S6 E1: No Alternative - Secret Tracks and Nirvana Conspiracies

S6 E1: No Alternative - Secret Tracks and Nirvana Conspiracies

From That Would Be Rad by Woody Brown and Tyler Bence

February 23, 2026 · 1h 45m · Season 6 · Episode 1

About this episode

The episode explores a music discovery that leads to discussions about forgotten songs, alternative culture, and a cold call to the artist behind a viral track.

What starts as a random music discovery turns into a full-on time capsule. When Woody stumbles onto “Sit Still” by Christopher Stopa, he’s convinced it’s a long-lost Radiohead track - until a deep dive reveals a whole other story behind the voice, the song, and the artist who stepped away from music entirely. That rabbit hole leads us to a bigger conversation about forgotten songs, near-misses, and the strange afterlife of art on the internet. And because this is us… we take a risk... We cold-call Christopher Stopa’s bakery in Toronto, live on the show, with no idea if he’ll answer. We just want to talk about the song’s brief viral moment, stepping away from music, and whether creativity ever really leaves you. That rabbit hole leads us back to 1993 and the iconic compilation " NO ALTERNATIVE "- a snapshot of alternative culture right before everything splintered into subgenres. We unpack how No Alternative came together as an HIV/AIDS benefit, why it felt bigger than “just a compilation,” and how it captured the last quiet moment before the alternative explosion changed everything. Then we dive into the hidden Nirvana track at the end of the album - Woody’s favorite…

People in this episode

Hosts: Woody Brown, Tyler Bence

Topics covered

  • music discovery
  • alternative culture
  • Nirvana
  • forgotten songs
  • HIV/AIDS benefit
  • creativity

Keywords

  • Nirvana
  • alternative music
  • Christopher Stopa
  • NO ALTERNATIVE
  • Kurt Cobain
  • music history
  • compilation albums

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Sit Still, NO ALTERNATIVE, Verse Chorus Verse, In Utero

Places: Toronto

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