Discograffiti

Discograffiti is the deep-dive podcast for music obsessives. In this episode, we feature the very special next entry in The Chuck Granata Pet Sounds Interview Series: it’s Chuck’s chat with legendary producer, songwriter, musician, and self-described “rock and roll creep” and Lord of Garbage Kim Fowley. He has been described as "one of the most colorful characters in the annals of rock & roll", and that is truly putting it mildly. Although admittedly he is always in rare form (I can confirm, having had a relationship with him toward the end of his life), he is in the rarest of rare forms in this interview, barely allowing Chuck to get a word in edgewise. The dynamic is delightful right from the off. 

He is the single common denominator that links “Alley Oop”, Cat Stevens, The Soft Machine, Bruce Johnston, Kiss, Helen Reddy, John Lennon, Ariel Pink, The Byrds, Motley Crue, Frank Zappa, The Modern Lovers, Alice Cooper, Warren Zevon, The Runaways, and the idea of raising a lighter at a concert. Although this chat careens maniacally off the rails, the main topic of conversation centers on Kim’s plan to pave the way for Pet Sounds to make a huge splash amongst the British press and pop star aristocracy. Kim passed away a few years later in 2015, which makes this posthumously released “Chuck Chat” yet another priceless buried treasure.  

There’ll be a short sneak peak running publicly for free, but the entirety of this podcast will only be accessible on the Major Tier of Discograffiti’s Patreon. Don’t miss it, or you’ll only be getting part of the story. Get it as a one-off, or better yet just subscribe.

Sneak Peek: linktr.ee/discograffiti

For the full, ad-free, 67-minute bonus podcast, either subscribe to Discograffiti’s Patreon at the Major Tier or higher, or just grab the episode as a one-off at the same link.

The Full Podcast: Patreon.com/Discograffiti

No Show Notes available at a separate link for Lieutenants & up.

Discograffiti is the deep-dive podcast for music obsessives. Host Dave Gebroe talks with Spirit biographer Ryan Gabrinetti about the classic psych band’s entire recorded output, with commentary, stories, and star ratings for every release. Part 6 covers the beginning of Spirit’s Mercury Records era, a fertile period rife with creativity, as Randy California wound up processing his feelings around America’s Bicentennial through a surprisingly emotional internal filter, recording so much material for this double set that there was enough left over for a whole other record to come.

Here are just a few of the many things that Ryan discusses with Discograffiti in this podcast:

Randy’s attempt to become a regular guy—including his stint working at a McDonald’s—before disappearing into thin air;

Randy’s move to Hawaii, and some legitimately wild tales regarding his time there;

How Ten Years After backing out of a Florida gig wound up changing the trajectory of Randy’s career;

Reconciling the twin notions of recording an ambitious double set but gracing it with an album cover drawn haphazardly upon…a napkin?;

And an in-depth deep dive on every song off Spirit’s Spirit of ’76.

The Free Teaser: linktr.ee/discograffiti

For the full, ad-free, 27-minute podcast, either subscribe to Discograffiti’s Patreon at the Major Tier or higher, or just grab the episode as a one-off at the same link.

The Full Podcast: Patreon.com/Discograffiti

Purchase the 8-episode Spirit series at a 33% discount (hear as they appear): Patreon.com/collection/1928400

Dave's Show Notes are available at a separate link for Majors & up.

Discograffiti is the deep-dive podcast for music obsessives. Host Dave Gebroe talks with Spirit biographer Ryan Gabrinetti about the classic psych band’s entire recorded output, with commentary, stories, and star ratings for every release. Part 5 details the almost-too-crazy-to-be-believed tale behind one of the most mythically nuts concept albums ever dreamt up.

Here are just a few of the many things that Ryan discusses with Discograffiti in this podcast:

The origin of the Potatoland project;

The massive public uprising that practically forced Randy California to exhume the project several years later;

The 2019 Esoteric Recordings Potatoland box set that has to be one of the ten most essential reissue purchases of all time;

The live radio shows during that era which Randy dared to play on LSD;

And an in-depth deep dive on every song off Spirit’s Adventures of Kaptain Kopter & Commander Cassidy in Potato Land, the 1973 LP that was rejected by Epic Records. 

The Free Teaser: linktr.ee/discograffiti

For the full, ad-free, 32-minute podcast, either subscribe to Discograffiti’s Patreon at the Private Tier or higher, or just grab the episode as a one-off at the same link.

The Full Podcast: Patreon.com/Discograffiti

Purchase the 8-episode Spirit series at a 33% discount (hear as they appear): Patreon.com/collection/1928400

Dave's Show Notes are available at a separate link for Lieutenants & up.

Discograffiti is the deep-dive podcast for music obsessives. In this episode (Part 4 of a 4-part series edited down from a 5 1/2 hour interview), Lenny Waronker takes a deep-dive stroll along with host Dave Gebroe through his entire career, with priceless commentary and stories peeled off along the way. Legendary producer and Warner Brothers studio head Lenny Waronker is a record producer and music industry executive. As the president of Warner Brothers Records, and later, as the co-founder and co-chair of DreamWorks Records, Waronker was noted for his commitment to artists and his belief that "music, not money, was still number one." In 2025, Waronker was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Ahmet Ertegun Award category for non-performing industry professionals. 

Part 4 focuses on the first album Lenny ever produced, Side 2 of Van Dyke Parks’ legendary debut LP Song Cycle. Lenny once said: “To be associated with Song Cycle, even now, is more important to me than 99% of the hit records I’ve been involved with.” Parts 2 & 4 are an absolute dream come true for fans of this record.

Here are just a few of the many things that Lenny discusses with Discograffiti in this podcast:

The track on the LP that Van Dyke referred to as “like stepping from one kind of music into something else”;

How Randy Newman feels about Nilsson Sings Newman, according to Lenny;

A wildly divergent digression during which I discover the very direct link between The Beau Brummels and Rickie Lee Jones;

An overview of Song Cycle’s ad campaign, one of the most memorable and least conventional music industry experiments of all time;

An in-depth deep dive on every song off Side Two of Song Cycle;

The early days of getting Ry Cooder & Randy Newman’s careers off the ground at Warner Brothers;

Whether or not Van Dyke invented MTV a decade before its time;

And an in-the-moment eulogy for Brian Wilson, who had died only days before the taping of this episode.

The Free Teaser: linktr.ee/discograffiti

For the full, ad-free, 84-minute podcast, either subscribe to Discograffiti’s Patreon at the Private Tier or higher, or just grab the episode as a one-off at the same link.

The Full Podcast: Patreon.com/Discograffiti

Dave's Show Notes are available at a separate link for Majors & up.

Discograffiti is the deep-dive podcast for music obsessives. In this episode (Part 3 of a 4-part series edited down from a 5 1/2 hour interview), Lenny Waronker takes a deep-dive stroll along with host Dave Gebroe through his entire career, with priceless commentary and stories peeled off along the way. Legendary producer and Warner Brothers studio head Lenny Waronker is a record producer and music industry executive. As the president of Warner Brothers Records, and later, as the co-founder and co-chair of DreamWorks Records, Waronker was noted for his commitment to artists and his belief that "music, not money, was still number one." In 2025, Waronker was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Ahmet Ertegun Award category for non-performing industry professionals. 

Part 3 focuses on Lenny’s time breathing rarefied air as a studio head, while he ran Warner Brothers Records and DreamWorks.

Here are just a few of the many things that Lenny discusses with Discograffiti in this podcast:

The A&R dream team Lenny assembled to sign talent for Warner Brothers in the early 1970s;

Grievances about his time at DreamWorks;

Thoughts on becoming close to the artists with whom he worked;

Tales from the trenches with Elvis Costello and Gordon Lightfoot;

Lenny’s love life;

The biggest asshole he’s ever worked with;

And a lengthy conversational outro that stands alone in the annals of Discograffiti history.

The Free Teaser: linktr.ee/discograffiti

For the full, ad-free, 62-minute podcast, either subscribe to Discograffiti’s Patreon at the Private Tier or higher, or just grab the episode as a one-off at the same link.

The Full Podcast: Patreon.com/Discograffiti

Dave's Show Notes are available at a separate link for Lieutenants & up.