It’s 2016, and most of the people I know are currently watching a sports event that I don’t really care about, so I decided to record a podcast episode. 

Things I’m geeking out about: 

• Colony 
• Agent Carter 
• DC’s Legends of Tomorrow 

Star Wars The Force Awakens 

• Saw it 3 times and read the book 
• Erased the stench of the prequels 
• Start of a new trilogy with new characters 
• It’s broken nearly all the box-office records at this point, so there’s not much more I can say about it 
• I will say, though, that the biggest critique I have heard is that it has the same basic story points as “A New Hope.” This may be true, but I think it makes sense, given the fact that JJ Abrams needed to make a movie to bring in a new generation of Star Wars fans. My guess is that the next film in the new trilogy will go into new territory.

David Bowie 

• My “Ashes To Ashes” cover: https://soundcloud.com/michaeljjohnson/ashes-to-ashes-a-tribute-to-david-bowie 
• 1st Bowie tune I ever heard: Fame 
• Scary Monsters era 
• Bowie was the type of artist you rarely see anymore. He was constantly changing, and never stuck with the same sound or style for more than a few records.  
• He didn’t really become a superstar until “Let’s Dance,” and that was just another phase of his career. 
• At the height of his fame, he released a record with a band called Tin Machine, without giving himself star billing. 
• Work with Trent Reznor  
• Bowie/9 Inch Nails Tour 
• “Afraid of Americans” 
• Final album “Blackstar” was basically about his death. It was musically adventurous, yet it reached back into his past as well, incorporating styles from some of his earlier periods.  
• He was an uncompromising artist until the day he died. 

X-Files 

• New 6-episode miniseries tonight 
• I’ve been a fan since the beginning 
• The show basically created the template for the modern genre series, with an over-arching mythology that ran from beginning to end. Each season was a mix of mythology-heavy episodes and “Monster of the Week” episodes. 
• Some people don’t necessarily like the mythology episodes, but I always did. 
• At the same time, I had developed an interest in conspiracy theories, and it was fascinating to see them depicted in the show. 
• This was the first show that got me interested in the showrunner as auteur
• Some great writers came out of this room, including Vince Gilligan and Frank Spotnitz
• Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny 
• AD Skinner, The Cigarette Smoking Man, Alex Krychek, Max, the alien abductee from NICAP, the Lone Gunmen
• X-Files nights at Miami 
• In the last couple of seasons, since they had tied up so much of the mythology, I think they started running out of ideas. But I am a fan of Agents Doggett and Reyes, especially since I think both actors were far superior to Duchovny. 

My top 10 X-Files episodes, in chronological order: 

1. S1, episode 2: "Deep Throat"
2. S1, ep 17: "EBE"
3. S2, ep 25: “Anasazi” 
4. S3, ep 2: “Paper Clip” 
5. S3, ep 20: “Jose Chung’s From Outer Space.” 
6. S4 ep7: “Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man” 
7. S5 ep 3: “Unusual Suspects” 
8. S5 ep 12: “Bad Blood” - 
9. S6, ep 4&5, “Dreamland, parts 1 and 2” 
10. S6, ep 14: “Monday”

In episode 9 of “Frequencies,” Michael J. Johnson briefly talks about the new season of the podcast “Serial,” followed by a rumination on his Star Wars fandom, the merits of the original trilogy, and the corresponding lack of merit in the prequels. how notes are available at http://michaeljjohnsonmusic.com/blog.

1. Intro
2. The end of August is always a bit slow for podcasts
3. The latest episode of "Mr. Robot" is a game-changer!
4. "Dark Matter" is pretty good too.
5. "Under The Dome" and "Falling Skies," however, are not.
6. You should check out "Can't Stand Losing You" 
7. I'm basically boycotting "Fantastic Four"
8. Preview of my new song "Long Way Around"

In this episode of "Frequencies," Michael J. Johnson will talk about what it's like to be in a band, why bands break up, and his six "Rules For Being A Good Band-Mate." He will also share some of his many band experiences. Show notes are available at michaeljjohnsonmusic.com/blog.

First, some housekeeping:

We’re on iTunes now! 

Website: michaeljjohnsonmusic.com, I will post the show notes in my blog, and you can leave a comment if you want.

Twitter: mikejjohnson

soundcloud.com/michaeljjohnson

Intro music: Soul Magnets

Thank you to all of you who listened to the first episode. Please spread the word.

I’ve already gotten some responses from possible guests for future episodes, so stay tuned. While I’m not famous, I’m somewhat famous-adjacent, so I might be able to score some decent guests once the word gets out. 

I will also be joined sometimes by my wife, the fabulous Ani Johnson. She has voiceover experience, and a very pleasant speaking voice!

I’ve been in quite a few bands over the years, both as a frontman and a sideman. So I want to talk about several issues related to being in a band, and the types of challenges as well as rewards that go with it.

Band dynamics are very complex. A band is like a family, and it’s not unusual to develop the same type of love/hate relationship with your bandmates that siblings often have. 

My early band experiences were marred by:

• ADHD
• Alcoholism
• I hated rehearsing

Typical reasons a band breaks up:

• Ego clashes/personality clashes
• Outside influences, either a girlfriend/boyfriend, management, etc.
• Drugs & alcohol
• Jealousy
• Unreasonable expectations or impatience
• No clear power structure

Michael J. Johnson’s rules for being a good bandmate

1. Communicate

2. Be on time

3. Remember the band is not all about you

4. There’s a difference between rehearsal and practice

5. Be professional at the gig

6. Be fully committed

In this first episode of the “Frequencies” podcast, host Michael J. Johnson will discuss: Podcast intro; Must-see summer TV; Marvel “Secret Wars” event; Twitter; “Freedom” by Refused and “Compton: A Soundtrack” by Dr. Dre; “Love and Mercy” biopic about Brian Wilson; Spoilerific review of Marvel’s “Ant-Man.” Warning: Spoilers.

Here is the RSS feed link, for your podcast app or "pod catcher:" http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:138994/sounds.rss

If you would rather just hear it on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/michaeljjohnson/1-ants
 

Why a podcast?

• Late to the game; 
• Thinking about doing a podcast for a while, 
• dabbled in radio a bit, did some blogging for a few years.
• I’ve been listening to podcasts almost since the time they first came into existence

Topics I will talk about in the podcast: 

• Pop culture news and opinions
• TV, Film, comics, podcasts
• Music, music industry, pro audio
• Tech
• Occasional guests and interviews
• NO SPORTS