Back in the seventies, San Franciscan band The Tubes set out to shock all those who saw their live shows with their satire of our obsession with materialism, white rich kids with too much time on their hands, and what REALLY went on behind the white picket fences. They were a very theatrical band, but many of their songs stand proudly without the visuals. In 1979, they recorded their final album for A & M records called “Remote Control” recounting the story of a man’s obsession (and ultimate demise) with TV. On this episode of Love That Album, Michael Pursche of the great rock interview podcast, “Sitting In A Bar in Adelaide” goes head to head with me to discuss this overlooked (and unfortunately, more relevant than ever) album. Rolling Stone thought the album stank. Allmusic says it’s great and a career highlight. What do we think? Where does Peter Sellers come into the picture? Are there really 57 channels with nothing on? Can our anti-hero find true love with the girl in the shampoo commercial? All is revealed.
Please provide feedback, either written email or mp3 audio, to rrrkitchen@yahoo.com.au. We’d love to hear from you, be it about a show we’ve done or suggestion for a future show. Download the show at iTunes (search for ”lovethatalbum”) or click on the links on the right of this page (stream or download).
Right click to download episode 11 here.
Right click to download episode 11 here.
