A Fire Inside Out

Reviewing AFI's Silver Bleeds The Black Sun...

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 21:05:00 -0000

Ben Hanson and Jeff Cork rekindle their AFI podcast to break down and review their new album: Silver Bleeds The Black Sun... along with Grant and Best Friend Ronnie, who you might know from MinnMax's Final Fantasy VII content and more. They talk about Davey Havok's new vocal performance, the band's inspirations, and break down every track like Behind The Clock and Holy Visions.

You can watch and share the video version of this here - https://youtu.be/Q7j4rVC_hjs

Watch the Hardlore interview we referenced here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ambBy7IifJU

We'd love to create more episodes in the future, so any feedback is welcome! You can reach out to hanson@minnmax.com or follow me on Bluesky - http://yozetty.bsky.social/

Reviewing AFI's Bodies

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 17:00:00 -0000

Ben Hanson and Jeff Cork return to review AFI's 11th studio album called Bodies. We discuss where it fits in AFI's full discography and debate the best and worst tracks. You can reach out to Ben Hanson (@yozetty) and Jeff Cork (@gijeff) on Twitter if you want to talk about Bodies even more. AFI is back, everybody!

If you enjoy podcasts like this, check out our new podcast series BetterQuest available on MinnMax's YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/minnmaxshow

Or you can hear Ben Hanson and Jeff Cork as guests on MinnMax's music podcast CrossFade: The Dueling Album Review Show - https://apple.co/3kWBb5K

Reviewing Twisted Tongues And Escape From Los Angeles

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 15:47:01 -0000

Ben Hanson and Jeff Cork continue their journey of reviewing and discussing all music released by the band AFI by talking about the band's surprising release of two new tracks. In this episode, we cover Twisted Tongues and Escape from Los Angeles and discuss what they reveal about the band's upcoming 11th album. Thanks for listening, everybody!

You can watch the video version of this episode on MinnMax's YouTube channel - https://youtu.be/5kXOH-baCJ4

An Interview With AFI's Jade Puget

Fri, 07 Aug 2020 17:55:00 -0000

We're back with a very, very exciting new episode of A Fire Inside Out! We've reviewed every album and more from the band AFI and on this episode we're joined by AFI's guitarist and creative force of nature Jade Puget! We talk to Jade about Blaqk Audio's Beneath The Black Palms album, his wild creative output, working for so long with Davey Havok, and why the band is currently sitting in wait with AFI's next full album. Thank you for listening to A Fire Inside Out and for giving us the opportunity to interview the brilliant Jade Puget himself!

You can also check out our new show together all about setting personal goals every month, it's called BetterQuest and you can get it for free here! https://www.youtube.com/minnmaxshow

Reviewing Blaqk Audio's Beneath the Black Palms Side A

Fri, 31 Jul 2020 19:00:00 -0000

Ben Hanson and Jeff Cork return! It's not exactly AFI news, but it's close enough for a new episode and a fun discussion. This week AFI's Davey Havok and Jade Puget released the first half of a new album for their electronic side project Blaqk Audio called Beneath The Black Palms. So join us on this adventure as we talk about being an AFI fan during the quarantine, waiting for the new album, and what we think of Davey and Jade's creative output. Thanks for listening, everybody!

Dissecting Blaqk Audio's Only Things We Love

Fri, 29 Mar 2019 20:09:00 -0000

Hello AFI fans, we're back! On March 15th, Blaqk Audio released a new album named Only Things We Love. Since we're a podcast devoted to discussing everything about the band AFI, we couldn't ignore this release created by AFI's Davey Havok and Jade Puget. We're sorry it's been a while since our last episode, but thanks for sticking with us and we're excited for AFI's future!

Dissecting AFI's The Missing Man EP

Sun, 09 Dec 2018 21:00:00 -0000

Welcome back to our little AFI podcast! We were honored last Friday by the wonderful band AFI releasing a new EP called The Missing Man. Jeff Cork and I have been eager to continue our adventure diving into the band's full discography and jumped into the recording studio ourselves as soon as we could.

A Fire Inside Out - The First AFI Concert

Tue, 31 Jan 2017 22:34:05 -0000

Well, our long journey through the ins and outs of the band AFI is nearing an end. Last night Jeff Cork and I finally saw the band perform live at 1st Avenue in Minneapolis and we recorded a red hot episode immediately after the show. The show was fantastic, and Jeff Cork has now seen the face of God: AFI live. This isn't necessarily the end of the road for this podcast, but it might be a little while before we return with a new episode.

A Fire Inside Out - Dissecting AFI's The Blood Album

Tue, 24 Jan 2017 22:32:24 -0000

It's been an eventful weekend for America and the world... with everyone listening to and talking about AFI's The Blood Album! Jeff Cork and I are back on the AFI bandwagon to talk about their first full album since 2013's Burials. It's been a long time coming, so does The Blood Album live up to the hype? Check out the podcast as we dive as deep as possible into the latest effort from AFI. Be sure to leave a comment below with your thoughts on the album!

A Fire Inside Out - The AFI (The Blood Album) Reveal

Sat, 29 Oct 2016 21:30:50 -0000

We're back! Things are heating up over in the land of the band AFI. After months of patiently waiting in the shadows, the band has launched its all-out campaign to debut its new album simply called AFI... or AFI (The Blood Album) if you want to get technical. Jeff Cork and I wanted to record this episode to capture our raw reaction to the album reveal and to the two new songs the band released on their official YouTube channel. So check out the episode below to listen to our genuine first impressions of AFI's new direction... what an exciting time! We're happy to be back! If you like the show, we'd love for you to tell a friend all about it!

A Fire Inside Out - Dissecting XTRMST

Mon, 06 Jun 2016 21:29:20 -0000

My quest alongside Jeff Cork to discuss all things relating to the band AFI have led us to this recent side-project from two members of AFI called XTRMST. As a straight-edge, hardcore experiment, XTRMST might give some AFI fans hope of listening to a screaming Davey Havok once again. On this episode of the podcast, Jeff Cork and I discuss our passionate thoughts on the success of XTRMST's debut, self-titled album. Be sure to let us know in the comments below what you'd like to see from our AFI podcast in the future, and thanks for listening!

A Fire Inside Out - Our First Davey Havok Concert

Tue, 17 May 2016 21:27:19 -0000

We're back with a new episode of the AFI-analysis podcast A Fire Inside Out! We've done the impossible, we've seen frontman Davey Havok in the flesh. Yesterday I dragged co-host Jeff Cork to see a Blaqk Audio at the Turf Club in the Twin Cities and then dragged him back into our recording studio to talk about the experience. On this week's episode, we're also joined by fellow concert-goer and AFI superfan Grant Bullemer. So what did Cork think of his first concert with Jade Puget and Davey Havok? How was the music? And just how much did he dance the night away? Check out the podcast to learn all about it!

A Fire Inside Out - Dissecting Blaqk Audio

Mon, 28 Mar 2016 21:25:46 -0000

A-ha! Just when you thought we had lost all interest in our little AFI analysis podcast, we strike back with a new episode! Davey and Jade from AFI are building up anticipation for their side project Blaqk Audio's new album Materials, so we thought it'd be a good time to investigate what this electronic band is all about. On this week's show, Ben Hanson and Jeff Cork take a look back at Blaqk Audio's CexCells and Bright Black Heaven albums and compare the work to AFI's nebulous sound. It's a shorter episode, but we hope you enjoy this look at Davey and Jade's interesting foray into sick beats, darker "Ohs", and liberated dancing. This isn't the end for A Fire Inside Out, we promise!

A Fire Inside Out - AFI's Rarest Songs And Covers

Mon, 21 Dec 2015 22:24:21 -0000

After a couple of tangential bonus episodes, we're getting back to the meat and potatoes with our AFI podcast. On this episode, Jeff Cork and I mop up every song by the band AFI that we might have missed on our album-focused episodes. Join us as we take a mini-journey through AFI's career once again by hopping from their rejected b-side to some fun covers and more.

A Fire Inside Out - AFI On Loveline

Mon, 14 Dec 2015 22:22:44 -0000

Hey 'buddy! We're back! Jeff Cork and I return from the shadows and are ready to air another episode of our podcast covering the highlights of the band AFI's career. On this bonus episode, we're covering the band's appearances on the radio show Loveline with Adam Carolla and Dr. Drew. The show is a call-in love/relationship advice show, so it's interesting to hear the band thrown into the murky mix and taking live calls from fans. Also, we acknowledge that this is a strange bonus episode for an AFI podcast but we're getting back to the basics of AFI's music with the next bonus episode. Thanks for staying tuned in to our little podcast!

A Fire Inside Out - Talking To AFI HQ's Superfans

Mon, 09 Nov 2015 22:21:02 -0000

While Jeff Cork and I were recording our analysis of each and every AFI album released, my main stop for research was the AFI News Headquarters. It's a great fan site that chronicles all things AFI, with news stories, links to all of their interviews, and a ton more. For this week's episode, we wanted to pick some of the minds behind the site and talk about the evolution of AFI's community. From the days of the Despair Faction to the blog sites of today, AFI fans are a diverse bunch so there was much to discuss with Mary and Dan. We hope you enjoy the episode, we have more fun bonus content planned for the future!

A Fire Inside Out - An Interview with AFI's Hunter Burgan

Mon, 02 Nov 2015 22:18:47 -0000

After repeatedly promising some heavy-hitting interviews for our AFI podcast, we've come out swinging on our first bonus episode with a surprise appearance by AFI's bassist Hunter Burgan. As bizarre as it might seem, Hunter listened to some episodes of the show and was kind enough to chat with us for over two hours about the band's history and evolution. We start the conversation by talking about Hunter's website redesign and myriad of side-projects, but keep listening and we promise that you'll learn something new about the band's creative process.

A Fire Inside Out - Dissecting AFI's Burials

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 21:14:50 -0000

We've come to the end of the road. Jeff Cork and I have discussed each and every AFI album. The good news is that the show must go on, just because we ran out of mainline AFI albums doesn't mean that we don't have more topics to blather on about endlessly. This week we're covering 2013's Burials, the latest and darkest album from AFI's career. How does it compare to our surprise affection for 2009's Crash Love? Be sure to tune in next Monday for our first bonus episode, it should be a fun one.

A Fire Inside Out - Dissecting AFI's Crash Love

Mon, 19 Oct 2015 21:12:09 -0000

Jeff Cork and Ben Hanson are up to the year 2009 in their unending quest to analyze and discuss the band AFI's entire career. This week we're taking a look at Crash Love, the more rock-focused album that significantly stands out as a new and more focused sound for the band. If you've ever wanted to hear our thoughts on convertibles and celebrities, you're in luck! We hope you enjoy the episode, and we should have the Burials album discussion up next Monday.

A Fire Inside Out - Dissecting The I Heard A Voice Live DVD

Mon, 12 Oct 2015 21:10:36 -0000

Welcome to another episode of the A Fire Inside Out podcast! On this week's episode, rather than break down a new album by the band AFI, Jeff Cork and I are branching out into the world of video and discussing the band's live DVD from the end of 2006 called I Heard a Voice. If you enjoyed our previous conversations about the band's music videos, this is basically just an extended episode like that. We hope you enjoy the new episode and be sure to tune in next Monday for our fresh take on the album Crash Love.

A Fire Inside Out - Dissecting Decemberunderground

Mon, 05 Oct 2015 21:09:12 -0000

Jeff Cork and I are continuing our journey through each and every album released by the band AFI. This week's entry continues to chart AFI's rise through the popularity ranks with their best-selling album to date: Decemberunderground. You might know this album from the break-out hit Miss Murder, or hopefully from a number of better songs buried in the album! Check out the episode to take a trip back to the date 6/6/06, and get ready for next week's episode where we cover AFI's live DVD and CD called I Heard A Voice. As always, thanks for listening!

A Fire Inside Out - Dissecting Sing The Sorrow

Mon, 28 Sep 2015 21:06:59 -0000

Jeff Cork and I are continuing our journey to discuss each and every album from the band AFI. We're up to the year 2003 and with it the monumental release of Sing the Sorrow. Seen as a turning point in both the band's sound and popularity, this album is both beloved and divisive. What will Jeff Cork think listening to the album for the first time? Check out the episode to find out! Oh, and also thanks for the kind comments and feedback on the show!

A Fire Inside Out - Dissecting AFI's Days of the Phoenix & 336 EPs

Mon, 21 Sep 2015 21:04:57 -0000

Hey everybody! Thanks for continuing to listen to my AFI-focused podcast with the great Jeff Cork. We're up to the year 2002 in our trek to analyze and discuss all of AFI's releases and this week we're covering a couple of EPs. Starting out with the Days of the Phoenix EP and the wonderful Winter's Tale, we eventually get into the new era of AFI with the mysterious 336 EP. It's the beginning of a new era for the band and we're excited to talk about everything in the future. Tune in next week for our giant discussion of 2003's Sing the Sorrow.

A Fire Inside Out - Dissecting AFI's Art of Drowning

Mon, 14 Sep 2015 21:02:46 -0000

Ben Hanson and Jeff Cork are continuing their journey through the band AFI's full discography. This week we're talking all about the year 2000 release of Art of Drowning. Even if you don't like the band, check out the episode below and let us know what you think in the comments below! Thanks for listening!

A Fire Inside Out - Dissecting All Hallow's E.P.

Fri, 04 Sep 2015 21:00:42 -0000

Welcome to an extra spooky and shorter edition of the A Fire Inside Out podcast! This week we're covering the All Hallow's E.P. from the band AFI. This 1999 album is a real hum-dinger, featuring classic tracks that were featured in games like Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3. We hope you enjoy the show!

A Fire Inside Out - Dissecting Black Sails In The Sunset

Mon, 31 Aug 2015 20:58:11 -0000

Alright, here's a big one. On this week's episode of A Fire Inside Out, we cover AFI's beloved album Black Sails in the Sunset from 1999. Listening to it for the firs time, what will Jeff Cork think? Does the album hold up for Ben Hanson? Find out all of that and more on this week's episode! Next Monday we'll be covering the All Hollow's EP, so check it out and tune in for next week's bite-sized and extra-spooky show.

A Fire Inside Out - Dissecting A Fire Inside EP

Mon, 24 Aug 2015 20:45:43 -0000

Our own podcastomania continues this week as Jeff Cork and I release an abbreviated episode that covers the band AFI's A Fire Inside EP. It's a shorter episode, but our first EP dissection is an interesting one that features a couple of bold covers from The Cure and The Misfits. Thanks for following along with the show and leaving your comments below, we'll see you next Monday with the next episode covering the monumental Black Sails in the Sunset. You can listen to the show below or you can subscribe and review the show on iTunes.

A Fire Inside Out - Dissecting Shut Your Mouth And Open Your Eyes

Sat, 15 Aug 2015 20:43:20 -0000

Welcome back to the year 1997. Jeff Cork and I rewind the clock in this episode of our podcast covering the band AFI to discuss the album Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes. We really appreciate the feedback on the show so far, we have a lot of fun recording it and live to see comments below that share your thoughts on the band, album, or what you were up to in the year 1997. Thanks for listening and we hope you enjoy the episode. You can listen to the show below, or you can subscribe and review the show on iTunes.

A Fire Inside Out - Dissecting Very Proud Of Ya

Mon, 10 Aug 2015 20:40:58 -0000

Jeff Cork and I continue our trek into the depths of the band AFI with this episode of A Fire Inside Out. This week we're covering the band's second album, 1996's Very Proud of Ya. This episode is where we get our sea legs and get in the groove of dissecting the fast, punk-rock roots of AFI. We hope you enjoy the show, be sure to tune in next Monday to hear us discuss Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes. Check out the album and follow along with our feedback in the comments section below. You can listen to the show below or you can subscribe and review the show on iTunes.

A Fire Inside Out - Dissecting Answer That And Stay Fashionable

Mon, 03 Aug 2015 20:38:28 -0000

Last week Jeff Cork and I kicked off the successor to our Twilight Highlight Zone podcast by announcing A Fire Inside Out, a show where we break down each and every album from the band AFI. This week we're finally getting into the meat of the podcast. In our first real episode, we discuss AFI's first full-length album from 1995 called Answer That And Stay Fashionable. Fans of movie samples and some fast punk rock should find something to enjoy here, other than hearing Jeff Cork's extensive thoughts on marriage. You can listen to the show below or we'd love it if you subscribed and reviewed the show on iTunes. Thanks for listening, we look forward to hearing your feedback.

Introducing A Fire Inside Out - Our New AFI Dissection Podcast

Tue, 28 Jul 2015 22:00:00 -0000

Jeff Cork and I recorded a podcast that broke down and dissected each and every episode of The Twilight Zone. It was a great time and we've been looking for our next great analytical adventure ever since. Today we're happy to finally announce our next project, and we hope you're ready for a new journey. We're leaving behind the dimension of sight and mind and focusing on sound. There's this band named AFI that you might be familiar with; I'm a big fan and Jeff Cork has never heard them in his life. As the ultimate audio odd couple, we're going to discuss every album that the band released and note the changes along the way. We apologize to those of you that were expecting another classic sci-fi TV show, but even if you don't know or like the band we think that this will be an approachable way to have a weekly general discussion of evolving bands and musical taste. We plan on releasing new episodes of the podcast every Monday on this blog and also on iTunes, and we strongly encourage you to follow along with us and join a conversation about one specific band. The episode below serves as an introduction to the new show and primes the pump for next week's dissection of their first album: Answer That And Stay Fashionable. We hope you enjoy the new show and we'd appreciate any feedback you send our way.