What Difference Does It Make

It's a new year in more ways than one for the What Difference Does It Make podcast, as we go "back to the future" and begin our look at the songs KROQ in Los Angeles played in the year 1985. In this episode, we look at …

1985 was a year filled with incredible highs: LIVE AID!, The Breakfast Club, Eddie Murphy, and some soul-crushing lows: New Coke, the Super Bowl …

Welcome to our greatest hits episode! First time to What Difference Does It Make? This is the perfect start to discovering our 80s music podcast. We look back at the highlights from 2021, as we talk with some of our …

Another holiday classic filled with some great 80s music! We discuss our new year's traditions, new year's resolutions, the history behind toasts and …

What Difference Does It Make, the 80s music podcast, talks Christmas music. There are a couple favorites centered around skiing and Holly tells us …

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Holly finds a couple Hanukkah songs favorites via friend of the show, JC Douglas. We talk "Baby, …

Fans of Tom Scharpling might think they know him well. After all, he's hosted his own radio show/podcast, The Best Show for 20 years. Turns out, we only knew about a small portion of his life. It Never Ends is an …

Friend of the show, David Wild, returns, and he wanted to bring along his bestie, Phil Rosenthal. Phil is the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond, and Somebody Feed Phil, so first thing we do is throw him a food …

It's the holiday season once again so Holly and I present to you this timeless classic episode...now with actual music! Dave's favorite holiday song …

We talk turkey....and pie...and candy and occasionally about songs that make us think about Thanksgiving. This Thanksgiving episode from 2018 reminds us of how fortunate we are to have food, friends and music in our …

John Illsley knew he wanted more out of life than a safe career working in the logging industry. His life took a major turn when he met the Knopfler brothers; Mark and David. With John taking the bass, and Pick Withers …

Michaelangelo Matos realized at the age of 9 how magical the year 1984 was by simply listening to the radio, and loving each and every song he heard. His latest book, Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster …

Gina Schock, drummer for The Go-Go's, may have been "Made in Hollywood", as the title of her new book suggests, but she was without a doubt, born in …

We care about the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, but not nearly as much as Joe Kwaczala and Kristen Studard, hosts of the Who Cares About The Rock Hall? …

To tell you the truth, David Wild knows everyone in Hollywood. Because it was our first time talking with him, it felt like a first date. David laid …

The coup de main, or surprise attack, for Jude Cole, is that after 21 years, he's released two records in 2021. Coup De Main is an album of …

Alec Wightman may call himself a corporate lawyer, but he's also a huge music fan. He's chronicled his personal journey of fandom into a memoir entitled Music In My Life: Notes From a Longtime Fan. The book details …

Jay Jay French may be best known as the guitarist in Twisted Sister, but he's used all the experience he's acquired throughout the course of his life …

Journalist and author Paul Rees has previously written about Robert Plant and The Who's John Entwistle; two rock stars that kept a low personal …

Fee Waybill, lead singer of The Tubes takes us on his musical journey as the band moves from cult status to striking it big, after landing producer …

This week, we step back from the task of asking questions, and instead let Bob Bland of the Bend & Scoop podcast inquire into our record …

You might know Lawrence Gowan as the keyboardist and songwriter for Styx for the past 20 years. Canadians know Lawrence Gowan as the artist with two top-ten albums from the 80s, Strange Animal (1985) and Great Dirty …

Gary Myrick has had quite an adventurous musical journey. This Texas native left for greener pastures in Los Angeles and formed Gary Myrick & The Figures. Any fan of the film Valley Girl will remember their 80s …

This wasn't an average conversation with your typical musician, as Austin-based musician Carl Almasy Coccaro is also a licensed Psychotherapist. First and foremost, he is a Psychotherapist that loves him some 80s music. …

Kurt Larson, lead singer of Information Society, is quite an interesting guy. First of all, he's only a part-time rock star, as he spends most of his days composing music for video games. We learn all about video games, …

If you're a fan of 80s music like we are, you might say some of your favorite bands are The Police, REM, Squeeze, The Go-Gos, The Alarm, The English …

Most people believe the year they graduated high school was the greatest year in pop music history. We put that theory to the test as we match up the …

Most of us initially learned about Gary Kemp though his work as the musical architect for the 80s band, Spandau Ballet so naturally we wanted to touch on everything surrounding the band. But first things first, as we …

Grammy-nominated folk singer and songwriter, Mary Gauthier, steps into the virtual What Difference Does It Make podcast studio and gives us inspiring …

Midge Trubey has quite a story. Back in the 70s, Midge found an opportunity to create a business by providing Rock Stars everything they need when they come into town. Turns out stars like Lionel Ritchie and Kenny …

What do you do when the creative juices are still flowing twenty years after your band breaks up? Well, in the case of The Jenny Thing, you get the band back together and release a new album. Lead singer/songwriter Matt …

We love our Dads. We wouldn't be who we are without their constant presence in our lives. Naturally, that also means we've incorporated their music …

Kristin Hersh might be best known as the singer-songwriter in the band 80s music band, Throwing Muses, but she is also an acclaimed author. Her latest book, Seeing Sideways, takes us on an emotional journey as she …

It turns out Richard Blade may just be an "Imposter". Los Angelenos know him as the voice that introduced a generation to 80s music bands like Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Pet Shop Boys, INXS, and The Cure. In fact, you …

Darren Brady-Harris gained fame as nerdy Cliff in the iconic 80s teen movie, 16 Candles. He's also one of the most passionate music fans we've ever met. Darren loves to talk 80s music, and he calls it like he sees it. …

Singer/songwriter Kat Goldman has a unique insight into the music industry, and writes about it in her book Off The Charts. Like anyone who has …

Her name is Annie and she dances on the sand...whenever she hears the album Rio by Duran Duran! Writer Annie Zaleski joins us in the virtual What Difference Does It Make podcast studio to talk about her 33 1/3 book, Rio…

Whether we like it or not, our moms shape who we are, and influence how we feel about so much in our lives. This episode is devoted to the music that …

Simply put, Dan McGrath is a huge Depeche Mode fan, I mean his initials are DM. The Creative Director of No Sheet Music and soon to be member of the duo cover band "Master and Servant", that plays only music by duos, …

Many of you know Jose Perez Navarro as the original anchor of Contacto Deportivo or as the play by play announcer for World Cup games since 2002. What you may not know, is his career started in radio back in his …

People listening to KROQ in the mid 80s got the good fortune to hear "Mega-mixes", a medley of songs from artists like Duran Duran and Pet Shop Boys that stretched out into one ten minute jam. The man responsible for …

Our favorite Los Angeles radio station is 885FM, so it was very cool to get Marc "Mookie" Kaczor into our virtual What Difference Does It Make …

JC Douglas, steps into the What Difference Does It Make virtual studios to discuss songs 60 to 51 from the 1984 KROQ year end list. This ten song …

Happy April Fools' Day! What songs make you smile? For Dave it's a knowing wink from an artist that knows this music can be ridiculous and yet, still …

We continue our celebration of March Metal Madness with Nöthin' But A Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. Authors Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock did an intensive dig into the musicians …

We all miss the connection of live music, and that's why we're so happy a movie like Long Live Rock has been released. This rock documentary pays tribute to the many factors that explain our passion for rock music AND …

We use the holiday of St. Patrick's Day to recognize a number of our favorite artists from The Emerald Isle. While we have a hard time pronouncing …

Russ Borris, Music Director at WFUV in New York enters our virtual studios and immediately throws down some knowledge. 1) "Duran Duran is Life" 2) Flight of The Conchords are Hall & Oates 3) When it comes to Masters …

Kyle Meredith, Music Director at WFPK in Louisville and host of his own podcast Kyle Meredith with... is ready to step in the ring with Holly and …

Carmel Holt, creator and host of Sheroes Radio, steps into the virtual What Difference Does It Make studios. We dig into Carmel's musical origin's …

We at What Difference Does It Make love love and what better way to say it, than with a song from the 80s? We discuss a number of our favorites that make us feel all warm inside. Happy Valentine's (and Gal-entine's) Day!

Dave knew he had found a new friend when he saw Joel ...clad in a Wilco t-shirt...at his daughter's soccer game. They bonded easily over music and sports. Dave was also happy to discover another good friend, in Joel's …

You might know Mike Marrone as the guy that created and hosted The Loft for SiriusXM for 17 years. He first established a name for himself in 1984 at Your Rock Alternative FM 106.3 WHTG, a free form rock station in New …

Our cover photo boy this week is Swedish Egil The jock from KROQ in Los Angeles kicks off our countdown with a song that time has forgotten, 'Erotic Egil'. Time has forgotten it because it is nowhere to be found. …

Season Premiere! In anticipation of our upcoming dissection of the songs played on KROQ in 1984, we wanted to set the table so to speak, and take you back to what we might have been doing back in the day. Dave was …

If bands can have greatest hits albums why can't podcasts have a greatest hits episode? We talked with so many talented artists in 2020 so this is a look back at what the year was like for What Difference Does It Make, …

We couldn't be more delighted to talk with self-described "Big 80s Icon", Mark Goodman. Of course, we all know him as an MTV VJ, but his roots are in …

Like many significant moments in our lives, we remember where we were when we heard the devastating news about John Lennon. We tell our stories and then turn it over to a couple people that surrounded the event of …

Jules Shear created a name for himself as a pop songwriter in the 80s writing Top 40 hits like "All Through The Night" for Cyndi Lauper and "If She …

November 6, 1970 marked the first ever gig for the band Aerosmith. It was played at Nipmuc Regional High School Gymnasium in Mendon, Massachusetts. …

What Difference Does It Make celebrates the release of Strum and Thrum by talking with members of the Bangtails, The Ferrets, Great Plains, and The Darrows as well as Captured Tracks label head, Mike Sniper. The Strum …

Bob Gruen has snapped so many iconic photos of our rock and roll heroes from Tina Turner to John Lennon to Led Zeppelin to Green Day. His memoir is …

Dylan Jones new book "Sweet Dreams: The Story Of The New Romantics" covers our sweet spot of music fandom 1975-1985 and so we have many questions. The book is not only an oral history of the music scene in the UK but a …

The cruel twist in this episode is that our talk with The Immediate Family had to end. Danny Kortchmar, Waddy Wachtel, Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel and Steve Postell share their stories of the rockin' James Taylor tour of …

If you're familiar with the names Stevie Nicks, Linda Ronstadt, Don Henley, James Taylor, Keith Richards and Carole King then you are familiar with …

You don't need to know anything about the guitar to know that what Eddie Van Halen did when he placed his fingers on those strings was something …

Singer-Songwriter Peter Himmelman takes us on the journey that led to his latest album "Press On". We talk about the songwriting process and the discipline that Peter needs to keep pushing himself to become a better …

As we continue our talk with BrownMark, we get into his complex relationship with Prince, There are good and bad times in the studio and concert stage. BrownMark learns some valuable lessons about the music industry …

BrownMark, bassist for Prince and the Revolution joins us to talk about his book, My Life In The Purple Kingdom. We get into the influence his …

David Freiberg, Donny Baldwin, Cathy Richardson, Chris Smith and Jude Gold known collectively as Jefferson Starship join us again for the final part …

It's Part 1 in our two part chat with all five members of Jefferson Starship. In on our Zoom call is David Freiberg, Donny Baldwin, Cathy Richardson,

Josie Cotton's iconic 80s record is Convertible Music but she is much more than just that one album. We get into her Russian send up song "Ukrainian Cowboy", recording songs in her studio, "Kitten Robot" and why she …

This week's talk is with Josie Cotton, best known for the songs "Johnny, Are You Queer" and "He Could Be The One" which appeared in the movie Valley …

Joel Graves: musician, recording studio owner and most importantly, composer of the What Difference Does It Make theme, virtually steps into our studios. Joel has spent his career with the bands Earlimart and Everest…

Our talk with Chris Frantz continues as we get into why Talking Heads initially passed on signing a record contract, the genesis of Tom Tom Club and the making of the 80s music classic concert film, Stop Making Sense. 

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We are so thrilled to talk with a member of Talking Heads, drummer Chris Frantz. Chris' book "Remain In Love" is out and we get into the details of how a guy growing up in Pittsburgh puts down his artistic paintbrush, …

Craig Rosen, journalist and friend of the show, returns with more stories involving Pete Buck and a beer, keeping Johnny Cash off of a speaker phone …

Melanie Vammen, Karen Basset and Sheri Kaplan Weinstein are back to talk all things Pandoras and what happens when a band that created a loyal …

Melanie Vammen, Karen Basset and Sheri Kaplan Weinstein join us for a talk about their band, The Pandoras. They share their experiences as a young Southern Californian band coming of age in the 80s music scene and keep …

Sure he's directed videos for Kylie Minogue and Bon Jovi (just don't tell Thom Yorke) but Nick Egan takes a punk rock approach to his videos. This leads to some clashes (pun intended) with Oasis and memorably Alanis …

Self-proclaimed "creative vandal" Nick Egan has created some of the most iconic 80s album artwork from The Clash and Bow Wow Wow to INXS and Duran Duran. In part one of our two part interview, we discuss how Nick got …

We talk with director Alison Ellwood to discuss her latest documentary centered around the Laurel Canyon music scene of the 60s and 70s. Alison provides some great insight into what it takes to bring a documentary such …

Our conversation with Kathy Valentine continues as she looks to the future as a Mother, Musician and Go-Go. We start off talking about the music she composed for her book "All I Ever Wanted", which leads to family …

Anyone that has listened to our podcast for even a short period of time would probably recognize that we are huge fans of 80s music icons: The …

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Doug Clifford joins us at What Difference Does It Make.  Our discussion starts with the Golliwogs, the band that …

It's another great talk on What Difference Does It Make as Glen Sobel tells us the secret to getting into Alice Cooper's Band, his experience on a …

Glen Sobel, drummer extraordinaire for Alice Cooper and Hollywood Vampires tells us about his start in the business and the prep that needs to be …

We got the opportunity to talk with Producer Steven Wolfe and Director Rachel Lee Goldenberg for the just released re-imagining of the 80s film, …

Our talk continues as Leslie Kogan Gold tells us all the exciting ideas she has to keep Andrew Gold's music fresh and exciting. Besides the new album

To celebrate the release of "Something New: Unreleased Gold" by Andrew Gold, we got the opportunity to talk with Leslie Kogan Gold. It was a real …

We talk to Craig Rosen, the man literally wrote the book on Number One Albums and R.E.M. We dig into Craig's origin story as a Valley Boy Hebrew …

If you've listened to our show at all you know that Holly and Dave ask each other music trivia questions at the end of each episode. JC Douglas from …

We are thrilled to get the opportunity to talk to Nova Scotia radio legend, JC Douglas. We talk about all things radio including first jobs, favorite …

Please, please tell me now! What was the number 1 song on the World Famous KROQ's, Roq of the 80s 1983 countdown? Well you'll just have to listen to …

Well in this time of social distancing we heed the words of David Bowie, "I don't want to go out. I want to say in. And get things done". We do our best by consuming bagels and talking about haircuts, the German …

Did you see the video? Holly continually swats away the question. Okay maybe she didn't see the videos, but she knows the songs. We discuss the most …

This week's episode feels just like the video for "The One Thing by INXS as we devour Randy's donuts and try to figure out how to pronounce the dessert known as blancmange. In between donuts, there's talk of South …

This episode includes talk of cover songs, alcohol and break-ups. No we have not switched formats to country music but each song we discuss this week …

Counting down the hits from 1983 as played on radio station KROQ in Los Angeles entails more rabbits holes to go down. We end up analyzing the number …

This episode is dominated by Austrian superstar, Falco. We try to talk German, Alles klar? Der Kommissar and fail miserably. Falco talk naturally …

This episode we debate the significance of the age seventeen and the importance of the marimba. We wonder if Peter Garrett is 8 feet tall (he's …

This week we talk about songs we totally love like Aztec Camera and songs we that left us oblivious. Plus more parenthesis talk! However, instead of being positive like (Keep Feeling) and (Go For It!), the directions …

From haircuts (A Flock of Seagulls vs. Kajagoogoo) to TV and Film actors (Spandau Ballet) to literally parenthesis telling you to (Go For it!) and …

We start off our KROQ countdown of 1983 by talking about mullets and the Love Boat. Don't worry it all makes sense. There are some lost classics …

The "olds" try not to be poseurs and stay woke in this Part 2 special looking back at Pop Culture of 1983. We are primed and ready as continue to …

We kick off a new season of What Difference Does It Make by diving into the year 1983. Before we do our deep dive into the music we go down the …

It's not a repeat if you haven't heard it before and it's the perfect time to revisit Dave's favorite holiday and the one Holly tolerates because …

Holly and Dave continue their lively talk with Dan McGrath, composer of The Strictly Come Dancing series in the UK and self-proclaimed 80s music …

The week we talk to Dan McGrath, composer of The Strictly Come Dancing series in the UK and self-proclaimed 80s music nerd. Dan talks about his love of Depeche Mode, Gary Numan and Yazoo and shares a few encounters he's …

In part two of our interview with Record Promotions Guy, Nick Bedding, we talk about how Nick learned his chops from some of the best promo people around like Phil Costello, Jeffrey Naumann and Claire Parr.  It's a fun …

In the first part of our interview, Nick Bedding talks about his first exposure to music in his hometown of Croydon which is South of London to his move to Valencia, California which is north of nowhere. We'll hear …

Holly and Dave celebrate the music of Eddie Money and Ric Ocasek. Two artists that knew how to exhibit their own brand of cool and were able to …

We are very happy to welcome Trevor Steel of The Escape Club into our studios. Trevor was happy to share band stories including where he was when he found out "Wild, Wild West" had hit number one, the terror he faced …

Dave and Holly venture outside the studio to experience an actual concert going experience. The Pasadena Daydream Festival curated by Robert Smith of …

For part 2 of our Pasadena Daydream Festival Preshow tailgate party, Dave lays down his rules for preparing for a concert. Holly provides the …

Dave and Holly have a drawing to determine which 5 of the 10 bands that each will discuss for the Pasadena Daydream Festival curated by Robert Smith …

It's the final part of our  "What Difference Does It Make Podcast" interview with Nick Longo of Longo Designs. Nick lets us know that sometimes fonts work for bands like NWA and Pink Floyd, most hair metal fonts had a …

What makes an iconic Artist Logo? It's a lot to consider but sometimes simplicity is best. Branding Specialist Nick Longo of Longo Designs breaks it down for us and lets us know why KISS, AC/DC and Aerosmith, among many …

In part 2 of our interview with Nick Longo of Longo Designs, we dissect the two iconic Rush album covers, Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures and …

In part 1 of our extensive interview with Brand Builder Nick Longo, we discuss why the What Difference Does It Podcast logo works so well, after all he is the person that created it. We also talk about what defines 80s …

In our season 3 finale, we wrap up the year that was 1982 on the KROQ charts. The Go-Gos take a vacation, Sparks make some predictions and Foster Farms gives a unique twist to Human League's "Don't You Want Me". Plus …

Dave and Holly discuss going to a Go-Go with The Rolling Stones, Aidan Quinn and Darryl Hannah dancing to Romeo Void and Toni Basil strutting her …

In part two of our super summer salute to the splendid songs of summer, Dave learns about that "It Take Two" was sampled heavily from the song "Think …

We welcome special guest Chelsea Cantos into our What Difference Does It Make studio. Holly's daughter just wanted to tag along and see how the …

Summer is here so Holly and Dave start imagining going on a Duran Duran type tour and heading to Sri Lanka or hanging out to the beach and listening …

In our "bits and chunks" episode of What Difference Does It Make, we discuss a couple Levis commercials, Principal Vernon from The Breakfast Club and …

A lot to unravel in this episode. Tattoos on Jews, John Cusack or Adam Levine, Stan Ridgway singing inside a pot full of beans and we learn about …

Holly and Dave try to get water? milk? blood? from a turnip in this episode and discuss Inglorious Bastards, Area Codes, prank phone calls and …

Dave and Holly have an "interesting" episode. They begin by wondering if the word "interesting" is an effective word to describe something of …

In this episode Holly and Dave discuss how nice it would be to be Nick Lowe and unexpectedly receive a million dollar check for a song you wrote 20 …

Holly and Dave are back at it going back to 1982 and talking about the songs we heard back in 1982 on KROQ Roq of The 80s in Los Angeles. In this …

In anticipation of the 2019 Inductees, Dave and Holly spend most of their time talking about wanting to see Janet and Def Leppard in Vegas and The …

Dave and Holly talk about the the seven Inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for 2019. In this episode, we start off our conversation with …

Simon LeBon may have said being on a boat for Duran Duran's Rio video was a joke but Holly and Dave knew this something to aspire to. We should all …

Dave and Holly talk about the songs that we heard on KROQ, Roq of the 80s in 1982. The first song on the list "I Had Sex With ET" by Barnes and …

In the final of our 3 part interview with Freddy Snakeskin. We talk about more about the air talent including Richard Blade and Swedish Egil and the beginning of the end for the ROQ of the 80s format. Freddy discusses …

Freddy Snakeskin talks about helping the innovator of the "ROQ of the 80s" format, Rick Caroll manage KROQ and then taking over for Rick and becoming …

Holly and Dave get to interview one of their radio heroes, the one and only Freddie Snakeskin, air talent and PD for KROQ Roq of the 80s. In part 1, …

Dave and Holly continue their talk about their favorite 80s music records from 1982. Holly seems to favor bands from Down Under like INXS and Split …

Dave and Holly talk about their favorite 80s music albums from 1982. Holly liked to dance and swoon citing Yaz and ABC. Dave liked to feel morbid …

We've reached number 11 as we do our deep dive into the top 106.7 songs played on KROQ in 1981. The women reign supreme as Chrissie Hynde, Lene …

Dave and Holly continue to count down the songs played on KROQ in 1981. Dave reminisces about The Waitresses and Square Pegs, attempts to remind …

Holly and Dave discuss songs 39 to 31 of the KROQ countdown from 1981. Strange but true KROQ played Rush's Tom Sawyer in 1981 so Holly gets to geek …

Holly and Dave continue their discussion of the top 106.7 songs played on KROQ in 1981. In this Ep we go through songs 69 (wink) to number 40. So …

Holly and Dave talk about the top 106.7 songs played on Los Angeles radio station KROQ, Roq of the 80s in 1981. In this first part we get up to song …

Holly sees Jeff Lynne's ELO and we see if there's any difference between shows from 1978 and 2018. Holly frets about the alleged meaning behind …

Dave and Holly discuss tribute bands. And would Holly actually take a couple Sheryl Crow albums as her Desert Island Discs? Would Dave take The …

Dave and Holly discuss the expectations and realities of seeing a nostalgic 80s show featuring ABC, Modern English, Tony Lewis of The Outfield, …

Dave and Holly talk about the first 25 videos that were played on MTV on August 1, 1981. In this episode we agree that Iron Maiden segueing into REO …

Dave & Holly talk about the day that was August 1, 1981. The launch of MTV. We'll discuss the first 25 videos played. Part one includes …

Dave & Holly continue to discuss their love (and hate) of music from 1980. The year has a wide variety of genres and we get into a few. We …

Dave & Holly discuss more music from the year 1980 and we discover that we need an assistant to help us remember everything.

Listen to the …

Dave and Holly discuss the 1980 KROQ playlist and love that both Squeeze and AC/DC are on it. Plus, why does Holly hate Devo?

Don't forget to …

Welcome to What Difference Does It Make, the 80s music podcast.. Dave and Holly talk all things 80s, but mostly music.

You can find us on your …