HeyJaredWhy Is This So Hard For You?
Life is too short to curate anemic musical tastes. Classic rock and pop radio plays the same batch of focus-tested songs ad nauseam. Even stations that claim to "play everything" (stations that begin with male personal pronouns) offer only slightly larger playlists.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 10
- Latest publication
- Sep 7, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 6, 2026
Latest episodes
🎧Episode 139: Atlanta Rhythm Section Deep Cuts, Al Jarreau Smoothness & Cutting Crew Redemption (opens the original)
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Episode 139 moves from Southern rock atmosphere into silky adult-contemporary sophistication before the category songs take a hard turn into overplayed-radio exhaustion and late-’80s redemption. Jonathan opens with Atlanta Rhythm Section, bringing melodic classic rock, polished Southern groove, and the kind of overlooked album-cut energy that fits perfectly in the deep cuts lane. Curtis follows with Al Jarreau, adding warm vocals, smooth jazz-pop elegance, and enough musical sophistication to re
🎧Episode 138: Brecker Brothers Live Funk, Tom Scott Cool & A Dolly/Steve Perry Collab From Hell (opens the original)
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Episode 138 brings the horns, the grooves, and one deeply questionable duet decision as Jonathan and Curtis move from jazz-funk fireworks into smooth studio-player territory before the category songs start causing emotional damage. Jonathan opens with a live Brecker Brothers performance, bringing precision horn lines, funk muscle, and the kind of jazz fusion intensity that makes everyone in the room feel slightly underqualified. Curtis follows with Tom Scott, adding polished saxophone-led cool,
🎧Episode 137: Steely Dan Soundtrack Cool, Doobie Brothers Smoothness & Rodney Dangerfield Rap (opens the original)
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Episode 137 settles into prime late-’70s studio-player territory, with Curtis bringing Steely Dan and Jonathan following with the Doobie Brothers for a double shot of slick production, soft rock polish, and yacht rock-adjacent groove. Curtis opens with a Steely Dan cut built for radio mythology, full of jazz-pop sophistication, dry wit, and that unmistakable Becker/Fagen perfectionism. Jonathan keeps the smoothness going with the Doobie Brothers, bringing Michael McDonald-era soul, harmony, and
🎧Episode 136: Rick Springfield Deep Cuts, King Crimson Prog Thunder & Robert Palmer Burnout (opens the original)
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Episode 136 jumps from pop-rock deep cuts to full-on prog-rock chaos, then winds its way through original-version history and a song that got absolutely cooked by overexposure. Jonathan opens with Rick Springfield he really doesn't like, bringing a polished early-career cut with plenty of melodic pop craftsmanship. Curtis follows with King Crimson, heading straight into one of prog rock’s defining statements—jagged, intense, ambitious, and still capable of making normal classic rock sound like i
🎧Episode 135: Rickie Lee Jones Pirates, King’s X Deep Cuts & A Dog Police Disaster (opens the original)
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Episode 135 gets strange in all the right ways, moving from literary singer-songwriter atmosphere to heavy, harmony-rich rock before crashing directly into one of the most baffling novelty records ever allowed near a microphone. Curtis opens with Rickie Lee Jones, bringing smoky art-pop storytelling, jazz-shaded songwriting, and the kind of album-cut depth that rewards a closer listen. Jonathan follows with King’s X, adding muscular riffs, big vocal textures, and a deep cut that shows why the ba
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