Too Much Information – Details, episodes & analysis

Your leather-clad lizard kings of kinda cool stories are here to go deep on the Doors groundbreaking debut album — and, of course, the electric shaman himself: Mr. James Douglas Morrison. You'll hear all about Jim's tumultuous upbringing with a father who quite possibly started the Vietnam War and his estranged relationship with his family, as well as all of the literary (and pharmaceutical) influences that went into his lyrical poetry, and numerous run-ins with censorship and the law. You’ll also learn all about the chance meeting(s)that lead to the Doors creation, the corporate training film that would yield their first recordings, their historic first use of billboards and Moog synths — and the time Jim dropped acid during a session and destroyed the recording studio. 

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Jordan and Alex take a trip to True Crime country and it drive them to the brink of insanity as they unravel the tangled web of the most famous haunted house in America. You'll learn about the horrific real-life murder at the center of the story, which took place at 112 Ocean Avenue in 1974 and claimed the life of six members of the DeFeo family. Then you'll learn about the puzzling saga of the next family to move into the home, the Lutz's, who claimed they were tormented by evil spirits within the home for four weeks — leading them to flee in the dead of night, never to set foot in the house again. Were they telling the truth, or was it all part of an elaborate scam? (Alex has some thoughts!) In either case, the incident inspired a controversial best-selling book which yielded a Hollywood blockbuster that spawned dozens of imitators (over 40 to date!) and an untold number of lawsuits. This episode is NOT for the faint of heart, so strap in — Jodie the demonic pig is waiting for you...

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Jordan and Alex don their most severe clothing and geometric haircuts to dive in the Big Bang of post-punk and goth: Joy Division’s “Unknown Pleasures!” They’ll trace the band’s origins to a pre-fame Sex Pistols gig in Manchester attended by virtually every member of the city’s musical luminaries to the maddening conditions of recording with insane genius producer Martin Hannett, who maybe tried to suffocate and/or poison their drummer? They’ll also re-litigate 1980s Manchester’s most famous rock feud…among people who aren’t in the Smiths: Joy Division/ New Order’s Peter Hook and Bernard Sumner! Also get ready to be so sad hearing about Ian Curtis’ life! Too Much Information: Two men in their 30s struggling to delicately parse mental health issues via granular trivia!

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Alex and Jordan explore the psychotic lengths Donald Fagan and Walter Becker went to create their ’77 yacht rock classic — including the time they burned through nearly a dozen of LA’s best studio guitarists in search of a single guitar solo, the time they spent more than six hours trying to nail a two-word phrase, or the time they persuaded a legendary session drummer to play garbage can lids. They’ll also explain the origin of the album’s title, the Hollywood tragedy that supposedly inspired “Peg,” the tour with jazz-royalty they scrapped at the last minute, and the mystery of the missing master tapes. Plus, they'll delve into the rap beef they inadvertently started, and luxuriate in every glorious second of Michael McDonald’s pillowy vocal harmonies. 

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What's better? Dark chocolate or milk chocolate? Jordan and Alex go head-to-head in a bittersweet (eh? EH? C'mon!) grudge match presided over by celebrity chef Richard Blais (Top Chef, MasterChef, etc.) Which confection will come out on top and will our intrepid semi-sweet morsels of minutiae still be friends when the wrappers settle? Listen in and find out!

Food Court with Richard Blais is a production of iHeart Radio, just like yours truly! Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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Today on a special prehistoric episode of "Too Much Rock-formation" (sorry), Jordan and Alex throw it back to the genesis of the first animated sitcom. They'll discuss all the famous firsts on The Flintstones (including a weirdly sexual one), some of the surprisingly dark plotlines and non-kid-friendly jokes that crop up throughout series, the time the voice of Barney was near death and recorded his parts from a body cast in a hospital bad, the surprising way that Beethoven inspired the theme tune, and the controversies that drew threats of lawsuits from Jackie Gleason and Hulk Hogan. Plus, as if that's not enough, Jordan delivers a brief history of toilets on television! 

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Alex and Jordan delve into all the inter-band drama, personal traumas and prank calls that went into the political pop-punk concept record. They'll explore the painting that inspired "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," the heartbreaking meaning of "Wake Me Up When September Ends," and the mystery of the missing album Green Day were recording before they tackled American Idiot. You'll also learn about the hilariously debauched recording sessions — during which a studio caught fire — the time the band locked a famous drummer in his room, plus the album's bizarre second life as a Broadway musical. 

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Jordan and Alex close out their Olivia Newton-John tribute week with a special expanded episode delving into all the behind-the-scenes anecdotes from the making of the record-breaking musical. You’ll hear all about the surprisingly gritty stage play and early versions of the film: including a proposed X-rated cartoon, another that starred Fonzie and Princess Leia in the leads, and still another that featured a tragic Romeo & Juliet ending! You’ll also learn the multiple tragedies hidden in the “Greased Lightening” scene, why the theme song caused a standoff between the director and The Bee Gees, the occasionally tense moments between John Travolta and Jeff Conaway, and why the production reeked of pork. Plus, the TMI guys helpfully point out the surprisingly dirty references and jokes that definitely went over your head as a kid, and the bizarre fan theories that have sprung up on Reddit. You’ll also discover all the hilariously homemade ways they tried to age down these 30-year-old playing high schoolers, and the misery that resulted when Olivia Newton-John had to be sewn into her skin-tight “Bad Sandy” pants for the film’s finale — and the lost ending to this cherished classic. 

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Jordan and Alex kick off their Olivia Newton John tribute week by exploring one of the biggest, splashiest, most notorious films in Hollywood history. It may have been a box office bomb, but it’s also the only movie that combined disco, Greek mythology, Gene Kelly, roller skating, an abandoned LA landmark, bargain basement special effects, and our beloved ONJ. Learn about how this bizarre project came to be and hear all the crazy behind-the-scenes stories — including the time Olivia Newton-John literally busted her butt on skates, producer Joel Silver (reportedly) locked a screenwriter in a room for days, and Gene Kelly had a hilarious beef with the director. You’ll also learn why Electric Light Orchestra front man Jeff Lynne blamed the movie for his band’s nosedive in the charts and find out why John Lennon had a soft spot for the soundtrack.  

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Alex and Jordan explore one of the greatest left-turns in music history, a stripped-down solo album that finds The Boss grappling with the fallout of fame and the political sea change of Reagan's America. They'll discuss the late-night drives and complicated family dynamics that helped inspire the emotion of the record, as well as the surprising literary, musical and historical influences that crop up, as well. You'll also learn about Springsteen's stubborn insistence on releasing his rough demo cassette (which he'd carried around in the pocket of his jeans jacket for weeks) and the long-lost "Electric Nebraska" recorded with the E Street band. 

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