Podcast
Snap, Crackle, POP! with Alec Cumming
Hosted by Alec Cumming, WPKN · EN
A show dedicated to unapologetically intelligent & melodic pop music that oft includes adventure, ambition, angst, bass shenanigans, bravura, catchiness, cynicism, curiosity, dancability, deft dynamics, economy, forward momentum, glee, grace, hubris, irreverance, irony, love, maximalism, melancholy, minimalism, modesty, naïveté, overreaching, passion, prettiness, proselytizing, protest, questioning, repetition, ribaldry, sarcasm, sexiness, sincerity, specificity, swoon-worthiness, temerity, understanding, vagueness, wisdom, wit and maybe more than a little nostalgia.
29episodes
Episodes
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It's a very ELECTROFUNK morning with KID GINSENG
2w ago01:54:25Tap to summarizeI'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 LiquidU.F.O. – ESG Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life – IndeepLet the Music Play – ShannonThe 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
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Woooo! A salute to Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon and to the post-Elvis-Army/pre-Beatles era
2w ago01:53:16Tap to summarizeI 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 CricketsClaudette (demo) – Roy OrbisonSweet Suzie – Johnny Burnette Crying In the Rain – Carole King From Me to You – Del Shannon Tallahassee Lassie – Flamin' Groovies Soldier of Love – Arthur AlexanderRock and Roll Will Never Die – Wild HaresTime’s Passing By – Lia Pamina & Dario Persi Dumb Head – Ginny Arnell He’s a Rebel – The CrystalsHalf Heaven Half Heartache – Gene Pitney Killer Joe – The Rocky FellersHippie Hippy Shake – Chan Romero Tallahassee Lassie – Freddie Cannon Transistor Sister – Freddie CannonWay Down Yonder in New Orleans – Freddy Cannon Bony Moronie – Larry Williams Whole Lotta Loving – Fats DominoPalisades 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 SearchersHave I the Right – The Honeycombs Just What I Needed – Big DaddyOkefenokee – Freddy CannonPalisades Park – The Beach Boys
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Some Stones, Some This, Some That, Some Girls
4w ago01:54:40Tap to summarizeLong 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 StonesBaby You're a Rich Man – The BeatlesEmotional Rescue – The Rolling Stones Monday the 13th – The AfterschoolsBlast – Hovvdy Lovesick – Wishy If You Change – Widowspeak Lost Boys – Phoebe BridgersSadie – Aggie Miller the feeling – Steve Lacy Good Times / End Times – GooseAddicted to the Sunset – Nick Kivlen Stone Over Water – Death Cab for Cutie Me and Magdalena (Version 2) – The MonkeesTerri – Micky Dolenz Doomscrollin' – The Gershwin BrothersDead End Street – The KinksEverybody's Gotta Learn Sometimes – Beck
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I Think It DID Rain Today, actually
Jul 601:54:44Tap to summarizeIt 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 OtisI Wish It Would Rain – Temptations Rain on the Roof – The Lovin' SpoonfulRain Hat Day – Luper DupreeIt's Raining Again – SupertrampCrying In the Rain – Carole King Laughter In the Rain – Neil SedakaRaining In My Heart – Graham Nash The End of Comedy – Drugdealer (feat. Weyes Blood) That Summer Feeling – Jonathan Richman
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Too Much Monkey Business? (Never!)
Jun 2901:54:44Tap to summarizeShiny Happy People – Mickey DolenzPorpoise Song – The MonkeesThe Door Into Summer – The MonkeesYou Bring the Summer – The MonkeesTerri – Mickey DolenzKiss Me on the Bus – The ReplacementsLeft of the Dial – The ReplacementsCut Your Hair – PavementIt Only Takes One Lion – Belle and SebastianWatching the Omnibus – The Bug ClubHave U Ever Been to Wales – The Bug ClubBlowin' Up – Kiwi Jr.Sound Asleep/Wide Awake – Pearl & The OystersGood Kid – Dana and AldenThe Sofa – Wolf AliceHollywood Communication – Julia CummingJazzman – Carole KingIn The Beginning – The Autumn DefenseChelsea Morning – Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66Night In the City – Joni MitchellMy Front Pages – Arlo GuthrieYou're My Favorite Song – Neil DiamondBrooklyn Roads – Neil DiamondBut You Just Woke Me Up – This is Lorelei
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Why 1979 was the best year for music, featuring Edgar Wright and Julia Cumming
Jun 2201:56:10Tap to summarizeOK, 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 – SqueezeLucky Number – Lene LovichHit Me with Your Rhythm Stick – Ian Dury & The BlockheadsOne Step Beyond – MadnessRing My Bell – Anita WardRegiment – David Byrne & Brian EnoBeat the Clock – SparksIs She Really Going Out With Him? – Joe JacksonMaking Plans for Nigel – XTCPop Muzik – MDance Away – Roxy Music Street Life – Randy Crawford & The CrusadersI Don’t Like Mondays – The Boomtown Rats 52 Girls - The B-52sI Walk a Thin Line – Fleetwood MacKid – The PretendersClampdown – 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.
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Breaking Up (and Fundraising) is Hard To Do
Jun 1501:54:41Tap to summarizeSigh. 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? ---------------------------------------------Catch A Wave – The Beach BoysYou're Gonna Miss Me – The 13th Floor ElevatorsOff and Running – Lesley GorePartially Awesome – Edward O'ConnellAlone Again Or – The DamnedShake Hands and Walk Away Cryin' – Lou ChristieValentine's Day – Wild HaresFuture Me Hates Me – The BethsSo You Say You Lost Your Baby – Gene ClarkI'm Not Living Here – SagittariusThe Breakup – Art GarfunkelAll I Know – Art GarfunkelBye Bye Love – The CarsIf I Didn't Love You – SqueezeI Summon You – SpoonLovers Who Wander – DionBoth Sides Now – Judy Collins
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Happy (belated) 70th Birthday, Richard Butler!
Jun 801:52:39Tap to summarizeSong for Hal – U2 A ? of When – Panda Bear & Sonic BoomFeelin' So Good (S.K.O.O.B.Y. D.O.O.) – The ArchiesLost & Alone – Aaron Lee Tasjan Blowin' Up – Kiwi Jr. All This Disaster – Sarah McLachlanIf 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 McCartneyIt'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 DiamondMichigan – Margret Glaspy Rainbows – Allison Russell Real Deal – EndearmentsPink Lemon – Elder Island Aht Uh Mi Hed – Shuggie OtisStrawberry Letter 23 – Shuggie Otis
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A belated Memorial day radio show, and a tribute to Cynthia Louise Harden (1957-2026)
Jun 101:44:58Tap to summarizeThis show was kind of a "memorial 2-fer". First, it was a belated tribute to Memorial Day; Dawn Eden Goldstein and I were going to co-host the Snap Crackle POP! WPKN show on the Memorial Day morning of 5/25/26, but due to a family issue we had to re-run the 1/27/26 Beatles REVOLVER special.Secondly, this show served as a memorial of sorts to the memory of Cynthia Louise Harden, who passed on 5/26/26 - and yes, that was the family issue. Cynthia was the mother of my amazing daughter Julia Cumming, my partner and co-leader of the '90s pop-rock-rap duo Bite the Wax Godhead, and... my ex-wife. I am still extremely sad and in shock, even as I write this.I'm not sure I did her memory justice (much less to the brave and women who lost their lives to war) but here it is anyway. I meant well. ===========================================The Way We Were / Try to Remember – Gladys Knight Reflections of My Life – The MarmaladeDo You Remember Walter? – The KinksRemember – John Lennon Here Today – Paul McCartney As You Lie There – Paul McCartney Soho Square – Kirsty MacCollNever to Be Forgotten – The Bobby Fuller FourI’ve Got a Broken Heart – The Lemon TwigsTill We Meet Again – The Cheepskates Galveston – Glen CampbellRuby, Don't Take Your Love to Town – Kenny Rogers and the First EditionPowderfinger (acoustic) – Neil Young I Can’t Write Left-Handed (live) – Bill WithersThe Green Fields of France – Dropkick Murphys Between the Wars – Billy Bragg Old World – The Modern LoversRivers of Babylon – The Melodians Keep On Movin' – Soul II Soul The Captain of Her Heart – Double Starlight – Nick Kivlen Only Love Can Break Your Heart – Neil Young
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SEDAKA IS BACK! (again!)
May 1101:55:00Tap to summarizeThis is a repackaging of two live Snap Crackle POPs from March 2nd and 3rd of this year. The lovely and brilliant Eden Dawn Goldstein joins me for the first half.[All songs performed by Neil Sedaka unless otherwise noted.]That's When the Music Takes MeStupid Cupid – Connie Francis The DiaryI Go Ape One Way Ticket (To the Blues)Oh! CarolOh! Neil – Carole King Calendar GirlBreaking Up Is Hard to DoI Can't Stay Mad at You – Skeeter Davis Magic Colors – Lesley Gore When Love Comes Knockin' (At Your Door) – The MonkeesWorkin’ on a Groovy ThingBeautiful You Laughter In the RainBad Blood Anywhere You're Gonna Be (Leba's Song)(Is This the Way To) Amarillo – Tony ChristieI'm a Song, Sing Me Superbird – Neil Sedaka Solitaire – Neil SedakaIt Hurts to Be in Love – Gene Pitney Donna – 10cc Love Will Keep Us Together – The Captain & TenillePuppet Man – The 5th Dimension The Hungry Years Beginning to Breathe Again
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