Word of Anglo-Saxon origin, meaning "testicles"
POPULARITY
75 episodes with Bollocks
43 episodes with Bollocks
4 episodes with Bollocks
8 episodes with Bollocks
3 episodes with Bollocks
3 episodes with Bollocks
4 episodes with Bollocks
2 episodes with Bollocks
2 episodes with Bollocks
Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!Why do you like the music you do? Is it as simple as “It's what I heard on the radio”? Or something deeper? People with elder siblings may be exposed to music earlier than first children. Jeff had an older brother, so was exposed earlier to cool music - Beatles, Janis, Hendrix, and so on. Mick was the eldest in his family and had to find his own taste. (No surprise considering what he listens to!) Were you bullied as a child? Influence! Did you share music with your friends? Influence! Did you have access to a good radio station? Or print media? Influence!! We talk about our early influences – musical & otherwise – and look at how they played a role in what we listen to today. In Rock News, Ringo has released a country album, and Toto is touring. Oh well, shouldn't take them long to play their 3 hits. You know Jeff's obsessed with AI, so he asked three AI brands to nominate the greatest albums of 1971. Not much variation, really. One day, we may ask them to understand quality, rather than sales figures, and see what they give us. Our Album You Must Listen to Before you Die is “Blue” by Joni Mitchell - an top grade album that deserves to be here. Mick references Atlantic Records' sampler called “Very Together” which featured “Carey” from this album, and pointed out a link between Joni Mitchell and Scottish hard rock band, Nazareth. How did YOUR tastes develop? Drop us a line & let us know. Enjoy! References: RAM Magazine, Rock Australia Magazine, Countdown, Molly Meldrum, 2DoubleJay, The Magus/Holger Brockman, Chris Winter, Mac Cocker, “Never Mind the Bollocks”, The Sex Pistols, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, David Bowie, “Five Years”, “Room to Move”, Chris Winter, “Starman”, “Rock'n'roll Suicide”, Birdland, Weather Report, Joe Zawinul, Brian Eno, “Another Green World”, “Zawinul Lava”, “Rock'n'Roll Animal”, Lou Reed, Steve Hunter, “Sweet Jane”, “Heroin”, “Rock'n'Roll”, Berlin, Alice Cooper, Velvet Underground, Peter Gabriel, “Car”, “Stranded”, Roxy Music, Bryan Ferry, “Song for Europe”, “Street Life”, “Psalm”, Sisters of Mercy, XTC, Nico, REM, Television, Patti Smith, “Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band”, The Beatles, "Within You Without You”, “Tomorrow Never Knows”, Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits, Like a Rolling Stone”, Revolver, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon and Garfunkel, Pearl, Janis Joplin, Tapestry, Carole King, Slade Alive, Hot August Nigh”, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, “Dark Side of the Moon”, “Led Zeppelin IV”, “Silk Degrees”, Box Scaggs, “Journey to the Centre of the Earth”, Rick Wakeman, “Woodstock”, “Monterey Pop”, “The Song Remains the Same”, “The Last Waltz”, The Guitar Spa, Redeye Records, John Foy, bootleg records, “His Master's Voice”, “Sheetkeeckers”, Australian electronica/dance music store, Hipgnosis, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Regurgitator, “I like your old stuff better than your new stuff", DeepSeek, ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Blue, Joni Mitchell, Henry Lewy, “Very Together”, “This Flight Tonight”, Nazareth Episode Playlist The first song played by 2DoubleJay - “You Just Like Me ‘Cos I'm Good in Bed”
MUSICThe latest band to selloff their music is: Twisted Sister who has sold its remaining rights, includingcopyrights and trademarks, to Warner Music for and undisclosed sum. Congrats to Dave Navarrowho got married this weekend! The Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, whotied the knot for the fourth time to Swedish actress/fashiondesigner Vanessa DuBasso in Scotland on Saturday. The Who's Roger Daltryrevealed that he is "going blind" while performing at London's Royal Albert Hall on Thursday night.Sum 41 have released a cover of Rage Againstthe Machine's "Sleep Now in the Fire" for the Spotify Singles series. Jelly Roll surprised adeserving fan with a free car at a show in Canada last weekend. She used to be homeless and on drugs, and now works to help get other peopleoff the street. Here she is helping someone, then finding out she'sgetting free tickets to see Jelly, then his BIG surprise for her. The Sex Pistols -- with Frank Carter singinginstead of John Lydon -- have announced a North American tour where they'll play NeverMind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols in full. The trek startsSeptember 16th in Dallas and wraps up October 16th in Los Angeles. Tickets goon sale Friday.Not happy with yourhome? What if you could ditch it and move into your favorite TVhouse? What would it be?For 13% of Americans, itwould be the Tanner house in San Francisco from "Full House". That was the #1 answer in a poll of 2,000 people. Here are the Top 20: AND FINALLYUproxx.com put togethera list of videos from THIS century that changed the game.AND THAT IS YOUR CRAP ON CELEBRITIES! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
MUSIC The latest band to sell off their music is: Twisted Sister who has sold its remaining rights, including copyrights and trademarks, to Warner Music for and undisclosed sum. Congrats to Dave Navarro who got married this weekend! The Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, who tied the knot for the fourth time to Swedish actress/fashion designer Vanessa DuBasso in Scotland on Saturday. The Who's Roger Daltry revealed that he is "going blind" while performing at London's Royal Albert Hall on Thursday night. Sum 41 have released a cover of Rage Against the Machine's "Sleep Now in the Fire" for the Spotify Singles series. Jelly Roll surprised a deserving fan with a free car at a show in Canada last weekend. She used to be homeless and on drugs, and now works to help get other people off the street. Here she is helping someone, then finding out she's getting free tickets to see Jelly, then his BIG surprise for her. The Sex Pistols -- with Frank Carter singing instead of John Lydon -- have announced a North American tour where they'll play Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols in full. The trek starts September 16th in Dallas and wraps up October 16th in Los Angeles. Tickets go on sale Friday. Not happy with your home? What if you could ditch it and move into your favorite TV house? What would it be? For 13% of Americans, it would be the Tanner house in San Francisco from "Full House". That was the #1 answer in a poll of 2,000 people. Here are the Top 20: AND FINALLY Uproxx.com put together a list of videos from THIS century that changed the game. AND THAT IS YOUR CRAP ON CELEBRITIES! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. Sex Pistols arose from a clothing store in London and rode a wave of controversy straight to the top on their debut album. The team discuss partial bass playing, political jabbering in punk, and rolling your R's as a frontman.Buy a copy of The Beverly Crushers "Enterprise" (Rob and Tom's new album) and have a chance to pick what album we cover next Join our Mailing List here: https://linktr.ee/1001albumcomplaintsEmail us your complaints (or questions / comments) at 1001AlbumComplaints@gmail.comListen to our episode companion playlist (compilation of the songs we referenced on this episode) here:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37NOJ4dKmrYEzYv27cCGmI?si=7445edc276c249edListen to Nevermind the Bollocks here:https://open.spotify.com/album/5fxYu3rqjCNTSPKN8mtEl2?si=eEsgF_xTRfWQt8sELV-r9AIntro music: When the Walls Fell by The Beverly CrushersOutro music: After the Afterlife by MEGAFollow our Spotify Playlist of music produced directly by us. Listen and complain at homeFollow us on instagram @thechopunlimited AND @1001AlbumComplaintsJoin us on Patreon to continue the conversation and access 30+ hrs of bonus shows!https://www.patreon.com/1001AlbumComplaintsWe have 1001 Merch! Support us by buying some.US Merch StoreUK Merch StoreNext week's album: Fugees - The Score
When many of us consider leadership and leadership practice, we may assume specific contexts (corporate, politics, the public domain), and specific ways to 'do' leadership. In fact, from accepted governance processes to the way organisations are structured and even how they might report their outcomes, effective leadership is assumed to include a set of agreed 'rules' - ways of doing this thing that we've come to expect of those in leadership positions.But what if that doesn't work for you? What if these unquestioned norms are simply 'bollocks'?KG and Paul explore that very possibility with Nick Finlayson, an innovative and successful business founder who has built and run a number of professional service firms in the technology sector (and a former colleague of both hosts). Throughout his career Nick has managed to straddle the divide between corporate expectation and a glaring individuality. But it's the corporate leadership stuff that slows him down. For him, it really is all bollocks.The fact is, Nick's brain is wired a little differently, and he has learned to understand what works for him and how to adapt to and navigate corporate corridors. However, he has also been able to forge his own path and work to the rhythms of his own, very unique drum.This is an insightful and honest conversation, shared by three longstanding colleagues over a glass of 2024 Gullyview Estate 'The Fruitful' Grenache. This wine's a bright, red berry explosion in your mouth. A lighter style grenache than Australia's warm climate might otherwise produce. Don't wait, go get yourself some from our generous friends at Annadale Cellars!!Sláinte friends!We're keen to hear what you thought of this conversation. Please let us know through either of the options below.Please reach out on askus@leadershipdecanted.com or visit us at www.leadershipdecanted.comDisagree or agree with anything we've said? How wrong are we?!? Are there any leadership topics you'd like us to discuss (or perhaps other books or podcasts that might set us straight!)? Maybe you'd like to recommend a favourite wine!Whatever tickles your fancy, we'd love to hear from you!!
WTB with Jen Brister, Maureen Younger and Allyson June Smith
Thank you everyone for listening.Please consider sending money to Jen's Gaza fundraiser, now more than ever.Check out Allyson's new podcast Horror Motel on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts!Buy Maureen's new book, Prisms of My Life, here.Get your next dose of Allyson live here.Keep up with everything Jen's doing here.Produced by Impatient Productions, edited by Ralph Foster.Artwork by Haiminh Le. Follow WTB on Twitter @wtb_podcast and on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram @wtbpodcast. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Musicians recount the strange and unexpected story behind the making of your favorite albums. David Bowie finally locked in on a way to connect with the record buying public - by transforming himself into an alien savior / fame monster. The guys continue their 200th episode celebration and talk about unintelligible but cool lyrics, the melodic bass of Trevor Bolder, and those persistent sharp 4th notesBuy a copy of The Beverly Crushers "Enterprise" (Rob and Tom's new album) and have a chance to pick what album we cover next Join our Mailing List here: https://linktr.ee/1001albumcomplaintsEmail us your complaints (or questions / comments) at 1001AlbumComplaints@gmail.comListen to our episode companion playlist (compilation of the songs we referenced on this episode) here:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4WZR9SJmpBnZljWNej5BQm?si=dbd81bad8a034df1Listen to Ziggy Stardust here:https://open.spotify.com/album/48D1hRORqJq52qsnUYZX56?si=ClTGG7-sR7Kr3LH1nzmDlQIntro music: When the Walls Fell by The Beverly CrushersOutro music: After the Afterlife by MEGAFollow our Spotify Playlist of music produced directly by us. Listen and complain at homeFollow us on instagram @thechopunlimited AND @1001AlbumComplaintsJoin us on Patreon to continue the conversation and access 30+ hrs of bonus shows!https://www.patreon.com/1001AlbumComplaintsWe have 1001 Merch! Support us by buying some.US Merch StoreUK Merch StoreNext week's album: The Sex Pistols - Nevermind the Bollocks
This week's episode of The Pro Audio Suite dives headfirst into the world of budget audio gear, exploring whether cheaper equipment has actually improved or if it's still just average kit with fancy marketing. Here are some key highlights and insights from the discussion: Budget Gear: Better or Still Rubbish? Robustness & Quality: The crew revisits the Rode NT1's evolution—from early plastic models to today's sturdy iterations. They ponder its surprising collectability today. User-Friendliness: A cheeky chat unfolds about how budget gear manufacturers should assume nothing when it comes to user knowledge, advocating for painfully obvious product instructions, especially with mics like Rode's NT1. Headphones: Still the Achilles Heel? Consensus emerges around headphones as one area where low-budget options haven't improved as dramatically as microphones. The crew reckons that decent studio cans rarely dip below the $100 mark without significant compromises in sound and build quality. Austrian Audio gets a shout-out for their entry-level headphones offering decent quality, but it's noted that paying a little more generally delivers much better audio. Interfaces and Converters: Robbo's downsized rig is highlighted, having moved from larger interfaces to compact solutions like the SSL2 and the Centrance PASport VO. An important insight shared is that cheap interfaces often share internal converter chips with much pricier gear, meaning the sonic differences can be surprisingly subtle. Bargain Finds and Bargain Fails: Andrew points out the rise in cost of entry-level interfaces from brands like Focusrite, thanks to feature-creep. The group chats about bargain-basement gear flooding Amazon, discussing surprising finds like a $30 dual XLR-to-USB-C interface cable. Robbo humorously advises caution, noting that certain inexpensive gear—particularly cables and mic arms—can still be absolute rubbish. Chinese Clones and Cheap Accessories: George brings up affordable Chinese-made hardware like camera mounts and mic arms, now significantly cheaper yet surprisingly robust compared to premium brands. The "magic arm" clamp is a notable budget win. However, the consensus firmly recommends against skimping on headphones and cables. Quality connectors from Neutrik and Mogami cables are touted as essentials worth investing in. Plug-ins: Stock vs. Premium vs. AI Debate surrounds stock plug-ins vs premium offerings, questioning the necessity of higher-priced plug-ins from brands like FabFilter. Healthy skepticism about AI-enhanced plug-ins and noise reduction is expressed, particularly regarding Adobe Podcast's AI noise reduction. Emulators & Mic Modeling: Opinions split on whether mic emulation is beneficial or just a feel-good factor. Townsend Sphere and Antelope Audio's mics spark a conversation about whether emulated models truly rival their inspirations. Final Thoughts: Cheaper gear today often does punch above its price tag compared to the past, especially microphones. But there remain clear lines where quality is non-negotiable (headphones, connectors, and build quality in general). Ultimately, the episode reinforces the idea that good engineering practice and knowledge still win the day, regardless of budget constraints. It's another lively, opinionated, and informative chat from Robbo, Andrew Peters, George "The Tech" Whittam, and Robert Marshall, brought to you by their sponsors Tribooth and Austrian Audio. If you're keen to catch the full flavour and all the banter, check out the episode at theproaudiosuite.com. A big shout out to our sponsors, Austrian Audio and Tri Booth. Both these companies are providers of QUALITY Audio Gear (we wouldn't partner with them unless they were), so please, if you're in the market for some new kit, do us a solid and check out their products, and be sure to tell em "Robbo, George, Robert, and AP sent you"... As a part of their generous support of our show, Tri Booth is offering $200 off a brand-new booth when you use the code TRIPAP200. So get onto their website now and secure your new booth... https://tribooth.com/ And if you're in the market for a new Mic or killer pair of headphones, check out Austrian Audio. They've got a great range of top-shelf gear.. https://austrian.audio/ We have launched a Patreon page in the hopes of being able to pay someone to help us get the show to more people and in turn help them with the same info we're sharing with you. If you aren't familiar with Patreon, it's an easy way for those interested in our show to get exclusive content and updates before anyone else, along with a whole bunch of other "perks" just by contributing as little as $1 per month. Find out more here.. https://www.patreon.com/proaudiosuite George has created a page that is strictly for Pro Audio Suite listeners, so check it out for the latest discounts and offers for TPAS listeners. https://georgethe.tech/tpas If you haven't filled out our survey on what you'd like to hear on the show, you can do it here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZWT5BTD Join our Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/proaudiopodcast And the FB Group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/357898255543203 For everything else (including joining our mailing list for exclusive previews and other goodies), check out our website https://www.theproaudiosuite.com/ “When the going gets weird, the weird turn professional.” Hunter S Thompson
Patreon Free Membership We are back with reviews of new releases from Cryptosis, Lambrini Girls, Exturminatus, Wick, Obscura, Better Lovers and the thrash metal side project from Haken guitarist Charlie Griffiths Tiktaalika. Also contains rambling thoughts and opinions. Old Head YouTube
Hello again! Yes, this show is incredibly tardy and will be sent to the Vice Principal's office to discuss why we are so late - and the answer that will get you additional after school detention days is "the bell rang before we got here!"Otherwise, here are the next two rounds in the Sweet Sixteen:Round 1Led Zeppelin - Houses of the HolyvsThe Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here Are the Sex PistolsRound 2NAS - IllmaticvsFleetwood Mac - RumoursThank you all, as always, for your patronage.Peace, Love, and CoffeeDave, Cory, and ScottSend us a textSupport the showCheck out our homepage website here!Follow us on Instagram!You can now listen to the show on YouTube!Support your favorite uncaffeinated podcasters - buy us a coffee... please???
Interview with Kevin Shields Of Detention. Detention was one of the first and best bands of the ‘80s New Jersey hardcore punk explosion. Their wonderfully tasteless “Dead Rock 'n Rollers” single became the college radio cult classic of 1983. The song's 97 seconds of primal Ramones-style speed-punk mocked the demise of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, John Lennon, Keith Moon, Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, Sid Vicious, John Belushi, and John Bonham — who “played the drug game and couldn't maintain.” They even foretold the drug-related heart attack of Jim Carroll, famous for “All The People Who Died,” screaming, “What are you waiting for? Do it!” Saving the best for last, “Dead Rock 'n Rollers” raised the obvious question: “Why couldn't it be Barry Manilow?” The Detention story goes back to Central Jersey, to the Shields family home in Hillsborough Township, about 20 minutes from the “culture capital” of New Brunswick. Kevin Shields, the fourth of five sons, grew up listening to his older brothers' sophisticated record collection of hippie music that ranged from Blue Cheer to King Crimson. Kevin recalls: “Early on, I knew that rock ‘n roll was something special. I was fascinated.” “I enlisted in the Coast Guard when I was 17. I was out on my own. I was always a music guy and realized music was getting stale with Genesis and whatnot. I read all the magazines, and the ads in the back, so I sent money to these labels, and came home with albums like Never Mind the Bollocks and Rocket to Russia, and singles by the Slickee Boys and MX-80 Sound. But the coup d'grace was when we stationed in Alameda and I went wild in San Francisco. I went to the Mabuhay Gardens like three nights a week, seeing all the legendary West Coast bands: DKs, DOA, Black Flag. I got thrashed on the education of seeing live bands.” When Kevin returned home in 1981, he was inspired to make music. “Detention came about because I decided to be a player not a spectator,” he explains. “The easiest way was to recruit my family, so I turned to my brothers. I bought a bass, but I didn't know how to play it. My brother Paul suggested I get in touch with this guitarist Rodney Matejek. He showed me how to play simply, and within months we started coming up with riffs, and what would become songs came very quickly.” The band — Kevin, Rodney, frontman Paul Shields, and drummer Daniel Shields — played their first show at Raritan Manor on the Somerville Circle, hosted by a young Matt Pinfield in his first radio DJ gig at WRSU (Rutgers). It was a noisy and chaotic affair, with people rolling on the floor — until police arrived and stopped the mayhem. “We were given 100 bucks, and we promised never to play there again,” Kevin says with a grin. Kevin offers some backstory: “Rob Roth, god bless his pointed head, he had a vision. He got us into the studio in Roselle Park, and he paid for it. All we had to do was get good recordings of the two songs, including the B-side “El Salvador.” It came out great. My brother Paul certainly had the lungs for the job! Those 500 copies got us gigs and got us a lot of notice.” In 1985, Detention released a self-produced self-titled album before disbanding. Kevin's Info https://www.leftfordeadrecords.com dead-rock-n-rollers
Ted and Gareth debate Samsung's recent Unpacked event showing off the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, S25 Ultra and S25 Edge, AI baked into the software, were Samsung stops and Gemini starts, Photo, Gallery and Audio Enhancements. With Gareth Myles and Ted Salmon Join us on Mewe RSS Link: https://techaddicts.libsyn.com/rss Direct Download | iTunes | YouTube Music | Stitcher | Tunein | Spotify Amazon | Pocket Casts | Castbox | PodHubUK News Samsung Unpacked 2025 Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (£1249) Samsung Galaxy S25 (£799) Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus (starts at £999) Samsung and Gemini AI Samsung S25 Edge Banters: Knocking out a Quick Bant Discovering Ignition and Immich update 5 of the Best Tools for Syncing Files Between Linux and Windows Gemini is Bollocks - discuss. I'll let Shane Craig Explain how great it is! Bargain Basement: Best UK deals and tech on sale we have spotted ASUS ZenScreen Portable Monitor 15.6" 1080P FHD Laptop Monitor - £94.22 Razer Kishi V2 Pro - 46% off, £69.99 from £129.99 (though it doesn't look like it's ever been that)! BROTHER HL-L2400DWE - £99.99 (cheap compatible cartridges) TCL 50 Pro NXTPAPER 5G £215 from £280 - Ted's Review AMD Ryzen7 9800X3D - £499.00 best Gaming CPU out there JBL BoomBox 3 £360 from £500 Crucial T500 2TB SSD PCIe Gen4 NVMe - £116.99 Main Show URL: http://www.techaddicts.uk | PodHubUK Contact:: gareth@techaddicts.uk | @techaddictsuk Gareth - @garethmyles | Mastodon | garethmyles.com | Gareth's Ko-Fi Ted - tedsalmon.com | Ted's PayPal | Mastodon | Ted's AmazonYouTube: Tech Addicts
Xmas Patreon Offers In this episode we chat about new releases from Better Lovers, Tribal Gaze, Dead Body & Extorted. We also talk about albums that surprised us in 2024, news stories that shocked us and conclude by ending with some movie chat. This Is Old Xmas Bollocks. Video Podcast
Clint Lanier and Dave McArthur drink cans of Guinness beer while discussing the merits of the somewhat eponymous 1977 album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols!
Patreon Free Trial Something for everyone as I smash through twenty six movies and five TV series. Movies: Rebel Ridge, Cold Comes The Night, Hit Man, Longlegs, New Life, Trap, Dead Pool, A Killer's Memory, Steel Country, The Killer, The Radleys, The Thicket, The Substance, Wolfs, Little Dixie, Silent Hour, Speak No Evil, Sexy Beast, I Saw The TV Glow, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Tuesday, The Wild Robot, Trim Season, A Quiet Place Day One, The Critic, Gladiator II. TV Series: A Man In Full, The Penguin, The English, Four Kings & The Diplomat. YouTube Video
Send us a textSet in the 1990s, this episode follows a murderous mime and his sitcom family. When rogue podcasters crash the set, the family tries to overcome the odds in time to be home for Santa's arrival. On Episode 645 of Trick or Treat Radio we kick off our 2024 edition of the December Double Feature Cram Jam by discussing the films Terrifier 3 and Krazy House! We also quote 80s comedies, talk about the cultural impact of horror slashers, and run through the details of our first ever Patreon Promotion! So grab your white grease paint, tune in to your favorite sitcom, and strap on for the world's most dangerous podcast!Stuff we talk about: Sam Raimi, Darkman, The Fifty States of Fright, Breakfast Club, Fantastic Four, Springtime for Hitler, Vietnam War, burning bras, Neil Degrasse High Mike Tyson, Dave Foley, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Nosferatu, Love At First Bite, Once Bitten, Howard Storm, Stuart Charno, Just One of the Guys, Friday the 13th Part 2, Christine, Joyce Hyser, Deborah Goodrich, House, William Katt, Cobra Kai, William Zabka, Cyndi Lauper, Wildcats, Woody Harrelson, Wesley Snipes, Blade, Goldie Hawn, Nipsey Russell, Bubba Smith, Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol, James Brown, If Loving James Brown is Wrong I Don't Want to be White, lead copay, the American Healthcare system is f*cked, South Park, Sicko, Michael Moore, Blair Witch moment, Terrifier 3, Damien Leone, David Howard Thornton, Art the Clown, John Wick, the horror pantheon, The Joker, reflections of our society, communicating with emoji, Brainscan, gore with supernatural elements, 100% more mutilated cock, Nick Frost, Alicia Silverstone, a medicine ball with feet, Krazy House, Steffen Haars, Flip Van der Kuil, 90s sitcoms, Azrael, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, Patreon Contest, Hot Sauce Challenge, Full Eclipse, Mario Van Peebles, Passenger 57, A Ghost Story For Christmas, Talk Without Rhythm, Scrooged, there is no prequel to Dracula, out-Jokering the Joker, who gives a shit about sympathy, mime is money, and Aren't the Clown.Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/trickortreatradioJoin our Discord Community: discord.trickortreatradio.comSend Email/Voicemail: mailto:podcast@trickortreatradio.comVisit our website: http://trickortreatradio.comStart your own podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=386Use our Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2CTdZzKFB Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/trickortreatradioTwitter: http://twitter.com/TrickTreatRadioFacebook: http://facebook.com/TrickOrTreatRadioYouTube: http://youtube.com/TrickOrTreatRadioInstagram: http://instagram.com/TrickorTreatRadioSupport the show
A guest too controversial for "Coast to Coast AM"?!? Eric J. Hecker, a contractor who spent time at South Pole Station and found stuff he wasn't supposed to (a directed energy weapon that might be mind-controlling the masses, but hey, forget that, shop Black Friday and you'll finally find happiness). Yes, Eric returns for his 3rd Open Loops appearance where he wants to shed light on the thing bothering him the most: deceit in the disclosure community. Yup, those so-called government whistleblowers you see coming forward on the news over and over again? The UAP hearings in Congress? BUNK. The so-called UFO experts putting up documentaries on streaming platforms to discuss first-hand experiences. HOGWASH. How about everyone you've ever seen listed on the Speakers List at a UFO Conference? DISINFO, BOLLOCKS, COCKAMAMIE, !@$@#$! These are Eric's views and they'll challenge the narrative you're hearing from the skeptics AND the believers discussing what's actually happening in our skies, as well as alien technology, black ops, the JFK assassination, and the decline of morals in modern society. There's your prompt. Now discuss with your family at the holiday dinner table....it's Open Loops.Chapters:(00:00) - Antarctica Whistleblower Exposes UFO Disclosure(17:44) - Media Corruption and Misinformation Accountability(27:21) - Challenges of UFO Disclosure Community(34:43) - Discrediting Claims for Antarctic Hole(41:57) - Challenges of UFO Disclosure Investigation(57:40) - Talking Military Technology and Whistleblowers(01:06:17) - Global Deception and Secret Agendas(01:22:29) - Modern Fascism and Financial Deception(01:32:32) - Challenging Cultural Conditioning and Controlled Narratives(01:39:23) - Corruption, Deception, Awareness in PoliticsEric's Website: deciphering.tvEric's X Account: https://x.com/DecipheringTV Let Greg know how you like the show. Write your review, soliloquy, Haiku or whatever twisted thoughts you want to share at https://ratethispodcast.com/openloops
In which the Curmudgeons continue to revisit the fertile fields of the late 1970s and land on 1977, one of the most explosive years in rock history. It's when the Sex Pistols dropped their album Never Mind the Bollocks, here's the Sex Pistols and set off a punk revolution. It's also when Fleetwood Mac, Kraftwerk and Bob Marley dropped genre-defining masterpieces. And that still only runs to the surface of what 1977 produced. From David Bowie and Iggy Pop to Pink Floyd and Rush to Al Green, it was a hell of a year. Let us celebrate it in grand style. Revisit the great music of 1977 by accessing our special Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6e0NiIBN4USKAMmuaUlTvS?si=bcd72729a7424d1f Here's a handy navigation companion to this episode. (00:52 - 04:23) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for our discussion of 1977 (04:38 - 14:35) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new albums from Personal Trainer and English Teacher (15:20 - 01:17:10) - We run down everything to know about punk in 1977--The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Ramones and more (01:18:21 - 01:48:12) - We cover albums from Kraftwerk, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac and Bob Marley (01:49:11 - 02:21:11) - We engage in lightning-round coverage of 10 additional albums from 1977, including releases from Billy Joel, Pink Floyd, Al Green and Joni Mitchell Join our Curmudgeonly Community today! facebook.com/groups/curmudgeonrock Hosted on Podbean! curmudgeonrock.podbean.com Subscribe to our show on these platforms: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curmudgeon-rock-report/id1551808911 https://open.spotify.com/show/4q7bHKIROH98o0vJbXLamB?si=5ffbdc04d6d44ecb https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/5fea16f1-664e-40b7-932e-5fb748cffb1d/the-
It's nine days before the World Cup and the Republic of Ireland's star player, Roy Keane, is heading home. He's had enough of the poor training conditions in Saipan and he's told manager McCarthy to stick it up his bollocks. But whose side are you on? It seems like everyone has an opinion - Colin, Elis, Bertie Ahern and even Roy's dog, Triggs.Listen to Everything To Play For on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/everything-to-play-for now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
How to Think Better for Success Are you ready to unleash the power of your own mind and turn those dreams into reality? This episode is all about learning how to think better—simple, down-to-earth strategies to shift your thoughts toward success. Through a mix of storytelling and practical tools, I'll share personal insights and experiences that have helped me along my journey. Together, we'll dive into the art of *intentional thinking* and explore ways to create your own “puzzle book” to spark creativity and keep your mind focused. You'll discover how dedicating even a little time each day to clear, intentional thinking can bring clarity, solve problems, and unlock fresh ideas. Writing, as you'll find, isn't just about putting words on paper; it's a way to expand your thinking and gain new perspectives. We'll also tackle some classic excuses we all have—“I don't have time!”—and explore why time isn't the barrier we think it is. Here's what's inside this episode: The Power of Intentional Thinking** – How setting a clear direction for your thoughts can lead to real breakthroughs. Creating a Puzzle Book** – A tool to help organize ideas, connect dots, and keep those creative juices flowing. Overcoming Excuses** – The “no time” myth, busted. I'll show you simple ways to make time for your own thinking sessions. Building a Thinking Habit** – Practical ways to make regular thinking a part of your life. What You'll Take Away: Clarity and Focus** – Get a handle on what's urgent vs. what's important, so you can move forward meaningfully. Confidence and Calm** – Experience that peace of mind that comes from having a clear direction. Inspiration to Act** – Feel ready to tackle new challenges and inspire others along the way. *Are you ready to think better?* Jump in and start your journey now. And hey, let's spread some good vibes—share this episode and let's create a wave of positive change. https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/418-how-to-think-for-success/ Shine brightly, Paul Shine brightly Paul Please remember you can leave a comment or email me with questions, requests and feedback. If you have enjoyed this or any other episode please share and subscribe. Just email me feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com If you want to subscribe to the podcast (I know you do) click here to learn more Or simply click here to go straight to Apple Music / iTunes to subscribe OR leave a review Remember for my specially designed programs for developing Supreme Inner Confidence, Free Your Life of Anxiety and specialize Hypnosis tracks go to PaulCloughOnline.com If you want to access my FREE HYPNOSIS tracks go to paulcloughonline.com/podcast Follow and inter-react on twitter @pcloughie I'm a therapist but not your therapist The information with this website or online work, techniques and exercises provided within these free and paid products are for educational purposes only. Do not use the techniques or exercises contained within some of these free or paid products whilst driving or operating machinery, or if you suffer from epilepsy, clinical depression or any other nervous or psychiatric conditions. The information provided is not a substitute for proper medical advice. If in doubt, please consult your doctor or licensed medical practitioner. Any decision you make having received any of Paul Clough's free or paid products are your own and you remain wholly responsible for any decisions and actions you take. Why not look for me and the podcast on SPOTIFY AND the app Castbox I'm also in iHeart radio YouTube - copy n paste UC3BlpN4voq8aAN7ePsIMt2Q into search bar The Libsyn podcast page http://personaldevelomentunplugged.libsyn.com tunein, learnoutloud, Google Play Music Music by Wataboi from Pixabay, Music by DreamHeaven from Pixabay, Music by ccjmusic from Pixabay, >, Music by freegroove pixabay seduction-jazz-112149 from Pixabay, Music by prazkhanal Pixaby ventura-117073 from Pixabay, And the transcript WARNING if you're a lover of the written word this may make you frustrated, or angry - you have been warned - is it an 'ism Hey, how to think better for success. Who am I to tell you? But I've got a couple of things, just got a couple of things that I know that if you did them, you would create success for your life and those dreams and goals would become your reality. And it all starts with stories, because we love a story. I got two or three of those. So come and dive in with me and learn. Or just sample a few ways of thinking better. How to think better for success. Thought about this and I made loads of notes. And then looking at my notes again, I thought, who the nearly swore. Who am I to tell people how to think better? Now I do think I've got some things to share and it's not the only way, but I do think I'm on the right track. If anyone's listening to Jordan Peterson, I really think he's got it when he thinks writing is thinking. Because if you think about it, if you didn't think when you wrote, you just have a mass of lines everywhere and that'd be crazy. And I know you're thinking now, oh, shit, he's talking about writing it down again. Well, bit. Bit more than that. A bit more than that. I want to tell you a couple of stories. Maybe three. Maybe three sort of little stories. They're not much, but they're a little bit, you see, not. Well, a few years ago, A few years ago, my eldest son came to me and said, hey, dad, do you want to go away for a couple of days? I want to hire a barn, one of those converted barns. Not a barn with. With animals in, you know, but a converted barn for a couple of days. So we could just think. You think in one end of the barn, I'll think in the other end of the barn and we'll have lunch and then you'll think again and then we'll go out for dinner, and, then maybe one afternoon we'll just have a little ride around and things like that, see the countryside. But we'll. It'll be nice to be together, but also nice to get into a thinking mode, to plan. And I thought, that's a hell of an idea. Because you see, before I used to prattle on about, about sort of thinking and setting intentions, but it didn't really do anything. But going there was really setting intention. As soon as you walked through the door, you knew what you're going to do. We had a great time, did lots of thinking, still got me in my books, my notes I made, and so did he. And it was lovely to be with one of my sons just for a couple of days by ourselves. Awesome. And in my, My other life, when I used to be in, like a business type thing, and my partner, Mike, and he would often say to me, hey, Paul, we got this thing happening. It's like an issue. We've got a problem. Go away for a little while and think of how you think we could tackle it. Now, I'm an options man. I love options. And I would do, option one, option two, option C, D, four, five, whatever. And I'd come back to him with these lovely options. I'd really spend a lot of time thinking of the, different things, mitigations and all that stuff. I was following all different processes, and it really worked well. So I used to go away quietly by myself and do it. And then I'd go through with Paul. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Just before we go. Too bad. We. Which one? Well, I like to go through it with you. No, no, just tell me which one. Because you've done a lot of thought on this. You know the answer. You done a lot of thinking. So I came up with, well, I think it's this one. So we'll do it then, because we're going to use your plan, and if there's something better comes along and we find that we can do it even better, we'll just change course, we'll be flexible. And that's exactly what I liked. And I think that type of thinking with options and mitigations got me into, when I started into this, getting deeper into personal development and trying to solve my own issues. Because as much as I do all this work and I do hypnotherapy and I work with clients, you know, we all have issues, we all have stuff. you know, if you want to get better at life, you want to enjoy life, create a better life for yourself, have dreams and goals, you know, this podcast was just a little idea at one time, then it became something into reality, but came through this like a thought process that I did. And I think with these type of things, I developed this thing I call my puzzle book because I used to have a lot of journaling and thinking in journaling, but I wanted something more specific. And what is a puzzle book? Well, a puzzle book to me is a book with plain paper in it. Plain sheets of paper. That's all. I don't like lines because they. They restrict Me, my lines restrict me. M dots are quite good sometimes but I really prefer plain sheet. A4 size if I can get it slightly, maybe a little bit smaller. But when I open it out I've got a nice big double sheet type thing. Anyway, enough about the puzzle book because you can buy them anywhere because it's literally just a book with pieces of paper. But for me when I sit down with that, it in itself and of itself, I love that thing. It fires off my intention when I sit down. It's like triggering my unconscious mind. Thinking is anchored to the puzzle book and because of that I changed my state. I'm sure I changed my state. Love my mind maps in there. But they just things seem to flow not always straight away but it allows me to be open, open to ideas sometimes strange and weird thoughts, creative thoughts that just might work. And I've done a little podcast on spending a few moments, a day or a week just doing the most weirdest thoughts you could have about what you want in life. Not just weird thoughts because that would be weird. And writing those suckers down. And that's the whole point about this puzzle book. You write them down when you just spend time. And I know I made a note that the previous longer podcast about thinking about your hero, becoming your hero. Cloughie says most of his ideas come from either his puzzle book or journal The best version of yourself getting more something you can get hold of, something you can see more clearly. That came from just someone mentioning something than me going into the puzzle book and it just exploded into thoughts and I got more clear. So if you look at be your superhero or be your hero, something like that, it's only a couple of podcast episodes back that came from that. But when I thought about it, virtually every, everything I've talked about seems to come from either in my puzzle book or my journal. And what are they? They're all sitting down thinking and writing. Writing is thinking and it's a wonderful habit to get into. And as I said, a lot of my writing can be just in the form of a mind map which explodes in my mind sometimes giving me all the different options, different thoughts that I can develop them. And I say it just allows me to see options taking time. But I know what you're going to say, well, not you personally because I know you're in there, in here for the, for the long haul. But there's, there'll be some who will say, oh, Cloughie, I haven't got enough time. I haven't got enough time to sit down and think. And that's Bollocks. It really is. It's a load of old balls. That's just a petty, flimsy excuse. It's for wimps. It is, it's an excuse. People think, I think they haven't got time. And you see if you believe that and you haven't got time to sit down and think about things, what happens? And I made two or three notes about this. You know, they just react. They react there and then. There's no thought at all. React without thought. There's no plan. There's no plan of any kind. In fact, it's just a reaction, isn't it? Just a reaction with no real intention. And what tends to happen is they might get lucky. They might get lucky and come up with something, but they end up doing something. The first thing that comes to mind, a knee jerk reaction and that goes wrong. And then they find something else and that goes wrong. Then they get overwhelmed and then they. It's just such a waste of fucking time. And it could have been stopped so easily if they'd have stopped and thought, did a little bit of thinking first. And this thing about time. We waste time every bloody way, don't we? Have a look, have a look of how much you do on the typical things. Social media, maybe gossiping, maybe just actually just bonky stuff walking around. I even started putting in my diary. Instead of planning, along with planning the things I wanted to do in the day, I actually wrote down what I actually did. And as soon as I started writing down what I did, it made me think of what I'm going to do next. And I started to get more things done just by looking at it going, no, I don't want to keep writing down. I spent 15, 20 minutes looking at bloody social media. I want to be writing down that I'm making changes, doing stuff. Even if it was sitting down thinking 15 minutes. And what else happens when people don't think? Well, they end up just doing the urgent things that keeps things giving the impression that they're busy. Oh, I'm so busy. I'm so busy now. You're fooling yourself if that's the case because you're doing those urgent things, you're not doing the important things, you're just doing stuff. And there's that knee jerk reaction again. Does this make sense? maybe, I'm talking about me time ago. Hopefully I didn't do a lot of this, but I'd seen it. I see it so much, people just doing, you know, these urgent things. Flitting and flopping to each different thing and not making any bloody difference in the world. Certainly not making no difference to their life and creating more problems. I see a lot of this when I deal with clients because they come in, certainly when they come from business and I'm doing my coaching course, maybe overwhelm, because there's so much going on. And if they just resolved one thing from a place of clarity, the world would change. And it does change when we get there. Putting 10 minutes aside to think about a particular subject can make life better So how long. Here's a question to you. How long does thinking actually take? I got you thinking now. How long did that take? I didn't. I didn't plan that. That just came out that way. But thinking can be as much as five minutes, where you just stop and, pause and you think to yourself, what am I going to do next? Is this going to make my life better or worse? What a wonderful question. Because then you can go, actually, I need to stop and think maybe a little bit deeper about this because I don't know, maybe you don't know the answer. I don't know if it's gonna make. It seems to think I'm gonna make my life better. But on the other hand, oh, but least that stopping and pausing has got you to think of all. What would make my m. Life better? If this is gonna be it, how can I do it? Lovely questions again, but you're writing these things down. Because if you just sit there and think about it, great start. But then someone goes, hey, did you want a coffee or did you want this? Oh, yeah, that's great. How you been? And it's all gone. Those thoughts are gone, and you're back to reacting, doing the urgent stuff. Now. You could actually just put 10 minutes aside, allowing yourself to be open with the intention of thinking about a particular subject. So you got that first one is, something happens. I just stopped before you react. Have a little field book in your pocket or something like that, or just a piece of paper, scrap of paper, just notes. But ten minutes to think about something more specific. So you're getting close to that puzzly book type thing, because that's the next one. I think sometimes it's. I love. Let's Talk about Me. I. I love sitting there for about 30 minutes with a puzzle book. And it's not every day. I don't do it every day. Do it at least once a week. I think, on things I find that are important to me. They haven't got urgent yet, but they are important. And I might sit down for 30 minutes might be less, but the mere fact I get that puzzle book out again and says it fires my unconscious mind because I have an intention. And you see, when you think about that 30 minutes, that's nothing compared to that bloody time that you waste on that social media, on gossip, on just simply doom scrolling all that stuff. And the thing is when you're not wasting that time and you're doing, it's just an investment in you and it's such a small investment that has such a high return, the return on your investment, the RII return on investment, I think that's what it was in business, is so high that you can't help but being more successful. And with that success comes, I want to say happiness, but it comes with maybe a calmness, maybe it comes with a little bit of peace of mind, maybe it comes with awareness, maybe it comes with conviction, maybe it comes with an expectation because you know what you're doing, you get from that, you get confidence. And when you do this, and here's a kicker, your unconscious mind can start to think, hey, this is a safer way to be because we are creating a world, a life for ourselves with less stress. We're dealing with stress before it becomes stressful, we're dealing with anxiety before it become anxious. We're planning our success, you and I are then planning our, our success and mitigating, I'm going to say failure, but mitigating where our results aren't what we want or what, what may come and blindside us or may come along. We can mitigate that as best we can. And therefore again we get more confident because we know what we're intending to happen and we know how we can, you know, mitigate things that aren't quite, may happen the other way. And again we've got it covered. And your unconscious mind goes, this is a great place to be. And it only took 30 minutes and we weren't going down the route of doom scrolling gossiping. That's great to have, great to communicate. But now think when you've got yourself in control as much as control is, but when you feel great about yourself and you feel like you've got purpose and you feel like you've got everything in hand, those conversations you have with other people are so, so much more richer. So I've got a challenge for you. Get yourself a bloody puzzle book. Now am I going to get those excuses? I don't know So I've got a challenge for you. Get yourself a bloody puzzle book. Now am I going to get those excuses? I don't know where to get one. you talk about a field book. What's a field, A Field book is just a small, little thin book. Have a look on places like Amazon or ebay or whatever, they're cheap. Or you can get a larger book and call it a puzzle book. How much are they then? They're peanuts. A few dollars, few pounds. When I say a few. One, two or three. You don't have to go mad because it's a plain book or, you know, I nearly swore. But just get a piece of paper, you know, print some out the copy machine, anything, piece of paper. Get a pen, pencil, whatever you bloody like. And I want you in your diary. Oh, I haven't got a diary. Well, get a bloody diary page, a day diary, that's all you need. I have one with times on it, so I can really block it out. But I want you to block out some five minutes and some 10 minutes for thinking time daily, every day, at least a, ah, five minute, or I would suggest a ten minute, because once you get into it, you'll want to spend longer than five minutes. But 10 minutes is something where you go, well, I can put 10 minutes aside because I'm going to have my cup of coffee, I want to just sit down the first thing in the morning. Sometime in the day, lunchtime, my break time, anytime on my commute, unless you're driving, of course. And, block it in your bloody diary. So before you start the week, you know roughly what you're going to be doing most days. So block it down. You can move them around a little bit, but once they're blocked in, you have to do it. And, block in 1:30 minutes time for yourself. Time to create success, time to think. Time to really get deeper into a specific issue, a specific thing, a project that you want to just solve, resolve, get better at, maybe learn it. Because they don't have to be all issues, do they? Things that you might want to learn. So how can I learn this? And when you sit down and think that's what one of the questions just jumped in. How can, what do I need to learn? You ask yourself questions. You write those questions down. What do I really want? Is it going to make my life better or worse? How can I make it better? What do I know already? What do I need to know more of all these wonderful questions? And questions go on forever. There are so many people now who have questions that are, so brilliant. Tim Ferriss has lots of questions and I love his questions and they're very closely aligned to the type of things that I would ask myself and what we could do. Because I Always threatened to write a book about just the questions you ask yourself, but I thought that was a bit pretentious. But we could do another podcast episode on the type of things you could do in that 30, minute session. The type of questions you could ask that would get your unconscious mind going in a direction to find the answers. Because it's. And again, it's because you write these down, your unconscious mind goes and finds the answers. And the beauty of this, you sit down for 30 minutes, you might not get everything done that you wanted to. They're open questions. You haven't maybe found the answer yet. You've thought of some options, but you're not quite sure. One of the old Cloughie guarantees is you'll go away. You'll close the book, you'll go away and you'll come back suddenly go, ah. And you'll have that aha, moment, where's my book? I must make that note down. And you can't find that, so you put it in a little piece of paper or your field book, and then you come back to your thinking book in that. And it. Just because it's written down, you can always go back to it. And it gets richer and it gets more inspiring, more intuitive and it gets you to start to dream and think without you really sitting down hard because you just go, ah, becomes a habit that, that ideas muscle starts to really get strong. You begin to resolve and solve what? whatever you need to solve and resolve. I hope a lot of this, I hope this has made sense because, to be honest, I try, I always try to think of the meta side of all of this. What am I trying to do? And I'm really just. It's a reminder that, to me anyway, that there's so much more that you can find and it's all in you and there's so much more of you to find and to keep it, put it on paper. And I think it just makes so much sense. I love you to think, well, that makes sense. I'm going to do that. Take up my bloody challenge. Take up my challenge and find out. You see, I believe this is where your dreams are formed. And then they're made and then you plan them and then you begin to schedule. We've got that bloody diary again, haven't we? And then we start scheduling for stuff and then we review the week and we review our plans and without that puzzle book, without that diary, without you consciously committing to this, your life might just say the same. And I don't Want that for you. I want your life to get so rich. Rich in every way, shape or form. So colorful, so exciting, so passionate with wonderful emotions. And I know you might thinking, yeah, you're bigging this one up, Cloughie. I don't think I am. I really don't think I am. It comes from these simple little things. In simplicity, there's fucking genius. And this is so simple. Take up my challenge. Go on, I dare you. Go away and have a think about thinking Go on, I dare you. And then when you do, let me know how you got on. Always love your feedback. Hey, your feedback might be claphy. You're not swearing enough. Sorry, I have started swearing a bit more in here. but that's because I'm getting more passionate about some of the stuff I'm talking about now, I think. And it's me, but hopefully that's okay. But do email me feedback@personaldevelopment unplugged.com if there's any of those questions. Well, I'm sitting down, but I'm getting a bit stuck. Let me know what you're getting stuck on. I'll find something that will take that unstuckiness, away or that stuck in us away. I promise I will. I can. That's what I do. Please do that. And maybe get somebody else on the challenge as well by sharing this episode. Let them know it's just a thinking thing. And it is only thinking better because that's what you do. You think. So we might as well use that skill of thinking and get it better. Get that muscle really pumping. And when you do that, people will see you and they'll go, shit, look at them. Look at them go. I can do that too. You inspire people and you'll never know how far the ripples of that change go. You really won't. But you know, you're creating that change in you and other people. What a wonderful thing to do. All because you listened to Cloughie and you did that seven day challenge and you continued listening and you continue to subscribe. Because if you haven't subscribed, why the not, please press that subscribe button. But the feedback is great. I'd much more prefer, much more prefer the feedback, but I'd like to subscribe too. Okay. Anyway, that's all there is. Go away and have a think about thinking and then take up the challenge. I dare you, dare you to create your dreams and the life that you really want. Personal development unplugged. It's time to fly on your own Time to fly. Bye. Warning. You are now leaving the unplugged mind of Paul . It's time to fly on your own. Be brave, my friend. Personal development unplugged. Personal development [self improvement] [self development] [NLP] [Hypnosis]
https://www.virginradio.it/audio/long-playing-stories/1377603/long-playing-stories-sex-pistols-never-mind-the-bollocks-here-s-the-sex-pistols.htmlhttps://www.virginradio.it/audio/long-playing-stories/1377603/long-playing-stories-sex-pistols-never-mind-the-bollocks-here-s-the-sex-pistols.htmlFri, 15 Nov 2024 14:53:13 +0100Virgin RadioVirgin Radiono0
Patreon Sign Up The second part of our wide ranging chat again takes in all aspects of the music industry but this time we are more focused on the fascinating world of DLR. This Is DLR Part 2 Bollocks. The Paltrocast How DLR Changed The World Book Video Interview
Halloween Special, with some new ones sprinkled in that stretch the theme more than just a bit. New stuff from SLC's Total Cereal and more! A previously recorded show because Internet Archive was hacked. Hit us up at brothersgrimpunk@gmail.com and download our music on our Bandcamp page.481 Playlist:Candy Punk of Decay..Charge of the Wolf 1:13 Wolfcharge Invasive Species Dogs Are More Loyal 1:49 BGP Crickets EP SKI MASK 1:02 TOTAL CEREAL SPLIT WITH DYSENTERY Human Meat 2:10 ALIENATOR TIME TO DIE Every Day Is Halloween (Ministry) (bkgrd) 3:15 Vista Blue They Came Back Noise Itch CS Plastic Skulls 1:21 Image of Decay S/T Fish Prints MA Mental Decay 1:48 Dystopiate Terminal Dissonance Demon-Claws 1:12 GLOBAL THERMONUCLEAR WAR Total Demonstration NC Killing Machine 0:32 Corrupt Faith Not My War Slow Death Recs Psychedelic Hell 0:36 Self Defense 12 Track E.P. Distro Cefalia La muerte me persigue. 1:20 Maldito Mundo Demo. Netherlands How will this end? 1:09 KRÄNKER Tracks from the upcoming split with Bipolar PVR VA Slumlord 1:59 Peter And The Skeeters DEMO ME Landlord Logic 1:31 Ankle Grabber "Sweet Stain" Demo Haunted House on My Street/Let's Scare Jessica To Death 2:12 Vista Blue They Came Back Coffin Case 0:38 Angry Samoans Back From Samoa wasted-clowns-are 0:43 Circle Jerks Reverbnation Single Alberta Rock n Roll Nightmare 2:10 The Browns ...And Now The Screaming Starts Indonesia Living Dead 1:07 Pogo Till You Drop Primal Prison Demo San Mateo Black Scabs 0:31 Agents Of Satan Split 7" With Burn The Priest (1995 demo) Sac Bringing John Lennon Back From The Dead Just To Shoot Him Again 0:55 20k Pounds Of Roadkill Festering Pile Of Mystery Meat Walking dead 1:33 Sick Crap Take No Shit Lithuania Demons of the past 2:18 Attaktix Contra Order SKATE TO HELL 1:42 SET TO DESTROY Cheap Ass Music Vol. 2 Nazis Die (bkgrd) 4:46 Quit Demo Greece Images of Tragedy 1:04 Disgor Raw Scars Split w- S.N.O.A. Japan Death Camp 0:43 Yuppie Gore FIlth Never Mind Yuppie Here's Bollocks MOMENTOS DE AGONIA 1:31 Final Trágico SONGS OF WAR HELLRAISER 1:52 THE CANCER PATIENTS The Cancer Patients - Live It Up Redding The Kids Are Bleeding 2:10 Social Concern Cupcakes and Snowflakes Redding Live N Let Live 0:31 Skeletons End of The Rainbow DEMO Zombi Broads from Outer Space 1:42 Slave Beaver Revolt Planet... X! Pizza Punks From Mars 1:33 Ramonescore Radio & Wellsville Records Pantzig - Pick Your King He Came Back (bkgrd) 2:21 Vista Blue They Came Back House Of The Rising Sun (bkgrd) 4:30 Fashion Bathers - Teen Wolf Suicide 1:37 Knuckles On Stun Recs Degenerates & Dickweeds Other ways to hear BGP:Archive.org#481 on ArchiveApple PodcastsYouTube PodcastsPunk Rock Demonstration - Wednesdays 7 p.m. PSTRipper Radio - Fridays & Saturdays 7 p.m. PSTContact BGP:brothersgrimpunk@gmail.com@Punkbot138 on Instagram@BrosGrimPunk on XMore Music:Bandcamp - Follow us and download our albums: Brothers Grim Punk, Fight Music, and more!YouTube - tons of our punk playlists, from Anarchy to Zombies!
You know the Sex Pistols for their album Never Mind the Bollocks..., but the subsequent soundtrack to their 1978 film The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle was just as good! Marc and John dig into a 7-inch from that album, "No One is Innocent" b/w "My Way," exploring how the Pistols flew to Brazil to record the A-side with a fugitive, and how Sid Vicious turned a corny standard into something crazy on the flip.Call us anytime at 1-877-WASTOIDS. More podcasts and videos at WASTOIDS.com | Follow us on Instagram and YouTube.
Kit Power and James take a break from Bruce Springsteen to grapple with the entire Sex Pistols album discography. This is a great one, friends.
Podcast Patreon In this episode we get stuck into the latest releases from Undeath, Rat Lord, Blood Command, The Crown & Super Monster Party. Plus the usual tangents that you have come to expect. This Is Old Bollocks. Old Head YouTube
For this episode we're joined by the Brooklyn-based Andrew Smith, author of the bestselling Moondust, the "dotcom swindle" saga Totally Wired and the brand-new Devil in the Stack. We start by asking Andrew about the peripatetic childhood that took him from Greenwich Village to Hastings via San Francisco's summer of love. A riveting account of auditioning to replace Mick Jones in the Clash leads us to our guest's recollections of writing in the '80s and '90s for Melody Maker and The Face — and eventually becoming chief pop critic at London's Sunday Times. Jumping to Andrew's new book — with its subtitle A Coding Odyssey — we ask him about music's "digital revolution" in the mid-'80s, with particular attention to the ubiquity of Yamaha's DX7 keyboard. From there we revisit his 1995 interview with Björk – an artist who overtly embraced electronic sounds in that decade — and then listen to two audio clips from David Toop's absorbing encounter with the Icelandic maverick six years later. After a fascinating discussion about A.I. – its upsides and its threat not merely to musicians but to humanity at large — we return to the mid-'90s to celebrate the all-too-short life of the Notorious B.I.G., hip hop's "King of New York" in that all-too-violent decade. Mark provides quotes from recently-added library pieces about Captain Beefheart (1969), the Sex Pistols (1978) and oddly Francophobe goths Sisters of Mercy (1987), and Jasper wraps up the episode with his thoughts on articles about pop fanzines (2003) and writer, photographer and recent podcast guest Val Wilmer (2024). Many thanks to special guest Andrew Smith. Devil in the Stack: A Coding Odyssey is published by Grove Press and available now. Visit Andrew's website at andrewsmithauthor.com for more details. Pieces discussed: Andrew Smith on RBP, Björk: An International Word, Sound and Fury: Radiohead, Björk audio, Notorious B.I.G.: B.I.G. Trouble, Biggie, Tupac et al: Hollywood or Bust-up, Black Metropolis: Notorious R.I.P., Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band: Trout Mask Replica, The Sex Pistols: Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, The Sisters Of Mercy: After The Flood, The Fanzine Editor: Publish And Be Damned and Val Wilmer: Deep Blues 1960–1988 (Café Royal).
On this episode, Kyle and Matthew talk about the controversial and only album by the Sex Pistols, 1977's 'Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols'. Do you really want to see what we look like while we record? Check out select episodes on our YouTube, you weirdo: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO8oo8oZkSLUqOuiiw8hD7Q If you like what you hear (and see) and want to support the podcast, you can become a Patreon supporter for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/audiojudo You can also buy some swag with our logo on it: https://www.teepublic.com/user/audio-judo-podcast As always, let us know what you think by emailing info(at)audiojudo(dot)com. Website: https://www.audiojudo.com Get in touch on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/audiojudo Twitter: @audiojudo Instagram: @audio_judo We are proud members of the Pantheon Podcast Network. If you like our show check out other music related podcasts at https://www.pantheonpodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week's topic: Acid Reign frontman/Talking Bollocks host/Motörcast host/all around standup guy Howard "H" Smith interviews Talkin' Slayer host D.X. Ferris about this show, Slayer, Kerry King, organizational harmony, and what it's all about. This is mostly a behind-the-scenes look at the show, where it came from, and how it happens. And, of course, they talk about Slayer, Kerry King, and more. Click HERE to support the show via Patreon or a one-time donation. DEEZ NOTEZ… as referenced in the show: Talkin' Slayer on the Instagram The Talking Bollocks internet talk show programme. As of this writing, H's latest guest is Yngve Anderson of Rat Lord & Blood and Command.. Talking Bollocks on Apple Talking Bollocks on Spotify “Slayer Sells Out?”… The article Cheryl Wischhover and Fawnia Soo Hoo wrote, where I answer some questions about Slayer the band and Slayer the brand. More about this next episode. IF YOU'RE NEW, PROBABLY SKIP THIS EPISODE AND LISTEN TO THESE ONES INSTEAD Talkin' Slayer episode 6: And the saga begins: The episodic chronological story of Slayer starts here Talkin' Slayer episode 57: I review a Kerry King / Mastodon concert Talkin' Slayer episode 55: I discuss the Kerry King album Also, please take the Slaytanic Surveys. AND tell your friends about the survey. Post it. Pass it around. The more the better. 1) The Slaytanic Survey (Round 2): Please tell us about your favorite songs and albums. 2) The OTHER Slayantic Survey (Round 1): Who is Slayer's MVP? What was their best tour? Do you see the reunion coming? What's your LEAST favorite record? And...? Tell us here. Talkin' Slayer is deeply researched, written, rehearsed, lightly edited, and member-supported, with some production value. Click here to check out Ferris' Slayer books here. Click here to see Ferris' other books at Amazon. Talkin' Slayer is deeply researched, written, rehearsed, lightly edited, and member-supported, with some production value.
On this episode, Kyle and Matthew talk about the controversial and only album by the Sex Pistols, 1977's 'Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols'. Do you really want to see what we look like while we record? Check out select episodes on our YouTube, you weirdo: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO8oo8oZkSLUqOuiiw8hD7Q If you like what you hear (and see) and want to support the podcast, you can become a Patreon supporter for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/audiojudo You can also buy some swag with our logo on it: https://www.teepublic.com/user/audio-judo-podcast As always, let us know what you think by emailing info(at)audiojudo(dot)com. Website: https://www.audiojudo.com Get in touch on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/audiojudo Twitter: @audiojudo Instagram: @audio_judo We are proud members of the Pantheon Podcast Network. If you like our show check out other music related podcasts at https://www.pantheonpodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Help A Guy Out I smash through twenty one movies and three TV series so you don't have to. Movies: The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Race For Glory Audi Vs. Lancia, Black Flies, Abigail, The First Omen, Civil War, The Vanishing, Late Night With The Devil, Arcadian, How To Rob A Bank, Queenpins, Free state of Jones, Jackdaw, The Bikeriders, Find Me Falling, Inside Man, Operation Mincemeat, The Instigators, Alien Romulus, Self Reliance & Jerry And Marge Go Large. TV Series: Mr & Mrs Smith, Yellowstone and Lord Of The Rings Season 2. This Is Movie Bollocks.
On this episode, Kyle and Matthew talk about the controversial and only album by the Sex Pistols, 1977's 'Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols'. Do you really want to see what we look like while we record? Check out select episodes on our YouTube, you weirdo: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO8oo8oZkSLUqOuiiw8hD7Q If you like what you hear (and see) and want to support the podcast, you can become a Patreon supporter for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/audiojudo You can also buy some swag with our logo on it: https://www.teepublic.com/user/audio-judo-podcast As always, let us know what you think by emailing info(at)audiojudo(dot)com. Website: https://www.audiojudo.com Get in touch on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/audiojudo Twitter: @audiojudo Instagram: @audio_judo We are proud members of the Pantheon Podcast Network. If you like our show check out other music related podcasts at https://www.pantheonpodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to another thrilling episode of Musical Shenanigans!We are beating down the albums and getting closer to our top random picks. Who wins and who is going home this week in this Olympic-themed show? Tune in and find out.Stick around for some words from our sponsors, and be prepared for some Olympic Music Trivia. We assure you, it is riveting stuff.Peace, Love, and Coffee,Scott, Dave, and CoryRound OneRage Against the Machine - debut self-titled albumvsLed Zeppelin - Houses of the HolyRound TwoThe Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here Are the Sex PistolsvsBruce Springsteen - NebraskaRound ThreeNAS - IllimaticvsBob Dylan - Highway 61 RevistedRound FourDr. Dre - The ChronicvsFleetwood Mac - RumoursSend us a Text Message.Support the Show.Check out our homepage website here!Follow us on Instagram!You can now listen to the show on YouTube!Support your favorite uncaffeinated podcasters - buy us a coffee... please???
This podcast is BOLLOCKS! Well, maybe not the podcast, however the episode we reviewed certainly is. Dando sums it up as "inoffensive, yet forgettable", which is about all there is to say.Honestly there were a few funny gags throughout (including a Disney reference that's certainly NOT aged well) but for the most part it's just another "Simpsons retell a story" trilogy.On top of the review we also discuss Guy launching a "yawning" OnlyFans, our love of Clancy and Sarah Wiggum's relationship and more.Support the Four Finger Discount Network for EARLY & AD-FREE access to every show we produce, as well as 100 hours of exclusive content! Join the FFD family today at patreon.com/fourfingerdiscountCHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Toon'd In! with Jim Cummings - spreaker.com/show/toond-in-with-jim-cummingsGoin' Down To South Park - spreaker.com/show/goin-down-to-south-parkSpeaKing Of The Hill - spreaker.com/show/speaking-of-the-hill-a-king-of-the-hill-The One About Friends - spreaker.com/show/the-one-about-friends-podcastTalking Seinfeld - spreaker.com/show/talking-seinfeldThe Office Talk - spreaker.com/show/the-office-talk-podcastBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/four-finger-discount-simpsons-podcast--5828977/support.
Donate Here In this episode once the apology to Four Stroke Baron is out of the way we give you the low down on new releases from: Whores, Kerry King, Exodus, DBC, Mean Mistreater, 200 Stab Wounds, Immemor, Crushuman & Category 7. This Is Old Bollocks. Old Head YouTube
The great crime out of Adrian Orr's move is you can't trust him. A central bank is supposed to get the economy and he and his committee clearly don't. Don't get me wrong - what he did was the right thing. A lot of people think it was the right thing. But he is supposed to land it softly and he crashed it. Having crashed it, he still denied he crashed it until it clearly became so bleeding obvious that he did what he did yesterday. The cuts that weren't coming until next year are here now. You only do what he did because you overcooked it in the first place. Brad Olsen of Infometrics was wrong, but he was wrong for the right reasons. He said heads should roll and on that he is spot on. You don't run a commentary that says one thing then do another. Their defence will be "things change", but that has always been the Orr weak point. He likes to position himself as some sort of completely removed observer, devoid of any influence in the economy at all. "Things have come to a grinding halt? How did that happen?" Last time he talked he saw one thing and told us how it was going to play out. He was wrong. But to the Olsen point, and indeed my point, was - aren't we supposed to believe him? When non-tradeable inflation is 5.4%, is that the same as 0-3%? No, it isn't. When unemployment is 4.6% and not 5.5%, has that metric fallen to where it is supposed to have? No, it hasn't. But that doesn't matter now, apparently. "Forget everything I said, I've decided to cut." That's how the Governor plays it. The inescapable truth is he cocked it up. He tried to right it, overcorrected, pretended he didn't until it was too late, the rhetoric didn't match the reality, and we got to yesterday. The result? We'll take it. The quality of the journey? Bollocks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Give Me Your Cash! It seems like an age since I last had one of the worlds most learned Slayer experts on the show, so here is my mate DX. We discuss the embryonic rise of his Podcast Talkin' Slayer. There is so much to get into that we forget the time and go deep! How did he came up with it? How it went down? What the plans are for the future? Why steal the title from me? The BIG questions. As always I skip through the metal news from the last fortnight and try to make sense of it all. This Is Well Rehearsed Bollocks. Video Interview
Welcome to another episode of the Tired and Tested podcast! In which, Sophie recalls the Legend of Poo Girl, before giving an audition for the first post-Election episode of Question Time. Then, Lucy reveals that she has unearthed the predecessor of Urban Dictionary Corner! Want to win a FREE ICONIC MASCARA? Submit your parenting tale to tiredandtested@acast.com - and if we pick yours, we'll send you a free mascara!Tickets for Sophie's 'work in progress' show at the Edinburgh Fringe are here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Playing by your own rules, a wasteful week, a great boxing quote, an unforgettable Willie Mays and Satchel Paige anecdote, a mea culpa to Donald Sutherland, the somewhat sad story of Morgan Spurlock, the bloodied but unbowed Jim Otto, the sleazy Al Davis, the worst haircut of all time, the insanity of stickum, a modern day true romance, a crazy night in Northern California, bad speed, learning a lesson, some tales from the psychiatric hospital, a touching elevator ride, don't Judge me, and a beautiful one. Stuff mentioned: The Lost Weekend (1945), Charles R. Jackson The Lost Weekend (1944), Days of Wine and Roses (1962), Days of Wine and Roses (2024 Studio 54), Don't Look Now (1974), Super Size Me (2004), Sex Pistols "Pretty Vacant" (1977), Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols (1977), Goodfellas (1990), Elliott Smith "The Last Hour" (2004), Elliott Smith From a Basement on the Hill (2004), Wings of Desire (1987), Apocalypse Now (1979), The Getty Center Cy Twombly: Making Past Present (August 2-October 30 2022), Dead in a Heartbeat (2002), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Beverly Hills Cop 2 (1987), Beverly Hills Cop 3 (1994), Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024), The Cardigans "Beautiful One" (1995), and The Cardigans Life (1995).
En este quinto episodio de El Cancionero de Kurt, conducido por Albina Cabrera, exploramos la evolución del punk a través de cuatro álbumes icónicos que influyeron profundamente a Kurt Cobain. Comenzamos con Burning Farm de Shonen Knife, banda japonesa que rompió estereotipos y fusionó la energía del punk con melodías pop. Continuamos con Never Mind the Bollocks, Here 's the Sex Pistols, que encapsuló la rebeldía y agitación política de los años 70. Philosophy of the World de The Shaggs, un disco tan único como polémico que sigue siendo un hito del rock alternativo. Finalmente, exploramos My War de Black Flag, una obra que fusionó el punk con elementos de heavy metal y doom, marcando una evolución en el sonido de la banda. Albina te guía por reflexiones y anécdotas que conectan estos álbumes con la cultura rock de América Latina, con testimonios exclusivos de la artista punk Alice Bag, la periodista cultural Suzy Expósito, los directores de La Bestia Radio México, el periodista venezolano Rafael Uzcátegui y el miembro fundador de Los Violadores de Argentina, Sergio Gramática. Agradecimientos especiales: Francisco Carrera, Director de La Bestia Radio México. Mario Rincón, Director de La Bestia Radio México. Suzy Expósito, periodista musical y artista punk con base en Los Ángeles. Ha trabajado en Rolling Stone Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Vogue y más. Rafael Uzcátegui, periodista venezolano. Compilador de los libros "Educación Anterior" sobre el punk en Venezuela y "Mayoría Equivocada" sobre el punk latinoamericano. Alice Bag, artista, activista y fundadora de Bags mítica banda punk con base en Los Ángeles de fines de los 70s. Sergio Gramática, baterista y miembro fundador de Los Violadores, la primera banda punk de alcance masivo en América Latina. Host: Albina CabreraProductora asistente: Gisela Casa MadridEditor: Dusty HenryProductor de audio: Roddy NikpourPodcast manager: Isabel KhaliliDirector editorial: Larry Mizell Jr.Apoya este podcast: kexp.org/elsonidoSupport the show: http://kexp.org/elsonidoSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hobo Sexual,Ram Bollocks, AI Love, un-conventional farms
Help Me To Keep Doing This I review 26 movies and 9 TV series and hope that you find something you like and maybe make it to the easter egg at the end. Movies: Blue Ruin, Lord Of Misrule, Napoleon, American Outlaws/The Dougherty Gang, Rise Of The Foot Soldier Series, We Are What We Are, Land Of Bad, Return To Sender, Fast Charlie, November Criminals, Poor things, Code 8 PT2, American Fiction, Damsel, Memory, Little Wing, The Lionheart, Road House, Dune 2, Anatomy Of A Fall, Monkey Man, The Zone Of Interest, Pinball The Man Who Saved The Game, Wicked Little Letters, Unfrosted, The Professor. TV Series: True Detective, The Gentlemen, 3 Body Problem, Griselda, Stable, Is It Cake Season 3, Ripley, Fallout & The Red King. This Is Conor McGregor Bollocks
Patreon M*****kers In the latest episode your favourite reviewers stumble chaotically through another episode knocking over new releases from: Four Stroke Baron, Mammal, Judas Priest, Unpeople, Super Model Taxidermy, Wasted Death, Dååth, Terminal Nation, Hellbutcher & Tzompantli. This Is Old Bollocks. Video Episode
Coming from a challenging, working class upbringing in the United Kingdom, Steve Jones discovered his outlet in music - as founding guitarist of the groundbreaking punk rock band the Sex Pistols. Despite the release of only one album,”Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols,” the band changed the course of music and history - vocalizing issues of class in songs like “Anarchy in the U.K.” – and influencing fashion, art and society. Since then, Jones has continued to play music (both solo and with bands The Professionals and Neurotic Outsiders) and was the host of the popular, long-running radio show, “Jonesy's Jukebox.” In 2022, his insightful memoir, “Lonely Boy,” was adapted into the FX television series, the Danny Boyle-directed “Pistol.” Steve Jones talks to host Alec Baldwin about the roots of punk rock, coming up alongside Vivienne Westwood and Chrissie Hynde, and the road to getting clean – and beginning life anew.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Uwe Bollocks joins the Frotcast to talk Unfrosted, The Rock, and which flightless birds we could take in a fight.
Dusty Henry dives into Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols by the Sex Pistols. They set the stage for mainstream views of punk in terms of style, substance, and attitude. Hosts: Dusty Henry and Martin DouglasAudio producers: Dusty Henry and Roddy NikpourPodcast manager: Isabel KhaliliEditorial director: Larry Mizell Jr. Support the podcast: kexp.org/cobainSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Rockshow episode 199 The Making of The Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks album “Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols” is the only studio album released by the British punk rock band the Sex Pistols, in 1977. It's considered one of the most influential albums in the history of rock music. The album features iconic tracks like “Anarchy in the U.K.,” “God Save the Queen,” and “Holidays in the Sun,” which became anthems for the punk movement. Its raw energy and rebellious attitude challenged the musical establishment of the time and left a lasting impact on punk and alternative music. https://youtube.com/@sexpistolsofficial?si=FbSn8Da0KuDCjmI5 https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sex-pistols/3184277 https://open.spotify.com/artist/1u7kkVrr14iBvrpYnZILJR?si=fPTr8FWUQ7Kop3KoqbqbZg https://www.sexpistolsofficial.com https://www.facebook.com/share/ruwkdUmiCkAqdeku/?mibextid=LQQJ4d http://www.sex-pistols.net/ https://x.com/sexpistols?s=21&t=Mzw5de5zsR-SDDbhyzH0Lg https://www.instagram.com/sexpistols?igsh=NTNlbHh4c3MyZjhi #Sexpistols #PunkRock #AnarchyInTheUK #GodSaveTheQueen #NeverMindTheBollocks #PunkLegends #RebelMusic #MusicHistory Please follow us on Youtube,Facebook,Instagram,Twitter,Patreon and at www.gettinglumpedup.com https://linktr.ee/RobRossi Get your T-shirt at https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/gettinglumpedup And https://www.bonfire.com/store/getting-lumped-up/ Subscribe to the channel and hit the like button This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/rob-rossi/support https://www.patreon.com/Gettinglumpedup
On Episode 280 of the Enormocast we present the 2024 Taps edition of the Enormocast. This is the annual episode where we lay to rest traditions, foibles, and notions in climbing that are either sadly going to sleep never to reawaken, or should be put to bed for good. The Enormocast is joined by our … Continue reading "Enormocast 280: Taps 2024 – The Really Bollocks Edition"
G'day, everyone! On today's show: Allllll things Super Bowl, from the two moments that gave us the ick, to Usher's halftime show, and the Ben Affleck ad that won us over. Then! Edward Enninful went bang with his final cover of British Vogue, Beyonce's big announcement, Kim Kardashian's new boyfriend, and a new development in one of the weirdest stories we covered last year. To watch that Dunkin' Donuts ad we mentioned in today's episode, head here. This week, Zara recommended listening to Ben Winston on Awards Chatter, as well as One Day on Netflix. Mich recommended watching Nemesis on ABC. This episode was audio produced by Annabelle Lee. Big thanks to Dan's Daily for making this episode possible. Head online to Dan's Daily today to up your cocktail game, expand your wine knowledge, or discover what's trending in the world of drinks. Want to support our show? We are sending air kisses, air tea, and air hugs (too far?) to anyone who clicks ‘follow' on Apple and Spotify. (Bonus hugs for anyone who leaves a five-star review, too!) Still not enough? Well! Our hearts! See below for everything else. Click here to subscribe to ShameMore: http://apple.co/shamelesspod Subscribe to the weekly ‘ASK SHAMELESS' newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gFbYLT Join our book club: https://www.instagram.com/theshamelessbookclub/ Check out our website: https://shamelessmediaco.com/ Write to the Shameless Mailbag: Email hello@shamelessmediaco.com Thanks for listening! We are very big fans of yours.
Episode 171 looks at "Hey Jude", the White Album, and the career of the Beatles from August 1967 through November 1968. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a fifty-seven-minute bonus episode available, on "I Love You" by People!. 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/ Errata Not really an error, but at one point I refer to Ornette Coleman as a saxophonist. While he was, he plays trumpet on the track that is excerpted after that. Resources No Mixcloud this week due to the number of songs by the Beatles. I have read literally dozens of books on the Beatles, and used bits of information from many of them. All my Beatles episodes refer to: The Complete Beatles Chronicle by Mark Lewisohn, All The Songs: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Release by Jean-Michel Guesdon, And The Band Begins To Play: The Definitive Guide To The Songs of The Beatles by Steve Lambley, The Beatles By Ear by Kevin Moore, Revolution in the Head by Ian MacDonald, and The Beatles Anthology. For this episode, I also referred to Last Interview by David Sheff, a longform interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono from shortly before Lennon's death; Many Years From Now by Barry Miles, an authorised biography of Paul McCartney; and Here, There, and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles by Geoff Emerick and Howard Massey. This time I also used Steve Turner's The Beatles: The Stories Behind the Songs 1967-1970. I referred to Philip Norman's biographies of John Lennon, George Harrison, and Paul McCartney, to Graeme Thomson's biography of George Harrison, Take a Sad Song by James Campion, Yoko Ono: An Artful Life by Donald Brackett, Those Were the Days 2.0 by Stephan Granados, and Sound Pictures by Kenneth Womack. Sadly the only way to get the single mix of “Hey Jude” is on this ludicrously-expensive out-of-print box set, but a remixed stereo mix is easily available on the new reissue of the 1967-70 compilation. The original mixes of the White Album are also, shockingly, out of print, but this 2018 remix is available for the moment. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript Before I start, a quick note -- this episode deals, among other topics, with child abandonment, spousal neglect, suicide attempts, miscarriage, rape accusations, and heroin addiction. If any of those topics are likely to upset you, you might want to check the transcript rather than listening to this episode. It also, for once, contains a short excerpt of an expletive, but given that that expletive in that context has been regularly played on daytime radio without complaint for over fifty years, I suspect it can be excused. The use of mantra meditation is something that exists across religions, and which appears to have been independently invented multiple times, in multiple cultures. In the Western culture to which most of my listeners belong, it is now best known as an aspect of what is known as "mindfulness", a secularised version of Buddhism which aims to provide adherents with the benefits of the teachings of the Buddha but without the cosmology to which they are attached. But it turns up in almost every religious tradition I know of in one form or another. The idea of mantra meditation is a very simple one, and one that even has some basis in science. There is a mathematical principle in neurology and information science called the free energy principle which says our brains are wired to try to minimise how surprised we are -- our brain is constantly making predictions about the world, and then looking at the results from our senses to see if they match. If they do, that's great, and the brain will happily move on to its next prediction. If they don't, the brain has to update its model of the world to match the new information, make new predictions, and see if those new predictions are a better match. Every person has a different mental model of the world, and none of them match reality, but every brain tries to get as close as possible. This updating of the model to match the new information is called "thinking", and it uses up energy, and our bodies and brains have evolved to conserve energy as much as possible. This means that for many people, most of the time, thinking is unpleasant, and indeed much of the time that people have spent thinking, they've been thinking about how to stop themselves having to do it at all, and when they have managed to stop thinking, however briefly, they've experienced great bliss. Many more or less effective technologies have been created to bring about a more minimal-energy state, including alcohol, heroin, and barbituates, but many of these have unwanted side-effects, such as death, which people also tend to want to avoid, and so people have often turned to another technology. It turns out that for many people, they can avoid thinking by simply thinking about something that is utterly predictable. If they minimise the amount of sensory input, and concentrate on something that they can predict exactly, eventually they can turn off their mind, relax, and float downstream, without dying. One easy way to do this is to close your eyes, so you can't see anything, make your breath as regular as possible, and then concentrate on a sound that repeats over and over. If you repeat a single phrase or word a few hundred times, that regular repetition eventually causes your mind to stop having to keep track of the world, and experience a peace that is, by all accounts, unlike any other experience. What word or phrase that is can depend very much on the tradition. In Transcendental Meditation, each person has their own individual phrase. In the Catholicism in which George Harrison and Paul McCartney were raised, popular phrases for this are "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner" or "Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen." In some branches of Buddhism, a popular mantra is "_NAMU MYŌHŌ RENGE KYŌ_". In the Hinduism to which George Harrison later converted, you can use "Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare", "Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya" or "Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha". Those last two start with the syllable "Om", and indeed some people prefer to just use that syllable, repeating a single syllable over and over again until they reach a state of transcendence. [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Hey Jude" ("na na na na na na na")] We don't know much about how the Beatles first discovered Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, except that it was thanks to Pattie Boyd, George Harrison's then-wife. Unfortunately, her memory of how she first became involved in the Maharishi's Spiritual Regeneration Movement, as described in her autobiography, doesn't fully line up with other known facts. She talks about reading about the Maharishi in the paper with her friend Marie-Lise while George was away on tour, but she also places the date that this happened in February 1967, several months after the Beatles had stopped touring forever. We'll be seeing a lot more of these timing discrepancies as this story progresses, and people's memories increasingly don't match the events that happened to them. Either way, it's clear that Pattie became involved in the Spiritual Regeneration Movement a good length of time before her husband did. She got him to go along with her to one of the Maharishi's lectures, after she had already been converted to the practice of Transcendental Meditation, and they brought along John, Paul, and their partners (Ringo's wife Maureen had just given birth, so they didn't come). As we heard back in episode one hundred and fifty, that lecture was impressive enough that the group, plus their wives and girlfriends (with the exception of Maureen Starkey) and Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull, all went on a meditation retreat with the Maharishi at a holiday camp in Bangor, and it was there that they learned that Brian Epstein had been found dead. The death of the man who had guided the group's career could not have come at a worse time for the band's stability. The group had only recorded one song in the preceding two months -- Paul's "Your Mother Should Know" -- and had basically been running on fumes since completing recording of Sgt Pepper many months earlier. John's drug intake had increased to the point that he was barely functional -- although with the enthusiasm of the newly converted he had decided to swear off LSD at the Maharishi's urging -- and his marriage was falling apart. Similarly, Paul McCartney's relationship with Jane Asher was in a bad state, though both men were trying to repair their damaged relationships, while both George and Ringo were having doubts about the band that had made them famous. In George's case, he was feeling marginalised by John and Paul, his songs ignored or paid cursory attention, and there was less for him to do on the records as the group moved away from making guitar-based rock and roll music into the stranger areas of psychedelia. And Ringo, whose main memory of the recording of Sgt Pepper was of learning to play chess while the others went through the extensive overdubs that characterised that album, was starting to feel like his playing was deteriorating, and that as the only non-writer in the band he was on the outside to an extent. On top of that, the group were in the middle of a major plan to restructure their business. As part of their contract renegotiations with EMI at the beginning of 1967, it had been agreed that they would receive two million pounds -- roughly fifteen million pounds in today's money -- in unpaid royalties as a lump sum. If that had been paid to them as individuals, or through the company they owned, the Beatles Ltd, they would have had to pay the full top rate of tax on it, which as George had complained the previous year was over ninety-five percent. (In fact, he'd been slightly exaggerating the generosity of the UK tax system to the rich, as at that point the top rate of income tax was somewhere around ninety-seven and a half percent). But happily for them, a couple of years earlier the UK had restructured its tax laws and introduced a corporation tax, which meant that the profits of corporations were no longer taxed at the same high rate as income. So a new company had been set up, The Beatles & Co, and all the group's non-songwriting income was paid into the company. Each Beatle owned five percent of the company, and the other eighty percent was owned by a new partnership, a corporation that was soon renamed Apple Corps -- a name inspired by a painting that McCartney had liked by the artist Rene Magritte. In the early stages of Apple, it was very entangled with Nems, the company that was owned by Brian and Clive Epstein, and which was in the process of being sold to Robert Stigwood, though that sale fell through after Brian's death. The first part of Apple, Apple Publishing, had been set up in the summer of 1967, and was run by Terry Doran, a friend of Epstein's who ran a motor dealership -- most of the Apple divisions would be run by friends of the group rather than by people with experience in the industries in question. As Apple was set up during the point that Stigwood was getting involved with NEMS, Apple Publishing's initial offices were in the same building with, and shared staff with, two publishing companies that Stigwood owned, Dratleaf Music, who published Cream's songs, and Abigail Music, the Bee Gees' publishers. And indeed the first two songs published by Apple were copyrights that were gifted to the company by Stigwood -- "Listen to the Sky", a B-side by an obscure band called Sands: [Excerpt: Sands, "Listen to the Sky"] And "Outside Woman Blues", an arrangement by Eric Clapton of an old blues song by Blind Joe Reynolds, which Cream had copyrighted separately and released on Disraeli Gears: [Excerpt: Cream, "Outside Woman Blues"] But Apple soon started signing outside songwriters -- once Mike Berry, a member of Apple Publishing's staff, had sat McCartney down and explained to him what music publishing actually was, something he had never actually understood even though he'd been a songwriter for five years. Those songwriters, given that this was 1967, were often also performers, and as Apple Records had not yet been set up, Apple would try to arrange recording contracts for them with other labels. They started with a group called Focal Point, who got signed by badgering Paul McCartney to listen to their songs until he gave them Doran's phone number to shut them up: [Excerpt: Focal Point, "Sycamore Sid"] But the big early hope for Apple Publishing was a songwriter called George Alexander. Alexander's birth name had been Alexander Young, and he was the brother of George Young, who was a member of the Australian beat group The Easybeats, who'd had a hit with "Friday on My Mind": [Excerpt: The Easybeats, "Friday on My Mind"] His younger brothers Malcolm and Angus would go on to have a few hits themselves, but AC/DC wouldn't be formed for another five years. Terry Doran thought that Alexander should be a member of a band, because bands were more popular than solo artists at the time, and so he was placed with three former members of Tony Rivers and the Castaways, a Beach Boys soundalike group that had had some minor success. John Lennon suggested that the group be named Grapefruit, after a book he was reading by a conceptual artist of his acquaintance named Yoko Ono, and as Doran was making arrangements with Terry Melcher for a reciprocal publishing deal by which Melcher's American company would publish Apple songs in the US while Apple published songs from Melcher's company in the UK, it made sense for Melcher to also produce Grapefruit's first single, "Dear Delilah": [Excerpt: Grapefruit, "Dear Delilah"] That made number twenty-one in the UK when it came out in early 1968, on the back of publicity about Grapefruit's connection with the Beatles, but future singles by the band were much less successful, and like several other acts involved with Apple, they found that they were more hampered by the Beatles connection than helped. A few other people were signed to Apple Publishing early on, of whom the most notable was Jackie Lomax. Lomax had been a member of a minor Merseybeat group, the Undertakers, and after they had split up, he'd been signed by Brian Epstein with a new group, the Lomax Alliance, who had released one single, "Try as You May": [Excerpt: The Lomax Alliance, "Try As You May"] After Epstein's death, Lomax had plans to join another band, being formed by another Merseybeat musician, Chris Curtis, the former drummer of the Searchers. But after going to the Beatles to talk with them about them helping the new group financially, Lomax was persuaded by John Lennon to go solo instead. He may later have regretted that decision, as by early 1968 the people that Curtis had recruited for his new band had ditched him and were making a name for themselves as Deep Purple. Lomax recorded one solo single with funding from Stigwood, a cover version of a song by an obscure singer-songwriter, Jake Holmes, "Genuine Imitation Life": [Excerpt: Jackie Lomax, "Genuine Imitation Life"] But he was also signed to Apple Publishing as a songwriter. The Beatles had only just started laying out plans for Apple when Epstein died, and other than the publishing company one of the few things they'd agreed on was that they were going to have a film company, which was to be run by Denis O'Dell, who had been an associate producer on A Hard Day's Night and on How I Won The War, the Richard Lester film Lennon had recently starred in. A few days after Epstein's death, they had a meeting, in which they agreed that the band needed to move forward quickly if they were going to recover from Epstein's death. They had originally been planning on going to India with the Maharishi to study meditation, but they decided to put that off until the new year, and to press forward with a film project Paul had been talking about, to be titled Magical Mystery Tour. And so, on the fifth of September 1967, they went back into the recording studio and started work on a song of John's that was earmarked for the film, "I am the Walrus": [Excerpt: The Beatles, "I am the Walrus"] Magical Mystery Tour, the film, has a mixed reputation which we will talk about shortly, but one defence that Paul McCartney has always made of it is that it's the only place where you can see the Beatles performing "I am the Walrus". While the song was eventually relegated to a B-side, it's possibly the finest B-side of the Beatles' career, and one of the best tracks the group ever made. As with many of Lennon's songs from this period, the song was a collage of many different elements pulled from his environment and surroundings, and turned into something that was rather more than the sum of its parts. For its musical inspiration, Lennon pulled from, of all things, a police siren going past his house. (For those who are unfamiliar with what old British police sirens sounded like, as opposed to the ones in use for most of my lifetime or in other countries, here's a recording of one): [Excerpt: British police siren ca 1968] That inspired Lennon to write a snatch of lyric to go with the sound of the siren, starting "Mister city policeman sitting pretty". He had two other song fragments, one about sitting in the garden, and one about sitting on a cornflake, and he told Hunter Davies, who was doing interviews for his authorised biography of the group, “I don't know how it will all end up. Perhaps they'll turn out to be different parts of the same song.” But the final element that made these three disparate sections into a song was a letter that came from Stephen Bayley, a pupil at Lennon's old school Quarry Bank, who told him that the teachers at the school -- who Lennon always thought of as having suppressed his creativity -- were now analysing Beatles lyrics in their lessons. Lennon decided to come up with some nonsense that they couldn't analyse -- though as nonsensical as the finished song is, there's an underlying anger to a lot of it that possibly comes from Lennon thinking of his school experiences. And so Lennon asked his old schoolfriend Pete Shotton to remind him of a disgusting playground chant that kids used to sing in schools in the North West of England (and which they still sang with very minor variations at my own school decades later -- childhood folklore has a remarkably long life). That rhyme went: Yellow matter custard, green snot pie All mixed up with a dead dog's eye Slap it on a butty, nice and thick, And drink it down with a cup of cold sick Lennon combined some parts of this with half-remembered fragments of Lewis Carrol's The Walrus and the Carpenter, and with some punning references to things that were going on in his own life and those of his friends -- though it's difficult to know exactly which of the stories attached to some of the more incomprehensible bits of the lyrics are accurate. The story that the line "I am the eggman" is about a sexual proclivity of Eric Burdon of the Animals seems plausible, while the contention by some that the phrase "semolina pilchard" is a reference to Sgt Pilcher, the corrupt policeman who had arrested three of the Rolling Stones, and would later arrest Lennon, on drugs charges, seems less likely. The track is a masterpiece of production, but the release of the basic take on Anthology 2 in 1996 showed that the underlying performance, before George Martin worked his magic with the overdubs, is still a remarkable piece of work: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "I am the Walrus (Anthology 2 version)"] But Martin's arrangement and production turned the track from a merely very good track into a masterpiece. The string arrangement, very much in the same mould as that for "Strawberry Fields Forever" but giving a very different effect with its harsh cello glissandi, is the kind of thing one expects from Martin, but there's also the chanting of the Mike Sammes Singers, who were more normally booked for sessions like Englebert Humperdinck's "The Last Waltz": [Excerpt: Engelbert Humperdinck, "The Last Waltz"] But here were instead asked to imitate the sound of the strings, make grunting noises, and generally go very far out of their normal comfort zone: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "I am the Walrus"] But the most fascinating piece of production in the entire track is an idea that seems to have been inspired by people like John Cage -- a live feed of a radio being tuned was played into the mono mix from about the halfway point, and whatever was on the radio at the time was captured: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "I am the Walrus"] This is also why for many decades it was impossible to have a true stereo mix of the track -- the radio part was mixed directly into the mono mix, and it wasn't until the 1990s that someone thought to track down a copy of the original radio broadcasts and recreate the process. In one of those bits of synchronicity that happen more often than you would think when you're creating aleatory art, and which are why that kind of process can be so appealing, one bit of dialogue from the broadcast of King Lear that was on the radio as the mixing was happening was *perfectly* timed: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "I am the Walrus"] After completing work on the basic track for "I am the Walrus", the group worked on two more songs for the film, George's "Blue Jay Way" and a group-composed twelve-bar blues instrumental called "Flying", before starting production. Magical Mystery Tour, as an idea, was inspired in equal parts by Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters, the collective of people we talked about in the episode on the Grateful Dead who travelled across the US extolling the virtues of psychedelic drugs, and by mystery tours, a British working-class tradition that has rather fallen out of fashion in the intervening decades. A mystery tour would generally be put on by a coach-hire company, and would be a day trip to an unannounced location -- though the location would in fact be very predictable, and would be a seaside town within a couple of hours' drive of its starting point. In the case of the ones the Beatles remembered from their own childhoods, this would be to a coastal town in Lancashire or Wales, like Blackpool, Rhyl, or Prestatyn. A coachload of people would pay to be driven to this random location, get very drunk and have a singsong on the bus, and spend a day wherever they were taken. McCartney's plan was simple -- they would gather a group of passengers and replicate this experience over the course of several days, and film whatever went on, but intersperse that with more planned out sketches and musical numbers. For this reason, along with the Beatles and their associates, the cast included some actors found through Spotlight and some of the group's favourite performers, like the comedian Nat Jackley (whose comedy sequence directed by John was cut from the final film) and the surrealist poet/singer/comedian Ivor Cutler: [Excerpt: Ivor Cutler, "I'm Going in a Field"] The film also featured an appearance by a new band who would go on to have great success over the next year, the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. They had recorded their first single in Abbey Road at the same time as the Beatles were recording Revolver, but rather than being progressive psychedelic rock, it had been a remake of a 1920s novelty song: [Excerpt: The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, "My Brother Makes the Noises For the Talkies"] Their performance in Magical Mystery Tour was very different though -- they played a fifties rock pastiche written by band leaders Vivian Stanshall and Neil Innes while a stripper took off her clothes. While several other musical sequences were recorded for the film, including one by the band Traffic and one by Cutler, other than the Beatles tracks only the Bonzos' song made it into the finished film: [Excerpt: The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, "Death Cab for Cutie"] That song, thirty years later, would give its name to a prominent American alternative rock band. Incidentally the same night that Magical Mystery Tour was first broadcast was also the night that the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band first appeared on a TV show, Do Not Adjust Your Set, which featured three future members of the Monty Python troupe -- Eric Idle, Michael Palin, and Terry Jones. Over the years the careers of the Bonzos, the Pythons, and the Beatles would become increasingly intertwined, with George Harrison in particular striking up strong friendships and working relationships with Bonzos Neil Innes and "Legs" Larry Smith. The filming of Magical Mystery Tour went about as well as one might expect from a film made by four directors, none of whom had any previous filmmaking experience, and none of whom had any business knowledge. The Beatles were used to just turning up and having things magically done for them by other people, and had no real idea of the infrastructure challenges that making a film, even a low-budget one, actually presents, and ended up causing a great deal of stress to almost everyone involved. The completed film was shown on TV on Boxing Day 1967 to general confusion and bemusement. It didn't help that it was originally broadcast in black and white, and so for example the scene showing shifting landscapes (outtake footage from Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, tinted various psychedelic colours) over the "Flying" music, just looked like grey fuzz. But also, it just wasn't what people were expecting from a Beatles film. This was a ramshackle, plotless, thing more inspired by Andy Warhol's underground films than by the kind of thing the group had previously appeared in, and it was being presented as Christmas entertainment for all the family. And to be honest, it's not even a particularly good example of underground filmmaking -- though it looks like a masterpiece when placed next to something like the Bee Gees' similar effort, Cucumber Castle. But there are enough interesting sequences in there for the project not to be a complete failure -- and the deleted scenes on the DVD release, including the performances by Cutler and Traffic, and the fact that the film was edited down from ten hours to fifty-two minutes, makes one wonder if there's a better film that could be constructed from the original footage. Either way, the reaction to the film was so bad that McCartney actually appeared on David Frost's TV show the next day to defend it and, essentially, apologise. While they were editing the film, the group were also continuing to work in the studio, including on two new McCartney songs, "The Fool on the Hill", which was included in Magical Mystery Tour, and "Hello Goodbye", which wasn't included on the film's soundtrack but was released as the next single, with "I Am the Walrus" as the B-side: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Hello Goodbye"] Incidentally, in the UK the soundtrack to Magical Mystery Tour was released as a double-EP rather than as an album (in the US, the group's recent singles and B-sides were added to turn it into a full-length album, which is how it's now generally available). "I Am the Walrus" was on the double-EP as well as being on the single's B-side, and the double-EP got to number two on the singles charts, meaning "I am the Walrus" was on the records at number one and number two at the same time. Before it became obvious that the film, if not the soundtrack, was a disaster, the group held a launch party on the twenty-first of December, 1967. The band members went along in fancy dress, as did many of the cast and crew -- the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band performed at the party. Mike Love and Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys also turned up at the party, and apparently at one point jammed with the Bonzos, and according to some, but not all, reports, a couple of the Beatles joined in as well. Love and Johnston had both just met the Maharishi for the first time a couple of days earlier, and Love had been as impressed as the Beatles were, and it may have been at this party that the group mentioned to Love that they would soon be going on a retreat in India with the guru -- a retreat that was normally meant for training TM instructors, but this time seemed to be more about getting celebrities involved. Love would also end up going with them. That party was also the first time that Cynthia Lennon had an inkling that John might not be as faithful to her as she previously supposed. John had always "joked" about being attracted to George Harrison's wife, Patti, but this time he got a little more blatant about his attraction than he ever had previously, to the point that he made Cynthia cry, and Cynthia's friend, the pop star Lulu, decided to give Lennon a very public dressing-down for his cruelty to his wife, a dressing-down that must have been a sight to behold, as Lennon was dressed as a Teddy boy while Lulu was in a Shirley Temple costume. It's a sign of how bad the Lennons' marriage was at this point that this was the second time in a two-month period where Cynthia had ended up crying because of John at a film launch party and been comforted by a female pop star. In October, Cilla Black had held a party to celebrate the belated release of John's film How I Won the War, and during the party Georgie Fame had come up to Black and said, confused, "Cynthia Lennon is hiding in your wardrobe". Black went and had a look, and Cynthia explained to her “I'm waiting to see how long it is before John misses me and comes looking for me.” Black's response had been “You'd better face it, kid—he's never gonna come.” Also at the Magical Mystery Tour party was Lennon's father, now known as Freddie Lennon, and his new nineteen-year-old fiancee. While Hunter Davis had been researching the Beatles' biography, he'd come across some evidence that the version of Freddie's attitude towards John that his mother's side of the family had always told him -- that Freddie had been a cruel and uncaring husband who had not actually wanted to be around his son -- might not be the whole of the truth, and that the mother who he had thought of as saintly might also have had some part to play in their marriage breaking down and Freddie not seeing his son for twenty years. The two had made some tentative attempts at reconciliation, and indeed Freddie would even come and live with John for a while, though within a couple of years the younger Lennon's heart would fully harden against his father again. Of course, the things that John always resented his father for were pretty much exactly the kind of things that Lennon himself was about to do. It was around this time as well that Derek Taylor gave the Beatles copies of the debut album by a young singer/songwriter named Harry Nilsson. Nilsson will be getting his own episode down the line, but not for a couple of years at my current rates, so it's worth bringing that up here, because that album became a favourite of all the Beatles, and would have a huge influence on their songwriting for the next couple of years, and because one song on the album, "1941", must have resonated particularly deeply with Lennon right at this moment -- an autobiographical song by Nilsson about how his father had left him and his mother when he was a small boy, and about his own fear that, as his first marriage broke down, he was repeating the pattern with his stepson Scott: [Excerpt: Nilsson, "1941"] The other major event of December 1967, rather overshadowed by the Magical Mystery Tour disaster the next day, was that on Christmas Day Paul McCartney and Jane Asher announced their engagement. A few days later, George Harrison flew to India. After John and Paul had had their outside film projects -- John starring in How I Won The War and Paul doing the soundtrack for The Family Way -- the other two Beatles more or less simultaneously did their own side project films, and again one acted while the other did a soundtrack. Both of these projects were in the rather odd subgenre of psychedelic shambolic comedy film that sprang up in the mid sixties, a subgenre that produced a lot of fascinating films, though rather fewer good ones. Indeed, both of them were in the subsubgenre of shambolic psychedelic *sex* comedies. In Ringo's case, he had a small role in the film Candy, which was based on the novel we mentioned in the last episode, co-written by Terry Southern, which was in itself a loose modern rewriting of Voltaire's Candide. Unfortunately, like such other classics of this subgenre as Anthony Newley's Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?, Candy has dated *extremely* badly, and unless you find repeated scenes of sexual assault and rape, ethnic stereotypes, and jokes about deformity and disfigurement to be an absolute laugh riot, it's not a film that's worth seeking out, and Starr's part in it is not a major one. Harrison's film was of the same basic genre -- a film called Wonderwall about a mad scientist who discovers a way to see through the walls of his apartment, and gets to see a photographer taking sexy photographs of a young woman named Penny Lane, played by Jane Birkin: [Excerpt: Some Wonderwall film dialogue ripped from the Blu-Ray] Wonderwall would, of course, later inspire the title of a song by Oasis, and that's what the film is now best known for, but it's a less-unwatchable film than Candy, and while still problematic it's less so. Which is something. Harrison had been the Beatle with least involvement in Magical Mystery Tour -- McCartney had been the de facto director, Starr had been the lead character and the only one with much in the way of any acting to do, and Lennon had written the film's standout scene and its best song, and had done a little voiceover narration. Harrison, by contrast, barely has anything to do in the film apart from the one song he contributed, "Blue Jay Way", and he said of the project “I had no idea what was happening and maybe I didn't pay enough attention because my problem, basically, was that I was in another world, I didn't really belong; I was just an appendage.” He'd expressed his discomfort to his friend Joe Massot, who was about to make his first feature film. Massot had got to know Harrison during the making of his previous film, Reflections on Love, a mostly-silent short which had starred Harrison's sister-in-law Jenny Boyd, and which had been photographed by Robert Freeman, who had been the photographer for the Beatles' album covers from With the Beatles through Rubber Soul, and who had taken most of the photos that Klaus Voorman incorporated into the cover of Revolver (and whose professional association with the Beatles seemed to come to an end around the same time he discovered that Lennon had been having an affair with his wife). Massot asked Harrison to write the music for the film, and told Harrison he would have complete free rein to make whatever music he wanted, so long as it fit the timing of the film, and so Harrison decided to create a mixture of Western rock music and the Indian music he loved. Harrison started recording the music at the tail end of 1967, with sessions with several London-based Indian musicians and John Barham, an orchestrator who had worked with Ravi Shankar on Shankar's collaborations with Western musicians, including the Alice in Wonderland soundtrack we talked about in the "All You Need is Love" episode. For the Western music, he used the Remo Four, a Merseybeat group who had been on the scene even before the Beatles, and which contained a couple of classmates of Paul McCartney, but who had mostly acted as backing musicians for other artists. They'd backed Johnny Sandon, the former singer with the Searchers, on a couple of singles, before becoming the backing band for Tommy Quickly, a NEMS artist who was unsuccessful despite starting his career with a Lennon/McCartney song, "Tip of My Tongue": [Excerpt: Tommy Quickly, "Tip of My Tongue"] The Remo Four would later, after a lineup change, become Ashton, Gardner and Dyke, who would become one-hit wonders in the seventies, and during the Wonderwall sessions they recorded a song that went unreleased at the time, and which would later go on to be rerecorded by Ashton, Gardner, and Dyke. "In the First Place" also features Harrison on backing vocals and possibly guitar, and was not submitted for the film because Harrison didn't believe that Massot wanted any vocal tracks, but the recording was later discovered and used in a revised director's cut of the film in the nineties: [Excerpt: The Remo Four, "In the First Place"] But for the most part the Remo Four were performing instrumentals written by Harrison. They weren't the only Western musicians performing on the sessions though -- Peter Tork of the Monkees dropped by these sessions and recorded several short banjo solos, which were used in the film soundtrack but not in the soundtrack album (presumably because Tork was contracted to another label): [Excerpt: Peter Tork, "Wonderwall banjo solo"] Another musician who was under contract to another label was Eric Clapton, who at the time was playing with The Cream, and who vaguely knew Harrison and so joined in for the track "Ski-ing", playing lead guitar under the cunning, impenetrable, pseudonym "Eddie Clayton", with Harrison on sitar, Starr on drums, and session guitarist Big Jim Sullivan on bass: [Excerpt: George Harrison, "Ski-ing"] But the bulk of the album was recorded in EMI's studios in the city that is now known as Mumbai but at the time was called Bombay. The studio facilities in India had up to that point only had a mono tape recorder, and Bhaskar Menon, one of the top executives at EMI's Indian division and later the head of EMI music worldwide, personally brought the first stereo tape recorder to the studio to aid in Harrison's recording. The music was all composed by Harrison and performed by the Indian musicians, and while Harrison was composing in an Indian mode, the musicians were apparently fascinated by how Western it sounded to them: [Excerpt: George Harrison, "Microbes"] While he was there, Harrison also got the instrumentalists to record another instrumental track, which wasn't to be used for the film: [Excerpt: George Harrison, "The Inner Light (instrumental)"] That track would, instead, become part of what was to be Harrison's first composition to make a side of a Beatles single. After John and George had appeared on the David Frost show talking about the Maharishi, in September 1967, George had met a lecturer in Sanskrit named Juan Mascaró, who wrote to Harrison enclosing a book he'd compiled of translations of religious texts, telling him he'd admired "Within You Without You" and thought it would be interesting if Harrison set something from the Tao Te Ching to music. He suggested a text that, in his translation, read: "Without going out of my door I can know all things on Earth Without looking out of my window I can know the ways of heaven For the farther one travels, the less one knows The sage, therefore Arrives without travelling Sees all without looking Does all without doing" Harrison took that text almost verbatim, though he created a second verse by repeating the first few lines with "you" replacing "I" -- concerned that listeners might think he was just talking about himself, and wouldn't realise it was a more general statement -- and he removed the "the sage, therefore" and turned the last few lines into imperative commands rather than declarative statements: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "The Inner Light"] The song has come in for some criticism over the years as being a little Orientalist, because in critics' eyes it combines Chinese philosophy with Indian music, as if all these things are equally "Eastern" and so all the same really. On the other hand there's a good argument that an English songwriter taking a piece of writing written in Chinese and translated into English by a Spanish man and setting it to music inspired by Indian musical modes is a wonderful example of cultural cross-pollination. As someone who's neither Chinese nor Indian I wouldn't want to take a stance on it, but clearly the other Beatles were impressed by it -- they put it out as the B-side to their next single, even though the only Beatles on it are Harrison and McCartney, with the latter adding a small amount of harmony vocal: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "The Inner Light"] And it wasn't because the group were out of material. They were planning on going to Rishikesh to study with the Maharishi, and wanted to get a single out for release while they were away, and so in one week they completed the vocal overdubs on "The Inner Light" and recorded three other songs, two by John and one by Paul. All three of the group's songwriters brought in songs that were among their best. John's first contribution was a song whose lyrics he later described as possibly the best he ever wrote, "Across the Universe". He said the lyrics were “purely inspirational and were given to me as boom! I don't own it, you know; it came through like that … Such an extraordinary meter and I can never repeat it! It's not a matter of craftsmanship, it wrote itself. It drove me out of bed. I didn't want to write it … It's like being possessed, like a psychic or a medium.” But while Lennon liked the song, he was never happy with the recording of it. They tried all sorts of things to get the sound he heard in his head, including bringing in some fans who were hanging around outside to sing backing vocals. He said of the track "I was singing out of tune and instead of getting a decent choir, we got fans from outside, Apple Scruffs or whatever you call them. They came in and were singing all off-key. Nobody was interested in doing the tune originally.” [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Across the Universe"] The "jai guru deva" chorus there is the first reference to the teachings of the Maharishi in one of the Beatles' records -- Guru Dev was the Maharishi's teacher, and the phrase "Jai guru dev" is a Sanskrit one which I've seen variously translated as "victory to the great teacher", and "hail to the greatness within you". Lennon would say shortly before his death “The Beatles didn't make a good record out of it. I think subconsciously sometimes we – I say ‘we' though I think Paul did it more than the rest of us – Paul would sort of subconsciously try and destroy a great song … Usually we'd spend hours doing little detailed cleaning-ups of Paul's songs, when it came to mine, especially if it was a great song like ‘Strawberry Fields' or ‘Across The Universe', somehow this atmosphere of looseness and casualness and experimentation would creep in … It was a _lousy_ track of a great song and I was so disappointed by it …The guitars are out of tune and I'm singing out of tune because I'm psychologically destroyed and nobody's supporting me or helping me with it, and the song was never done properly.” Of course, this is only Lennon's perception, and it's one that the other participants would disagree with. George Martin, in particular, was always rather hurt by the implication that Lennon's songs had less attention paid to them, and he would always say that the problem was that Lennon in the studio would always say "yes, that's great", and only later complain that it hadn't been what he wanted. No doubt McCartney did put in more effort on his own songs than on Lennon's -- everyone has a bias towards their own work, and McCartney's only human -- but personally I suspect that a lot of the problem comes down to the two men having very different personalities. McCartney had very strong ideas about his own work and would drive the others insane with his nitpicky attention to detail. Lennon had similarly strong ideas, but didn't have the attention span to put the time and effort in to force his vision on others, and didn't have the technical knowledge to express his ideas in words they'd understand. He expected Martin and the other Beatles to work miracles, and they did -- but not the miracles he would have worked. That track was, rather than being chosen for the next single, given to Spike Milligan, who happened to be visiting the studio and was putting together an album for the environmental charity the World Wildlife Fund. The album was titled "No One's Gonna Change Our World": [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Across the Universe"] That track is historic in another way -- it would be the last time that George Harrison would play sitar on a Beatles record, and it effectively marks the end of the period of psychedelia and Indian influence that had started with "Norwegian Wood" three years earlier, and which many fans consider their most creative period. Indeed, shortly after the recording, Harrison would give up the sitar altogether and stop playing it. He loved sitar music as much as he ever had, and he still thought that Indian classical music spoke to him in ways he couldn't express, and he continued to be friends with Ravi Shankar for the rest of his life, and would only become more interested in Indian religious thought. But as he spent time with Shankar he realised he would never be as good on the sitar as he hoped. He said later "I thought, 'Well, maybe I'm better off being a pop singer-guitar-player-songwriter – whatever-I'm-supposed-to-be' because I've seen a thousand sitar-players in India who are twice as better as I'll ever be. And only one of them Ravi thought was going to be a good player." We don't have a precise date for when it happened -- I suspect it was in June 1968, so a few months after the "Across the Universe" recording -- but Shankar told Harrison that rather than try to become a master of a music that he hadn't encountered until his twenties, perhaps he should be making the music that was his own background. And as Harrison put it "I realised that was riding my bike down a street in Liverpool and hearing 'Heartbreak Hotel' coming out of someone's house.": [Excerpt: Elvis Presley, "Heartbreak Hotel"] In early 1968 a lot of people seemed to be thinking along the same lines, as if Christmas 1967 had been the flick of a switch and instead of whimsy and ornamentation, the thing to do was to make music that was influenced by early rock and roll. In the US the Band and Bob Dylan were making music that was consciously shorn of all studio experimentation, while in the UK there was a revival of fifties rock and roll. In April 1968 both "Peggy Sue" and "Rock Around the Clock" reentered the top forty in the UK, and the Who were regularly including "Summertime Blues" in their sets. Fifties nostalgia, which would make occasional comebacks for at least the next forty years, was in its first height, and so it's not surprising that Paul McCartney's song, "Lady Madonna", which became the A-side of the next single, has more than a little of the fifties about it. Of course, the track isn't *completely* fifties in its origins -- one of the inspirations for the track seems to have been the Rolling Stones' then-recent hit "Let's Spend The Night Together": [Excerpt: The Rolling Stones, "Let's Spend the Night Together"] But the main source for the song's music -- and for the sound of the finished record -- seems to have been Johnny Parker's piano part on Humphrey Lyttleton's "Bad Penny Blues", a hit single engineered by Joe Meek in the fifties: [Excerpt: Humphrey Lyttleton, "Bad Penny Blues"] That song seems to have been on the group's mind for a while, as a working title for "With a Little Help From My Friends" had at one point been "Bad Finger Blues" -- a title that would later give the name to a band on Apple. McCartney took Parker's piano part as his inspiration, and as he later put it “‘Lady Madonna' was me sitting down at the piano trying to write a bluesy boogie-woogie thing. I got my left hand doing an arpeggio thing with the chord, an ascending boogie-woogie left hand, then a descending right hand. I always liked that, the juxtaposition of a line going down meeting a line going up." [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Lady Madonna"] That idea, incidentally, is an interesting reversal of what McCartney had done on "Hello, Goodbye", where the bass line goes down while the guitar moves up -- the two lines moving away from each other: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Hello Goodbye"] Though that isn't to say there's no descending bass in "Lady Madonna" -- the bridge has a wonderful sequence where the bass just *keeps* *descending*: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Lady Madonna"] Lyrically, McCartney was inspired by a photo in National Geographic of a woman in Malaysia, captioned “Mountain Madonna: with one child at her breast and another laughing into her face, sees her quality of life threatened.” But as he put it “The people I was brought up amongst were often Catholic; there are lots of Catholics in Liverpool because of the Irish connection and they are often religious. When they have a baby I think they see a big connection between themselves and the Virgin Mary with her baby. So the original concept was the Virgin Mary but it quickly became symbolic of every woman; the Madonna image but as applied to ordinary working class woman. It's really a tribute to the mother figure, it's a tribute to women.” Musically though, the song was more a tribute to the fifties -- while the inspiration had been a skiffle hit by Humphrey Lyttleton, as soon as McCartney started playing it he'd thought of Fats Domino, and the lyric reflects that to an extent -- just as Domino's "Blue Monday" details the days of the week for a weary working man who only gets to enjoy himself on Saturday night, "Lady Madonna"'s lyrics similarly look at the work a mother has to do every day -- though as McCartney later noted "I was writing the words out to learn it for an American TV show and I realised I missed out Saturday ... So I figured it must have been a real night out." The vocal was very much McCartney doing a Domino impression -- something that wasn't lost on Fats, who cut his own version of the track later that year: [Excerpt: Fats Domino, "Lady Madonna"] The group were so productive at this point, right before the journey to India, that they actually cut another song *while they were making a video for "Lady Madonna"*. They were booked into Abbey Road to film themselves performing the song so it could be played on Top of the Pops while they were away, but instead they decided to use the time to cut a new song -- John had a partially-written song, "Hey Bullfrog", which was roughly the same tempo as "Lady Madonna", so they could finish that up and then re-edit the footage to match the record. The song was quickly finished and became "Hey Bulldog": [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Hey Bulldog"] One of Lennon's best songs from this period, "Hey Bulldog" was oddly chosen only to go on the soundtrack of Yellow Submarine. Either the band didn't think much of it because it had come so easily, or it was just assigned to the film because they were planning on being away for several months and didn't have any other projects they were working on. The extent of the group's contribution to the film was minimal – they were not very hands-on, and the film, which was mostly done as an attempt to provide a third feature film for their United Artists contract without them having to do any work, was made by the team that had done the Beatles cartoon on American TV. There's some evidence that they had a small amount of input in the early story stages, but in general they saw the cartoon as an irrelevance to them -- the only things they contributed were the four songs "All Together Now", "It's All Too Much", "Hey Bulldog" and "Only a Northern Song", and a brief filmed appearance for the very end of the film, recorded in January: [Excerpt: Yellow Submarine film end] McCartney also took part in yet another session in early February 1968, one produced by Peter Asher, his fiancee's brother, and former singer with Peter and Gordon. Asher had given up on being a pop star and was trying to get into the business side of music, and he was starting out as a producer, producing a single by Paul Jones, the former lead singer of Manfred Mann. The A-side of the single, "And the Sun Will Shine", was written by the Bee Gees, the band that Robert Stigwood was managing: [Excerpt: Paul Jones, "And the Sun Will Shine"] While the B-side was an original by Jones, "The Dog Presides": [Excerpt: Paul Jones, "The Dog Presides"] Those tracks featured two former members of the Yardbirds, Jeff Beck and Paul Samwell-Smith, on guitar and bass, and Nicky Hopkins on piano. Asher asked McCartney to play drums on both sides of the single, saying later "I always thought he was a great, underrated drummer." McCartney was impressed by Asher's production, and asked him to get involved with the new Apple Records label that would be set up when the group returned from India. Asher eventually became head of A&R for the label. And even before "Lady Madonna" was mixed, the Beatles were off to India. Mal Evans, their roadie, went ahead with all their luggage on the fourteenth of February, so he could sort out transport for them on the other end, and then John and George followed on the fifteenth, with their wives Pattie and Cynthia and Pattie's sister Jenny (John and Cynthia's son Julian had been left with his grandmother while they went -- normally Cynthia wouldn't abandon Julian for an extended period of time, but she saw the trip as a way to repair their strained marriage). Paul and Ringo followed four days later, with Ringo's wife Maureen and Paul's fiancee Jane Asher. The retreat in Rishikesh was to become something of a celebrity affair. Along with the Beatles came their friend the singer-songwriter Donovan, and Donovan's friend and songwriting partner, whose name I'm not going to say here because it's a slur for Romani people, but will be known to any Donovan fans. Donovan at this point was also going through changes. Like the Beatles, he was largely turning away from drug use and towards meditation, and had recently written his hit single "There is a Mountain" based around a saying from Zen Buddhism: [Excerpt: Donovan, "There is a Mountain"] That was from his double-album A Gift From a Flower to a Garden, which had come out in December 1967. But also like John and Paul he was in the middle of the breakdown of a long-term relationship, and while he would remain with his then-partner until 1970, and even have another child with her, he was secretly in love with another woman. In fact he was secretly in love with two other women. One of them, Brian Jones' ex-girlfriend Linda, had moved to LA, become the partner of the singer Gram Parsons, and had appeared in the documentary You Are What You Eat with the Band and Tiny Tim. She had fallen out of touch with Donovan, though she would later become his wife. Incidentally, she had a son to Brian Jones who had been abandoned by his rock-star father -- the son's name is Julian. The other woman with whom Donovan was in love was Jenny Boyd, the sister of George Harrison's wife Pattie. Jenny at the time was in a relationship with Alexis Mardas, a TV repairman and huckster who presented himself as an electronics genius to the Beatles, who nicknamed him Magic Alex, and so she was unavailable, but Donovan had written a song about her, released as a single just before they all went to Rishikesh: [Excerpt: Donovan, "Jennifer Juniper"] Donovan considered himself and George Harrison to be on similar spiritual paths and called Harrison his "spirit-brother", though Donovan was more interested in Buddhism, which Harrison considered a corruption of the more ancient Hinduism, and Harrison encouraged Donovan to read Autobiography of a Yogi. It's perhaps worth noting that Donovan's father had a different take on the subject though, saying "You're not going to study meditation in India, son, you're following that wee lassie Jenny" Donovan and his friend weren't the only other celebrities to come to Rishikesh. The actor Mia Farrow, who had just been through a painful divorce from Frank Sinatra, and had just made Rosemary's Baby, a horror film directed by Roman Polanski with exteriors shot at the Dakota building in New York, arrived with her sister Prudence. Also on the trip was Paul Horn, a jazz saxophonist who had played with many of the greats of jazz, not least of them Duke Ellington, whose Sweet Thursday Horn had played alto sax on: [Excerpt: Duke Ellington, "Zweet Zursday"] Horn was another musician who had been inspired to investigate Indian spirituality and music simultaneously, and the previous year he had recorded an album, "In India," of adaptations of ragas, with Ravi Shankar and Alauddin Khan: [Excerpt: Paul Horn, "Raga Vibhas"] Horn would go on to become one of the pioneers of what would later be termed "New Age" music, combining jazz with music from various non-Western traditions. Horn had also worked as a session musician, and one of the tracks he'd played on was "I Know There's an Answer" from the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds album: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "I Know There's an Answer"] Mike Love, who co-wrote that track and is one of the lead singers on it, was also in Rishikesh. While as we'll see not all of the celebrities on the trip would remain practitioners of Transcendental Meditation, Love would be profoundly affected by the trip, and remains a vocal proponent of TM to this day. Indeed, his whole band at the time were heavily into TM. While Love was in India, the other Beach Boys were working on the Friends album without him -- Love only appears on four tracks on that album -- and one of the tracks they recorded in his absence was titled "Transcendental Meditation": [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Transcendental Meditation"] But the trip would affect Love's songwriting, as it would affect all of the musicians there. One of the few songs on the Friends album on which Love appears is "Anna Lee, the Healer", a song which is lyrically inspired by the trip in the most literal sense, as it's about a masseuse Love met in Rishikesh: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Anna Lee, the Healer"] The musicians in the group all influenced and inspired each other as is likely to happen in such circumstances. Sometimes, it would be a matter of trivial joking, as when the Beatles decided to perform an off-the-cuff song about Guru Dev, and did it in the Beach Boys style: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Spiritual Regeneration"] And that turned partway through into a celebration of Love for his birthday: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Spiritual Regeneration"] Decades later, Love would return the favour, writing a song about Harrison and their time together in Rishikesh. Like Donovan, Love seems to have considered Harrison his "spiritual brother", and he titled the song "Pisces Brothers": [Excerpt: Mike Love, "Pisces Brothers"] The musicians on the trip were also often making suggestions to each other about songs that would become famous for them. The musicians had all brought acoustic guitars, apart obviously from Ringo, who got a set of tabla drums when George ordered some Indian instruments to be delivered. George got a sitar, as at this point he hadn't quite given up on the instrument, and he gave Donovan a tamboura. Donovan started playing a melody on the tamboura, which is normally a drone instrument, inspired by the Scottish folk music he had grown up with, and that became his "Hurdy-Gurdy Man": [Excerpt: Donovan, "Hurdy Gurdy Man"] Harrison actually helped him with the song, writing a final verse inspired by the Maharishi's teachings, but in the studio Donovan's producer Mickie Most told him to cut the verse because the song was overlong, which apparently annoyed Harrison. Donovan includes that verse in his live performances of the song though -- usually while doing a fairly terrible impersonation of Harrison: [Excerpt: Donovan, "Hurdy Gurdy Man (live)"] And similarly, while McCartney was working on a song pastiching Chuck Berry and the Beach Boys, but singing about the USSR rather than the USA, Love suggested to him that for a middle-eight he might want to sing about the girls in the various Soviet regions: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Back in the USSR"] As all the guitarists on the retreat only had acoustic instruments, they were very keen to improve their acoustic playing, and they turned to Donovan, who unlike the rest of them was primarily an acoustic player, and one from a folk background. Donovan taught them the rudiments of Travis picking, the guitar style we talked about way back in the episodes on the Everly Brothers, as well as some of the tunings that had been introduced to British folk music by Davey Graham, giving them a basic grounding in the principles of English folk-baroque guitar, a style that had developed over the previous few years. Donovan has said in his autobiography that Lennon picked the technique up quickly (and that Harrison had already learned Travis picking from Chet Atkins records) but that McCartney didn't have the application to learn the style, though he picked up bits. That seems very unlike anything else I've read anywhere about Lennon and McCartney -- no-one has ever accused Lennon of having a surfeit of application -- and reading Donovan's book he seems to dislike McCartney and like Lennon and Harrison, so possibly that enters into it. But also, it may just be that Lennon was more receptive to Donovan's style at the time. According to McCartney, even before going to Rishikesh Lennon had been in a vaguely folk-music and country mode, and the small number of tapes he'd brought with him to Rishikesh included Buddy Holly, Dylan, and the progressive folk band The Incredible String Band, whose music would be a big influence on both Lennon and McCartney for the next year: [Excerpt: The Incredible String Band, "First Girl I Loved"] According to McCartney Lennon also brought "a tape the singer Jake Thackray had done for him... He was one of the people we bumped into at Abbey Road. John liked his stuff, which he'd heard on television. Lots of wordplay and very suggestive, so very much up John's alley. I was fascinated by his unusual guitar style. John did ‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun' as a Jake Thackray thing at one point, as I recall.” Thackray was a British chansonnier, who sang sweetly poignant but also often filthy songs about Yorkshire life, and his humour in particular will have appealed to Lennon. There's a story of Lennon meeting Thackray in Abbey Road and singing the whole of Thackray's song "The Statues", about two drunk men fighting a male statue to defend the honour of a female statue, to him: [Excerpt: Jake Thackray, "The Statues"] Given this was the music that Lennon was listening to, it's unsurprising that he was more receptive to Donovan's lessons, and the new guitar style he learned allowed him to expand his songwriting, at precisely the same time he was largely clean of drugs for the first time in several years, and he started writing some of the best songs he would ever write, often using these new styles: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Julia"] That song is about Lennon's dead mother -- the first time he ever addressed her directly in a song, though it would be far from the last -- but it's also about someone else. That phrase "Ocean child" is a direct translation of the Japanese name "Yoko". We've talked about Yoko Ono a bit in recent episodes, and even briefly in a previous Beatles episode, but it's here that she really enters the story of the Beatles. Unfortunately, exactly *how* her relationship with John Lennon, which was to become one of the great legendary love stories in rock and roll history, actually started is the subject of some debate. Both of them were married when they first got together, and there have also been suggestions that Ono was more interested in McCartney than in Lennon at first -- suggestions which everyone involved has denied, and those denials have the ring of truth about them, but if that was the case it would also explain some of Lennon's more perplexing behaviour over the next year. By all accounts there was a certain amount of finessing of the story th
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
