Author: zachary.hoskins@gmail.com

  • Dystopian Dance Party Presents 12 Months of Mike

    After another nearly year-long hiatus, the Dystopian Dance Party podcast has returned with something literally no one asked for: a year-long deep dive into the cinematic ouevre of Saturday Night Live alum/man of a thousand catchphrases/notorious Hollywood diva Mike Myers. In this first episode, we delve into Mike’s pre-feature film career and (sort of) explain…

  • Podcast: Dystopian Book Club vs. George Clinton’s Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard on You?

    Zach and Callie reconvene in (by our standards) record time for another Dystopian Book Club Official Selection: Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard on You? by Parliament–Funkadelic maestro George Clinton. Enjoy as we discuss our love of P-Funk and the book’s disappointing lack of hot deets on the Super Mario Bros.…

  • Podcast: We Saw KISS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    After devoting much of the last three years to our love-hate relationship with ’70s clown-rockers KISS, we felt it was only appropriate to catch them on their (alleged) farewell tour and pay our final (dis)respects. Here are our impressions. This is another short one, but we’ll be back in a few weeks to talk about…

  • Jheri Curl June: Pink Rhythm’s “Melodies of Love”

    We’ve been making an effort to include some international Jheri Jams this year, from the Japanese City Pop of Hitomi Tohyama’s “Wanna Kiss” to the French post-disco groove of J.M. Black’s “Lipstick (Shout!).” Today, we’re showcasing the Brit-funk cult classic, “Melodies of Love” by Pink Rhythm. From the twinkling, dramatic synth opening to the throbbing…

  • Jheri Curl June: Chaka Khan’s “This is My Night”

    We’re breaking Jheri Curl June protocol in a few ways today: first, because Callie and I were both out of town on a family vacation last Thursday and Friday, we’ve extended Ladies’ Week into the first few days of this week. And second, rather than following up Callie’s 1985 Aretha pick with something later, I’m…

  • Jheri Curl June: Aretha Franklin’s “Who’s Zoomin’ Who”

    Last summer when we lost Aretha Franklin, I realized what a massive oversight it was that we hadn’t inducted her into Jheri Curl June yet. Aretha became known as the Queen of Soul for her ’60s hits including “Respect,” “Chain of Fools,” “Think,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” and “I Say a…

  • Jheri Curl June: Shannon’s “Let the Music Play”

    We’ve long since established that Jheri Curl Music is an amorphous genre, with many roots and branches; but even still, it isn’t every day when we get to spotlight a track that is both perfectly Jheri Curl and emblematic of a style all its own. Shannon’s “Let the Music Play,” released as a single in…

  • Jheri Curl June: Carrie Lucas’ “Men”

    Carrie Lucas began her career as a backup singer for the Whispers before signing to SOLAR Records. While she didn’t have any breakout hits during her solo career, 1982’s Still in Love is a Jheri Curl classic which includes a song produced by Nicholas Caldwell of the Whispers, as well as today’s Jheri Curl June…

  • Jheri Curl June: Sinnamon’s “Thanks to You”

    Each June, we set aside a week to celebrate the women of Jheri Curl Music. This year, we’re kicking off Jheri Curl June Ladies’ Week with not one, but three women: Melissa Bell, Marsha Carter, and Barbara Fowler, who together comprised the vocal trio Sinnamon. Sinnamon’s 1982 single, “Thanks to You,” is a certified Jheri…

  • Jheri Curl June: Ashford & Simpson’s “Outta the World”

    It’s honestly shocking to me that in the six-year run of Jheri Curl June, we’ve never covered Ashford & Simpson, the ultimate soul music couple. Ashford & Simpson are what Jheri Curl June inductees René & Angela aspired to look like: a powerhouse singer-songwriter married couple. Beginning their careers as successful songwriters, Nickolas Ashford and Valerie…