Stuck in the '80s Podcast

Few synth-pop songs from the late ’80s have enjoyed a second life quite like When in Rome’s “The Promise.”

Released in 1988, the song became the band’s signature hit, but its story didn’t end there. Years later, a memorable appearance at the end of Napoleon Dynamite introduced “The Promise” to a whole new generation and helped turn it into one of those ’80s songs that seems to keep finding new fans.
This week on Stuck in the ’80s, Steve talks with Andrew Mann of When in Rome about the band’s beginnings, the creation and lasting appeal of “The Promise,” and the unusual journey that took him from writing poetry in Manchester to fronting a synth-pop band.

Andrew also looks back at When in Rome’s self-titled debut album, the band’s connection with American audiences and the twists and turns that followed its original run.

And this isn’t just a conversation about the past. When in Rome is once again making new music, including the single “Human Nature,” with a new album, Illumination, on the way.

It’s a conversation about one unforgettable song, an unexpected second act and what happens when a band associated with one particular moment in the ’80s discovers the story still isn’t finished.

Ready to take your ’80s obsession to sea? Join Stuck in the ’80s aboard The 80s Cruise, packed with live music, celebrity guests, trivia, theme nights and thousands of fellow ’80s fans. Use promo code STUCK when booking to receive $250 in onboard credit per cabin.

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Some episodes of Stuck in the ’80s are harder to record than others.

This week, Steve goes solo to remember Pete Byrne, the unmistakable voice of Naked Eyes, who has passed away at age 74.

For millions of music fans, Pete will always be remembered for the synth-pop classics "Always Something There to Remind Me" and "Promises, Promises." But for Steve, Pete was much more than the voice behind two of the decade's most beloved songs.

An interview during the early days of Stuck in the ’80s grew into a friendship, one of the unexpected gifts of hosting this podcast for more than two decades.

In this special tribute, Steve revisits that original conversation with Pete, celebrating the music, memories and friendship of a man whose voice helped define the sound of the ’80s.

Rest easy, Pete. There will always be something there to remind us of you.

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What if you were 16 years old in the summer of 1985, armed with little more than a Sony Walkman, a few cassette tapes and the belief that somehow — some way — you had to make it to Live Aid?

That’s the idea at the heart of Live Aid Runaways, the new novel by Shane Robitaille.

Shane joins the podcast along with researcher Livi Stanford to take us behind the scenes of a story that mixes fictional characters with one of the most unforgettable real-life events of the decade.

The novel follows teenagers Nick Stark and Stacy Rivera as they make their way toward Philadelphia and JFK Stadium, where Live Aid would bring together some of the biggest names in music on July 13, 1985.

But getting the details right required more than simply firing up an old Live Aid video.

Shane and Livi talk with us about the extensive research behind the book, including conversations with fans, broadcasters, performers and others who helped recreate not only what happened onstage, but what it actually felt like to experience that remarkable day.

We also talk about why Live Aid still holds such a powerful place in Gen X memory, the challenge of weaving real history into fiction, the music that helped shape the characters and the strange joy of returning to 1985 — at least for a few hundred pages.

Frankly, if someone could turn Live Aid Runaways into an actual time machine, we’d happily pack a Walkman and climb aboard.

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Want even more ’80s nostalgia — only this time with an ocean view?

Join us aboard The 80s Cruise, the ultimate floating celebration of the decade we refuse to leave behind. Stuck in the ’80s will once again be part of the fun, with live podcasts, trivia and plenty of opportunities to celebrate the music, movies and pop culture that made the decade unforgettable.

When you book, use promo code STUCK and receive $250 in onboard credit per cabin.

Find out more at The80sCruise.com.
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There really was nobody else quite like Dolly Parton.

In this special episode of Stuck in the ’80s, we remember Dolly — the songwriter, singer, actress, entrepreneur and wonderfully funny human being who somehow became a national treasure without ever seeming like she was trying to be one.

Joining us is longtime friend of the show Annie Zaleski, music journalist and author of the new book Dolly Parton: The Stories Behind the Songs. Annie takes us inside Dolly’s extraordinary songbook, from the classics everybody knows to the deeper cuts that reveal just how gifted a songwriter she really was.

Of course, we spend plenty of time in our favorite decade, when Dolly became a full-fledged pop-culture superstar thanks to 9 to 5, “Islands in the Stream,” The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, “Real Love” and a run of music and movies that made her seemingly impossible to avoid — not that anybody particularly wanted to.

But this episode is about more than the hits. It’s about what made Dolly different, why her music connected with so many people, the humor and humanity behind the rhinestones, and the enormous legacy she leaves behind.

Join us as we celebrate the life, songs and stories of Dolly Parton.
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Some ’80s bands sold millions of records. Some filled arenas. Some became so permanently embedded in pop culture that you can’t walk through a grocery store without hearing them over the frozen peas.

And then there are the bands that somehow found us anyway.

This week on Stuck in the ’80s, we’re celebrating Book of Love and a handful of other synth-pop bands that deserved a little more attention the first time around — and whose music might sound even better today.

Our centerpiece is a conversation with Book of Love singer Susan Ottaviano.

Book of Love arrived in the mid-’80s with a sound that never fit comfortably into one box. Were they synth-pop? New wave? Alternative? Dance? College rock? Maybe the fact that nobody could quite figure that out is one reason the music has aged so well.

Susan talks with Spearsy about the band’s beginnings, the influence of groups such as The Cure and The Slits, the importance of New York’s music and art scene, and what Book of Love learned when they suddenly found themselves touring with Depeche Mode.

There’s also a fascinating discussion about what happens to music decades after its original release. Songs get rediscovered. Movies and streaming introduce bands to people who weren’t alive the first time around. Music that once sounded like it belonged to a very specific moment can suddenly sound contemporary again.

And then comes our favorite question: the Podcast Time Machine.

If Susan could go back and change one moment in Book of Love history, what would she do?

Her answer: Get a better lawyer.

Ouch.

She also considers another tantalizing bit of alternate ’80s history: What might have happened if Book of Love had ended up on Mute Records, the label famously associated with Depeche Mode?

Susan also gives us an update on Book of Love’s future. This could be the band’s final full tour, although she says the group still plans to make more music.

After the interview, Brad and Spearsy keep the synthesizers plugged in for five more bands from the second half of the ’80s that they wish more people had discovered.

There’s Canada’s Kon Kan, whose “I Beg Your Pardon” brilliantly repurposed Lynn Anderson’s “Rose Garden” for the dance floor. Germany gives us Cetu Javu and Camouflage, two bands that inevitably drew comparisons to Depeche Mode. Australia contributes Boxcar, who had the unenviable task of bringing electronic music into a guitar-heavy pub-rock scene. And finally there’s Red Flag, whose story begins with brothers Chris and Mark Reynolds and takes a much sadder turn in the years that followed.
Maybe that’s part of the fun of being Stuck in the ’80s after all these years. There are still bands to rediscover, songs that deserve another spin and stories we somehow missed the first time around.

So dust off the synthesizer, apply an unreasonable amount of reverb and join us for Book of Love — and five more synth-pop bands we wish we’d heard more from.
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