The (Mostly) 80s Music Podcast: What Difference Does It Make?

The (Mostly) 80s Music Podcast: What Difference Does It Make?

Author: Dave Sloan and Holly Cantos Language: English Episodes: 100
For anyone who lived through it, or for those who just love the sounds that defined it, the 1980s were a musical lightning strike. The (Mostly) 80s Music Podcast: What Difference Does It Make? is a deep, personal excavation of that era, hosted by Dave Sloan and Holly Cantos. This isn't a simple nostalgia trip or a countdown of chart-toppers. Instead, Dave and Holly use their genuine expertise and passion to guide conversations with the very people who created the decade's soundtrack. You'll hear directly from the artists, producers, engineers, and label insiders, getting the stories behind the songs that you won't find in a standard biography. Each episode feels like an intimate backstage pass, uncovering the creative decisions, the industry shifts, and the personal anecdotes that explain why this music still resonates so powerfully today. The podcast thrives on specificity-maybe one week features a synth-pop pioneer explaining the gear behind their iconic sound, while another sits down with a session musician who played on a dozen classic albums. It’s a celebration of craft and context, asking and answering the question embedded in its title: what difference did these people and their work truly make? Listening feels like joining a detailed, enthusiastic conversation between friends who just happen to have incredible guests. The result is a richly layered portrait of a decade, built one fascinating story at a time.
Episodes
Mindy Smith Needs A Quiet Town [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:53
Mindy Smith made quite an impression on Dolly Parton with her take on Dolly's iconic song, "Jolene". She followed that up with her beautiful debut album, One Moment More. Now twenty years into her career, she releases an…
Robert Hilburn Has Some Words In Defense Of Randy Newman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:28
Robert Hilburn, former LA Times Music Editor/Critic, has become one of the preeminent music biographers for the singer-songwriter. Known for his deep dives into the lives of legendary artists, Robert has penned insightfu…
Iain Matthews Tells Us How Much Is Enough [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:55
Iain Matthews’ 53rd-ish solo album is entitled "How Much Is Enough". He joins the podcast and we learn all about the start of his career, from selling shoes on Carnaby Street in mid-60s Swingin' London, to where he is to…
Steve Diggle finds harmony with The Buzzcocks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:01
We celebrate Punk For A Day Day on October 25 by recognizing one of our favorite Punks. One wouldn't blame Steve Diggle if he decided to pack up The Buzzcocks name after the death of vocalist Pete Shelley back in 2018. B…
Denny Tedesco Gets Into The Immediate Family [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:10
What does music documentarian Denny Tedesco do for an encore, after beautifully capturing the family of musicians known as The Wrecking Crew? How about find another family? That’s exactly what Denny did, with his latest…
Earth To Moon Unit Zappa: A Podcast [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:23
Moon Unit Zappa has led quite a unique life. The daughter of Frank and Gail, she always called her parents by their first names. Moon was gifted a journal every year since she was five, and now she details many of the cr…
Redd Kross Remain Innocent [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:38
It's been quite a year for the brothers Jeff and Steven McDonald of Redd Kross. They’re currently in the middle of a tour in support of their eponymous double album, their oral history memoir, Now You're One Of Us: The S…
Robyn Hitchcock Never Left 1967 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:25
Robyn Hitchcock has had quite the musical career. So much so that two movies have been made about him: The documentary Robyn Hitchcock: Sex, Food, Death...and Insects, and the Jonathan Demme-directed performance film, St…
Desperately Seeking Susan Seidelman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:36
Susan Seidelman has directed films with Meryl Streep, John Malkovich, and Madonna, but how does a humble girl from the suburbs of Philadelphia get to such a point? It's all documented in her new book, Desperately Seeking…
Matt Pinfield: Music, Mayhem And MTV [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:53
Matt Pinfield would probably consider himself "just a music fan from New Jersey". But fans of his radio and club shows, as well as music artists like David Bowie and Depeche Mode immediately recognized the passion and kn…