Poetic Wax: Music History Hidden in the Grooves

Poetic Wax is a short weekly podcast where host Andy Fenstermaker digs deep into his vast record collection to uncover and share the history of bands, albums, songs, and more. Poetic Wax explores music history in all its forms, from new angles on things widely covered to the little known moments that create monumental change.
Episodes
Episodes



5 days ago
5 days ago
EVERYONE is talking about Severance Season 2. Today we look at the WILD history behind the Apple TV series finale's "The Windmills of Your Mind" and its journey from 1968 to 2025. This one includes it all -- a high flying playboy (Steve McQueen), an olympic skier, an Oscar, and about 5000 covers from the likes of Mel Torme, the Muppets, Dusty Springfield, Sting, Jose Feliciano, and countless others. This is the story of "The Windmills of Your Mind."
Watch the episode on YouTube and go deeper with more video episodes. The YouTube episode includes reference links to audio/video clips featured in the episode.
Watch the full clip of The Libertines performing "The Windmills of Your Mind" live for la Blogoteque on YouTube.



Sunday Apr 13, 2025
GOD IS EMPTY: The Nihilism in The Smashing Pumpkins' "Zero"
Sunday Apr 13, 2025
Sunday Apr 13, 2025
"‘God is empty, just like me’—this single line fueled the iconic track "ZERO" off The Smashing Pumpkins' monumental 1995 album 'Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.' How did Billy Corgan channel his self-loathing into a track that redefined The Smashing Pumpkins, and what made it resonate with a ‘messed-up generation’? Was it the nihilism? The desire for controversy? Corgan's negation? Join me as I explore the history and heart of 'Zero.'"
Watch the episode on YouTube and go deeper with more video episodes. The YouTube episode includes reference links to audio/video clips featured in the episode.
🎧 THE SMASHING PUMPKINS ON VINYL:
Get Mellon Collie on Vinyl: https://amzn.to/3PGK1pO
More by Smashing Pumpkins on Vinyl: https://amzn.to/3Ci8M8J



Wednesday Apr 09, 2025
The DARK History of The Smiths' "Suffer Little Children"
Wednesday Apr 09, 2025
Wednesday Apr 09, 2025
One of the first songs Morrissey wrote for The Smiths was "Suffer Little Children" and it was also one of his darkest. This is the story behind the song, its relation to the Moors Murders, the controversy it caused locally in Manchester, and its legacy. You DON'T want to miss this one!
Watch the episode on YouTube and go deeper with more video episodes. The YouTube episode includes reference links to audio/video clips featured in the episode.
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🎧 THE SMITHS ON VINYL & MORE:
The Smiths Debut LP: https://amzn.to/42imfq0
More Vinyl by The Smiths: https://amzn.to/3RCaEx2
Songs That Saved Your Life: https://amzn.to/3YmYOKo
Autobiography by Morrissey: https://amzn.to/3BVQPfR



Monday Apr 07, 2025
The Baroques: The Band RUMORED To Have Outsold Sgt. Pepper
Monday Apr 07, 2025
Monday Apr 07, 2025
Released the same day in 1967 as The Beatles’ infamous Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Baroques’ lone release is rumored to have outsold the much more wildly popular release in the local Wisconsin market. This is the story of a band that should have garnered more clout, and the struggles they had along the way during their short-lived tenure as a band. It’s the story of a song that was banned for being too pro-drug despite definitely being anti-drug. This is the story of The Baroques.
Watch the episode on YouTube and go deeper with more video episodes.
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🎧 THE BAROQUES ON VINYL:
Baroques RSD Vinyl 👉 https://www.discogs.com/release/11191211
Sgt Pepper Vinyl: 👉 https://amzn.to/4aH9GGW



Wednesday Apr 02, 2025
The TRAGIC History of Stone Temple Pilots "Interstate Love Song"
Wednesday Apr 02, 2025
Wednesday Apr 02, 2025
"Interstate Love Song" by Stone Temple Pilots is a story of deception, of heartache, and of addiction. This is the history of the song off the band's 1994 album Purple, and how it reflected the inner struggles of frontman Scott Weiland.
Watch the episode on YouTube and go deeper with more video episodes.
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🎧 STONE TEMPLE PILOTS ON VINYL & MORE:
STP Purple on Vinyl (Amazon Exclusive) 👉 https://amzn.to/4ccUBiT
More Vinyl from STP 👉 https://amzn.to/4hSaegY
Not Dead & Not For Sale 👉 https://amzn.to/3E8ZP2p



Saturday Mar 29, 2025
The GHOSTS of Broadcast’s ‘The Noise Made by People’
Saturday Mar 29, 2025
Saturday Mar 29, 2025
In March of 2000, Broadcast (helmed by Trish Keenan and James Cargill) released their debut album "The Noise Made By People." Blending a dreamy psychedelia with both futuristic and vintage inspired pop sensibilities, their sound was one that has built quite the cult following over the years. This is the story of that album and how the ghosts within linger, long after Keenan's passing.
Watch the episode on YouTube and go deeper with more video episodes.
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🎧 BROADCAST ON VINYL:
The Noise Made By People on Vinyl 👉 https://amzn.to/4hXCHC8
More Vinyl by Broadcast 👉 https://amzn.to/420i7ee



Tuesday Mar 25, 2025
How Sonic Youth’s “Bad Moon Rising” Captured the Dark Side of America
Tuesday Mar 25, 2025
Tuesday Mar 25, 2025
Before they became the patron saints of noise rock, before the major labels and festival headlining slots, Sonic Youth were a band lurking in the dark corners of the New York underground. And in 1985, they released Bad Moon Rising, an album that captured both the decay of America and the restless experimentation of a band on the verge of something bigger. This is the story of that album and how it still resonates more than 40 years later.
Watch the episode on YouTube and go deeper with more video episodes.
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🎧 SONIC YOUTH ON VINYL:
Bad Moon Rising: https://amzn.to/4bOAk2X
Sister: https://amzn.to/3VTb04q
Daydream Nation: https://amzn.to/3L7xutu
More Sonic Youth on Vinyl: https://amzn.to/4ckDGtP



Thursday Mar 20, 2025
The Exorcism of David Bowie's Swimming Pool
Thursday Mar 20, 2025
Thursday Mar 20, 2025
In the mid 1970s, David Bowie released "Station to Station" as he transformed into the Thin White Duke. His mental and physical state was in major decline due to addiction. Becoming obsessed with the occult, he felt Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin was casting dark spells on him. And then there was his haunted Los Angeles swimming pool. This is the story of David Bowie around that time, how he spiraled into madness, and how he hired a white witch to help him conduct an exorcism on his possibly possessed pool.
CLARIFICATION: In Angela Bowie's memoir Backstage Passes, she recounts this story, noting that Walli Elmlark guided David Bowie in the process of conducting the exorcism as opposed to being present in Los Angeles and doing it herself.
Watch the episode on YouTube and go deeper with more video episodes. You can also subscribe to the Poetic Wax Podcast Newsletter.
✉️ Join the Poetic Wax Podcast newsletter
🎧 DAVID BOWIE ON VINYL:
Station to Station on Vinyl 👉 https://amzn.to/3XBDxNd
Young Americans on Vinyl 👉 https://amzn.to/4hXY32S
More Vinyl by David Bowie 👉 https://amzn.to/3XrANCc

Andy Fenstermaker
Poetic Wax is hosted by Andy Fenstermaker, an obsessive music fan who has been creating content since the mid 2000s. Former independent, college, and community radio host and music blogger, and current YouTuber and podcast host, Andy has been collecting vinyl since his teen years in the 1990s.