Corey Morrissette is back with Sean and Todd for Part Two, and we're coming in hot. We pick up with a conversation about the radio industry — specifically how corporate ownership reshaped music selection and stripped DJs of the autonomy they once had to break new artists and take real risks. We talk about what it used to mean to hear a song on the radio for the first time, and how that experience has largely been replaced by pre-determined playlists built for engagement metrics rather than music discovery.

On a more hopeful note, Corey shares his plans to host a show called Hoser Rock Hour on a community cooperative radio station — and honestly, the concept is exactly what radio needs more of. We also get into album-oriented rock stations and how AOR formats used to be the ones deciding which songs became singles, not the labels. It's a fascinating piece of music industry history that doesn't get talked about enough.

From there we get into concert war stories, and this is where things really get going. We talk about seeing the Headpins live, with Darby Mills commanding a stage the way very few performers can. We swap memories of Pantera opening for Skid Row in Montreal — a lineup that, on paper, sounds almost too good to be true — and we get into the Killer Dwarfs, including a wild story about a vocal showdown between Sebastian Bach and Russell Dwarf that you genuinely have to hear to believe. These are the kinds of nights that remind you why live music matters.

Then we take on one of rock's great what-ifs: was there actually a rivalry between Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen? Two of the greatest guitarists of their generation, both rising at exactly the same time — it's the kind of question that sounds like it should have a dramatic answer. The reality might surprise you.

Things take a genuinely unexpected turn when we get into Mary Shelley's writing group — yes, that Mary Shelley — and the remarkable fact that the circle of writers who gave us Frankenstein and Dracula were all in the same room, cooking up horror together. Corey also recommends Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein film, which he found to be a faithful and beautifully crafted adaptation. It's one of those historical footnotes that sounds made up but absolutely isn't.

We close things out with a look back at 1994 — one of the most stacked years in modern music history. Green Day, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana's MTV Unplugged, Oasis, Smashing Pumpkins, R.E.M., Beck — we go through the releases and argue about which ones still hold up. Along the way, Seanorama drops an unexpected piece of history about Leonard Cohen's "Dance Me to the End of Love" that genuinely stopped the conversation cold.

It's been an absolute blast having Corey on for both parts. More to come.

Support the show at patreon.com/seangeekpodcast. You can find Corey and his work, including The Elder Podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts.

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This week on the SeanGeek and FastFret Podcast, Sean and Todd welcome a very special guest: Corey Morrissette, a multi-show podcaster whose passion for music and pop culture runs as deep as ours. We kick things off talking about Chaz Charles — a titan of the podcasting world who hosts an impressive stable of shows — and how Corey came to collaborate with Chaz, Wolfie, and Scott on The Elder Podcast, a show built around the legendary KISS concept album. It's a great conversation about what it means to love a piece of music enough to dig into it week after week.

From there, we get into some housekeeping of our own. We walk you through our updated Patreon tiers and what each one gets you, because we want to make sure our community knows how to support the show — and what you get in return. Whether you're a Certified Geek, a TrueGeek, or a Supreme Geek, there's a tier for you at patreon.com/seangeekpodcast.

We also revisit one of our favourite recent episodes — Heath McCoy's appearance on the show, where we dove deep into the history of Stampede Wrestling. It's the kind of conversation we love having, and if you missed it, it's well worth going back to listen.

In a bit of a left turn, we spend some time on a genuinely fascinating real-world topic: gunshot detection technology. We talk through how systems like ShotSpotter work, how they help police identify the direction of gunfire and respond more quickly, and what the data is actually showing in neighborhoods where the technology has been deployed. It's the kind of story that sounds technical on the surface but turns out to be pretty compelling once you get into it.

Oh, and Todd's theme song? We tried. We really did. We'll leave it at that. But it does lead into a great conversation about wrestling entrance music — which bands should be walking out to what themes, and which ones actually fit. Corey has opinions. Strong ones.

From there we get into Bon Jovi, and specifically into Jon Bon Jovi's well-documented vocal struggles following throat surgery. It's not a pile-on — it's an honest conversation about what happens when time catches up with rock royalty, and what it means when a frontman who built a career on that voice is clearly not the same performer he once was.

We also dig into the current state of concert-going — ticket prices, opening acts, and the increasingly difficult math of deciding whether a show is worth it. With Motley Crue and Creed both coming through Winnipeg, we have some thoughts on where the bar is these days and whether it's being cleared.

We close out Part One with a deep dive into ZZ Top — specifically the Eliminator era, the ongoing debate about drum machines versus live drums in their recordings, and what the future might hold for a Corey-led ZZ Top season of Ultimate Catalog Clash. Plus, a quick appreciation for Billy Gibbons, who at 76 years old remains one of the coolest human beings on the planet.

Part Two is coming soon, and we promise it's worth the wait.

Support the show at patreon.com/seangeekpodcast. You can find Corey and his work, including The Elder Podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts.

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With the wrestling history books set aside for now, SeanGeek, FastFret, and Heath McCoy turn their attention to music. The conversation ranges from the live album chemistry of Rush and ZZ Top, to the underappreciated 1970s era of the Scorpions, to Beck's ever-shifting musical identity — with a few rounds of the show's "Pass or Go" game thrown in along the way. Heath also shares some of his work outside of wrestling, including his interviews with comic book legends Neil Adams, Stan Lee, and Alan Moore, teasing a possible future episode dedicated entirely to comics.

https://shows.acast.com/school-of-hip

https://www.amazon.ca/Pain-Passion-History-Stampede-Wrestling/dp/1550227874

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SeanGeek and FastFret welcome author Heath McCoy for a deep dive into the golden age of Canadian wrestling territories. Heath brings his historian's eye to the fascinating ecosystem of regional promotions — how wrestlers moved between them, how championships were structured, and what made each territory distinct. The conversation covers the inner workings of Stampede Wrestling in Calgary and Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling in the Maritimes, the financial arrangements between promotions, and the careers of wrestlers like Ric Flair, Andre the Giant, Randy Savage, Leo Burke, and the Cuban Assassin as they navigated the territory circuit. Heath and the guys also take stock of where professional wrestling stands today compared to the more improvisational, character-driven era that made the business so compelling.

https://www.amazon.ca/Pain-Passion-History-Stampede-Wrestling/dp/1550227874

https://shows.acast.com/school-of-hip

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In the second half of our conversation with Michael, author of "The Mighty Van Halen,: One Fan's Journey " we take a deep dive into the band Cinderella and their unique place in 1980s rock history.

We start by analyzing Cinderella's first album "Night Songs," exploring what made their sound so distinctive compared to other hair metal bands of the era. Michael and Sean break down the band's blues influence and how it set them apart from the typical glam rock sound, despite often being lumped into that category. We discuss their connection to Bon Jovi and how they were discovered.

The conversation explores Tom Keifer's unique vocal style, drawing comparisons to Janis Joplin and discussing how his distinctive singing technique—which involved rupturing his vocal cord—created such a memorable sound. We trace the band's trajectory from their popularity peak in the 1980s through their decline after the third album.

A major focus of our discussion is why Cinderella never achieved the lasting popularity of bands like Poison or Mötley Crüe, despite being more musically sophisticated. We explore how their bluesy sound didn't fit the typical hair metal image and how being incorrectly categorized may have hurt them. Their 1990 album "Heartbreak Station" represented a shift toward blues rock that may have confused fans, while bands like the Black Crowes with a similar style found more lasting success.

We compare Cinderella to Mötley Crüe, agreeing that while Cinderella was more musically accomplished, Mötley Crüe better represented 1980s hairband culture. The conversation takes an interesting turn as we discuss how the CD format might have changed listening habits—the ability to skip tracks leading to less engagement with deeper album cuts.

We analyze specific tracks including "Last Mile" with its strong background vocals and relatable themes of travel and hard work, and "Shelter Me," comparing its positive, uplifting message to the Rolling Stones' darker "Mother's Little Helper." We appreciate Cinderella's more optimistic lyrics, especially contrasting them with some of the darker themes prevalent in 1990s music.

The episode wraps with Michael promoting his book "The Mighty Van Halen: One Fan's Journey" and final reflections on our formative music experiences.

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In this episode, we welcome Michael, author of "The Mighty Van Halen: One Fan's Journey," for a nostalgic journey through the cassette rock era of the 1980s.

We start by tackling some technical challenges with audio and Discord setup before diving into Michael's book, which chronicles his coming-of-age as a Van Halen fan during the golden age of rock. Michael shares how readers from different regions have found his story deeply relatable, highlighting the unique experiences of a generation that built stereos, traded tapes, and lived for new album releases.

The conversation flows naturally into memories of first hearing Van Halen—from Michael's 1970s introduction to the band, to watching MTV's early days, to the cultural phenomenon of the 1984 album. We discuss David Lee Roth's eclectic SiriusXM radio show and share stories about the transition from vinyl and cassette culture to the digital age.

We explore concert experiences and the modern music scene, touching on Wolfgang Van Halen's upcoming shows, potential collaborations with Billie Eilish, and news about Slash filming in Winnipeg. The conversation takes a fun turn as we share our most anticipated album purchases—from Van Halen's 1984 to KISS's Dynasty—and reminisce about our first music purchases, early disco influences, and those treasured Christmas albums from the late '70s.

It's a celebration of the era when music was a tactile experience and every new album release was an event.

https://www.amazon.com/Mighty-Van-Halen-Fans-Journey/dp/B0G1KYGKGG

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In the second half of our conversation with Nick from Pod of Thunder, we dive deep into music, emotion, and entertainment.

We compare the emotional depth of Steve Vai's "For the Love of God" with Joe Satriani's instrumental work, exploring how technical skill alone isn't enough—emotional connection is what separates great performances from legendary ones. We discuss instrumental music's power to convey emotion without words, touching on artists like Nat King Cole and what makes truly vulnerable performances resonate.

Plus: Todd's saga with terrible hospital cutlery (it's worse than you think) and a fun debate about movie sequels better than their originals—from Terminator 2 to The Last Crusade.

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In the first half of this episode, we sit down with Nick from Pod of Thunder for a fascinating conversation about podcasting, nostalgia, and Canadian music legends.

We kick things off discussing an intriguing podcast concept about screenwriting based on album tracks before diving into memories of obscure 70s TV shows and how YouTube has transformed from a platform for random content into a nostalgia powerhouse and instructional video library.

The conversation takes an interesting turn as we explore AI technology—both its benefits and pitfalls. Nick shares a story about AI providing completely incorrect information, while we discuss how AI can be useful for tasks like product reviews. We also talk about the importance of family in podcasting, with Nick sharing stories about his mom's involvement in Pod of Thunder.

We explore how COVID-19 changed podcasting forever by normalizing virtual recording and remote guests, comparing our different setups (StreamYard vs. Zoom) and discussing the evolution of podcast equipment over the years.

The highlight of the episode is our deep dive into Nardwuar the Human Serviette, the legendary Canadian music interviewer known for his eccentric persona and encyclopedic knowledge of bands. We watch clips of his iconic interviews with KISS and Divine, discuss his unique interviewing style, and celebrate his upcoming induction into the Order of Canada. Nick also introduces us to Norman Gunston, another character-based interviewer, and his hilarious KISS parody album "Kiss Army."

We wrap up this segment with discussions about family-friendly entertainment, video games like Roblox and Minecraft, and some memorable concert experiences.

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