We're back! Sort of. We never really left. It's complicated.

Pop Rocks Radio is relaunching the podcast this week, and we're not easing into it — new tracks from The Gnomes, The Get Alongs, Julez and the Rollerz, SOFTJAW, Taxi Girls, and a whole lot more.

Plus our Movie of the Week: Night of the Comet. 1984. Post-apocalyptic. Valley Girl energy. A rock and roll movie, not about rock and roll.

Check out most of these artists on Bandcamp and show some love (i.e., $$$$)

Available on your favorite podcast platform. Unless Spotify is your favorite.

Thanks for listening!

Today's Tracks:

The Gnomes- Magic Man

Teenage Fanclub- It's All in My Mind

Orbis Max- Falling Through The Cracks (feat. ChrisVandelay)

The Rallies- I Believe

Fountains Of Wayne- The Girl I Can't Forget

Taxi Girls- Secret Handshake

Middlebees- When Will the Light Shine

The Ravines- Working Class Girl

Material Issue- Ballad Of A Lonely Man

The Get Alongs- Come On

Huey Lewis & The News- Change of Heart

Julez and the Rollerz- Phaser

UltraBomb- Sicko Rants

Owsley- The Homecoming Song

The Martial Arts- Seeing Double

SOFTJAW- Playing Bogart

The Davenports- Object In the Mirror

Young Fresh Fellows- Killing Time in Union Square

The Well Wishers- What's the Secret?

Adam Schmitt- Garden of Love

On this week’s episode of Pop Rocks Radio, we’ll dive into the solo work of our favorite mad genius, The Nerves’ frontman, Jack Lee. Plus, when she wasn’t documenting the decline of our Western civilization (oh, how I long for the days when they actually thought MUSIC was going to be our downfall), Penelope Spheeris gave us a punk rock western with Flea, Duckie, and an Elvis impersonator who saves the day. Follow us out West with this week’s tracks!

Thanks for listening!

🎥 Movie of the Week:

Dudes (1987)

You can pick up the anthology, Jack Lee: Bigger Than Life, from Alive Records! Head on over to bompstore.com.

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Today's Tracks:

The Boys - walk my dog

Joint Pains - Lurleen

GUV - Chasin' Luv

The High Frequencies - Girl In Trouble

Rich Kids - Ghosts of Princes In Towers

Angel Du$t - I'm The Outside

Cut Worms - Windows on the World

Blue Ash - She Isn't There

The Methadones - Poor Little Rich Girl

Jody and the Jerms - Some Day

The Cynz - LOVE'S SO LOVELY

Jack Lee:

• Good Times
• Come Back And Stay
• Give Me Some Time
• Crime Doesn't Pay
• Women

The Pretty Flowers - Came Back Kicking

Van Duren - Oh Babe

Lande Hekt - Lucky Now

Sam Phillips - I Don't Know How To Say Goodbye To You

There was a moment not that long ago when rock ’n’ roll didn’t just soundtrack reality. It tried to change it.

This week’s Movie of the Week is Rock & Rule (1983), the strange, ambitious animated rock opera that emerged from a time when music still felt mythic, dangerous, and world-altering.

We’re also kicking off a new featured-artist arc focused on the members of The Nerves — beginning with Paul Collins. From power pop urgency to post-punk polish, Collins helped define a sound that still echoes through indie rock today.

Plus a clip from the legendary Greg Shaw of Bomp! Records...and plenty of melodic noise from the margins.

New year. Same mission. Digging deep into cult cinema, power pop history, and the music that refuses to disappear.

Be good. Be weird.

Today's tracks:

The Leopards - Block Party

The Voltz - Over and Done

Kim Theory - Child Star Teenybopper

The Webstirs - King of Distortion

Joe Glass - Freight Train Woman

Joint Pains - Everything Considered

The Goods - Back to You

The Vandalias - Buzzbomb!

The Go-Go's - Turn to You

Paul Collins Beat:

• Rock N Roll Girl
• That's What Life Is All About
• I Still Want You

Paul Collins:

• Kind of Girl
• All Eyes to See

Uni Boys - I Don't Wanna Dream Anymore

Sharp Pins - I Could Find Out

The Darts (U.S.) - Apocalypse

Drugs In Sport - Cooked

The Arcs - She's Just That Kind of Girl

Bellvie - Feels So Far Away

The Primitives - Way Behind Me