Today’s guests are RICK VALENTIN & ROSE MARSHACK from the Champaign, IL indie rock band POSTER CHILDREN. They co-founded the group in 1987 & have since released 12 LPs, along with various singles, EPs, compilations, & a feature film.

They’ve been on indies, majors, & everything in between, & they took an avant-garde approach to music tech & media — doing enhanced CDs, early mp3 releases, DIY websites & design, & the proto-podcast podcast RADIO ZERO, which they’ve broadcast from 1998 to the present.

Rick & Rose also run 12 INCH RECORDS, home to bands like HUM, Love Cup, Dis-, & their non-Poster Children projects Salaryman & Thoughts Detecting Machines. They also also teach in the School of Creative Technologies @ Illinois St. University.

In 2023, Rose published her first book, PLAY LIKE A MAN: MY LIFE IN POSTER CHILDREN, which is absolutely essential reading for anyone who cares about indie & alternative culture in the last 4 decades. Its a cool mix of genres, moving from tour diary to music criticism to scene history & beyond.

They’ve been on my Mount Rushmore of possible guests for a long time, & it was super fun & revealing to get granular with them about all things rock, whether indie or major, from the late ‘80s to today. In this episode, we talk about regional style, the Champaign-Urbana band member maze, the idea of rock music as both art & technology, & much much more.

If you’d like to back the podcast, click “support the show” at the bottom of the notes & then “see membership options.” Donations only, no paywalls.

Thanks for listening.

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https://posterchildren.com

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BOB MOULD (Letterman)

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STEVE ALBINI, "The Problem with Music"

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POSTER CHILDREN, R.T.F.M. Enhanced CD Tour

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TIMESTAMPS:

03:01 // “Eye” (Poster Children)

03:57 // Opening for Bob Mould

09:34 // RTFM LP

12:50 // “Dream Small” (Poster Children)

13:45 // Enhanced CDs

20:47 // Mark Rubel & Pogo Studio

29:01 // HUM Member Genealogy

34:44 // 12 Inch Records

40:38 // Fillet Show LP

50:44 // “Space Fuck”

59:02 // “Formaldehyde”

01:01:21 // “Hortense”

01:03:56 // “I Like It”

01:12:06 // YPAA Vinyl

01:15:01 // Play Like a Man Book

01:21:22 // Art & Science

01:28:26 // “Matter Crush” (Poster Children)

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