Aug. 26, 2023

S6E305 - Public Enemy 'It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back' with Paul Mahern

S6E305 - Public Enemy 'It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back' with Paul Mahern

This week's guest, audio engineer, producer, teacher (and lead singer of Indianapolis punk band Zero Boys) Paul Mahern, brings us Public Enemy's landmark sophomore record 'It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back'. Hugely influential and...

This week's guest, audio engineer, producer, teacher (and lead singer of Indianapolis punk band Zero Boys) Paul Mahern, brings us Public Enemy's landmark sophomore record 'It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back'. Hugely influential and sonically explosive, Chuck D, Flavor Flav and the production team known as The Bomb Squad combined rap, soul, rock, funk, punk, musique concrète and everything in-between to forge the sound of a unit keenly aware of its purpose and capabilities.
Bring the noise, indeed!

Songs discussed in this episode: Countdown To Armageddon - Public Enemy; Civilization's Dying - Zero Boys; Anarchy In The U.K. - Sex Pistols; Protect Ya Neck - Wu-Tang Clan; B-Boy Bouillabaise - Beastie Boys; The Sprawl - Sonic Youth; Cuttin' Heads - John Mellencamp; Bring The Noise - Public Enemy; Funky Drummer - James Brown; Don't Believe The Hype, Cold Lampin' With Flavor Flav, Terminator X To The Edge Of Panic - Public Enemy; The Grunt - The J.B.'s; Alone Again - Biz Markie; Mind Terrorist, Louder Than A Bomb - Public Enemy; The Robots - Kraftwerk; Caught, Can We Get A Witness, Show 'Em Whatcha Got, She Watch Channel Zero - Public Enemy; Angel Of Death - Slayer; Night Of The Living Baseheads, Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos - Public Enemy; Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic - Isaac Hayes; Security Of The First World, Rebel Without A Pause - Public Enemy; Walk This Way - Run DMC (ft. Aerosmith); Prophets Of Rage - Public Enemy; Fight For Your Right - Beastie Boys; Party For Your Right To Fight - Public Enemy; Don't Shoot, Can't Breathe - Zero Boys; Change The Style - Son Of Baserk

Like what you hear? Consider becoming a Patron

Paul MahernProfile Photo

Paul Mahern

Audio Engineer/Producer/Teacher

Paul Mahern is an audio producer engineer, lead sing of Zero Boys, and is an adjunct lecturer in music in general studies at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
He has been a professional musician, music producer, and artist manager since the age of 16. His recording clients include John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Iggy Pop, The Fray, Facebook, Sony, RCA, and DreamWorks. He has produced and/or engineered 11 RIAA-certified gold or platinum albums.
Mahern has developed and teaches courses on the history of punk rock and the history of music production for Music in General Studies.
In 2017, the Indianapolis Star listed Mahern as the fifteenth most influential musician of all time from Indiana. This list of 25 musicians also includes Joshua Bell, Hoagy Carmichael, Michael Jackson, and John Mellencamp.
A feature article about Mahern’s life and work appears in the May/June 2016 issue of TapeOp magazine.