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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the late 1960s, pioneering electronic musician Robert Margouleff and his musical partner Malcolm Cecil built something unlike anything the world had heard: TONTO — The Original New Timbral Orchestra — a sprawling, one-of-a-kind synthesizer system that would go on to reshape the sound of popular music for decades to come. A Grammy winner for his work on Stevie Wonder's Innervisions, Robert joins us in studio on the What Difference Does It Make Podcast to share the stories behind one of the most creative partnerships in music history. He takes us inside the making of Stevie's most celebrated run of records — Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, and Fulfillingness' First Finale — and reveals how TONTO's revolutionary sonic palette helped define that era. He also produced Devo's commercial breakthrough Freedom of Choice, one of the defining 80s music albums that helped bring synth-driven pop to the mainstream, and collaborated with Billy Preston and The Isley Brothers, cementing his place as one of the most influential figures behind the boards of his generation. It's all captured in his memoir, Shaping Sounds: Stevie Wonder, Devo, The Synth Revolution And My Life Behind The Music — and today, he's here to bring it to life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friend of the show, Craig Rosen, keeps us on our toes as we ping-pong back and forth from proms to fashion to movies. We try to stay on target as we discuss our favorite summer songs from the 70s and 80s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York Times Bestselling Author, Annie Zaleski has a shirt that reads, "Sorry, I can't talk. I'm thinking about the 1997 performance of Silver Springs where Stevie Nicks stares a hole through Lindsay Buckingham". It partially helps explain why music fans around the world have been obsessed with Stevie. Annie’s latest book, Stevie Nicks in 50 Songs, explores Stevie’s remarkable journey through the music that defined her life and career, along with the artists and songs that inspired her along the way. In this episode, Annie shares stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes moments from the career of the two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame icon, discussing the songwriting, mystique, heartbreak, and performances that make Stevie Nicks a legend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growing up in the San Fernando Valley meant something very different depending on who you ask. For Holly and Dave, it's a place of warm memories and deep roots. For Gina Gershon? It was somewhere she couldn't wait to leave, and leaving turned out to be the best thing she ever did.Gina joins us to talk about her memoir, AlphaPussy: How I Survived the Valley and Learned to Love My Boobs, a candid and wildly entertaining look at coming of age in the '80s, finding her voice, and building a career on her own terms. We get into standing up for yourself, the art of the strategic fib when auditioning, and the moment her real story began; the moment she escaped.And yes, there are rock and roll stories. Bob Dylan. Lou Reed. Prince. You'll want to hear these.We sit down with Gina Gershon for a conversation that's equal parts nostalgia, survival story, and Hollywood memoir gold. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Old school is in session as JayQuan, author of the coffee table book, RUN-DMC and Raising Hell: 40 Years, joins the podcast. As we learn JayQuan's story, we receive an education on the origins of hip-hop. Artists from the Cold Crush Brothers to William Waring to The Mizell Brothers were essential to the sound of Run-DMC, as were the beats of Take Me To The Mardi Gras by Bob James and Walk This Way by Aerosmith. It's no wonder JayQuan is the curator for the National Hip-Hop Museum in Washington DC, as well as a consultant for The Hip-Hop Museum in the Bronx. So let's start Raising Hell, and learn from the masters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Berlin, producer, arranger, session player, saxophonist, and Grammy-winning member of Los Lobos and The Blasters is now promoting a band he was in over forty years ago. Top Jimmy And The Rhythm Pigs released one album, in 1987. The album, entitled, Pigus, Drunkus Maximus returns with a re-release on Blind Owl Records including enhanced sound quality and deluxe packaging. Steve steps into our virtual studio to relive those LA Monday nights when Top Jimmy and The Rhythm Pigs played at the Cathay de Grande. He'll also share a few stories regarding the artists he's played with, including The Go-Go's, Sheryl Crow, and the upcoming Los Lobos documentary, Native Sons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Spears has just released a book based on his popular podcast, entitled Stuck In The 80s: 20 Years of Conversations with Pop Culture Icons Who Defined a Decade.   We are thrilled Steve guests on our podcast to share a few amazing stories he's accumulated over the years, including a few awkward moments. Steve has also been a big part of The 80s Cruise, and he dispenses some fun tidbits from his ten years hobnobbing with our favorite 80s music icons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices