Sound Opinions

To celebrate Pride Month, Jim and Greg sit down with Barry Walters, a pioneering music journalist and author of "Mighty Real: A History of LGBTQ Music, 1969-2000."

They discuss R.E.M., Pet Shop Boys, Donna Summer and more, exploring how LGBTQ musicians and culture have shaped popular music: https://www.soundopinions.org/show/1072

Greg expands on the conversation in this week's newsletter, reflecting on Walters' career as a music journalist and social-justice advocate and why “Mighty Real” stands as a definitive chronicle of LGBTQ music history: https://bit.ly/4w3VTW5

Jim spotlights a beloved blues and soul singer whose name has been in the Sound Opinions conversation since the show's earliest days—going all the way back to episode 5: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-chicago-blues-throwback/id94793843?i=1000773069043

Before she emerged as a singular artist in her own right, Anita Lane was a vital presence in the world of post-punk legends.

Jim highlights the singer's journey from the margins of some of alternative music's most celebrated and notorious circles to center stage, featuring her haunting track, "The Next Man That I See." https://bit.ly/3S9Xr27

Jim and Greg welcome back acclaimed music writer Jimmy McDonough to discuss his new biography, "Gary Stewart: I Am From the Honky-Tonks." McDonough introduces listeners to the influential honky-tonk artist and shares five essential songs from Stewart's catalog: https://bit.ly/4e9X3JI

Plus, Greg reflects on McDonough's decades-long journey to tell Stewart's story and explores why the singer's genre-defying music continues to inspire such devoted admiration: https://bit.ly/3S3uWTS

Can an artist survive the sophomore slump? Jim and Greg spotlight the musicians who answered with a resounding yes, sharing some of their favorite second albums that matched (or surpassed) the promise of a great debut. Listen now and hear which artists turned early hype into lasting greatness: https://bit.ly/4wUQCkL

Then read the newsletter where Jim reflects on why list episodes remain such a listener favorite and revisits the idea that “artists generally have a lifetime to make their first record and only a few months to make their second.” Listen here: https://bit.ly/435Qd1p

In the 70th episode of Everything Else, Greg recommends the UK crime series "Happy Valley" and Jim makes the case for getting its creator on the podcast. Listen now on the Sound Opinions Patreon: https://bit.ly/4uOhYYk

Jim pays tribute to legendary songwriter Chip Taylor, who died March 23, 2026 at 86. From writing songs for Frank Sinatra and Janis Joplin to penning Wild Thing for The Troggs, Taylor’s career was the definition of a music industry legend.

➡️ Listen now to hear Jim celebrate one of the great old-school songwriting characters: https://bit.ly/4f8zLET

Greg gives some love to Chicago’s 1980s indie-rock underground with a song by the band Green.

Calling Green one of the most underrated bands in Midwestern garage-rock history, Greg reflects on the city’s indie scene and his longtime love for the group’s first three albums: https://bit.ly/4nJ0cDm

Jim and Greg are joined by author Nic Brown for a Classic Album Dissection of The Violent Femmes’ landmark 1983 debut album.

From “Blister in the Sun” to “Add It Up,” the conversation explores why these songs still resonate decades later: https://bit.ly/4dFaik7

Then Greg writes about the lasting impact of Violent Femmes, from the band’s Midwest underground roots to unforgettable live Chicago performances and their influence across generations of musicians: https://bit.ly/4fk0BtV

Jim and Greg talk with biographer Will Hermes about Lou Reed’s music, persona, contradictions and enduring legacy. From the Velvet Underground to his solo career, they revisit the work of one of rock’s most influential and endlessly debated artists: https://bit.ly/4tyUTYw

In this week’s newsletter, Greg reflects on his personal history with Reed, revisiting the interviews he conducted across the final decades of Reed’s life, the albums that continued to reveal something new — masterpieces and duds alike — and Reed’s singular ambition to create rock music that could engage listeners emotionally, intellectually and even spiritually: https://bit.ly/4tAl29h