Nevermind the Music

Can you sing like Michael McDonald? Probably not, but it’s fun to try! In this Sidetrack, Mark makes the case that the 1978 Doobie Brothers gem is the greatest song of all time. Well, it and all the other songs it shares that title with. Can he convince Nichole? See you next week for a full episode...

What does that bling mean, Drake? Tell us! Here we’re picking apart Drake’s 2016 meme-factory “Hotline Bling.” Mark really wants to talk about how this song is built on a series of surprises and interruptions, and Nichole… well let’s just say Nichole wants to pick a fight. Ever since I left the cit...

How do you balance change and tradition? In this Sidetrack, we talk about either the geekiest cool thing, or the coolest geeky thing in the world: barbershop quartet music! Mark shares some music and stories, and brings up a confusing tension he has seen within the music. This one gets surprisingly...

Without love, where would you be now?Join us as we inhale some of that 1973 classic “Long Train Runnin’” by The Doobie Brothers. Mark draws our attention to a chord that finds a powerful new meaning in this song, which reminds Nichole of how our strongest memories are very much dependent on the con...

Einstein on the what? Follow Mark and Nichole down the rabbit hole (or up to the loft apartment in Manhattan) as we talk about musical minimalism, a quirky and surprising style that still influences music today. Join us next week for another full episode! Music heard in this episode: Steve Reich - ...

What better excuse for a bonus episode than the great new SNL documentary? David from The Lorehounds joins Mark and Nichole for a deep dive on Questlove's documentary chronicling Saturday Night Live's extraordinary musical history. The hosts break down the documentary's remarkable openi...

Are we shining just the way we are? Here we piece apart Dua Lipa’s 2020 dance-pop gem “Levitating” and see how much the writing process matters. Mark stacks up the idea that this song’s melody seems to be built of tiny lego bricks rearranged in an infectious pattern. Meanwhile, Nichole relates this...

Should we share our opinions with our students? Here we finally talk through those tricky and controversial conversations that sometimes come up in class - and our role in them. Join us next week for a full episode! Send us your thoughts at NeverMusicPod@gmail.com Advertising Inquiries: https://red...

Why was anybody surprised that T-Pain was a great singer? We shouldn’t have been. In this episode we tune to T-Pain’s debut single, 2005’s “I’m Sprung.” We deep dive on auto-tune and how this song shows how much music culture underestimated T-Pain back when he first came on to the scene. Also: shaw...

Is Taylor going to grab #5? In this sidetrack, we go deep on the eight records nominated for “Album of the Year” at the 2025 Grammys. Listen with us as Mark and Nichole choose their champions and guess which artists will come away with the top honors in this year’s music industry love-fest. Check u...