Dead Ramones

Returning champion Andrew Hastings, aka EL PERRO GRANDE, takes over on this episode discussing New Jersey emo-core/horrorpunk/rockstar figureheads, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE.

Treat this episode as a teaser for the Patreon. In Part 1, we cover Bullets and 3 Cheers, and Part 2, all going to plan, will be on the Patreon soon(ish).

Andrew does NOT come out on this episode.

What if Gerard Way had the same personality as his cousin Joe Rogan?

I confuse Ink & Dagger with You & I again.

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BRIDGET HASSED joins the pod to discuss DIY in comedy, the pitfalls of being an "independent artist" and exactly what a pap smear is, in technical terms. Bridget is an MICF Best Newcomer nominee, and for all intents and purposes, the ringbearer at my wedding.

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A deep dive into the story and discography of maybe the best band to have played hardcore music, Philly's BLACKLISTED.

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The first of many solo episodes to come, I recap our first season together, reflecting on the albums we discussed in chronological order, and allowing the dry creek bed that is my brain to occasionally flow with a flash flood of random thoughts. Thanks for coming with me on this journey, thanks for tolerating my choices of albums, thanks for all the high-level autistic fact checking.

4 more years!

Full credit to Jared Driskill for the song BED SHITTER - it's the sound of summer!

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Josh, guitarist from Speed, long-standing Sydney hardcore mover & shaker, Legions frontman, general legend, is in the Dead Ramones studio (my incredibly stepdad-coded office) to talk about Speed's debut album, potentially the defining hardcore record of the year. We talk about having enthusiasm, the globalisation of hardcore, having fun, living your dreams, Kardashians, etc - flute chat is kept to a minimum.

Topics discussed: hardcore.

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Drew Bensley from the esteemed Community Noticeboard podcast returns to discuss last year's best album, Death Is Nothing To Us by the amazing Fiddlehead. We discuss the legacy of Pat Flynn and Have Heart, the place that profundity, poetry and history holds in hardcore, and also in the cultural landscape of 2024, and simply being old in a youth sub-culture. Heavy themes on this one, but don't worry, we say a couple of slurs to break up the funeral dirge. Another great episode, if I do say so myself.

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Part 3 of the COVID series, and very emblematic of that era that I fucked up the year. This is another 2021 album, sorry, but I do believe its effects were seen extensively throughout the following 12 months. I also don't think I can do a podcast series about modern hardcore and not spend an episode talking about the phenomenon that is Turnstile.

Anyway, Shad's back, we talk for too long about Marilyn Manson.

Topics discussed: ribs, removing ribs, what kind of doctor would just remove a person's rib?

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Jamie Kirk from Community Noticeboard rejoins the pod to talk about one of the flagship bands in the metalcore genre and their unexpectedly final record. Lotta drama here, harking back to the messy bitches in Cro-Mags. We talk about the band's legacy, the boring legal drama that capped off a band that util that point had been painfulyl human and chaotic, and the dichotomy of this album being 1) a literary exploration of grassroots political activism and metaphysical, existential transcendence, and 2) a straight up ripper.

Topics discussed: TMNT, inflatable pools, Less Than Jake, Frenzal Rhomb, emo, synth pop, beers.

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We've hit the COVID years, and GULCH represent the start of a new wave of bands taking advantage the internet to continue growing, either through videos of spectacular live sets, meme-able moments & hyped merch. Luckily this album backs up the hype in a real way. It's dark, violent, mysterious and fun all at the same time. Juliet Rae Timmerman, aka the funniest person and no stranger herself to using "weird & offputting" to create excellent entertainment, joins me to go over the mythos of GULCH and their short lived career.

Topics discussed: the lack of imagination in the local comedy scene, why aren't men allowed to be silly?, dogs, Norm.

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Serbian poster boy Aleks Milinkovic joins the pod to discuss the 2019 Knocked Loose record 'A Different Shade Of Blue.' Big episode talking about what seems now like a fork in the road not only for KL, but hardcore more widely. These guys are now playing Coachella and getting nods from Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa - truly one of the biggest heavy bands currently touring, but was that on the cards in 2019? Would it have happened without lockdown? Why do the kids suddenly love extreme music so much?

Topics discussed: girl hardcore, Serbian identity, winter.

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Okay, I do owe Alexei and you all an apology - I scanned through to find the sneezes so I could edit them out, but the episode was already late and I couldn't find them quickly so they stayed in. Sorry. But. Certified Movie Boy Alexei Toliopoulos gives us one of the best episodes yet, talking about Drug Church's amazing 2018 "sell out" record "Cheer." This is interesting in terms of looking at hardcore pre-COVID VS what we have now (the post-Glow On / Speed Supremacy era we're in). Some of the quotes, while totally correct for the time, have not played out to be true. "Selling Out" no longer seems to be an issue for punk and hardcore, and Drug Church are continuing to make exceedingly interesting music and getting paid to do so. I think Cheer was the turning point for these guys - their "JANE DOE" so to speak.

Topics discussed: Birdeater, Dead Hands Dig Deep, The Decline Of Western Civilisation, bank jobs, culture delivered in pill form, stagediving.

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Brisbane's stepson, Ben Hunter, joins the podcast to talk about Long Island figureheads Incendiary. I know everyone loves 'Cost Of Living' but 'Thousand Mile Stare' was really the record that made me turn my head. We talk about how these guys manage to be functioning members of society & living proper adult lives, while still making hardcore music that "means something."

Topics discussed: Crocs, the politics of absurdism, reed diffusers

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Melbourne comic Daisy Webb joins me to discuss the 2016 molotov cocktail that was Trans Day Of Revenge by the band G.L.O.S.S. (Girls Living Outside Society's Shit). The band only existed for about 2 years but in that time did so much to push trans-feminism into the wider consciousness of punk and hardcore, and even mainstream culture. We talk about that era, when both Laura Jane Grace and Caitlyn Jenner came out as spokespeople for the trans community, and the ways in which G.L.O.S.S. both complemented that as well as offered an alternative lexicon to talk about these issues. I really enjoyed this episode - it's not HILARIOUS but we cover a lot of ground - thanks mainly to G.L.O.S.S.

Topics discussed: trains, comedy, being trans.

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Michael Cho joins the pod this week for a sleepy night time episode - this is Dead Ramones After Dark baby, so grab a cognac and settle into your favourite chair. We're talking 2010s straight edge icon Foundation and their final release, the Turncoat EP. In a very distracted, tangential episode, we cover the legacy of Foundation, the shortlived fanfare around them in the early 2010s, as well as the 90s hardcore revival they were at the forefront of.

Topics discussed: the Brisbane comedy scene, hecklers, dead people, NDIS, irony.

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Another red hot episode. Annabelle James is the best, she's so funny, and she dropped in before she heads off to Scotland forever to discuss Bane's final album (although they have been pretty active of late, so we'll see). This record does so much in such a short time, exploring the concepts of grief, both literal and figurative - the weight of 20 years resting on songs that for the most part go for less than 2 minutes. Bane are a very important band to not only the hardcore scene, but the very concept of punk and hardcore universally. They helped define the genre, and it's not often you get to watch a figurehead like this consciously say goodbye.

Topics discussed: Kim Petras, slut eras, driving

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Alice Tovey is a comedian and writer for shows like Gruen and Question Everything. She's also an absolute sweetheart. We psychoanalyse Uncle Hardcore himself, Todd Jones, and get into the virtues of unhinged anger in art. Great album, great episode.

Topics discussed: white guys with dreadlocks, metal as being camp, crunchy noise.

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First episode in Dead Ramones HQ, Hastings is back to deliver his expertise on the state of the Scene (capital S) in 2012. Skinny jeans. Black vans. Grotesque designs on all your band tees. The Ghost Inside. I'm drinking haterade on this episode - I know this band is beloved in certain circles but I really couldn't find any redeeming value in this investigation. But they were a big deal, and I think it's a good snapshot of what the time period looked like.

Topics discussed: skinny jeans, Attack Attack, the various Destroy All Lines club nights around Australia, fingering, chemically straightened hair.

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Sophie, the other half of the genius Basecamp podcast, joins us this week to discuss everybody's favourite album, Shed by Title Fight. I thought Shed was commonly acknowledged as THE TF album, turns out it's actually Floral Green, but I don't like that one as much. I really think Shed did a lot to push the genre forward and it's imprint on the scene can still be felt today. Every new band either sounds like Title Fight or Trapped Under Ice.

Topics discussed: Pilates, Nicola Lombardi, film, Tom Hardy.

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Nic is on the pod! Cohost of the amazing Basecamp podcast, stand up comedian, lawyer - what can't she do!? Nic brings some awesome insights and a good lexicon of influence to discuss Ceremony's third, and arguably best, full length record. A great way to kick off the new decade of hardcore, with an album that in equal parts looks back on it's heritage, and forward to whatever comes next.

Topics discussed: poo, houses, teeth, a billion dollars.

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The great and patient Tom Witcombe from the Flog Cabin podcast joins me for a great little chat. We're talking about one of my favourite ever records this week, and Tom couldn't be more ambivalent about it. I think TUI really embodied the spirit of hardcore for a period in time there, combining all the things that make it so cool - the toughness combined with the vulnerability of being a "confused kid" and this underlying punk rock rattiness beneath it all. We mainly talk about comedy I guess.

Topics discussed: comedy, thoughts VS feeling, Jeselnik, post-punk, the F-slur.

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Australia's favourite nephew Luka Muller joins the pod to discuss Have Hearts's second & final record. We discuss our mindsets at the time, how this record smashed our expectations of hardcore more widely, as well as all the cool bands we were in.

Topics discussed: scents, smells, aromas, comedy.

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My producer/manager/promoter for Powerbomb Comedy joins the pod to discuss Australian heavy music heroes, Parkway Drive. We discuss their 2007 watershed album, Horizons, and how it changed everything for heavy music in Australia, as well as a couple of detours into the winding roads of Nat's brain.

Topics discussed: The Amity Affliciton, the Northern Beaches, public transport, flipping cars, data, getting crushed.

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Brisbane's favourite sovereign citizen/former military operator/creek dweller Jack Knight was down in Sydney for the comedy festival, so I got him on to discuss the 2006 Hope Con classic, Death Knows Your Name. Jack and I don't see eye to eye on many things, but that only makes our friendship even stronger.

Topics discussed: the killdozer, apes, ape sounds, eggs.

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Alright, it's the big one, the record I named the whole damn podcast after, and we have returning our first ever guest, the queen herself Edan McGovern.

'Witness' by MLIW is yet another turning point in my own musical lifespan - not only did they redefine what hardcore was capable of, they turned me onto authors, poets & other styles of music I never thought to look to for inspiration in making my own art. But more importantly, I think this record represents something that anyone making any style of music is always reaching for - it's truly personal, truly universal, and truly uncompromising.

Topics discussed: thalidomide, boy bands, allyship, Ethel Cain.

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Stokesy aka @harrowingfilms drags his corpse into the studio (my dining room) to discuss THE metalcore album of the new century. Misery Signals changed the landscape of the scene with their debut album, taking what was fast becoming a stale sub-genre and blending it with an authentic emo influence, as well as authentically emotional subject matter. A real fun one here.

Topics discussed: Pete Wentz, Mark Hoppus, shoes.

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Kiyanosh Sahebi joins the podcast to bring a jazz-hip-hop fusion perspective to mid 2000s hardcore. Terror are one of the most energising bands in the culture, and continue to carry the flag for hardcore 20 years on from this debut. I think Kiyanosh is a convert, thanks purely to the undeniability of this record. Nothing sums up hardcore for me quite like this record.

Topics discussed: pronunciation, Iran, the north shore, friendship, jazz-hip-hop fusion.

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Comedian and British Person Freddie McManus joins the pod to discuss Hatebreed's seminal 2002 album, 'Perseverance.' Another episode discussing the mainstream appeal of heavy music, including MTV Headbanger's Ball, UFC sponsorships, supporting Slipknot on tour, etc, etc. Also: analogies.

Topics discussed: masculinity, respect, horses, russian dolls.

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Bec's back and more patient than ever. We're discussing the record that changed my life (and I'm sure plenty of other people's). Converge are an enduring force in hardcore & extreme music, and for better or worse their flagship album, the record that cemented their legacy, is a concept record about a bad breakup, told, of course, from the man's perspective. But damn, it's fucking good.

Go watch Bec Charlwood's stand-up special "BIPOLAR BABY" on YouTube at your earliest convenience and listen to her podcast Screen Queens.

Topics discussed: 9-11, Ariana Grande.

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Lauren Bonner joins the pod for an introduction to the quintessential screamo/skramz/emoviolence band Orchid. DTRT is not as lauded as Chaos Is Me, but I personally like it more and it's my podcast. I try to explain, quite badly I think, where they fit into the sub-culture and their legacy. Lauren does a lot of heavy lifting on this episode and it's a great conversation.

Topics discussed: how to intro a podcast, gratitude, being in service of others.

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Sunshine Incarnate, Jen Carnovale, joins me in closing out the decade with one of the most important punk-adjacent records ever, "We Are The Romans" by the pride of the Pacific North-West, Botch. I truly believe most of the bands that played the Hellfest or Soundwave festivals every year would not have existed without these guys - no Every Time I Die, no Norma Jean. But even more than that, these guys gave rise to a hugely diverse and creative underground scene in the Seattle-Tacoma area that transcended genre and subcultural borderlines, and continue to make some of the most interesting music in subsequent projects to this day. Jen is a delight and a real trooper on this one!

Topics discussed: comedy, fun, motherhood, crying.

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The third and final cohost of the Community Noticeboard podcast makes his appearance on Dead Ramones. Jamie Kirk joins me to talk about the album that got all us 32-39 year old men into hardcore.

Topics Discussed: emogame, misogyny, parenting tips, the best pubs in Marrickville.

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Jackson Stewart is one of the few people who can make me laugh really fucking hard. Snapcase are one of my favourite bands. He hated this record but was very diplomatic about it. We talk about the "gimmick-ification" of 90s hardcore & how Snapcase brought some straightforward honesty back to the scene, how their career ran parallel to the mainstream but never really broke through, and the snare sound on PTU.

Topics discussed: mushrooms, clowning, street harassment, Adelaide.

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Fellow oldhead Kevin Jin joins host Ryan Sim to discuss Integrity and their landmark 1996 album 'Humanity Is The Devil.' This band has had such a huge effect on the hardcore/punk/metal landscape while maintaining their true underground status the whole time. I will definitely need to do a deep-dive episode in season 2, but for now, enjoy this discussion of how HITD cemented not only Integrity's sound, but the Clevo style and holy terror as their own subgenres.

Topics discussed: being Chinese, Western Sydney, Blackwire Records, big stim, autism.

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Oh man was Jack angry about this. Jack Wright is one of the funniest comedians in the country, with an online profile inversely proportionate to his skills as a comedian. This one is released early because he's in Adelaide right now and I want you all to buy tickets to see him. We're talking about the landmark metalcore/metallic-hardcore album Destroy The Machines by one the premier Vegan Straight Edge band, Earth Crisis. Jack hated it.

Topics discussed: Smoking cigarettes, Australia's feral rabbit problem, smoking weed, Reversal Of Man, showers, donuts.

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Host of Triple J Lunch, stand up comedian & all round Great Hang David Woodhead joins the pod to discuss one of the most iconic bands in punk and hardcore history, Sick Of It All, and their 1994 mainstream breakthrough "Scratch The Surface." I know people will be mad I didn't do Unbroken, but we'll get there. Season 2 baby.

Topics discussed: comedy, 3 Days Grace, emo, Thursday (the band), Drake, more comedy.

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We continue our investigation into the '90s 'major label feeding frenzy' with our second record from the "Straight Edge Cobain" Walter Schreifels (of Gorilla Biscuits). Quicksand were a formative band for me, and comedian Steph Broadbridge is a real champ on this episode, letting me gush about them for an hour.

Topics discussed: Jazz, raw emotion, how many notes is too many notes?

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Comedian, comedy promoter & polyamorist Andrew Hastings joins the pod to discuss what is potentially the origin story of nu-metal, Brooklyn's Biohazard and their 1992 debut album "Urban Discipline." We cover the slow but steady movement of extreme music from cities into the suburbs, and how the 90s "major label feeding frenzy" facilitated many underground bands finding their way into the mainstream. This episode also features the greatest riff of all time.

Topics discussed: Wind, Convection Currents, Deez Nuts, Wrestling, Pornos & the greatest Seinfeld episode ever.

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Leatherface are not the 'quintessential nineties hardcore band' - at least not when you think about the American scene of the decade. But this album was insanely influential in its own circles. I don't think we'd have Hot Water Music, or a lot of those Fest-adjacent bands without this album. It's also one of the very few perfect records ever made in the history of rock music. So enjoy this left-of-centre choice for episode 12, and enjoy the boyish charms of my guest, Andrew Bensley, of Community Noticeboard fame.

Topics discussed: The Muppets, the Canberra DIY scene, listening to people have sex in a share house, emotions.

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Shad Wicka joins host Ryan Sim to discuss the landmark pre-Rage Against The Machine record. Inside Out is legendary mostly because retrospect is 20/20 and we all want some claim to the mainstream, ie. Zach De La Rocha is actually a hardcore kid. We also talk guitarist Vic DiCara's legacy with the band 108 & Krishnacore, and more generally the arbitrary delineations between hardcore and the mainstream.

Topics discussed: identity theft, Eastern medicine, tibetan prayer flags, compliments, my sore back, those damn white people.

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Dani Chalmers spent the first half of her life working for Resist Records and booking tours for hardcore bands. She's brought out Gorilla Biscuits, as well as Walter Schreifels other bands Quicksand and Rival Schools. She's now a reformed hardcore kid, and listens to Triple J. I enable her descent back into the culture with this episode.

Topics discussed: Hardcore.

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Comedy darling & gay icon MEG JÄGER joins the pod to discuss the seminal album SUFFER by BAD RELIGION. We go over the storied past of one of punk rock's most famous and longest running bands. This album is a great bridge between punk rock and hardcore, and really established a "California" sound that is still heard today across many bands in both hardcore and punk circles. Suddenly hardcore was smart, political & poetic - in the words of NOFX's Fat Mike... this is the album that changed everything

Topics discussed: Frappes, boomers, white guys, the SBS Irish drama KIN, The Muppets, God, s**c*d*.

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I chose to review this one because it is, according to history, the most 'important' crossover record from that early period. God damn I hated it. Cyco Mike just sounds like Aldi Lemmy, and it really goes to prove no matter how good you are at your instrument you can still make the most boring music known to man. Also, it's very funny to show a man who's been to real prison a song about being a prisoner "of my mind, man!"

Topics discussed: Prison, being in prison, the definition of "remand", Mr Inbetween, Stormtroopers Of Death, Right Back At Ya, prison.

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Professional girlfriend, perfect angel & most recently, New Fiancee, Bianca Hrovat (she has other accolades but would prefer I don't list them publicly on the internet) joins host/boyfriend Ryan Sim to discuss the year's best hardcore records. We establish a threshold of whether any given band will or will not be allowed to play in the car.

Topics discussed: Wheatus, music for the car, deer, Italian heritage, and much more.

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Comedian & podcaster Nick Capper joins me to discuss the seminal 1986 album "AGE OF QUARREL" by Cro-Mags. We talk about the soap opera that was this band, the egos, the drama, the snide remarks - honestly it's better than Real Housewives.

Topics discussed: Ween, being weird and offputting, wotkout regimes, Kyuss Lives, and much more.

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Host of the Community Noticeboard podcast, stand up comedian, and husband, Alex White (@whitebaitonline) joins host Ryan Sim to talk about the original emo band, Rites Of Spring. We discuss out dark and twisted minds as well as our broken hearts over here on the island of unwanted toys.

Topics discussed: Backpack rap, emo rap, Hank Hill, marriage.

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Comedian, Triple J host, Trivia Queen, Bipolar Baby Bec Charlwood joins host Ryan Sim this week to discuss Agnostic Front's legendary debut album "Victim In Pain" from 1984. She thought I'd done her dirty by making her listen to some random piece of shit, and I explain how much of a landmark this record was, and how important AF are to the history of hardcore. She does not care. Welcome to the Pod! We talk about society, man, CBGBs and the difference between hardcore as just music and "being a part of" hardcore.

Bec has a stand up comedy special available on YouTube - it's called Bipolar Baby, go watch it!

Topics discussed: Randy Jackson, Uncles, Phil Collins, Mischief.

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Sam's allowed to say THAT word, don't freak out. I try my hardest to explain Minor Threat to a man who unironically owns one of those frilly ren fair shirts. Sam is one of my oldest friends in comedy & this was a blast. I love Minor Threat.

Topics discussed: Buckfast / The Killers / The Positive Influence Of The Comedy Community / The Destructive Influence Of The Comedy Community

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Comedian and flight risk Jack Knight joins host Ryan Sim to discuss the historic self titled album from DC's Bad Brains. Released in 1982, I inform Jack that Bad Brains were in fact, black dudes.

Topics discussed: Scamming your way into a music college / QAnon Mario / Folk Music / Jack not realising Bad Brains were black

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Gen Z spokesperson, stand up comedian, creator of content, and TikTok insurgent Edan McGovern joins host Ryan Sim to discuss the 1981 Black Flag album, 'Damaged.'

Who are 'they' that Hank is so mad at? Why is everyone playing a different song? Why do white dudes have it so hard in society? We discuss the album and indulge our tangents.

Topics: Gender / ABBA vs Fleetwood Mac / Peach PRC / Death

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Follow us on Instagram at @dead_ramones and email feedback, requests, corrections to deadramonespodcast@gmail.com.

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