I’m joined for this episode by two guys who spent decades turning a smart, biting sense of humor into underground, DIY favorites as part of Too Much Joy, and later… Wonderlick. We talked during the pandemic about Too Much Joy in a standard COVID-era “Zoom” chat… and this time around, I met Tim Quirk and Jay Blumenfield in person.

We met at the wonderful Blue Island Beer Company, where the band was set to play later in the evening. Sitting outside on a perfect Chicago weather day, we chatted about:

-The differences between Too Much Joy and Wonderlick

-The new album, “Wonderlick Goes to War”

-Tim’s obsessiveness about… everything?

-Why is there a documentary crew following them around everywhere?

-What the studio sessions were like for this album

-What being a musician is like in 2025, as opposed to Too Much Joy’s heyday

-The Chicago connection to the new Wonderlick album

-Vinko Bogotaj: Who was he? Why does Wonderlick have a song about him?

-There’s a major Too Much Joy reissue on the way!

See Wonderlick on tour, and give “Wonderlick Goes to War” a listen. They’re awesome.

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