Mark and Kenny attempt to discuss and explore THE ground-breaking classic. Period.
All I Want To Do Is Talk About Madonna
S2, E23 - Now I'm Following You (Pt 1&2)
Kenny and Mark double-dip on this charming 180 turn from I’m Breathless. Topics include Warren Beatty warbling, kudos from Beach Boy Brian Wilson, wisdom from Socrates, Picasso channeling, and the expansive (and eclectic!) career of Mr. Andy Paley.
S2, E22 - What Can You Lose
Mark and Kenny fall into a musical theatre wormhole while discussing Mandy Patinkin and his cameo role as 88 Keys in Dick Tracy – AND only the second male duet partner (after Prince) on a Madonna record for this gorgeous ballad – as well as Breathless Mahoney’s back story and a deep take on how her film career functions in the entire Madonna universe.
S2, E21 - More
Kenny and Mark start a Sondheim submerge with the sassy showtune ode to excess. Topics include anatomy insurance policies, the definition of true artistry, screechy chorines, and Kenny launches a telethon to track down the lost video of footage of Mark performing this song … IN 1990.
S2, E20 - Back in Business
Mark and Kenny celebrate the second side of I’m Breathless with the “other” song about Business from Dick Tracy. Topics include the timing of musical sequences, Jon Bon Jovi and Young Guns II, a long-awaited distinction about the term “iconic”, Madonna being “fun”, Jeff Clayton’s saxophone solo and how all roads lead back to Breathless Mahoney herself. PLUS … Special Guest Dan Fortune joins Mark to discuss Madonna scatting, an Ella Fitzgerald nod, and the magnificent work Dan produces to support the Ali Forney Center.
S2, E19 - Something to Remember
Kenny and Mark clash while discussing the “other” torch song on I’m Breathless. Topics include Mark’s version of a synopsis of Dick Tracy, Kenny’s editing suggestions, and the Musical Impact of Pathos. Dick Van Dyke Shout-Out!
S2, E18 - Cry Baby
Mark and Kenny celebrate the reunion of Nikki Finn and Madonna on this polarizing obscurity from I’m Breathless – and Mark makes (yet another) case for the casting brilliance of Dick Tracy. Will Kenny ever watch this movie again? Other topics include musical story arcs, musical outliers, post-breakups, and a moment when Madonna herself has cried. Sensitive Men to the front of the line!
S2, E17 - I'm Going Bananas
Madonna gives us a musical 180 while Kenny and Mark continue to conceive the Breathless Mahoney downtown cabaret act and discuss Madonna’s need for creative release, working outside of her comfort zone, the brilliance of Andy Paley, and the legacy (and influence) of Carmen Miranda.
S2, E16 - Hanky Panky
Mark and Kenny treat Her like a bad girl (and not for the last time) while breaking down the brassy second single from I’m Breathless. Topics include: Madonna’s relish of pastiche writing, Kenny’s summer job commute, Breathless Mahoney’s lost cabaret setlist, the Bare Bottom 12” Remix, the Collected Lyrics of Cole Porter, and the song’s doorway to the singer-song ladies of the past.
S2,E15- Sooner or Later
Kenny and Mark discuss the Oscar-winning torch song from Dick Tracy (and its many guises) by the musical theatre master Stephen Sondheim. Topics include the challenges of properly learning Sondheim, being chummy with Jeremy Irons, Michael Jackson, the lost movie musical Singing Out Loud, the humane foibles of live performances, and how Madonna gave Broadway a hip moment.
S2,E14 - He's A Man
Kenny and Mark BREATHLESSly dive into the beloved 1990 film soundtrack to the blockbuster Dick Tracy – as well as the musical psyche of certain gangster moll. Topics include the friends of Warren Beatty, Danny Elfman, the impact of Batman on the summer blockbuster, The Damned Don’t Die, musical “noir”, Lilith Fair, the strangest of Al Pacino’s Oscar nominated performances, and the crucial vocal contributions of N’Dea Davenport. Oh, and more guns.
