Check Your Brain

The Music Industry's Slow & Painful Demise

Prior to Napster and LimeWire, the music industry seemed to be a cash cow. Everyone wanted in. But in the world of streaming, artists are making literal pennies on the dollar. Some bands will need tens of thousands of listens and likes to make a paycheck. The music industry is broken, which is why Bruce Springsteen and the Red Hot Chili Peppers have cashed in their chips and sold their music catalogue.

 

In this solo episode of the Check Your Brain podcast, Tony Mazur analyzes the issues in modern music. He plays interviews from Rick Beato and Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan who said rock 'n' roll was systematically destroyed three decades ago, and the only way one makes it in the music industry is if they have rich parents subsidizing their kids' vanity project. He also touches on the ridiculous New York Times' list of 30 Greatest Living Songwriters, the unoriginality in modern music, and the phenomenon known as "Blue Dot Fever."

 

Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur.

Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.

 

Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.

Are the Savannah Bananas Ruining Baseball? Or Has MLB Done That to Themselves?

The Savannah Bananas have become one of the most polarizing topics on social media. Fans either love 'em or love how their kids react to them, or have a deep hatred of all things Banana Ball. Tony Mazur talks about the meteoric rise and how some kids' first introduction to baseball may be because of the Bananas, and that may not be the best thing. He also covers travel ball and the changes Rob Manfred has pushed onto the game to court younger fans the last decade.

 

Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur.

Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.

 

Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.

Why Can't Cities Be Nice WITHOUT the NFL Draft in Town?

The city of Pittsburgh hosted the 2026 NFL Draft, where over 800,000 football fans made the trek to the Three Rivers town. Prior to the draft, Alleghany County bragged about their efforts to clean up the city, but the question Tony Mazur poses in this week's Check Your Brain podcast is, why can't cities be this nice the other 362 days a year? Why can't urban areas remain pleasant on days when a foreign national or ESPN aren't in town?

 

Tony gives a brief history on the degradation of cities, which happened nearly 60 years ago, and we're seeing it all over again since 2020. He mentions how we don't need to put up with rampant lawlessness, from public urination to outright murder, even though urbanites will tell us it's "all part of living in the big city" and that "you gotta be tough" to live here.

 

Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur.

Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.

 

Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.

Gord Magill - End of the Road

Gord Magill is a long-time trucker from Canada, and is now a podcaster and author. His new book End of the Road - Inside the War on Truckers is available now. He talked with Tony Mazur on the Check Your Brain podcast about the "Competence Crisis" on the roads, the unfettered immigration and how it's affecting the trucking industry, the Freedom Convoy of 2022, and if/when AI and automation will replace the OTR truck driver soon.

 

Gord's book is on Amazon if that is easier for the reader, but it is better to go to his publisher, Creed & Culture, to purchase.

 

Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur.

Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.

 

Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.

 

Why Does Today's Music Sound Bland & Terrible?

In this solo episode of the Check Your Brain podcast, Tony Mazur goes through the archives of how pop songs are intended to sound timeless, as they are mainly used to sell products. He also explores why, in the Napster/LimeWire universe, artists may be purposely putting out mediocre crap because they know they will barely see a dime in royalties.

 

Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur.

Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.

 

Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.

Laura Stack - Johnny's Ambassadors

Laura Stack is a mother, activist, and Founder & CEO of Johnny's Ambassadors. Her son, Johnny, committed suicide at just 19 years young after becoming psychotic from high doses of THC. Laura joined Tony Mazur on the Check Your Brain podcast to talk about her son, who was not psychotic before the THC, nor did her family have a history of psychosis; in fact, Johnny was an athlete and a 4.0 student. She also discussed how this isn't our grandparents' marijuana, and how dangerous it is for the teenage and young adult brains.

 

For more information on Laura, Johnny, and her advocacy, visit JohnnysAmbassadors.org.

 

Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur.

Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.

 

Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.

Farewell, Funny Stop

After 41 years (and 20 in its current location), Tony Mazur's home comedy club, the Funny Stop, is no more. In this solo episode of the Check Your Brain podcast, Tony looks back at his time there, why it meant so much to him, and why it closing isn't anything like other businesses that have closed up shop.

 

Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur.

Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.

 

Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.

Ryan Hoppe - The Spirit of Radio

Ryan Hoppe is a radio personality, originally from Chicago, now living in Tampa, Florida, with a brief stop in Cleveland, Ohio. He made a return appearance on the Check Your Brain podcast with Tony Mazur, this time inside a Tampa shopping mall, to talk about the ever-changing medium that is radio, where both gentlemen began their careers. They talked about the viability of radio in 2026, shared old "war" stories, and the legacy (or lack thereof) that long-time radio hosts will leave behind.

 

Ryan hosts his own show, Hoppe Hour, which can be heard on all the major platforms, as well as RyanHoppeRadio.com.

 

Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur.

Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.

 

Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.

Zak Ford - Called Up

Zak Ford is a lifelong baseball fan from the Bay Area, specifically the human interest side of the game. That is why he is the author of the book Called Up, which chronicles 109 different players' stories of getting the call up to the big leagues. He has another book coming out in 2026 about the final moments of players' careers. He discussed both books with Check Your Brain's Tony Mazur, as well as how much the game has changed compared to the childhoods of the athletes he interviewed.

 

Zak's books are available to purchase on Amazon. Here is the link for the 2023 book: https://www.amazon.com/Called-Up-Ballplayers-Remember-Becoming/dp/1476692793

 

Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur.

Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.

 

Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.

Adam Nutter - Despicable Creatures

Adam Nutter is a former NYPD officer who later became a comedian and a podcaster. He once again joined Tony Mazur on the Check Your Brain podcast to discuss a variety of current events, while giving them some background and perspective. Adam and Tony shared their thoughts on the Iran War and the Zionist propaganda network headed up by Mark Levin, Laura Loomer, and Ben Shapiro. They also touched on the historical and biblical tenants of modern day Judaism and Christian Zionism, who opened the doors for mass migration, and trying to get through to the normies about "The Epstein Class."

 

Adam is part of the 5 Til Midnight show. Check them out on your favorite streaming platform, and sign up to their Patreon for additional content. patreon.com/c/5TilMidnight

 

Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur.

Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.

 

Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.