This week on Rolling with Scissors, we celebrate 50 years of WORT by letting Frank Zappa off the leash for a full three hours. It’s been too long. We spotlight key corners of his studio and live output between 1969 and 1979, where jazz fusion brains melt purposefully into rock skeletons, satire lives next to razor-tight musicianship, and the guitar is both the punchline and the proof. Frank Zappa was a composer who happened to lead bands that could actually execute his blueprints, and a guitarist who never treated rock as a border or a limit. Tonight, we let the albums speak — loud, sequential, and gloriously incomplete. Each era chosen for impact. Each track allowed to sprawl. The final piece will be faded out, drifting into the classical block that follows. Happy birthday, WORT. Welcome back, Frank.

In Episode 1325 we continue our look at the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees with full-album dives into Bad Company, The White Stripes, and Salt-N-Pepa. Chubby Checker will get his own deep dive soon, but for now we’re exploring classic rock grit, early-2000s garage fire, and ’90s hip-hop power from three very different artists who helped shape their corners of music history.

ock ’n’ roll didn’t collapse in one dramatic moment—it slowly eroded under shifting culture, digital noise, and a generation that no longer finds rebellion in guitars. This manifesto takes a hard look at the death of the garage band, the rise of hip-hop, the algorithmic takeover, and the moment a 14-year-old called Limp Bizkit “classic rock,” forcing us to confront what rock once was, what it became, and whether it can ever rise again.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame just announced the 2025 inductees, and this week on Rolling with Scissors we’re taking a deep dive into three of the most deserving names on the list: Outkast, Soundgarden, and Cyndi Lauper. From the mind-bending brilliance of ATLiens, to the explosive weight of Badmotorfinger, to the pop genius of Cyndi Lauper, Episode 1324 explores the artists who actually shaped the sound and attitude of modern music.

This week’s Rolling with Scissors takes a curated deep dive into Fleetwood Mac — from the blues fire of Then Play On to the polished perfection of Rumours. We’re not covering it all (no one could in one night), but these hand-picked tracks tell the story of how the band evolved through chaos into greatness.

After nearly eight years away from winter, I looked out my window today and saw white stuff falling from the sky. It took me a second to remember it’s called snow. At first it looked peaceful, almost magical — until I remembered what it really means: salt, slush, and the lurking terror of getting my wheelchair stuck in a snow drift just trying to grab coffee at QuikTrip. Welcome back to Wisconsin, where the sky hates you but the coffee’s still worth the risk.

After eight years of living in houses, I forgot how thin apartment walls can be. At 3:45 in the morning, I woke to the unmistakable sounds of enthusiasm from the neighbors upstairs — complete with creaking bed, rhythmic thumping, and plenty of moaning. By the time the “series finale” ended around 5 a.m., I was equal parts exhausted, amused, and reminded that apartment living comes with… perks.

This week’s Rolling with Scissors starts with reflection and ends in pure chaos — from A Perfect Circle’s eMOTIVe to Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction to Metallica’s Kill ’Em All and Ride the Lightning. Protest, rebellion, and power — all in one night.

I’ll probably lose my metal card for saying this, but Taylor Swift’s new album The Life of a Showgirl is damn good. Blame Amber for getting the hooks stuck in my head. Between discovering pop that actually hits and replacing my dead 25-year-old Alesis monitors with KRK Rokit 5s, I’ve been reminded that music doesn’t care about genres—it just needs to make you feel something.

After years of silence from big-name artists, Puscifer finally steps up with Normal Isn’t—a record that refuses to play nice. The lead single “Self Evident” doesn’t whisper; it hits like a hammer, tearing through the noise with raw honesty and purpose. This is the sound of art waking the world up.

Originally planned as a Moby deep dive, this week’s episode takes a hard turn into the world of Hackers—the cult ’90s film that turned neon dreams and computer chaos into cinematic legend. We’re exploring all three soundtrack volumes packed with electronic icons like The Prodigy, Underworld, Orbital, and Leftfield. Plus, a quick nod to Ace Frehley of KISS, who left us this week.

Amazon may have spoiled us with two-day shipping, but when it comes to UPS, FedEx, and the rest, delivery is still a mess. Waiting on a 100-pound box with no call, no text, and a useless tracker shows just how broken the system really is in 2025.

From splicing tape with a razor blade to experimenting in Sound Forge, Studio One, and now Reaper, my journey in radio production has changed as much as the technology itself. Live radio may be messy, but digital tools make creating Rolling with Scissors possible today without losing the human spirit that started it all.

This week’s Rolling with Scissors dives into Mike Patton’s world, focusing on Faith No More’s Angel Dust and the genre-bending Peeping Tom. Broadcasting from a still-growing studio in Eau Claire, we celebrate Patton’s chaos in manageable chunks.

Leaving Florida wasn’t about politics — it was about survival. Years of fighting broken accessibility wore me down until I couldn’t do it anymore. In Eau Claire, I’ve found space to breathe, bridges to cross, and a city still shaping its own story. This is about reinvention, community, and the details that make or break everyday life.

Rolling with Scissors is back with a brand-new episode from the new Eau Claire studio, just in time for the WORT pledge drive. After a few weeks of archival shows, Episode 1319 dives deep into the history, humor, and legacy of ZZ Top—from the bearded legends to the only member ironically named Beard.

I didn’t fall off the face of the earth—I just got stuck ten feet in the air on the side of a Greyhound bus, stranded at Dutch Mill, rescued by a guy named Alpha, and accidentally moved to Eau Claire. It’s cheaper than Madison, the apartment’s mostly accessible, the ethernet jack was wired by a drunk raccoon, and Rolling with Scissors is back just in time for the pledge drive.

This week on Rolling with Scissors, we celebrate the early years of Van Halen. Eddie’s guitar changed rock forever, and his legacy still burns bright. From Runnin’ With the Devil to Jump, this episode is a reminder of why Van Halen mattered — and why Eddie Van Halen remains one of the greatest of all time.

With all the chaos in the world today, I can’t stop wondering what George Carlin would say about 2025. This week we dive into his early work from 1972–1976 — the sharp, fearless Carlin who cut through lies with humor and rage that still feels fresh today.

This one hit me while I was on vacation: an AI-generated Sleep Token track that I want to hate but can’t stop replaying. As someone who uses AI but also creates deeply personal music, I’m torn between admiration and unease. Is it OK to love this?

Putting on socks and shoes might be nothing for most people, but for me it’s a daily wrestling match. With all the tech in the world — rockets, AI, even spray-on rubber boats — why don’t we have spray-on footwear yet? Elon, call me.

This week’s episode dives into two worlds: the haunting power of Emotive by A Perfect Circle and the eccentric brilliance of Bucketheadland. From Maynard James Keenan’s voice to Buckethead’s mind-bending guitar work, this ride is equal parts dark, weird, and transformative.

After time away in Florida and a much-needed August vacation, I’ve realized it’s time to return home. The Prince of Darkness is heading back to Wisconsin this fall. I don’t know exactly where I’ll land yet, but I do know this: I was happier around my people, and that’s where I need to be.

After a four-week break, Rolling with Scissors returns with a bruised-but-not-broken Eau Claire adventure. Between skate parks, bridges, breweries, and a spectacular parking lot wipeout, Lucas dives back into the studio with a retrospective setlist and fresh perspective.

After an unexpected break last week (thanks, mystery illness), Rolling with Scissors is back with three straight hours of Led Zeppelin—no filler, no theme, just pure rock from one of the greatest bands of all time.