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PODCAST

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves

Andy Fenstermaker

Poetic Wax is a short weekly podcast where host Andy Fenstermaker digs deep into his vast record collection to uncover and share the history of bands, albums, songs, and more. Poetic Wax explores music history in all its forms, from new angles on things widely covered to the little known moments that create monumental change.

music music history

All Episodes

19:28

The WILD Story of ‘Soldier’ by Iggy Pop

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves ·

2025/01/13

It's a miracle Iggy Pop finished 'Soldier' with the amount of chaos an infighting that took place during the recording sessions late in 1979. Within the album is a fever dream cast of stars from David Bowie and ex Sex Pistols' bassist Glen Matlock to XTC's Barry Andrews and The Patti Smith Group's Ivan Kral. Love it or hate it, this is the wild story of how the album came to be, and how Iggy Pop rang in the new decade with his 1980 release 'Soldier'.Watch the episode on YouTube and go deeper with

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14:13

The Untold Story of Blonde Redhead’s Explosive...

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves ·

2025/01/07

Conflict and creativity. Connection and chaos. Love and hate. These all defined Blonde Redhead in their early days, and the themes continue to drive them after more than three decades. This is the story of how three foreigners on the streets of New York City to create one of the most fascinating bands in modern alternative and indie rock. This is the story behind Blonde Redhead's debut self-titled album.👉 Subscribe to the Poetic Wax YouTube Channel

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13:35

How M83’s “Before The Dawn Heals Us” Was Made

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves ·

2025/01/02

Before the Dawn Heals Us by M83 was a big departure from the band's first two records. We know M83 as a synth-heavy electronic pop outfit centered around Anthony Gonzalez, made famous the world over by the GRAMMY nominated 2011 hit "Midnight City," but back in 2004 they were more known for electronic-based shoegaze. The departure of Nicholas Fromageau changed everything. This is the story of how M83's "Before The Dawn heals Us" was made.👉 Subscribe to the Poetic Wax YouTube Channel

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14:48

David Bowie's GREATEST Embarrassment

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves ·

2024/12/30

How and why did David Bowie, one of the most iconic musicians of all time, create such an embarrassing song? And why does it keep rearing its head? This is the story of Bowie's 1967 single "The Laughing Gnome," how it returned with a vengeance in 1973, and how it caused mischief in 1990.This episode contains a clip called "Requiem for a Laughing Gnome" which was recorded for Comic Relief in 1999. For the full effect of the clip, including humorous textual commentary from the original video, you can

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12:06

David Bowie and the Story of 'Andy Warhol'

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves ·

2024/12/27

On David Bowie's "Hunky Dory" is a track titled "Andy Warhol" which Bowie wrote about the pop art icon, whom he admired. But what did Warhol think of it? Not much... so goes this week's episode of Poetic Wax. Today, host Andy Fenstermaker pulls out his copy of the album, dives into the lead up to "Hunky Dory," the history of the song, and the time he went to The Factory and played it for the artist himself. This episode is pulled from before I had a fancier microphone and before I officially

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09:33

When Modest Mouse Built Nothing Out of Something

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves ·

2024/12/24

Before Modest Mouse achieved critical acclaim with their 2004 album "Good News for People Who Love Bad News" on Epic Records, the band had become indie rock darlings of the Pacific Northwest. In 2000, they’d give us their major label debut, "The Moon And Antarctica," but before that came an indie culmination of creativity — a compilation on their soon-to-be former label Up Records, released in January of 2000 and dubbed "Building Nothing Out Of Something." This is the story of their transformation

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19:00

The Story of the Failed Television & Brian Eno Sessions

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves ·

2024/12/22

In December of 1974, an Island Records A&R exec out of London put together a demo session for punk pioneers Television. They were joined in the studio by Brian Eno, formerly of Roxy Music, who had gone solo that same year. With hopes of a promising endeavor to pitch the band to label heads, the sessions instead were a complete failure with the band and Eno leaving frustrated. This is the story of those fateful demo sessions, the stakes on the table for both Television and Eno, and why they went

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18:25

The 10 BEST Indie Rock Albums of 2024

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves ·

2024/12/14

These are my picks for the 10 best albums of 2024, mostly spanning the indie rock genre. What's missing, and what's not worthy? Visit my channel on YouTube and share your thoughts!Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves is a weekly podcast, YouTube series, and Substack blog hosted by Andy Fenstermaker. Get the video version on my YouTube Channel. Subscribe to my Substack.

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12:50

The Tormented Soul of Jason Molina: The Story of ‘The...

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves ·

2024/12/09

In January of 2000, Songs: Ohia, the project of Jason Molina, released The Lioness. Ripe with metaphor and deeply personal lyrics, this album is among the many pillars of Molina's vast career. This is the story of that album, the songs within, and the hint of Jason Molina's tragic fate 13 years later.Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves is a weekly podcast, YouTube series, and Substack blog hosted by Andy Fenstermaker. Get the video version on my YouTube Channel. Subscribe to my

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09:18

Down With Wilco: When Jeff Tweedy Met The Minus 5

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves ·

2024/12/07

Between the chaotic recording of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and the success that followed, Wilco had a meeting of the minds with The Minus 5, a collaborative effort from Scott McCaughey (pronounced McKoy, not McKai, as I say throughout this video) of The Young Fresh Fellows. Joined by R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and The Posies' Ken Stringfellow, this collective came together to create "Down With Wilco," and this is the story behind that 2003 album by The Minus 5.Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves is

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08:26

Before Loveless: My Bloody Valentine’s Forgotten Goth...

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves ·

2024/12/04

In the early days, My Bloody Valentine was far from the iconic shoegaze band they'd become know as. Today we look back at "This Is Your Bloody Valentine." Released in January of 1985, it was the band's debut, and its goth undertones would help shape the sound they'd eventually pioneer: shoegaze. This is the story of that mini album, and the transformation the band underwent to become the #1 shoegaze band of all time. Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves is a weekly podcast, YouTube

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14:51

The Kinks and the Mystery Girl Behind "You Really Got...

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves ·

2024/11/26

In October and November of 1964, The Kinks released their debut studio album, "You Really Got Me." The title track was raw and gritty with an enormous sound that caught the world off guard. This is the story of that song, how Dave Davies got that sound, the mystery girl who inspired Ray Davies' lyrics, and the rumor that Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin played that famed guitar solo.Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves is a weekly podcast, YouTube series, and Substack blog hosted by Andy

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10:17

The Legacy of The Beach Boys Christmas Album

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves ·

2024/11/18

Released in November of 1964, The Beach Boys Christmas Album saw America's biggest pop band blend their signature sunny surf rock with a California holiday. Over the last 6 decades, this album has come to include go-to Christmas music spanning generations. Today, we look at the surprising story of The Beach Boys Christmas Album.Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves is a weekly podcast, YouTube series, and Substack blog hosted by Andy Fenstermaker. Get the video version on my YouTube

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08:54

The Stooges and the Legend of the Painted Guitar

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves ·

2024/11/14

The Stooges are pioneers of the proto punk movement, with Iggy Pop often hailed as the Godfather of Punk. In this album story, we explore the origins of the title, and trace it back to a bad decision -- something The Stooges kinda made part of their career. This is the story of how a painted guitar led to Iggy being crowned the Godfather of Punk Rock. Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves is a weekly podcast, YouTube series, and Substack blog hosted by Andy Fenstermaker. Get the video

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12:47

How Le Tigre Changed Feminist Punk in 1999

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves ·

2024/11/11

In the fall of 1999, Le Tigre released their self-titled debut album. The band stemmed from Riot Grrrl pioneer Kathleen Hanna's desire to create music more playful and light-hearted than that of Bikini Kill while also maintaining the inspiration from feminism and political activism of her other band. This is the story of that debut album, how the band formed, and the members within. Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves is a weekly podcast, YouTube series, and Substack blog hosted by Andy

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13:29

CAN’s Bold New Era: The Story of ‘Soon Over Babaluma’

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves ·

2024/11/04

In 1973, legendary Krautrock band CAN lost their charismatic lead singer Damo Suzuki. A year later, in November of 1974, they remade themselves and gave us Soon Over Babaluma. This is the story of that album, how a band can indeed find success after their frontman leaves. Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves is a weekly podcast, YouTube series, and Substack blog hosted by Andy Fenstermaker. Get the video version on my YouTube Channel. Find Transcripts on and Subscribe to my

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16:12

How The Beach Boys Influenced Kraftwerk’s "Autobahn"

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves ·

2024/10/28

This is the unlikely story of how the sun-soaked sounds of The Beach Boys struck a cord with the cold, electronic stoicism in post-war Germany and influenced Kraftwerk's breakout hit "Autobahn."Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves is a weekly podcast, YouTube series, and Substack blog hosted by Andy Fenstermaker. Get the video version on my YouTube Channel. Find the Transcript on and Subscribe to my Substack.

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11:35

The Double-Edged Sword of The Smiths' "Bigmouth...

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves ·

2024/10/24

The Smiths are among the most influential indie bands of all time. Led by confrontational artist Morrissey, the controversial frontman has never been one to keep quiet. He seemed to know this as far back as 1985, when he and Johnny Marr wrote "Bigmouth Strikes Again." This is the history of that song, the Rolling Stones song that inspired Marr's guitar riff, and the subtle nod to the Ancoats district in Manchester. Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves is a weekly podcast, YouTube series,

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11:30

Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York: The Tragic...

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves ·

2024/10/21

On November 18, 1993, Nirvana took the stage for MTV’s Unplugged series—a moment in music history that no one could have predicted would become one of their most defining live performances. This is the heartfelt story of that show and the live recording that graced so many of our speakers when it was released a year later on November 1, 1994 on CD and vinyl, just months after Kurt Cobain's death.Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves is a weekly podcast, YouTube series, and Substack blog

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08:22

New Order and the Story of 'Blue Monday'

Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves ·

2024/10/17

The success of "Blue Monday" by New Order was a mistake. The song was a joke. New Order never intended for it to be a hit. In this week’s episode of Poetic Wax, we pull out the 1988 reissue of "Blue Monday" on vinyl and give it a spin.We'll dig into the surprising history of the song that blended alt rock, new wave, and electronic dance music and changed the course of music history. The Poetic Wax Podcast is hosted by Andy Fenstermaker. What began as a weekly music history video series on his

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