Popular Music History Podcast ‘No Dogs in Space’ Makes a Return with Punk 2.0
The acclaimed music history podcast No Dogs in Space, hosted by Carolina Hidalgo and Marcus Parks, has made a long-awaited return with a new season titled Punk 2.0. This premiere marks the end of more than a two-year hiatus, with the first episode dedicated to exploring the story of the New York Dolls, the influential band led by David Johansen. The timing of this release was recently announced, to the delight of fans.
Return to Roots with a Focus on Punk
In the fourth season, Hidalgo and Parks are delving into the roots of punk rock, a genre they regard as their forte. Parks noted, “We realise like what we do best is tell a punk story.” This realisation came after a lengthy process of translating German for their previous projects, where they concluded that the bands’ narratives often distilled down to “art school kids messing around.” The duo returned their focus to the punk genre, where they believe the most compelling tales emerge.
Bumps Along the Road to This Season’s Launch
The journey to the new season was not without its challenges. Initially, the hosts planned to spotlight the DC punk scene, including a series on Bad Brains. However, upon discovering the band’s problematic stance on LGBTQ+ issues, they reconsidered their approach after investing six months of research. Hidalgo reflected on the difficulty, saying, “A lot of No Dogs bands are problematic, but that was a tough one to focus on.”
Attempts to produce a comprehensive series on DC’s music scene also proved unwieldy, as expanding the scope became overwhelming. Parks, acknowledging the impossibility of cohesively integrating all these stories, commented, “We eventually had to admit defeat.” Despite these setbacks, they managed to extract a separate two-part series on Link Wray, due to release later in the year.
Unexpected Explorations in the New Season
Known for their captivating diversions, the show’s new season maintains its tradition of exploring intriguing side stories. During their New York Dolls series, Hidalgo found herself captivated by the band Mott the Hoople, and their lead singer Ian Hunter’s unconventional path to fame. Meanwhile, Parks was drawn to the influence of drag queen Jackie Curtis, whose style might have inspired the punk look often attributed to Richard Hell.
These engaging tangents highlight the show’s underpinning of obsessive detail and dedication. Parks elaborated on this approach, revealing, “Obsession really is, it is kind of our superpower.”
For those interested in beginning the podcast, the New York Dolls series offers a great entry point into the history of protopunk and glam. Existing fans and newcomers alike can access the latest episodes of No Dogs in Space on various platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and now, for the first time, on YouTube with full video episodes.
Reporting based on coverage first published by theverge.com.