Today I'm talking to TOM MULLEN from WASHED UP EMO.

Tom’s been in the music business for decades, doing digital marketing, executive work, & an array of creative projects at labels like Vagrant, TVT, Equal Vision, Sony, & others.

He started the Washed Up Emo website in 2007, & has since expanded it into a podcast with over 250 episodes, a book series, & a DJ night.

In this episode, we talk about how the changing media landscape of the late 90s & early 2000s intersected with alternative music culture, the ambivalence around "Midwest emo" as sub-genre & brand, & where Hum might fit within that specific context. We also explore one of the band’s most beloved b-sides, looking at its strange place in their discography. Where does it truly belong?

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SMILE POLITELY Interview: Matt Talbott

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TIMESTAMPS:

02:16 // Booking Hopesfall & Saves the Day

05:00 // Early Podcasting Landscape

13:43 // Curiosity & Connection

17:35 // Washed Up Emo Podcast

20:15 // "Midwest Emo,” the Anachronism

24:19 // HUM re Emo

34:27 // WRUV, MTV, & the Cat's Cradle

36:37 // The Quiet-Loud

39:52 // Pre-YPAA Sessions

46:45 // DIH Reissue Playback @ Sony

51:45 // "Boy with Stick" Discussion

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Other songs: Deftones, "Minerva" // Title Fight: "Head in the Ceiling Fan"

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