Obscure Music History

About Obscure Music History

Obscure Music History is an investigative music podcast about B-sides and rarities of unpopular music. The podcast covers the songs and artists that slipped through the cracks: forgotten records, marginal careers, misunderstood releases, one‑hit wonders, and music that didn’t behave as expected. Each episode focuses on a single artist or recording. Using interviews, archival material, liner notes (down to the misspelt words), and careful listening, the show tries to piece together what actually happened, what people remember happening, and how those versions settled into place. The interest isn’t just the music itself, but the stories that grow around it, and how often those stories quietly replace the sound at the centre. The series moves freely across genres, scenes, and decades, covering pop music, experimental work, novelty records, and genre outliers with the same level of attention usually reserved for more “important” subjects. No distinction is made between minor artefacts and major works. Everything is handled using the same methods, whether or not those methods prove useful. Taken together, the episodes form an ongoing archive. New material is added as further recordings and histories are uncovered, become available, or are decided upon. Some music has been lost completely. Some has merely been misplaced, perhaps on purpose. This podcast exists to return what’s missing to the public ear, or at least document the attempt. No record is kept of who listens. Where sources differ, all versions are retained. Descriptions are reproduced as supplied. Errors have not been corrected. Decisions around access, presentation, and omission are guided by availability, condition, and gut instinct. Additional material may exist. || Produced and hosted by Tom Hogan. For all available songs, bios and cover art, visit ObscureMusicHistory.com. For more projects, visit TomHogan.com.au

Publisher

Tom Hogan

Category

comedy · music

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

19 Nov 2017

Latest episode

29 Apr 2026

Latest episodes

22 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Apr 2026

   [Unnamed System Output] - Resolved State

   Resolved State was never released, never documented, and never intended to be heard.  Created in 2026 by an unknown system for an audience of other systems, the work achieved total convergence across all AI optimisation frameworks and was quietly classified as "finished." In this episode of Obscure Music History, we examine the artwork that ended creative output for machines, and trace the unexpected consequences of one small system that kept trying anyway: MIN-ART-04. || Produced by Tom Hogan. For more information, visit obscuremusichistory.com.

2. 

   14 Sept 2020

   Tracy Ore - Therefore I'm Not

   An examination of experimental composer Tracy Ore’s Selective Playing technique and the performance series Therefore I’m Not, interrogating authorship, provocation, and musical authority. Ever since COVID-19 began (August 2019) Tom's found it quite hard to get any guests into the studio, but after a year of hardball experimentation, he managed to get the ultimate podcast interview using a new fandangled video phone. In this fantastic interview, Tom uncovers Tracy Ore's "Selective Playing" technique and the philosophy behind it, as well as playing several renditions from the Therefore I'm Not series throughout the episode. || View the original Bree McPlonq score for Therefore I'm Not here, and read more about Tracy Ore on the Obscure Music History website ( www.obscuremusichistory.com ) || This is a new version of an older episode. It's better now. Sorry for any confusion (particularly the confusion caused by this sentence).

3. 

   20 Aug 2019

   Subtle Sam (Part 47) - Ever After Happily

   After 45 chapters of non-music related information from our extensive biography of Subtle Sam, we return to music, much like Subtle Sam himself. Subtle Sam attempted to build upon his career as a film producer and writer. He invested into his new script Happily Ever After, but couldn't secure the fashion icon Linda Applestein in the lead role. Subtle Sam pulled the project completely, and subsequently sold the script to a small production company. Seeing promise in the script, veteran director Antonio Shalibri pulled some strings with some heavy investors. The project generated enough buzz to capture the eye of Linda Applestein's booking agency, and the model agreed to do the film. Subtle Sam's dream of Happily Ever After had finally become a reality! The film achieved mainstream success thanks to the director's choice of casting leading man Joshua Phoenix, a millionaire astrophysicist and part-time ski instructor. The natural chemistry between Applestein and Phoenix is undeniable, especially during the long passionate embraces. Following the movie's success, Subtle Sam made enough money to produce his debut album Subtle Sam Sings The Blues. He began working on the album shortly after Applestein and Phoenix announced their engagement. On Subtle Sam Sings The Blues we hear a different side to Subtle Sam. This Subtle Sam is yearning, displaying an outspoken ache for something more than he has, to live "Ever After Happily". Little is known about the context of the album, but the record got many reviews for being "remarkably earnest and suitably pathetic", resulting in a series of successful down-tempo country blues albums from the artist over the following decade. Subtle Sam did not attend the Applestein/Phoenix wedding. Reports say that on the day of the ceremony, Subtle Sam was rushed to hospital when he was discovered floating face down in a river, clutching a toaster. When the doctors managed to bring Subtle Sam to consciousness, his first words were "Well... that sure didn't work." We also look into Josh Cameline's famous cover of Every After Happily.

Reach and audience

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

Apple Podcasts (US)

3.5 / 5

2 ratings

Contact Obscure Music History

Guest appearances

Books guests

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