70. Maggie Serota Discusses The Teardrop Explodes, Kilimanjaro

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Music journalist Maggie Serota (formerly of SPIN) pays Al a visit to get him acquainted with the 1980 debut album from The Teardrop Explodes, Kilimanjaro. Maggie delves into what she loves about this band and this album, breaks down some of her favorite tracks and discusses the many dramas that surrounded this short-lived band and its frontman, Julian Cope.

Be sure to give Maggie a follow on Twitter at @maggieserota!

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.

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1:05 Maggie joins the show

2:01 Kilimanjaro takes Al right back to 1980

5:21 Maggie explains how she wound up getting into The Teardrop Explodes

9:10 Maggie and Al talk about The Teardrop Explodes’ tumultuous history

12:07 Al identifies a song he might skip

14:41 Maggie is fascinated by Julian Cope’s contradictions

18:38 Maggie discovers the meaning behind a cryptic Cope lyrical reference

21:25 Maggie likes some of the tracks on the deluxe version of the album

25:20 Maggie and Al talk about the album’s closer, “When I Dream”

28:06 Al stuns Maggie by admitting he has never done karaoke

31:05 Al likes the keyboard sound on “Thief of Baghdad”

32:54 Maggie likes how seamless the album’s sequencing is

34:57 Maggie talks about the Julian Cope-Ian McCulloch rivalry

37:31 Maggie explains why she chose Kilimanjaro for this episode

42:09 Maggie and Al take a detour to talk about U2

47:42 Maggie brings up another Julian Cope rivalry 

48:33 Maggie and Al each have a track where they have trouble focusing

49:32 “Poppies in the Field” reminds Al of The Police

52:18 Maggie recommends that Al explore more of Cope’s solo work

55:02 Maggie revisits a piece she wrote about So I Married an Axe Murderer

59:21 Maggie talks about recent changes in her work situation

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