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

For 30 years, beginning in 1990, Kevin and Bean hosted the morning drive show on KROQ in Los Angeles, which led to a spot in both the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Hall Of Fame, as well the Radio Hall Of Fame.

You can now hear Bean on A Cup Of Tea and A Chat With Allie And Bean podcast, as well as on SiriusXM's Lithium Channel, and very soon, on First Wave.

Gene "Bean" Baxter joins us on the podcast to share insight into his radio past, his podcast, and to give his thoughts on songs 20 to 11 from the KROQ 1989 year-end chart.

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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 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 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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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 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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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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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 created 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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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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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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The Los Angeles Times referred to it as "Country Music's most important West Coast club". Artists from Willie Nelson to Elvis Costello to Linda Ronstadt played there. Happy Hour started at 8 in the morning. And it all happened in the East San Fernando Valley.

The club was called The Palomino, and now we have a film documenting its storied history. Director Adrienne Isom, script writer KP Hawthorn, and country punk legend Rosie Flores join us to reminisce about their own personal stories, as well as those that made this fabled club so special.

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It's been a mere 44 years between Haircut One Hundred albums featuring the original lineup, but following their classic album Pelican West, we now have Boxing The Compass. According to lead singer/songwriter Nick Heyward, it means a complete change of direction. We think it sounds just like the band we know and love.

The band have stayed in touch with each other during this "extended” hiatus, and they are now hitting the road with a US tour. Nick Heyward and bassist Les Nemes join the podcast to talk about how this 80s band has gracefully entered into a new era.

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Prior to the start of what is being billed as "the biggest 80s event of the year", headliner Howard Jones and host Richard Blade took some time to talk with us and share their thoughts on what we can expect for the Things Can Only Get Better Tour.

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From the moment we first saw "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?" on MTV, we can honestly say there was no one who looked, dressed or sounded like Boy George.There was also the music that touched on Pop, Soul and Reggae and even through all the mania that surrounded the band, we never quite understood who they were and where they came from until now.

Director Alison Ellwood, previously tackled the official story on the Eagles, Cyndi Lauper, and The Go-Go's. She now takes on Boy George and Culture Club and there is a lot to unpack as she steps into our virtual studio to reveal all she learned in this new documentary that is currently streaming everywhere.

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As an 80s music podcast, and as America recognizes another year of independence, we believe the time is right to recognize our favorite American music artists from the 80s.

The rules are simple:

1) You and /or your band must contain at least one American original band member.

2) They must have released their first album in the 80s.

Simple, right?

There is a lot of discussion, as well as a number of caveats, but we seem to have come up with a good list of 80s American music artists. Enjoy! And please let us know about the ones we forgot.

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Peter Relic has authored Bust a Move: Matt Dike, Delicious Vinyl, and the Hip-Hop Hits That First Conquered Pop. It tells the fascinating story of how a surfer dude from Southern California and a guy who grew up on the east coast in a Jehovah's Witness family formed a partnership to create one of the most successful record labels in the 80s. Peter breaks it down and tells us how these two men were able to start a hip-hop phenomenon with ground breaking songs from Tone Loc and Young MC.

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We love our Dads. We wouldn't be who we are without their constant presence in our lives. Naturally, that also means we've incorporated their music into our lives. We have quite a few songs that remind us of our Dads, and we share our memories with you in our special Father's Day music episode.

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We are so happy to welcome Mike Gomoll to the podcast. Mike is the founder of ⁠Joey's Song⁠. Mike's son, Joey, lived with Dravet Syndrome - a rare, debilitating form of epilepsy that affects children in the most profound ways.

After Joey’s death in 2010, to raise funds and awareness for epilepsy research, Mike started this foundation and now produces an associated music festival called Freezing Man. Every January, in Madison, Wisconsin, artists like Curt Smith from Tears for Fears and Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go's unite and perform shows to help support this extremely worthy cause.

No surprise, but Mike is also a fan of 80s music, and so he offers his well-informed opinion on songs 80 to 71 from the KROQ 1989 year-end playlist.

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As an ’80s music podcast, it’s no secret that we’ve always had a little extra love for Olivia Newton-John. Now, author Matthew Hild takes that appreciation even deeper with his new book, A Little More Love: The Love and Legacy of Olivia Newton-John, a thoughtful and comprehensive look at one of pop culture’s most beloved stars.

Matthew joins us to talk about Olivia’s remarkable career, from chart-topping music and blockbuster films, to her personal journey, advocacy work, and lasting influence on generations of fans. Along the way, he shares fascinating stories and insights about an artist who consistently captured our attention, and our hearts, for over five decades. Whether you’ve been a fan since the Grease days or discovered her music later, this conversation is a celebration of Olivia Newton-John’s enduring legacy.

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