Junk Filter

TEASER - 226: Prefab Sprout: From Langley Park to Memphis (with Brice Ezell)

Access this supersized 148 minute episode (and additional monthly bonus episodes, including the continuing Prefab Sprout series) by becoming a Junk Filter patron! Only $5 (USD) a month! https://www.patreon.com/posts/226-prefab-from-145775014 [https://www.patreon.com/posts/226-prefab-from-145775014] In part three of the podcast’s series exploring the work of the extraordinary UK band Prefab Sprout, I am joined by Atlanta-based critic and theatre scholar Brice Ezell to discuss the band's most commercially successful album: 1988’s From Langley Park to Memphis. Following the critical acclaim of Steve McQueen, frontman Paddy McAloon aimed for a glossy, broadly commercial sound this time. With full label support, no expense was spared on production, a sweeping, cinematic soundscape that blends sophisticated synthesizers and polished studio techniques with full orchestration, gospel choirs, and even a guest appearance from Stevie Wonder. Heavily influenced by Barbra Streisand’s The Broadway Album, McAloon goes full Theatre Kid on this record. The project employed multiple producers (including the returning Thomas Dolby) and experimented across genres from arena rock to Broadway show tunes and adult contemporary. This approach generated two enduring UK radio hits: “The King of Rock ’n’ Roll” (their only Top Ten single) and “Cars and Girls” (a subtle critique of Bruce Springsteen’s persona). Brice and I dive deep on Langley Park, offering track-by-track analysis. We explore the album's surprising global footprint, tracing its influence from Norwegian singer-songwriters to Japanese City Pop, anime scores, and video game music. And we zero in on the album's central theme: an epic statement where Paddy deconstructs the American mythmaking machine from the vantage point of Northeast England, all while processing his band’s sudden success and grappling with an uncertain future. My thanks to the Sproutology [https://www.sproutology.co.uk/] website, the ultimate online resource for the band. Follow Brice Ezell [https://bsky.app/profile/briceezell.bsky.social] on Bluesky. The King of Rock ’n’ Roll [https://youtu.be/4-Fn8ncazYw?si=ZClajH1-zTCGd3yR] https://youtu.be/4-Fn8ncazYw?si=ZClajH1-zTCGd3yR- from the Dutch music show TopPop, 1988 Nightingales [https://youtu.be/JfSDnAYzdf8?si=VXc6EgVP2VykJbzv] - Paddy McAloon on piano, from KCRW, 1988 Mashup [https://youtu.be/fkP3F8mc11c?si=LBRgeyZUnMCfTvsZ] of Prefab Sprout’s Knock on Wood and a track from the Japanese anime High School Aura Buster.

TEASER - 225: Prefab Sprout: Steve McQueen (with Erin Vanderhoof)

Access this entire 115 minute episode (and additional monthly bonus episodes) by becoming a Junk Filter patron! https://www.patreon.com/posts/225-prefab-steve-144565815 [https://www.patreon.com/posts/225-prefab-steve-144565815] On the second episode of our Prefab Sprout series, I am joined by Vanity Fair staff writer Erin Vanderhoof for a detailed discussion of the band’s second album, Steve McQueen. Released in 1985, Steve McQueen was produced by a fan of the band, Thomas Dolby, who handpicked a selection of Paddy McAloon's older songs (some dating back to his late teens). The goal was to create a commercially appealing, modern pop record that still captured McAloon’s idiosyncratic brilliance. The critically-acclaimed album was a modest hit in the UK but made little splash in America, where it was released as Two Wheels Good to avoid issues with Steve McQueen’s estate. Forty years later, it is amazing how fresh this distinctly '80s album still sounds. It’s a rich blend of rock, jazz, country, adult contemporary, and show tunes, finished with a beautiful electronic polish. Dolby’s perfect production showcases McAloon's sophisticated songs about heartbreak and complicated feelings, alongside the masterful musicianship of the band, notably featuring the key arrival of drummer Neil Conti. During our track-by-track discussion, we reveal how we each got Sproutpilled, debate whether the band deserved the UK "Sophisti-Pop" label, explore their notable popularity in Italy, and share our hopes for a future Spike Lee Prefab Sprout movie musical. Follow Erin Vanderhoof on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/vanderhoofy.bsky.social] and follow her work at Vanity Fair [https://www.vanityfair.com/contributor/erin-vanderhoof]. My thanks to the Sproutology [https://www.sproutology.co.uk/] website, the ultimate online resource for the band. "Thriller in England [https://thequietus.com/opinion-and-essays/anniversary/steve-mcqueen-prefab-sprout-anniversary/]: Steve McQueen by Prefab Sprout at 40" by Fergal Kinney, for The Quietus, June 10, 2025 Live performance of When Love Breaks Down [https://youtu.be/E0PkIO1SmO8?si=AcHu0FZhKUU6jXsX] from The Old Grey Whistle Test, 1985 Live performance of Goodbye Lucille #1 (aka Johnny Johnny), [https://youtu.be/V3ghbfBfPLM?si=qA2R64hE5n9qc8tF] from The Tube, 1986 Appetite [https://youtu.be/7wLY1occ4nk?si=QNltvcjV1yFHTL0k] from the 1986 Sanremo Music Festival London in Love [https://youtu.be/jedoAQT9Ap0?si=CkqBJbhWgjn4eDLt], from a series of Burberry 2025 adverts soundtracked by When Love Breaks Down.

TEASER - 224: Brian De Palma: Hi, Mom! (with Mike Mekus)

Access this entire 71 minute episode (and additional monthly bonus episodes) by becoming a Junk Filter patron! https://www.patreon.com/posts/224-brian-de-hi-144418287 [https://www.patreon.com/posts/224-brian-de-hi-144418287] The actor and writer Mike Mekus returns to the show from Brooklyn to discuss Brian De Palma’s third feature, the vicious satire Hi, Mom! (1970). The film features a breakout performance by Robert De Niro as a young man back from Vietnam who is hoping to convert his voyeuristic tendencies into a career as a pornographer with artistic pretensions, but who ultimately winds up playing a cop in a revolutionary theatre troupe’s new underground experimental play, “Be Black, Baby!” This anarchic comedy serves as a time capsule of late 1960s NYC. De Palma uses it to show off his craft and his enthusiasm for the full potential of cinema—specifically, the possibilities for an American political cinema—demonstrating that Godard was just as much of an influence on his style as Hitchcock. Mike and I discuss how incredibly prescient De Palma was in Hi, Mom!, as he sends up incels, computer dating, the entire Dimes Square style art scene, and New York’s guilty white liberal community. This is highlighted by the incendiary film-within-a-film, “Be Black, Baby!”, the first great cinema sequence in De Palma’s long career full of them, all of this barely contained within an 87-minute film that possesses a surprising New York Dirtbag Cinema energy still detectable today. Follow Mike Mekus on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@mike_check_r=1&t=ZT-91Ylu8TI0U9], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mike_check_4/?igsh=NzAxNjJ5aXo3bzAx&utm_source=qr#] and Twitter [https://x.com/mmekus18]. “Landlord [https://youtu.be/yuDBcpmiipI?si=BKu3tnto-K7eDPbS]” - the 1969 commercial by the New York Urban Coalition that Hi, Mom!parodies at the very beginning Trailer for Hi, Mom! [https://youtu.be/joIXI9VWZlE?si=RxCcbkuzL-ZMtwY5] (Brian De Palma, 1970)

223: Fail-Safe / A House of Dynamite (with Corey Atad and Robert Rubsam)

The film writers Robert Rubsam and Corey Atad join the show for a discussion of two apocalyptic nuclear thrillers, Sidney Lumet’s Fail-Safe (1964) and Kathryn Bigelow’s brand new Netflix production A House of Dynamite. Both Dr. Strangelove and Fail-Safe were released by Columbia Pictures within months of each other in 1964 (as the result of a lawsuit stemming from the respective novels the films were based on). The two films depict an accidental nuclear crisis from the perspective of command-and-control rooms helpless to prevent the impending bombing but Lumet’s version is a serious critique of Game Theory from a humanist perspective, with the participation of creatives who had been caught up in the Hollywood Blacklist during the Cold War. Bigelow’s modern version of such a tale of nuclear crisis, by contrast, has a lot less to say about the subject. We compare its structural shortcomings to Lumet’s stark masterpiece, a film more plugged in to its zeitgeist than this new Netflix production is. Over 30% of all Junk Filter episodes are only available to patrons of the podcast. To support this show directly and to receive access to the entire back catalogue, consider becoming a patron for only $5.00 a month (U.S.) at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/junkfilter [patreon.com/junkfilter ] Follow Corey Atad on Twitter [https://x.com/CoreyAtad] and Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/coreyatad.com] and visit coreyatad.com [http://coreyatad.com] Follow Robert Rubsam on Twitter [https://x.com/rob_rubsam] and Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/robrubsam.bsky.social] and visit robertrubsam.com [http://robertrubsam.com] Tony Schwartz’s “Daisy [https://youtu.be/riDypP1KfOU?si=HcqscFrEK0Wekmsa]” commercial for LBJ’s 1964 Presidential election campaign Trailer for Fail-Safe [https://youtu.be/filmUN4W59I?si=Oe4tsJKKL8C6boTy] (Sidney Lumet, 1964) Promo for the live tv broadcast on CBS of Fail-Safe [https://youtu.be/R9I8efpu16Q?si=RUxW-BveL85ktXcg] (Stephen Frears, 2000) Trailer for Henry Fonda for President  [https://youtu.be/gFSWOhABK-A?si=diNu7fhi8o1disS0](Alexander Horwath, 2024) Trailer for A House of Dynamite [https://youtu.be/_wpw2QHJNco?si=oq3kxJZEBJSxHuWZ] (Kathryn Bigelow, 2025)

222: Ed Wood: Made in Hollywood USA (with Will Sloan)

Will Sloan returns to the pod to discuss his new monograph Ed Wood: Made in Hollywood USA, which provides fresh insight on the legendary “bad” director by considering his entire body of work. For this episode we focus on the final frontier for Ed Wood fans, the pornographic films and books he produced in the twilight of his life. We discuss in detail 4 of his XXX features: Take It Out in Trade (1970), Necromania: A Tale of Weird Love! and The Only House in Town (both 1971) and his final film, The Young Marrieds(1972). These films (most shot in vivid colour) reveal a dark truth about the Hollywood dream factory, reflecting both the desperation of Wood’s final years and his absolute commitment to his artistic vision no matter the circumstances. Plus: RIP Diane Keaton. Over 30% of all Junk Filter episodes are only available to patrons of the podcast. To support this show directly and to receive access to the entire back catalogue, consider becoming a patron for only $5.00 a month (U.S.) at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/junkfilter [patreon.com/junkfilter ] Follow Will Sloan on Twitter [https://x.com/WillSloanEsq] and Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/willsloanesq.bsky.social] and subscribe to his substack [https://willsloan.substack.com/] and his podcasts The Important Cinema Club [https://soundcloud.com/the-important-cinema-club] and Michael and Us [https://soundcloud.com/michael-and-us]. Will’s new book Ed Wood: Made in Hollywood USA [https://orbooks.com/catalog/ed-wood/] (OR Books) is now available through the publisher or in fine bookstores.  AGFA trailer for the restored Take It Out in Trade [https://youtu.be/QqrLcswHJNk?si=HZOO_77H30CCeTQg] (Ed Wood, 1970)