WCA Podcast, Ep. 16: Joe Pop-O-Pie (Pt. 1)

Part One of a two-part blockbuster with the man behind the Pop-O-Pies. To quote from the Pop-O-Anthology 1984-1993 liner notes,

The Pop-O-Pies started back in September of 1981. For the first 2 years of their existence, the band’s live performances consisted of only one song, an irreverent but tasteful arrangment (cover version) of the Grateful Dead’s “Truckin’.”

This was done because the band members changed so much, there really wasn’t the time to learn any more songs than that. Joe, who at first was the only consistent member of the band, felt that the PA systems in clubs were so bad that no one would really notice.

Here, Joe takes us from New Jersey to San Francisco, from recording the “Truckin’” demo to putting together a live band, from landing a local college radio hit to signing with 415 Records, from touring the East Coast (and writing “The Words of Jamal”) to meeting Courtney Love and hanging out with Jerry Garcia … and more.

Links

• Pop-O-Pies.com
• The White EP (Deluxe Edition) on Bandcamp
• Pop-O-Anthology: 1984-1993 (includes all of Joe’s Second Record, Joe’s Third Record, and the “In Frisco”/”Squarehead” single) on Amazon Music | iTunes
• Joe’s Greatest Disasters 1983-2009 (a selection of live versions, demos, interview snippets, and other non-album material) on Amazon Music | iTunes
• Podcast links: Apple | Spotify | Podcast Addict | Justcast (direct download link) | More
• Order the book (Who Cares Anyway: Post-Punk San Francisco & the End of the Analog Age)

Music Credits

• The Three Doctors, “Leaving Has Hurt”
• Pop-O-Pies, “Truckin‘”
• Pop-O-Pies, “Fascists Eat Donuts“
• Pop-O-Pies, “The Catholics Are “
• Pop-O-Pies, “Pop-O-Rap”
• Pop-O-Pies, “Truckin’ Rap”

Part 2

WCA Podcast, Ep. 17: Joe Pop-O-Pie (Pt. 2)