"My Best Friend's A Skeleton" (George Salazar & Jeremy Morse)

ALBUM PODCAST - Trailer: ALBUM PODCAST is a behind-the-songs deep dive into the creative process of writer and performer Joe Iconis. Through a series of conversations with his friend/collaborator Jennifer Ashley Tepper, Joe will offer a behind the scenes glimpse of the writing and producing of his 44-song epic Album. The longtime friends weave through their common history, share war stories of their time spent in the battle ground of contemporary musical theater, and introduce you to the Rogue's Gallery of showtune misfits who make up their chosen Family. A sprawling, rafter-shaking podcast that is the ultimate companion piece to Iconis' massive body of work. http://BPN.fm/Album to get the music. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

1 min listen

"Album" (Joe Iconis): The title track of ALBUM, this discussion of the song “Album” dives into why the hell Joe decided to create this 44-song opus in the first place. Join legendary composer Joe Iconis and longtime friend and collaborator Jennifer Ashley Tepper as they dive into the past, present, and future to figure out just what makes this ALBUM tick. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

24 min listen

"The Song" (Joe Iconis): Upon hearing that multiple people in his life were worried that Joe would write a song about them, he did what any jerk songwriter would do: he wrote a song about it. Is this song about Joe himself? Nope. Definitely not. Is it about Emily? Who can say... all we know is that Emily is a name that doesn't rhyme with anything. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

17 min listen

"The Protector" (Jason SweetTooth Williams): This song is one of the most intriguing songs you'll hear. It's a song about... well, it actually takes place in... actually, the best way to describe it is... um. Ok, well we can't exactly describe it because you just need to interpret it for yourself. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

17 min listen

"Play the Princess" (Destinee Rea and L Morgan Lee): A cut song from the Joe Iconis musical "Bloodsong of Love," which itself is a wild musical theater interpretation of the Spaghetti Western film genre, "Play the Princess" is another song about art and theater, this time examining the boxes society places us in and the roles we are assigned. It is performed by Destinee Rea and L Morgan Lee, two beautiful humans who defy categorization. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

19 min listen

"Archie" (Andrew Barth Feldman): A straightforward explosion of maximalist pop that conveys the youthful optimism and dilated-pupil enthusiasm of Riverdale’s favorite son; “Archie” is performed by Andrew Barth Feldman, who Joe first saw as a 14-year-old Roger in RENT. It holds the distinction of being the only song on ALBUM with an instrumental break and the only song on the entire record that is purposefully about absolutely nothing. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

16 min listen

"Ammonia" (Heidi Blickenstaff): What happens when Heidi Blickenstaff records her viral YouTube hit in a studio for the first time? Did you know Joe wrote "Ammonia" specifically for Heidi 10 years ago and this is the first time they've returned to the material? Listen in as Joe and Jen relive the madness of how this song came into existence, and why writing long anthems is so important to Joe. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

22 min listen

"Lydia's Song" (Lauren Marcus): Sung by Lauren Marcus, this haunting song was inspired by a certain character in a certain movie featuring a ghost-with-the-most. It wasn't part of the subsequent musical based on the movie, but we're sharing it with you nonetheless nonetheless nonetheless. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

16 min listen

"Kevin" (Andrew Rannells): Sung by Andrew Rannells and written to meet a deadline for a concert of songs about Brooklyn (the place, not the show), KEVIN takes us to an urban headspace full of apathy and incident... nothing like the real borough. Or maybe exactly like the real borough. It doesn't matter anyway, since Joe doesn't think the song is actually about Brooklyn. So what is it really about? Listen and find out. Note: This song is dedicated to KWM. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

18 min listen

"The Answer" (Aaron Tveit) by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

13 min listen

"The Actress" (Katrina Rose Diderikson): A tragic and hideous tale of an actress navigating a path through a dangerous obstacle course of high-belting and tasteless riffing. Joe's lifelong collaborator Katrina Rose Diderikson expertly acts her way in and out of this epic story-song which is both critical of and complicit in our current musical theater vocal landscape. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

18 min listen

"Building a Fort" (Harrison Chad): As a kid, the disappointment of dropping an ice cream on the ground feels like the end of the world. As an adult, the circumstances of our disappointments change, but the feeling is the same. "Building a Fort" is sung by Harrison Chad, who is always able to embody youth and adulthood. It was originally written for a musical that Joe got fired from. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

16 min listen

"64" (Alan H. Green, George Salazar, Jose Restrepo): A song about the history of an actual New York City street, "64' takes us back to the past, before Lincoln Center existed, to explore the less glamorous side of tearing down the past to build the future. Performed by Alan H. Green, George Salazar, Jose Restrepo, if you're anything like the rest of us, you'll be rushing to play this one on repeat as soon as it's done. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

21 min listen

"All The Mistakes That He Made About The Girl" (Joe Iconis): A companion piece to the previous episode "The Song", this one is brings the underlying to the surface. It's about a writer, still definitely not Joe Iconis, who is coming to terms with only being able to write his life versus living it. Joe and Jennifer go deep into the lyrics, music, and arrangement of this deeply-personal-not-at-all-autobiographical rocker. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

17 min listen

"Jeff" (Jeremy Morse): Depicting a real-life situation almost every New Yorker can relate to, "Jeff," sung by Jeremy Morse, tells the story of a man seeing a neighbor in the buff in a nearby building and the existential crisis that follows. What happens to him in the end? The world may never know. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

19 min listen

"Yesterdays / I Can’t Relate" (Jason Tam & Jason Veasey): Originally written for a proposed T.V. project, this ode to the complexity of nostalgia is performed by The Jasons: Tam and Veasey. Hear about the origins of the song and the implications of being nostalgic for a time you weren't around for in the first place. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

15 min listen

"The Nurse and the Addict" (Taylor Trensch): Based on Stephen King's Misery this is a song that truly gets under your skin and brings the subtext of King's novel to the forefront. A rumination on the cyclical nature of addiction and how it relates to the life of an artist. Be prepared and scared for a brutal performance by Taylor Trensch. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

20 min listen

"Out of Sight / Out of Mind" (Krysta Rodriguez): Initially called "The Buddy Song", this is another tune that Joe renamed to include a slash in the title. As interpreted by Krysta Rodriguez, the song turned into something different from its original intent and Charlie Rosen's period orchestrations provide a reframing that serves the message of the song well. A hidden gem in Joe's massive body of work. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

18 min listen

"Helen Sharp" (Lorinda Lisitza): This is a song in which Joe channels the jealousy and envy he feels toward other musical theater writers and filters it through the lens of Robert Zemeckis's 1992 film Death Becomes Her. A personal song that also doubles as a character piece written from the point of view of Goldie Hawn's character in the film, Lorinda Lisitza performs with a level of ferocity that can barely be contained. And look out for her vocal nod to Goldie. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

23 min listen

"The Saddest Girl in the World" (Kerry Butler) by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

18 min listen

"Haddonfield, 15 Years Later (For Judith)" (Joel Waggoner): Have you ever wondered what a song inspired by the plight of HALLOWEEN's Michael Myers might be like? Well, Joe Iconis sure did. A nod to his love of Halloween (the day and the movie), "Haddonfield, 15 Years Later (For Judith)" tells a simple story of Mike Myers getting out of the hospital, putting his mask back on, and heading back to his hometown. It also tells the story of a person returning to his suburban hometown and feeling like he no longer belongs. This song is sung by madman Jared Weiss and features a choir arrangement by lunatic Joel Waggoner. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

22 min listen

"Sympathy for the Killer" (Liz Lark Brown): "Sympathy for the Killer" is a peculiar little 1920's-style number which repurposes the classic horror film killer-victim scenario as a metaphor for a modern relationship. Sung by the fearless Liz Lark Brown, the song aks the question: who is really pursuing who? by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

15 min listen

"52" (Danny Burstein): The writing of this song led to one of the last fights that Joe and Jen ever had. Joe waited until the last minute to write this song for a concert Jen was producing, Jen needed the song a week in advance, Joe didn't deliver until hours before the show, and Jen was (rightfully) PTFO. But now it's one of her favorite songs! (If the song sucked, would Joe and Jen still be in a fight?!) Please listen to it while standing on 52nd St in NYC for a truly immersive experience. Sung by Danny Burstein, who embodies the connection between generations that this song describes. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

20 min listen

"(Run Away From You)" (Jason SweetTooth Williams): This is a song title in parenthesis so it won't spoil the joke. Once you listen, you'll get it. Sung by Jason SweetTooth Williams, who Joe Iconis is simply in love with, was basically born to sing this song. The episode devolved into a SweetTooth lovefest... but the song at the heart of it all is very much about someone with a secret. Can you figure it out? by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

21 min listen

"The Prisoner's Christmas Song" (Grace McLean): This is the first full Christmas song that Joe has ever written. He loves New York City, he loves a cocktail, but he REALLY loves Christmas (the holiday garbage, not the religious stuff). Much to Jen's dismay, this song is not secretly about Bernie Madoff. The tune is sung by Grace McLean, who elevates it in an "unreal way" that straddles the line between humility and insanity. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

16 min listen

"Norman" (Lance Rubin): Inspired by the movie Psycho, this song "Normal" was penned in 2010 and first performed a Halloween gig at The Beechman. The idea was writing a cheesy love song from the point of view of Norman Bates. Sung by Lance Rubin, this song only gets better every time he performs it. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

30 min listen

"Muthers R Speshel (Wen Yer Sad)" (Lin-Manuel Miranda): Muthers R Speshel (Wen Yer Sad) is a unique collaboration between Joe Iconis at age 6 and Joe Iconis at age 30. The track is an updated version of the first song Joe ever wrote, interpreted here by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Ad-Libs by Lin. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

17 min listen

"Joey Is a Punk Rocker" (Annie Golden): The character of Megan got cut from The Black Suits and along with her went her big number: "Joey is a Punk Rocker." Here, it makes a dramatic return nw, as sung by the incomparable Annie Golden, a woman who truly embodies the ragtagness and youthful energy of rock and roll music. Joe wrote this song during his Senior year of NYU Undergrad, a time when he was less hard on himself in regards to perfect rhyme. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

25 min listen

"Him Today, Gone Tomorrow" (Shakina Nayfack): Him Today, Gone Tomorrow is a rock and roll banger created with Shakina Nayfack for her musical, Manifest Pussy, an autobiographical story of Shakina's journey to gender affirming surgery. This song's sentiment speaks to how the middle of a transition is just as valid as the beginning or the end. Performed by the goddess herself. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

18 min listen

"I Was A Teenage Delinquent!" (Lauren Marcus and Molly Hager): The song that inspired the musical LOVE IN HATE NATION. Originally written as a one-off love song paying homage to 50s/60s Girl Gang films, Joe ended up adapting his own standalone into a full-length musical romance. Sung by real-life besties Lauren Marcus and Molly Hager and given a proper wall-of-sound production design that would make Ronnie Spector proud. by ALBUM PODCAST with Joe Iconis and Jennifer Ashley Tepper

28 min listen

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"My Best Friend's A Skeleton" (George Salazar & Jeremy Morse)

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