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Big O talks Crypto & Bitcoin 052725
Trevor and Adam are back with more standouts, disappointments and potential bounce backs from the 2025 season. This time with a focus on the lower minors. Adam offers a heartfelt apology and Trevor is forced to discuss the power tool. Other topics discussed include why ECU is the team we should all root for, an inability to refrain from self-deprecating humor, the prospect Trevor hates (yes hates, don't let him convince you otherwise) and more nonsense.
Adam "Borgmaster" [REDACTED] and Tyler "Grav" [REDACTED] are joined by Jeff Rud in a very special episode about the CFL! What is Canada? Why does it have Football? These questions and much, much more are answered in Amateur Hour's CFL Primer. Please consider donating to the National Network of Abortion Funds: abortionfunds.org/donate If you've been enjoying the podcast, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/DeepListens If you like our new art and want to commission some of your own, reach out to Tyler at tylerorbin.net
Welcome all into the newest pod, the appropriately named "Amateur Hour". Trevor (the smart one) and Adam (the other one) examine the upper minors looking for standout performances, disappointments and potential breakouts. They also ask the hard hitting questions like "who will get fired next" "why is the speed tool overrated" and "which former draft prospect will Adam ramble on about this time". Come for Trevor's eerily accurate predictions and stay in spite of their mostly unhelpful insights.
Oklahoma RHP Kyson Witherspoon and Arizona State's LHP Ben Jacobs highlight our Mother's Day Special. They reflect and share stories about their families and their incredible moms. Co-hosted by Daron Sutton and Dani Wexelman.
The West coast is represented in this episode of Amateur Hour. Oregon's power slugger Mason Neville and Fresno State's superstar Murf Gray highlight Ep. 67. Their stories will inspire and their work ethic will motivate. Co-hosted by Daron Sutton and Dani Wexelman.
In the 7 AM hour, Patrice Onwuka and Derek Hunter discussed: WMAL GUEST: CHARLIE SPIERING (Daily Mail Senior Political Reporter & Author of Amateur Hour) on Mike Waltz Heading to UN and Kamala Harris Coming Back WMAL GUEST: RON MAGILL (Wildlife Expert) on Whether 100 Men Could Fight a Gorilla? MORE CRITTER NEWS: Dem Congressman Famed for Railing Against Trump Carried Out Unspeakable Act Against 118 Beagles Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow podcasts on Apple, Audible and Spotify Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @JGunlock, @PatricePinkfile, and @HeatherHunterDC Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Website: wmal.com/oconnor-company Episode: Friday, May 2, 2025 / 7 AM HourSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jonathan talks with Blister reviewer & Blister Summit director, Kristin Sinnott, about her lifelong love of ice cream; what we should know about making ice cream at home; and why she always hunts for small-batch ice cream when she's traveling.RELATED LINKSCheck out the Blister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberTOPICS & TIMES:How Kristin's ice Cream Habit Started (2:36)Being Picky about Food (8:36)Getting into Making Ice Cream (14:45)Ice Cream vs Coffee (18:42)Cookbooks for Ice Cream (22:23)Eggs vs no Eggs (23:27)Linden's Ice Cream Reviews (26:14)Ice Cream vs Gelato (28:54)Kristin's Current Practices (31:28)Coffee vs Ice Cream Equipment (37:05)Pro Tips (42:08)Affogatos (47:29)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Major Bowes Amateur Hour 35-03-24 First Show on Network Radio After 11 Years on WHN
Economic relations between the US and China are effectively over as the world's two largest economies trade blows in a tit-for-tat trade war that's brought the global world order into a new era. As Xi Jinping calls on the EU to join him in opposing President Donald Trump's ‘bullying', where does this leave the rest of the world? Is globalisation over? On this episode of The Fourcast, Matt Frei is joined by Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, former adviser of Bill Clinton and former chief economist of the World Bank. Produced by Ka Yee Mak, Tom Gordon-Martin, Simon Stanleigh and Michael Saliba
We're 50 years removed from Watergate, when Richard Nixon faced impeachment for trying to use the US Department of Justice to go after his political enemies. Now Donald Trump is weaponizing DoJ in ways that make Nixon look like an amateur. So we'll ask our Week In Review panel if turnabout is fair play: Can we stop pretending that president's cannot face criminal charges when they commit actual crimes? Also: Corrine Hendrickson has results of a statewide survey of childcare providers, showing the dire straits the industry is in—and could get worse if Republicans writing the next state budget leave them high and dry. UpNorthNews with Pat Kreitlow airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-8 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and Instagram to keep up with Pat & the show! Guests: Jim Santelle, Mark Jacob, Dan Schumacher, Corrine Hendrickson, Jennifer Schulze
Richard A. Clarke served for thirty years in US government national security agencies, including the Pentagon, the State Department, and the White House National Security Council. Admiral James Stavridis is a retired four-star U.S. naval officer. He is currently Partner and Vice Chair, Global Affairs of The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm. He is also 12th Chair of Rockefeller Foundation board.
You know you're a BRILLIANT coach. You literally don't know ANYONE in your niche who is better than you. But right now… your bank account looks more like ‘AMATEUR HOUR ‘than it does ‘THE GO-TO AUTHORITY IN MY NICHE' & you're ready to add an extra ZERO to your monthly sales. ✅You've hired the coaches. ✅You're created the content. ✅You've made a FEW sales here & there. But the cash & clients aren't quite… FLOWING IN like you thought they would be by now… You're a BRILLIANT COACH & YOU KNOW IT. But in order to showcase that brilliant brain of yours to clients, help them CHANGE THEIR LIVES, & fill your bank account to the brim… you have to actually make sales CONSISTENTLY. & inside this episode, I'm going to tell you HOW. Xoxo, Camie HIGH-TICKET SALES MACHINE ⚙️
Catch up with "The Moshpit Monster" McCrank, & Jake Payne as they takeover! They speak on all types of things; Rochester, not to mention so much more...and of course #WRESTLING - Do not forget we play popular and local tunes throughout! **Apologies for Amateur Hour - the first 8:45 are dead air hahaha LEARNING PROCESS**
In the fifth episode of Amateur Hour Adam "Borgmaster" -REDACTED-, Tyler "Grav" -REDACTED-, and Gino discuss how their NFL playoff predictions fared before making another round of ill-fated predictions for The Big Game! Please consider donating to the National Network of Abortion Funds: abortionfunds.org/donate If you've been enjoying the podcast, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/DeepListens If you like our new art and want to commission some of your own, reach out to Tyler at tylerorbin.net
Jonathan talks with Kara Williard and Eli Brown about one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world: garlic. We discuss hardneck garlic vs softneck garlic; how to grow garlic; its medicinal properties; black garlic; garlic honey; and yes … vampires.RELATED LINKSCheck out the Blister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberTOPICS & TIMES:Kara's Farming Background (4:34)Sunny Sage Farm (6:53)Eli's Love of Garlic (9:20)Medicinal Value of Garlic (11:37)Types of Garlic (15:45)Egyptian Gold? (22:44)Elephant Garlic (24:00)4 of the 400 varieties (24:31)Black Garlic (31:11)Favorite Dishes with Garlic (33:21)Vampires (43:28)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastOff The Couch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the Fourth episode of Amateur Hour Adam "Borgmaster" -REDACTED-, Tyler "Grav" -REDACTED-, and Gino discuss the upcoming NFL playoffs! We discuss the various matchups and make our predictions all the way up to The Big Game! If you can, please donate to help our friends in Ashville recover from the impact of Hurricane Helene: https://belovedasheville.com/ Please consider donating to the National Network of Abortion Funds: abortionfunds.org/donate If you've been enjoying the podcast, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/DeepListens If you like our new art and want to commission some of your own, reach out to Tyler at tylerorbin.net
Thank you to all our listeners for another fantastic year! There are a lot of changes coming for Amateur Hour in 2025 so stay tuned and enjoy this little behind the scenes into the inner workings of the show! Email: Info@amatuerhourpod.com Socials: @Amateur_Pod
0:00 Public Service Announcement. 0:05 Daddy Time is about to start. 1:40 Intro to the Incredible. 3:40 The Debate question. 4:31 Albanian New Years. 6:05 Amateur Hour on New Years. 7:35 Finding that New Years Kiss. 8:45 Bern's New Years Beef. 10:15 The News Years house party is a TIME. 11:06 Best New Years Eve Memory. 13:12 Matt's Biggest New Years Regret. 16:54 Assist from the EX. 19:48 Pickings are slim for the single crowd. 22:42 How you should start off the new year. 23:43 Pork and Saurkraut on new years day. 25:01 Let's ask Gemini. 26:38 Biggest waste of Money in the universe. 28:10 Times Square is a Waste. 30:06 Gemini's (A.I.) New Years Resolution. 31:41 Bern's Final Thoughts. 32:45 Say Goodbye to 2024. New Year's Eve: a time for celebration, reflection... and heated debates! On this episode of the Working Perspectives Podcast, the hosts tackle the age-old question: Is it better to go out and party on New Year's Eve, or stay home in your pajamas?
Send us a textEver wonder why some land investors consistently close deals while others just collect leads? In this value-packed episode, closing expert Ajay Sharma reveals the psychology behind successful deal-closing and breaks down exactly why most investors are leaving money on the table. From mastering call reviews to understanding why logic-based arguments rarely work (spoiler: it's all about emotions), Ajay shares the framework he used to build a consistent six-figure land business. You'll learn why your tonality might be sabotaging your deals, how to handle the dreaded "I need to talk to my spouse" objection, and the simple mindset shift that could double your closing rate. If you're tired of watching deals slip through your fingers, this episode is your secret weapon to becoming a closing champion. Hit play now and transform your conversion rate! Enjoy the show!Ajay Sharma has been investing in vacant land since September of 2020. After working in the land business part-time for just 18 months, Ajay transitioned to full-time at the age of 23. Since then, he has completed several deals in all shapes and sizes ranging from a few thousand dollars in profits, to a few hundred thousand dollars in profits.Ajay now runs a team with a COO and 7 acquisitions staff, that are doing consistent multi 5 figure months.Want to level up your closing game?
In the third episode of Amateur Hour Adam "Borgmaster" -REDACTED-, Tyler "Grav" -REDACTED-, and Gino traverse all of the conferences of the NFL and give 6 minute takes on their current states. We cover every team and then skip the models because they aren't doing so hot! If you can, please donate to help our friends in Ashville recover from the impact of Hurricane Helene: https://belovedasheville.com/ Please consider donating to the National Network of Abortion Funds: abortionfunds.org/donate If you've been enjoying the podcast, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/DeepListens If you like our new art and want to commission some of your own, reach out to Tyler at tylerorbin.net
In this episode of the On The Rail Podcast, we introduce Sarah Elder Chabot, a lifelong quarter horse enthusiast and amateur rider. Sarah shares her journey from growing up in a horse family in Tennessee to juggling a successful career in marketing at a luxury hotel with her passion for horses. She discusses the significant horses in her life, her experiences in both hunter events and dressage, and the challenges and rewards of maintaining both career and hobby. Sarah offers insights on setting clear goals, remaining adaptable, and continuously learning from experiences. She also touches on the importance of gratitude and future aspirations in the industry. Related Products / Links: -The Stamping Iron - Logos, Custom E-Commerce Storefront & More! 00:00 Welcome and Weekly Giveaway Announcement 01:19 Introducing Our Special Guest: Sarah Elder Chabot 01:53 Sarah's Early Life and Horse Riding Beginnings 07:14 College Years and Transition to Professional Life 18:47 Balancing Career and Horse Riding 26:21 Finding Love and Support in Unexpected Places 30:15 A New Chapter: Calvin, the Dream Horse 34:02 A Special Horse and Retirement Decisions 36:18 Introducing Mr. Gibbs 44:16 The Dressage Journey Begins 54:36 Balancing Multiple Disciplines 56:53 Continuous Learning and Personal Growth 01:08:44 Future Aspirations and Gratitude
Is this thing on? I had a nice, fluffy, inconsequential story to tell you this week. Instead, here's this. Check out: indeed.com/theconstant now to start hiring Go to US.Amazfit.com/TheConstant and enter promo code "constant" for 15% off your Amazfit smart watch. Visit our Patreon here. You too can get ad-free, early episodes, starting now! BUY OUR MERCH, YOU FILTHY ANIMALS! The Constant is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Interested in advertising on The Constant? Email sales@advertisecast.com to get on board! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Coastal Carolina's catcher Caden Bodine and Arkansas shortstop Wehiwa Aloy grew up time zones away but their talent and love for the game of baseball bring them together on Amateur Hour. They've both made impactful life decisions in college that suit their major league ambitions and both athletes detail those choices here. Co-hosted by Daron Sutton and Dani Wexelman.
In this episode of the Entrust Cybersecurity Institute Podcast, we delve into the evolving landscape of cybercrime, highlighting how advancements in technology, particularly GenAI and biometrics, are ending the era of amateur cybercriminals. Drawing insights from the 2025 Identity Fraud Report, now in its 6th year, we explore the rise of cybercrime-as-a-service, the increasing sophistication of attacks, and strategies to combat these threats with a Zero Trust approach and AI-powered solutions.
Florida State pitcher Jamie Arnold's always had a bulldog mentality and all it took was a minor change in his mechanics to bring out his full potential. Florida State pitching coach Micah Posey recognized the tweak and set it in motion which has led Arnold to be considered a potential first round pick in the 2025 draft. He shares the catalyst of change and also dives deep into his changeup. Plus, Hunter Pence and Craig Cozart make a guest appearance on Amateur Hour. Co-hosted by Daron Sutton and Dani Wexelman.
In the third episode of Amateur Hour Adam "Borgmaster" -REDACTED-, Tyler "Grav" -REDACTED-, and Gino traverse all of the conferences of the NFL and give 6 minute takes on their current states. We cover every team before checking in on the current states of Adam and Tyler's models. They may be... less good than they were last time. If you can, please donate to help our friends in Ashville recover from the impact of Hurricane Helene: https://belovedasheville.com/ Please consider donating to the National Network of Abortion Funds: abortionfunds.org/donate If you've been enjoying the podcast, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/DeepListens If you like our new art and want to commission some of your own, reach out to Tyler at tylerorbin.net
We're back with another year of Amateur Hour for the 2024/25 college baseball season! Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette and Clemson outfielder Cam Cannarella kick off our first episode of the season and have more in common than you think. Both could highlight the first round of the draft but first, they have their sets set on Omaha (again). Co-hosted by Daron Sutton and Dani Wexelman
Wouldn't it be neat to be able to choose your college based on the quality of the institution's teaching? Wait- isn't that what we do? As it turns out, no. Because we don't measure that. Jonathan Zimmerman, author of The Amateur Hour and Professor of Research of History at Penn University , is now a qualified Pencil Buster! Jon wrote in August's edition of the Washington Monthly on Why Professors Can't Teach. And why can't they? Well, because no one every taught them how! So, what's the answer? How do we teach professors how to teach? Let's start with ACUE. Busted Pencils proudly announces a partnership with ACUE, the Association for College and University Educators. We invite you all to join in this partnership! Use code BUSTEDPENCILS20 for 20% off any and all of ACUE's fully leaded learning opportunities! BustED Pencils: Fully Leaded Education Talk is part of Civic Media. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows. Join the conversation by calling or texting us at 608-557-8577 to leave a message! Guest: Jonathan Zimmerman
In the second episode of Amateur Hour Adam "Borgmaster" -REDACTED-, Tyler "Grav" -REDACTED-, and Gino traverse all of the conferences of the NFL and give 6 minute takes on their current states. We cover every team before checking in on the current states of Adam and Tyler's models. Have they been accurate or have they been a fun goof? If you can, please donate to help our friends in Ashville recover from the impact of Hurricane Helene: https://belovedasheville.com/ Please consider donating to the National Network of Abortion Funds: abortionfunds.org/donate If you've been enjoying the podcast, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/DeepListens If you like our new art and want to commission some of your own, reach out to Tyler at tylerorbin.net
THE GALS ARE BACK IN TOWN! 2G1L & WBAH join forces once again at the Anahata's Purpose live show! We discuss the moon phases, an AI story, Tim Currys birth chart & more! Check out our live show and stay tuned for Rae and Tree's Anahata's experiences in our next episode! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Interested in supporting the show? Check out our Patreon! www.patreon.com/2G1L MERCH IS OUT NOW!! 2G1L Podcast Merch! Instagram - @twogeminisandaleo Facebook - Two Geminis and a Leo 2G1L ASTRO LOUNGE! Email - 2gemini1leo@gmail.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Check out all of the amazing things Rae has to offer! Calendly for Scheduling Appointments Jupiter Rituals Etsy Shop Instagram - @jupiterrituals www.anahataspurpose.com Instagram - @Anahatas_Purpose Facebook - Anahatas Purpose ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Interesting is getting a reading from Theresa? Email - cosmicguidetheresamariesa@gmail.com Instagram - @theresa.mariesa Facebook - Theresa Mariesa - Your Cosmic Guide ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Music by Kuf Knotz Instagram - @kufknotz MEET MIKALA! Our Wonderful & Amazing Audio Engineer! Thank you, Mikala for all that you do! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SHOUT OUT TO THE JUP TROOP, LADY VENUS AND ZADDY SATURN! #JUPITER #VENUS #SATURN
Should he have jumped? Maybe not but the fat that he did we be remembered a lot more than the fact that he didn’t win because of it. This young ripper is on the way up!
We finally did it folks, we made a football podcast. In the inagural episode of Amateur Hour Adam "Borgmaster" -REDACTED-, Tyler "Grav" -REDACTED-, and Gino discuss what the heck American football is, make several pre-season predictions about the many NFL teams, and wrap things up by going through the most terrifying thing of all: bespoke statistical models. If you want a podcast that starts by explaining the basic rules of the most popular sport in the United States and ends with hardcore discussion of P values and statistical significance, this is the show for you! We'll have more bonus football episodes for you as the season rolls on! Please consider donating to the National Network of Abortion Funds: abortionfunds.org/donate If you've been enjoying the podcast, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/DeepListens If you like our new art and want to commission some of your own, reach out to Tyler at tylerorbin.net
In response to the feedback of our recent Patreon survey we have been busy planning our next special Patreon-only series. We asked, you answered and here we are - trying something new. Introducing "Race 2 The G", a weekly podcast following the journey of three very unique runners with three vastly different goals at Melbourne Marathon 2024. With Joel on hosting duties we have Alice Baquie (of FORRUNNERS app fame), Tess Marks (you've heard from her once before in Amateur Hour) and our elite runner representative Jack Rayner (of LLL&R fame). Episode #01 is an introduction episode where you can expect to learn what the three have been up to recently, their current fitness level and what goals they have set themselves for Melbourne Marathon in October. All future episodes can be listened to on our Patreon page. SIGN UP TO OUR PATREON TODAY: www.patreon.com/forthekudos Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forthekudos Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forthekudos TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@forthekudos Joel: https://www.instagram.com/joeltobinblack Jack: https://www.instagram.com/jackrayner7 Alice: https://www.instagram.com/alicebaquie Tess: https://www.instagram.com/tesssicaa_/
We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text MessageCan a vice president ever be truly ready to assume the presidency without proper preparation? This is the gripping question we tackle as we paint a vivid scenario set in the near future, where President Joe Biden's health forces his closest advisors, and the First Lady, into a crisis of leadership. We draw intriguing parallels with historical cases, particularly Harry Truman's sudden ascent to power, questioning if liberal historians have overstretched the narrative of his readiness. Referencing the insightful book "Accent to Power," we provide a thought-provoking critique on political maneuvers and the heavy burdens of leadership during tumultuous times.Shifting gears, we delve into the intense realm of immigration and border security under Vice President Kamala Harris's purview. Discover the pressure and scrutiny she faced as President Biden charged her with tackling this critical issue, despite her limited background. From the book, Amateur Hour by Charlie Spiering we take an investigative deep dive with a keen "detective's eye" for detail, portraying Kamala Harris amidst ambition and controversy.Key Points from the Episode:We explore Kamala Harris's approach to addressing the root causes of migration and the political backlash that followed. Amateur Hour combines critical and humorous elements, emphasizing Harris's perceived incompetence and challenges within the political landscape.We learn from the book sheds many of the aspects of Harris's political journey which often overlooked by mainstream narratives, making it an intriguing read for political enthusiasts and completing the argument that she was selected NOT because of merit but because of identity politics. Overall, this book
On this special episode, Mary Katharine sits down with Daily Mail political reporter and author Charlie Spiering to discuss his new book, Amateur Hour: Kamala Harris in the White House. Purchase the book on Amazon.
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Megyn Kelly is joined by Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri to discuss the Secret Service director finally resigning after her terrible appearance before Congress, the failure of law enforcement at the Trump rally causing the attempted assassination, the blame game we're seeing now, the lack of accountability and transparency, the contemptible actions of Sec. Mayorkas and the FBI in the wake of the assassination attempt, the attempted rebrand of VP Kamala Harris, the Democratic elite installing Harris as their new "party puppet," whether Harris could end up as president over the next few weeks and months, and more. Then Charlie Spiering, author of "Amateur Hour," joins to discuss how the elite on the left are attempting to rebrand Harris and appoint her as the nominee, calling her a "wine aunt," her history of rocky workplace relationships, why it's fair game to question how Harris got her start in politics involving her relationship with Willie Brown, her early work in San Francisco, the talking point about her being a tough prosecutor, Harris' terrible run as the "border czar," her far left believes on social issues, Kamala having a "brat summer," and more. Then Mike Baker, host of "The President's Daily Brief," joins to discuss how Secret Service should have handled the Trump rally, the timeline of events during the assassination attempt, all the areas where law enforcement went wrong, the breakdown of leadership and communication, the lies about "sloped roof" and more, and more.Hawley- https://x.com/HawleyMOSpiering- https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Amateur-Hour/Charlie-Spiering/9781668046074Baker- https://www.youtube.com/@presidentsdailybriefMagic Spoon: https://Magicspoon.com/MK or use promo code MK Prager U: Make a 100% tax-deductible donation at https://PragerU.com/Socks & get your socks todayNative Path: Visit https://nativepath.sale/MK now to claim your exclusive up to 45% OFF discount. Follow The Megyn Kelly Show on all social platforms:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MegynKellyTwitter: http://Twitter.com/MegynKellyShowInstagram: http://Instagram.com/MegynKellyShowFacebook: http://Facebook.com/MegynKellyShow Find out more information at: https://www.devilmaycaremedia.com/megynkellyshow
Resurrecting the amateur series of podcasts on their channel just in time for Loretta’s! Check out this podcast with Tanner Dorman.
In this week's episode of Politics In Question, Rachel Porter joins Lee to consider the consequences of political amateurs in Congress. Porter is an Assistant Professor of Political Science. Her research interests include American political institutions and political methodology, with a particular focus on Congress, elite behavior, and methods for computational social science. Most recently, her work has sought to explore and explain the rising success of political amateurs in elections for the U.S. House of Representatives. Before coming to Notre Dame, she earned a Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.A. in Political Science & International Affairs at the University of Georgia.What is a political amateur? Why have the number of political amateurs in the House of Representatives increased since 2010? Is there a difference between Democratic and Republican amateurs? What role does experience play in governing? And what are the consequences of the decline in careerism for American self-government more broadly? These are some of the questions Rachel and Lee ask in this week's episode.
In this conversation, Karol interviews Charlie Spiering, Senior Political Reporter for The Daily Mail and author of the book 'Amateur Hour: Kamala Harris in the White House.' They discuss Kamala Harris's political journey, the role of fear in society, and the importance of getting out of the house and experiencing new things. Charlie shares insights into Kamala Harris's transformation from a joyful warrior to an angry fighter and discusses the influence of conservative and liberal personalities in politics. He also emphasizes the need for politicians to inspire and encourage rather than exploit fear for political gain. The Karol Markowicz Show is part of the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Podcast Network - new episodes debut every Monday & Thursday.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
6/10/24 Hour 3 Vince speaks with Michael Whatley, Chairman of the RNC, about the WH claiming the RNC is editing videos of Joe Biden, whether he thinks Joe Biden will be replaced as nominee, election integrity efforts and the RNC's plan to deliver Virginia for Trump. Vince speaks with Charlie Spiering, Washington, DC, political reporter for The Daily Mail and author of the book “Amateur Hour, Kamala Harris in the White House” about behind the scenes meetings of potentially replacing Joe Biden. Democrats are hemorrhaging black voters. For more coverage on the issues that matter to you visit www.WMAL.com, download the WMAL app or tune in live on WMAL-FM 105.9 from 3-6pm. To join the conversation, check us out on social media: @WMAL @VinceCoglianese. Executive Producer: Corey Inganamort @TheBirdWords See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
For those who haven't heard the announcement I posted , songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the first part of a two-episode look at the song “I Heard it Through the Grapevine”. This week we take a short look at the song’s writers, Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, and the first released version by Gladys Knight and the Pips. In two weeks time we’ll take a longer look at the sixties career of the song’s most famous performer, Marvin Gaye. This episode is quite a light one. That one… won’t be. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a half-hour bonus episode, on “Bend Me Shape Me” by Amen Corner. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Resources Mixcloud will be up with the next episode. For Motown-related information in this and other Motown episodes, I've used the following resources: Where Did Our Love Go? The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound by Nelson George is an excellent popular history of the various companies that became Motown. To Be Loved by Berry Gordy is Gordy's own, understandably one-sided, but relatively well-written, autobiography. Women of Motown: An Oral History by Susan Whitall is a collection of interviews with women involved in Motown. I Hear a Symphony: Motown and Crossover R&B by J. Andrew Flory is an academic look at Motown. The Motown Encyclopaedia by Graham Betts is an exhaustive look at the people and records involved in Motown's thirty-year history. Motown: The Golden Years is another Motown encyclopaedia. And Motown Junkies is an infrequently-updated blog looking at (so far) the first 693 tracks released on Motown singles. For information on Marvin Gaye, and his relationship with Norman Whitfield, I relied on Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye by David Ritz. I’ve also used information on Whitfield in Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The Troubled Lives and Enduring Soul of the Temptations by Mark Ribowsky, I’ve also referred to interviews with Whitfield and Strong archived at rocksbackpages.com , notably “The Norman Whitfield interview”, John Abbey, Blues & Soul, 1 February 1977 For information about Gladys Knight, I’ve used her autobiography. The best collection of Gladys Knight and the Pips’ music is this 3-CD set, but the best way to hear Motown hits is in the context of other Motown hits. This five-CD box set contains the first five in the Motown Chartbusters series of British compilations. The Pips’ version of “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” is on disc 2, while Marvin Gaye’s is on disc 3, which is famously generally considered one of the best single-disc various artists compilations ever. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript Before I start, a brief note — this episode contains some brief mentions of miscarriage and drug abuse. The history of modern music would be immeasurably different had it not been for one car breakdown. Norman Whitfield spent the first fifteen years of his life in New York, never leaving the city, until his grandmother died. She’d lived in LA, and that was where the funeral was held, and so the Whitfield family got into a car and drove right across the whole continent — two thousand five hundred miles — to attend the old lady’s funeral. And then after the funeral, they turned round and started to drive home again. But they only got as far as Detroit when the car, understandably, gave up the ghost. Luckily, like many Black families, they had family in Detroit, and Norman’s aunt was not only willing to put the family up for a while, but her husband was able to give Norman’s father a job in his drug store while he saved up enough money to pay for the car to be fixed. But as it happened, the family liked Detroit, and they never did get around to driving back home to New York. Young Norman in particular took to the city’s nightlife, and soon as well as going to school he was working an evening job at a petrol station — but that was only to supplement the money he made as a pool hustler. Young Norman Whitfield was never going to be the kind of person who took a day job, and so along with his pool he started hanging out with musicians — in particular with Popcorn and the Mohawks, a band led by Popcorn Wylie. [Excerpt: Popcorn and the Mohawks, “Shimmy Gully”] Popcorn and the Mohawks were a band of serious jazz musicians, many of whom, including Wylie himself, went on to be members of the Funk Brothers, the team of session players that played on Motown’s hits — though Wylie would depart Motown fairly early after a falling out with Berry Gordy. They were some of the best musicians in Detroit at the time, and Whitfield would tag along with the group and play tambourine, and sometimes other hand percussion instruments. He wasn’t a serious musician at that point, just hanging out with a bunch of people who were, who were a year or two older than him. But he was learning — one thing that everyone says about Norman Whitfield in his youth is that he was someone who would stand on the periphery of every situation, not getting involved, but soaking in everything that the people around him were doing, and learning from them. And soon, he was playing percussion on sessions. At first, this wasn’t for Motown, but everything in the Detroit music scene connected back to the Gordy family in one way or another. In this case, the label was Thelma Records, which was formed by Berry Gordy’s ex-mother-in-law and named after Gordy’s first wife, who he had recently divorced. Of all the great Motown songwriters and producers, Whitfield’s life is the least-documented, to the extent that the chronology of his early career is very vague and contradictory, and Thelma was such a small label there even seems to be some dispute about when it existed — different sources give different dates, and while Whitfield always said he worked for Thelma records, he might have actually been employed by another label owned by the same people, Ge Ge, which might have operated earlier — but by most accounts Whitfield quickly progressed from session tambourine player to songwriter. According to an article on Whitfield from 1977, the first record of one of his songs was “Alone” by Tommy Storm on Thelma Records, but that record seems not to exist — however, some people on a soul message board, discussing this a few years ago, found an interview with a member of a group called The Fabulous Peps which also featured Storm, saying that their record on Ge Ge Records, “This Love I Have For You”, is a rewrite of that song by Don Davis, Thelma’s head of A&R, though the credit on the label for that is just to Davis and Ron Abner, another member of the group: [Excerpt: The Fabulous Peps, “This Love I Have For You”] So that might, or might not, be the first Norman Whitfield song ever to be released. The other song often credited as Whitfield’s first released song is “Answer Me” by Richard Street and the Distants — Street was another member of the Fabulous Peps, but we’ve encountered him and the Distants before when talking about the Temptations — the Distants were the group that Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin, and Al Bryant had been in before forming the Temptations — and indeed Street would much later rejoin his old bandmates in the Temptations, when Whitfield was producing for them. Unlike the Fabulous Peps track, this one was clearly credited to N. Whitfield, so whatever happened with the Storm track, this is almost certainly Whitfield’s first official credit as a songwriter: [Excerpt: Richard Street and the Distants, “Answer Me”] He was soon writing songs for a lot of small labels — most of which appear to have been recorded by the Thelma team and then licensed out — like “I’ve Gotten Over You” by the Sonnettes: [Excerpt: The Sonnettes, “I’ve Gotten Over You”] That was on KO Records, distributed by Scepter, and was a minor local hit — enough to finally bring Whitfield to the attention of Berry Gordy. According to many sources, Whitfield had been hanging around Hitsville for months trying to get a job with the label, but as he told the story in 1977 “Berry Gordy had sent Mickey Stevenson over to see me about signing with the company as an exclusive in-house writer and producer. The first act I was assigned to was Marvin Gaye and he had just started to become popular.” That’s not quite how the story went. According to everyone else, he was constantly hanging around Hitsville, getting himself into sessions and just watching them, and pestering people to let him get involved. Rather than being employed as a writer and producer, he was actually given a job in Motown’s quality control department for fifteen dollars a week, listening to potential records and seeing which ones he thought were hits, and rating them before they went to the regular department meetings for feedback from the truly important people. But he was also allowed to write songs. His first songwriting credit on a Motown record wasn’t Marvin Gaye, as Whitfield would later tell the story, but was in fact for the far less prestigious Mickey Woods — possibly the single least-known artist of Motown’s early years. Woods was a white teenager, the first white male solo artist signed to Motown, who released two novelty teen-pop singles. Whitfield’s first Motown song was the B-side to Woods’ second single, a knock-off of Sam Cooke’s “Cupid” called “They Call Me Cupid”, co-written with Berry Gordy and Brian Holland: [Excerpt: Mickey Woods, “They Call Me Cupid”] Unsurprisingly that didn’t set the world on fire, and Whitfield didn’t get another Motown label credit for thirteen months (though some of his songs for Thelma may have come out in this period). When he did, it was as co-writer with Mickey Stevenson — and, for the first time, sole producer — of the first single for a new singer, Kim Weston: [Excerpt: Kim Weston, “It Should Have Been Me”] As it turned out, that wasn’t a hit, but the flip-side, “Love Me All The Way”, co-written by Stevenson (who was also Weston’s husband) and Barney Ales, did become a minor hit, making the R&B top thirty. After that, Whitfield was on his way. It was only a month later that he wrote his first song for the Temptations, a B-side, “The Further You Look, The Less You See”: [Excerpt: The Temptations, “The Further You Look, The Less You See”] That was co-written with Smokey Robinson, and as we heard in the episode on “My Girl”, both Robinson and Whitfield vied with each other for the job of Temptations writer and producer. As we also heard in that episode, Robinson got the majority of the group’s singles for the next couple of years, but Whitfield would eventually take over from him. Whitfield’s work with the Temptations is probably his most important work as a writer and producer, and the Temptations story is intertwined deeply with this one, but for the most part I’m going to save discussion of Whitfield’s work with the group until we get to 1972, so bear with me if I seem to skim over that — and if I repeat myself in a couple of years when we get there. Whitfield’s first major success, though, was also the first top ten hit for Marvin Gaye, “Pride and Joy”: [Excerpt: Marvin Gaye, “Pride and Joy”] “Pride and Joy” had actually been written and recorded before the Kim Weston and Temptations tracks, and was intended as album filler — it was written during a session by Whitfield, Gaye, and Mickey Stevenson who was also the producer of the track, and recorded in the same session as it was written, with Martha and the Vandellas on backing vocals. The intended hit from the session, “Hitch-Hike”, we covered in the previous episode on Gaye, but that was successful enough that an album, That Stubborn Kinda Fellow, was released, with “Pride and Joy” on it. A few months later Gaye recut his lead vocal, over the same backing track, and the record was released as a single, reaching number ten on the pop charts and number two R&B: [Excerpt: Marvin Gaye, “Pride and Joy”] Whitfield had other successes as well, often as B-sides. “The Girl’s Alright With Me”, the B-side to Smokey Robinson’s hit for the Temptations “I’ll Be In Trouble”, went to number forty on the R&B chart in its own right: [Excerpt: The Temptations, “The Girl’s Alright With Me”] That was co-written with Eddie Holland, and Holland and Whitfield had a minor songwriting partnership at this time, with Holland writing lyrics and Whitfield the music. Eddie Holland even released a Holland and Whitfield collaboration himself during his brief attempt at a singing career — “I Couldn’t Cry if I Wanted To” was a song they wrote for the Temptations, who recorded it but then left it on the shelf for four years, so Holland put out his own version, again as a B-side: [Excerpt: Eddie Holland, “I Couldn’t Cry if I Wanted To”] Whitfield was very much a B-side kind of songwriter and producer at this point — but this could be to his advantage. In January 1963, around the same time as all these other tracks, he cut a filler track with the “no-hit Supremes”, “He Means the World to Me”, which was left on the shelf until they needed a B-side eighteen months later and pulled it out and released it: [Excerpt: The Supremes, “He Means the World to Me”] But the track that that was a B-side to was “Where Did Our Love Go?”, and at the time you could make a lot of money from writing the B-side to a hit that big. Indeed, at first, Whitfield made more money from “Where Did Our Love Go?” than Holland, Dozier, or Holland, because he got a hundred percent of the songwriters’ share for his side of the record, while they had to split their share three ways. Slowly Whitfield moved from being a B-side writer to being an A-side writer. With Eddie Holland he was given a chance at a Temptations A-side for the first time, with “Girl, (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)”: [Excerpt: The Temptations, “Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)”] He also wrote for Jimmy Ruffin, but in 1964 it was with girl groups that Whitfield was doing his best work. With Mickey Stevenson he wrote “Needle in a Haystack” for the Velvettes: [Excerpt: The Velvettes, “Needle in a Haystack”] He wrote their classic followup “He Was Really Sayin' Somethin’” with Stevenson and Eddie Holland, and with Holland he also wrote “Too Many Fish in the Sea” for the Marvelettes: [Excerpt: The Marvelettes, “Too Many Fish In The Sea”] By late 1964, Whitfield wasn’t quite in the first rank of Motown songwriter-producers with Holland-Dozier-Holland and Smokey Robinson, but he was in the upper part of the second tier with Mickey Stevenson and Clarence Paul. And by early 1966, as we saw in the episode on “My Girl”, he had achieved what he’d wanted for four years, and become the Temptations’ primary writer and producer. As I said, we’re going to look at Whitfield’s time working with the Temptations later, but in 1966 and 67 they were the act he was most associated with, and in particular, he collaborated with Eddie Holland on three top ten hits for the group in 1966. But as we discussed in the episode on “I Can’t Help Myself”, Holland’s collaborations with Whitfield eventually caused problems for Holland with his other collaborators, when he won the BMI award for writing the most hit songs, depriving his brother and Lamont Dozier of their share of the award because his outside collaborations put him ahead of them. While Whitfield *could* write songs by himself, and had in the past, he was at his best as a collaborator — as well as his writing partnership with Eddie Holland he’d written with Mickey Stevenson, Marvin Gaye, and Janie Bradford. And so when Holland told him he was no longer able to work together, Whitfield started looking for someone else who could write lyrics for him, and he soon found someone: [Excerpt: Barrett Strong, “Money”] Barrett Strong had, of course, been the very first Motown act to have a major national hit, with “Money”, but as we discussed in the episode on that song he had been unable to have a follow-up hit, and had actually gone back to working on an assembly line for a while. But when you’ve had a hit as big as “Money”, working on an assembly line loses what little lustre it has, and Strong soon took himself off to New York and started hanging around the Brill Building, where he hooked up with Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, the writers of such hits as “Save the Last Dance for Me”, “Viva Las Vegas”, “Sweets for My Sweet”, and “A Teenager in Love”. Pomus and Shuman, according to Strong, signed him to a management contract, and they got him signed to Atlantic’s subsidiary Atco, where he recorded one single, “Seven Sins”, written and produced by the team: [Excerpt: Barrett Strong, “Seven Sins”] That was a flop, and Strong was dropped by the label. He bounced around a few cities before ending up in Chicago, where he signed to VeeJay Records and put out one more single as a performer, “Make Up Your Mind”, which also went nowhere: [Excerpt: Barrett Strong, “Make Up Your Mind”] Strong had co-written that, and as his performing career was now definitively over, he decided to move into songwriting as his main job. He co-wrote “Stay in My Corner” for the Dells, which was a top thirty R&B hit for them on VeeJay in 1965 and in a remade version in 1968 became a number one R&B hit and top ten pop hit for them: [Excerpt: The Dells, “Stay in My Corner”] And on his own he wrote another top thirty R&B hit, “This Heart of Mine”, for the Artistics: [Excerpt: The Artistics, “This Heart of Mine”] He wrote several other songs that had some minor success in 1965 and 66, before moving back to Detroit and hooking up again with his old label, this time coming to them as a songwriter with a track record rather than a one-hit wonder singer. As Strong put it “They were doing my style of music then, they were doing something a little different when I left, but they were doing the more soulful, R&B-style stuff, so I thought I had a place there. So I had an idea I thought I could take back and see if they could do something with it.” That idea was the first song he wrote under his new contract, and it was co-written with Norman Whitfield. It’s difficult to know how Whitfield and Strong started writing together, or much about their writing partnership, even though it was one of the most successful songwriting teams of the era, because neither man was interviewed in any great depth, and there’s almost no long-form writing on either of them. What does seem to have been the case is that both men had been aware of each other in the late fifties, when Strong was a budding R&B star and Whitfield merely a teenager hanging round watching the cool kids. The two may even have written together before — in an example of how the chronology for both Whitfield and Strong seems to make no sense, Whitfield had cowritten a song with Marvin Gaye, “Wherever I Lay My Hat, That’s My Home”, in 1962 — when Strong was supposedly away from Motown — and it had been included as an album track on the That Stubborn Kinda Fellow album: [Excerpt: Marvin Gaye, “Wherever I Lay My Hat, That’s My Home”] The writing on that was originally credited just to Whitfield and Gaye on the labels, but it is now credited to Whitfield, Gaye, and Strong, including with BMI. Similarly Gaye’s 1965 album track “Me and My Lonely Room” — recorded in 1963 but held back – was initially credited to Whitfield alone but is now credited to Whitfield and Strong, in a strange inverse of the way “Money” initially had Strong’s credit but it was later removed. But whether this was an administrative decision made later, or whether Strong had been moonlighting for Motown uncredited in 1962 and collaborated with Whitfield, they hadn’t been a formal writing team in the way Whitfield and Holland had been, and both later seemed to date their collaboration proper as starting in 1966 when Strong returned to Motown — and understandably. The two songs they’d written earlier – if indeed they had – had been album filler, but between 1967 when the first of their new collaborations came out and 1972 when they split up, they wrote twenty-three top forty hits together. Theirs seems to have been a purely business relationship — in the few interviews with Strong he talks about Whitfield as someone he was friendly with, but Whitfield’s comments on Strong seem always to be the kind of very careful comments one would make about someone for whom one has a great deal of professional respect, a great deal of personal dislike, but absolutely no wish to air the dirty laundry behind that dislike, or to burn bridges that don’t need burning. Either way, Whitfield was in need of a songwriting partner when Barrett Strong walked into a Motown rehearsal room, and recognised that Strong’s talents were complementary to his. So he told Strong, straight out, “I’ve had quite a few hit records already. If you write with me, I can guarantee you you’ll make at least a hundred thousand dollars a year” — though he went on to emphasise that that wasn’t a guarantee-guarantee, and would depend on Strong putting the work in. Strong agreed, and the first idea he brought in for his new team earned both of them more than that hundred thousand dollars by itself. Strong had been struck by the common phrase “I heard it through the grapevine”, and started singing that line over some Ray Charles style gospel chords. Norman Whitfield knew a hook when he heard one, and quickly started to build a full song around Strong’s line. Initially, by at least some accounts, they wanted to place the song with the Isley Brothers, who had just signed to Motown and had a hit with the Holland-Dozier-Holland song “This Old Heart of Mine”: [Excerpt: The Isley Brothers, “This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak For You)”] For whatever reason, the Isley Brothers didn’t record the song, or if they did no copy of the recording has ever surfaced, though it does seem perfectly suited to their gospel-inflected style. The Isleys did, though, record another early Whitfield and Strong song, “That’s the Way Love Is”, which came out in 1967 as a flop single, but would later be covered more successfully by Marvin Gaye: [Excerpt: The Isley Brothers, “That’s the Way Love Is”] Instead, the song was first recorded by the Miracles. And here the story becomes somewhat murky. We have a recording by the Miracles, released on an album two years later, but some have suggested that that version isn’t the same recording they made in 1966 when Whitfield and Strong wrote the song originally: [Excerpt: Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, “I Heard it Through the Grapevine”] It certainly sounds to my ears like that is probably the version of the song the group recorded in 66 — it sounds, frankly, like a demo for the later, more famous version. All the main elements are there — notably the main Ray Charles style hook played simultaneously on Hammond organ and electric piano, and the almost skanking rhythm guitar stabs — but Smokey Robinson’s vocal isn’t *quite* passionate enough, the tempo is slightly off, and the drums don’t have the same cavernous rack tom sound that they have in the more famous version. If you weren’t familiar with the eventual hit, it would sound like a classic Motown track, but as it is it’s missing something… [Excerpt: Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, “I Heard it Through the Grapevine”] According to at least some sources, that was presented to the quality control team — the team in which Whitfield had started his career, as a potential single, but they dismissed it. It wasn’t a hit, and Berry Gordy said it was one of the worst songs he’d ever heard. But Whitfield knew the song was a hit, and so he went back into the studio and cut a new backing track: [Excerpt: Marvin Gaye, “I Heard it Through the Grapevine (backing track only)”] (Incidentally, no official release of the instrumental backing track for “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” exists, and I had to put that one together myself by taking the isolated parts someone had uploaded to youtube and synching them back together in editing software, so if there are some microsecond-level discrepancies between the instruments there, that’s on me, not on the Funk Brothers.) That track was originally intended for the Temptations, with whom Whitfield was making a series of hits at the time, but they never recorded it at the time. Whitfield did produce a version for them as an album track a couple of years later though, so we have an idea how they might have taken the song vocally — though by then David Ruffin had been replaced in the group by Dennis Edwards: [Excerpt: The Temptations, “I Heard it Through the Grapevine”] But instead of giving the song to the Temptations, Whitfield kept it back for Marvin Gaye, the singer with whom he’d had his first big breakthrough hit and for whom his two previous collaborations with Strong – if collaborations they were – had been written. Gaye and Whitfield didn’t get on very well — indeed, it seems that Whitfield didn’t get on very well with *anyone* — and Gaye would later complain about the occasions when Whitfield produced his records, saying “Norman and I came within a fraction of an inch of fighting. He thought I was a prick because I wasn't about to be intimidated by him. We clashed. He made me sing in keys much higher than I was used to. He had me reaching for notes that caused my throat veins to bulge.” But Gaye sang the song fantastically, and Whitfield was absolutely certain they had a sure-fire hit: [Excerpt: Marvin Gaye, “I Heard it Through the Grapevine”] But once again the quality control department refused to release the track. Indeed, it was Berry Gordy personally who decided, against the wishes of most of the department by all accounts, that instead of “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” Gaye’s next single should be a Holland-Dozier-Holland track, “Your Unchanging Love”, a soundalike rewrite of their earlier hit for him, “How Sweet It Is”. “Your Unchanging Love” made the top thirty, but was hardly a massive success. Gordy has later claimed that he always liked “Grapevine” but just thought it was a bit too experimental for Gaye’s image at the time, but reports from others who were there say that what Gordy actually said was “it sucks”. So “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” was left on the shelf, and the first fruit of the new Whitfield/Strong team to actually get released was “Gonna Give Her All the Love I’ve Got”, written for Jimmy Ruffin, the brother of Temptations lead singer David, who had had one big hit, “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” and one medium one, “I’ve Passed This Way Before”, in 1966. Released in 1967, “Gonna Give Her All the Love I’ve Got” became Ruffin’s third and final hit, making number 29: [Excerpt: Jimmy Ruffin, “Gonna Give Her All the Love I’ve Got”] But Whitfield was still certain that “Grapevine” could be a hit. And then in 1967, a few months after he’d shelved Gaye’s version, came the record that changed everything in soul: [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, “Respect”] Whitfield was astounded by that record, but also became determined he was going to “out-funk Aretha”, and “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” was going to be the way to do it. And he knew someone who thought she could do just that. Gladys Knight never got on well with Aretha Franklin. According to Knight’s autobiography this was one-sided on Franklin’s part, and Knight was always friendly to Franklin, but it’s also notable that she says the same about several other of the great sixties female soul singers (though not all of them by any means), and there seems to be a general pattern among those singers that they felt threatened by each other and that their own position in the industry was precarious, in a way the male singers usually didn’t. But Knight claimed she always *wished* she got on well with Franklin, because the two had such similar lives. They’d both started out singing gospel as child performers before moving on to the chitlin circuit at an early age, though Knight started her singing career even younger than Franklin did. Knight was only four when she started performing solos in church, and by the age of eight she had won the two thousand dollar top prize on Ted Mack’s Amateur Hour by singing Brahms’ “Lullaby” and the Nat “King” Cole hit “Too Young”: [Excerpt: Nat “King” Cole, “Too Young”] That success inspired her, and she soon formed a vocal group with her brother Bubba, sister Brenda and their cousins William and Eleanor Guest. They named themselves the Pips in honour of a cousin whose nickname that was, and started performing at talent contests in Atlanta Chitlin’ Circuit venues. They soon got a regular gig at one of them, the Peacock, despite them all being pre-teens at the time. The Pips also started touring, and came to the attention of Maurice King, the musical director of the Flame nightclub in Detroit, who became a vocal coach for the group. King got the group signed to Brunswick records, where they released their first single, a song King had written called “Whistle My Love”: [Excerpt: The Pips, “Whistle My Love”] According to Knight that came out in 1955, when she was eleven, but most other sources have it coming out in 1958. The group’s first two singles flopped, and Brenda and Eleanor quit the group, being replaced by another cousin, Edward Patten, and an unrelated singer Langston George, leaving Knight as the only girl in the quintet. While the group weren’t successful on records, they were getting a reputation live and toured on package tours with Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, and others. Knight also did some solo performances with a jazz band led by her music teacher, and started dating that band’s sax player, Jimmy Newman. The group’s next recording was much more successful. They went into a makeshift studio owned by a local club owner, Fats Hunter, and recorded what they thought was a demo, a version of the Johnny Otis song “Every Beat of My Heart”: [Excerpt: The Pips, “Every Beat of My Heart (HunTom version)”] The first they knew that Hunter had released that on his own small label was when they heard it on the radio. The record was picked up by VeeJay records, and it ended up going to number one on the R&B charts and number six on the pop charts, but they never saw any royalties from it. It brought them to the attention of another small label, Fury Records, which got them to rerecord the song, and that version *also* made the R&B top twenty and got as high as number forty-five on the pop charts: [Excerpt: Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Every Beat of My Heart (Fury version)”] However, just because they had a contract with Fury didn’t mean they actually got any more money, and Knight has talked about the label’s ownership being involved with gangsters. That was the first recording to be released as by “Gladys Knight and the Pips”, rather than just The Pips, and they would release a few more singles on Fury, including a second top twenty pop hit, the Don Covay song “Letter Full of Tears”: [Excerpt: Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Letter Full of Tears”] But Knight had got married to Newman, who was by now the group’s musical director, after she fell pregnant when she was sixteen and he was twenty. However, that first pregnancy tragically ended in miscarriage, and when she became pregnant again she decided to get off the road to reduce the risk. She spent a couple of years at home, having two children, while the other Pips – minus George who left soon after – continued without her to little success. But her marriage was starting to deteriorate under pressure of Newman’s drug use — they wouldn’t officially divorce until 1972, but they were already feeling the pressure, and would split up sooner rather than later — and Knight returned to the stage, initially as a solo artist or duetting with Jerry Butler, but soon rejoining the Pips, who by this time were based in New York and working with the choreographer Cholly Atkins to improve their stagecraft. For the next few years the Pips drifted from label to label, scoring one more top forty hit in 1964 with Van McCoy’s “Giving Up”, but generally just getting by like so many other acts on the circuit. Eventually the group ended up moving to Detroit, and hooking up with Motown, where mentors like Cholly Atkins and Maurice King were already working. At first they thought they were taking a step up, but they soon found that they were a lower tier Motown act, considered on a par with the Spinners or the Contours rather than the big acts, and according to Knight they got pulled off an early Motown package tour because Diana Ross, with whom like Franklin Knight had something of a rivalry, thought they were too good on stage and were in danger of overshadowing her. Knight says in her autobiography that they “formed a little club of our own with some of the other malcontents” with Martha Reeves, Marvin Gaye, and someone she refers to as “Ivory Joe Hunter” but I presume she means Ivy Jo Hunter (one of the big problems when dealing with R&B musicians of this era is the number of people with similar names. Ivy Jo Hunter, Joe Hunter, and Ivory Joe Hunter were all R&B musicians for whom keyboard was their primary instrument, and both Ivy Jo and just plain Joe worked for Motown at different points, but Ivory Joe never did) Norman Whitfield was also part of that group of “malcontents”, and he was also the producer of the Pips’ first few singles for Motown, and so when he was looking for someone to outdo Aretha, someone with something to prove, he turned to them. He gave the group the demo tape, and they worked out a vocal arrangement for a radically different version of the song, one inspired by “Respect”: [Excerpt: Gladys Knight and the Pips, “I Heard it Through the Grapevine”] The third time was the charm, and quality control finally agreed to release “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” as a single. Gladys Knight always claimed it had no promotion, but Norman Whitfield’s persistence had paid off — the single went to number two on the pop charts (kept off the top by “Daydream Believer”), number one on the R&B charts, and became Motown’s biggest-selling single *ever* up until that point. It also got Knight a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female — though the Grammy committee, at least, didn’t think she’d out-Aretha’d Aretha, as “Respect” won the award. And that, sadly, sort of summed up Gladys Knight and the Pips at Motown — they remained not quite the winners in everything. There’s no shame in being at number two behind a classic single like “Daydream Believer”, and certainly no shame in losing the Grammy to Aretha Franklin at her best, but until they left Motown in 1972 and started their run of hits on Buddah records, Gladys Knight and the Pips would always be in other people’s shadow. That even extended to “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” when, as we’ll hear in part two of this story, Norman Whitfield’s persistence paid off, Marvin Gaye’s version got released as a single, and *that* became the biggest-selling single on Motown ever, outselling the Pips version and making it forever his song, not theirs. And as a final coda to the story of Gladys Knight and the Pips at Motown, while they were touring off the back of “Grapevine’s” success, the Pips ran into someone they vaguely knew from his time as a musician in the fifties, who was promoting a group he was managing made up of his sons. Knight thought they had something, and got in touch with Motown several times trying to get them to sign the group, but she was ignored. After a few attempts, though, Bobby Taylor of another second-tier Motown group, the Vancouvers, also saw them and got in touch with Motown, and this time they got signed. But that story wasn’t good enough for Motown, and so neither Taylor nor Knight got the credit for discovering the group. Instead when Joe Jackson’s sons’ band made their first album, it was titled Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5. But that, of course, is a story for another time…
This episode explores the rise of Kamala Harris, from her early years to her current position as Vice President of the United States. The conversation covers topics such as her relationship with Jill Biden, her political career, her failed presidential campaign, and her struggles as Vice President. Author Charlie Spiering provides insights into Harris's background, her connections with influential figures like Willie Brown and Barack Obama, and the challenges she faces in connecting with the average American. The Tudor Dixon Podcast is part of the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Podcast Network. For more visit TudorDixonPodcast.comFollow Clay & Buck on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/clayandbuckSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This episode explores the rise of Kamala Harris, from her early years to her current position as Vice President of the United States. The conversation covers topics such as her relationship with Jill Biden, her political career, her failed presidential campaign, and her struggles as Vice President. Author Charlie Spiering provides insights into Harris's background, her connections with influential figures like Willie Brown and Barack Obama, and the challenges she faces in connecting with the average American. The Tudor Dixon Podcast is part of the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Podcast Network. For more visit TudorDixonPodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
You will not be greeted! This week Tyler and Johnny discuss the Gumi Baby Mystery, as well as part one of a history of the Lobotomy. Plus: a mega stunt involving a corpse in Ohio, an potentially morbid update on a SGB topic, and Johnny has a theory about Drag Race lipsync songs.Join the Secret Society That Doesn't Suck for exclusive weekly mini episodes, livestreams, and a whole lot more! patreon.com/thatsspookyCheck out our new and improved apparel store with tons of new designs! thatsspooky.com/storeCheck out our website for show notes, photos, and more at thatsspooky.comFollow us on Instagram for photos from today's episode and all the memes @thatsspookypodWe're on Twitter! Follow us at @thatsspookypodDon't forget to send your spooky stories to thatsspookypod@gmail.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
On this rollicking show, Monica flames the snobbery and condescension of the Left and how it is likely to help President Trump get re-elected. She also previews Biden’s State of the Union, blasts his secret flights of hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens, and bids farewell to Nikki Haley. Monica also deconstructs Kamala Harris with the Daily Mail’s Charlie Spiering, author of “Amateur Hour”. Freedom Farms: www.wearefreedomfarms.com CODE: MONICA25 for $25 off your first order.
On this episode of "The Federalist Radio Hour," The Daily Mail political reporter Charlie Spiering joins Federalist Culture Editor Emily Jashinsky and Common Sense Society Executive Editor Christopher Bedford to discuss the complicated relationship between Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democrat Party. You can find Spiering's new book, Amateur Hour: Kamala Harris in the White House, here. If you care about combatting the corrupt media that continue to inflict devastating damage on our country, please give a gift to help The Federalist do the real journalism America needs.
Megyn Kelly is joined by Charlie Spiering, author of "Amateur Hour," to discuss Kamala Harris' rise to vice president, being raised by "Marxist" academics, her early relationship with Willie Brown, her evolution of political beliefs, President Biden choosing her as his running mate, why First Lady Jill Biden still holds a grudge against Harris, the truth about her relationship now with Biden, her bizarre speaking style and inability to communicate like a leader, her favorite catchphrase using "unburdened" that isn't catching on, the way she talks to people like they are kindergarteners, how she may be lying about a childhood story she's told publicly regarding her saying "fweedom," how it relates to a story Martin Luther King, Jr. had previously told, her inability to keep staff that wants to work with her, and more. Then Billboard Chris, father and activist, joins to discuss the real meaning of “gender" and how it differs from "sex," why he says it's important to say there are "no genders" and two sexes, how the left preys on our instinct to be tolerant, the long-term ramifications of “gender-affirming care” on minors, the potential connection between autism and kids who transition, how some effects of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones are not reversible, why he decided to devote his life to raising awareness about radical gender ideology and our kids, the reaction he's gotten to speaking out on the issue, and more.Spiering: https://www.amazon.com/Amateur-Hour-Kamala-Harris-White/dp/1668046075/Billboard Chris: https://www.billboardchris.com/ Follow The Megyn Kelly Show on all social platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MegynKellyTwitter: http://Twitter.com/MegynKellyShowInstagram: http://Instagram.com/MegynKellyShowFacebook: http://Facebook.com/MegynKellyShow Find out more information at: https://www.devilmaycaremedia.com/megynkellyshow