SINEAD GOES REGGAE! We’ve got island fever this week on "Detours and Outliers", but which island is it, Jamaica or Ireland? Where does Sinead fit on the Enya-to-Ani DiFranco spectrum? Is this a Sly and Robbie album? Where is our Britney Spears/Burning Spear mashup? Can you do a religious album without a religion? Does this album foreshadow Sinead's…

DANZIG GOES CLASSICAL! Don White (Ice Troll, Never Kenezzard) rejoins us as we discuss Glenn Danzig’s instrumental album. What kind of dungeons do they use in "dungeon synth"? Who is the most litigious Misfit? What do Tom Cruise and Glen Danzig have in common? And which of them should play X-Men's Wolverine? Did Beavis and Butt-head resurrect Danzi…

DREAD ZEPPELIN DOES DISCO! One of the most original cover bands tried to shake up their schtick, and were roundly rejected for it. If you're only known for three things, how do you get rid of two? Why did the nineties hate the seventies? Did disco eventually win? Are the Bee Gees only a disco band? Was BTO ever a disco band? What Led Zep song are t…

STEVE SINGS THE STANDARDS! No longer will the rest of The Steve Miller Band be holding Steve Miller back on his first and only solo album, an album of jazz and blues covers. Where do jazz and blues meet? Does anyone remember the UPN show "Shasta McNasty"? What songs have you heard the most in your life? Did Steve pass his test? Did he play it too s…

THE BEACH BOYS WITHOUT BRIAN WILSON! Continuing with the "August Of Summer" we're looking at another under-performing Beach Boys album. Is this what you would expect the Beach Boys to sound like if you only knew them from "Kokomo"? How could an album with so much cross-promotion on television fail so spectacularly? Who writes the songs that make th…

BRIAN WILSON WITHOUT THE BEACH BOYS! It’s the "August Of Summer" here on Detours and Outliers and we are celebrating by a whole month of episodes about the quintessential band of summer, the Beach Boys. Did Brian Wilson predict the sound of the 1980s? Would you rather hear a middle aged man sing about teenage romance or about a late-night talk show…

KEITH MOON GOES SOLO! Kasey Elkington from Cattle Axe rejoins us to discuss Keith Moon's one and only solo album. The question here isn't The Who, but the why. Why did Keith make a solo album? Why can't you hear Keith on his own album? Why did the record company give him so much money? Why doesn't Keith play drums more on this? Why does Miguel Ferr…

DEE DEE RAMONE RAPS! This album is much shorter, but is it any better? Can Dee Dee rap? Can Dee Dee rap better than he sings? Can Debbie Harry rap better than Dee Dee? Is there a dress code in The Ramones? Do you need to know the name of the band you are joining? Who is playing on this record and why aren't they credited? How much hip-hop has Dee D…

LOU REED AND METALLICA – TOGETHER AT LAST! This week we look at "Lulu" an album that is the result of the lyrical genius behind "Metal Machine Music" collaborating with the band that brought us St. Anger. What did people expect this team-up to sound like? Does Metallica have a bass player? Is this harder to listen to than a double-album of guitar f…

VAN HALEN WITHOUT HAGAR OR DAVE! It's been a year, but we're back for the third time 'round. And speaking of the third time around, Van Halen tries to try out their third lead singer in this bloated '90s misstep. How much of this is Gary Cherone's fault? Why is the guy behind the "Law and Order" theme producing this? Who woul'’ve been a better fit …

VOIVOD GOES PSYCH-PROG! Third time's a charm with returning guest Mhyk Monroe (Grief Ritual, FATHERS). This week we dive into Voivod's confusing fifth album. Just how subtle are the distinctions between various subgenres of metal? How is a song about a pirate ship somehow less silly than previous albums' lyrics? Why are Men Without Hats involved in…

KID CUDI TRIES TO ROCK! We crossover with the Brian from the Boothin' podcast as Kid Cudi tries to crossover into the rock world. When does a Kid Cudi get old enough to be an Adult Cudi? Who is the Phil Collins of hip-hop? Why is Travis Barker on every album? Does Kid Cudi have the same guitar pedal as Moby? When is it okay to release a bonus disc …

X TRIES TO GET COMMERCIAL! Michael and Jenny from Shiny Around the Edges join us to discuss X’s frustrating attempt to cash in. How obscure can an artist be and still have documentaries made about them? Is X the best or the worst name for a band? What did Ray Manzarek bring to the table? Did X just put out an album that none of us listened to? Is n…

LIL WAYNE TRIES TO ROCK! This week we are joined by fellow podcaster and Canadian DJ Bryson Worden (The BLOCK with Bryson Worden) to discuss Lil Wayne's attempt to be a dope boy with a guitar. Who is Wayne trying to impress? Was anyone rocking in 2010? Why do people remember the rap-rock of Limp Bizkit more than Ice-T's Body Count? Is Canadian Wiki…

CHRIS CORNELL GOES POP! Production designer, fabricator, and saxophonist Aaron Schilling joins us to discuss Chris Cornell's attempt to remain relevant in a post-grunge world. Is this the worst album we've covered? Who wrote these songs? Who claims to have written these songs? Who is credited with writing these songs? Why is Chris smashing a guitar…

THE BOSS GOES ACOUSTIC! We are joined this week by illustrator Karl Christian Kumpholz (30 Miles of Crazy!) since he’s far more familiar with Bruce than we are. Why did he release an album of demos? Why is this only Springsteen album that the cool kids can claim to like? What exactly would the E Street Band have done to these songs? Is Bruce really…

VILLAGE PEOPLE DON’T DO DISCO! Comedian and artist Katie Bowman joins us to discuss the Village People’s attempt to survive the death of Disco. Was cocaine a thing in the 80s? Did anyone notice that the lead singer was replaced? Are the Village People a boy band or macho men? Why are three of the eight songs on this album about food? Did the Villag…

MOBY TRIES TO ROCK! We’re starting beef with a vegan. And to help us out we’ve got Alf (KTCL 93.3) on hand to discuss Moby abandoning electronica just as it was about to break through to the mainstream. Is that a drum machine or is Moby a drummer? Does this sound like a demo? Who was supposed to write lyrics and sing these songs? Does Moby have a s…

FLEETWOOD REPLACES STEVIE AND LINDSEY! Heather and Kelly from Ground Above Zero to discuss Mac’s mid-90’s misfire “Time.” If they wanted to record a country album, why didn’t they? Does sleeping in Mick Fleetwood’s bungalow automatically make you a member of the band? Who let Lindsey into the studio without a guitar? Does naming a band after your f…

THE DEAD DO DISCO! Or do they? Molly Rainard (guitarist, Vampire Squids From Hell) joins the gang to navigate the Grateful Dead’s unsuccessful 1978 attempt to sell-out. Do real Deadheads even know that the band recorded studio albums? How many 60s bands tried to jump on the disco bandwagon? Does the general public know anything about the Dead’s mus…

WEEN GOES COUNTRY! Bassist and real estate agent, Matt Sumner, joins the team as they tackle the big questions: If an album called “12 Golden Country Greats” only has ten tracks, can you sue for false advertising? How literal is Dean's brain mucus? Can your band become a jam band even if you don't want it to be? Who is this album for? Ween fans? Co…

WILLIE NELSON GOES REGGAE! Why would Willie do such a thing… I mean, besides the obvious botanical reason? Does Willie know the differences between reggae, ska, and dancehall? Does Willie even care? Could Willie even be bothered to write some new material for this album? When the record company that first suggested this idea went bankrupt, why did …

KISS GETS PRETENTIOUS! Who is the Manchild? Who is Morpheus? Who are any of these people and what are they doing? Would listening to the overly dramatic spoken word interludes have elucidated things – or just elicited laughter? Just how much cocaine was consumed in order for this to seem like a good idea? Could Ace ever break the Gene/Paul voting b…

NEIL YOUNG DISCOVERS SYNTHESIZERS! Did Neil actually write this album for his non-communicative son, or was he just trying to guilt us into re-evaluating this album? Does bookending this album with non-synthetic tracks make this bitter pill easier to swallow; or does it just undermine the whole concept? Would a series of animated music videos help …