Let's Watch Cop Rock!

Welcome to Episode 11 of “Let’s Watch Cop Rock,” an 11-episode podcast discussing that classic police procedural rock musical soap opera crime drama Cop Rock, 11 episodes of which aired on ABC during the fall of 1990.

Over the course of this podcast as a whole, we discuss the events of the show, our reactions to the music, and the ways this program worked, or didn’t work, and why some of it still seems very relevant today. Sometimes we get political. Sometimes we crack up uncontrollably. Sometimes we tell unbelievable but entirely true stories of our own lives’ intersections with crime or law enforcement or both. Every episode we play Good Cop, Bad Cop, or Innocent Bystander?

I confess I’ve dragged out posting this 11th episode because I haven’t quite been ready for Let’s Watch Cop Rock to be over. Creating and recording this podcast has been a tremendous pleasure for us, and we hope listening to it has been for you, too. Cop Rock had a lot of problems, but it was also a big, messy, ambitious effort at doing something that felt completely new. Without it, would we have had Glee? Or the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? It’s one of those things it’s hard for me to describe to others because I am so glad it exists even though I spend a lot of time groaning while I watch it.

Recording this has been so much fun, in fact, that when Officer Orifice returns to town a few months from now we’re planning to reassemble this cast and do a 12th bonus episode of “Let’s Watch Cop Rock.” So, stay subscribed in your podcast app, and look for something in, say, six months.

I also want to point out watching this show has made me do a lot of thinking about how I feel towards police, the policies that drive police efforts and tactics, and the politics behind those policies. I say in an earlier episode that it’s hard for me to watch cop shows and enjoy them because of some inherent anti-authoritarianism on my part. Like has been said about war movies, it’s impossible to make an anti-war movie that doesn’t glorify war. Even this show, which in many ways is a harmless, song-and-dance look at a few people who happen to be police, repeatedly depicts abuses of power and authority by the characters who wear a badge. The one storyline that carries from start to finish is the premeditated murder of a suspect by a policeman who worries that suspect is going to “get away with it.” Over and over again we see police and other authorities abuse their power, take bribes, brag about how they plan to beat someone up, break the law, overstep their bounds, and otherwise depict all the things that drive my anti-authoritarian streak. In response to that experience, I recently read Andrea Ritchie’s book, Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color. I’ll put a link to it in the show notes. It gave me a lot to think about, and if the behavior of some of these characters gave you pause at any point then I recommend you read it, too. These are not easy topics to consider. I like feeling safe. I like resting easy, and I like to think I can rest easy because the police in my town are here to protect me. The interactions I’ve had with them have all been professional and compassionate. I’ve had relationships with people who worked in law enforcement. My own experience has been nothing like the experiences described in the book, or like the experiences depicted in Cop Rock – and in its own way that makes me feel it’s even more important I educate myself about the experiences of people who do not have the same privileges as I do.

Watch the eleventh episode of Cop Rock before listening. Trust me, it’ll make a lot more sense that way. You can get Cop Rock on Amazon or direct from Shout Factory. There are links for each in the show notes. I want to remind you, we’re not affiliated with Shout Factory, we’re not affiliated with Cop Rock, and we gain nothing from that purchase.

You can find Officer Orifice on Twitter as @OfficerOrifice. I’m there too as @CopRocker.

Our theme music is “The Crime” by reiswerk, with full attribution in the show notes. And now… Let’s Watch Cop Rock!

Invisible No More: https://www.amzn.com/dp/0807088986/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cop-Rock-Complete-Ronny-Cox/dp/B01BHCPQXA

Shout Factory: https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/cop-rock-the-complete-series

The Crime by reiswerk (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Reiswerk/55464 Ft: Anchor

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Welcome to Episode 10 of “Let’s Watch Cop Rock,” an 11-episode podcast discussing that classic police procedural rock musical soap opera crime drama Cop Rock, 11 episodes of which aired on ABC during the fall of 1990.

Over the course of this podcast as a whole, we discuss the events of the show, our reactions to the music, and the ways this program worked, or didn’t work, and why some of it still seems very relevant today. Sometimes we get political. Sometimes we crack up uncontrollably. Sometimes we tell unbelievable but entirely true stories of our own lives’ intersections with crime or law enforcement or both. Every episode we play Good Cop, Bad Cop, or Innocent Bystander?

Episode 10 is very likely our favorite episode across the board: great music, great choreography, and some okay storyline moments! Enjoy this one, because we did!

Watch the tenth episode of Cop Rock before listening. Trust me, it’ll make a lot more sense that way. You can get Cop Rock on Amazon or direct from Shout Factory. There are links for each in the show notes. I want to remind you, we’re not affiliated with Shout Factory, we’re not affiliated with Cop Rock, and we gain nothing from that purchase.

You can find Officer Orifice on Twitter as @OfficerOrifice. I’m there too as @CopRocker.

Our theme music is “The Crime” by reiswerk, with full attribution in the show notes. And now… Let’s Watch Cop Rock!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cop-Rock-Complete-Ronny-Cox/dp/B01BHCPQXA

Shout Factory: https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/cop-rock-the-complete-series

The Crime by reiswerk (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Reiswerk/55464 Ft: Anchor

 

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Welcome to Episode 9 of “Let’s Watch Cop Rock,” an 11-episode podcast discussing that classic police procedural rock musical soap opera crime drama Cop Rock, 11 episodes of which aired on ABC during the fall of 1990.

Over the course of this podcast as a whole, we discuss the events of the show, our reactions to the music, and the ways this program worked, or didn’t work, and why some of it still seems very relevant today. Sometimes we get political. Sometimes we crack up uncontrollably. Sometimes we tell unbelievable but entirely true stories of our own lives’ intersections with crime or law enforcement or both. Every episode we play Good Cop, Bad Cop, or Innocent Bystander?

Watch the ninth episode of Cop Rock before listening. Trust me, it’ll make a lot more sense that way. You can get Cop Rock on Amazon or direct from Shout Factory. There are links for each in the show notes. I want to remind you, we’re not affiliated with Shout Factory, we’re not affiliated with Cop Rock, and we gain nothing from that purchase.

You can find Officer Orifice on Twitter as @OfficerOrifice. I’m there too as @CopRocker.

Our theme music is “The Crime” by reiswerk, with full attribution in the show notes. And now… Let’s Watch Cop Rock!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cop-Rock-Complete-Ronny-Cox/dp/B01BHCPQXA

Shout Factory: https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/cop-rock-the-complete-series

The Crime by reiswerk (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Reiswerk/55464 Ft: Anchor

 

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Welcome to Episode 8 of “Let’s Watch Cop Rock,” an 11-episode podcast discussing that classic police procedural rock musical soap opera crime drama Cop Rock, 11 episodes of which aired on ABC during the fall of 1990.

Over the course of this podcast as a whole, we discuss the events of the show, our reactions to the music, and the ways this program worked, or didn’t work, and why some of it still seems very relevant today. Sometimes we get political. Sometimes we crack up uncontrollably. Sometimes we tell unbelievable but entirely true stories of our own lives’ intersections with crime or law enforcement or both. Every episode we play Good Cop, Bad Cop, or Innocent Bystander?

In Episode 7 we continued to discuss some of the ways Cop Rock still feels current, especially around questions of race and American culture and politics. That is still ongoing in Episode 8, as the show maybe – just maybe – figures out what it wants to say to its audience. I want to take a second to echo something Detective Doodah says in this, which is how much fun it is to sit around and talk about a show like this with good friends. Thanks for being a part of it with us.

Watch the eighth episode of Cop Rock before listening. Trust me, it’ll make a lot more sense that way. You can get Cop Rock on Amazon or direct from Shout Factory. There are links for each in the show notes. I want to remind you, we’re not affiliated with Shout Factory, we’re not affiliated with Cop Rock, and we gain nothing from that purchase.

You can find Officer Orifice on Twitter as @OfficerOrifice. I’m there too as @CopRocker.

Our theme music is “The Crime” by reiswerk, with full attribution in the show notes. And now… Let’s Watch Cop Rock!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cop-Rock-Complete-Ronny-Cox/dp/B01BHCPQXA

Shout Factory: https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/cop-rock-the-complete-series

The Crime by reiswerk (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Reiswerk/55464 Ft: Anchor

 

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Welcome to Episode 7 of “Let’s Watch Cop Rock,” an 11-episode podcast discussing that classic police procedural rock musical soap opera crime drama Cop Rock, 11 episodes of which aired on ABC during the fall of 1990.

Over the course of this podcast as a whole, we discuss the events of the show, our reactions to the music, and the ways this program worked, or didn’t work, and why some of it still seems very relevant today. Sometimes we get political. Sometimes we crack up uncontrollably. Sometimes we tell unbelievable but entirely true stories of our own lives’ intersections with crime or law enforcement or both. Every episode we play Good Cop, Bad Cop, or Innocent Bystander?

In Episode 6 we discussed the ways Cop Rock still feels current, especially around questions of race and American culture and politics. That thread continues in this episode, which is almost twice as long as other episodes because there’s so much to unpack. This episode does contain discussion of some really explicitly racist material contained in the episode. That’s just a heads-up. This stuff is important to talk about, perhaps now more than ever. We like to think we live in an enlightened age in which these things no longer happen, but a cursory glance at the news of the day will show that is not the case. These questions of equality, and racism, and access, and privilege, are ones with which we still struggle on societal and personal levels. As the show goes on, these questions are explored in other interesting ways. Keep watching and listening, listener(s), because Cop Rock has some interesting stuff for us to consider nearly three decades later.

Watch the seventh episode of Cop Rock before listening. Trust me, it’ll make a lot more sense that way. You can get Cop Rock on Amazon or direct from Shout Factory. There are links for each in the show notes. I want to remind you, we’re not affiliated with Shout Factory, we’re not affiliated with Cop Rock, and we gain nothing from that purchase.

You can find Officer Orifice on Twitter as @OfficerOrifice. I’m there too as @CopRocker.

Our theme music is “The Crime” by reiswerk, with full attribution in the show notes. And now… Let’s Watch Cop Rock!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cop-Rock-Complete-Ronny-Cox/dp/B01BHCPQXA

Shout Factory: https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/cop-rock-the-complete-series

The Crime by reiswerk (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Reiswerk/55464 Ft: Anchor

 

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Welcome to Episode 06 of “Let’s Watch Cop Rock,” an 11-episode podcast discussing that classic police procedural rock musical soap opera crime drama Cop Rock, 11 episodes of which aired on ABC during the fall of 1990.

Over the course of this podcast as a whole, we discuss the events of the show, our reactions to the music, and the ways this program worked, or didn’t work, and why some of it still seems very relevant today. Sometimes we get political. Sometimes we crack up uncontrollably. Sometimes we tell unbelievable but entirely true stories of our own lives’ intersections with crime or law enforcement or both. Every episode we play Good Cop, Bad Cop, or Innocent Bystander?

Normally here is where I would try to recap, but… yowza. OK, I’ll give it a shot: daughter-wife is not having an affair with her partner but Father-Husband is a creepy creeper who refuses to believe her. Detective LaRusso – aka T-Rex – is being prepped for his murder trial after having murdered a dude. The Chief and the Mayor continue to dance around their schoolyard romance. And this series proves more and more relevant to the now with every episode.

If you’ve done this the right way, you’ve already watched Episode 6 of Cop Rock, so you can already see the parallels between the questions of race and American society and the events of a few days ago, when white supremacists, KKK members, and neo-Nazis violently converged in Charlottesville, VA, and murdered a counterprotestor in addition to assaulting and wounding many others. I don’t know what to say to you, listener(s) other than to say we’re freaked out and frightened and angered, too, and we all have to do our part, big or small, to help things change.

Watch the sixth episode of Cop Rock before listening. Trust me, it’ll make a lot more sense that way. You can get Cop Rock on Amazon or direct from Shout Factory. There are links for each in the show notes.

You can find Officer Orifice on Twitter as @OfficerOrifice. I’m there too as @CopRocker.

Our theme music is “The Crime” by reiswerk, with full attribution in the show notes. And now… Let’s Watch Cop Rock!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cop-Rock-Complete-Ronny-Cox/dp/B01BHCPQXA

Shout Factory: https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/cop-rock-the-complete-series

The Crime by reiswerk (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Reiswerk/55464 Ft: Anchor

 

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Welcome to Episode 05 of “Let’s Watch Cop Rock,” an 11-episode podcast discussing that classic police procedural rock musical soap opera crime drama Cop Rock, 11 episodes of which aired on ABC during the fall of 1990.

Over the course of this podcast as a whole, we discuss the events of the show, our reactions to the music, and the ways this program worked, or didn’t work, and why some of it still seems very relevant today. Sometimes we get political. Sometimes we crack up uncontrollably. Sometimes we tell unbelievable but entirely true stories of our own lives’ intersections with crime or law enforcement or both. Every episode we play Good Cop, Bad Cop, or Innocent Bystander?

To briefly recap: the Mayor got a heck of a lot of fake face removed and has turned into a mental and emotional child; Ronnie Cox, who is so amazing in RoboCop, plays a character with an entirely baffling mix of motivations and mannerisms; LaRusso got tied up by his lawyer and turned into a leather bottom; Krystal Ashtray’s mother still doesn’t know she got ripped off when she sold her baby but she really wants her back; Leonard Betts, known for eating cancer in a very memorable episode of The X-Files and as another alumnus of RoboCop, is now on the force; and CSI Father-Husband, a character whom we really loved at first, is getting weird.

I want to say, before we get started, that this is the first ever episode of any of the podcasts I’ve produced that required zero editing or clean-up. I am so grateful to my co-hosts, Detective Doodah and Officer Orifice, for being so incredibly clever and such a privilege to work with. Seriously, thanks, y’all. I think you can tell from the conversation we’re already having at the beginning of this episode that we really do enjoy hanging out and discussing stuff like this.

We’re switching up the release schedule because, frankly, we’re having a lot of fun listening to ourselves and we want to prolong the experience. From this point forward, each episode comes out every two weeks instead of every week. Just an FYI.

Watch the fifth episode of Cop Rock before listening. Trust me, it’ll make a lot more sense that way. You can get Cop Rock on Amazon or direct from Shout Factory. There are links for each in the show notes. I want to mention again, we are in no way associated with the production of the television program Cop Rock, nor do any of us have any association with Shout Factory’s production and distribution of the DVD version. We gain nothing financially from your purchase of Cop Rock. What we gather instead is the joy of spreading to others something we love.

You can find Officer Orifice on Twitter as @OfficerOrifice. I’m there too as @CopRocker.

Our theme music is “The Crime” by reiswerk, with full attribution in the show notes. And now… Let’s Watch Cop Rock!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cop-Rock-Complete-Ronny-Cox/dp/B01BHCPQXA

Shout Factory: https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/cop-rock-the-complete-series

The Crime by reiswerk (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Reiswerk/55464 Ft: Anchor

 

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Welcome to Episode 04 of “Let’s Watch Cop Rock,” an 11-episode podcast discussing that classic police procedural rock musical soap opera crime drama Cop Rock, 11 episodes of which aired on ABC during the fall of 1990.

Over the course of this podcast as a whole, we discuss the events of the show, our reactions to the music, and the ways this program worked, or didn’t work, and why some of it still seems very relevant today. Sometimes we get political. Sometimes we crack up uncontrollably. Sometimes we tell unbelievable but entirely true stories of our own lives’ intersections with crime or law enforcement or both. Every episode we play Good Cop, Bad Cop, or Innocent Bystander? AND, take note of what Officer Orifice says around minute 35, regarding his soundtrack compilation, appearing soon on YouTube! Check his Twitter, @OfficerOrifice, for more information!

To briefly recap: LaRusso’s been arrested – or, as Officer Orifice puts it, “banged up” – for murder; Randy Newman looks like he’s suffering some sort of distress during the opening theme song; Father-Husband has prostatitis and a number of other problems; Krystal Ashtray’s mother sold her baby for probably significantly less than the agreed upon price a couple of weeks ago; the Chief of Police is a delusional and violent misogynist we’re supposed to see as a loveable oaf;

If you’re curious to watch the Chicken Lady sketch we reference obliquely in the first few seconds of the episode proper, check this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHOFmHMTN5k

If you’re curious about some of the British desserts – or, as he says, “puddings” – referenced by Officer Orifice, you’re on your own.

Watch the fourth episode of Cop Rock before listening. Trust me, it’ll make a lot more sense that way. You can get Cop Rock on Amazon or direct from Shout Factory. There are links for each in the show notes. I want to mention again, we are in no way associated with the production of the television program Cop Rock, nor do any of us have any association with Shout Factory’s production and distribution of the DVD version. We gain nothing financially from your purchase of Cop Rock. What we gather instead is the joy of spreading to others something we love.

You can find Officer Orifice on Twitter as @OfficerOrifice. I’m there too as @CopRocker.

Our theme music is “The Crime” by reiswerk, with full attribution in the show notes. Stick around at the end for a peek at what happened the very first time we tried to say our names. And now… Let’s Watch Cop Rock!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cop-Rock-Complete-Ronny-Cox/dp/B01BHCPQXA

Shout Factory: https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/cop-rock-the-complete-series

The Crime by reiswerk (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Reiswerk/55464 Ft: Anchor

 

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Welcome to Episode 2 of “Let’s Watch Cop Rock,” an 11-episode podcast discussing that classic police procedural rock musical soap opera crime drama Cop Rock, 11 episodes of which aired on ABC during the fall of 1990.

Over the course of this podcast as a whole, we discuss the events of the show, our reactions to the music, and the ways this program worked, or didn’t work, and why some of it still seems very relevant today. Sometimes we get political. Sometimes we crack up uncontrollably. Sometimes we tell unbelievable but entirely true stories of our own lives’ intersections with crime or law enforcement or both. Every episode we play Good Cop, Bad Cop, or Innocent Bystander. And sometimes we aren’t sure what to say beyond what. the. fuck?

To recap briefly from last time, the chief of police is an insane and violent person who shoots animatronic dummies he keeps in a closet; Officer Overacting’s partner was killed; there’s a guy with an enlarged prostate; a woman who is bad at math sold her baby; and everyone is from New York.

I don’t want to delay you any longer, but I will take a moment to emphasize you should watch the second episode of Cop Rock before listening to this episode of the podcast. It’ll make a lot more sense. If you want to chat about the show you can find Officer Orifice on Twitter at @OfficerOrifice. I’m there, too, as @CopRocker.

LInks to places where you can buy your very own copy of Cop Rock are in the show notes, but remember you can always find it on Amazon at a very reasonable price.

Our theme music is “The Crime” by reiswerk, with full attribution in the show notes. And now… Let’s Watch Cop Rock!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cop-Rock-Complete-Ronny-Cox/dp/B01BHCPQXA

Shout Factory: https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/cop-rock-the-complete-series

The Crime by reiswerk (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Reiswerk/55464 Ft: Anchor

 

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Welcome to Episode 01 of “Let’s Watch Cop Rock,” an 11-episode podcast discussing that classic police procedural rock musical soap opera crime drama Cop Rock, 11 episodes of which aired on ABC during the fall of 1990.

Over the course of this podcast as a whole, we discuss the events of the show, our reactions to the music, and the ways this program worked, or didn’t work, and why some of it still seems very relevant today. Sometimes we get political. Sometimes we crack up uncontrollably. Sometimes we tell unbelievable but entirely true stories of our own lives’ intersections with crime or law enforcement or both. Every episode we play Good Cop, Bad Cop, or Innocent Bystander? And sometimes we aren’t sure what to say beyond what. the. fuck?

Cop Rock was brave and innovative in any number of ways. It took risks. It gambled big. It didn’t always hit the jackpot – and sometimes it rolled snake eyes. This podcast is our way of tipping our hat to anyone brave enough to make art that doesn’t always work, because sometimes, sometimes, it works better than we could have possibly imagined.

In this first episode, we’re just getting started. Bear with us while we find our sea legs and get going. This episode is pretty long. Most of them clock in a little shorter. Hang in there. Watch the first episode of Cop Rock before listening. Trust me, it’ll make a lot more sense that way. You can get Cop Rock on Amazon or direct from Shout Factory. There are links for each in the show notes. I want to make it clear we are in no way associated with the production of the television program Cop Rock, nor do any of us have any association with Shout Factory’s production and distribution of the DVD version. We gain nothing financially from your purchase of Cop Rock. What we gather instead is the joy of spreading to others something we love.

Mostly.

We don’t love everything about it, and I think we make that abundantly clear.

But come along with us. Watch the show, listen in, and let us know what you think. Is this the best of bravery, taking risks and giving its all? Or was it… something less than that? You can find Officer Orifice on Twitter as @OfficerOrifice. I’m there too as @CopRocker.

Our theme music is “The Crime” by reiswerk, with full attribution in the show notes. Stick around at the end for a peek at what happened the very first time we tried to say our names. And now… Let’s Watch Cop Rock!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cop-Rock-Complete-Ronny-Cox/dp/B01BHCPQXA

Shout Factory: https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/cop-rock-the-complete-series

The Crime by reiswerk (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Reiswerk/55464 Ft: Anchor

 

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