This episode of Regarding… Music From The Elder takes on “Only You,” Gene Simmons’ brooding, myth-heavy centerpiece that quietly shifts the album’s focus from spectacle to internal reckoning.

Chaz Charles, Greg “Wolfie” Wolf, Scott D. Monroe, Corey Morissette, and guests Sean McGinity and Michael Pastore approach the track after an ambitious table read of Scott’s unfolding Elder screenplay—where singing sea monsters, telepathic entities, blood moons, and a girl in a sundress named Mara blur the line between fantasy epic and fever dream. Where is Sigmond?

The panel quickly zeroes in on the song’s structure and perspective. Is this Morpheus addressing the boy? Is it the Council of Elders demanding answers? Or is it a call-and-response between mentor and initiate?

The episode unpacks:

• How the lyrics function as a psychological checkpoint in the hero’s journey
• Why the bridge provides the emotional vulnerability the rest of the album often avoids
• How the song’s theatrical tone suggests stage musical DNA
• Whether the chorus represents mentorship, manipulation, or both
• The tension between destiny being declared and destiny being doubted

There’s also deep musical discussion. The group notes Gene’s rhythmic bass presence, the riff’s metallic edge, and the possibility of Anton Fig vs. Eric Carr on drums. The performance itself gets more respect than some of the surrounding album mythology — this is one of the first moments where the panel agrees the music stands confidently on its own.

Context matters too. The song’s origins stretch back to 1970 under the working title “Eskimo Son,” later reshaped for The Elder. That long gestation fuels discussion about retrofitting older material into a high-concept fantasy framework — does it enrich the project, or expose its seams?

Meanwhile, Scott’s screenplay interpretation pushes the mythology further: the boy (Cornelius), the Council, Morpheus, the singing Aboleth, and the haunting image of Mara in her sundress — a vision blending memory, trauma, and prophecy. That imagery colors how the group hears “Only You”: less as exposition, more as psychic fallout.

The core tension of the episode becomes clear:

Is “Only You” reassurance?

Or is it pressure?

Is Morpheus empowering the boy?

Or cornering him into accepting a role he may not fully understand?

The panel doesn’t force a verdict. Instead, they embrace the ambiguity — because for once, the uncertainty feels intentional rather than accidental.

The episode closes looking ahead: the next table read promises to bring the boy before the Council of Elders, where the song’s call-and-response dynamic may become literal confrontation.

This isn’t about bombast.

It’s about responsibility.

And fear.

The Regarding…Series — we listen so you don’t have to.

The Show

In this season of Regarding…, the panel tackles KISS’s Music From The Elder one song at a time—testing whether its epic ambition holds up under scrutiny. Alongside the analysis, Scott D. Monroe’s original screenplay tries to turn the album’s abstract mythology into an actual story.

Ambition meets accountability.

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This episode of Regarding… Music From The Elder takes on Odyssey, the Paul Stanley–sung epic where KISS decides that the best way to build mythology is to state it very solemnly and hope the listener fills in the blanks.

Chaz Charles, Greg “Wolfie” Wolf, Scott D. Monroe, and Corey Morissette break down a song that has lyrics, has a singer, and has enormous confidence — yet still leaves everyone asking the same question:

Who is Paul Stanley supposed to be right now?

Is he the voice of the Elders?

A historian?

A prophet?

A tour guide pointing vaguely at a fantasy world just off-camera?

That confusion comes into sharp focus around one of the song’s most baffling images: the child in a sundress. The panel spends time trying to figure out who this child is supposed to be, why we’re meant to care, and how such a specific image can feel emotionally loaded while remaining completely untethered to any character, story, or stakes. Is it innocence? A symbol? A memory? Or just another gesture toward meaning without the work of defining it?

The episode digs deep into the song’s core tension: Odyssey wants to function as narration without committing to a narrator. Paul sings declarative, myth-heavy lines with total conviction, but the lyrics never establish perspective, stakes, or character — creating a song that sounds profound while remaining stubbornly abstract.

The panel unpacks:

• How Paul’s performance sells seriousness even when the lyrics wobble
• Why repetition is doing most of the storytelling heavy lifting
• How the song insists that a grand journey is underway without showing us any of it
• And why this kind of myth-making teeters dangerously close to self-parody

Comparisons are made to 2112, classic fantasy tropes, and Monty Python’s mock-epic moments, where absolute sincerity collides with material that can’t quite support it. The group debates whether “Odyssey” is misunderstood ambition, overreach, or simply a band confusing importance with clarity.

The episode closes — after post-production reordering — with a table read from Scott D. Monroe’s original screenplay, now placed at the end of the show, finally giving “Odyssey” the narrative framework it always seemed to demand… and quietly highlighting how much the song itself leaves unsaid.

This isn’t about vocals.

It’s about authority without definition.

The Regarding…Series — we listen so you don’t have to.

The Show

Three guys who are various stages of Def Leppard fans, and a guy who's just heard the hits (maybe...some of them.) Join the guys over a plate of Buffalo Chicken Wings as they give Def Leppard's 1996 album Slang an honest listen and try to figure out just what the hell "Slang" means anyways. Is it too late for love or can we work it out to find a way to get Slang the love and affection it deserves? Listen as we listen so you don't have to, and discover for yourself. Proudly sponsored by podcastle.ai and fourstringmedia, not by Romney's Everest Kendal Mints or Buffalo Chicken Wings in general. Do you like Def Leppard? We like Def Leppard. Yep.

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Regarding… Music From The Elder kicks off Season Five of the Regarding… series with a deep dive into KISS’s most infamous left turn: The Elder, the soundtrack to a movie that never existed—until now.

Co-Hosts Greg “Wolfie” Wolf, Scott D. Monroe, Chaz Charles, and Corey Morissette enter the album track by track with eyes wide open, asking not whether it’s good or bad, but what actually happens when a band builds an entire fantasy world and forgets how to live inside it. This season isn’t about rehabilitating The Elder, and it’s not about burying it either. It’s about documenting it honestly. Oaky...honestly, they didn't need to ask if it was bad...but that is entirely besides the point. There are those who would disagree.

The episode opens by framing the record’s troubled history—Bob Ezrin, post-Wall ambition, band dysfunction, label interference, and the infamous resequencing that altered the original narrative. The hosts debate original vs. remastered track order before settling on the band’s restored vision: “Fanfare” into “Just a Boy.”

From there, the discussion digs into why the album alienated fans, how its medieval fantasy tropes collide with KISS’s identity, and why certain ideas almost work when stripped of the band’s branding. Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons quotes add historical context, while sharp commentary compares The Elder to Tommy, 2112, Lord of the Rings, and even unintentional self-parody.

The episode’s major twist: the launch of an original, serialized movie script written by Scott D. Monroe. Each week, new pages will be released, expanding the story the album only hinted at—and sometimes actively avoided. This first episode features a full table read of the prologue, introducing Morpheus, the Elders, Mr. Blackwell, and the Boy, finally giving the album the narrative structure it never quite earned.

Along the way, the hosts cover Ace Frehley’s limited contributions, Bob Kulick’s uncredited guitar work, the album’s critical reputation, and why The Elder may be one of rock’s most fascinating failures.

Season Five begins exactly where Regarding… belongs: at the intersection of ambition, miscalculation, and just enough belief to make the whole thing worth examining.

We listen so you don’t have to.

The Show

Three guys who are various stages of Def Leppard fans, and a guy who's just heard the hits (maybe...some of them.) Join the guys over a plate of Buffalo Chicken Wings as they give Def Leppard's 1996 album Slang an honest listen and try to figure out just what the hell "Slang" means anyways. Is it too late for love or can we work it out to find a way to get Slang the love and affection it deserves? Listen as we listen so you don't have to, and discover for yourself. Proudly sponsored by podcastle.ai and fourstringmedia, not by Romney's Everest Kendal Mints or Buffalo Chicken Wings in general. Do you like Def Leppard? We like Def Leppard. Yep.

GO BONELESS

Certified boneless in the state of Ohio by the Boneless Podcasting Network. Go Boneless. Boneless Makes a Better Podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.