Podcast Awesome Behind the Icon: Cowbell-Circle-Plus
💥 A Podcast Awesome Deep Cut
Episode Description:
🛎️ Guess what? We got a fever … and the only prescription is … well, you know. In this very special episode of Podcast Awesome, we hit pause on our usual tech-and-icon-nerdery to unleash a full-throttle ode to one of the wackiest icons in our set: Cowbell Circle Plus.
What starts as a nod to the legendary SNL sketch featuring Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken (The Bruce Dickinson, thank you very much), quickly turns into a globetrotting, time-hopping, cultural deep dive through the unexpected history of the humble cowbell. From medieval Irish cow raids 🐄⚔️ to German cowbell zoning laws 📏🔔 to the altars of rock and roll 🥁🎸, we unpack how this sonic sidekick moo-ved (hehe) from pasture to punchline.
Plus: Icon Designer extraordinaire Jory Rafael stops by to share how we brought the Cowbell icon to life (spoiler: it did not involve raiding any farms).
🧀 What We Cover in This Episode:
🐄 Cowbell as medieval emergency alert system
🏴☠️ Cattle raids and why your cow needed anti-theft bells in 12th century Ireland
🛠️ The surprising craftsmanship behind cowbells (hello, zoning laws!)
🌍 How cowbells show up in global rituals
🎶 The greatest cowbell moments in music — from Foghat to KISS to the Beastie Boys
😂 The SNL sketch that made “More Cowbell” the rallying cry for comedy nerds everywhere
🔤 Behind-the-scenes with the FA team: how we turned “More Cowbell” into an icon
🤘 A lightning round of underappreciated cowbell bangers
⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 – Welcome to the Weird World of Cowbell
01:15 – SNL Meets SVG: The Inspiration Behind the Icon
02:30 – History Lesson: Cowbells as Analog GPS
04:20 – Cattle Raids, Irish Wars, and Why Your Cow Needed Protection
06:10 – Cowbell Zoning Laws? Yep, That Was a Thing
07:00 – Superstition, Spirit-Banishing & Ceremonial Bells
08:15 – Enter: The Iconic More Cowbell Sketch (2000, SNL)
09:00 – Icon Deep Dive with Jory Rafael
10:20 – Musical Cowbell Moments You Didn’t Know You Needed
11:30 – Wrap-up & Credits Roll Like a Cow in a Parade
🔗 Links & Resources:
- Cowbell Circle Plus Icon on Font Awesome
- More Cowbell SNL Sketch (NBC)
- Cattle Raid of Cooley (Wikipedia)
- Alex Poiry makes an appearance as the medieval town council.
- Music shoutouts: Foghat, Beastie Boys, KISS, Judas Priest, Queen, Thin Lizzy, and more
- Credits: Matt Johnson (host + producer), Ronnie Martin (theme song), Zach Malm (music interstitials), Chris Enns @ Lemon Productions (mastering), Isaac Chase (video edit magic)
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