Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves – Details, episodes & analysis

The success of "Blue Monday" by New Order was a mistake. The song was a joke. New Order never intended for it to be a hit. In this week’s episode of Poetic Wax, we pull out the 1988 reissue of "Blue Monday" on vinyl and give it a spin.

We'll dig into the surprising history of the song that blended alt rock, new wave, and electronic dance music and changed the course of music history.

The Poetic Wax Podcast is hosted by Andy Fenstermaker. What began as a weekly music history video series on his YouTube Channel can now be found on podcast platforms like this one with blog-form transcripts on his Substack.

Subscribe and follow along. New episodes go up each week!

When people ask The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, I push back and say give me The Kinks! This troupe began as mod rockers in the 1960s and came to weave theatrics into their music by the turn of the decade. Opening their 1967 album Something Else, "David Watts" plays into that playfulness with a slyness that makes you think. This is the story of David Watts and the inside joke between the Davies brothers that inspired it.

The Poetic Wax Podcast is hosted by Andy Fenstermaker. What began as a weekly music history video series on his YouTube Channel can now be found on podcast platforms like this one with blog-form transcripts on his Substack.

Subscribe and follow along. New episodes go up each week!

Punk originated during the mid 1970s, but its beginnings are steeped in the underground scene dating back to the mid 1960s. Today, Andy Fenstermaker with Poetic Wax looks at proto punk and its origination, coinciding and clashing with the mid-60s garage rock of the Pacific Northwest. In particular, a little band from Tacoma, Washington called The Sonics.

This episode of Poetic Wax digs deep into the music history of one of the earliest influences on punk rock. As The Sonics celebrate their 60th anniversary with a series of live shows (yes, they're STILL performing to this day), this is a fitting look back at their humble beginnings.

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In 2015, Jack White anonymously purchased the one off copy of Elvis Presley's first recording, "My Happiness" b/w "That's When Your Heartache Begins."

This is the story of how that two-song record came to be, how White acquired it, and what happened next. It's a fascinating story of secrecy, mystery, and good business decisions.

This episode of Poetic Wax digs deep into music history and lore, exploring a sixty-year journey from 1953 to 2015, and concludes on a recent moment in White's career with the release of his new album No Name in 2024. 

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In 1992, Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins wrote what might very well be the most upbeat song about hopelessness and hitting rock bottom: "Today." Many look no further than the opening line "Today is the greatest day I've ever known," but dig deeper and the dark undertones are undeniable.

This is the story and the history of the song off their 1993 album Siamese Dream, and how it came from an incredibly bleak period in the life of the famed frontman.

This episode of Poetic Wax digs deep, exploring the period between The Smashing Pumpkins first two releases. Gish in 1991 and Siamese Dream in 1993.

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It's time to go deep into the history and story of Misery is a Butterfly, the 2004 album by Blonde Redhead. We'll go deep, exploring the band's noise pop origins and their move from Smells Like to Touch & Go Records.

For Misery, we'll dig into their decision to strike out on their own, ultimately landing at the legendary label 4AD. We explore the album's origins and the impact of a tragic horse accident member Kazu Makino sustained in 2002, of which traces of influence can be found within.

I explore and share my personal connection to the album and its lasting impact, 20 years on. In a sense, this is a mini album documentary.

Poetic Wax is a weekly YouTube video series and podcast hosted by Andy Fenstermaker. You can find the transcript with supplemental video and audio clips referenced in each episode on his Substack.

The Velvet Underground is one of the most influential bands in rock history, and their collaboration with pop art icon Andy Warhol has a lot to do with that. This is the BIZARRE story of how The Velvet Underground met Andy Warhol, and went on to change the landscape of music forever.

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From Grief to Greatness: this is a history of Arcade Fire's debut album Funeral and how it changed indie rock. Funeral was released in September 2004, birthed from the collective grief of the band after losing many family members. Finding joy in the sorrow, the album resonated with many across the United States and the world in the post-9/11 days, still fresh from a few years prior.

Yet, it almost didn't see the light of day.

From death to new life, pain to joy, after 20 years this album still cuts deeply, heals fully, and continues to impact and inspire fans of indie rock.

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This is the story of "Float On" and how a slew of bad events led Modest Mouse to create the greatest perseverance anthem of all time. Their 2004 album "Good News For People Who Love Bad News" turns 20 in 2024, and that means it's the perfect time to look back and see how we got here. Modest Mouse is a band that probably never should have made it big, but defied all odds with a little mindset shift. Let's dig in!

Connect with Andy and the Poetic Wax Podcast on YouTube and Instagram.

Before CBGB's there was the Mercer Arts Center. This is the wild story of the hotel that housed that venue, it's collapse, and how it led to the rise of CBGB's and punk rock. Today we touch on a few notable bands from the 1970s, including New York Dolls, Television, Ramones, and The Modern Lovers.

From the fanfare of the Grand Central Hotel in the 1870s to the two notable events that took place with its first ten years, to the birth and collapse of the Mercer Arts Center, this fascinating story digs into a little covered history within the underground music scene in New York City during the early 1970s.

Connect with Andy and the Poetic Wax Podcast on YouTube and Instagram.