I've gotten to know the mysterious, enigmatic, and rather brilliant deejay Kid Ginseng - a producer and turntablist with deep roots in early classic hip-hop and underground dance music - a little bit over the last few years, and I love talking with him about how he puts together his minimalist (or are they maximalist?), classic electrofunk jams. The Kid is living and creating in the present yet is deeply knowledgable about the jam-masters who've come before him. (He's also a really sweet guy.) So a few weeks ago - at the Coveralls gig at Walrus Alley in Westport, to be exact - I asked him if he would join me on my Monday morning Snap Crackle POP! show someday.

And on this sunny summer Bridgeport morning he did! And he even debuted his newest mixtape, which incorporates some really deep-stark-funky jams and beats, both new and vintage, alongside his own innovative tracks from the last few years. We agreed to swoop in and out of the mix like we were at a party, which was really really fun and enlightening for me. So here it is, with a particularly boogie-down episode of Snap, Crackle, BOUNCE! (I mean POP!)

Big Fun – Inner City

Cavern – Liquid Liquid

U.F.O. – ESG

Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life – Indeep

Let the Music Play – Shannon

The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel – Grandmaster Flash

Kraftjerkz Freakout Mix # 3 – featuring:

* Don’t Stop (intro) – Kid Ginseng

* Looking for the Perfect Beat (instrumental) – Afrika Bambaataa

* Love Can’t Wait – Tony “Dr. Edit” Garcia feat. Lil Suzy

* I Need a Freak – Sexual Harassment

* Night Drive Break

* Rock the Planet – The Megatrons

* Fix It in the Mix (instrumental) – Pretty Tony

* My Tascam – Kid Ginseng

* I Go Off – Kid Ginseng

* Eye Spy – Unsighted

* It’s Nokoman – DJ Technician

* East 7 Miles – CEM3340

* Crackworld – DJ Di’jital

* Armada (DJ Maaco Remix) – DJ Di’jital

* 808 Kits – DJ Di’jital

Computer Love – Kraftwerk

I hope it doesn't seem odd to have a "Wooo!" in this podcast's headline, in terms of the fact that our honoree - early '60s rocker Freddy Cannon - passed away this previous weekend. He was a "Wooo!" kind of guy, and his music was unquestionably joyous rock 'n' roll. (Subtlety was not his forte.) So a lot of today's music was joyous (almost all of it, anyway) as Dawn Eden Goldstein and I took a musical journey through the years 1959 through 1963/4, what one might call the post-Elvis-getting-into-the-army and pre-Beatles pop music era. Did Elvis die when he went into the service? Did Rock 'n' Roll? Maybe Don McLean would differ, but Dawn, Freddy and I say "nay". And then: "Wooo!"

Action (theme song for ABC-TV's “Where The Action Is”) – Freddy Cannon

Don't Ever Charge – The Crickets

Claudette (demo) – Roy Orbison

Sweet Suzie – Johnny Burnette

Crying In the Rain – Carole King

From Me to You – Del Shannon

Tallahassee Lassie – Flamin' Groovies

Soldier of Love – Arthur Alexander

Rock and Roll Will Never Die – Wild Hares

Time’s Passing By – Lia Pamina & Dario Persi

Dumb Head – Ginny Arnell

He’s a Rebel – The Crystals

Half Heaven Half Heartache – Gene Pitney

Killer Joe – The Rocky Fellers

Hippie Hippy Shake – Chan Romero

Tallahassee Lassie – Freddie Cannon

Transistor Sister – Freddie Cannon

Way Down Yonder in New Orleans – Freddy Cannon

Bony Moronie – Larry Williams
Whole Lotta Loving – Fats Domino

Palisades Park – Freddy Cannon

Stuck On You – Elvis Presley

Fortune Teller – Benny Spellman

You're No Good – Dee Dee Warwick

The Last One to Be Loved – Lou Johnson

This Empty Place – The Searchers

Have I the Right – The Honeycombs
Just What I Needed – Big Daddy

Okefenokee – Freddy Cannon
Palisades Park – The Beach Boys

Long live The Rolling Stones! And Aggie Miller and Nick Kivlen and everybody, for that matter.

Never Wanna Lose You – The Rolling Stones

Covered In You – The Rolling Stones

Dandelion – The Rolling Stones

Baby You're a Rich Man – The Beatles

Emotional Rescue – The Rolling Stones

Monday the 13th – The Afterschools

Blast – Hovvdy

Lovesick – Wishy

If You Change – Widowspeak

Lost Boys – Phoebe Bridgers

Sadie – Aggie Miller

the feeling – Steve Lacy

Good Times / End Times – Goose

Addicted to the Sunset – Nick Kivlen

Stone Over Water – Death Cab for Cutie

Me and Magdalena (Version 2) – The Monkees

Terri – Micky Dolenz

Doomscrollin' – The Gershwin Brothers

Dead End Street – The Kinks

Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometimes – Beck

It was supposed to rain more than it actually did this Monday morning. But I stuck with the playlist, reality be damned.

Summer Rain – Johnny Rivers

Here's That Rainy Day (Koop Remix) – Astrud Gilberto

Raindrops – Dee Clark

Summer Rain – Leon Bridges (feat. Jazmine Sullivan)

Why Does It Always Rain on Me? – Travis

Rainy Days and Mondays – The Carpenters

Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again – The Fortunes

Crying Inside – Nick Lowe & Los Straightjackets

Ram On – Paul & Linda McCartney

Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey – Paul & Linda McCartney

Season Cycle – XTC

I Can't Stand the Rain – Ann Peebles

I Think It's Gonna Rain Today – Dusty Springfield

It's Raining Today – Scott Walker

Carolina Rain – Rhiannon Giddens

Rainy Day – Shuggie Otis

I Wish It Would Rain – Temptations

Rain on the Roof – The Lovin' Spoonful

Rain Hat Day – Luper Dupree

It's Raining Again – Supertramp

Crying In the Rain – Carole King

Laughter In the Rain – Neil Sedaka

Raining In My Heart – Graham Nash

The End of Comedy – Drugdealer (feat. Weyes Blood)

That Summer Feeling – Jonathan Richman

Shiny Happy People – Mickey Dolenz

Porpoise Song – The Monkees
The Door Into Summer – The Monkees
You Bring the Summer – The Monkees
Terri – Mickey Dolenz

Kiss Me on the Bus – The Replacements
Left of the Dial – The Replacements
Cut Your Hair – Pavement

It Only Takes One Lion – Belle and Sebastian
Watching the Omnibus – The Bug Club
Have U Ever Been to Wales – The Bug Club
Blowin' Up – Kiwi Jr.
Sound Asleep/Wide Awake – Pearl & The Oysters

Good Kid – Dana and Alden
The Sofa – Wolf Alice
Hollywood Communication – Julia Cumming
Jazzman – Carole King

In The Beginning – The Autumn Defense
Chelsea Morning – Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66
Night In the City – Joni Mitchell
My Front Pages – Arlo Guthrie

You're My Favorite Song – Neil Diamond
Brooklyn Roads – Neil Diamond
But You Just Woke Me Up – This is Lorelei

OK, this Snap Crackle POP! is a DOOZY. For this show, my live in-studio guests (for the first 1 hour and 15 minutes of the 2-hour show, at least) are singer/songwriter/bassist Julia Cumming from Sunflower Bean whose 2026 debut solo album Julia is blowing people away, and legendary film director Edgar Wright who, believe it or not, I do not talk about movies with here at all. Why? Because we are all there to talk about our shared thesis - that 1979 is the best year for music EVER - and we are letting out GEEK. FLAGS. FLY. This is a must listen, people.

Up The Junction – Squeeze

Lucky Number – Lene Lovich

Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick – Ian Dury & The Blockheads

One Step Beyond – Madness

Ring My Bell – Anita Ward

Regiment – David Byrne & Brian Eno

Beat the Clock – Sparks

Is She Really Going Out With Him? – Joe Jackson

Making Plans for Nigel – XTC

Pop Muzik – M

Dance Away – Roxy Music

Street Life – Randy Crawford & The Crusaders

I Don’t Like Mondays – The Boomtown Rats

52 Girls - The B-52s

I Walk a Thin Line – Fleetwood Mac
Kid – The Pretenders

Clampdown – The Clash

Good Times – Chic (w/ brief excerpt of “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang)

Swan Lake (Death Disco)/Radio 4 – P.I.L. (partial)

Video Killed the Radio Star – The Buggles

'Nuff Said.

Sigh. This was supposed to be a "Catch a Wave" week fundraiser for WPKN, with the great Dawn Eden Goldstein joining me for the first half and the legendary Rob Silber joining me for the second half. Dawn came up with the idea of playing break-up songs as a theme within the "we need money" theme.

Well, I mean, it was a fundraiser, but we didn't get a single donation during my shift, though. It would do me (and our brilliant radio station!) a tremendous amount of good if you donated to WPKN here in honor of Snap Crackle POP... so: Please?

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Catch A Wave – The Beach Boys

You're Gonna Miss Me – The 13th Floor Elevators
Off and Running – Lesley Gore

Partially Awesome – Edward O'Connell
Alone Again Or – The Damned

Shake Hands and Walk Away Cryin' – Lou Christie
Valentine's Day – Wild Hares

Future Me Hates Me – The Beths
So You Say You Lost Your Baby – Gene Clark

I'm Not Living Here – Sagittarius
The Breakup – Art Garfunkel

All I Know – Art Garfunkel
Bye Bye Love – The Cars

If I Didn't Love You – Squeeze
I Summon You – Spoon

Lovers Who Wander – Dion
Both Sides Now – Judy Collins

Song for Hal – U2

A ? of When – Panda Bear & Sonic Boom

Feelin' So Good (S.K.O.O.B.Y. D.O.O.) – The Archies

Lost & Alone – Aaron Lee Tasjan

Blowin' Up – Kiwi Jr.

All This Disaster – Sarah McLachlan

If You Change – Widowspeak

Pretty In Pink – Psychedelic Furs

Radio Free Europe (Jackknife Lee 2025 mix) – R.E.M.

Wu-Tang – They Might Be Giants

Eat at Home – Paul & Linda McCartney

Momma Gets By – Paul McCartney

It's Over Now – The Beach Boys

What Is Left to Say – Thundercat (feat. The Lemon Twigs)

2 or 3 – The Lemon Twigs

Forgotten (Alternate Version) – Neil Diamond

Michigan – Margret Glaspy

Rainbows – Allison Russell

Real Deal – Endearments

Pink Lemon – Elder Island

Aht Uh Mi Hed – Shuggie Otis

Strawberry Letter 23 – Shuggie Otis