Hailing from the great plains of Witchita, Kansas, The Embarrassment, like their contemporaries R.E.M., The Replacements, and Husker Du,  helped blaze the trail for what would become college or alternative rock in the early to mid 1980s. Affectionately known as The Embos, their smart, catchy, and quirky songs were a ballast to the moodier sounds of early R.E.M. and the more punkish sounds of the mats and Husker Du. 
The band was guitarist Bill Goffrier, lead singer and organist John Nichols, bassist Ron Klaus and drummer Brent Giessmann.
Bill stops by Thunderlove Studio to talk about how the band went from a name like The Elastic Wasteband to The Embarrassment and how R.E.M. allegedly had them removed as an opening act - for fear they would outperform the headlining guys from Athens, Georgia. 
Keith and Bill talk about the band, its place in history, and the upcoming documentary We Were Famous, You Don’t Remember.
LINKS
The Embarrassment Wiki
We Were Famous, You Don’t Remember
Bill Goffrier 
Chucky Fume - Thoughts From the Universe
Bar None Records
Last Laugh Records
Fresh Sounds Records
Big Dipper
The Del Fuegos
Article about Documentary
We Jam Econo - The Minuteman Documentary
Los Straight Jackets