Episodes
Ep. 22 | Favourite Beatles Singles
The 45 rpm single is a many-splendored thing. A souped-up hot rod, a calming salve, a flop on the plug-side, a bullet on the flip. Of the 22 singles in the official Beatles canon, TJ and Tony each pick their three favorite, with a few honorable mentions and curiosities addressed.
Also, Tony teases a new musical, TJ tests the waters of Kennedy jokes in the 21st century, and there are enough Gen X references to power a small city.*
*built on rock n roll
Plus all your favorite schtickbits (comedy fishsticks)...repeated!
Ep. 19 | Rutlemania!
TJ and Tony praise the comedic and musical genius of The Rutles, with about a trailer’s worth of spoilers. This episode is chockful of chuckles (and chug-a-lugs) honoring Eric Idle and Neil Innes’ pre-fab spamsterpiece.
Along the way, they talk Chainsaw & Dave, autographed long boxes, and the merits of Grease 2. Plus, TJ pinpoints the moment Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band “jumped the sharrk.”
And it’s the debut of TJ & Tony’s Fife & Jam Band, The Fools on Hill.
Occasional glitches brought to you by Zoom (free account).
Ep. 17 | Love LP and All Together Now DVD
In this episode of Pizza Talk, TJ and Tony get acrobatically off-topic trying to discuss The Beatles collaboration with Cirque de Soleil. It contains 101 local Chicago references.
We think this episode will sell a lot of tickets for the Vegas show.
Ep. 16 | Star Club Tapes
Pills, Punk, and Knuckle-Dusters!
This week TJ and Tony zip, zap and zop through the long out-of-print collection of lo-fi recordings of the Fab Four in Hamburg.
Also, TJ tries out both his sexy voice and his creepy voice (it’s two different voices) while Tony dogs on Ferris Bueller. And they accidentally do a Harold...we think.
Get out your Grundig reel-to-reel tape recorder and bootleg this episode. It could be worth something someday!
Ep. 15 | Beatle Bottoms
Clickbait: Are TJ and Tony in a Beatles cult? The answer may dumbfound you!!
In this Labor Day Spectacular (not that spectacular really) TJ and Tony comb the floor of the Sea of Holes in search of the least fab Beatles songs. Listen for adjectives like "treacly" and "loathsome"(!).
Also included are hot takes on R.E.M. vs Bare Naked Ladies, and a very brief tribute to short form improv.
Meanwhile, TJ discloses one of his "Beatle nightmares" while Tony wears out his “Beatle bag.”
Fact cheque: "It’s All Too Much" was recorded at De Lane Lea Studios and "Baby, You’re A Rich Man" at Olympic Sound Studios.
Neither TJ nor Tony can remember what a clavioline is.
Listen to the Beatle Bottoms playlist here.
Ep. 13 | Post-Breakup Compilations
This week TJ and Tony grapple with the permutations of the Fab Thirteen post-breakup compilations - from the "Red & Blue" LPs to the Tomorrow Never Knows iTunes cash grab.
TJ takes his case for "Please Please Me" appearing on a greatest hits album to the Supreme Court, while Tony throws down the gauntlet on the "so good" Neil Diamond phenomenon. Plus, ramblings on gas station pizza, the true origins of the fajita and that band LinkedIn Park.
Fact cheque: The Outback Steakhouse douchebags were from Florida, not New Jersey. Also, Tony meant "She's A Woman - Take 7", not take 6.
Irregardless (that's a word now), file this episode under Rock.
Ep. 12 | Beatles Covers Clambake!
Why listen to a cover of The Beatles when The Beatles version is often the best? Because freedom!
TJ and Tony delve into the endless jackpot of Beatle covers, including favorites, flops, and curios. They were unable to review all of them, but they did get to 136 of them. Also, Tony auditions for a rock zine and TJ settles an old score with Judd from Latin school.
Please pardon the zoom-related glitches, some occasional sweetening was required.
As a token of our appreciation, the Untitled Beatles Podcast has curated a playlist of Beatle covers. Listen here
Ep. 9 | Happy 80th, Ringo!
For Ringo Starr's 80th birthday, TJ and Tony wax percussive on the bearded drummer who was known to have a Zephyr Zodiac, including favorite Beatle drumming moments and a deep dive into his solo heights and depths. Plus hot supermarket takes from TJ (Jewel vs. Mariano's), and Tony's fascination with pillows continues. Also, what sitcom character would Ringo play? The long and rambling road eventually has most of the answers.
Ep. 7 | Happy 78th, Macca!
TJ and Tony profess their love for Sir Paul, celebrating their five favorite post-Beatles McCartney songs while contemplating future nuptials. It's 60+ minutes of fuzzy feels and fuzzy math.
Ep. 6 | Discovering The Beatles
TJ and Tony take their long and rambling road down memory lane, reminiscing about discovering the Fab Four for the first time, with detours to Grease, Webster and NBC-era Letterman.
Shout-outs to Pear Records, Denny Dent and Valerie Harper.
Fact cheque please: D.A. Pennebaker not Pennemaker, Sherman Hemsley not Helmsley.
Special "She's So Heavy" style edit courtesy of Zoom.