many number 1 hits.

Here’s just a few of the many things that Carol discusses with Discograffiti in this podcast:

What Murry Wilson was like at that time;
The love that Chuck Britz had for Brian, especially during his dark time in the 1970s;
Carol’s views on Paul McCartney’s bass playing;
Her nightmare story of working with producer Joe Thomas;
And Carol’s absolutely brilliant way of explaining why Brian’s music connected with people in such a big way.

Sneak Peek: linktr.ee/discograffiti

For the full, ad-free, 54-minute podcast, either subscribe to Discograffiti’s Patreon at the Private Tier or higher, or just grab the episode as a one-off at the same link.

The Full Podcast: Patreon.com/Discograffiti

CAROL KAYE REVEALS THE FULL STORY BEHIND HER WORK WITH BRIAN WILSON ON THE BEACH BOYS' PET SOUNDS (Part 2, Ep. 240) Dec 30, 2025

Show notes

Here’s just a few of the many things that Carol discusses with Discograffiti in this podcast:

Brian’s psychological difficulties;
A nerd’s fantasy: a rundown of her equipment;
The corruption she experienced firsthand while working for Motown;
The music she liked and didn’t like playing;
The particularities of the legendary studios in which she recorded;
And just setting the record straight in general, about absolutely everything.

Sneak Peek: linktr.ee/discograffiti

For the full, ad-free, 43-minute bonus podcast, either subscribe to Discograffiti’s Patreon at the Major Tier or higher, or just grab the episode as a one-off at the same link.

The Full Podcast: Patreon.com/Discograffiti

HAL BLAINE REVEALS THE FULL STORY BEHIND HIS WORK WITH BRIAN WILSON & THE BEACH BOYS (Ep. 239B) Dec 29, 2025

Show notes

Discograffiti is the deep-dive podcast for music obsessives. This is the interview you’d hope for if you prayed for all the things you wanted Hal Blaine to talk about in a stream of consciousness style, without a filter: what it was like to work with an acid-addled Brian Wilson; how it felt working at The Beach Boys home studio with the rest of the group; attempting to work with Joe Thomas; how it felt having Murry Wilson around; working with a wildly inebriated John Phillips; and how he feels he got accepted into his senior living community.

This entry in The Chuck Granata Pet Sounds Interview Series is the second part of Chuck’s chat with Brian Wilson’s favorite drummer, legendary studio maestro Hal Blaine. It’s not hard to understand why Brian worked with him so often: Hal claimed to have participated in over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles. His drumming is featured on 150 US top 10 hits, 40 of which went to number one. Chuck’s interview with Hal took place while the latter was living in a retirement community, and the tone is definitely “no shits given” by this point. Hal passed away a few years later in 2019, which makes this posthumously released “Chuck Chat” yet another priceless buried treasure.

There’ll be a short sneak peak running publicly for free, but the entirety of this podcast will only be accessible on the Major Tier of Discograffiti’s Patreon. Don’t miss it, or you’ll only be getting part of the story. Get it as a one-off, or better yet just subscribe…and then we’ll all have world peace.

Full Episode: Patreon.com/Discograffiti (available on the Major Tier & up)

Free Sneak Peek: linktr.ee/discograffiti

Subscribe to Discograffiti's Patreon and receive a ceaseless barrage (4 shows a week!) of must-hear binge-listening. It’s completely free to be a basic member, $1 to get your backstage pass, $5/month for the weekly Sunday show by & for our community, $10 for weekly early release, ad-free, super-extended Director's Cuts of the main show plus access to half our Patreon episode archive, & $20 for Discograffiti’s weekly bonus episodes and access to our entire Patreon episode archive. There are now over 300 Patreon episodes.

UNREST’S MARK ROBINSON REVEALS THE FULL STORY BEHIND BILLY JOEL'S DISCOGRAPHY (PART 7: Storm Front & River Of Dreams) (Ep. 239) Dec 26, 2025

Show notes

Discograffiti is the deep-dive podcast for music obsessives. In this episode, host Dave Gebroe talks with the epitome of DIY punk spirit (who can also write a pop hook like the best of ‘em), Unrest’s Mark Robinson, and together they discuss Billy Joel’s entire recorded output with commentary, stories, and star ratings for every release. Part 7 covers the era during which Billy catches his manager’s hand thrust deep in the cookie jar, Christie Brinkley divorces him, he stops writing pop music, dips his toe in classical waters, his drinking starts getting super scary, he gets married again, his third wife gives him a rehab ultimatum, he gets divorced a third time, and then gets married yet again. And he also manages to make and release Storm Front, River Of Dreams, and Fantasies And Delusions.

The goal for this and the previous episode was to make great art about bad art, to create two podcast episodes in inverse qualitative proportion to the rock bottom records being discussed. Mark and Dave accomplished their goal.

Here are just a few of the many things that Mark discusses with Discograffiti in this podcast:

The crazed embezzlement fall-out with Billy’s manager Frank Weber;
Why we have Sean Ono Lennon to thank for “We Didn’t Start The Fire”;
Billy’s Shelter Island Sessions, which collapsed and then transformed into River Of Dreams;
Billy’s swerve into the classical lane with Fantasies And Delusions;
And an in-depth deep dive on every song off Storm Front and River Of Dreams.

Listen: linktr.ee/discograffiti

I support a wife and a six-year-old son with Discograffiti as my sole source of income.

The Director’s Cut of this episode is ad-free and features a plethora of additional essential material. Support Discograffiti by opting for this clearly superior version.

Either subscribe to Discograffiti’s Patreon at the Lieutenant or Major Tier, or just grab the episode as a one-off at the same link.

The Director’s Cut: Patreon.com/Discograffiti

CAROL KAYE REVEALS THE FULL STORY BEHIND HER WORK WITH BRIAN WILSON ON THE BEACH BOYS' PET SOUNDS (Part 1, Ep. 238B) Dec 22, 2025

Show notes

Discograffiti is the deep-dive podcast for music obsessives. In this episode, we feature the next entry in The Chuck Granata Pet Sounds Interview Series. Chuck and legendary bassist Carol Kaye are close friends, so this exceptional interview goes incredibly deep in its search for the truth. Carol is one of the most prolific bass guitarists in rock and pop music, playing on an estimated 10,000 recordings during a career spanning over 65 years. She actually started doing session work in 1957 on guitar, and after a bassist failed to turn up to a session in 1963, she switched to that instrument, quickly making a name for herself as one of the most in-demand session players of the 1960s. She’s appeared on sessions by Frank Sinatra, Simon & Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, The Temptations, The Four Tops, and The Monkees. The intro on Glen Campbell's “Wichita Lineman”? She came up with that. Of course, that’s also Carol plucking away on The Beach Boys albums Today!, Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!), Pet Sounds, and Smile. Most famously, Kaye's bass lines are the driving force behind “Good Vibrations”, one of her many number 1 hits.

Here’s just a few of the many things that Carol discusses with Discograffiti in this podcast:

The truth about Mike Love;
The first time she crossed paths with Brian Wilson;
Working with Murry Wilson;
The three times that Carol had Brian and Marilyn over to her house.

Full Episode: Patreon.com/Discograffiti (available on the Major Tier & up)

Free Sneak Peek: linktr.ee/discograffiti

UNREST’S MARK ROBINSON REVEALS THE FULL STORY BEHIND BILLY JOEL'S DISCOGRAPHY (PART 6: An Innocent Man & The Bridge) (Ep. 238) Dec 19, 2025

Show notes

Discograffiti is the deep-dive podcast for music obsessives. In this episode, host Dave Gebroe talks with the epitome of DIY punk spirit (who can also write a pop hook like the best of ‘em), the great Mark Robinson (of Unrest, Grenadine, Air Miami, Flin Flon, Uncomfortable Police, et al), and together they discuss Billy Joel’s entire recorded output with commentary, stories, and star ratings for every release. If you’re a long-time listener, then you know that Dave has harbored a long-time hatred of Billy Joel…so why the sudden turnaround in taste? Part 6 covers the time after his divorce, a time when most people tend to sit around and sulk, but not Billy—he dated multiple supermodels, settled down with one, and became happy to an extent that managed to prove conclusively that great art absolutely can not be created by very happy people. And he also managed to make and release An Innocent Man and The Bridge.

The goal for this and the next episode was to make great art about bad art, to create two podcast episodes in inverse qualitative proportion to the rock bottom records being discussed. Mark and Dave accomplished their goal.

Here are just a few of the many things that Mark discusses with Discograffiti in this podcast:

That time when Billy’s music became more ubiquitous than oxygen, and how he—and more importantly we—dealt with that;
The various acts and song styles that Billy co-opted to create An Innocent Man;
The unfortunate, damaging effect that An Innocent Man had on Dave’s perception of Billy Joel and his music, until only recently;
The wildly successful Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 & 2, which went double diamond and whose two new tracks both became hits;
The heavy Huey Lewis & The News, Sting, and Cyndi Lauper vibe of The Bridge;
And an in-depth deep dive on every song off An Innocent Man and The Bridge.

Listen: linktr.ee/discograffiti

I support a wife and a six-year-old son with Discograffiti as my sole source of income.

The Director’s Cut of this episode is ad-free and features a plethora of additional essential material. Support Discograffiti by opting for this clearly superior version.

Either subscribe to Discograffiti’s Patreon at the Lieutenant or Major Tier, or just grab the episode as a one-off at the same link.

The Director’s Cut: Patreon.com/Discograffiti

BRUCE JOHNSTON REVEALS HIS TRUE THOUGHTS ABOUT HIS INVOLVEMENT WITH BRIAN WILSON & THE BEACH BOYS (Part 3, Ep. 237B) Dec 15, 2025

Show notes

Discograffiti is the deep-dive podcast for music obsessives. In this episode, we feature the next entry in The Chuck Granata Pet Sounds Interview Series. By now, Beach Boy Bruce Johnston has retired from being interviewed, so this epic, unheard 2001 interview for Chuck Granata’s Pet Sounds book is absolutely priceless…especially seeing as his fanboy love for Chuck’s Frank Sinatra book wound up contributing to a level of unvarnished honesty that’s super-rare for The Beach Boy universe.

Here’s just a few of the many things that Bruce discusses with Discograffiti in this podcast:

Bruce’s opinion of Smiley Smile;
What it’s like to be scolded in a session and to have it actually make the final mix;
Bruce’s efforts to promote Pet Sounds in England at the time;
Bruce’s advice to Chuck on how best to approach the various Beach Boys in order to get the most out of his interviews with them;
And the roles that the group members played, both in the vocal blend and in their importance to Brian.

Full Episode: Patreon.com/Discograffiti (available on the Major Tier & up)

Free Sneak Peek: linktr.ee/discograffiti

UNREST’S MARK ROBINSON REVEALS THE FULL STORY BEHIND BILLY JOEL'S DISCOGRAPHY (PART 5: Glasses Houses & The Nylon Curtain) (Ep. 237) Dec 12, 2025

Show notes

Discograffiti is the deep-dive podcast for music obsessives. In this episode, host Dave Gebroe talks with the epitome of DIY punk spirit (who can also write a pop hook like the best of ‘em), the great Mark Robinson (of Unrest, Grenadine, Air Miami, Flin Flon, Uncomfortable Police, et al), and together they discuss Billy Joel’s entire recorded output with commentary, stories, and star ratings for every release. If you’re a long-time listener, then you know that Dave has harbored a long-time hatred of Billy Joel…so why the sudden turnaround in taste? Discograffiti’s Mark Robinson Tackles Billy Joel (But Only Metaphorically) Series dissects every last release Billy Joel’s ever had a hand in creating. Part 5 covers the last two records that Billy made before marrying Christie Brinkley and entering his tabloid uber-superstar phase: Glass Houses and The Nylon Curtain.

Here are just a few of the many things that Mark discusses with Discograffiti in this podcast:

Which of us—Mark or Dave—feels like there isn’t a single bad song on Glass Houses;
The song Billy Joel considers the worst he’s ever written, and why he wrote it;
An overview of Billy’s live album, Songs In The Attic;
The recording of which Billy is most proud;
The moment that for Billy led directly to his first divorce;
The lengthy evolution of “Allentown”;
The one time that Billy Joel tried heroin, and the song he wrote about it;
And an in-depth deep dive on every song off Glass Houses and The Nylon Curtain.

Listen: linktr.ee/discograffiti

I support a wife and a six-year-old son with Discograffiti as my sole source of income.

If you’re a Mark Robinson & Billy Joel superfan like me, The Director’s Cut of this episode is ad-free and features 6 additional minutes of essential material. Support Discograffiti by opting for this clearly superior version.

Either subscribe to Discograffiti’s Patreon at the Lieutenant or Major Tier, or just grab the episode as a one-off at the same link.

The Director’s Cut: Patreon.com/Discograffiti

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