Here’s a tightened, smoother version:

Once Every Two Weeks heads back to Tampa for part two of its deep dive into Mighty Joe Plum and their cult‑classic album, The Happiest Dogs—this time without guests, but with even more stories, memories, and unapologetic track‑by‑track nerding out.

Mark and Thom start with life updates and live‑show war stories: canceled Bush plans, road trips to Oklahoma, and nights out with Sponge, Local H, Everclear, Counting Crows, and Gaslight Anthem—with plenty of opinions on which aging bands have aged well, and which absolutely have not. That conversation about getting older on stage becomes the framework for the whole episode.

From there, they return to Mighty Joe Plum: Florida kids who turned youth‑group friendships into a major‑label deal and a regional hit, only to end up as one of the ’90s great “almost lost” bands. They trace the band’s path through Orlando station WJRR, producer Justin Niebank, a sound that was “just rock” with a subtle twang, and a history that somehow barely exists online—making this podcast an accidental archive for The Happiest Dogs.

Most of the episode is a deep musical dive. Mark and Thom walk through the record song by song, highlighting Brett Williams’ vivid but economical lyrics, his shifting vocal delivery, and the way the band quietly bends standard verse–chorus structures into something more interesting. From the opener “Irish” through “Borderline,” “I Fell In,” “Miss Hollywood,” “Stupid,” “Go Now,” “Sweet Orange Marmalade,” “Lumberjack,” and “Please Hear Me,” they talk textures, hooks, and the emotional weight behind deceptively simple lines.

They give special focus to the single “Live Through This (Fifteen Stories),” which reached number six on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and turned an unlikely image—an ant’s resilience—into a surprisingly hopeful rock anthem. Along the way they dig up old reviews, stray blog posts, and even a relic of a band website, laughing at odd U2 comparisons while insisting the song has genuinely held up.

In the final stretch, they look at what came after: members moving into new projects, Mark Mercado’s later work in A&R, Brett’s unfinished Peddling Home material, and how one guest vocal with Jeff (as Horace Holloway) now feels like an “unofficial final” Mighty Joe Plum track. They each name their top three songs from The Happiest Dogs (with “Live Through This (Fifteen Stories)” at number one for both) and invite listeners to queue up the whole album, share their own memories, and argue with their picks—because on Once Every Two Weeks, the nostalgia is real, the music matters, and the conversation is the best part.

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Mark and Thom unpack the Mighty Joe Plum story, revealing how a band few remember left a huge imprint on ’90s alt-rock. With insider guests and backstage tales, they chart the rise from scrappy Tampa gigs to radio rotation and major-label deals, exploring how the bonds of friendship—and a few terrible haircuts—helped shape the music’s lasting legacy.

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Welcome back to Once Every Two Weeks! This bi-weekly nostalgia trip hits a new high as Mark finally gets to geek out over the lost legends of ’90s alt-rock: Mighty Joe Plum and their underground classic, “The Happiest Dogs.”

Tune in for random stories, awkward teenage memories, and one heartfelt tribute. Dive in, share your own Mighty Joe Plum stories, or disagree with Mark (he’s used to it)—because on Once Every Two Weeks, the music is only half the fun.

It’s a celebration of the little band that made a big impact—plus the enduring power of music to connect friends, fans, and total strangers. Whether you grew up hearing “Live Through This” on the radio or are just discovering the album for the first time, you’ll get the full story: how the songs took off, why Mark swears everyone should love them, and what it felt like to watch a band go from garage demos to the big stage.

Tune in for random stories, awkward teenage memories, and one heartfelt tribute. Dive in, share your own Mighty Joe Plum stories, or disagree with Mark (he’s used to it)—because on Once Every Two Weeks, the music is only half the fun.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Once, Every Two Weeks, the podcast where long-time friends Mark and Thom subject themselves (and anyone still listening) to even more 90s nostalgia, deep cuts, and questionable life choices. This time, they dust off Placebo’s “Without You I’m Nothing”—the album that taught awkward teens it’s okay to be a little messy and a lot loud. Join us as we unpack Placebo’s sound, their accidental run-ins with David Bowie, and why this record deserves more than one spin on the Discman. From Panda Express mishaps to bitter rants about American radio, we’ll hit every high, low, and crunchy snare in-between. And, as always, we’ll argue about which tracks still slap and which ones are just...well, very Placebo.

00:00:50 – Thom’s Panda Express story; Mark meets Nada Surf (again, without Thom)

00:05:42 – Placebo's name origin, awkward Europe-to-London backstories, and the “right place, right time” magic

00:12:30 – Why Placebo’s androgynous image confused and delighted absolutely everyone

00:16:15 – The parade of Svens, Stephens, and Steves; producer Steve Osborne and that weird Real World studio

00:21:40 – Did the band even like their own album? Mark recaps cryptic interviews and British press drama

00:26:20 – Pitchfork bashing and why American critics “just didn’t get it”

00:29:10 – The Placebo sound: unpretentious, moody, always one snare away from a tantrum

00:32:30 – “Pure Morning” (how Placebo made insomnia sound cool)

00:36:00 – “Brick Shithouse” (and why production tricks can sometimes just be...really annoying)

00:39:40 – “You Don’t Care About Us” and the many faces of Mark’s 1998 alt-rock playlist

00:43:00 – “Ask for Answers” and the art of mopey Radiohead vibes

00:45:30 – Title track “Without You I’m Nothing”, David Bowie’s surprise phone call, and why the Bowie version divides the pod

00:48:40 – “Allergic to Thoughts of Mother Earth”: a rock song that’s secretly a hippie manifesto

00:51:20 – “The Crawl”: why Placebo slow songs aren’t just filler (they’re...something else)

00:53:00 – “Every You, Every Me”—the twisted joy of hearing their most infectious song in Cruel Intentions

00:57:00 – A short sidebar on why American radio, Clear Channel, and Britney Spears ruined our collective Placebo education

01:02:00 – Mark and Thom’s top picks from “Without You I’m Nothing”

01:05:00 – Wrapping up: proselytizing for Placebo and final thoughts on their “never quite mainstream” legacy

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