Polishing Turds: A Bad Music Podcast Nick Vitale & Cal Denissen

At long last, it's TUBTHUMPING TIME!! After endless digressions through history, politics, and obscure music scenes we finally arrive at Chumbawamba's era-defining hit. What does "Tubthumping" mean? What inspired its composition? Which creepy pederast mogul pushed it onto pop radio? We're gonna tell you everything you wanted to know about this tune and then some!

This episode also includes a special theatrical contribution from the following voice actors. HUGE THANKS to the these talented humans:

Jeremy Isabella
Peter and Dasha Barnes
Peter Mackie
Jack Mackie
Kseniya Yorsh
Jason Dipietro
Anthony Howes

...stay tuned for Part IV!




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Our heroes continue their wayward march toward improbable fame, satiating their anarchic through dalliances with new genres of music, including dance, pop, reggae, and a mysterious unheard-of one which we apparently think exists. 

And of course this being Chumbawamba, we've supplied the necessary historical context for each esoteric track. Topics of conversation in this episode will include Live Aid, Apartheid, a bitch slap in Parliament, hypocrisies in sampling law and beyond. 

**Listening to this episode will automatically earn you credits toward a PoliSci degree!**



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(Okay FINE we'll tell the actual story of Chumbawamba and not a bunch of obscure noisy punk bands you've never heard of!)

Before they were pop superstars, they were a misbegotten collection of misfits from the post-industrial wasteland of Northern England. They lived collectively in a dilapidated squat house, sharing all food and money (and, occasionally, each other's bodies). They agitated for revolution and made allies with striking coal miners. And slowly but surely, they came to realize they were made for better things than the insular punk scene which had given them birth.

This is the story of the nascent days of Chumbawamba; a band even more beautifully ridiculous than their name suggests.

**SPECIAL THANKS TO THE ALMIGHTY TABOR MOUNTAIN!! BUY HIS NEW RECORD "TWIGLIGHT APOLOGIES" TODAY!!**

https://tabormountain.bandcamp.com/album/twilight-apologies
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In 1997 a smash-hit single called "Tubthumping" took the world by storm. Its authors were an eccentric eight-piece outfit from Leeds, England who kept insisting that they were anarchists. Media and fans alike were confused: what did this feel-good drinking song have to do with politics? And what were a bunch of radicals doing making pop music anyhow?

This is the story of Chumbawamba... sort of.

You see, to understand Chumbawamba's incongruous success as pop star anarchists, you have to know the backstory. Far from an overnight success, this band's roots stretched back 15 years earlier to a small but immensely important scene called anarcho-punk. This movement, spearheaded by the legendary underground group Crass, merged music and radical politics in a manner that was bolder and more aggressive than anyone had ever seen, so much so that even those in the upper echelons of the State began to get nervous!

In this episode we tell the incredible story of Crass and the 80s anarcho-punk movement that, however indirectly, led to one of the catchiest singalong anthems of the 90s. 

Consider this a Prequel to our proper Chumbawamba series. But unlike the Star Wars prequels, this shit is just as good (if not better) than the real thing...
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CONTENT WARNING: DISCUSSION OF SEXUAL ABUSE, KIDNAPPING, AND OTHER GRUESOME SUBJECT MATTER.

Hey guys. Remember Viper, that insane meme rapper who sang about the virtues of smoking crack? Well recently he's been arrested on some truly disturbing charges. This story is so monumentally insane that we had to talk about it separately from our regular content. 

This episode is short and not very funny. There's no music. Quite honestly, the goal of uploading this is less to entertain our audience than to clean our conscience. We won't be offended if you skip this. 

We'll be back with a real episode soon! 




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Wesley Willis was truly one of the strangest dudes to ever touch a keyboard. A street artist and independent musician from Chicago's south side, Wesley self-produced dozens of CDs before amassing a grassroots cult following among hipsters and music nerds.

Wesley was a consummate "outsider artist"; his songs are basically little more than spoken word rants belted over a pre-programmed keyboard track. His lyrics cover all manner of oddities from McDonald's to gangsters to Sucking a Camel's Ass. Wesley himself was a barely-functional eccentric who suffered from schizophrenia and liked to headbutt everyone he met.

So why do so many people adore his music? Well it's one of those things you just have to hear in order to understand. His songs are hilarious, charming, and 100% original, and his life story is as tragic and harrowing as anyone you'll read about. Join us on a wild, left-field ride to kick off 2024!

***NOTE: WE ARE NOW BACK ON INSTAGRAM!! PLEASE FOLLOW @polishing.podcast FOR FURTHER UPDATES!!***

Selected sources/supplemental material:

"Wesley Willis As Himself" Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CJ-sHcArHk

Posthumous article by David Buck: https://tedium.co/2017/11/16/wesley-willis-remembrance-history/
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