1977: Looking back at the year punk broke big

It's been 30 years since punk first broke big, and the good folks at "Sound Opinions" have celebrated that anniversary with a fine two-part podcast. 

Gret Kot and Jim DeRogatis offer their own expertise in the punk genre but these two episodes click because of guest authors Simon Reynolds and Ira Robbins, both of whom were front and center as the genre exploded on both sides of the pond. 

Part One loops in Reynolds, author of a number of excellent music books, to help describe the birth and legacy of English punk. Trouser Press founder Robbins guests on Part Two and explains that the New York scene actually caught fire a few years before and in fact influenced the more flamboyant adn politically potent U.K. scene. 

If you thought your boss was bad ...

... you'll want to listen to this funny Motorsport Magazine podcast in which Deputy Editor Gordon Cruickshank bravely bares "family secrets" in describing the incompetence, arrogance and nastiness at the hands of the magazine's longtime owners. 

Cruickshank has since escaped the shackles of his cranky old boss, Wesley J Tee, and now works for progressive and tolerable bosses. He unleashes a lot of pent-up venom in the first segment of this podcast but it's in a fun way. 

Anyone who's ever worked in the business of journalism will find themselves smiling, and sometimes nodding in agreement. 

Aimee Mann's body double

Aimee Mann, who got her start years ago in Til Tuesday (remember "Voices Carry"?), remains criminally ignored despite a sterling solo career and self-effacing appearances on "Portlandia." 

This fun video from her upcoming album features John Hodgman and Laura Linney, whose characters directly and indirectly encourage Mann to stay in the shadows. Kinda ironic since that's where she's been since MTV stopped playing music videos.