Who Killed Avril Lavigne? A Pop Punk Traveling Podcast
Years ago, somehow, someway, a little story filtered to my ears that the Avril Lavigne I see on MTV was not the real Lavigne. It was an imposter and the real Lavigne had passed away. Why or what was the point of having an imposter has not been clarified. Until now. The creative minds of Ben Lapidus and Anderson Cook with the direction of Duncan Gregory, podcast listeners will finally know this decades long answer. In a nutshell, aliens. Cue meme photo.
In a parallel timeline of 2022, a kid named Derek wishes that he could be in 2005. In his 2022, pop punk is completely archaic and dead genre. Despite the scorn and very loving parents, Derek is adamant to live that pop punk life the best way he can. A prophecy and a time traveling portable toilet later, he gets his wish.
Who Killed Avril Lavigne? premiered in February 2022 to Apple Podcast, Spotify, and other streaming services.
Official synopsis:
“Derek Walker is sure he was supposed to be born twenty years earlier, where he’d be a pop punk star with bleached tips on the legendary Vans Warped Tour. In 2022, he just wants to flip off his teachers and say screw the world – but his parents won’t stop loving him unconditionally, and his peers are more into vaping and livestreaming than rebelling.
But that all changes when Derek’s mysterious substitute teacher, Dom TeLonge, reveals that all is not as it seems. Very soon, mysterious beings will destroy the Earth – unless Derek can go back in time to Warped Tour to stop the event that precipitated the doom of humanity; the 2005 abduction and replacement of the pop punk princess, Avril Lavigne. Will he find a band and claw his way to the mainstage to play the greatest show of all time – or remain a loser with a chain wallet forever”
The whole season of Who Killed Avril Lavigne featured 8 storyline episodes with a few side story episodes. Every single episode of the podcast delivered immense nostalgia and snickers. Whether you grew up during the early 2000’s or discovering the genre now, it is guaranteed to bring a smile.
Pop punk for Derek is the catchy guitar riffs and pop sounds of 2000’s. For those unfamiliar with that sound, pop punk would refer to bands like Good Charlotte, Sum 41, Green Day, and of course Avril Lavigne. It was a genre that was known for fashion trends of cargo shorts, long sleeve shirt under short sleeve shirt, fingerless gloves, dark eye makeup and bangs. It was and still a genre that is the heart of my music catalogue. Every band and artist referenced during the episode currently has a home on my CD shelf.
The humor and nostalgic nods to the pop punk bands are stellar and on the mark. For those who who grew up listening to these bands in the 2000’s, the jokes are cozily familiar. Balancing out the humor is the amazing musical composition. The original music uncannily resonates with the pop punk bands of that time. Close your eyes and you can easily believe that each of the original songs aired in 2005. Except there is definitely some heavy handed juvenile humor that would have never been allowed to air. Absolutely auditory gems to my forever immature humor.
The story was delightfully silly with as it goes beyond time-travel. There are aliens, clones, and even traversing the space in between. The episodes carried a Stargate vibe to the soundtrack of rebellious angst.
Through the jokes and wacky sound effects, Derek’s story arc extends past his need to rock out to a crowd. The arc delivers a heartfelt journey of being pro-active in achieving goals while being supportive to those close to you. As the listener follows along behind and around the world of 2005 Van’s Warped Tour, they are rewarded with a happy ending worthy of a 90’s teen rom-com movie.
Website: https://www.supernormal.fm/whokilledavrillavigne
Follow @WhoKilledAvrilLavigne on socials
Right after listening to the whole podcast, I rode the happy vibes and sent out out an invitation to Ben Lapidus, Anderson Cook, Duncan Gregory for an interview. Thank you to all three for a great conversation and creating such a fun podcast. It was a sweet and fun nostalgic trip. Totally.
