La Jolla Babylon: The Making Of A Suburban Punk

About La Jolla Babylon: The Making Of A Suburban Punk

Your host, musician and writer Aaron Hartman, shares stories about his stormy youth growing up punk in a conservative beach town with his Millennial sister, actor, writer and comedian Katie Hartman. What emerges is a series of hilarious, poignant, and brutally honest weekly episodes that delve into the stark differences in their upbringings, despite being siblings. Aaron, a founding member and bass player of Northwest indie legends Old Time Relijun and electro dance-rock pioneers IQU, began writing his memoir in the back of a tour van. Years later, he reads these deeply personal stories to Katie, who, as a theater kid, had little knowledge of her much older half-brother’s rebellious life. Through Aaron’s raw, unfiltered stories and Katie’s humorous, insightful commentary, the podcast explores the generational divide between Gen X and Millennials, showcasing how two siblings from different households can grow up under radically different circumstances within the same family. From cringy interactions with girls to the first stirrings of what life might be like as a musician, the stories include illustrations of teenagers in Southern California learning to make their own rules when divorced parents stop paying attention. Subscribe to the Podcast: Don’t miss out on these compelling readings and sibling conversations about one specific slice of life in Southern California, generational differences, and the shared experiences that shape us. Leave a Review: If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and share what resonated and what didn’t. Your feedback helps others discover the show! Share with a Friend: Know someone who might find this podcast amusing? It would mean so much if you passed us along to your people. Follow Us on Social Media: Join the conversation on Instagram! Follow @lajollababylon for behind-the-scenes content and more sibling stories.

Publisher

Aaron Hartman

Category

comedy · music · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

18 Oct 2024

Latest episode

10 Jan 2026

Latest episodes

30 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   10 Jan 2026

   Spartanburg

   Chapter 67 Spartanburg The last episode of season 3! Keep us in your feed - we’ll pop up everyone once in a while with some bonus eps between now and season 4! We’ll see young Adam get in and out of trouble. And then in again. We’ll see post-adolescent Adam meet some fates. In this episode: Adam gets hired as a professional tour manager and breaks down in the buckle of the Bible Belt. A Baptist family tries real hard to convert him. First of all - when I wrote the conversations between Adam and Bishop, I was not considering that I would need to read his voice some day. What you’re hearing is a white guy from the west coast - who is not an actor - trying to change his voice just enough so the listener knows the character has changed. When I switch to a character that is not Adam, I am only trying to indicate that the voice is from the south. I am not trying to indicate the person is of another race. This is Aaron being a bad reader with a shitty southern accent. NOT Aaron doing “black voice.” I love this episode and I love the people I met in Spartanburg so many years ago. It was 72 hours that changed my life for the better and if there’s a microbe that comes across as disrespectful, I apologize sincerely. Please write in to lajlooababylon@gmail.com and let me know how I should have handled it. Or write me and I’ll dish more about that band I managed. Additional music: Katie’s Podcast Song (unreleased) Vibes: A. Walker Spring Music: La Jolla Babylon Theme by Aaron Hartman Vocal: Alicia Jo Rabins @ohaliciajo | aliciajo.com Drums: Sara Lund @lundun_calling | saralundrum.com Let us know what’s what: Have a story about growing up as a latchkey kid? Did you have a sibling who lived a completely different life than you? Did you cause mayhem in the 1980s? Send us your questions, comments, corrections and condescensions. We read every DM and email we receive. Find us: @lajollababylonpodcast on Instagram or write us at lajollababylon@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you! More Links: Follow Katie Hartman at https://www.katiehartman.rocks/ https://www.davidandkatiegetremarried.com/

2. 

   13 Dec 2025

   The You-Know-What Episode

   The You-Know-What Episode Chapters 64 WOLFIE 65 DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS 66 FILMMAKING Explicit content. In other words, another one the in-laws might want to skip. Adam makes a Porn for college credit. In which Aaron miraculously gets out of reading in front of people. This is a recorded version of what our live show could have been. When it’s time to move out of a small town, it’s really time to move! “I’m not self aware enough to know what cartoon animal I would have been.” Some of my favorite fake live albums: Nighthawks at the Diner Beach Boys Party! Charles Mingus presents Charles Mingus - asking waitresses not to rattle the ice! I was always singing the Nutcracker, so my dad got me the album for my 7th birthday. But when I saw the word “ballet” on the jacket, I asked if I could switch it for another record. We went back to Sam Goody’s and I was able to exchange it for KISS Alive 2! Apparently the drummer was so drunk they had to re-record the entire album and add the live sounds later. My explanation of Annie Sprinkle comes from memory - apologies if I missed some important details. Here’s a bit more about Linda/Les and Annie https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104733/ Shout out to the Olympia International Film Festival! Don’t fact check me on whether Holy Mountain and El Topo were really banned in the US. Mentioned: Zak Margolis - Here’s his insane animations! https://zakmargolis.com/ Additional music: I Don’t Know How To Surf-Rock (un-released) Drums: Germaine Bacca Music: La Jolla Babylon Theme by Aaron Hartman Vocal: Alicia Jo Rabins @ohaliciajo | aliciajo.com Drums: Sara Lund @lundun_calling | saralundrum.com More Links: Follow Katie Hartman at https://www.katiehartman.rocks/ https://www.davidandkatiegetremarried.com/

3. 

   29 Nov 2025

   Everybody But Me Wang Chunged That Night

   Everybody But Me Wang Chunged That Night Chapters: 62 KURU 63 TWO QUICK THINGS Aaron dishes about getting kicked out of the band he thought was going to make him a rock star. Altogether now: “It was the 90s.” Afraid of being an “unreliable narrator” - Aaron asks Katie not to let him off the hook. As the stories get closer to modern day, it’s getting less cute to hear about Adam and his bad choices. As Katie says, “If you’re looking for someone to dress you down, I think you should pull our other siblings in here.” Aaron talks about the metaphor that saves his relationship. Some other notable quotes: “Sometimes the best thing to do is to do nothing” “The man who edits controls the knowledge” Correction: It’s the PRESIDENTS of the United States of America. But you knew that. **Update! We chose not to air another episode. This is going to be a pretty short season! These stories can sometimes cut a little close to the bone, and we felt like what would have been episode 5 might be pushing too far into other peoples’ lives. It was a good one but we decided to err on the side of privacy. Email us a lajollababylon@gmail.com if you want to know more (we’ll tell you everything privately). Mentioned links: Previously unseen link to the show where Old Time Relijun’s drummer throws his drums into the audience. https://youtu.be/gS_3khRt9l8 Aaron’s band being introduced by an iconic singer in1999. https://youtu.be/LgiJbVglQEI?si=sATy7zibUXgnlhk0&t=97 Golem live! https://youtu.be/ze6ONmmBBbA?si=3xf1ziWn14ua0U9q&t=126 Music: La Jolla Babylon Theme by Aaron Hartman Vocal: Alicia Jo Rabins @ohaliciajo | aliciajo.com Drums: Sara Lund @lundun_calling | saralundrum.com

Who has been a guest on La Jolla Babylon: The Making Of A Suburban Punk

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Alicia Jo Rabins
• Sara Lund
• Katie

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

5,050,441

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

38 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 47 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

37

Social presence

0

YouTube

93

Engagement

51

Contact La Jolla Babylon: The Making Of A Suburban Punk

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.