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

Foreigner is one of the world's best-selling bands of all time, with worldwide sales of more than 80 million records, but they are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Yet. Rick Wills, bassist for the band, joins the podcast not only to push for Foreigner's entry into the Rock Hall, but to chat with us about his renowned career, including stints playing with David Gilmour, and discovering he was owed a lot of money as the co-writer of Peter Frampton's "Do You Feel Like We Do". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pearl Harbour has a deep love of Rockabilly music. So much so that instead of recording another album on a major label with Pearl Harbor and The Explosions, she left the band to record a solo record. The result was the 1980 release, Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost Too. Unfortunately, the album was slightly ahead of its time, missing out on the 80s rockabilly revival from bands like The Stray Cats and The Blasters. Fortunately, we now have this re-release. Pearl joins the podcast to relive those times including stories about contributions from members of The Clash and Ian Dury & The Blockheads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dave Tarnowski, like everyone, has voices in his head, confirming and/or denying his worst fears. Unlike everyone, Dave has created an Instagram Account around the concept, with 2.2 million followers and counting. He has now turned that social media success into a book, entitled Disappointing Affirmations: Unfollow your dreams! However, for this episode, Dave talks about his true loves, Nick Cave, The Cure, and 80s teen sensation, Tiffany. We do manage to talk about the book as well, and Dave gives us the scoop on how he created the idea behind the memes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dave Beasing joins the podcast this week. Dave is the CEO of Sound That BRANDS, a company that helps Brands tell their stories through audio-based marketing content…aka PODCASTS! Dave also has his own stories to share about growing up in Omaha, and his long career in radio. After the stories, Dave adds his thoughts about a ten-song chunk of music played on The World Famous KROQ in Los Angeles back in 1987, specifically #80-71 from the year-end chart. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ireland native and radio geek, Enda Caldwell, has been heard on Atlantic 252, Radio Luxembourg, Today FM and Radio Nova in Ireland, Kiss in The UK, and many other radio stations worldwide, like 106.5 Rivera Radio in Monaco. He’s currently the afternoon drive host at New York's EDM station, Pulse 87. However, in this episode, Enda steps into the way-back machine to talk about his career, and to review some of the music played on The World Famous KROQ in Los Angeles from the year 1987. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Karen Glauber is the President of HITS Magazine. She started her career with the legendary label, A&M Records, back in the 80s. She's also got strong opinions about the music. This makes her the perfect guest for our look at the music the World Famous KROQ in Los Angeles played back in 1987. This week we look at songs 100 to 91, based on their year-end chart. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The What Difference Does It Make Podcast begins our 1987 musical journey with an analysis of songs 106.7 to 101 from the World Famous KROQ 1987 year-end chart. The bottom of the chart includes novelty songs (Swinging Erudites, Mojo Nixon), cover songs (Ball Of Confusion), and bands that have been forgotten over time (The Silencers). We're here to bring them back to life, and to determine whether they shall be deemed worthy to remember, or sent back into the ether. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was quite a year, from U2 and The Beastie Boys, to Spuds McKenzie and 21 Jump Street. While we can't cover it all, we start off a new season of What Difference Does It Make with a look back at some of those iconic moments from 1987. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Veteran music journalist Katherine Yeske Taylor steps into our virtual studio to tell the tales of 20 badass musicians that she documented in her book, She’s a Badass: Women in Rock Shaping Feminism. The book features candid conversations about Feminism with Twenty Inspiring Female Artists including Ann Wilson (Heart), Exene Cervenka (X), Gina Schock (The Go-Go’s), Suzi Quatro, Suzanne Vega, Tanya Donelly (Throwing Muses, Belly), Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Orianthi, Amanda Palmer, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we take you to the edge...as in the Western Edge exhibit currently featured at the Country Music Hall Of Fame in Nashville. Western Edge examines the close-knit community of Los Angeles-based singers, songwriters, and musicians who, from the 1960s through the 1980s, embraced country music, frequented local nightclubs, and created and shaped the musical fusion known as “country-rock”. We get into that and a whole lot more with Michael Gray, VP of Museum Services, and Michael McCall, Senior Writer and Editor of the Country Music Hall Of Fame. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, the saying goes, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.", but as Holly says, "I would be happy if we could have another year like this year." So we now look back at 2023 with a few highlights from our chats with many memorable guests. If you're new to What Difference Does It Make, this might very well be a good place to start, or simply a good place to catch up on what you've been missing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ilana Kaplan uses her superpower ability to read the 1000 page Barbara Streisand memoir, My Name Is Barbra, in only three days! Ilana wrote the book review for the Los Angeles Times, and now joins us not only to discuss Babs, but Britney Spears, Sophia Coppola, and a preview of her own upcoming biography on Nora Ephron. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friend of the show, Annie Zaleski, joins us this week to talk about the stories behind 100 beloved Christmas songs. It's also the title of her new book, This Is Christmas, Song by Song: The Stories Behind 100 Holiday Hits. We can’t get through all 100 songs, but we hit on many of our favorites. It's the episode to get you into the spirit of the season! Are you now in the mood for some Christmas Music? Check out this Amazon Music playlist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you thought you were an obsessive music fan, we'd like to direct your attention to Peter Jesperson. He's known for establishing the Minneapolis-based Twin/Tone Records, initial home to bands like The Replacements and Soul Asylum, but he also had his hand in everything related to the Twin Cities music scene. From record stores to music clubs to radio, Peter was practically everywhere, and now he's released his memoir entitled, Euphoric Recall: A Half Century as a Music Fan, Producer, DJ, Record Executive, and Tastemaker. Peter steps into our virtual studio to talk about his lengthy career in the music biz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the most wonderful time of the year...at least for those allowed to grow a moustache in the month of November, aka Movember. The reason for this moustache celebration is because two Aussies (Travis Garone and Luke Slattery) wanted to create awareness for men's health issues. Cut to twenty years later, and the movement is bigger than ever. To celebrate the month, we invited Max Skinner, Community Development Manager representing Movember. We talk about the history, the ideas, and the causes they support. Of course, we also talk about our favorite musicians and songs that best represent the 'mo. Dave has a page set up for Movember donations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Thomas Gordon came up with a brilliant idea. Why don't I talk to some of the best- loved singers, and ask them about their voices? Seven years later, we have The Singers Talk, a mind-blowing book featuring interviews with 75 iconic artists, from Bryan Adams to Thom Yorke. Jason asks the same set of questions to each singer, to understand the various ways they approach the same subject. Now, JTG enters our virtual studio and allows US to ask HIM the same type of questions. All proceeds from the sales of this book go towards Music Gives To St. Jude's Kids. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Music icon and social activist Joan Baez has clearly made a difference for the better in our lives, through her songs and by her bravery in standing up for her beliefs. Directors Karen O’Connor, Miri Navasky, and Maeve O’Boyle have made the documentary Joan Baez: I Am A Noise. In it, Joan takes an honest look back, and a deep look inward, as she tries to make sense of her large, history-making life, and the personal struggles she's kept private. We talk with the Directors about how they were able to properly represent Joan's career and life issues, and through our chat, WE learn much more about Joan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Howard Jones is celebrating his 40th anniversary creating the music we love in a very big way. First is the release of Celebrate It Together: The Very Best Of Howard Jones 1983-2023, a 4 CD set of his music, broken down into four categories — Popular Hits, Electro, Chill, and Curiosities. Second is the release of his “fanthology” book, entitled Howard Jones – We’re In This Together, comprised of over 350 contributions from fans sharing their favorite memories and anecdotes about his concerts, music, personal encounters, and more. Last, but certainly not least, Howard steps into our virtual studio to reflect back on his 40 years of creating music. We do have a special bonus, as superfan Dorit joins us to talk about her entry in Howard Jones' book. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Barry Manilow may write the songs that make the Boomers sing, but when it comes to Gen X, look no further than Holly Knight. This member of the Songwriters Hall Of Fame has written smash hits for Pat Benatar, Aerosmith, Heart, KISS, Rod Stewart, and she is most noted for her collaboration with Tina Turner on nine songs, including "The Best" and "Better Be Good To Me". Holly steps into our virtual studio to talk about her memoir, I Am The Warrior: My Crazy Life Writing The Hits and Rocking The MTV Eighties. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jock Bartley, co-founder of the band Firefall, steps into our virtual studio to share stories about the friends and family that helped shape the sound of the band. Friends & Family also just happens to be the album title of Firefall's new album, a collection of cover songs inspired by the artists with whom they've played in the past. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson, aka The 80s TV Ladies, guest star on a very special episode of What Difference Does It Make. We remember our favorite TV theme songs, debate sides when Ross and Rachel were on a break, and pay homage to Mike Post. Spoiler alert! Our talk continues when WE are the very special guests on The 80s TV Ladies podcast. Stay tuned! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It all started back at The Whisky a Go Go on the Sunset Strip when Steve Rosen, an up and coming music journalist met a young up and coming guitarist by the name of Edward Van Halen. The two hit it off immediately and Steve documented the rise of Edward's band for the next 26 years through numerous interviews . The result is Steve's book, Tonechaser, a detailed look into the life of Edward Van Halen. Steve steps into our virtual studio to give us the details and how this all came together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our previous episode with Denny Tedesco discussing The Immediate Family documentary gives us a great opportunity to revisit our talk from October 2020 with Danny Kortchmar, Waddy Wachtel, Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel and Steve Postell. If those names are not familiar, just know that they are the musicians that play with Stevie Nicks, Linda Ronstadt, Don Henley, James Taylor, Phil Collins, Keith Richards, and Carole King, to name just a few. The Immediate Family not only have their debut self-titled album out now but the documentary will soon be released at the end of 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Mick Wall used to live life in the fast lane, back when he was a music publicist in the 70s for Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, and Dire Straits among many others. Nowadays he writes books about artists like Guns N' Roses, Led Zeppelin and Metallica. Life In The Fast Lane: The Eagles' Reckless Ride Down The Rock & Roll Highway is his latest book. Mick takes us into the Laurel Canyon music scene, the egos and in-fighting, and of course, the songs that helped launch one of the most iconic American bands of all time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Music Industry veteran Lynn McDonnell answers to many names, "Gunga Din Lynn", "Gungolla The Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla", "Lynner, Lynner What's for Dinner" or just plain "Nails". She enters the What Difference Does It Make virtual studio to take us on her career journey, from Doctor's assistant to Life Coach. Oh yeah, in between, she has been one of the most passionate music industry professionals in the business. Lynn shares stories of mall shopping with Gwen Stefani, waiting for Marilyn Manson to apply his makeup, living on Snoop Dog time when you're trying to make an 8AM morning show, and many others. Lynn is currently the Triple A editor for the soon-to-be shuttering All Access, an influential and beloved online radio and music industry source, so we get the inside scoop on what it takes to put out a daily publication. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Annie Zaleski returns to What Difference Does It Make to discuss her latest book, P!NK: Raise Your Glass. Besides being an enormously talented writer, Annie is just a big ol' music nerd at heart. With that in mind, she's more than happy to talk about Chrissie Hynde's jacket, the location of Nate Ruess, and why she has yet to see a P!NK concert. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dean Sabatino aka Dean Clean drummer for The Dead Milkmen steps into our virtual studio to virtually show us around the Quaker City aka Philadelphia. Quaker City Quiet Pills is the latest album from the band and Dean talks us through the process of creating new songs and lets us in on stories behind some of the band's best known songs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"They're here", "Ellll-eeeee-ooooot", "Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!". If you're like us, you immediately recognize these are quotes from Poltergeist, E.T. and Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan. And they all arrived in the year 1982. Mark Altman is so aware of what a magical time this was for movies, that he produced a 4-part series entitled Greatest Geek Year Ever: 1982. Mark was all too happy to step inside our virtual studio to elaborate on the films that helped shape who he is today. Greatest Geek Year Ever: 1982 is currently showing on The CW and is available for viewing on the app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emiel Spoelder fell under The Dream Syndicate spell almost by accident. He went to see a Ryan Adams concert and the opening band was Steve Wynn and The Miracle 3. He fell in love with the band immediately, in particular, singer Steve Wynn. He met Steve and his mother, and she “suggests" Emiel make a documentary about her son. And that's exactly what he did! Of course, it wasn't that simple. Emiel lays out all the ins and outs of making an independent film on our podcast. It's a fascinating listen and the good news is, The Dream Syndicate: How Did We Find Ourselves Here? is now available on Amazon Prime Video. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The old saying goes, “We eventually become our parents", but is that really true? Fortunately, we have Ally Probst and Joel Willis to put in print the mandatory laws all Dads must obey when they encounter a certain situation. Their book is entitled Dad Law: The Definitive Reference for All Things Dad. In the book, they answer all our burning questions. Should I really threaten to turn this car around? Should I let my kids beat me at Mario Kart? Should I mention how much cooler music was back in my day? All will be revealed in this informative episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congratulations are in order for Richard Blade. Los Angeles Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez will introduce a resolution declaring June 9, 2023, “RICHARD BLADE DAY," with the award presented on JUNE 6th for the best-selling author, world-renowned on-air personality and radio show host. It turns out Richard Blade may just be an "Imposter". Los Angelenos know him as the voice that introduced a generation to 80s music bands like Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Pet Shop Boys, INXS, and The Cure. In fact, you can still hear him seven days a week on SiriusXM's 1st Wave channel. However, the truth is that Richard Blade is ALSO a writer...and a good one at that. His latest book is Imposters, based on the true story of Mike Evans and John "JT" Thomas". Mike was one half of the morning show at KROQ in the early 80s. It was Mike that sat Richard down and told him this incredible story that Richard felt compelled to share with the world. It was a real treat to have Richard enter our virtual studios and we discovered so much more than we expected of his own unique story. As Richard might say, "It's gonna be great!" Check out the audible version of Richard Blade's memoir "World In My Eyes" with a free month subscription courtesy of your friends at What Difference Does It Make. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Aukerman is first and foremost an amazingly funny and creative comedian. You know him as the creator and host of Comedy Bang! Bang!, and he's also one of the co-creators of "Between Two Ferns" with Zach Galifianakis. Scott is also a huge music fan, as you can hear on his comedic podcasts dedicated to U2, REM, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Talking Heads. And he has just released a book dedicated to the cast of characters created for Comedy Bang! Bang! We seized this opportunity to invite Scott to step into our virtual studios to give his hot takes and personal anecdotes on the top 10 songs from the 1986 year-end chart from The World Famous KROQ in Los Angeles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Halloran heard XTC's "Radios In Motion" and took the lyrics to heart: "And all my kids are complaining, that there's nowhere to go." He gave the kids somewhere to go, first in Detroit with his own Radios In Motion show on WDET. Then he really created a stir at 91X in San Diego with his evening show, before rising to the rank of Program Director. Mike's got opinions and plenty of stories to tell, as we look back at another one of his former stations, KROQ, and songs #20 to #11 from their 1986 year-end playlist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Depending on your age, you either initially loved or hated disco. No matter your age now, you love songs like "I Was Made For Lovin' You" by KISS and "Shakedown Street" by The Grateful Dead and don't even think twice that they were once considered taboo by their fanbase. Author Steven Blush covers this era in his new book, "When Rock Met Disco". In it, he covers the good, "Call Me" by Blondie, the bad, an actual disco version of "Stairway To Heaven", and the ugly, The Chicago White Sox Disco Demolition Day. It's a great chat, so put on your boogie shoes...or air buds, as Steven Blush takes us back to that Saturday Night Fever era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We love friend-of-the-show, Craig Rosen, and we love his passion for music. This makes him the perfect guest to look at songs 30 to 21 from the 1986 KROQ year-end playlist. Does he like the Fine Young Cannibals reworking of his beloved Buzzcock's song, "Ever Fallen In Love?" Does he prefer Frente's "Bizarre Love Triangle" over New Order’s? All will be revealed as Craig steps into our virtual studio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is no doubt that Debora Iyall, lead singer of the band Romeo Void, knows her way around a memorable lyric. "A Girl In Trouble Is A Temporary Thing", "Talk Dirty To Me”, and of course, "I Might Like You Better If We Slept Together" from the song "Never Say Never", all came from the mind…and experience...of Debora. Her band made a name for itself in the San Francisco scene in the early 80s, and now a recording, Live From The Mabuhay Gardens, November 14, 1980 has surfaced, and captures the band as they were first establishing themselves. The recording from that night will be released on Record Store Day on galaxy-blue colored vinyl. We happily welcome Debora into our virtual studios to bring us up to speed on her life, her side projects, plus everything you may want to know about Romeo Void. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sam Zniber knew he wanted to be on the radio. So at the tender age of 14, he stepped into the office of his local top 40 radio station and let the Manager know exactly what he was doing wrong. To the Manager's credit, he listened to this brash kid and offered him an airshift. And so began Sam's radio journey, and what a journey it's been! Sam has programmed radio stations from Sydney, Australia to Miami, Florida to Paris, France. Currently heard on Radio Nostalgie, he also runs MusicDatak, his own music research company. Today Sam steps into the What Difference Does It Make virtual studio to discuss his career, and to offer his opinion on the music played back in 1986 from the World-Famous KROQ in Los Angeles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Benji McPhail is the Program Director and Morning Show host at KXT 91.7 in Dallas. He's been leading the charge of music discovery since his days at the legendary KBCO in Boulder, Colorado. Today, Benji accepts our challenge of discovering music from the year 1986, based on the year-end playlist from the World Famous KROQ in Los Angeles. As Love & Rockets might say, "All aboard the Express Kundalini"! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Max Tolkoff has an opinion or two on the state of Alternative radio. This is the man responsible for The Edge format which eventually wound up on over 30 Alternative radio stations by the mid 90’s. Max tells tales on how his love of skiing, biking, and bad gambling decisions led to his career in the 80’s as the Program Director for 91X in San Diego, followed by stints at WFNX in Boston, and Indie 103.1 in Los Angeles. After all that, we analyze a ten song chunk of music played on KROQ in 1986. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lynn Goldsmith is an artist of many hats, painter of conceptional images, film director, even co-manager at one point for Grand Funk Railroad. But the reason we are thrilled to talk with Lynn today are the images she has created with her camera. There is not enough space to list the hundreds of museums, galleries and magazines that have featured her work, but let's just say that if you are a music fan, you have had the honor of viewing her artistry. She has fourteen published photography books, featuring artists like Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, KISS, and The Police. Her latest book is called Music In The 80s, so we are thrilled to welcome Lynn Goldsmith into our virtual studio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Kilbey of The Church does not have a stop button. He's been releasing music for over 40 years, that's 26 albums with The Church, 7 solo albums and a plethora of collaborations with his musical friends. He's also a writer, a poet and an artist. Somehow this ARIA (Australian) Hall of Fame Inductee found time to sit down with us and talk about the band's latest album, The Hypnogogue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dennis Constantine is a radio visionary. Finding himself at a new radio station, he saw a niche in a market filled with rock radio stations. Instead of cutting down the music library to a small playlist of songs, he focused on introducing new music and deeper cuts by well-loved artists. Yes, this was rock music for adults. Dennis built KBCO from a low-power Boulder station to the number one station in the Denver market, with a unique mix of music and personalities attuned to the Colorado audience. Soon he was using his skills to create radio stations nationwide. You can hear him currently on Arizona's Adult Alternative KVNA, as he continues to consult radio stations around the country. Today, Dennis enters our virtual studio to discuss his career, and to offer his opinion on songs 70 to 61 from the 1986 KROQ year-end playlist. We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simply put, Jake Rudh is an old soul in the best of ways. He stayed indoors as a child to watch MTV. When grunge took hold in the early 90s, he was working at a swing era radio station. He even named his dog Harry. Not after Styles, but Connick Jr. He proudly represents the 80s music era with his Transmission radio show every Thursday evening on The Current in Minneapolis. He is also the founder of Transmission dance nights at the legendary First Avenue music club. He now joins our podcast to discuss his career, and to offer his opinion on a ten song chunk of music from the 1986 KROQ year-end playlist. We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rita Wilde is simply put, a radio legend, having spent over 25 years as a DJ, Music Director and Program Director at 95.5 KLOS in Los Angeles. She epitomizes the rock fan's dream of playing and talking about the music and actually getting to meet and talk with your rock idols. Rita represents all of us, which is why we love to hear her enthusiasm whenever she flips on a mic. She shares our joy in the music. So, of course it was our joy to invite Rita into our virtual studio to talk about her career and the music she continues to love with "no surrender" (shoutout to Springsteen) in site. Afterwards, we discuss a station to the extreme right of 95.5, 106.7 to be exact, as we get to songs 90 to 81 from the 1986 KROQ year end playlist. We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Usually you can hear Buzz Knight "Takin' A Walk" as he does on his own podcast but today we "have a sit" with this radio executive. We find out about how he got his start in the business and what he has learned over the decades of a storied career. We then get into our look at songs 100 to 91 from the KROQ 1986 year end playlist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The year is 1986, and the music on the radio for the kids of LA is going through some changes. KROQ has a new next-door neighbor on the dial, called Power 106. The music KROQ is playing has a little more rhythm in its step. I guess you could say, “the dream team is in the house" as we start our look at the top 106.7 songs played on The World Famous KROQ. This week, it's songs 106.7 to 101. We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We welcome back music journalist and friend-of-the-show, Craig Rosen, into the What Difference Does It Make garage with a toast to the new year. Craig is hitting a milestone year, so we ask the author of The Billboard Book of Number One Albums, "What was the number one album the year you were born?”. Craig guides us through his top albums of 2022, and we also remember the extraordinary work of Terry Hall. And what would a visit by Craig be without talk about Costco? What could possibly be Craig's "Pick Of The Year" at his favorite warehouse club store? We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Wild steps out of his comfy zone writing for The Grammy Awards and the upcoming TV salute to Paul Simon (airing on CBS on December 21), and enters into the wild of our studio/garage. David faces the hard-hitting questions, like "Which rock stars are shorter than he is?" and tries to understand why we can't remember the host of last year's Grammys (Spoiler: it's Trevor Noah. He's also hosting next year.). We also pay tribute to Christine McVie, salute the brilliance of Paul Simon, and try to understand why the ladies love LL Cool J, but LL seems to love David Wild. We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Thompson grew up loving radio, comedy, and with an appreciation for the absurd. These qualities made Mark uniquely qualified to create one of the most iconic morning radio shows in history. The Mark & Brian show started out in Birmingham, Alabama, but within a year, made its way to Los Angeles and 95.5 KLOS. It quickly became the #1 morning show in the #2 market. Mark & Brian were inducted into the Radio Hall Of Fame in 2020. Mark's memoir, Don't Bump The Record, Kid: My Adventures with Mark & Brian is out now, and he steps into our virtual studio to regale us with some of his (mis)adventures. We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices