Pop World Cup Podcast

Pop World Cup 2014 – Groups List

UPDATE: Finally sent out details. If you are a manager listed here and you haven’t got them then a) check your spam folder and b) shout at me cos I probably got your email wrong…

UPDATE 2: Unfortunately, Italy manager Tom Schaller has had to pull out (thanks for letting me know so promptly!) so I’m delighted to welcome 2010 finalist manager Andrew Hickey back to the PWC, and I’m sure Italy’s fans are delighted too.

Here we go – NOW UPDATED WITH GROUPS. I will be getting in touch with you over the weekend (assuming I can find an email address).

Click below the cut for the full groups.

Pop World Cup – Weekend Update – WRAP

Well you all know what happened. Now Roger Bozack and Peter Baran set up camp in the eerily empty Media Center in Johannesburg, abandoned coffee cups littering the floor, and try to make some sense of it all. Ultimately that means playing a bunch of songs from Nigeria, including bonus tracks from Matt DC’s championship squad – “Pon Pon Pon” by Dagrin and “This Kind Party” by Egnyte. A big thanks to our listeners – you know who you are, all two of you. We’ve had a lot of fun doing the show.

Produced by Elisha Sessions

Pop World Cup – Weekend Update – THE FINAL

Tom Ewing joins Peter Baran and Roger Bozack in the broadcast booth for the simulcast of the championship match between Germany and Nigeria and gets raked over the coals about this year’s voting irregularities. Well, not so much raked as politely questioned. Did I say irregularities? I meant thoroughly vetted processes that ensure equitable results for all! Voting is open until midnight Monday. So go vote! We also take a look at this year’s third-place playoff between Cameroon and Honduras. Your hosts return in a week for a wrap-up and look back at this – it must be said – amazing competition.

Produced by Elisha Sessions.

Pop World Cup – Weekend Update – SEMIFINALS

Roger Bozack returns from his mysterious illness and joins Peter Baran in the broadcast booth as the crucible of this Pop World Cup gets amplified to the breaking point – tossed on the horns of a swelling tide and cast into a literal pressure cooker of competitive pop music. Protean upstarts Honduras face Germany and Nigeria take on Cameroon – that’s right, there’s just four nations left, so plenty of time for additional “analysis”. Voting remains open for the next couple of days! Outro is “Bucovina” by Shantel, which may sound familiar to Sabres of Paradise fans.

Produced by Elisha Sessions

Pop World Cup – Weekend Update – Quarterfinal Results

With Roger Bozack pulling a sickie, it falls to Eli Sessions to join Peter Baran in the booth for all the quarterfinal results. In the sporting tradition for which the Weekend Update has become justly celebrated, we focus on the sides who lost last week and reminisce over their best moments. Eli’s prediction of a narrow Cameroon victory was bang on the money, as it turns out, but Spain’s manager, Alberto, has a parting treat for all his fans. It’s Marta Sanchez, Spain’s current Queen of Pop, with “Superstar” which you can listen to here. The outro is “The Boat That I Row” by Sodsai Chaengkij.

Produced by Eli Sessions

Pop World Cup – Weekend Update – The Quarterfinals

Roger Bozack gets Peter Baran down the line from Capetown to take in all the action from the Pop World Cup 2010 Quarterfinals. In an all-African tie Nigeria battles Ghana for the host continent crown, though the Cameroonians appear to be staking a claim for Kilimanjaro regardless when they face Spain (take that, imperialist French running dogs). The Netherlands face a surprising Honduras and then all of Germany takes on the southern half of Korea. You know what to do now – go vote!

Produced by Elisha Sessions

Pop World Cup – Weekend Update – Round of 16 Roundup

Sixteen nations – but only eight can advance. It’s a cruel game. No matter the quality of play, in the Pop World Cup there must be winners and there must be losers. Peter Baran joins Roger Bozack via ISDN linkup to take a look at the teams that didn’t have quite enough to push through to the quarterfinals. As a special treat Baran gives us a listen to the side he would have fielded had his American team been able to get there, “Didn’t It Rain” by Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight.

Produced by Elisha Sessions

Pop World Cup – Weekend Update – Round of 16 – 2

Two Pop World Cup managers in the studio this week, but hope is alive for only one of them. Honduras manager Steve Hewitt sits in with Roger Bozack and a bereft Peter Baran as Hewitt’s Honduran squad faces Portugal, Paraguay meet the Netherlands, and Cameroon take on New Zealand. You’re left with a bit of “Killa Sound” by DJ Zinc.

Produced by Elisha Sessions.

Pop World Cup – Weekend Update – Round of 16

We’re back to live action this week as senior pop analyst and USA manager Peter Baran joins Roger Bozack for the kickoff of the Round of 16. With every match a decider, the managers are pulling out all the stops, breaking out the big guns, i.e. playing really good songs. This week our hosts take in all the action from France vs Nigeria, USA vs Germany, South Korea vs South Africa, and Ghana vs Slovenia. (As broadcast on Resonance FM 104.4 in London.)

Produced by Elisha Sessions.

Pop World Cup – Weekend Update – Goodbye to Groups

With the winning teams resting and limbering up for the trials ahead, Roger Bozack takes time out from the putting green to share some of his favourite efforts from those nations who found themselves left out in the cold when all the votes were counted. Some truly admirable and inventive play here and in most cases you have to say these countries left it all out on the field. I think I can speak for Roger when I say thanks, dudes, for some brain-bending tracks.

Produced by Elisha Sessions.