I Listen So You Don't Have To: Turned Out a Punk: Clobbering Time, Episode 3

The gang talks Owens and other stuff on this show
Photo Credit: WWE.com

If you’re new, here’s the rundown. We listen to a handful of wrestling podcasts each week. Too many, probably, though certainly not all of them. In the interest of saving you time — in case you have the restraint to skip certain episodes — the plan is to give the bare bones of a given show and let you decide if it’s worth investing the time to hear the whole thing. There are many wrestling podcasts out there, of course, but this feature largely hews to the regular rotation we feel best fit the category of hit or miss. If we can save other folks some time, we’re happy to do so.

Show: Turned Out a Punk: Clobbering Time
Episode: 3
Run Time: 54:02
Guest: Scott Kelly

Summary: When Damian Abraham, lead singer of the band Fucked Up, isn't hosting his podcast Turned Out a Punk and interviewing major players in underground punk and hardcore, he converts it into a wrestling podcast called Clobbering Time, co-hosting with Stereogum editor Tom Breihan. On this episode, they bring on Scott Kelly of hardcore/metal pioneers Neurosis. Kelly happens to be a lifelong wrestling fan, so Abraham and Breihan are doubly nerding out over having him on the show. They're all still in disbelief over Kevin Owens winning the Universal Championship, and they talk about their individual reactions to seeing it. A few broad storylines are discussed, and they finish with praise for the Steiner Brothers and the Road Warriors, and how random episodes of Nitro are a worthwhile watch.

Quote of the Week: Scott Kelly on Kevin Owens - "He's never hidden the other side of him being a dad and a family guy. I think that part of who he is will translate when he has to go on the fuckin Today Show or whatever. The guy can go on there and be a really sincere dude, and still live his gimmick at the same time. He doesn't have to be squeaky clean, but he can still appeal to a larger audience. He can also be that guy that does the Make a Wish stuff that Cena does, and he would mean something to those kids. That's another really rare quality - he's kind of all things at once."

Why you should listen: Abraham and Breihan are men of good taste, both in music and wrestling. They're not prone to snobby overanalysis or handwaving of good things, so they act as genuine, relatable people who love wrestling. You'll walk away feeling pretty good about the state of pro wrestling, and who couldn't use a good dip in the pool of positivity?

Why you should skip it: Scott Kelly might be the frontman for a legendary band, but that doesn't mean he has much to say about wrestling. His interest is obvious, but he doesn't do a great job of verbalizing why he likes certain things. He mostly just agrees with Abraham and Breihan, but he does most of the talking.

Final Thoughts: At under an hour, this episode avoided overlong discussions that ultimately go nowhere. Clobbering Time is the ideal setup for a pro wrestling fan who doesn't need backstage gossip or bitter complaining. Abraham especially exudes an enthusiasm that would be difficult to deny. A friend of mine once saw him on the street after a Fucked Up show, and knowing that Abraham was a wrestling fan, struck up a conversation with him and ending up talking with him about wrestling for a half hour. Such a passionate guy has every right to co-host a wrestling podcast, but I would like to see them get a little more specific and creative with the format. It's all well and good to hear a conversation that sounds like the ones we have with our friends, but we listen to podcasts to hear that extra little bit that we didn't think of. Abraham and Breihan surely have that within them, so here's hoping they find it.