Jokermen - Podcast Rankings and reviews

I've been a huge Dylan fan since the early 90s, and own everything released under Dylan's name, but these guys got me to listen more closely and thoughtfully to a lot of Dylan stuff that I'd written off after an initial negative impression. I've been a huge Velvet Underground fan since 2000 but never ventured into Cale and Reed solo stuff for similar reasons, and Ian and Even have revealed some real gems in those catalogs for me. The humor and positivity they bring to every episode makes the journey fun even when the music maybe doesn't grab you. If you want pure magic start with the Purple Mountains episode.

I do love the Jokerman mindset. Five stars because I always look forward to the show. The fellas do a fine job contextualizing and deeply listening to under-appreciated records from geniuses. Always fun and interesting. The show seems like an exercise in rock genius fundamentalist apologetics at times (some songs defended/celebrated, particularly some Lou songs, are inexcusably bad!) but I thank the Jokermen for inspiring me to revisit some records I previously paid scant attention to. Fine work! Looking forward to Wilson/Beach Boys.

Great project, deep diving one artists work, one album at a time. Love the close reading of the music. The tangents and detours are satisfying and color the broader story. Learned a lot about Bob, Lou, John, Van, Mark, Don, Walt, Scott. Looking forward to The Beach Boys odyssey and all the left turns that includes.

Everyone knows the classic records, but these are classic *artists* and looking at their projects holistically is excellent.

irreverent and insightful discussion of music that deserves more attention than it’s gotten, highlighted by evan’s spot on impressions and ian’s pitch perfect radio/podcaster voice. plus just a fun hangout vibe. highly recommended!