’Jack and Diane’: From Johnny Cougar to John Mellencamp in One Stroke

In this episode, Kevin and Butch tackle the Americana classic "Jack and Diane" by John Cougar, aka, John Cougar Mellencamp, aka John Mellencamp. We talk about how the original lyric was interestingly different, how the song was built in studio -- it almost didn't make the cut -- and perhaps most importantly, what it meant for John Mellencamp's career. A few points:

• Beer of the Week: Dragonfly IPA by Upland Brewing, which is based in Mellencamp's current hometown.

• When the song was recorded, drummer Kenny Aronoff was afraid he was about to be replaced by a drum machine. His improvisation helped make the song what it was.

• Guitarist Mick Ronson had a pivotal role in making the song unique, as well.

• The hosts tell some personal stories about the song, as they were both 16 when the song was popular. The phrase "Hold onto 16 as long as you can" was impactful for both of them at the time.

• Butch and Kevin also discuss two alternate versions of the song built around the phrase "Suckin' on a chili dog" from the song.

• The first is performed by Clownvis Presley and can be heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQrxIlGsMNQ

• The next is by TikTok star Tom McGovern and can be heard here: https://www.tiktok.com/@tommcgovern27/video/6928145194365783302

• Clownvis later had Tom on his podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2gOnJhpj7k

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