Johnny Marr, Meat Puppets, & Terry Ilous of XYZ
The week in new music and Dig Me Out podcast
New Reviews
New 90s episodes
Meat Puppets - Too High to Die
Vets of the indie rock world, the Meat Puppets released their commercial breakthrough in 1994, but does it stand the test of time?
In the fall of 1993, if you heard the name Meat Puppets attached to the newest single Backwater blasting from your local alternative radio station or on MTV, you would be forgiven for thinking this was a new band from Seattle riding the grunge wave. In truth, this was the band's eighth release, and they hailed from the much sunnier climate of Phoenix, Arizona. As veterans of the indie rock scene who had spent the 80s on famed SST Records, Too High To Die was their second major-label release, and the band was as much an influence on the current wave of alternative acts breaking through as a contemporary, as evidenced by Nirvana's choice to cover three of the band's songs on their MTV Unplugged performance and have the Kirkwood brothers join them onstage. With Too High To Die, the band shows off all of their skills, crafting finger-picked bluegrass tracks alongside ripping Soundgarden-esque tunes.
Terry Ilous of XYZ - Interview
Terry Ilous of XYZ joins Chip Midnight for a discussion about the waning days of the Sunset Strip hair metal scene in the early 90s
Of late, Terry Ilous is probably best known as Jack Russell’s replacement in Great White (“Once Bitten, Twice Shy”), a position he held from 2010 until his surprising dismissal in 2018, but from the mid-80s until the mid-90s, Ilous fronted the Sunset Strip band XYZ (“Inside Out”, “What Keeps Me Loving You”, “Face Down in the Gutter”). In this revealing conversation, Ilous shares how XYZ bassist Pat Fontaine tricked him into moving to the U.S. from France with promises of sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll, the unlikely way XYZ landed a record deal with Enigma Records, working with Don Dokken on the band’s 1989 debut, touring with the likes of Foreigner, Ozzy Osbourne, and Ted Nugent, the arrival of grunge and the devastating effects it had on Ilous’s career for the rest of the ‘90s and how he left the music business for a number of years before being lured back in through the unlikeliest of ways (voiceover work for cartoons). Ilous has reformed XYZ and still plays shows under that band name while also releasing solo material and fronting Land of Gypsies, whose self-titled debut was released by Frontiers Music in December.
Coming Soon
The White Stripes - The White Stripes
Thanks to a pick by Johnny H., we will be revisiting the 1999 self-titled debut album by the blues-rock duo from Detroit, The White Stripes. Make sure to give the album a listen, vote in the poll, and leave a comment for the show. Is this a worthy album, better EP or decent single?
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The story of 90s rock one week at a time since 2011. Weekly episodes featuring 90s album reviews, interviews, and roundtable discussions. Made possible by the DMO Union.
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