Rock in Retrospect

Helen and Jeff return to discuss the 2007 documentary Joy Division, which covers the history of the legendary post-punk band. We give our takes on the movie and reveal our favorite Joy Division songs. We conclude this episode with a discussion of Joy Division and New Order's upcoming induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We discuss all the drama within New Order, and ponder who will induct and perform with them at the ceremony. 

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Darren and Peter return to discuss the 2025 documentary Di’Anno: Iron Maiden’s Lost Singer, which chronicles the final years of original Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno. They talk about their Iron Maiden fandoms and share their thoughts on the documentary. 

We conclude by discussing Iron Maiden's upcoming Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction next month. We speculate on who we think could induct them and how their segment will go down. 

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Jon and Mike return to discuss the 2026 documentary Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger, which focuses on the legendary band's massively successful return tour from 2025. They detail their experiences going to the shows in their respective cities, seeing the movie in theaters (in IMAX no less!), and share their thoughts on the documentary. 

We conclude with your thoughts on their pending Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction next month and speculate who will show up, who will induct them, and what songs they play during their segment. 

Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger is currently st...

Today, we're discussing the 1996 television documentary The Phil Collins Big Band, which takes us behind the scenes of one of Phil Collins' most fascinating musical side projects. Best known for his work with Genesis and his hugely successful solo career, Collins decided to fulfill a lifelong dream of playing instrumental jazz and big band music. And that's exactly what he did! The documentary also features some famous faces, including Quincy Jones and Tony Bennett.

But this is an especially exciting episode of Movie Talk because we're joined by someone who actually appears in the documentary: the great...

Fellow librarian John returns to discuss the 2020 documentary The Library That Dolly Built, which explores country music icon Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and its mission to provide free books to millions of children around the world.

This episode is also, in part, a tribute to the late, great Dolly Parton, an extraordinary artist, philanthropist, and one of the greatest humans ever to grace our planet. Dolly, we will always love you.

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Kyle, Patrick, and Hector return to discuss Don Argott and Demian Fenton's 2022 documentary Dio: Dreamers Never Die, which focuses on the life and career of iconic hard rock and metal singer Ronnie James Dio. Whether he was in Rainbow, Black Sabbath, or Dio, his operatic vocals and magnetic stage presence stood out every time he performed. We give our take on the movie, share lots of personal stories, and pick our favorite songs from his iconoclastic career. This is a must-listen for any hard rock or metal fan.

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Tim Durling (Author of On Record: The April Wine Album Review) returns to discuss the career and legacy of Canadian classic rockers April Wine.

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Kevin Brown (The Tom Petty Project) joins Nick to discuss Cameron Crowe’s 1983 music documentary Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party. Originally filmed as an MTV promotional special supporting the band’s 1982 album Long After Dark, the film captures Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at the height of their popularity while offering a fascinating, behind-the-scenes glimpse into their world.

In addition to discussing the film, Kevin and Nick share their favorite songs from the band’s legendary career.

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Nick is joined by his friends and A24k Gold co-hosts Amanda, Darren, and Kailyn for a special crossover episode! Together, they discuss Jonathan Demme’s classic concert film Stop Making Sense (1984), featuring the legendary Talking Heads at the height of their powers.

Often hailed as the greatest concert film of all time, Stop Making Sense captures the band’s iconic live show through unforgettable performances, inventive staging, and, of course, David Byrne’s very big suit. The group dives into what makes it so enduring, their favorite musical moments, Demme’s approach to capturing the concert experien...

Josh and Kyle join Nick to discuss the career and legacy of 21st century hitmakers Coldplay. We discuss their consistent popularity over the last quarter century, their status as a great live act, share our favorite songs and albums from their legendary career, and why they are no brainers for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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Jacob and Rachel, hosts of the podcast Cinema Role, join Nick to discuss James Griffiths' 2025 musical comedy-drama The Ballad of Wallis Island. The film stars Tom Baden, Tim Key, and Carey Mulligan.

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Patrick, Mike, and Hector return to discuss Rob Reiner's 2025 mockumentary Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues. We share on thoughts on the movie, and conclude by selecting our favorite film from Reiner's legendary career. 

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Cliff and Helen are back to revisit one of the biggest music scandals of all time as they discuss the 2023 Paramount+ documentary Milli Vanilli. We dive into the incredible rise and spectacular fall of the 80s pop duo, unpack the infamous lip-syncing controversy, and explore how the documentary reshapes a story many thought they already knew.

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Today marks the 5-year anniversary of Rock in Retrospect! To celebrate this milestone, I turned it over to listeners to ask Nick anything they wanted him to answer or share stories about. From behind-the-scenes stories to questions he's never answered before, nothing was off limits. Let's celebrate five years together!

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Albert and Diya return to discuss Antoine Fuqua's Michael (2026), the long-awaited music biopic chronicling the early life and career of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. 

They share their thoughts on the film—both its strengths and shortcomings—highlight the standout performances (including Jaafar Jackson's portrayal of his famous uncle), and dive into several of the film's most memorable moments and themes. We wrap up the episode by counting down some of our favorite Michael Jackson songs.

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Comedian and writer Murray Valeriano returns to discuss the 2023 documentary Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd. We analyze the film, sharing plenty of funny stories and anecdotes along the way. We wrap up the episode with a mixtape of our favorite Pink Floyd songs spanning every era of the iconic band.

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Scott Kummer (co-host of I've Got That On Vinyl) returns to join Nick to discuss his podcast and his ongoing Project My Top 10 series.

The first half of the episode covers IGTOV's origins, format, and a rundown of the current rankings. The second half features Nick and Scott each revealing their top 10 favorite albums of all time.

Support Scott's show and register for a free account on the IGTOV website. You can participate in polls for albums featured on past episodes and post your own top 10 favorite albums of all time. It's a lot of...

Mike (Retro Rock Roundup) and Tony return to discuss their thoughts on the 2025 biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, which explores Bruce Springsteen’s personal and professional struggles during the making of his 1982 album Nebraska. 

We also discuss the newly released Electric Nebraska to cap off the conversation!

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Prolific country music writer Barry Mazor joins Nick to talk about his recent book Blood Harmony: The Everly Brothers Story. The book has been widely praised as the definitive biopgraphy about the iconic musical duo and it's definitely one of the best music history books written in the last few years. Definitely check this one out!

You can purchase a copy of Blood Harmony at any major retailer, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple Books.

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Greg returns to the show to discuss the career and legacy of the iconic rock band Smashing Pumpkins. We discuss their history, success, their catalog, and why they deserve to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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The Douche Caravan returns! Jon (Host of The Hustle Podcast),  Patrick (Host of The EETF Podcast) and Michael join Nick to discuss Stanley Nelson and Nicole London's 2025 documentary We Want the Funk!, which covers the history of the genre. 

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Prolific rock writer Martin Popoff joins Nick to talk about his latest book Kiss '76: Twelve Months That Defined the Hottest Band in the Land. 

You can purchase a copy of Popoff's book at any major retailer, including Amazon,  Barnes & Noble, and Quatro. 

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Albert and Dya join Nick to talk about the 2025 Netflix documentary Selena y Los Dinos.

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The Rock Hall squad is back! David, Mark, Michelle, and Tom return to share their thoughts on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 inductees. We did things a little differently this time, asking our Patreon supporters for topics they wanted us to cover and questions they wanted us to answer.

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Scott and Jon join Nick to discuss the career and legacy of Jonathan Richman. We talk about both his time with the proto-punk pioneers The Modern Lovers and his ever-eclectic solo career. We talk about a variety of topics, but have a lengthy conversation weighing the merits for a potential induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 

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Historian and writer Daniel Bukszpan returns to discuss his latest book Rush and 2112: Fifty Years. 

You can purchase a copy of Daniel's book at retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Quarto Books. 

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DJ Sir Daniel and Jay Ray (Queue Points Podcast) return to discuss the career and legacy of the iconic R&B and pop group New Edition. Topics include the group’s rise to fame, their legendary lineup of members, our favorite albums and songs from their catalog, and their current nomination for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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Cally and Loïc (co-hosts of Shakipedia: A Shakira Podcast) join Nick to discuss the career and legacy of Latin pop superstar and cultural icon Shakira! We discussed a variety of topics including Shakira's electifying live shows, her Spanish-language works of the 90s, her breakthrough success on the American charts in 2001, the legacy of her smash "Hips Don't Lie," and her current nomination for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 

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Traci, who runs the Get Phil Voted In campaign to get Phil Collins inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame a second time as a solo artist, returns to discuss Brandon Toews' 2024 documentary Phil Collins: Drummer First. The entire movie is streaming for free on YouTube.

We finish this episode by discussing Collins' current nomination for induction into the Rock Hall, Traci's campaign, and so much more. 

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To celebrate INXS’ 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination, Nick invited several members of the INXS fan base—Jim, Jon, and Shannon—to discuss Richard Lowenstein’s 2019 documentary Mystify: Michael Hutchence.

Support the campaign to get INXS inducted into the Rock Hall by visiting Induct INXS. You can also vote for INXS in the Rock Hall’s fan vote to help secure an additional ballot among the 1,200+ votes cast by the official voting body.

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Historian and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame voter Charles Hughes joins Nick to discuss the career and legacy of Oasis. They cover a range of topics, including the band’s status as Britpop legends, the massive success of their tour last year, and their current Rock Hall nomination (the third consecutive year they’ve appeared on the ballot).

Check out Charles’s blog series No Fences Review, which he co-authors with former guest and friend of the show, David Cantwell.

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Richard and Jordan return to discuss all things Neil Diamond and the 2025 biopic Song Sung Blue starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson.

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Cliff and Helen return to discuss the documentary Diane Warren: Relentless (2024) which focuses on the life and career of legendary songwriter Diane Warren. We give our takes on the movie, the Oscar-nominated song "Dear Me," and conclude with a rundown of our favorite songs from her catalog.

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Darren and Peter return to discuss the nominees in the music categories at this year's Academy Awards. We analyze all ten scores and songs, give our personal rankings, our predictions on who will win and cap it off with great works that were snubbed. We also discuss the Oscars’ decision to omit live performances from this year’s ceremony. 

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An all-star panel of Rock Hall experts join Nick to discuss the 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees Ballot! Tom, Mark, Michelle, Traci, Jon, and Andrea return to give their takes on all 17 nominees.

Disclaimer: We recorded this episode the day the nominations were announced on Wednesday February 25, 2026.

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Jordan, Kailyn, and Sam return to discuss the 2025 documentary Stans, which explores the career of rap icon Eminem through his superfans. We give our thoughts on the movie, share some personal stories, and cap it off with our favorite songs from his legendary catalog.

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Scott and Andrew join Nick to discuss Alex Ross Perry's film 2024 Pavements, which focuses on the legendary indie rock band Pavement. 

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Tim Durling (Author of Sing Me Away: The Night Ranger Album Review and host of Tim's Vinyl Confessions) joins Nick to discuss the career and legacy of classic rock legends Night Ranger! We discuss the band's sound, their influences, their iconic song "Sister Christian," among other topics. We conclude by revealing our favorite songs and albums from their catalog. 

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The Douche Caravan returns! Jon Lamoreaux (Host of The Hustle Podcast),  Patrick Dupuis (Host of The EETF Podcast) and Michael Bagford join Nick to discuss Amy Berg's 2025 documentary It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley. The movie focuses on the career of the legendary Jeff Buckley, whose album Grace (1994) is considered one of the most acclaimed and influential in modern popular music. We give our thoughts on the movie, and conclude with our favorite song from his catalog.

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Joe Kwaczala (host of Who Cares About the Rock Hall?) returns to discuss Nick's recently updated 'Rock Hall Prospects Project' list, now in its sixth year, which ranks who he feels are the most deserving artists heading into the next Rock Hall season. We discuss the artists who made the top 10, the 12 newly-added artists on this year's list, and concludes with Joe's suggestions for next year.

Read Nick's Substack post for his 2026 rankings.

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