The (Mostly) 80s Music Podcast: What Difference Does It Make?
Music
About
Dave and Holly, your 80s music aficionados, talk to the artists and music industry insiders that made it the greatest decade for music.
Episodes
- Annie Zaleski Gives Us 50 Reasons To Love Stevie Nicks
New York Times Bestselling Author, Annie Zaleski has a shirt that reads, "Sorry, I can't talk. I'm thinking about the 1997 performance of Silver Springs where Stevie Nicks stares a hole through Lindsay Buckingham". It partially helps expla…
- Gina Gershon Survives The San Fernando Valley
Growing up in the San Fernando Valley meant something very different depending on who you ask. For Holly and Dave, it's a place of warm memories and deep roots. For Gina Gershon ? It was somewhere she couldn't wait to leave, and leaving tu…
- JayQuan Is Raising Hell For Run-DMC
Old school is in session as JayQuan , author of the coffee table book, RUN-DMC and Raising Hell: 40 Years, joins the podcast. As we learn JayQuan's story, we receive an education on the origins of hip-hop. Artists from the Cold Crush Broth…
- Steve Berlin Is A Rhythm Pig
Steve Berlin, producer, arranger, session player, saxophonist, and Grammy-winning member of Los Lobos and The Blasters is now promoting a band he was in over forty years ago. Top Jimmy And The Rhythm Pigs released one album, in 1987. The a…
- Steve Spears Is Forever Stuck In The 80s
Steve Spears has just released a book based on his popular podcast, entitled Stuck In The 80s: 20 Years of Conversations with Pop Culture Icons Who Defined a Decade. We are thrilled Steve guests on our podcast to share a few amazing storie…
- Danny Goldberg Bumps Into Genius
Danny Goldberg has a career that reminds us of why we wanted to be a part of the music business. His career started at Billboard, where he convinced the higher-ups he needed to go to the Woodstock Music Festival. He did PR for Led Zeppelin…
- April Fools' Day Music Favorites
Happy April Fools' Day! What songs make you smile? For Dave it's a knowing wink from an artist that knows this music can be ridiculous and yet, still love it. For Holly, it's music that makes her do a goofy dance or reminds her of her chil…
- Harold Bronson Reconnects With His Savage Young Winos
Harold Bronson may be best known as one of the co-founders of Rhino Records, but when he was a student at UCLA, he was in a band called Mogan David And His Winos. The band consisted of future New York Times best-selling author Jonathan Kel…
- St. Patrick's Day 80s Music Favorites
Let's play St. Patrick's Day music to recognize a number of our 80s music favorite artists from The Emerald Isle. While we have a hard time pronouncing names like Cathal McGarvey, Seamus Ennis and Liam Ó Maonlaí we certainly do love the mu…
- Steven Blush Was Raised On Disco, Reggae, Hip-Hop, And Rock
Author Steven Blush has just completed his rock trilogy, When Rock Met Disco , When Rock Met Reggae, and the just-released When Rock Met Hip-Hop. Steven recalls times spent with Rick Rubin, The Beastie Boys, Run DMC, and Russell Simmons, a…
- Paul Rees Was Raised On Radio
Paul Rees was a young lad living in Scotland during the heyday of Album Oriented Rock (AOR). From a distance, Paul became a fan of American radio and the artists played on those stations, which led him to write the book Raised On Radio: Po…
- Please Refer To Roddy Bottum As The Royal We
Roddy Bottum is one of the founders and keyboardist of the iconic band Faith No More. In his memoir, The Royal We , Roddy shares his coming-of-age and out-of-the-closet stories in a pre-tech-boom San Francisco. He joins our podcast to chat…
- Valentine's Day 80s music favorites
We at What Difference Does It Make love love and what better way to say it, than with a song from the 80s? We discuss a number of our favorites that make us feel all warm inside. Happy Valentine's (and Gal-entine's) Day! Learn more about y…
- Arielle Nissenblatt Podcasts On This And That
Arielle Nissenblatt , Founder and Head Curator of Earbuds Podcast Collective AND a 2026 Podcast Hall Of Fame Inductee, joins our podcast to share her origin story, and insights into the industry. She then steps out of her comfort zone and…
- Andy Greene: Rolling Stone Magazine's Secret Weapon
Andy Greene , Senior Writer for Rolling Stone, has been with the storied magazine since 2004. Andy shares with us his origin story of how a shy, young boy from the suburbs of Cleveland finds his way to New York City to write about his idol…
- 1989 KROQ Countdown
And so it begins again, as we start our look at the top 106.7 songs played on radio station KROQ in Los Angeles in 1989. Upcoming episodes will feature ten songs each and a special guest, but for this episode, we’ll look at the bottom seve…
- Pop Culture In 1989
The year 1989 was more than just the number...another summer...the sound of the funky drummer. It was the year we first fell in love with The Simpsons , the Game Boy , and The Arsenio Hall Show . It was also the year of amazing movies, and…
- 80s Rock Star Commercials
Back in the 80s, we thought they were selling out. Turns out, they were ahead of the curve. Rolling Stone ’s Andy Greene rounded up some of his favorite commercials featuring 80s rock icons from David Bowie and Genesis to Whitney Houston a…
- Bill Janovitz Lets The Cars Story Be Told
New York Times Bestselling author Bill Janovitz is a founding member of the Boston-based band Buffalo Tom. Bill's latest book on fellow Boston musicians is called The Cars: Let the Stories Be Told. It features a foreword from The Cars’ Gre…
- New Year's 80s Music Favorites
Another holiday classic filled with some great 80s music! We celebrate our new year's traditions, new year's resolutions, the history behind toasts and of course, all our favorite music we play to usher in the new year. Learn more about yo…
- Christmas Music Favorites
What Difference Does It Make, the 80s music podcast, celebrates our favorite 80s Christmas songs. Holly tells us how she wooed her future husband with some skiing lessons and we also do a wrap on a couple old school hip-hop classics. Learn…
- Happy Holidays 80s Music Favorites
It's the holiday season once again so Holly and I present to you this timeless classic episode...now with actual music! Dave's favorite holiday song is " Fairytale of New York " by The Pogues . Holly goes all in on Chanukah music with Mati…
- What Difference Does It Make Best Of 2025
As we look back at our 34 new podcast episodes from 2025, we realize each one is uniquely special. We've talked with artists, music industry insiders, authors, filmmakers, and friends. Now, we present this best-of episode. It's a great way…
- Paul Myers and John Candy
Paul Myers has just completed his Canadian trilogy. Previously, he authored the definitive biographies on Barenaked Ladies and Kids In The Hall. He now takes on one of the most popular Canadians ever, with his latest book, John Candy: A Li…
- Thanksgiving Music Favorites
We talk turkey....and pie...and candy and occasionally about songs that make us think about Thanksgiving. This Thanksgiving episode from 2018 reminds us of how fortunate we are to have food, friends and music in our lives. We talk about Go…
- Russell Hitchcock Gives Us Fifty Years of Air Supply
Russell Hitchcock , the legendary lead singer of Air Supply , is having quite a moment. With over 100 million records sold worldwide, the band is soon to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and an Air Supply feature film is curre…
- Nöthin' But A Good Time: The '80s Hard Rock Explosion
Thanks in small part to the band Spinal Tap, November 11 (11/11, get it?), has been decreed National Metal Day. To honor this majestic day we present to you, Nöthin' But A Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion.…
- Halloween Music Remastered 80s style
It's not a repeat if you haven't heard it before, so this is the perfect time to revisit Dave's favorite holiday and the one Holly tolerates because candy is involved. We talk about our favorite Halloween songs and movies that Holly has ye…
- Eric Vetro Knows How To Sing Like The Stars
Eric Vetro is a true Hollywood story with a twist. A small town boy from Gloversville, New York has big Hollywood dreams to sing. The twist is that he does not become a star, but he now trains the biggest Hollywood stars like Ariana Grande…
- Warren Zanes Delivers Us To Nebraska
Warren Zanes' recent career trajectory has landed him in Nebraska…specifically, Bruce Springsteen's 1982 album, Nebraska. Warren’s book, Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska, was released in 2023 to critical…
- Rain Parade Have A Crashing Dream
Matt Piucci and Steven Roback from Rain Parade join the podcast to celebrate the reissue of their second album, Crashing Dream , which is loaded with extras and live tracks. We chat with Matt and Steven about the origins of the band, the 8…
- Moon Unit Teas Up KROQ 80s Music
As we conclude our year-long look at the music played on radio station KROQ in Los Angeles in 1988, we turn to the one-and- only Moon Unit Zappa. Moon's been busy, as her Moon Unit Tea business is thriving, and her memoir Earth To Moon…
- Danielle Claman Gelber Finds Her Oasis
You may not recognize the name Danielle Claman Gelber but your pop culture references were forever altered by shows Danielle developed like Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place and The X-Files, to name just a few. It also turns out the band…
- Chris Vos Runs The Record Company
Chris Vos named his band The Record Company because he thought his band would never get signed. Turns out, not only did they get signed but The Record Company are now ten years and counting into their career. The band now has to its credit…
- The Pogues' Spider Stacy Gives Us Rum, Sodomy And The Lash
Spider Stacy of The Pogues joins our podcast just at the start of their all too brief Eastern North American tour to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of their classic album, Rum, Sodomy & The Lash. Spider talks up all the musicians in their…
- Kat Corbett Is On Lithium
Kat Corbett has been one of our favorite radio personalities since she started at KROQ in Los Angeles at the start of the 2000 millennium. Her enthusiasm for music is contagious. You can now hear her daily on both Sirius/XM's Lithium and P…
- Dave Kendall Gives Us 120 Minutes
Dave Kendall may be best known in the US for his work as the host of the MTV Alternative Music Show, 120 Minutes, from 1986 to 1992. Today, he's living in Thailand, and is a producer/reporter with the Bangkok Post TV channel, and a host/pr…
- Duran Duran Appreciation Day
August 10th is Duran Duran Appreciation Day. As it turns out, not only are we self-proclaimed Duranies, but our guests love the Fab 5 as well. So for this episode, we've compiled comments and observations from our past guests (and ourselve…
- Rob Tonkin Is A-Whole Lot Of Things
You can call Rob Tonkin a whole lot of things: Music Industry Executive, Marketing Man, Media Creative, but now you can add a whole new title: Author. Friend of the Podcast, Rob Tonkin joins us to talk about a whole new venture. It's his m…
- Jason Pettigrew Has A Taste Of Ministry
Jason Pettigrew may be best known for his 27 years as editor-in-chief at Alternative Press magazine, but besides being an editor, journalist, and DJ (you might have caught his opening set at the Cruel World fest), he is first and foremost,…
- Annie Zaleski Counts Down The 1988 KROQ Hits
From her newly-released books on Cher and Taylor Swift, to her recent featured articles in the LA Times and The Onion's A.V. Club, it's clear Music Journalist Annie Zaleski has a lot on her plate. Somehow, she found the time for us to disc…
- Lori Majewski Has A Lust For Lists
Lori Majewski is one of us, a true 80s music fan. Her career started with Lori sneaking into hotels and airports because she wanted to meet her favorite artists. She now rubs elbows with many of those same people. Her book, Mad World: An O…
- Gary Graff and 501 Essential Albums Of The 1980s
Being an 80s music podcast, it's no surprise that when we learned music journalist Gary Graff authored the book, 501 Essential Albums of the ’80s , we would have to talk with him. Naturally, whenever there is a list deemed "essential", the…
- Translator Goes Beyond Today
Translator was one of those bands on the precipice of breaking big in the 80s. Signed to local indie label 415 Records, they soon found themselves part of the big-time music business when their label signed a distribution deal with Columbi…
- Father's Day Music Favorites
We love our Dads. We wouldn't be who we are without their constant presence in our lives. Naturally, that also means we've incorporated their music into our lives. We have quite a few songs that remind us of our Dads, and we share our memo…
- Scott McCaughey Gets His Oar On The Minus 5
Imagine someone unfamiliar with Scott McCaughey, asking him the name of his band. It's not an easy question to answer. Over a four decade career, indie rock cult hero, Scott McCaughey, has been a member of so many bands, including R.E.M.,…
- Murray Attaway Plays Tense Music
Murray Attaway , formerly of Guadalcanal Diary, one of college rock radio's favorite bands in the 80s, joins the podcast to talk about his new solo album, Tense Music Plays. It's the first album from Murray in more than 30 years, so we wan…
- Annie Zaleski Celebrates Cher
Whether it's Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, or Duran Duran, music journalist Annie Zaleski immerses herself in each project. Now Annie takes on a true icon: Cher. The book is called I Got You Babe: A Celebration Of Cher. This gives us a chanc…
- Suzanne Vega: Flying With Angels
Singer/Songwriter Suzanne Vega has been recording her songs of personal reflection and social issues for more than 40 years. Her latest record, Flying With Angels, is her first full-length album of new music in over a decade. Suzanne joins…
- Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill: Long After The Fire
Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill have been married since 2003. Vicki is a member of The Bangles, along with her sister Debbi. John Cowsill is a member of the platinum-selling family band, The Cowsills. So it’s been a long time coming for Vi…