Nevermind the Music

Latest Episodes:

Sidetrack - The Monster Hits of the 50’s and 60’s (with Scott Roger) Oct 27, 2026

Show notes

What makes a song feel scary? This week, we welcome podcaster (Horror Movie Night) and musician (Ichabod Crane) Scott Roger to our first ever Halloween episode! Scott guides us through the classic tunes of the spooky season, especially from the teen pop craze of the late-1950’s and early-1960’s. We try to figure out the tropes they used to give a song that macabre flavor, and see if some of those tricks have been brought back from the dead in some modern music. Ooooooh, surf guitar is scaaaaryyyy!

Music heard in this episode: Jim Burgett - “Jekyll and Hyde”, Oingo Boingo - “Dead Man’s Party”, Billy Lee Riley - “Nightmare Mash”, LaVern Baker - “Voodoo Voodoo”, Bert Convy - “The Monsters Hop”, Danny Elfman - “Introduction” of Edward Scissorhands, Danny Elfman - “Theme to Beetlejuice”, Jerry Goldsmith - “The Gremlin Rag”, Léonin - “"Viderunt Omnes (David Munrow and the Early Music Consort of London)”, Bohuslav Martinů' - Fantasia for Theremin, Oboe, String Quartet, and Piano (Apollo Chamber Players), Duke Ellington & His Orchestra - “East St. Louis Toodle-Oo”, Squirrel Nut Zippers - “La Grippe”, The Moontrekkers - “Night of the Vampire”, Cris Kevin - “Haunted House”, Jack Marshall - “The Munsters Theme”, Fallout Boy - “Uma Thurman”, Vic Mizzy - “The Addams Family Theme”, Charles Fox - “The Green Slime Theme”, Gerrit Graham - “Life at Last” (from Phantom of the Paradise)”, Dead Man’s Bones - “Buried in Water”, Dean Man’s Bones - “In the Room Where You Sleep”, The Dickies - “Killer Klowns from Outer Space Theme”, Ichabod Crane - “Raining Leaves”

Check out Scott’s retro playlist here, and his full epic Halloween mega-playlist is here.

Send us your thoughts at NeverMusicPod@gmail.com

Nevermind the Music is part of The Lorehounds Network. Join the Nevermind the Music Discord channel by visiting https://discord.gg/xdN4XCdtxU or thelorehounds.com

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Rewind! - ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ by Tears for Fears and Rhythms from the Big Chair Oct 23, 2026

Show notes

This month’s Rewind finds a lot of commonality between the chord shenanigans in “Hold On” and this week’s throwback from Season 1!

Was this song written just for this podcast? Tears for Fears’ 1985 smash “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” is so perfect that even the band name is a psychology reference. Oh, and the album title is a callout to dissociative identity disorder. Mark takes that and runs, connecting that to the unusual pace the chords of the song shift. Nichole also wonders: does everybody actually want to rule the world?

Other music heard in this episode: Tears for Fears - "Mothers Talk," Tears for Fears - "Head Over Heels", Tears for Fears - "I Believe," Tears for Fears - "Mad World," Miles Davis - "So What", Earth, Wind & Fire - "Shining Star", Live,- "Lightning Crashes"

Send us your thoughts at NeverMusicPod@gmail.com

Nevermind the Music is part of The Lorehounds Network. Join the Nevermind the Music Discord channel by visiting https://discord.gg/xdN4XCdtxU or thelorehounds.com

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‘Hold On’ by Wilson Phillips and Pedaling on the Dopamine Circuit Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

Is nepotism a key part of a good nineties pop anthem? This week we reach for Wilson Phillips’ inspirational 1990 hit “Hold On.” Nichole explains how some songs you love give you different doses of dopamine, at different times and different regions of the brain, as the song unfolds. Mark shows us how this song’s cool use of the bass creates a fun and impactful new type of chord.

Other music heard in this episode: The Wilsons - “‘Til I Die”, Wilson Phillips - “Monday, Monday”, Wilson Phillips - “Good Vibrations”, California Saga - “You Still Believe in Me”, Wilson Phillips - “Go Your Own Way”, J.S. Bach - “Great Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor”, BWV 542 (Michel Chapuis, organ), The Beach Boys - “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times”, Journey - “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”, Terry Riley - “In C” (Buffalo Center of the Creative and Performing Arts Ensemble), Seal - “Crazy”, Queen - “You’re My Best Friend”, Van Halen - “Jump”, Katy Perry - “I Kissed a Girl”

Send us your thoughts at NeverMusicPod@gmail.com

Nevermind the Music is part of The Lorehounds Network. Join the Nevermind the Music Discord channel by visiting https://discord.gg/xdN4XCdtxU or thelorehounds.com

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Sidetrack - Nichole Appeals to Our Corporate Overlords Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

Oh, no, another episode of Mark’s music? Sadly, yes! In this episode, Nichole listens to the eight new NTM mini-themes, and pitches which corporate sponsors each music bumper would best lead into. Is this a tongue-in-cheek bit or is Mark still trying to pay off these fancy microphones? Believe it or not, this conversation goes quite a bit off the rails!

Thanks to these folks for lending us their musical talents to create this ad music!

Elysia Brenner - voice

Chris Fafalios - voice

Max Ignas - trumpet

Billy Jewell - trumpet

John Lorehound - voice

Dennis Shafer - saxophones

Josh Ziemann - drums and percussion

Music heard in this episode: Mark Popeney - Nevermind the Music Theme, Incubus - “Stellar”, Incubus - “Echo”, Nelly - “Hot in Herre”, Beyoncé - “Green Light”, Bad Bunny - “Mía (feat. Drake)”

Send us your thoughts at NeverMusicPod@gmail.com

Nevermind the Music is part of The Lorehounds Network. Join the Nevermind the Music Discord channel by visiting https://discord.gg/xdN4XCdtxU or thelorehounds.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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‘Any Way You Want It’ by Journey and Pushing Your Motivation Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

What’s the sweet spot between challenge and comfort? This week we tackle Journey’s 1980 anthem “Any Way You Want It.” After knocking Mark down a notch because of his taste in early-oughts literary fiction, Nichole relates this song to the so-called arousal and flow theories of motivation. Mark explains the simple rhythmic trick that helps make this song have such a driving beat: pushing the downbeat. Come for the arena rock, stay for the Atari talk!

Other music heard in this episode: Thin Lizzy - “The Boys Are Back in Town”, Journey - “Who’s Crying Now”, Journey - “Ask the Lonely”, Journey - “Stone in Love”, Journey - “Don’t Stop Believin’”, Kendrick Lamar - “These Walls (feat. Bilal, Anna Wise, and Thundercat)”, Maroon 5 - “Sunday Morning”, Data Age - “Journey Escape Gameplay Music”

Send us your thoughts at NeverMusicPod@gmail.com

Nevermind the Music is part of The Lorehounds Network. Join the Nevermind the Music Discord channel by visiting https://discord.gg/xdN4XCdtxU or thelorehounds.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Sidetrack - Teen Idol Survival Draft (with Chris Fafalios and Bree Thomas) Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

How long can the pop stars survive? In this episode, we debut our first ever NTM draft game! Welcoming back two all-star guests, Bree Thomas (“Mariah Carey Girl” from episode 60) and Chris Fafalios (from Punchline, One Hit Thunder, and episode 76), we each battle to build a team of former child music stars trapped on a deserted island! Who’s the responsible one? Who’s going to keep the morale high? Who might eat the rest of the team? Listen to find out, and then head to the Discord channel and vote for who had the best draft!

Send us your thoughts at NeverMusicPod@gmail.com

Nevermind the Music is part of The Lorehounds Network. Join the Nevermind the Music Discord channel by visiting https://discord.gg/xdN4XCdtxU or thelorehounds.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Rewind! - ‘Undone - The Sweater Song’ by Weezer and the Blue Notes of Depression Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

Here in season 3, we’re starting a new feature! Once per month, we’ll be turning back the clock and showcasing an episode from our back catalog! This month, we callback to one of our favorites from Season 1!

Wait, was “Undone” really the most popular early Weezer song? In this epic episode we unravel Weezer’s 1994 hit (in some universes, at least), “Undone - The Sweater Song.” After discussing the hosts’ history with the band, Mark follows a thread of connection between some of the iconic elements of the song and older - much older - kinds of music. And Nichole finally gets Mark to understand what this song seems to really be about: depression.

To hear more of Nichole’s story, check out the episode “Burnt Toast” from the Scissors N Scrubs podcast from March 2023.

Other music heard in this episode: Weezer - “Say it Ain’t So”, The Rentals - “Friends of P”, Wheesor - “Undone - The Sweater Song”, Weezer - “Africa”, Weezer - “Perfect Situation” - Richard Berry and the Pharaohs - “Louie Louie”, René Touzet - “El Loco Cha Cha Cha”, Metallica - “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)”, Robert Johnson - “I Believe I’ll Dust By Broom”, Mead ‘Lux’ Lewis - “Honky Tonk Train Blues”, The Jimi Hendrix Experience - “Purple Haze”, The Beatles - “Taxman”, Garbage - “Supervixen”, Jet - “Are You Gonna Be My Girl”

Send us your thoughts at NeverMusicPod@gmail.com

Nevermind the Music is part of The Lorehounds Network. Join the Nevermind the Music Discord channel by visiting https://discord.gg/xdN4XCdtxU or thelorehounds.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

‘Piece of Me’ by Britney Spears and Outlining your Diathesis Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

Are the voices in your head auto-tuned? We start season 3 off with bang with Brtiney Spears’ 2007 electro-pop hit “Piece of Me.” Mark takes us through how the melodic outlines of this track’s robotic backing vocals help shape the song’s pacing. Nichole comes in hot with some fancy terms, looking at Britney’s challenges through the diathesis stress model. She also shares some unresolved anger over the 1991 coming-of-age drama “My Girl.”

Other music heard in this episode: Britney Spears - “Gimme More”, Britney Spears - “Toxic”, Britney Spears - “Alien”, Britney Spears - “I’m a Slave 4 U”

Send us your thoughts at NeverMusicPod@gmail.com

Nevermind the Music is part of The Lorehounds Network. Join the Nevermind the Music Discord channel by visiting https://discord.gg/xdN4XCdtxU or thelorehounds.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Sidetrack - Season 2 Quiz Show Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

What words do we overuse? What happens if Taylor Swift were to write lyrics to our theme music? The circle of what exactly? In this final Sidetrack of Season 2, we celebrate the end of an era by quizzing each other! Who’s coming out on top? We wrap by asking each other some earnest questions about our expertise, some of which might lead to some future episode topics. Season 3 starts next week!

Music heard in this episode: Antonio Vivaldi - Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, RV 269, ‘Spring’ (La primavera), I. Allegro (Baroque Festival Orchestra)

Send us your thoughts at NeverMusicPod@gmail.com

Nevermind the Music is part of The Lorehounds Network. Join the Nevermind the Music Discord channel by visiting thelorehounds.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

‘Would?’ by Alice in Chains and Transtheoretical Neo-Riemannian Model of Change Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

If I would, could you? This week, our hosts do another over-the-top deep dive to close Season 2, this time focusing on the dreary 1992 grunge epic “Would?” by Alice in Chains. Nichole takes us through the stages of the transtheoretical model of change, looking through the lens of recovery from addiction (sadly relevant to both the song’s namesake Andrew Wood and Alice in Chains lead vocalist Layne Staley). Mark offers another tongue-in-cheek term paper, this time deconstructing this song’s odd chord progression with the tools of so-called Neo-Riemannian music theory.

A (maybe) helpful tonnetz diagram: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonnetz

Other music heard in this episode: Alice in Chains - “Sea of Sorrow”, Alice in Chains - “Angry Chair”, Alice in Chains - “I Stay Away”, Alice in Chains - “Agains”, Alice in Chains - “Down in a Hole”, Alice in Chains - “Hollow”, Alice in Chains - “Heaven Beside You”, Jerry Cantrell - “Leave Me Alone”, Primitive Radio Gods - “Standing By a Broken Phone Booth With Money in My Hand”, Mother Love Bone - “Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns”, Candlebox - “Far Behind”, Donald Crockett - “Whistling in the Dark (performed by Xtet)”, Danny Elfman - “Spider Man Main Title”, Alice in Chains - “Whale & Wasp”, Nirvana - “In Bloom”, Alice in Chains - “Man in a Box”, Pearl Jam - “Black”, Alice in Chains - “Bleed the Freak”, Alice in Chains - “Got Me Wrong”, Soundgarden - “Black Hole Sun”

Send us your thoughts at NeverMusicPod@gmail.com

Nevermind the Music is part of The Lorehounds Network. Join the Nevermind the Music Discord channel by visiting thelorehounds.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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