

Bandsplain
The Ringer
Bandsplain is a show where host Yasi Salek invites experts to explain cult bands and iconic artists - and why people love them - using a curated playlist to help you understand the hype.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 29, 2021 • 1h 53min
Modest Mouse with Justin Sayles
Issaquah, Washington’s indie rock torchbearers Modest Mouse get ‘splained by The Ringer’s in-house Modest Mouse guy, Justin Sayles. Follow Justin Sayles on Twitter @doxellis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 22, 2021 • 2h 19min
Kate Bush with Ann Powers
Author and critic Ann Powers maps the pioneering path of one of pop music’s most inventive, mystical, and artistic trailblazers: Kate Bush. Follow Ann Powers on Twitter at @annkpowers, and find her latest book, Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black and White, Body and Soul in American Music wherever fine books are sold. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 15, 2021 • 2h 4min
Fugazi with Brandon Stosuy
We dive into the DIY legacy and hardcore lineage of DC legends Fugazi with none other than writer, editor, and artist manager Brandon Stosuy. Follow Brandon Stosuy on Twitter at @brandonstosuy, and check out thecreativeindependent.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 8, 2021 • 1h 42min
Dire Straits with Sam Sodomsky
Pitchfork associate editor Sam Sodomsky takes us on a bountiful journey through the smooth stylings, guitar virtuosity, and unavoidable boomer nostalgia of Dire Straits.Follow Sam Sodomsky on Twitter at @ssodomsky, find his writing at Pitchfork, and check out his podcast Late Era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 1, 2021 • 1h 58min
Green Day with Dan Ozzi
Tracking their evolution from the Berkeley punk scene to rock stardom, and all of the sell-out discourse in between, Dan Ozzi joins us this week to talk about Green Day.Follow Dan Ozzi on Twitter at @danozzi and pre-order his book, Sellout: The Major Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore, out Oct. 26, 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 24, 2021 • 1h 27min
Joni Mitchell with Jessica Hopper
In honor of the 50th anniversary of her masterwork, Blue, author and critic Jessica Hopper comes on the show to demystify the groundbreaking genius of the one and only Joni Mitchell. Follow Jessica Hopper on Twitter at @missjesshop. Find her books, The First Collection of Criticism By A Living Female Rock Critic, Night Moves, and the upcoming No God But Herself: How Women Changed Music in 1975 (out fall 2022). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 17, 2021 • 2h 25min
Red Hot Chili Peppers with Brittany Spanos and Joseph Patel
Do you ever get scared that when you do psychedelics, your brain will break and you’ll get stuck in that place forever and never be normal again? That’s what happened here. Our brains broke somewhere along the way researching for this Red Hot Chili Peppers episode, and we will never be the same again. Fuck it, FOUR* HOUR BANDSPLAIN. *Nearly. Featuring Rolling Stone staff writer Brittany Spanos (@ohheybrittany on Twitter) and writer and Sundance-winning producer of Questlove’s upcoming documentary Summer of Soul, Joseph Patel (@jazzbeezy on Twitter). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 10, 2021 • 1h 33min
Deftones with Suzy Exposito
Suzy Exposito, music reporter for the LA Times, joins us to unpack the story and innovative musical style of Deftones, a band from Sacramento that never stopped evolving, through genres, trends, and even tragedy. Just don’t call them nü-metal. Find Suzy Exposito’s writing at the Los Angeles Times and follow her on Twitter at @HexPositive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 3, 2021 • 1h 44min
Ween with Alex Pappademas
Alex Pappedemas returns to explain Ween, America’s first and only band "sprouted from the demon-god Boognish," and the one-of-a-kind bond between Boognish’s earthly conduits, Gene and Dean Ween.Alex’s book on Steely Dan, Quantum Criminals: Ramblers, Wild Gamblers, Babylon Sisters, and Other Soul Survivors from the Songs of Steely Dan is out in 2022 on University of Texas, Austin Press. You can follow Alex at @pappedemas on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 27, 2021 • 1h 59min
R.E.M. with Caryn Rose
R.E.M. is your favorite band’s favorite band. They’ve influenced countless musicians and had an immeasurable impact on the following decades of indie rock. Megafan and veteran music journalist Caryn Rose takes us through the lifespan and wide-ranging impact of Athens, Georgia’s own REM. Follow Caryn Rose on Twitter @carynrose. Her upcoming book, Why Patti Smith Matters, is out on University of Texas Press in 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices