How We Heard It

Grammy preview: Taylor Swift vs. Beyonce, or will someone else shine?

Veteran music critics Chuck Campbell and Wayne Bledsoe have spent decades arguing with each other, publicly and privately, about who should (and who would) win the Grammy Awards.
On paper, the 2025 Grammys look like a showdown between the two biggest powerhouses of the day: Will pop music maverick Taylor Swift steamroll over the competition again to take home an unprecedented fifth Best New Album, or will Beyonce finally succeed by winning her first Best Album award (after four previous nominations) with her polarizing country album?
Or are the Grammy voters sufficiently exhausted by the Taylor Swift vs. Beyonce hype to pivot to another winner? Billie Eilish is waiting in the wings, and both Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter had amazing breakthough years. And somehow there's even a "new" Beatles song in the mix!
Chuck and Wayne break it all down on this week's episode of "How We Heard It," analyzing how and why each contender could win or lose ... and of course, they argue.

Humor and music: the union we all need

With rare exceptions, humans love to laugh and they love music. We differ on what we find funny and what kind of music we like, but when comedy and music come together, it can be magical.
On this episode of "How We Heard It," the guys explore how humor has found its way into music, and vice versa, and how the two art forms are probably more united now than ever.
Also this episode, "How We Heard It" welcomes guest Sneaky Pete Rizzo, a scientist and professor emeritus from Texas A&M as well as an accomplished musician who has more than dabbled in humor in music over the years. Pete, who has had many songs featured on the "Dr. Demento" radio show, talks about the glory days of novelty songs and how humor and music intertwine.

These great ballads are good for the soul

On this episode of "How We Heard It," the guys talk about some of the greatest ballads in classic and modern pop music.
Well, first they argue about what a ballad even is, but once they settle on a definition, they talk about how a performer's authenticity makes all the difference between a song that inspires you and a song that's just generic garbage.
If you've ever been moved by a song and you can't explain why, maybe this can help you figure it out!

How Hollywood can fix the movie industry

The movie industry has buckled under intense challenges in recent years - including a devastating pandemic that shut down theaters for months, labor strikes that disrupted the production process and release schedules, a glut of streaming services that fragmented distribution ... and not least of all, a lack of innovative thinking at the top, where the same basic movies are constantly being greenlighted to lukewarm (or even cold) reception.
In this episode of "How We Heard It," veteran entertainment journalists and longtime movie fans Wayne Bledsoe and Chuck Campbell dissect where the film industry keeps getting it wrong and what it's doing right to keep hope alive.
Spoiler alert: The world doesn't need all these comic-book-based movies. Also, some of best ideas these days are coming from, improbably enough, horror films ...

Brace yourself, music is going to change again

Change is inevitable.
When you live in the day-to-day world of popular music, you might not notice, but the music industry is endlessly changing. It's a revolving door of artists and a rise and fall of genres. Also, the recording process and delivery system for music is constantly pivoting, and the audiences themselves are cycling in and out as their wants and needs shift.
This week on "How We Heard It" we ring in the second half of the 2020s by looking at just how much has changed in music from decade to decade in the past 50 years.
Then the team looks into the future with their hopes and fears: How will music change between now and 2035?

When should songs be censored or banned?

Songs can make you blush and songs can make you mad, but should they ever be banned?
Veteran music journalists Wayne Bledsoe and Chuck Campbell take a look at how and why artists have been censored and how others have avoided it. And no, it doesn't always make sense.
They also look at the fickle world of cancellation and how some artists get whacked while others get a pass. (Plus, sometimes artists even ban their own songs.)
One thing's for sure: History shows that whatever you think is OK by today's standards will probably come under fire years from now.

When musicians lie to the media ... and when journalists don't know what's going on

Sometimes performers and journalists hit it off beautifully, and the result is a fun and breezy piece that engages and informs fans.
This episode of "How We Heard It" isn't about those stories. Instead, veteran entertainment journalists Wayne Bledsoe and Chuck Campbell share their experiences in which musicians lied about who they were as well as interviews that were beyond awkward - including the time when a woman cornered Wayne to talk about her multiple personality disorder and the time when Chuck sat down with a 1970s icon and their conversation got so weird they had to get away from each other.
These are the stories journalists rarely tell.

What's up with all the gibberish that singers use?

If singers talked the way they sing, you might think they were having a stroke.
From The Beatles and Nat "King" Cole to The Police and Beck to Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter, singers have been making up words, started counting or spelling for no reason, and they've had weird bouts of repeating select words.
Sometimes they're avoiding censorship, sometimes it just inexplicably sounds right ... and sometimes, well, maybe they ARE having a stroke.
In this episode of "How We Heard It," Chuck and Wayne explore modern and classic songs featuring weird lyrics that have entertained, and irritated, them for years.
And the haters can just hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.
 

Stop watching those stale Christmas shows!

You might enjoy a couple of those old Christmas movies and TV shows that you watch every year, but let's face it: Most of that stuff is looking awfully dusty these days.
It's time for a reset.
In this episode of "How We Heard It," veteran entertainment journalists Chuck Campbell and Wayne Bledsoe catch you up on a bunch of more recent holiday movies and TV shows you may have missed - and also throw in some older fare that might have eluded you.

Best debut albums?

The debut album is a monumental accomplishment for a music artist. It's an announcement that you've arrived, an introduction to your heart and soul that just anyone can explore.
But debut albums aren't always such a wonder for the listener. The artist might still be rough around the edges, the production might be shoddy, the songwriting might be clunky, and the artistic vision might be blurry.
It's no wonder that many performers don't hit stride until their third or fourth albums.
Yet sometimes an artist gets it just right with their very first release, and in this episode of "How We Heard It," your fearless hosts make a case for some of the best debut albums in the history of popular music.