47. Scott Pianowski Discusses Pretenders (self-titled)

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 Scott Pianowski of Yahoo Sports joins me on this episode to discuss the Pretenders’ 1979 debut album. In addition to breaking down this classic album in depth, Scott talks about how he got started playing fantasy sports, how he embraces variety in both sports and music and how sees the Pretenders’ musical legacy beyond their first album.

Random notes:

I’d commented that the band is listed as “Pretenders” on all of their albums, but on some, they are listed as “The Pretenders,” including on Learning to Crawl — an album I actually owned.

I have few pet peeves greater than hearing someone say “Chrissie Hyndes,” so I was mortified to hear myself pronounce her name that way at 36:30.

Kudos to our dog, Branny, for providing sound effects at 41:36, when I was talking about “being floored” by Talk of the Town. That’s the sound of her trying to open the door to my podcasting room.

Scott mentioned that there is an oral history of MTV. I’m assuming that he was referring to I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution. https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780452298569

Scott mentioned the Breakfast Table podcast he does with Michael Salfino. You can find episodes here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-breakfast-table-fantasy-sports-podcast/id1027990226

You can access Scott’s work — both columns and podcasts — right here: https://sports.yahoo.com/author/scott-pianowski/

Follow Scott on Twitter! @scott_pianowski

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

1:10 Scott joins the show

1:47 Scott enjoys covering a variety of sports

3:20 Scott’s obsession with baseball stats set the stage for playing and writing about fantasy sports

6:58 Scott absorbed a lot of musical knowledge in high school and college

11:24 The Pretenders were part of a great cohort of new bands in the late 70s

13:35 Scott sees the Pretenders’ debut as fitting in with a pattern of debut albums being a band’s best album

14:08 Scott sees Chrissie Hynde’s versatility as a key part of what makes Pretenders a great band

16:27 Scott cites some albums he also considered discussing on this episode

19:16 Scott explains why he did choose the Pretenders’ debut

23:06 Scott and Al shared the formative experience of listening to music on vinyl

24:06 Scott talks about the ‘80s movie that references the Pretenders’ debut

27:10 Pretenders or The Pretenders?

Track-by-track breakdown

27:55 Precious

33:00 The Phone Call

37:36 Up the Neck

39:23 Tattooed Love Boys

41:14 A brief discussion of Talk of the Town

44:24 The Tattooed Love Boys video and the early years of MTV

46:18 Space Invader

49:43 The Wait

52:27 Stop Your Sobbing

56:12 Kid

58:12 Private Life

1:02:05 Lovers of Today

1:04:33 Mystery Achievement

1:07:13 Scott and Al take an R.E.M. detour

1:09:19 Brass In Pocket

1:10:09 How does Scott view the rest of Pretenders’ discography?

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