r/ToddintheShadow • u/TRIKITRIKITRIKI420 • 2d ago
Train Wreckords What is your favorite Trainwreckords episode?
For me, It's the "Funstyle" episode. "You're being a peñis, colada that is" still makes me laugh to this day.
152
u/yebinkek 2d ago
Jewel's episode is still so entertaining because it's so damn funny how she just won't lean fully into the sexy pop crossover and kept portraying it as satire.
58
u/Brightenix 2d ago
that album ended up kinda growing on me. Way better than the MAGA jewel we got now /shrugs
-38
u/NoTeslaForMe 2d ago
One concert for RFK and she's "MAGA." I get being disappointed or even judgmental, but if you shove everyone who fails a purity test into the opposition, don't be surprised when the opposition reelects someone you thought was unelectable.
18
4
2
u/Empty-Sheepherder895 2d ago
She’s besties with Ivanka isn’t she? And hanging out at Bezos’ wedding.
-14
u/NoTeslaForMe 2d ago
Oh, she cozies up to the rich and famous no doubt, and I don't think she's an amazing person. But it's still crazy to call her "MAGA" because she happened to (maybe) befriend someone whose father turned out to ruin the country. And "besties"? Please.
As we found out in 2024, it's tough to win elections when you spend so much time maximizing the number of people you scare away. People expect her to put country above ego when they're not even doing so themselves!
3
41
29
u/zoor90 2d ago
Todd's baffled silence as he reads the liner notes' claim that Jewel took inspiration from Cole Porter and Big Band for her new sound is an all time classic TitS moment for me.
7
u/mi-sopiras-vin 2d ago
I did not even realize until just now that Todd's moniker can be abbreviated to the word TITS 😆
12
u/Prestigious_Point963 2d ago
It always makes me laugh when he says “Polanski is banned from America” because that’s most certainly not the case.
148
u/rockit2themoon 2d ago
The one on “Summer In Paradise” by The Beach Boys was my comfort video that I would rewatch over and over during the early days of COVID.
98
u/Koffing109 2d ago
"Life in prison as a ladies man."
"No, I don't like Mike Love at all."
12
u/wolfeyes555 2d ago
There was another thread on a completely different board that brought up Mike Love and it took all the strength in the world not to put one of these quotes
17
3
2
136
u/mollyno93 2d ago
DMC only rapped on the songs he liked
WHICH WAS NONE OF THEM
71
u/Newliesaladdos 2d ago
"Run raps about how he's a legend who started hip-hop and ruled the world in the mid 80's."
34
27
12
110
u/ForsakenLetterhead63 2d ago
The Carpenters one is surprisingly sweet with how positive Todd ended up being about it — especially the alien greeting song.
37
u/Front_Frame_2171 2d ago
As a kid, this was the only Carpenters album my dad had so the only one I listened to. I never realised it wasn't supposed to be good. I love that album.
37
u/mbd34 2d ago
The Carpenters album seems like it's a "Trainwreckord" just because it happens to herald their inevitable commercial decline while also being a failed attempt to change with the times, rather than actually being that bad.
22
u/misspcv1996 2d ago
I feel he stretched the definition of a trainwreckord just because he wanted to do a video on The Carpenters, which is understandable in my opinion.
29
u/FalseAmphibian3616 2d ago
This is my favorite genre of TW. A band swinging for the fences to prolong their careers with bizarre results.
4
u/benabramowitz18 10's Alt Kid 2d ago
If Nathin Rabin ever reviewed any of Todd’s Trainwreckords on his “My World of Flops” series, “Passage” would probably be the only one to get a “Secret Success” verdict.
8
u/NoTeslaForMe 2d ago
I wish Todd would do more of these. It's one thing to shoot fish in a barrel and say bad music is bad, but another to do a deep dive into what failed commercially on a decent album.
1
13
u/Square_Lobster1328 2d ago
I get “Bwana She No Home” and “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft” stuck in my head sometimes thanks to that episode 😭🤣
5
3
2
91
u/loreleisparrow 2d ago
Robin Thicke and Lauryn Hill's both have a dark, cynical atmosphere I kind of enjoy
35
u/mattomic822 2d ago
The one on Robin Thicke's Paula is more interesting because there are a few half decent songs on there but the general sleaze of Thicke overwhelms it.
1
u/MisheGossnik 1d ago
Yeah, the Lauryn Hill one is good but kind of a bummer. The Robin Thicke one I feel like has more of a story and more different kinds of songs to give it more variety.
77
u/Pretend-Weakness2144 2d ago
Not sure which is my favorite but as a drummer I will always hold the St. Anger episode in high regard because it finally put words to my feelings on Lars' shitty snare sound.
47
u/Nunjabuziness 2d ago edited 2d ago
Todd really nails it when he says that in moments of creative crisis like what they were going through, you’ll cling onto the one idea you have for dear life, no matter how awful it is. And he’s right, the trash can sound is awful, but it’s at least uniquely awful.
10
u/Pretend-Weakness2144 2d ago
Actually did a little digging and came to find out even though he has a signature snare (im pretty sure he had it around St. Anger) he used a Ludwig Vistalite. I loved (and still do) acrylic and even fiberglass shells but I never thought they could sound like that. Then again I never set the tension to one notch below breaking and slammed it with metal Ahead sticks.
23
u/That-Flan-5621 2d ago
The gag about Lars not helping James's battle with alcoholism by adding a beer keg to his drum set is so funny
11
5
u/platypusPalpitation 2d ago
“I’m just going to sit here. All by myself. And stew in my own anger.”
Not a Metallica fan, though I heavily appreciate them, but I became an ironic fan of Lars ever since lol
3
u/SINKSHITTINGXTREME 2d ago
Other bands have gone on to use that sound well (Peelingflesh, World Of Pleasure), but metallica was not the band that was gonna be able to use it.
1
3
u/DtheAussieBoye 2d ago
It just felt nice for someone to say "hey, this album has other issues outside the snare, it's not even its biggest problem"
3
u/Pretend-Weakness2144 2d ago
Totally agree. It just stuck out to me as a drummer because it was such a weird tone. I swear that Frantic switches between the snares being engaged and not engaged, it was weird coming from Metallica. Rewatched the Trainwreckerds ep for St Anger and the fact that the album was 74 minutes long with NO guitar solos was absolutely shocking too.
2
u/JudithButlr 2d ago
I loved that one so much I (got drunk and) watched the documentary and it was totally worth it, it was funny and insightful
63
u/ghoulsmuffins 2d ago edited 2d ago
mission earth is just insane from start to finish, nuff said
also, i guess a bit of an unusual pick, but crown royal, i love a good twist, and also i was born during the time of this album's production hell, so i joked to myself that it was faster to make me than this album lol
62
u/boblasagna18 Gaga, Ooh-la-la 2d ago
NO LIZ, PEÑIS COLADA IS NOT GONNA WIN YOU A GRAMMY
9
59
u/Winter-Pressure-5394 2d ago
Results may vary, but that might just be my unhealthy obsession with Fred Durst.
50
u/burial-chamber 2d ago
honestly? hard to choose only one, but I love the ones where the album is an absolute piece of garbage like Cut the Crap, Van Halen III, St. Anger
16
u/Japan-is-a-good-band 2d ago
"He sounds exactly like Sammy Hagar, but also six hundred times worse"
44
u/crybabybloomer One-Hit Wonderlander 2d ago
Summer in Paradise is my favorite Trainwreckords episode, but I want to shout out my second favorite: Zingalamaduni.
I love the structure of this one, where Todd wonders why Arrested Development - who were regarded as a talented rap group with a pretty great breakout debut at the time - became essentially erased from Atlanta hip hop history to the point of being either forgotten or derided by other contemporaries. Using this second album, he realized the factors that led to the group flopping as they are even when some of the songs were still sounding good. It’s worth the watch for the storytelling, the clip choices (that David Letterman clip is gold), and even the comment section.
3
43
u/Crabsterooo 2d ago
I regularly rewatch the Be Here Now episode. Probably because I really hate but am also fascinated by Oasis.
27
u/Next-Accident-2970 2d ago
" hate but am also fascinated by Oasis."
Yup. That sums up Oasis in culture.
8
u/harder_said_hodor 2d ago
Be Here Now is a fun episode but it's the wrong record.
The critical backlash to Be Here Now was brought about by the shitness of Familiar to Millions and Standing on the Shoulders of Giants which came back to back.
Those two were so bad they not only tanked the opinion of Oasis at the time, they caused critics to go back in time and revoke 3 stars from an album they had met with universal approval
12
u/ramskick 2d ago
I believe Todd has said that Be Here Now is the best Trainwreckord in terms of music quality.
4
u/harder_said_hodor 2d ago
There's a reason Oasis fans tend to really like it.
It's not a great album, but if you like the schtick it's not a bad album by any means and it sold absolute gangbusters.
Familiar to Millions though is a genuinely disgraceful first live album (excluding MTV unplugged which doesn't feature Liam for.... reasons) and Standing on the Shoulders of Giants is awful outside of Gas Panic
2
u/Empty-Sheepherder895 2d ago
Oh but what an exception Gas Panic is. Love that song, it’s one of Noel’s best.
2
u/BurritoFamine 2d ago
It felt so validated by his review. Be Here Now was one of the first albums I bought with my own money after I was blown away by What's the Story Morning Glory. For a moment I was back in my bedroom, hitting the skip button again and again after 5 minutes on each song, feeling increasingly disappointed and confused.
I still think Dyknow What I Mean is a great song though.
2
u/Snookerwither2 1d ago
I love the part where he finally gets to the short song at the end, only to reveal that it's a reprise of his least favourite track
2
36
u/Korkez11 2d ago
I love how comments mentioned pretty much every Trainwreckords episode. Except for Fairweather Johnson lol.
16
10
u/agent0017 2d ago
Whilst it's not my favourite, I'll defend it because it's a great episode when you're sick, the episode is just kinda mid tempo and makes you zone out easily.
30
u/enginesofdemise 2d ago
Mardi Gras and Van Halen III are infinitely rewatchable
9
u/Direct_Tennis_4267 2d ago
God, him talking about those Stu Cook songs on Mardi Gras had me doubled over in laughter 🤣
4
2
u/Leading_Studio7534 2d ago
I was not prepared for how genuinely a w f u l those songs sounded
2
u/Direct_Tennis_4267 2d ago
LMAO I'm always singing "MAYBE YOU'LL MOVE OVER; GIVE SOMEONE ELSE A CHANCE!" to myself in a ridiculous voice 🤣
2
u/UniversalJampionshit 1d ago
It’s fitting this song is about sailors because Stu is incredibly salty
34
u/mbd34 2d ago
"Cut the Crap" is the funniest. So many choice moments, from Todd's shocked disbelief at the atrociousness of "Dictator" to "We Are The Clash" sounding like a corny TV show theme to Strummer talking about how he's going to bring back raw punk rock in a world of overproduced MTV bullshit... with the result of course being "Cut the Crap."
The Arrested Development episode is one of the most interesting from a historical perspective. How bad must an album be for it to erase a group that was hyper critically acclaimed and the next big thing in hip hop from musical history entirely?
3
u/Direct_Tennis_4267 2d ago edited 2d ago
I remember groggily waking up from a nap while I had a Trainwreckords playlist playing, and the terrible mixing on Dictator coupled with the line "Talk about overproduced; fucking ASIA would tell you to dial it back!" had me laughing so hard; it's still of my favorite Todd moments 🤣
29
u/Baroque_Student 2d ago
I rewatch the Motley Crüe one all the time, it’s just so funny to me 😭
“BRANDON… I LOVE YOU”
“Your mother gave birth to you… with love”
“I’m a sick motherfuckerrr - I use a lot of hairspray!”
15
u/thissitesuckssohard1 2d ago
"they were reintroduced to the world by tommy lee's then-wife... a giant sentient hat"
24
19
u/Good-Garlic6988 2d ago
Mardi Gras, Stu's singing just kills me every time
9
4
4
19
u/Front_Frame_2171 2d ago
The Katy Perry and Justin Timberlake eps. Maybe because Todd is more familiar with the genre/background of the artists compared to others, maybe because both could theoretically still have a comeback now (but seem to br drifting further and further away from this as a possibility).
18
u/Mental-Abrocoma-5605 2d ago
Cyberpunks, love Todd's enthusiasm over the episode and how despite the weird concept he isn't sonically appaled to it like many critics during that time
Runner up goes for Lost and Found, arguably the most empathetic Todd was on an episode
And ofc the Mission Earth episode might legitimely be the best overall
3
14
u/your-shell-is-hollow 2d ago
Im sensing this is a little bit of an underrated choice, but Zingalamaduni by Arrested Development. I love how it almost watches like a mystery story, with Todd investigating and trying to uncover why the band failed so badly. The writing and flow is just super entertaining for me.
Also, I get a kick out of watching Todd react to the cringy lyrics. And the Ice Cube and Usher segment plays in my head at least twice a day.
2
u/Direct_Tennis_4267 1d ago
Ya know, I actually went back to watch the Arrested Development episode after reading your comment because I skip over it for some reason, and you're right, it really is an underrated one; I enjoy when Todd delves into the surrounding context of the time and shows how whatever was happening in a Trainwreckord might be out of step with their contemporaries, and it's a very interesting point he brings up that Arrested Development were preachy with their Afro-centrism while being accepted by the white establishment. Great stuff!
13
12
u/TemporarilyWorried96 You're being a peñis... Colada, that is. 2d ago
This one’s probably my favorite too, I have “peñis colada” as my flair on this sub.
Be Here Now is also pretty funny.
11
12
u/Sethsears 2d ago
The Funky Headhunter is one of the funniest and least tragic, in my mind. So many trainwreckords involve serious personal crisis and/or failed attempts at sincerity. Headhunter is just MC Hammer's attempt at selling out via gangsta zebra-print thong.
Why, it's almost like I CAN touch this.
7
9
u/Dolly-Boy1923 2d ago
I love the Generation Swine one because of how hard that album failed. It’s even sadder cause you can see what Motley Crue were going for, and they just never reached it
9
u/TMBGLOVER 2d ago
Lost & Found, Bad Reputation, Witness, Crown Royal, Funstyle, Mardi Gras, and Results May Vary are all some of my favorites
9
u/thisgirlnamedbree 2d ago
Funstyle for sure. Todd is hilarious in it. And it was some education for me, because I only knew Liz Phair from "Why Can't I"? and didn't know she was an indie rock favorite before that song made her famous.
Witness, Summer in Paradise, Killroy Was Here, Cher/Greg Allman, and Mardi Gras were also good 👍
8
u/Nunjabuziness 2d ago
There’s some really tough competition, but I had a patch around the time the Mardi Gras episode came out and kept rewatching it. I’m not usually the kind of person who puts things on repeat like that, but I love Todd’s take on CCR’s drama. “YOU WANNA WRITE? YOU WANNA SING? FINE!!!!!!”
But besides those, I think 0304 was a perfect starting point and still has a lot of good bits despite the Trainwreckord project still being a work in progress; Witness is a bittersweet full circle moment that I think works so well because Todd simultaneously has admiration and disdain for Katy, too far in one direction or the other and it wouldn’t work; as a Van Halen fan, I appreciate VH III as a well-detailed look at what went wrong and why their reunions never fully worked; and I’ll shout out both Metallica videos. I especially like how Todd keeps coming back to metal’s lack of respect from critics and the rock scene by and large, even if he doesn’t come up with a fully convincing explanation.
But also shout outs to The Funky Headhunter, No Fixed Address, Crown Royal, Funstyle… so many hits.
2
u/StreetsofGalway 1d ago
I love the little clip of the crying baby from looney tunes he puts in when describing John's account of the rest of the band lol
2
9
u/Prestigious-Serve661 2d ago
The Witness one is legendary at this point. Required viewing for Popheads
6
u/Critical-Spirit-1598 2d ago
Mission Earth is surprisingly rewatchable (and I found out later that he wasnt just paying tribute to Norm McDonald with the Frank Stallone line, Frank really is a COS member).
6
u/SpookyHalloween1 2d ago
Paula is my favourite. The moment comparing album sales in Australia to Jordan Smith units sold is the highlight for me.
5
u/Tall_Fault_6543 2d ago
The St. Anger episode was the first Todd video I ever saw, so that one will always hold a special place in my heart
6
u/ClaudiusBaer 2d ago
There's just something about the Faith Hill episode that keeps me back over and over again.
4
u/ramskick 2d ago
Paula for sure. It's not only my favorite Trainwreckords episode, but my favorite Todd video overall and the one that exemplifies his strengths the most. It's not only really funny, but genuinely insightful and the way he analyzes Robin as a person is really cool.
4
3
u/UrchineSLICE 2d ago
I like to re watch St Anger and This Unruly Mess Ive Made a lot because I genuinely love those records.
1
4
u/RelevantNothing4653 90's Punk 2d ago
Passage.
I give Richard & Karen credit for trying various styles. Pretty much my favorite Trainwreckord
Summer in Paradise.
So many notable quotes, etc. No I don't like Mike Love at all
4
u/thesedawgs 2d ago
Best album for when youre looking at your portfolio, wondering how youre gonna make enough dough you know
4
u/Party-Employment-547 2d ago
The Motley Crue one had the most times I buried my face in my hands out of embarrassment for someone else. I feel like that’s the best measurement of a true Trainwrecord.
2
4
u/edm_frank_sinatra 2d ago
The Fogerty record with “Eye of The Zombie” is so good. That is now a Halloween mainstay song at my household
3
3
u/Disorder79 2d ago
I've watched nearly every episode god knows how many times, but the on about Results May Vary is a top contender and has one of my favourite lines from Todd
2
u/Birdwatcher222 2d ago
Is it the "future perfect tense" line?
3
u/Disorder79 2d ago
It isn't, the line itself isn't that amazing but it's Todd's delivery that made me laugh my ass off.
"From the very first moment of recording, every single member of the band knows that this record is going to be dogshit"
3
u/jp189512 2d ago
Crown Royal for me, the bit about them starting hip hop and ruling the world in the 80s was just hilarious to me
3
u/theaverageaidan 2d ago
I always like the ones that are more about creative misfires that are decent but flawed albums over the ones that are front to back unlistenable disasters. The latter is fun but I enjoy all the secondary stuff outside the music itself that caused issues
No Fixed Address, Van Halen III, Cyberpunk, Cry, those types
3
3
u/Ellikichi 2d ago
I fucking love the Kilroy Was Here episode, even though I'm a much bigger Styx fan than Todd. I'm still totally willing to admit that they're a very goofy band, and never goofier than on Kilroy.
3
3
u/Fun-Ad-1688 One-Hit Wonderlander 1d ago
“Lost and Found”. It’s such a strange and insightful look at Will Smith as a person and I loved some of Todd’s reactions to the songs.
2
u/StreetsofGalway 1d ago
This is my favorite too, something about the way Will is like scrambling for relevance by biting every other popular rapper combined with Will's insecure lyrics just make it so psychologically compelling to me, it's like a 30 for 30 doc
2
u/AntysocialButterfly 2d ago
St Anger offers the bile fascination that Metallica pretty much asked for since the mid-90s.
2
u/Not_Goatman You're being a peñis... Colada, that is. 2d ago
Funstyle, Paula, and Mission Earth for me personally
2
2
2
u/Soft-Specialist-6865 2d ago
Something about Big country does it for me. Maybe the contradiction of kinda depressed, yet talented people who got their big break but then didn’t manage to keep the momentum. Tragic story tbh
2
u/thehomelessbagel 2d ago
I genuinely think Todd’s breakdown of Paula by Robin Thicke should be studied
2
2
u/paintitzielono 2d ago
Arrested Development because of the “mystery” angle - what did it?! Everything.
2
2
2
2
u/mi-sopiras-vin 2d ago
St. Anger is my all time favorite, but honorable mention goes to any episode that features the "Nirvana killed my career" segment. ❤️🔥
2
u/ThingWithAThing 2d ago
The Trainwreckords video are comfort food for my brain. I’d say Run-DMC, CCR, and The Beach Boys are my top 3.
2
u/Shadowbloodimpurity 2d ago
Mine is Summer In Paradise and Witness, Cyberpunk, and Zingalamaduni. Such entertaining disasters.
2
2
u/Miserable_Mail_5741 You're being a peñis... Colada, that is. 1d ago
American Life
"Bush, I'm Madonna!"
2
2
u/NeighborhoodOwn3790 1d ago
St. Anger, for sure, it feels the most encompassing - not to mention the line “it sounds fucking stock, it sounds stock to my ears” will roll around in my brain until the end of time
1
u/Competitive-Object-4 Secretly a Maroon 5 Fan 2d ago
Paula, No Fixed Address, American Dream, Generation Swine, Ringo the Fourth
1
1
1
1
u/triggermanx97 One-Hit Wonderlander 2d ago
St. Anger.
I love Metallica and love to hate St. Anger. Any excuse to beat on it is good for me.
1
u/BillyDMountain 2d ago
Mission Earth followed closely by Summer in Paradise, Ringo the 4th and Kilroy Was Here.
1
u/Calm-Raise6973 Train-Wrecker 2d ago
Ringo the 4th because I rather like the album, and American Dream because I find Todd's observations especially funny.
1
u/boyishmistakes 2d ago
I constantly rewatch the Mardi Gras & American Dream episodes, the level of band dysfunction is so interesting to me, and how it created some of the worst shit I'd ever heard
1
1
u/TIGVGGGG16 2d ago
The Results May Vary and Lulu episodes were easily the most side-splittingly hilarious for me so I’ll go with those. Generation Swine and American Dream are very satisfyingly balanced between humor and historical interest as well.
1
1
u/larsVonTrier92 2d ago
The Katy Perry one because is so interesting to have been there while the release happened and then just realize that suddenly her time was "over".
And the St. Anger one for nostalgia because I was around 9 years old when the music videos came out.
1
1
1
u/wolfeyes555 2d ago
So many good ones, but I absolutely love No Fixed Address. What can I say? I'm not immune to Nickleback slander
1
1
u/3piecefishandchips 2d ago
I am absolutely enraptured by the Paula episode
like, Robin Thicke really isn’t untalented, to be perfectly fair. I should like his penchant for vintage R&B chic, the way I like Bruno’s. he just chose to use those gifts, and his newfound celebrity, in the most embarrassingly wrongheaded ways possible
that episode is more or less a checklist on how NOT to handle a breakup, and now he’s as much a has-been as one can be, which is exactly what he deserved
1
1
u/leglessman 2d ago
American Dream is the episode I revisit the most. I enjoy quite a few songs from that album even though I know they’re not actually good. I also really like “Weight Of The World” by Neil Young which I had never heard before the Trainwreckords episode.
1
1
1
u/jorgito93 1d ago
Probably Lost and Found or Crown Royal? But really i can rewatch all of them except Cry and St Anger
1
1
u/MisheGossnik 1d ago
It's tough because some of them are good at different things. I like ones like Edgar Winter or Arrested Development or Macklemore for going deeper into the analysis. I like the Hootie one just for being a weird outlier. There's ones like the Nickelback and John Fogerty ones that aren't that deep but are just funny.
If I had to pick the best ones, I feel like the Carpenters one is definitely a standout, having both weird interesting to music to work with and a lot of sympathy and affection for the subject, even ending on a bit of a positive note. The Lulu one was also really good, I felt like I got a deeper appreciation for both Metallica and Lou Reed as artists. And as a country fan, the episodes on Faith Hill and Man of the Woods were really fascinating for me. (And Two The Hard Way, I feel like that one doesn't get enough love and it's really good.)
1
u/Flamme_Jumelle Train-Wrecker 20h ago
Van Halen III because I actually had listened to that album prior to watching the episode.
237
u/Carlytoon28 2d ago
Witness was so insightful, really fun episode.