Podcast appearances and mentions of tommy scott

Welcome to episode #224! We dust off our microphones and catch up with latest scuttlebutt and cruise happenings in Southern California. The competition is heating up again and we are going to see new cruise ships and even a new cruise line coming to the west coast!  Are you ready for Real ID, renewing your passport or traveling to Europe soon? We have some updates and information for you. And finally, we share about the beautiful and stunning Sun Princess. Princess Cruises has launched its first Sphere Class ship and it is truly a luxurious ship with fine dining experiences, unique entertainment shows, and introducing Spellbound by Magic Castle, a spectacular new magical venue. Tommy shares about his time aboard this phenomenal cruise ship. Enjoy the show! Tommy & Scott

Traveling to and from a cruise port can be a challenge especially if you are unfamiliar with the area. Ride sharing services and vehicles aren't able to handle a family, luggage and such. What other options are available? Recently, Scott and his family travelled to Texas for a cruise and they hired a private car service for the first time and had a very interesting conversation with their driver. A impromptu interview was recorded about the features and benefits of hiring a private car service for your upcoming cruise. You will ride in style and comfort, and start your next cruise vacation worry free. Enjoy the show! Tommy & Scott 

Hey Cruisers!  The last few months of 2024 was a whirlwind of cruising and busyness, but still we have a lot of catching up to do and audio content to share.  The decision was made to produce a few “flashback” episodes along the way as 2025 gets underway. On this new episode, we gathered with  amazing cruise content creators to share our thoughts and excitement about our upcoming media cruise on Sun Princess!  It's a rare and unique opportunity to have Don @eatsleepcruise, Sheri @cruisetipstv, Doug @cruiseradio Ilana @lifewellcruised and JT @cruisingwithjt all in one place at the same time. It was truly such a special moment - thank you friends!  And next up, Cruise Director Corinne Steele shares her nautical journeys and things you should not miss seeing, doing and of course, eating on Sun Princess.  We hope you enjoy this special flashback episode! #sunprincess #princesscruises #cruise #cruising #food #travel #hosted Happy Cruising! Tommy & Scott

During the Thanksgiving holiday, Scott and his family cruised the Western Caribbean on the stunning Regal Princess. Scott was able to spend some time with Cruise Director Olivia and record a very special interview about her life's journey in the cruise industry. It is fascinating and very insightful that we are sure you will enjoy to hear. Thank you Olivia for coming on to the podcast! Enjoy the show! Tommy & Scott

Hey Cruisers! Scott just recently sailed on the Majestic Princess on a wonderful repositioning cruise from Vancouver, British Columbia to Los Angeles, California. He had fantastic opportunity to interview cruise director Jason Allen and he shares five important things about the Majestic Princess that we need to know. We think that you will find this information entertaining and insightful with Jason and Scott. Happy Cruising! - Tommy & Scott 

Have you wondered what kind of special deals and offers you can get when you visit the Future Cruise  office? Scott recently was on the Majestic Princess and had the opportunity to speak with Brandon and asked all the questions. This in-depth interview will give you all the answers that you have been looking for to book that perfect future cruise. Now is the time to treat yourself and your family with that special vacation of a lifetime that will make memories you will cherish forever.  Enjoy the show! Tommy & Scott

Royce and Donald, along with the Royce Glamour Show International Political Analyst, Max Blair,and Doctor Al Greer, Ron Shields, Tommy Scott, and Ronald gaines, chat about the election.

With school now back in session and as we are entering into Fall, we take some time to share about our summer vacations. Scott and his first mate Pam, sailed on the Navigator of the Seas to Mexico for a time of relaxation and fun. Then Scott flew back East to join up with his daughter Dyllen for a road trip with a stop at the Niagra Falls. And they even took an exhilarating boat cruise to the bottom edge of the majestic falls. What memorable and incredible experiences! Enjoy the new show! - Tommy & Scott

In this episode, Michael Frampton catches up with renowned surfer and coach Matt Grainger to talk about the highs and lows of surfing, the challenges of big waves, and the innovations in the sport. Matt shares his experiences with heavy waves, gnarly wipeouts, and the current state of surfing on the Sydney Northern Beaches. The discussion dives into the recent swells, the changing conditions, and how they impact surfers of all levels.Matt also discusses his latest project, the "Surfer's Compass" app, a comprehensive guide for surfers to improve their techniques, mindset, and fitness. He shares the inspiration behind the app, the process of its development, and the exciting features that it will offer. Episode Highlights:Matt's Recent Surf Trip to Indonesia: Matt shares the story of his recent trip to Indonesia, where he suffered a significant head injury after a day of surfing at Macaronis. He details the moment the injury occurred, the aftermath, and the crucial steps taken to avoid infection.The Importance of Surf Safety: Despite years of experience, Matt explains how ego and overconfidence led to a dangerous situation. He emphasizes the importance of wearing a helmet in heavy conditions and the risks of surfing over shallow reefs.Injury Management and Recovery: Matt provides valuable insights into managing injuries in remote locations, including the use of bottled water, antibiotics, and proper wound care to prevent infections from coral cuts.Mobility and Strength Training for Surfers: As a coach, Matt discusses the significance of maintaining mobility and strength as surfers age. He highlights the role of a balanced training program in injury prevention and long-term surfing performance.Mindset and Longevity in Surfing: Matt touches on the importance of a positive mindset, quoting Bruce Lee on the power of words and how they influence our physical and mental well-being. He encourages surfers to stay active, eat well, and maintain a youthful outlook to continue enjoying the sport well into their later years..Surf Culture Evolution: The changes in surfing culture, including the influx of new surfers and the impact on traditional breaks."Surfer's Compass" App: Insight into Matt's development of this app, aimed at improving surfing techniques, fitness, and mental strategies.For more insights and tips from Matt Grainger:Follow Matt Grainger:Instagram: mattgraingersurf.Linkedin:: Matt GraingeFollow Michael John Frampton:Instagram: @surfmasteryWebsite: https://surfmastery.com/.Full Show Transcript:[00:00:00] Matt Grainger: I think so. You look at all the surfers now. It's all legs. Hardly any upper body. Only back and legs. You don't want any chest, and you don't want to overload the shoulders as well in your rotator cuff. Exercises are really good. So light weights on the shoulders, nothing heavy. So you can still get that mobility in your padel. And you've got the power for your back for your paddle. So a lot of the strength training is like just Olympic rings, pull ups, maybe some skin. The cat. Um, um, dumbbell pull ups as well off the bench, all that kind of stuff. And then a lot of, a lot of, um, obviously squats with the. [00:00:40] Michael Frampton: Back to the Surf Mastery podcast. I am your host, Michael Frampton, and the ethos of this show is education and inspiration for better surfing and a better surfing life. And Matt Grainger, today's guest, not only was a huge part in the inspiration for the birth of this show, but he epitomizes that ethos as well. He is in his mid 50s now, and he's still out there surfing a ton and stays fit and healthy for surfing, and also teaches others to be better surfers and better people through better surfing mindset, health and fitness, etc. Matt is just a pure inspiration in the surfing world and just an absolute frother and a rips. He rips. He's an incredible surfer and stoked to get him back on the show. And like I said, he first appeared back in episode number one. He's. This will be his fourth appearance. Uh, he also appeared in episode 30 and episode 55 as well. And, uh, without further ado, I shall fade in my conversation. My fourth conversation on this podcast with Matt Grainger from Manly Surf School. How did it happen? Was it just a freak random thing, or was it a lapse in concentration or what? [00:02:07] Matt Grainger: Yeah, it was a bit of the ego took over and ego took over. Um, we'd had. Every day was the best day ever. We had this the first swell in June. And, um, this one day just got bigger and bigger, and it had a lot of south in it. There was two swells. It was like a south swell and a bit of south west as well. So you could get a chip in, you could chip in from behind, behind the tower, and you could backdoor where you'd usually take off. So you'd get like more barrel time. And I was riding this magic six zero Psi Pro, one that I've had for about a year. Felt unreal under my feet. Been riding it for days straight. And then, um, this guy Sean came out from South Africa. He rocked up on a boat. Him and I started paddling up the reef and just trading wave after wave and making him. So just making these unbelievable tubes and no one came up there because, you know, it was pretty gnarly. So if you fell, it was like two foot deep and it was like an eight foot swell. So when Max, probably 8 to 10, you probably saw footage of Nathan Florence. I don't know if you saw some of the footage of him and he's it was like 10 to 12 foot hits that day, whereas Max doesn't get bigger, it just gets thicker. So it's probably 6 to 8 foot, but really thick, like a chokes kind of way. You get this, you can make this really nice drop and then come in with speed. [00:03:28] Matt Grainger: And just if you made it, you're fine. But if you didn't make it, that's what happened. So after five hours, I actually wasn't even tired. I was after like five hours, I was just just getting cocky and I probably should have gone in. It was more like one more, one more. And Shaun and I were trying to outdo each other, and he he actually snapped his board, his board on his last wave, and I snapped my head, but I took off, made. It made. The drop. Drop was on the foam ball. As I was pumping on the foam ball, the wave turned the corner. So kind of that south west angle of the way though, turned a massive corner. So I've just got catapulted on the foam ball and I got thrown out head first, and that's as soon as my head landed, the lip hit the back of my neck and just drove me straight into the reef, like, instantly. It was only like two foot deep. It was low tide and I just it was just like, bang. I was like, no, I got a bit on here. And then I went into worry, went into warrior mode. You know, when you when I'd said us the way, way my eyes. Okay. It's actually got a cut there as well. So I've got to cut. I got cut either side. I got cuts either side of the nose down here on the bottom of the nose as well on this eye. [00:04:43] Matt Grainger: And obviously here I have about 25 stitches here, five stitches here. And I just went I knew the session was over and I just paddled back. Everyone was like, we'll get a boat. Everyone's screaming, get a boat, get a boat! That's it. I'm like, I'm good, I'm good. Getting myself back almost on my own. You know, like one guy got scared. Good on ya. Um, this guy Hans from America. He goes, good on you, tough guy. I'm like, nah, I've got this, I got this. Anyway. So I went back and got on the pontoon and just started pouring bottled water over my head. And then I got the boat back to Max and then looked for Shaz, and she was already stitching up my brother. He had a little cut on his back. So. And then someone said,, Matt's looking for you. Cut his head and neck. And she thought,, if he's asking for something, he's in a bad way. So then she saw my head and she thought I'd cracked. I'd actually, like, fractured my skull, but it was actually bits of coral coming out of my head. .Far out. So she pulled that, pulled the bits of coral out. He got some local, which was good. We'll just put it in the carts and then pulling bits of coral out the tweezers, and then got a toothbrush for an hour and just scrubbing it. That was the gnarly part. I just had to. [00:06:01] Michael Frampton: Scrubbing and all this peroxide or iodine or something. Yeah. [00:06:04] Matt Grainger: With, um. Yeah. Just with, um. Yeah. Like light alcohol. Yeah. Just. And just so you don't kill the flesh too much. Like, not too gnarly. Um, but just getting it all out, and that's. I reckon that saved me for sure. And then obviously took about two hours to stitch up, which was gnarly. And I was just doing I've been doing a lot of breath training like coaching, apnea training. And I saw resonance breathing, which is like a second inhale six second exhale. . So just going into that just and that helped big time. That was like a three hour ordeal which could have been a long time. Felt like a long time. But it wasn't as long as I thought. And then she put like a face mask over it so I couldn't see. And then, um, yeah, The rest is history. And then I surfed the next day., you did not. Yeah I know. He taped it up. I just said, I'll get two. I'll get one. Wait, I'll get one wave. And I did some tests, like I was jumping on one leg to see if I had concussion and then, no, I'm not well in the head anyway, uh, and then I came. I wore a helmet, of course, and then I didn't surf for after that day. I didn't surf for three and a half days. And then after that I was good to go because I was on. [00:07:21] Matt Grainger: I was having, uh, four courses of antibiotics. I four, four tablets of antibiotics every day, washing it with, um, fresh water. And we're getting she was breaking up antibiotics and putting it inside the cup as well. Yeah. And she and she left a little bit of one of the gnarly cuts. Didn't do it too tight. So bits of coral would still come out if it did. There's still little bits popping out, far out. But yeah. So I'm wearing a helmet from now on when it's gnarly like that. So I went to G-land. After that we had another swell at Max and Surf Greenbush, but I had one of those soft shell helmets that Tommy Scott wears. Yeah. By, um, DMC. It's like a rugby helmet. Yeah, yeah, but they're nice and light, but they're, um. Yeah. So that that felt good. And then I wore it in g-land every surf even because I didn't want to get hit and break the cuts open anymore. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got the stitches out after six days and they healed well. Yeah. So wow. But from now on I'm going to. If it's gnarly and low tide and heavy, I'll be wearing a helmet. Yeah. No. Fair enough. But I was lucky I didn't get concussion and brain damage or lose an eye or nose or whatever. Yeah., yeah. [00:08:32] Michael Frampton: And I mean, and any sort of coral cut infection is such a huge risk, right? [00:08:38] Matt Grainger: I reckon like, even there was a girl, it was actually a girl out in the water. She. Her name's Kat. She does immense heavy new for about six months with a with harm. So her partner and they they had a long boat with um with a solar panel on top and just go around the islands and she, she had a cut on her foot. She went to seek a cut and just had a shower. So that got that sort of told. And she told me this story like a week before. And then she got this, this flesh eating, um, microbe in her foot. And she basically went delirious and had to go to she went to Padang and their hospital was too dirty and gnarly. So the hands got her out of there, carried her onto the fast ferry, then went to Jakarta and she had like three skin grafts and then back to LA. Yeah, just from that. So that straight away I was like, I'm not getting my head touching any, any, um, any shower water. So I was just it sounds very first world, but I was just every time I wash my head, I was just with bottled water. Yeah. Yeah. So that's a good tip for people out there. yeah. Yeah. Look after your carts. Yeah. Always look after my carts. Even feet. You know, I went to Chofu. First time I went to Chofu in 2000. A tiny little cuts on my feet. And it was the last day. And I was like, last day, who cares? And then I got home and I got stacked. I couldn't walk. I went to my. I went to my glands. And straight away I was on antibiotics and prednisone and it went away. But that was nasty. So it taught me a good lesson. Yeah. So get on, get on to your rep cards quickly people when you go to the tropics. [00:10:17] Michael Frampton: Yeah. You got to clean them eh. I remember I touched the reef in Arugam Bay in Sri Lanka once. Like just got this tiny little graze. Thought nothing of it. Just put like a little bit of iodine cream on it. That's all I did. And then two days later, it's just like 50 cent welt that's throbbing. [00:10:33] Matt Grainger: And I had to hit. [00:10:35] Michael Frampton: Yeah. Had to get some antibiotics. So should have just scrubbed it out with a toothbrush and done the right thing at the time. But it was such a small cut, you thought nothing of it. But they must have just been little bits of coral in there or something. [00:10:47] Matt Grainger: Yeah, yeah, that was one of the ones where the feeder chirps. Tiny little, like little nicks. Yeah. So, yeah, to get that tape. Yeah. So the tip from Shaz. Doctor. Shaz, my partner. Get. Take her. I always have, like, a spare toothbrush. That's clean. You can't even get it from that. If you get it from the hotel. But you never brush your teeth with it, so it's totally clean. And just scrub it. Scrub it. Um, use the little wipes. The the iodine alcohol wipes. So you do one offs and not nothing else dirty. And then just keep checking it. Yeah. And there's that. There's that tayo gin. That's pretty good from Indo. You know that Chinese, that red bottle. That's always cool. That Chinese. It's called tayo gin or the ayam. They don't use cream. She said use because it just festers in the tropics. Use the powder. The powder? Yeah. The powders of the guy. Yeah. Okay. So that's a go and then cover them up. Yeah. If you do your feet too. I always wear shoes. People give me heaps of crap in Indo because I'm always wearing. If I've got cuts, I'll put shoes on because you're walking around. You get dirt in the cuts. Yeah. So it's important if we always forget especially. Yeah. You're like, oh nah, I'll be right. Or, you know, you see so many guys just get smashed and don't even do anything. Yeah. [00:12:03] Michael Frampton:yeah. It's not worth the risk. I used to you're still out charging, catching heaps of waves. [00:12:07] Matt Grainger: Yeah, still surfing a lot. Um, pretty much surf every day. Sometimes twice. Um, got the gym. Surfer's gym. Which is good. That keeps me fit and healthy. They working on the mobility that you taught me years ago, and. Yeah, just building on that. I think that's a big key is mobility. As we get older and even the younger athletes that we coach too. I've got some pros that train at our gym and and we've got them on a mobility program. Whereas strength training and I found lately like in the last few years, like having the ability and also the strength training is huge just for reducing, reducing injury, keeping strong. Like I'm 55 this month. I don't even talk about your age too. It's really important what you say out of your mouth. You know there's a, there's a quote by Bruce Lee is like be careful what you say with your words because that's why it's called spells and spelling. Like you're saying, you hear heaps of guys walk around and go, I'm done. I'm old, I'm an old man and all this. And you're like, hey, mate. Like, no, it's all relative. Like it's it's you know what? It's time. Really anyway. You know, like just this thing we've made up, but, you know, there's biological age. And if you keep yourself fit and healthy and moving and eat well, sleep well. You can keep keep rocking till you're in your 80s, I reckon. [00:13:29] Michael Frampton: Yeah, man, I was just reading. Listening to a book, actually, about all of that. And this Harvard professor did an experiment where she got a bunch of 80 year old men, and she put them in a house where everything in the house was as if it was 30 years ago, and they were only allowed. So the TV programs, the books, the furniture, and they were only allowed to talk, talk about things as if it was 30 years ago in the present. And within a few days, their eyesight improved. Health, like blood pressure, improved everything just by just like placebo. Like extreme placebo effect. Wow. [00:14:11] Matt Grainger: That's awesome. Yeah, it's rare to get that book. [00:14:14] Michael Frampton: It's a rare book. I'll. I'll forward it to you and I'll put it in the show notes for listeners, too. I think it's called the mind body Connection or something. I'll put it in the show notes and I'll send it to you. [00:14:23] Matt Grainger: And even when I was at, um, not trying to name drop here, but when I was at Nazaré, I came in, I totally led back to the harbor because he broke down. It's quite funny. Like it was a big day. Like 60 foot. Perfect. Nazaré. And I was with Lucas Pereira, who's from Mavericks, who trains with me. He was towing with me on that. We were just shifting partners all day. And then I said, you lead like I don't even know lead any way from then. And I said, you make leads out to sea doing nothing. We should go check on him. And he's like, yeah, right. So we hammered out the lead and he goes, yeah, I ran out of fuel, guys. And you're like, why? He goes, I was having too much fun. You know, every time the beeper light came on the warning signal that was low on fuel, I just turned it off. And because it was a really good day and it was a really good Nazaré, like, clean 60 foot faces and whatnot. Anyway, so I, we hooked up my ski to his ski and towed him back to the harbor. And we got back to the, um, got back to the wharf, and I was just chatting to him about how we've got a gym and I've been following what he does working XPT programs, and I do a lot of breathwork, but I really like breathwork. [00:15:36] Matt Grainger: And and I said, yeah, yeah, we don't we don't talk about age, you know, in our gym because what you said the word, don't you ever say that word in front of me again. And he got really gnarly. And I was like, okay, man, settle down. And um, so it's there's a lot of truth to it. Hey, I see, like, Chaz is, um, she's my wife. She's over 60, and she's getting better because she only started 20 years. And there's guys at the beaches that used to rip when they were 20, and they've given up at 50, or probably given up at 50 because it's in their mindset., my knees and stuff and my back stuff. And you're like, well, what do you do about it? Do you um, do you do any mobility or you know, what are you eating? What are you how are you sleeping? Or you know, I don't know. They're like, I don't know, you just like, okay. So yeah, it's funny isn't it? And I think I think we were lucky our age like we've, we've been introduced to a lot of stuff. And if you're curious about it, which you are and I am, there's so much stuff you can learn going down that rabbit holes. [00:16:41] Michael Frampton: yeah. It's never ending. Kind of. [00:16:42] Matt Grainger: Ten. The crew ten years before us, probably a lot of them missed out on that eating poor food, poor movement. Um, yeah, I think it's good. I've got the hoop. I've had the hoop for, like, uh, probably five years now. I find that's really good because I'm. I'm really diligent about my sleep. It can be gnarly some days, and it gives you a bad sleep score. You've got to kind of let that go, and not even your day is ruined. Because I know some athletes who will like that, and they're like, I had to get rid of it because it said I had a bad sleep score and I'd have a bad day. I'm like, no, no, you got to get past that. But sleep is huge. Hey, like and probably read that book by Matthew Walker that was, you know, everyone knew how important sleep was. You know, we cure cancer and all sorts of ailments. Balance. Yeah. So yeah, they'll always I try to have a little nap in the Arvo if I get time. Yeah. Try to have a nap every Arvo. And I think it's good to have a nap if I have the luxury, because you're just not talking. You're not thinking. You're just having a little break from the world and then back into it. Have a training session at the gym with the crew and then dinner in bed again. So that's my little routine. Yeah. And not being and not used to have to always wake up super early or to plan that I ought to be up early and out there for stuff. But if now if the waves aren't that good, I'm not going to get up early just to punish myself for the early just for the sake of being the first guy out there. So now, because I've found on the sleep on your sleep scores, when you do actually sleep that extra hour in the morning. Yeah. You get a lot of benefits. It's crazy. And if you do go to bed early. Yeah. Mm. [00:18:18] Michael Frampton: Does does is surfing the main motivator for you to stay fit and healthy? [00:18:23] Matt Grainger: Yeah. For sure. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Like I couldn't give a stuff like what I look like. I just want to actually be able to catch waves and still be able to surf. My brother and I just went to Macaronis together and we were both chatting that we probably surf better now than we were in our mid 20s, just because the boards are better. We've got more knowledge and we've kept our bodies good. Yeah. Yeah. So we've had no we've had no serious accidents though which is lucky. you know obviously head knocks and all that kind of stuff but nothing like haven't broken any major bones like bony broken hands and a few things like that, but not, you know, haven't broken a femur or anything, you know. So some guys obviously are disadvantaged if they have a major injury but haven't had any major injuries. And then now I've realized I used to always think when I was have had a niggle like a, like a niggling hip or, you know, you had to go to the chiropractor and you had to do this, you had to do and now you can kind of push through it and move through it. [00:19:24] Matt Grainger: I found that like. And if it's really serious, obviously go and see a physician, which is good. and you can get a really good massage or just to break that tissue down. But I found now you can move through pain and throughout the whole day like not, you know, everyone thinks, I've got to train for an hour and that's it. So I don't do it. You know, you can do little snacks like ten minutes here, you know, ten minutes in the morning, another ten minutes at lunchtime, another two minutes here, and then another two minutes and eventually kind of work through it. I remember when we were working together, you were pretty onto that early in the early days. Good diets. I love I like got into my fasting, which is good pretty much two meals a day. Love the bone broth. I'm doing a coffee, obviously. Black coffee, a little bit of coconut oil. So, yeah, that's just all these little hacks that we're learning. Just helping along the way, I reckon. [00:20:21] Michael Frampton: Yeah, but you've got that motivation. You want to keep surfing, you want to keep going to Indo and that's what. Yeah. That's what get you. Okay. No I'm not going to have that donut. I'm going to and I'm going to go to bed early because I want to I want to go and get barreled at Indo like. [00:20:36] Matt Grainger: no, it's such a good motivator. Yeah. And and it's, it keeps you young. Yeah. It keeps you young and young in the head too. And looking at boards that, you know, I'm still riding shore boards and my short boards like a five, five, nine. And I've got A53 Bobby quad that I ride in the wave pool. Yeah. So I can still ride short boards. yeah. And just having that and and the boards have gotten so good. Now, you know, just the rockers and the things all the shapers. And I remember Mike, Michael Ho was talking with his son Mason. I saw in an interview that he said, oh, dad, why do you think you're ripping so much now? And he goes to the boards and Michael's like, doesn't care. You know, he just he doesn't have Instagram or Facebook. He's just surfing and I've I've seen Coco out in the water when she's in Indo or here and she said, yeah pops. Just he just the proper. So he's, he's, he's not thinking about how he's 60 and he's charging you know. Yeah he's right. He's got, he's got new blades and getting tubed out back door and ripping on the backside at Alma-Ata and things like that. But yeah, that's the motivation is surfing. Yeah. And it's, it's such a fun sport. And I just always say to people, it's a puzzle. [00:21:51] Matt Grainger: You know, you every time you go for a surf, you're trying to work out that puzzle. It doesn't matter if it's one foot onshore or it's 20 foot bommies or it's crazy tubes in Indo, you're still trying to figure out how you're going to paddle in. How are you going to get to your feet? How are you going to generate speed? Is it a straight down drop? Is it a knifing drop? Am I going to get in my front foot early? All these little things that just come into play from all those years of experience, and you're trying to work out that puzzle, and then it's one foot. You just want to go out and do one big turn on a one footer and you're happy. So that's what keeps me motivated. Some days, even if it's crap, I'll still go out for like three waves and just I'll get my three waves and go to work and train. And I've got the training to, I've got rid of the cardio. So I'm sort of not really doing the cardio so much now. It's just strength and movement because if you do a good movement flow, you can get good cardio from that anyway. Yeah, I forgot my heart rate monitor and you're actually getting flexi, whereas you don't want to get stiff and then just doing the right strength training. [00:22:53] Matt Grainger: So you look at all the surfers now it's all legs, hardly any upper body, only back and legs. You don't want any chest and you don't want to overload the shoulders as well in your you know, the rotator cuff exercises are really good. So light weights on the shoulders, nothing heavy. So you can still get that mobility in your paddle. And you've got the power through your back for your paddle. So a lot of the strength training is like just Olympic rings, pull ups, maybe some skin. The cat. yeah. dumbbell pull ups as well, off the bench, all that kind of stuff. And then a lot of, a lot of,, obviously squats with the barbell, goblet squats, front squats, split squats, all that kind of stuff. It's super important, I reckon. So getting that mobility and doing the weights and getting that connection and feeling when you're doing the weight, not just doing it for the sake of it, like doing those reps and really thinking about that rep and just getting your body in those positions that you could do in the water on land. So when you go out there like a martial artist, you're you're ready to go. You've drilled it so many times it becomes second nature. Yeah. [00:24:01] Michael Frampton: No, strength training is so good. It's also for like strength training gives you it increases your body awareness actually, and just increases your maintains your bone density. And it's just it's so helpful. And if you're doing it do upper body. Lower body. It's it's about as doesn't get any more hard of a cardio workout than doing like a strength training circuit if you want to, you know, get the heart rate up. [00:24:26] Matt Grainger: What sort of work? What sort of stuff are you doing these days, like in your regime? [00:24:30] Michael Frampton:. Mine's so I had I've got,, I had ACL surgery in my early 20s and it's now almost, you know, bone on bone, basically. So a lot of my, a lot of my training is just keeping on top of that. so like, slow moving, heavy stuff with,, you know, have you seen the knees over toes guy? [00:24:55] Matt Grainger: Yeah, yeah. He's awesome. [00:24:56] Michael Frampton: Hey, backwards walking on the treadmill and just. Yeah, following some of his stuff. Uh, and just to keep the legs strong. Because it's interesting. Because they say it's bone on bone, right? And it can get like that, but your cartilage is gone. Your cartilage doesn't really come back. But there is scar tissue forms where the cartilage was. As long as that scar tissue is there, you're fine. If you do too much stuff and that scar tissue wears away. So if you do too much volume and you don't allow that scar tissue to to heal and reform and the fluids to come back, then it can be bone on bone, you get a real sore joint. But so now, as long as I keep the volume of what I'm doing on the knee, it's fine. You can actually you can actually go. [00:25:39] Matt Grainger: How many reps? [00:25:41] Michael Frampton: Actually, I would just sort of more like six reps. Only a couple of sets. But you know, because I've got a history of strength training. I know the form. I'm strong, I know what to do. But a backwards walking on the treadmill and some and lots of balance work as well, because it's actually those small little twitching movements in the joint that do the most damage. So if your balance is on point and your joint is nice and stable, then it's one of the big things as well. So keeping the balance, like standing on one leg with your eyes closed. Little things like that. Yeah I do. [00:26:16] Matt Grainger: I love the pendulum jumps with the, you know, the pendulum jump. So it's a one legged jump. Yeah. and we'll do that. More eyes closed as well. Yeah. When I coach a lot of the athletes as well, like before, they were competing, like, I'd say, like they'll do five jumps, eyes open, and then the last five closed. And it helps for that body awareness, you know, for late drops and. yeah, no big drops out of the lip and being aware of where their body is. Yeah. Yeah. And I even did it when I crack my head to check if I had concussion, I was like, yes, I'm fine. You know. Yeah. Yeah. I'm not a doctor. I'm not a doctor. But if you can jump one legged with your eyes closed, you pretty much. And you're fine. You don't have concussion. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. [00:27:03] Michael Frampton: No, I do a bit of sprinting. Sprinting as well. Sprinting is really good for you. So I do a bit of that and I still do like the bodyweight gymnastics style strength training as well. Still doing that. Following a guy called, uh, Nardi. Oh, man, I can't even pronounce his name. Nardi Orejuela or I can't remember how to pronounce it, but it's functional performance training. He's doing a lot of really unique stuff. He's worth a follow. He's pretty out there with some of what he says, but he's also got some really interesting tips. A lot of, you know, not necessarily heavy weights, but functional, functional stuff. Just he's worth a follow. [00:27:39] Matt Grainger: Cool. yeah. [00:27:40] Michael Frampton: And just keeping on top of the diet, diet and sleep, man, that's like you mentioned, man. Just keeping a clean diet, getting enough sleep and giving a good balance of rest and stress. [00:27:49] Matt Grainger: Because, yeah, life can get stressful, but it's only what you make it really like. But yeah, if you if you sleep well, if you have a good sleep, you can conquer anything. Really. Hey, I'll find two. The shoulders are important. Like the rotator cuff muscles. Important to keep that on top of that. Just like maintenance work like prehab, like lightweights, like 10% of your body weight, just getting in all those different angles because you do you can, you know, when you're, you know, those days when you're paddling super hard trying to make that wave where it's hollow, you're going to put a lot of stress on the shoulder joint. And I've had seen so many mates like you look at you got to look at your mates who had surgeries, you know what I mean? Like, it's always so, shoulders, knees and hips if you look after those. And spine pretty much ahead of the game. Yeah. Yeah. [00:28:40] Michael Frampton: Hanging dude. Hanging for your shoulders. Really good. [00:28:45] Matt Grainger: Just hanging. Awesome. [00:28:46] Michael Frampton: Active and passive. Hanging. And, I mean, I'm lucky. When I was living in the US, I did. I did three different DNS courses., yeah. [00:28:55] Matt Grainger: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I remember you doing that. Yeah. [00:28:57] Michael Frampton: And so I do a lot of that sort of rehab style training still. And that's really good for shoulders and and core that helps keep my shoulders in check. [00:29:07] Matt Grainger: I remember, I remember you got injured and I did the Ido portal course. Yes, I remember you did. Yeah, I think you did your hamstring right. Yeah. That's right. Yeah. And I was a day before and he said, Matti, can you do this? And I went, yeah. And did a whole week with it. [00:29:22] Michael Frampton: Yeah. That's right. [00:29:23] Matt Grainger: Yeah. He was massive. It was massive on hanging. Yeah. And you know, the ring and the rings too. Yeah. And I find the rings or rings are better for a surfer too. Like doing chin ups, pull ups on a ring because you get that nice. Like you get that movement in the shoulder joint where it's just a straight bar. You don't really get that movement because we actually reach out and rotate our shoulder as we paddle. Yeah. So yeah. Yeah, yeah. You know, it was it was pretty. It was an interesting guy. Cool guy. Full on. Yeah. He is. Yeah. But yeah, I learned a lot. Yeah. [00:29:59] Michael Frampton: cool. Are you still doing ice baths? [00:30:01] Matt Grainger: Still doing that. [00:30:02] Michael Frampton: Yeah. [00:30:03] Matt Grainger: And our boss. And so on. Got an ice bath in the backyard and a sauna, which is lucky. And we got two at the gym now. We got two saunas and two ice baths. Wow. So. Yeah. Yeah. It's good. Everyone loves them. Yeah. Everyone's created a little community there. Yeah, yeah. It's awesome. [00:30:21] Michael Frampton: What about LA? Have you looked into Light Health? [00:30:24] Matt Grainger: I have seen it. I haven't really done it personally. And it just looks it looks pretty interesting. It's just a matter of time and money. Yeah. In our in our sauna. I do have some infrared, but, like, not, some lighting, but, you know, it's not huge. Have you been looking into it? Well, it's it's just really interesting. [00:30:42] Michael Frampton: There's this guy, Jack cruise, who's been on about it for years, but now that there's sort of like 20 years, but now there's all these scientific studies coming out proving his theories right about how important, sunlight exposure is for health and how it turns on certain genes like the Pomc gene and and how if you're exposing yourself to too much blue light after the sun's gone down, how that affects blood sugar and circadian rhythms. And but if I mean, if you're getting up and going, surfing every day and getting to bed on time, it's funny, that's all. [00:31:14] Matt Grainger: Like Huberman and all that, like, yeah, they say go out and play, you know, go get the sun. Yeah. And, I, we live on the East Coast here, so every early surf, you're like, looking into the sun exactly in the morning. You know, you're blinking, going oh. And, you know, different on the West Coast. Yeah. If you go to bed at the right time. And I try not to look at my phone before I go to bed. So, Yeah, I just try to banish that, put it away because. Yeah, that's a bad habit, isn't it? Just before looking at the screen, try to look at computers as well. So onto that in that way. Yeah. Yeah. You can just go. Yeah. Just basic stuff. Yeah. Keeping those circadian rhythms. Yeah. Haven't done the glasses or anything like that. Like the. [00:31:58] Michael Frampton: The blue blocking glasses. Yeah. [00:32:01] Matt Grainger: Dave Asprey and whatnot. [00:32:02] Michael Frampton: Yeah. Yeah, they get into it a lot. They go hardcore on everything. [00:32:06] Matt Grainger: They go hardcore. I'm like, no. How am I? It's none of them. Don't you think there's a fine line between how much time you got in the day and. [00:32:15] Michael Frampton: exactly. But I mean, David Beckham and his mates, they're spending a lot of money on, like, days. Dave Asprey has a goal to live to 120. I think he might have even said 100, 150. But like and be healthy and functional at that age. So he's making sure that, you know, every day he's doing as much as he can. So those guys are going. I don't know. [00:32:38] Matt Grainger: I don't know if I want to live that long. Yeah. It's damn sad. You know what I mean? Like, you kind of want to just die normally. You know, like. [00:32:45] Michael Frampton: With dignity. Yeah. [00:32:47] Matt Grainger: Dignity? Yeah. Like you don't have to go. Yeah. Yeah. [00:32:50] Michael Frampton: Because if you're the only, you're the only one doing it. And like, you're you're still alive and healthy. Yeah. Friends are dead. You're like. [00:32:58] Matt Grainger: What was that? I mean, let's talk about that all the time. Yeah. They just overboard and and almost bring a lot of anxiety, I think, to like trying to keep on point. Like you're not actually like they want to get to this goal of being this age, but they're not actually having fun in the present. Like it's like I've still got to live your life. Hey, you got to still have fun with your friends, with your friends. And, you know, like, I'm not like, a total. I'm. There's no way I'm a total monk. Like, I'm. I still eat really well, but if I, you know, if I'm with with friends and family, I'm not going to go. I'm not eating that because I'm this, you know, like, yeah, I'll still want to be part of the group, you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. It's not going to kill me. Yeah. I don't want to have a good time with with my friends. I'm not going to be that guy that's like, oh, no, I don't do that. Because, I want to live to 150. [00:33:46] Michael Frampton: Exactly. Yeah. I'm going to go to bed at 8:00 on Christmas Day because you want to live to 150? [00:33:55] Matt Grainger: You know, it's kind of like. Yeah, it's counterintuitive. Really? [00:33:59] Michael Frampton: Yeah. [00:34:00] Matt Grainger: What about if you get to whatever, you get hit by a car? Exactly. You know. Exactly. I don't mean that in a bad way.. You got it. Still? Yeah. And it's funny, like, all this grounding, you know, we we hardly wear shoes in was, you know, you hardly wear shoes when I, when I hang out with you. Yeah, but hardly shoes. Oh, Maddy, you're wearing shoes today. That's weird. I'm like, oh, well, I had to go to remaining shoes. [00:34:27] Michael Frampton: I hate. [00:34:28] Matt Grainger: It. Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:34:30] Michael Frampton: No, but that's the thing. All the stuff that's coming out in the latest health stuff, all these guys, it's what we do anyway. Especially as surfers. We get early morning sun. We're getting lots of grounding work because we're surfing in the ocean. That's the best way to get your. Your grounding done is in the ocean or walking on the sand in bare feet. We're getting it done anyway. But it's just interesting, all these studies coming out and and proving that. [00:34:55] Matt Grainger: You can you can buy a grounding mat and walk outside. Put your feet on the on the cold grass, you know, like, the cold sand. Like I'll be surfing the wave pool a lot lately and it's super fun. But you still don't get that, feeling of the energy or the ocean. Like, you know, it doesn't matter if your body surf, surf, body board, whatever. If you dive in the ocean for a swim, you always come out feeling amazing, don't you? Yeah. Just from it's from the negative ions though, isn't it. [00:35:24] Michael Frampton: Yeah. That's part of it. Yeah. [00:35:25] Matt Grainger: Yeah, yeah part of it. Yeah. And just maybe the salt, the energy of the waves just being in nature and. Yeah, it's funny, you can go on the wave pool and you have a good time. You don't get that buzz of that feeling on your whole body from the natural waves. Yeah. And the salt and all that. Yeah. [00:35:46] Michael Frampton: How much time have you spent in the wave pools? [00:35:49] Matt Grainger:there's a new one in Sydney now. Sydney and I. Every Thursday I teach a fitness class to the staff. I've been doing that for the past six weeks. So I go out every Thursday and I make sure I serve from 4 to 5, and then I run the class at 530 to 630. So that's pretty cool. Like, I'll ride my little five three Bobby quad and, get about 20 waves. And then we ran our we ran a pretty cool course the other week. We did a get ready for your master class. It was like an endo masterclass clinic. So we taught people how to ride left tubes. So we had the expert mode, which is just a barrel. It's pretty cool. You take off, you can do a Rio or just a set up turn and get this nice tube. That's a pretty cool tube. Like the barrel is wider than it is high. Yeah, you got to get quite low in the tube. And then it kind of turned the corner a bit like macaronis. So we did um, we did about 30 minutes. I broke down all the best surfers in the world getting tubed on the TV screen have had eight participants, and so we broke that down for placement, for backhand front side, you know, getting and then we did movement patterns like mobility patterns to open up people's hips and, and ankles, because that's pretty much what you need when getting low in tubes and most tube riding. [00:37:08] Matt Grainger: So we did that, we went and surfed for an hour. Everyone got about 12 waves. And then we there's a I it's crazy. They film this. I called Flow State on the left and the right, but we're only on the left. You come in and it's got all the clips of you. So I got a coaches password. So I went through everyone's clips and broke down what they were doing. Right. What they're doing wrong. Yeah, it was rad. And then we had had lunch and then we did apnea training. So then we went into the leisure pool, which is heated because the wave pool is only about 11 degrees at the moment. So yeah, it's quite it's quite cold. Yeah. So they just pulled 28. So we, we taught them the science of breath holding. Then we went and did it in the water. And then she did a chat on our endo. What's it like in your first aid kit? And, you know, rough cuts? Yeah, it was awesome. That was a that was a full day. It was fun. [00:38:00] Michael Frampton: All right. So I did. [00:38:01] Matt Grainger: That., had some fun days with the Surface Gym crew. We'll book out the pool for two hours. And so two different modes, one the tube, the expert modes and tube. And they've got advanced, which is half turns, half tube. Yeah. It's pretty cool. Good fun. And then Isabella Nichols two. She'll fly down and we'll I'll coach her for two days before an event. So before Huntington, we tested out two of the boards. See what you actually got. Two brand new boards of the HD and then obviously had more, but she had these two boards that she thought were going to be the ones. And they were so pretty cool to work that out. Yeah, we did some also some work before Bolido. So it's not a it's a good coaching tool. Yeah., because you got you guaranteed getting one left and right, so I'll book it. We'll book a session on the right and the left, and you're right there that she can come in and break it down each wave and go through some foot placement and hand placement stuff where you place the board on the wave and back out there. Yeah. So it's pretty cool. And you got all the footage on film as well and also got the flow state. [00:39:04] Michael Frampton: All right. It's like the driving range for surfers. [00:39:07] Matt Grainger: Yeah it is. It's the full driving range. So it keeps you fit too. Like it's actually it's a full leg workout because the way you get weaker, you've got to stay right in the pocket and push real hard with your feet and your hips. Yeah a lot of. Yeah. It's pretty interesting. Yeah. It's good. Good fun. You feel like especially in the tube major. Every time I'm just on the tube I feel like a 15 year old kid again. Like you're guaranteed a barrel. You know, you're guaranteed 15 to 20 barrels that up and. Yeah. Pretty amazing. [00:39:34] Michael Frampton: Oh, that's so good. you're still doing good. Did you. Are you still taking people to macarons as well? [00:39:40] Matt Grainger: Yeah, we've got one coming up, yeah. Next February, March 2025. We're doing. Chaz is doing the movement, and I'm doing the surfing right. Yeah, we've got two and I got a goose and Ari, who helped us as well as coaching. They're awesome guys and good coaches. Yeah. Yeah. It's rad. Yeah. So we basically surf from 6 a.m. till 1130 and there's two filmers there. So they the filmers get all the footage and then we, we break down the footage at 1:00 for about an hour, and then we'll go surfing again. And then sometimes if the waves are small, we'll do apnea training in the pool. So that's like a week, seven day classes or seven day clinics. So and then some people do two weeks. Yeah. Wow. But yeah it's super fun. And you know, we go to the Thunders as well because, uh, McKenzie's small. It's always two foot bigger up there. So yeah, it's good fun. Yeah. It's an awesome, awesome clinic because it's such a mechanical wave that goes from 1ft to 6 foot. Such a rippable wave. You know, just in the pocket. You can work on people's techniques and you see people improve real quick because they've got a running wall. It's not like a, you know, sitting right here, but sometimes you can just get close down. If it's the south swell you just got, you know, the people can only do one turn if that. Obviously if it's perfect, no swells here. Great. You know, all the all the, all the beaches are lining up. Machias is unbelievable. You can do four turns so you can really work on people's, you know how they you know how they sort of start the wave speed generation where they do their bottom turn, their top turn and good place for an upper body rotation. Yeah. It's cool. Yeah. It's good fun. Yeah. All right. That's it. [00:41:29] Michael Frampton: They all filled up. Clean up? [00:41:31] Matt Grainger: Uh. Not yet. No, I think there's still some spots left. Yeah. So they're filling macaroni, doing the marketing right now for next year, but yeah, they get. Yeah. We got some good numbers this year. I think next year is going to be even better. Yeah. So it's a good gig? Yeah. It's good fun. Yeah. And, you know, good, good bonding with people. Everyone's there to learn and have a good time. [00:41:51] Michael Frampton: I'll put a link to to details about that. Show notes. [00:41:55] Matt Grainger: Awesome. Yeah. Awesome. [00:41:57] Michael Frampton: You guys had a big swell there a few days. Yeah. We had. [00:42:01] Matt Grainger: Yeah. Last week. Uh, last. Yeah, we had a massive swell. Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. Friday. Only bummer had really strong southerly winds. So we, being the captain, towed the car and naughty bomb in the mornings when it was southwest. And then the wind just came up and blew it out. The dead man's was on. Yeah. We got to surf that on our own. Dead man's pumping. Have a look at that. [00:42:27] Michael Frampton: I saw the footage. Yeah, some of it, but it was. [00:42:30] Matt Grainger: It wasn't many people making them. Hey, it looked pretty gnarly. How cool is it? If you have a look at, uh, this is living by Carl how often he flew. He flew all the way over for it. [00:42:41] Matt Grainger: He does that. does that blog and, Yeah, he did. He didn't even make a way. Like a proper big one. He didn't make one way. He broke in the board, got smashed. He was coming this way. Gnarly. Cuz it's kind of like the heavy cake. Then it's got a step. Yeah. And if it doesn't open up, it just collapses on you. Yeah. And you don't know when you're paddling in. You're going to be a good one or not. there's one guy called Sam Jones. Got a cracker like he made. He actually made a really good one. But the rest of the crew. Yeah. Pretty much got smashed. There was a lot of carnage. Choo choo. Kelleher did a big airdrop. Dislocated his elbow joint., he got that? no. He just airdropped and then went back over the fall. Popping the elbow. Yeah, I'm kind of done with that wave. I know it's pretty gnarly backside. You just be looking for an injury and it's crowded now. Like I have to surf it on my own with, like, you know, 4 or 5 people. And now it's everyone's out there trying to get their photo taken or their clip, which is cool. You know, they're all younger and there'll be 30, 40 people out on a semi-closed reef that's 10 to 12 foot. [00:43:52] Matt Grainger: So we can get the jet skiing off the off the car and step on it. Right? Yeah. Yeah. And then we can check out Makaha, you know, go. Makaha. German banks, North Bay cruise around being the captain. It's fun. Yeah. Yeah. You got to be ready to go for dead man's like I've. I've snapped boards out there. I've had 30 sea urchins at my 40 out there once. I just went over the falls and landed feet first. And that was pretty gnarly. Injury. Went to hospital. Like, I, I couldn't walk, so I had to paddle back to North Steyne, back to the school, and drove up to the hospital. And they couldn't even get they left about four in there. And then three stayed. Three stayed in there for about three months. And and I Right when I popped out about that big, like three months later when I went snowboarding. gnarly. I remember Barton Barton Lynch actually got. He had to go to surgery with sea urchins out there. Scotty Romaine broke his back about four years ago. Out there, captains broke ins, MCL, PCL. Just copy breaking your ribs. Yeah, that's a good way to get injured. But it's if you're young, young buck and you want to charge, go for it. [00:45:03] Michael Frampton: Well you gotta you gotta pay to play sometimes. [00:45:06] Matt Grainger: Yeah. Yeah yeah. The, the the risk out there that have outweigh the rewards. But yeah there's some really there's some good surfing going on. Some of the young guys the young guys in pressure like so grueling. Lex O'Connor, some of the young dudes are like 18 year olds just charging it and making barrels, too. So. But this last world was pretty wonky. But we had a real good swell a week before that. Like a beast or a swell like Narromine was off its face, mouth narrower. We had like nor'west winds and eight foot barrels and that was that was pretty fun. So yeah, that was a more user friendly. And it was pumping north out or the whole East Coast. Yeah. On the Sydney Northern Beaches was going off. So yeah that went that went for three days. So we've had a really good year. Last year was about like a pretty bad winter. Yeah. To be here for Sydney and the sandbanks are good because we had that big swell. But yeah, pretty pretty stoked. What about yourself? Any waves your way? [00:46:05] Michael Frampton: Some. Not. Not too many. We've had a shit winter, actually. We've had heaps of. Usually you get the southerly swells here where I'm staying at the moment, but,, I've just been heaps of northerly nor east swells of low period for some reason. Almost like summer had weird weather patterns here. The south swells that come through have heaps of west in them, so they just go straight past. I don't know. [00:46:27] Matt Grainger: And the baits are good. [00:46:28] Michael Frampton: There's there's points and river bars around here. So we just need a decent high, long period swell and it turns on, but it still goes surfing but. And get waves and had a great summer. Great summer with the kids. Yeah. [00:46:42] Matt Grainger: Awesome. [00:46:43] Michael Frampton: But the winters. Yeah. Average winter here. And it's pretty. [00:46:47] Matt Grainger: Crazy. We've actually got,, the water's cold, like, it's, 14 degrees. Yeah. So sometimes it'll be. It'll be 20 in winter usually. But this year it's cold. Yeah, but the good. Yeah. So every morning pretty much offshore. So that's kind of cool. Yeah. With this with this cold water being lucky. Yeah. Random. [00:47:06] Michael Frampton: The water here, the water here is warmer than usual. I can still go surfing in A23 at the moment. No way. Yeah. The water's so warm here. It's just all these east and northeast flow. It's keeping the water warm. [00:47:19] Matt Grainger: That's pretty cool. Yeah, we. The wave pools. The wave pool. Actually, the concrete holds the cold. yeah, I bet I pulled about about 1111. [00:47:29] Michael Frampton: That's 43 bodies business. [00:47:31] Matt Grainger: Yeah, yeah, I just I don't wear booties, but I the guy's wearing gloves and hoods and just make sure you paddle out real quick and keep yourself warm. But yeah, last year we were last year we went to, Mexico and I. Yeah. So that was cool., but this year I'm just going to hang back. I've been building this app called The Surfer's Compass, so I want to get that out by the 1st of September. Hopefully I'll be doing that for a year. So just breaking down all the best surfers in the world. Women and men take offs, paddling, bottom turn, top turns, cuttings, airs, tubes and then throwing in movement patterns that will help those maneuvers and then breathwork and mindset. Yeah. So that's been a fun little project. [00:48:15] Michael Frampton: All right. [00:48:16] Matt Grainger: So yeah be working on that. I was helping with the graphics and Joe Barker with all the edits. But yeah, that's keeping me busy. It's like a, you know like you've done a lot of projects and you just want to get it done? Yeah. I mean, I'd want to do it right, but we were told we probably could have had it done in May, but I want to do it perfect. So yeah, hopefully we get it out by. Yeah. So I got like Ethan Ewing, Mick Fanning and Kelly Slater, Jeff Gilmore, Aaron Brooks, Isabella Nichols. [00:48:42] Michael Frampton: Parker cool. Look forward to seeing it. [00:48:44] Matt Grainger: Yeah. So that's what's keeping me busy. Yeah, yeah. And all the other stuff. The surf school and and the surf gym. [00:48:51] Michael Frampton: And all the barrels. [00:48:53] Matt Grainger: All the barrels. [00:48:54] Michael Frampton: Oh, sweet. You have to let let us, let us know when it's when it's released. And I'll spread the word. [00:48:58] Matt Grainger: Sure. That'll be awesome. Yeah. But yeah, you can't beat a barrel, can you? I always say to people, once you get it, why don't you get tubed? You're done. You won't be able to hold a relationship or a job and. [00:49:09] Michael Frampton: Yeah, it's addictive. Yeah. Healthy addiction though. It's on my list. I'll probably sit down with the boys this evening and we'll watch the replays and stuff. Yeah, one. [00:49:18] Matt Grainger: Of the local boys did really well, so yeah, it's pretty, pretty good result. You got to check it out. Yeah, it's actually awesome spectacle. How was,. Did you see the the big day? Yeah. [00:49:29] Michael Frampton: Yeah. No, I watched that with. [00:49:31] Matt Grainger: Joe and Ramsey. Booker. Joe, do you reckon they were charging harder than the WSL because there was more on the line, like, you know, medals and, like, they always charge in the WAFL that they go hard as. But some of them are not the nailing. Some of the Wipeouts were heavy weren't they. But yeah. [00:49:47] Michael Frampton: And also. [00:49:48] Matt Grainger: Connor O'Leary. [00:49:49] Michael Frampton: Though also like they had different camera angles too to the. So I don't know if they had even more expensive cameras to it just. Yeah different like just a higher level production as well. I think that helped. but certainly in the Medina it was just always everything Medina does just looks effortless, doesn't it? [00:50:06] Matt Grainger: It's that good, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. He's amazing. Yeah. He's. He's,. Yeah. There. Ethan Ewing. Yeah. They're solid as those guys. But it was good seeing the other guy from Peru. Yeah, it was Cabrera, wasn't it? Yeah. Like,. Yeah. Just seeing the other countries. That's pretty good, isn't it, about the Olympics, like, cared a lot more diversity. Yeah. I mean, I love the WAFL, but especially when they do the cup after the cup is just too much familiar., everyone's too familiar. You know, you go,, I've seen this heat before, even though it's in a different location. But it's good when you get wild cards and that variety and you just think,, I've seen another angle of surfing, you know, like, wow, this guy's insane. [00:50:48] Michael Frampton: All right. Matt. Hey, it's just gone 3:00. I better go in there. I got to do school pickup now, but thanks for thanks for doing the show again. Really appreciate it. [00:50:57] Matt Grainger: Awesome, mate. Awesome, brother. Take it easy. [00:51:00] Michael Frampton: Good to catch up. [00:51:01] Matt Grainger: Good one. Hopefully. See you when you come to Sydney. [00:51:03] Michael Frampton: That'd be great. Yeah. For sure. We'll be over there at some point., yeah. Keep me in. Keep me in the loop. Yeah, yeah. Keep me in the loop with the app. So. Yeah. Excellent. [00:51:13] Matt Grainger: That'd be cool. Awesome. Awesome, mate. [00:51:15] Michael Frampton: Thank you for tuning in to the Surf Mastery podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend. Also, the best way that you can help support and grow the show is to subscribe, rate and review on whatever app you're using, be it Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and of course, we are now on YouTube, so you can watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube. Be sure to check that out. Also, go to Surf mastery.com for more surfing tips via the blog. You can also book in a personal online surf coaching session with me, also at Surf mastery.com. There are two free downloadable PDFs, one with the five best tips from this show, and one the five best exercises to improve your surfing. So go to Surf mastery.com on the home page there. You'll see them. Until next time, keep surfing. Matt Grainger on the Surf Mastery Podcast

Cruise Dude Scott has a special interview for you today! He welcomes Cruise Director Joey of the Carnival Firenze on to our show. They take a deep dive into all the exciting things you find on this newly refreshed ship now sailing from Long Beach, California. Also, don't miss the YouTube version of this interview as well. Enjoy the show! Tommy & Scott

On this new episode, Scott has recently returned from his cruise on Southern California's newest ship, Carnival Firenze! Carrying on the ship's original theming from sailing under the Costa brand, this refreshed ship embodies Carnival's motto "Fun Italian Style"!  From the staterooms, restaurants, bars, public areas, dining rooms, specialty restaurants and more you will find yourself surround by the Italian flair. Scott dives in deeply on everything he tried to see, do and eat - and shares it all with us. Enjoy the show! Happy Cruising! Tommy & Scott

Scott and his wife Pam recently cruised from Galveston, Texas for the first time sailing on the Carnival Breeze. Their seven day Western Caribbean cruise was filled with food, fun, and frivolity. Adventures included exploring Mayan pyramids and water filled caves. Hear all about their amazing vacation on land and sea! Enjoy the show! Tommy & Scott

It was a cruise like no other! On this new episode, Tommy shares about his family's experiences on the Discovery Princess to the Mexican Riviera for the April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse.  This cruise was sold out for two years and Princess Cruises made this cosmic event very special in many different and exciting ways for their guests.  And watching a total solar eclipse from a cruise ship is experience like no other. It was a highlight of our lives that our family cherished together and will never forget. Thank you Princess Cruises for making this phenomenal cruise possible! Enjoy the show! - Tommy & Scott 

On this new episode we explore cruising with your kids. We think taking a family cruise is awonderful way to spend time together, try new things, visit new places and learn about othercultures. However, most of your time will be enjoying the cruise ship and all of its amazingkids programs and activities. We discuss what you can expect and experience on Royal Caribbean,Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Princess Cruises. Do you have a great experience that youhad with your kids that you would like to share with us, let us know! Enjoy the show! Keep On Cruising! Tommy & Scott

We are back with part two examining the suspiciously clickbait article titled "What A Cruise Is Really Like - Fantasy Versus Reality" by Nicole Castelino. It is very apparent that this was written by AI and not by a real travel/cruise writer. This poorly written article was published to draw readers who are drawn into fake drama and negative stories, with unsupported "facts". This article's sole purpose is to create controversy to feed the search engines algorithyms that like negative stories, videos, etc. We are exposing their tactics. Keep On Cruising! Tommy & Scott    

Scott recently ran across a blog post about cruising with a suspiciously clickbait title "What A Cruise Is Really Like - Fantasy Versus Reality" by Nicole Castelino. We take a dive and read through this article which was full of straw man arguments, untrue accusations and just poor writing about cruising. Why was this even published? Who is Nicole Castelino? What is Livstyl.com all about? It became more apparent as we read through this "article" we felt that an AI bot wrote this. Is this the future of cruise blogging? Listen and let's discuss. Share with us your thoughts on this show. Keep On Cruising! Tommy & Scott    

This is a different kind of episode. Normally, we like to keep it positive and such, but we have notice some trends and attitudes that need to change amongst our cruising community. We all have seen some crazy things that happen on cruise ships, and most of the time, people just turn a blind eye to it. But not today. We are going to call out somethings and hopefully, some of you will change your tune. And if you think there is something else we should call out, let us know and we will share it on a future show. We want everyone to have awesome cruise vacations, so hold on to your handrails and enjoy the show! Keep On Cruising! Tommy & Scott

On this new episode, we welcome Kat and Lewis Sutton from the Dis Down Under Podcast. The Sutton's are super Disney fans from Perth, Australia. They have visited all the Disney theme parks around the world and also love cruising They are excited to have Disney Cruise Line come to their homeland. The Disney Wonder travelled from west coast of the United States to Sydney, Australia for the Christmas holiday season through February 2024. Kat and Lewis enjoyed two cruises, with one that included a New Year's celebration. This interview has a lot of great information, fun cruise stories and more. Be sure to follow them on social media and check out their podcast as well! We hope you enjoy the show mates! Keep On Cruising! Tommy & Scott

"Beale Street Boogie" - The Delmore Brothers; "Rockin´ Chair Money" - Bill Carlisle; "Papa´s Getting Old" - Fairley Holden; "What A Line" - Jimmie Widener; "Four Or Five Times" - Luke Will´s Rhythm Busters; "She´s A Backwoods Woman" - Mel Cox & The Flying Ranch Boys; "Three Strikes and You´re Out" - Cowboy Copas; "Brother Drop Dead (Boogie) - Redd Stewart; "Rockin´ and Rollin´" - Tommy Scott; "You´ll Make Our Shack a Mansion" - Grandpa Jones; "Tend To Your Business" - Clyde Moody; "Goodnight Cincinnati, Good Morning Tennessee" - Shorty Long; "Grandpa Stole My Baby" - Moon Mullican; "(I´m A) Hi-Ballin´ Daddy" - Ann Jones; "Money Bag Woman" - Luke McDaniel; "Day Done Broke Too Soon This Morning" - Jack Cardwell; "I Ain´t Got A Pot (Too Peel Potatoes In)" - Louie Innis; "I Put My Britches On Just Like Everybody Else" - Hardrock GunterTodas las músicas extraídas de la recopilación "King Hillbilly bop ´n´ Boogie: King/Federal´s Roots Of Rockabilly 1944-1956 (Ace Records, 2002)Escuchar audio

Hey Cruisers!   We are back with part two of sharing tips and ideas on how to make your holiday cruise extra special. Also, we have exclusive interviews with Raymond Grills, Food and Beverage Director and DuVaul Gamble, Cruise Director on the Discovery Princess!  These are fun and informative interviews detailing of what you can expect to enjoy and make your upcoming cruise a most memorable experience. We hope you have a wonderful holiday season and are grateful that you listen and support our show. Please keep sharing us with your family and friends.  Keep On Cruising!  Tommy & Scott 

I am so thrilled to have Tommy & Scott of Balloons by Tommy on the show for the final 2023 interview! I've always held them in my mind as the gold standard of balloon businesses and appreciate even more how kind each of them are with their knowledge and experiences. Tommy's balloon dreams started very young and he has never swayed from those dreams. We hear how he ran and grew his business while going to school, until Scott came along and they became this dynamic duo that started to scale rapidly. They tell us about the ups and downs they've experienced along the way as they've built their team and managed production, time away, etc. You'll also hear what actual technologies they use to run the business, including group chats, their CRM, email management and mockups. And don't miss the tips they share about New Year's Eve bookings! We wrap up the conversation by hearing how they plan their years, make goals for the business and think long-term about their direction. These two are clearly leaders within our industry and it was such an honor to have them on the show. From the UGlu Hotline, we have a question about whether to use contracts in donation work. I share not only my guidelines on donating services, but also my approach for making the service happen.    RESOURCES MENTIONED: 17hats (get 50% off your 1st year)  Balloon Suite  Havin' A Party Wholesale (save 5% with code BRIGHT)  UGlu by Pro Tapes (save 5% at Havin' A Party with code BRIGHT)  Call into the UGlu Hotline to ask a question or leave advice! (262) 221-8514 ‬Balloon Boss Mastermind & Summit   PremiumConwin 2024 Bright Balloon Business Planner  ALOFT (save $10 with code BRIGHT) Balloons by Tommy  ____________________________  Join the book club  50 Ideas for Email Marketing | Join the Bright Balloon email list  courses | templates | planner  @thebrightballoon  The Bright Balloon on YouTube 

Hey Cruisers! We have fun and interesting episode for you. Have you ever wondered or wanted to cruise during a holiday? Scott just recently returned from a Thanksgiving cruise on the Discovery Princess and he shares about what to expect, some of the special things to see, do and of course, eat! He also has a few tips and ideas on how to make your holiday cruise extra special too! We hope you enjoy the show!  Keep On Cruising! Tommy & Scott

We were invited to Princess Cruise's press event for the revealing of their new experience "Spellbound" by Magic Castle and we are here to reveal what we learned. We also have a special interview with Erika Larsen and Randy Pitchford from the Magic Castle sharing with us about their exciting collaboration with Princess Cruises. This mysterious venue will bring world class magicians to cruise guests in a intimate magical realm. Spellbound will be debuting on the new Sun Princess in early 2024.  Enjoy the show!  Tommy & Scott

On this new show we share about our recent fine dining and wine experiences on our Alaskan cruises on the Royal Princess and Discovery Princess. From Winemakers Dinner to Chef's Table Lumiere to the exciting and new 360 Experience (No Spoilers!).  We expanded and explored with our palates upon a culinary journey of new flavors and experiences. Did you know that Scott is a winemaker? He shares his great insights and information about harvesting grapes, wine tasting and more. We hope you enjoy the show! ^Tommy & Scott

Welcome to episode #201! Well, Scott had the unexpected pleasure on his Alaskan cruise to celebrate with Bernie “Dr. Adam Bricker” Kopell, aka “Doc” on the Royal Princess, his 90th birthday! Cruise Director Corrine Steel conducted a interview with Bernie where he shared some of the behind the scenes moments from The Love Boat TV show as well as answering questions from cruisers. It was full of humorous memories of his acting days with Hollywood's biggest stars. Everyone got sing Happy Birthday to Doc and afterwards Bernie generously spent time taking photos with the cruise guests. What a wonderful surprise and experience. We hope you enjoy listening to this memorable day.  Enjoy the show! Tommy & Scott

Welcome to episode #200! How did that happen? While cruising through Alaska last month, Scott was able to interview our special guest, Corrine Steel, the current cruise director on the Royal Princess. Corrine shares her seven year journey from Yorkshire, United Kingdom studying theater to performing and working on cruise ships. Corrine updates us on the future of Princess Cruises newest ships, new additions to the North To Alaska enrichment series, Puppies in the Piazza and so much more. Thank you Corrine for coming onto our show and sharing your passion for cruising with our listeners. Enjoy the show! Tommy & Scott

We have a very special and exclusive interview for you! Cruise Director Dan France graceously share with us his life story and how became part of the Princess Cruises' family and the Sky Princess. We discuss many things from food to entertainment to relaxation to things not to miss on board this beautiful ship. Dan also has a few cruise pointers and tips on how to make the most of your next cruise a fantastic vacation. Please follow Dan on Instagram @danfromtheship to see his cruising adventures. Enjoy the interview! Tommy & Scott

Part 2! Tommy shares about all the cruise ports that he and his wife visited in Norway and Belgium. Should you always book an excursion through the cruise line or should you just roll the dice and see what you can find that day? What was the weather like in the Arctic Circle during the summer time? How does it feel to have sunlight 24 hours a day? What were the best port stops? What was the best activity? These questions were answered and so much more. Want to see more photos and video? Go to our Instagram page and follow along with this show. Norway was phenomenal in so many ways: fjords, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, rivers, glaciers, wildlife, and more. The Sky Princess crew and Princess Cruises made Tommy and Lena's 40th anniversary cruise was an exceptional and memorable experience of a lifetime. Enjoy the show! Tommy & Scott

Tommy is back from his 40th wedding anniversary cruise on the phenomenal Sky Princess! This 14 day cruise went from Southampton, England into the Arctic Circle and all the way to the most northern town in Europe, Honningsvag, Norway, North Cape. This cruise had 8 port stops in Norway and 1 stop in Belgium. On this  show we are going to talk about the Sky Princess a bit and then get down to business and discuss all the wonderful food he had onboard the ship. From room service to the main dining room, from Alfredo's Pizzeria to Crown Grill. And wait to you hear about the 36 ounce bone-in rib eye steak for two experience - it was a one of the best meals ever! Listen today! Enjoy the show! Tommy & Scott

Tommy Scott desired and felt drawn toward God throughout his life. At the age of 16, he was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on June 17th, 2023. In the Fall at a high school football game Tommy started talking to a young woman who was a member of the church. He had questions about her church. She invited Tommy to come to church and learn more. Tommy accepted her invitation and showed up early on a Sunday morning eager to learn more and feel God's love. Join me today as Tommy shares his journey of being drawn towards God. President Nelson said, "My dear extraordinary youth, you were sent to earth at this precise time, the most crucial time in the history of the world, to help gather Israel. There is nothing happening on this earth right now that is more important than that. There is nothing of greater consequence. Absolutely nothing. This gathering should mean everything to you. This is the mission for which you were sent to earth. So my question to you is “Are you willing to enlist in the youth battalion of the Lord to help gather Israel?” Please think about it.”....................Our Heavenly Father has reserved many of His most noble spirits—perhaps, I might say, His finest team—for this final phase. Those noble spirits—those finest players, those heroes—are you! I testify that the gathering is now, and it is real.” June 2018 bethnewellcoaching.com bethnewellcoaching@gmail.com

Tommy Scott desired and felt drawn toward God throughout his life. At the age of 16, he was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on June 17th, 2023. In the Fall at a high school football game Tommy started talking to a young woman who was a member of the church. He had questions about her church. She invited Tommy to come to church and learn more. Tommy accepted her invitation and showed up early on a Sunday morning eager to learn more and feel God's love. Join me today as Tommy shares his journey of being drawn towards God. President Nelson said, "My dear extraordinary youth, you were sent to earth at this precise time, the most crucial time in the history of the world, to help gather Israel. There is nothing happening on this earth right now that is more important than that. There is nothing of greater consequence. Absolutely nothing. This gathering should mean everything to you. This is the mission for which you were sent to earth. So my question to you is “Are you willing to enlist in the youth battalion of the Lord to help gather Israel?” Please think about it.”....................Our Heavenly Father has reserved many of His most noble spirits—perhaps, I might say, His finest team—for this final phase. Those noble spirits—those finest players, those heroes—are you! I testify that the gathering is now, and it is real.” June 2018 bethnewellcoaching.com bethnewellcoaching@gmail.com

On this new episode, Tommy shares all about his wonderful cruise on the Caribbean Princess!  Seven wonderful days to the Eastern Caribbean, with port stops at Princess Cay, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. We cover all of this including watch shopping, food, entertainment, travel tips and more. Also on this show, we share about all of upcoming cruises for the rest of 2023. Enjoy the show!  Happy Cruising! Tommy & Scott

On this new show, Scott recaps he latest cruise on the Carnival Radiance and shares the details about his amazing stateroom and plus his newest "Cruise Food Hacks".  We also chat about Tommy's upcoming Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Caribbean Princess during Easter break and finally, we round out the show with a discussion about 100th anniversary of luxury cruising. Keep on Cruising! Tommy & Scott

Scott just got back from his first cruise on the Navigator of the Seas! There was so much to see, do and, of course eat, he decided to make the focus of this cruise all about the dining experiences onboard the ship. This show is all about the delicious food, where to find it and what to eat. Scott tells us about some of his famous food hacks you must also try. We are not resonsible for any damages that may you inccur due to drooling that may happen as you enjoy the show!   Keep on Cruising! Tommy & Scott

Hi Cruisers! We are back with another fun and informative interview for you. Scott was able to interview not one, but two cruise directors, Sophie and Dan, before they made their job transitions, on the Diamond Princess. (Sophie is now the full time cruise director on Diamond Princess and Dan went to be the entertainment director on the Sky Princess.) They share with us their favorite things not to miss on this beautiful ship, but also a few of their best kept secrets that you need to experience and enjoy onboard. Along with the game changing, Princess Medallion, the cruiser's experience is second to none on Diamond Princess. The ship will be soon be returning to Japan and sailing voyages  to Asian destinations. We can't wait to hear about all about her new adventures! Enjoy the show! Tommy & Scott

This week we have special and exclusive intervew with Princess Cruises executive chef, Paolo Merio. He shares with Scott a peek behind the scenes what it takes manage and serve over 3,000 guests and crew daily on the Diamond Princess. It's a facinating and informative interview. Thank you Paolo for sharing your stories with us! Enjoy the show cruisers! Tommy & Scott

What do you give the podcast listener who has everything? Answer:  an episode on Them's 1966 garage hymn "I Can Only Give You Everything", which has everythang: a gravedigger riff with fuzz, overdriven organ, pounding drums, a snarling vocal performance, some wild modulation and a messed up chord change (1:51)! Ain't that enough? Of course not! A couple of months later, the co-songwriter and producer of Them's initial onslaught, Scotland's Tommy Scott waxed his own interpretation (56:53). In this one, we detect some traditional folk and skiffle sounds,  and we especially dig how the organ sounds like bagpipes - Tommy Scott Wha Hae!! From Ireland, to Scotland to ... Motor City? In 1967, The MC5 released a scorching rendition that adds a little  more to the everything - cool cadence, spastic strumming, and a spine-tingling psych solo (1:25:04).  The denouement of our discussion comes when we spin Beck's 1996 sorta hit, "Devil's Haircut," which revived the riff for slacker kids (1:48:08). It's not nothin', but does it have enough "everything" to be something? Tune in and find out!

Tommy and Scott discuss their experiences at the Discovery Princess naming ceremony. The last of the Royal Class of Princess ships, this beautiful vessel is the crowning achievement of Princess Cruises. With it's fine appointments, beautiful staterooms, stunning Piazza, relaxing Enclave, delicious Slice Pizza, specialty restaurants, and more, the Discovery Princess takes you to a new place of rejuvenation, relaxation and revitalization.  Scott shares about his recent Alaskan cruise on the Discovery Princess as well. Highlighting some of the most memorable moments of his cruise vacation.  Scott was able to enjoy a presentation on the ship with Libby Riddles, the first woman in the world to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Check out the video here: https://youtu.be/MaG_s82hNic We hope you enjoy this new episode! Tommy & Scott  

The Fantastival Podcast is now #80 and what a way to do so as Steve is joined by the brilliant songwriter & frontman from Space, Mr Tommy Scott…  It was great chatting to Tommy as we caught up talked all things music, from his early memories to his current tour with Space, their formation and rise up the charts, the unexpected success of ‘Spiders', the story behind the huge ‘Female Of The Species' and how a drunken slur has become a singalong line, the song on which ‘Neighbourhood' is based, being on The Austin Powers Soundtrack and hanging out with Mike Myers, singing with Cerys from Catalonia, falling out with the record label, how Space came to an end, but how a tragedy got them back together, their recent albums & Tommys awesome solo album ‘Marionette', his upcoming release with The Drellas on Aviator, future Space albums and their plans as Tommy also collated his Fantasy Festival.  If you've enjoyed the Fantastival Podcast please give us a follow on Twitter @FantastivalP and remember to check for our new episodes which are released every Sunday at 9am.  Spread the word... and the word is Fantastival! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-fantastival-podcast/message

Episode 125 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Here Comes the Night", Them, the early career of Van Morrison, and the continuing success of Bert Berns.  Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a twenty-minute bonus episode available, on "Dirty Water" by the Standells. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Resources As usual, I've created a Mixcloud playlist, with full versions of all the songs excerpted in this episode. The information about Bert Berns comes from Here Comes the Night: The Dark Soul of Bert Berns and the Dirty Business of Rhythm and Blues by Joel Selvin. I've used two biographies of Van Morrison. Van Morrison: Into the Music by Ritchie Yorke is so sycophantic towards Morrison that the word "hagiography" would be, if anything, an understatement. Van Morrison: No Surrender by Johnny Rogan, on the other hand, is the kind of book that talks in the introduction about how the author has had to avoid discussing certain topics because of legal threats from the subject. I also used information from the liner notes to The Complete Them 1964-1967, which as the title suggests is a collection of all the recordings the group made while Van Morrison was in the band. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript Today we're going to take a look at a band whose lead singer, sadly, is more controversial now than he was at the period we're looking at. I would normally not want to explicitly talk about current events upfront at the start of an episode, but Van Morrison has been in the headlines in the last few weeks for promoting dangerous conspiracy theories about covid, and has also been accused of perpetuating antisemitic stereotypes with a recent single.  So I would like to take this opportunity just to say that no positive comments I make about the Van Morrison of 1965 in this episode should be taken as any kind of approval of the Van Morrison of 2021 -- and this should also be taken as read for one of the similarly-controversial subjects of next week's episode...   Anyway, that aside, today we're going to take a look at the first classic rock and roll records made by a band from Northern Ireland, and at the links between the British R&B scene and the American Brill Building. We're going to look at Van Morrison, Bert Berns, and "Here Comes the Night" by Them:   [Excerpt: Them, "Here Comes the Night"]   When we last looked at Bert Berns, he was just starting to gain some prominence in the East Coast recording scene with his productions for artists like Solomon Burke and the Isley Brothers. We've also, though it wasn't always made explicit, come across several of his productions when talking about other artists -- when Leiber and Stoller stopped working for Atlantic, Berns took over production of their artists, as well as all the other recordings he was making, and so many of the mid-sixties Drifters records we looked at in the episode on "Stand By Me" were Berns productions. But while he was producing soul classics in New York, Berns was also becoming aware of the new music coming from the United Kingdom -- in early 1963 he started receiving large royalty cheques for a cover version of his song "Twist and Shout" by some English band he'd never heard of. He decided that there was a market here for his songs, and made a trip to the UK, where he linked up with Dick Rowe at Decca.    While most of the money Berns had been making from "Twist and Shout" had been from the Beatles' version, a big chunk of it had also come from Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, the band that Rowe had signed to Decca instead of the Beatles. After the Beatles became big, the Tremeloes used the Beatles' arrangement of "Twist and Shout", which had been released on an album and an EP but not a single, and had a top ten hit with their own version of it:   [Excerpt: Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, "Twist and Shout"]   Rowe was someone who kept an eye on the American market, and saw that Berns was a great source of potential hits. He brought Berns over to the UK, and linked him up with Larry Page, the manager who gave Rowe an endless supply of teen idols, and with Phil Solomon, an Irish manager who had been the publicist for the crooner Ruby Murray, and had recently brought Rowe the group The Bachelors, who had had a string of hits like "Charmaine":   [Excerpt: The Bachelors, "Charmaine"]   Page, Solomon, and Rowe were currently trying to promote something called "Brum Beat", as a Birmingham rival to Mersey beat, and so all the acts Berns worked with were from Birmingham. The most notable of these acts was one called Gerry Levene and the Avengers. Berns wrote and produced the B-side of that group's only single, with Levene backed by session musicians, but I've been unable to find a copy of that B-side anywhere in the digital domain. However, the A-side, which does exist and wasn't produced by Berns, is of some interest:   [Excerpt: Gerry Levene and the Avengers, "Dr. Feelgood"]   The lineup of the band playing on that included guitarist Roy Wood, who would go on to be one of the most important and interesting British musicians of the later sixties and early seventies, and drummer Graeme Edge, who went on to join the Moody Blues. Apparently at another point, their drummer was John Bonham.   None of the tracks Berns recorded for Decca in 1963 had any real success, but Berns had made some useful contacts with Rowe and Solomon, and most importantly had met a British arranger, Mike Leander, who came over to the US to continue working with Berns, including providing the string arrangements for Berns' production of "Under the Boardwalk" for the Drifters:   [Excerpt: The Drifters, "Under the Boardwalk"]   In May 1964, the month when that track was recorded, Berns was about the only person keeping Atlantic Records afloat -- we've already seen that they were having little success in the mid sixties, but in mid-May, even given the British Invasion taking over the charts, Berns had five records in the Hot One Hundred as either writer or producer -- the Beatles' version of "Twist and Shout" was the highest charting, but he also had hits with "One Way Love" by the Drifters:   [Excerpt: The Drifters, "One Way Love"]   "That's When it Hurts" by Ben E. King:   [Excerpt: Ben E. King, "That's When it Hurts"]   "Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye)" by Solomon Burke:   [Excerpt: Solomon Burke, "Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye)"]   And "My Girl Sloopy" by the Vibrations:   [Excerpt: The Vibrations, "My Girl Sloopy"]   And a week after the production of "Under the Boardwalk", Berns was back in the studio with Solomon Burke, producing Burke's classic "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love", though that track would lead to a major falling-out with Burke, as Berns and Atlantic executive Jerry Wexler took co-writing credit they hadn't earned on Burke's song -- Berns was finally at the point in his career where he was big enough that he could start stealing Black men's credits rather than having to earn them for himself:   [Excerpt: Solomon Burke, "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love"]   Not everything was a hit, of course -- he wrote a dance track with Mike Leander, "Show Me Your Monkey", which was definitely not a big hit -- but he had a strike rate that most other producers and writers would have killed for. And he was also having hits in the UK with the new British Invasion bands -- the Animals had made a big hit from "Baby Let Me Take You Home", the old folk tune that Berns had rewritten for Hoagy Lands. And he was still in touch with Phil Solomon and Dick Rowe, both of whom came over to New York for Berns' wedding in July.   It might have been while they were at the wedding that they first suggested to Berns that he might be interested in producing a new band that Solomon was managing, named Them, and in particular their lead singer, Van Morrison.   Van Morrison was always a misfit, from his earliest days. He grew up in Belfast, a city that is notoriously divided along sectarian lines between a Catholic minority who (for the most part) want a united Ireland, and a Presbyterian majority who want Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK. But in a city where the joke goes that a Jewish person would be asked "but are you a Catholic Jew or a Protestant Jew?", Morrison was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, and for the rest of his life he would be resistant to fitting into any of the categories anyone tried to put him in, both for good and ill.   While most of the musicians from the UK we've looked at so far have been from middle-class backgrounds, and generally attended art school, Morrison had gone to a secondary modern school, and left at fourteen to become a window cleaner. But he had an advantage that many of his contemporaries didn't -- he had relatives living in America and Canada, and his father had once spent a big chunk of time working in Detroit, where at one point the Morrison family planned to move. This exposed Morrison senior to all sorts of music that would not normally be heard in the UK, and he returned with a fascination for country and blues music, and built up a huge record collection. Young Van Morrison was brought up listening to Hank Williams, Sister Rosetta Tharpe,  Jimmie Rodgers, Louis Jordan, Jelly Roll Morton, and his particular favourite, Lead Belly. The first record he bought with his own money was "Hootin' Blues" by the Sonny Terry Trio:   [Excerpt: The Sonny Terry Trio, "Hootin' Blues"]   Like everyone, Van Morrison joined a skiffle group, but he became vastly more ambitious in 1959 when he visited a relative in Canada. His aunt smuggled him into a nightclub where an actual American rock and roll group were playing -- Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks:   [Excerpt: Ronnie Hawkins, "Mary Lou"]   Hawkins had been inspired to get into the music business by his uncle Delmar, a fiddle player whose son, Dale Hawkins, we looked at back in episode sixty-three. His band, the Hawks, had a reputation as the hottest band in Canada -- at this point they were still all Americans, but other than their drummer Levon Helm they would soon be replaced one by one with Canadian musicians, starting with bass player Robbie Robertson.   Morrison was enthused and decided he was going to become a professional musician. He already played a bit of guitar, but started playing the saxophone too, as that was an instrument that would be more likely to get him work at this point.   He joined a showband called the Monarchs, as saxophone player and occasional vocalist. Showbands were a uniquely Irish phenomenon -- they were eight- or nine-piece groups, rhythm sections with a small horn section and usually a couple of different singers, who would play every kind of music for dancing, ranging from traditional pop to country and western to rock and roll, and would also perform choreographed dance routines and comedy sketches.    The Monarchs were never a successful band, but they managed to scrape a living playing the Irish showband circuit, and in the early sixties they travelled to Germany, where audiences of Black American servicemen wanted them to play more soulful music like songs by Ray Charles, an opportunity Morrison eagerly grabbed. It was also a Black American soldier who introduced Morrison to the music of Bobby Bland, whose "Turn on Your Love Light" was soon introduced to the band's set:   [Excerpt Bobby "Blue" Bland, "Turn on Your Love Light"]   But they were still mostly having to play chart hits by Billy J Kramer or Gerry and the Pacemakers, and Morrison was getting frustrated. The Monarchs did get a chance to record a single in Germany, as Georgie and the Monarchs, with another member, George Jones (not the famous country singer) singing lead, but the results were not impressive:   [Excerpt: Georgie and the Monarchs, "O Twingy Baby"]   Morrison moved between several different showbands, but became increasingly dissatisfied with what he was doing. Then another showband he was in, the Manhattan Showband, briefly visited London, and Morrison and several of his bandmates went to a club called Studio 51, run by Ken Colyer. There they saw a band called The Downliners Sect, who had hair so long that the Manhattan members at first thought they were a girl group, until their lead singer came on stage wearing a deerstalker hat. The Downliners Sect played exactly the kind of aggressive R&B that Morrison thought he should be playing:   [Excerpt: The Downliners Sect, "Be a Sect Maniac"]   Morrison asked if he could sit in with the group on harmonica, but was refused -- and this was rather a pattern with the Downliners Sect, who had a habit of attracting harmonica players who wanted to be frontmen. Both Rod Stewart and Steve Marriott did play harmonica with the group for a while, and wanted to join full-time, but were refused as they clearly wanted to be lead singers and the group didn't need another one of them.   On returning to Belfast, Morrison decided that he needed to start his own R&B band, and his own R&B club night. At first he tried to put together a sort of supergroup of showband regulars, but most of the musicians he approached weren't interested in leaving their steady gigs. Eventually, he joined a band called the Gamblers, led by guitarist and vocalist Billy Harrison. The Gamblers had started out as an instrumental group, playing rock and roll in the style of Johnny and the Hurricanes, but they'd slowly been moving in a more R&B direction, and playing Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley material. Morrison joined the group on saxophone and vocals -- trading off leads with Harrison -- and the group renamed themselves after a monster movie from a few years before:   [Excerpt: THEM! trailer]   The newly renamed Them took up a regular gig at the Maritime Hotel, a venue which had previously attracted a trad jazz crowd, and quickly grew a substantial local following. Van Morrison later often said that their residency at the Maritime was the only time Them were any good, but that period was remarkably short -- three months after their first gig, the group had been signed to a management, publishing, and production deal with Philip Solomon, who called in Dick Rowe to see them in Belfast. Rowe agreed to the same kind of licensing deal with Solomon that Andrew Oldham had already got from him for the Stones -- Them would record for Solomon's company, and Decca would license the recordings.   This also led to the first of the many, many, lineup changes that would bedevil the group for its short existence -- between 1964 and 1966 there were eighteen different members of the group. Eric Wrixon, the keyboard player, was still at school, and his parents didn't think he should become a musician, so while he came along to the first recording session, he didn't sign the contract because he wasn't allowed to stay with the group once his next term at school started. However, he wasn't needed -- while Them's guitarist and bass player were allowed to play on the records, Dick Rowe brought in session keyboard player Arthur Greenslade and drummer Bobby Graham -- the same musicians who had augmented the Kinks on their early singles -- to play with them.   The first single, a cover version of Slim Harpo's "Don't Start Crying Now", did precisely nothing commercially:   [Excerpt: Them, "Don't Start Crying Now"]   The group started touring the UK, now as Decca recording artistes, but they almost immediately started to have clashes with their management. Phil Solomon was not used to aggressive teenage R&B musicians, and didn't appreciate things like them just not turning up for one gig they were booked for, saying to them "The Bachelors never missed a date in their lives. One of them even had an accident on their way to do a pantomime in Bristol and went on with his leg in plaster and twenty-one stitches in his head."   Them were not particularly interested in performing in pantomimes in Bristol, or anywhere else, but the British music scene was still intimately tied in with the older showbiz tradition, and Solomon had connections throughout that industry -- as well as owning a publishing and production company he was also a major shareholder in Radio Caroline, one of the pirate radio stations that broadcast from ships anchored just outside British territorial waters to avoid broadcasting regulations, and his father was a major shareholder in Decca itself.    Given Solomon's connections, it wasn't surprising that Them were chosen to be one of the Decca acts produced by Bert Berns on his next UK trip in August 1964. The track earmarked for their next single was their rearrangement of "Baby Please Don't Go", a Delta blues song that had originally been recorded in 1935 by Big Joe Williams and included on the Harry Smith Anthology:   [Excerpt: Big Joe Williams' Washboard Blues Singers , "Baby Please Don't Go"]   though it's likely that Them had learned it from Muddy Waters' version, which is much closer to theirs:   [Excerpt: Muddy Waters, "Baby Please Don't Go"]   Bert Berns helped the group tighten up their arrangement, which featured a new riff thought up by Billy Harrison, and he also brought in a session guitarist, Jimmy Page, to play rhythm guitar. Again he used a session drummer, this time Andy White who had played on "Love Me Do". Everyone agreed that the result was a surefire hit:   [Excerpt: Them, "Baby Please Don't Go"]   At the session with Berns, Them cut several other songs, including some written by Berns, but it was eventually decided that the B-side should be a song of Morrison's, written in tribute to his dead cousin Gloria, which they'd recorded at their first session with Dick Rowe:   [Excerpt: Them, "Gloria"]   "Baby Please Don't Go" backed with "Gloria" was one of the great double-sided singles of the sixties, but it initially did nothing on the charts, and the group were getting depressed at their lack of success, Morrison and Harrison were constantly arguing as each thought of himself as the leader of the group, and the group's drummer quit in frustration. Pat McAuley, the group's new keyboard player, switched to drums, and brought in his brother Jackie to replace him on keyboards.    To make matters worse, while "Baby Please Don't Go" had flopped, the group had hoped that their next single would be one of the songs they'd recorded with Berns, a Berns song called "Here Comes the Night". Unfortunately for them, Berns had also recorded another version of it for Decca, this one with Lulu, a Scottish singer who had recently had a hit with a cover of the Isley Brothers' "Shout!", and her version was released as a single:   [Excerpt: Lulu, "Here Comes the Night"]   Luckily for Them, though unluckily for Lulu, her record didn't make the top forty, so there was still the potential for Them to release their version of it.   Phil Solomon hadn't given up on "Baby Please Don't Go", though, and he began a media campaign for the record. He moved the group into the same London hotel where Jimmy Savile was staying -- Savile is now best known for his monstrous crimes, which I won't go into here except to say that you shouldn't google him if you don't know about them, but at the time he was Britain's most popular DJ, the presenter of Top of the Pops, the BBC's major TV pop show, and a columnist in a major newspaper. Savile started promoting Them, and they would later credit him with a big part of their success.   But Solomon was doing a lot of other things to promote the group as well. He part-owned Radio Caroline, and so "Baby Please Don't Go" went into regular rotation on the station. He called in a favour with the makers of Ready Steady Go! and got "Baby Please Don't Go" made into the show's new theme tune for two months, and soon the record, which had been a flop on its first release, crawled its way up into the top ten.   For the group's next single, Decca put out their version of "Here Comes the Night", and that was even more successful, making it all the way to number two on the charts, and making the American top thirty:   [Excerpt: Them, "Here Comes the Night"]   As that was at its chart peak, the group also performed at the NME Poll-Winners' Party at Wembley Stadium, a show hosted by Savile and featuring The Moody Blues, Freddie and the Dreamers, Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, Herman's Hermits, Cilla Black, Donovan, The Searchers, Dusty Springfield, The Animals,The Kinks, the Rolling Stones, and the Beatles, among others. Even on that bill, reviewers singled out Them's seven-minute performance of Bobby Bland's "Turn on Your Love Light" for special praise, though watching the video of it it seems a relatively sloppy performance.   But the group were already starting to fall apart. Jackie McAuley was sacked from the group shortly after that Wembley show -- according to some of the group, because of his use of amphetamines, but it's telling that when the Protestant bass player Alan Henderson told the Catholic McAuley he was out of the group, he felt the need to emphasise that "I've got nothing against" -- and then use a term that's often regarded as an anti-Catholic slur...   On top of this, the group were also starting to get a bad reputation among the press -- they would simply refuse to answer questions, or answer them in monosyllables, or just swear at journalists. Where groups like the Rolling Stones carefully cultivated a "bad boy" image, but were doing so knowingly and within carefully delineated limits, Them were just unpleasant and rude because that's who they were.   Bert Berns came back to the UK to produce a couple of tracks for the group's first album, but he soon had to go back to America, as he had work to do there -- he'd just started up his own label, a rival to Red Bird, called BANG, which stood for Bert, Ahmet, Neshui, Gerald -- Berns had co-founded it with the Ertegun brothers and Jerry Wexler, though he soon took total control over it. BANG had just scored a big hit with "I Want Candy" by the Strangeloves, a song Berns had co-written:   [Excerpt: The Strangeloves, "I Want Candy"]   And the Strangeloves in turn had discovered a singer called Rick Derringer, and Bang put out a single by him under the name "The McCoys", using a backing track Berns had produced as a Strangeloves album track, their version of his earlier hit "My Girl Sloopy". The retitled "Hang on Sloopy" went to number one:   [Excerpt: The McCoys, "Hang on Sloopy"]   Berns was also getting interested in signing a young Brill Building songwriter named Neil Diamond... The upshot was that rather than continuing to work with Berns, Them were instead handed over to Tommy Scott, an associate of Solomon's who'd sung backing vocals on "Here Comes the Night", but who was best known for having produced "Terry" by Twinkle:   [Excerpt: Twinkle, "Terry"]   The group were not impressed with Scott's productions, and their next two singles flopped badly, not making the charts at all. Billy Harrison and Morrison were becoming less and less able to tolerate each other, and eventually Morrison and Henderson forced Harrison out. Pat McAuley quit two weeks later,    The McAuley brothers formed their own rival lineup of Them, which initially also featured Billy Harrison, though he soon left, and they got signed to a management contract with Reg Calvert, a rival of Solomon's who as well as managing several pop groups also owned Radio City, a pirate station that was in competition with Radio Caroline. Calvert registered the trademark in the name Them, something that Solomon had never done for the group, and suddenly there was a legal dispute over the name.   Solomon retaliated by registering trademarks for the names "The Fortunes" and "Pinkerton's Assorted Colours" -- two groups Calvert managed -- and putting together rival versions of those groups. However the problem soon resolved itself, albeit tragically -- Calvert got into a huge row with Major Oliver Smedley, a failed right-libertarian politician who, when not co-founding the Institute for Economic Affairs and quitting the Liberal Party for their pro-European stance and left-wing economics, was one of Solomon's co-directors of Radio Caroline. Smedley shot Calvert, killing him, and successfully pled self-defence at his subsequent trial. The jury let Smedley off after only a minute of deliberation, and awarded Smedley two hundred and fifty guineas to pay for his costs.   The McAuley brothers' group renamed themselves to Them Belfast -- and the word beginning with g that some Romany people regard as a slur for their ethnic group -- and made some records, mostly only released in Sweden, produced by Kim Fowley, who would always look for any way to cash in on a hit record, and wrote "Gloria's Dream" for them:   [Excerpt: Them Belfast G***ies, "Gloria's Dream"]   Morrison and Henderson continued their group, and had a surprise hit in the US when Decca issued "Mystic Eyes", an album track they'd recorded for their first album, as a single in the US, and it made the top forty:   [Excerpt: Them, "Mystic Eyes"]   On the back of that, Them toured the US, and got a long residency at the Whisky a Go-Go in LA, where they were supported by a whole string of the Sunset Strip's most exciting new bands -- Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, The Association, Buffalo Springfield, and the Doors. The group became particularly friendly with the Doors, with the group's new guitarist getting thrown out of clubs with Jim Morrison for shouting "Johnny Rivers is a wanker!" at Rivers while Rivers was on stage, and Jim Morrison joining them on stage for duets, though the Doors were staggered at how much the Belfast group could drink -- their drink bill for their first week at the Whisky A Go-Go was $5400.   And those expenses caused problems, because Van Morrison agreed before the tour started that he would be on a fixed salary, paid by Phil Solomon, and Solomon would get all the money from the promoters. But then Morrison found out how much Solomon was making, and decided that it wasn't fair that Solomon would get all that money when Morrison was only getting the comparatively small amount he'd agreed to. When Tommy Scott, who Solomon had sent over to look after the group on tour, tried to collect the takings from the promoters, he was told "Van Morrison's already taken the money".    Solomon naturally dropped the group, who continued touring the US without any management, and sued them. Various Mafia types offered to take up the group's management contract, and even to have Solomon murdered, but the group ended up just falling apart.    Van Morrison quit the group, and Alan Henderson struggled on for another five years with various different lineups of session men, recording albums as Them which nobody bought. He finally stopped performing as Them in 1972. He reunited with Billy Harrison and Eric Wrixon, the group's original keyboardist, in 1979, and they recorded another album and toured briefly. Wrixon later formed another lineup of Them, which for a while included Billy Harrison, and toured with that group, billed as Them The Belfast Blues Band, until Wrixon's death in 2015.   Morrison, meanwhile, had other plans. Now that Them's two-year contract with Solomon was over, he wanted to have the solo career people had been telling him he deserved. And he knew how he was going to do it. All along, he'd thought that Bert Berns had been the only person in the music industry who understood him as an artist, and now of course Berns had his own record label. Van Morrison was going to sign to BANG Records, and he was going to work again with Bert Berns, the man who was making hits for everyone he worked with.   But the story of "Brown-Eyed Girl", and Van Morrison going solo, and the death of Bert Berns, is a story for another time...

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is  Kelly Molson, MD of Rubber Cheese.Download our free ebook The Ultimate Guide to Doubling Your Visitor NumbersIf you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website rubbercheese.com/podcastIf you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this episode.Competition ends August  27th 2021. The winner will be contacted via Twitter.Show references:www.designedbyesther.co.ukwww.princes-trust.org.ukhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/esther-johnson Esther Johnson is working with the leading tourist attractions. Creating contemporary illustrations based on extensive research of each subject for commercial use.Transcription:Kelly Molson: Welcome to Skip the Queue, a podcast for working in, or working with, visitor attractions. I'm your host, Kelly Molson. Each episode, I speak with industry experts from the attractions world. In today's episode, I speak with Esther Johnson, a freelance designer and illustrator specialising in working with heritage sites. We discuss the importance of having niche products in your gift shop, how you can develop these for your attraction, and what you need to think about before taking on the plunge. If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue.Kelly Molson: Esther, thank you so much for coming on the podcast today, it's so lovely to see you again.Esther Johnson: Thank you very much for having me, very flattered. Kelly Molson: I love the backdrop that you've got there as well, for everyone that's watching this on YouTube, I can see your beautiful illustrations that we're going to talk about in the background. It's a lot more beautiful than my background. Esther Johnson: No, it's authentic. It's authentic working from home. We redid it last year at the start of April and didn't know that it was going to be really useful for having meetings like this. Kelly Molson: Who did?Esther Johnson: [crosstalk 00:01:05]. So, thank you very much.Kelly Molson: You are welcome. As ever, we're going to start off with some icebreaker questions. So, if money was no limit, what would be your absolute dream holiday?Esther Johnson: Easy, Nashville. I'm such a big country music fan, absolutely love Nashville, and I would love, love, love to go and listen to the music, and drink the beer and everything. Proper Nashville, want to do it, that is on my bucket list. So, if I had all the money, that's straight where I would go.Kelly Molson: I love that. There was no hesitation whatsoever in that at all, "I've got this planned already". Esther Johnson: Literally, country music... It's all I listen to. During the day, it's all I listen to.Kelly Molson: Who is your favourite country music artist? Esther Johnson: So, a bit of a girl crush on Carrie Underwood. I've seen her I think three times in London. I think she's just such an incredible performer, and I love her outfits, and I love just everything that she's doing. Carrie Underwood. Kelly Molson: You've just set the Spotify playlist for me for the rest of the day, I'll have to check her out. Esther Johnson: Yeah, [inaudible 00:02:26] playlist, definitely [inaudible 00:02:26]. Kelly Molson: What is your food-based guilty pleasure? Esther Johnson: Probably After Eight's. I have a few food allergies, so my palette is barely limited at times, so After Eight's are literally my go-to for everything. It's the only chocolate I can have, so it's definitely my guilty pleasure. Kelly Molson: The only chocolate you can have? Wow. Do you play the After Eight game when you eat them as well? Esther Johnson: No, wastes time, wastes time, straight in. Kelly Molson: Messy too, depending on the time. Esther Johnson: Of course, yes.Kelly Molson: This might tie in actually to your dream holiday, if you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life what would it be?Esther Johnson: Probably Tommy Scott, this is very Scottish, but it's literally my family's favourite tunes and songs. Tommy Scott, he'll do a range of, We Belong to Glasgow, and all these very Scottish things. So, Tommy Scott. I don't know what album, but anything he's done we'll listen to that.Kelly Molson: Alright, I don't know Tommy Scott, I'm going to have to put him in my playlist. Esther Johnson: I'm sure you maybe recognise if you've been to a Burns Night, or [inaudible 00:03:47], or New Year's Eve literally they'll play some of his music. Kelly Molson: Esther, it's unpopular opinion time.Esther Johnson: My unpopular opinion is I really don't like pasta, and I'm sorry. I really don't like pasta. If you've gone out to a restaurant and gone to an Italian, and you have Pizza, why would you choose pasta over pizza? I just don't get it.Kelly Molson: I get you on that. There is no decision to be made there. Esther Johnson: [crosstalk 00:04:20] all the way.Kelly Molson: But, you don't like pasta at all?Esther Johnson: At all. I like rice, so I'd rather have rice. If mum and dad are having pasta I will have rice or something else, or potatoes. I don't know if it's the texture, or if it's the taste. I don't know. Just not for me at all.Kelly Molson: I'll accept your unpopular opinion. Esther Johnson: Thank you.Kelly Molson: I don't agree with it, but I think that there might be a few people that will.Esther Johnson: I'm very much alone in this house as well. Kelly Molson: Let's get on to the serious questions. So, Esther, I think we connected on LinkedIn quite a while ago, and I have to say, I'm really blown away by the illustrative work that you do. I think it's absolutely beautiful. You're a freelance designer, but you specialise in illustrations and products for heritage sites. Esther Johnson: Yeah.Kelly Molson: Tell me a little bit about how you started your business. Esther Johnson: It was back in 2017, I'd just been on the Prince's Trust course. They do an enterprise course and it's a four-day crash course into running a business. So, it does your taxes, your marketing. So, four days of full-on business stuff. And, they were doing pros and cons of being an entrepreneur or being self-employed, and every single one I was like, "Yeah, I really want to be self-employed, I want to make my own day job and routine." So, got partnered with a mentor, and we started talking about what I could do as a business really, so creating that idea. I said, "I really like sketchbooks, and drawing, and things like that, but things that I like drawing are the quirky characters, not characters as in Disney characters, but characteristics of places. Esther Johnson: And, there was a program recently that really summed up my mindset into what I, hopefully, what I'm into the business. It was Tony Robinson, and he did this documentary on Cathedrals in England, and he was saying that, "Unless somebody pointed out these little details, you wouldn't know." So, so many people would just walk past, and that's fine because it's all this history. And, it's those kind of quirky things that we was talking about that I really loved and wanted to capture through illustration. Esther Johnson: So, there was a video, on Facebook I think it was, and it was all these railings that were really bizarre in London, and they were old World War 2 stretchers, and they'd been recycled into railings. And, it's that kind of idea that I really like drawing. So, we were like, "How can we get that concept?" Because, it's heritage, it's history, and quirky characteristics, "How can we get that concept into a business?" Basically, so, we started thinking of places that were local to me, so in Medway, and Chatham Dockyard came to the list. Esther Johnson: So, one day, just basically walked in, I had a couple of designs in a folder, and went, "Can I speak to the retail manager?" Hadn't planned anything, didn't know what I wanted to say. And, he didn't laugh at me at the door, which was really nice. He said, "Come back", he had a look at my designs in the folder, seemed to like them. He said, "Come back with some designs and we'll go from there." So, that was it. I went around the site. Chatham Dockyard I think was the biggest employer for Medway before it closed. But, there are so many different aspects of it. There are the three ships, there's a Victorian Ropery where they filmed Call the Midwife, and there are all these buildings. So, there were so many different aspects that I wanted to capture, that I felt that it couldn't go into one design, I felt like it would go as a collection. Esther Johnson: So, I did By the Docks, so focused on the ships and the maritime aspect of Chatham Dockyard, and called it By the Docks. And then, The Long Walk, because of the Victorian Ropery. I'll probably get this wrong, but I think it was a quarter of a mile long building. So, called it The Long Walk, and the colours were brown and earthy in the style that you would see when you go and visit. And then, finally, I wanted to capture all the different buildings, because it was like a little community in the Dockyard. They had a little church, and they had a Commissioner's House, and it's all things that you see passing by. Esther Johnson: So, I had the three designs, came back, and he seemed to like them which was really lovely because I had no degree, no experience, absolutely nothing to my name. And, I thought, "No one's going to take me seriously", but I think he saw that I was really interested in the Dockyard in particular and finding out the history of it, and capturing that through illustration. Some of the comments that he said as well was that it was quite unusual that an artist potentially or a designer would go and do some work specific to them. Normally they would either buy in stock or they would buy some designs from a catalogue, kind of thing. And, the fact that I went and wanted to get it bespoke for them was a bit different. And, it was those nuggets of information that built to this idea of what I wanted to do for a business. Esther Johnson: Then, we went into a product launch, we had all these products. And, having my name on these actual labels, and there would be barcodes, and everything so professional, it was like, "Wow". Lit the fire for what I wanted to do.Kelly Molson: That must have been such an amazing feeling, to be able to go into a shop and pick up something that you have designed or you've illustrated, and it's there, it's a physical thing. Esther Johnson: Yeah, I've definitely been in there a few times just to take pictures and just be like, "This is so bizarre". It really sparked that idea that heritage is definitely the market that I want to go in and do it for other places. There are so many other museums in Medway and in Kent. So, that's where it started really.Kelly Molson: It's a brilliant story. I love that you were supported by Prince's Trust as well, I think they're such an incredible organisation, what they do for young people, really fantastic. Esther Johnson: Yeah, they still are.Kelly Molson: You're a mentor for them as well, aren't you?Esther Johnson: I'm a young ambassador for them. Kelly Molson: Ambassador.Esther Johnson: Over lockdown, there's been so many enterprise courses that I've been running. And, on the week you get... They call it an inspirational speaker, it's strange to be called that. I go in and tell my story about how I run the business and how the Prince's Trust has helped. So, I did eight of those over lockdown. So, the demand for small businesses and people setting up their own business has definitely been on the increase. Prince's Trust, still keeps in contact with my mentors and in contact with the South East and London region, which is incredible. I've never met a bunch of people that are just so willing for you to do well. Across the board, everyone is so happy and so excited about what you're doing. It's really encouraging. Kelly Molson: It's amazing. I love the progression that you've made in what you've achieved so far. The reason that I got you on the podcast today is there's a few things that you mentioned, as you were telling your story about how you set up, that tie in really lovely with a past episode that we've had on the podcast. Back in November time, we had Simon Jones from Digital Visitor on, and at that point we were talking a lot about the fact that attractions have been closed for a huge amount of 2020. As they were starting to reopen again, they needed to look at different ways of engaging with the visitor when they came. And, not just when they come, but when they're buying from them online, or when they're buying from them on the gift shop on-site. Kelly Molson: And, Simon and I both very much talked about the fact that attractions need to stock products that you can't buy anywhere else, that's the whole point of going to that gift shop. You don't really want to just pop in there and buy something that you could pop to Tesco's and buy, or pop to your high street gift shop and buy. The reason for going is, you've been to this fantastic attraction all day, if you're going to go into the gift shop and buy something, you want to buy something that you can only get there that is very individual to that venue. And, you touched on that a little bit when you were speaking about your client had said that it's unusual for them to have illustrations that were very much focused on them, rather than just buying something that was stock. Kelly Molson: So, I wanted to talk through your process really, because I thought that would be really interesting for our audience, how you work with an organisation to do this. So, can you tell us a little bit about how that process starts? What do you do when you're first speaking to an attraction? How do you start that process of designing something that is bespoke for them? Esther Johnson: Most importantly, I need to visit the place. There's obviously so much that you can get from the internet and looking at social media, but actually visiting, as a visitor and as a customer, you see things that you wouldn't necessarily get on the internet. And also, I think a hugely important part of when I do design, is speaking to the staff, some of the visitors, and some of the people that work there because they're the experts in that place. Some of them have been there for their whole career and know every inch of the history of the museum or heritage site. And, it's that kind of information that I think is crucial and is really helpful in making a really good design. Because, they'll know what visitors are always keen to go and look at, the best sellers or the must-sees of each place. And, it's that kind of information that you wouldn't get maybe on the internet. You get a feel, you get an idea of the colours, and what the place is laid out like. So that, when you've done the whole journey and then you finish up at the gift shop, which sometimes that is how it works in museums, you know what they're expecting, and what kind of products they would want to have as part of their trip and day out. So, definitely very much go and visit it first, see it firsthand, and get imagery, photography from those places. Esther Johnson: And then, I'll go back and do some illustrations, do some designs, and put together something. I'm very lucky that I get free rein to start off with, "Here's the brief, here's what we want", go in, create something. So then, after that, we'll put together a design and I'll maybe put together some products that I think might work. And then, we go from there, we tweak it, sometimes the information might be incorrect, or they prefer to take out some images. It's a very partnership kind of relationship, because, the people that I'm working with, they know the place inside out. So, if I've taken something that I thought was interesting but doesn't quite work with their branding or with their ethos, then it will be taken out. And, that's absolutely fine, because it's them that will be selling it, it will be them that are talking to the customers, and knowing what's going to sell, and things like that. Esther Johnson: So, design is created, and then we'll put it onto products. And normally, I help find the suppliers and recommend some products that I think might work with some designs from previous examples, previous museums that I've worked with. And then, I also like doing the end part, the packaging, because I found some clients it's quite a small team in the retail side, and don't necessarily have the time to look at swatches for binding for oven gloves, and looking at fabric materials, and all those details. I'm putting my name on it, so I want to make sure it's the best product that it can be for the customer, and I want it to be well-thought-out. Because, like you say, they're spending their money and they want to have something that is bespoke for that place. And, also you can add a bit of a premium to that product that has been well-thought-out, and things like that. So, I really try and go for the full process from start to finish, and they're helping with the packaging, and if you need labels designed. I'm really interested in that whole design process.Kelly Molson: It's really collaborative, isn't it? You're working really hand in hand with them.Esther Johnson: Yeah. I definitely feel that is the better way to go about it, rather than just, "Here's a design, you pay me for that, you've got to deal with it, you've got to sell it." I'd rather it be something that they're proud of as well, and that they're passionate about it. That really does help actually with the design. When you're speaking to the staff and customers, the passion of their site and the story that they are telling, when that passion comes over, it really influences the design. And, I get that passion as well, and then I get really excited thinking, "I really hope that they like it, and I really hope that they can see that I've listened to what they've said." So, little details that go in the design, I hope that comes across.Kelly Molson: And, how do you work with the site to define what those products might be? Because your illustrations can be applied to a variety of different products, how do you help that site define what products are going to be the most popular for them, and how they can make the most of them?Esther Johnson: So, normally they already have a shop and a product range that they have already, and sometimes it is just a new product collection. So, I can say that "This design particularly works well with confectionary or kitchenware." If it's a place that's not really had product development, or they've just potentially bought things for stock, it's kind of, "Who's your target market? Who are the people that are coming in and buying tickets? Who are the people that are spending the most time in the gift shop?" It's really the research that they have, and it's all their knowledge that really influences what the products... I can suggest and say, "I think this would work really well for this target market", but they are the people that would know who is their customer. I'm not there to tell them, "This is what you should do", at all. It really is a, "I would like to help", or, "I'd like to contribute". So, it really is down to them, to be honest.Kelly Molson: If we talk about things that people need to think about before they start to speak to somebody like you who will help them develop those products, what do they need to know before they engage with you? What do they need to prepare beforehand?Esther Johnson: I suppose it depends on what their end reason for having a design. So, an example would be, some design I did for a client was not used for products, it was used for educational purposes. So, getting the school kids would be a big part of their attraction, and they needed a branding or a mascot that could be targeting to the children, and have little speech bubbles, and giving them the educational purposes, and the facts and figures of that. So, that was a very different market.Kelly Molson: If I gave you an ideal brief, what would be in that brief? What would you need to know, that you would have everything that was in that brief, that you'd go, "This brief is perfect. I'm going to take that away and..."?Esther Johnson: A perfect brief would be fairly minimal. It would be, "Come and visit on X, Y, and Z", and then I go and take inspiration from the place, and go from there. That would, I'd say, be the perfect brief. Or, another one would be, "We've got five sites, and we're trying to collaborate them together because they're all a bit disjointed", or something like that. And then, I'll be like, "Okay, I'll go to each five sites, find out something specific, and then a design will be created that can collaborate each five site, and then you can sell it in each five sites, so they're all brought together." Finding out what their unique characteristics are to go on.Kelly Molson: Is that harder to do? Because, if you're going to one site there will be individual things about that site that are really bespoke to that site, it feels like it would be easier to create on thing. How do you manage it when it's five different sites? Do you have to go through the same process at each site? Esther Johnson: I suppose. There's one particular client that I'm working with, the Brighton Pavilion Trust. So, they've got five museums down in Brighton. The Royal Pavilion is a classic, beautiful architectural building.Kelly Molson: Such an iconic building, isn't it?Esther Johnson: Yeah. Kelly Molson: Everyone remembers it.Esther Johnson: Beautiful. And, I didn't know that they had five other sites that were all linked in the same thing, and they wanted to create something that was uniformed. So, went around and found all these quirky little things that were in each site. So, I've drawn all the buildings, and then added little elements that were relevant. And then, put them into one design... I know I put it into repeat, just for a textile design background, I suppose. Customers, I hope, will be able to recognise all these different elements, and know that they can go to each different site and then find something else there.Kelly Molson: That makes sense. I guess you might be a bit biased in [inaudible 00:22:40], how important do you think it is that heritage sites do have niche products?Esther Johnson: I think it's very important. So, yes, I'm probably biased. I think it is very important because... My mindset for it is that you're spending X amount of money to get into the place, and it's a day out. And, you wouldn't go there if it was just a park, or it had no memory or meaning to it, you go there because there is a purpose to that place. And, the people are passionate about their history and what they are offering. They are, ultimately, offering a story and a place to go. And, I think that it's only fair to capture those stories into something that they can take home as a souvenir. And, the meaning of the souvenir is the whole reason why I create bespoke-ness, is because you want something that you can only buy from that place. And, I also think that well-thought design is important, rather than something that you think, "They didn't really care much about the product." I think it's important to make sure that you do care about the end product so that your customers know that you're passionate about the story, and you want them to come back, and you want them to remember. And, it would be a nice gift that they can give to somebody else as well. Kelly Molson: It's helping them continue that story as well, isn't it? To continue the journey that they've been on by buying something that is only available there, they then bring it home, which then sparks those lovely memories of that day. And again, does it act as a reminder to say, "We need to go there again", it's something that's in their house, they physically see it all the time, "We need to go back there. We need to revisit."?Esther Johnson: Yeah, of course. And, if you go to John Lewis and they've got some beautiful collections from maybe artists or just well-designed products, you think, "Wow, that's really nice. I might want to go back and add to the collection." So, you've got a set of some really nice products. And, I think, why couldn't you do that in the museum setting, and a visitor site setting? Why can't you have really beautiful products that maybe you want to go back and get the set. Or, maybe you see what else they've developed and think, "I'd rather spend my money here than on a high street store." It's making that decision made easy for customers to spend their money in a museum and visitor site rather than somewhere else online.Kelly Molson: That's a great answer. I completely agree with you on that. I think it's part of that whole mindset... There was a majority of people that were trying to shift to buying local, and buying [inaudible 00:25:43], buying smaller products anyway. But, there's definitely been a shift towards that more so since lockdown, buying local, supporting independents and things. So, I think if you can intertwine that into your visitor center as well then that's a perfect offering.Esther Johnson: Yeah. I totally agree.Kelly Molson: You might not have facts and figures and stuff for this, but it'd be interesting to know if you've spoken to any of the attractions that you've worked with and seen what the uptake has been in those niche products, compared to something that was a stock product that people would have been able to buy previously?Esther Johnson: I don't have facts and figures. I would love to be able to say their revenue was amazing after they had worked with me. In 2020, I had five projects that was going onto products that all got put on hold, and I only really started the business in 2018. So, in terms of facts and figures, it's quite difficult to get them because it's quite a short time. However, I did get contacted by a charity called ABF, the national Soldier's Charity, I think it was March/ April last year, so during the lockdown. And, we created a design, and we created some products, and it went quite well. And, they had to reorder within a couple of months. And, we did some Christmas cards that were e-cards, and they were doing them onto physical Christmas cards. And, we're doing some new product collections that are now stationary. We did confectionary, we expanded on the confectionary style. And, the response has been really good. It is a different market in terms of that it's a military charity, rather than a visitor attraction. But, the process is still the same thing. I still get in elements from what they do, what their ethos, why they do what they do, and put that onto design.Esther Johnson: And, people took... I think they liked it. Because, they were like, "Yes, this is the charity that I support and have a lot of relationships or memories within this charity, and I want to support them. And, the fact that they've got a lovely designed product, even better." So, instead of just donating money, which people do every month, they actually get a product for it. And, something that they can admire... Not admire, [inaudible 00:28:16].Kelly Molson: I totally get that. I think it's really relevant, regardless of whether that's a charity or an attraction that you're talking to. Again, it comes back to that idea of people are making really big choices about where they spend their money, and that charity or that attraction is really important to them, therefore they're choosing to spend their money there. And, they want something that they can only get at that venue. That's the message that we're driving through today. It is really important that your venue has something that is so special, and so unique to you, that people can only spend their money there on that product.Esther Johnson: Yeah, because, ultimately, the people will go there for a particular reason, because of the story that they tell. And, if it can be someway reflected into a lovely product that they can then purchase and help, then the money goes back into the refurbishment or the continuation of that organisation, I think all the better for it. Kelly Molson: Yeah, absolutely. So, other than behind your head, where I can see some of your beautiful products. Again, if you're not watching this on YouTube, apologies. What attractions have you worked with? Where can we find out a bit more about your work?Esther Johnson: Chatham Dockyard, to start off with. They still sell the three designs that I started my business on, so you can go and find them there. Chelsea Pensioners was such an amazing project to work on, going around the Chelsea Pensioner site, the Royal Hospital, and speaking with Chelsea Pensioner, and getting all that thing. So, they have products and they have it online as well. So, if you have any connections with the Chelsea Pensioners, that was a really good project to work on. The Brighton Billing Trust, I really hope I've got that name right, this year we're working on some products that will combine all the five sites that they have, and we're putting them on to products. So, it would have come out in 2020, but obviously, it was postponed. So, hopefully, this year, maybe next year, Brighton will have some new products designed by me.Kelly Molson: So exciting. I think it's wonderful. I've really enjoyed chatting to you today, just to find out more about that process and how it works. If anyone wants to get in touch with you, where's the best place that they can do that? Esther Johnson: Website, email, designedbyesther.co.uk. Instagram, I try and put a lot more on Instagram. Kelly Molson: Fabulous. And, we will put all the links to Esther's contact details in the show notes anyway, so don't worry if you didn't grab that. You'll be able to pop over and hit her up if you want to chat with her and find out a little bit more about how she can help. We always end our podcast with asking about a book that you'd recommend to our listeners. So, a book that you love, or something that's helped shape your career in some way? What's your suggestion for us today?Esther Johnson: Ashamedly, I've not read many books. However, over lockdown, there's a lady called Holly Tucker, who co-founded Not On The High Street, and Holly & Co, and she's been doing these Instagram Lives two or three times a week, and they've been so inspirational, so motivating. She really just captures what small businesses and small entrepreneurs are going through. She answers questions, she's just so helpful. She has a book coming out called Do What You Love, Love What You Do. I've pre-ordered it, and I am so excited to read it. I've gone against the rules, that I haven't read it. Over lockdown, she has really inspired me to think, "Why do I want to run a business?", and, "Why do I want to continue what I'm doing?" So, she has been a big boost in the daily running of my business. I really recommend her. And also, if you just watch her Instagram Lives, she's so interesting and so personable, she's just incredible. Kelly Molson: I love that. I think that's a perfect book for this episode.Esther Johnson: Perfect, yeah.Kelly Molson: It fits really well with what we've been talking about, in terms of products. Good recommendation. As ever, listeners, if you want to win a copy of this book, then if you head over to our Twitter account, which is Skip the Queue, and if you retweet this episode announcement with the comment, "I want Esther's book", then you will be in with a chance of winning it. Esther Johnson: It should be a good one. Kelly Molson: Esther, thank you so much for coming on today, I've really enjoyed finding out a bit more about what you do. I think understanding a bit of that process that you go through when you work with attractions will definitely help our audience if they're thinking about developing a bespoke product in some way that is going to be really individual for them. So, thank you.Esther Johnson: Thank you very much for asking, I hope it has been of some use. Kelly Molson: It absolutely will be.Kelly Molson: Thanks for listening to Skip the Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five-star review, it really helps others find us. And, remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned. Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcriptions from this episode and more over on our website, rubbercheese.com/podcast.

This week we introduce you to the debut album from a 24 year-old lad from Wales.  Thomas John Woodward - today Sir Thomas John Woodward - is better known as Tom Jones. He got his start as the front man for a beat group called Tommy Scott and the Senators, but they really didn't go anywhere beyond South Wales.  Gordo Mills became his manager, took him to London, and renamed him Tom Jones after the Academy Award winning film of the same name released in 1963.Jones' first hit would be the one for which he is always remembered.  "It's Not Unusual" went to number 1 in the UK within a month of its release, and it went to number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 when released in America.  Mills and Les Reed worked quickely with Jones to get an album out to take advantage of the quick success, and the result is this album - Along Came Jones.  Jones would have only moderate success with the rest of the songs on the album, but would see more fame when he recorded songs from movies, including "What's New Pussycat," by Burt Bacharach, and the theme song to the James Bond film "Thunderball."Tom Jones is synonymous with Las Vegas, and he spend a good bit of time there almost from the beginning.  His first stint was at the Flamingo in 1967.  He made a lot of money in club performances in Vegas rather than in extensive recording.  After moderate success with his first few albums, Mills directed Jones more in the direction of the crooner we know today.We hope you enjoy this early foray into this iconic singer. I've Got A HeartThis is the opening track on the album, and a very positive song.  The boy is singing about having "a heart that really needs somebody, " and "a mind to keep her, to hold her tight, oh yeah, yeah, yeah."  Not the most sophisticated lyrics you will encounter, but it is early in the rock era after all..Whatcha Gonna DoThe album was a mix of cover songs and songs written for Jones, and this is one of the covers.  Originally written by American blues and rock singer Chuck Willis, it cautions against running around on your girl. The RoseGordon Mills wrote this song for Jones.  It is basically the knights errand to win his love by finding the rose of love.  "For my true love I yearn, but I'll never, ever return till I find where that red lady grows."It's Not UnusualThis is where it all started for Tom Jones.  Gordon Mills and Les Reed wrote this song which was released in February 1965, and it entered the charts the week it was released.  It was number 1 on the UK charts a month later, and would define Tom Jones' career. ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:What's New Pussycat?  by Burt Bacharach (from the motion picture What's New Pussycat?)Woody Allen's first screenplay would become this comedy film.  Peter Sellers and Peter O'Toole starred in this movie.  Tom Jones would achieve success from singing this song for the soundtrack as well. STAFF PICKS:I'll Keep Holding On by The MarvelettesRob starts off our staff picks with this female Motown act.  They were the first successful Motown act after The Miracles.  This song was written by Mickey Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter, and peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100.  The original members were  Gladys Horton,  Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart Motley, and  Wanda Young.  Young is on lead for this one.Help Me Rhonda by The Beach BoysBrian brings us a well known surfing standard and rebound song.  This song has guitarist Al Jardine on lead vocals, and Glen Campbell was playing lead guitar as a session musician.  Darryl Dragon (aka The Captain from Captain & Tennille ) is also playing on this track.  Take a Heart by The SorrowsWayne's staff pick is the title track off the debut album from “Freakbeat” band The Sorrows.  One of the most aggressive R&B bands of their time, The Sorrows were known for their fast guitar solos and thudding drums.  They never achieved much success, perhaps because their style of music was just ahead of its time.  The song itself cautions against breaking hearts and turnabout.Feeling Good by Nina SimoneBruce's staff pick is a song from Broadway recorded by Nina Simone in 1965.  It was not released as a single at the time, but has seen a resurgence recently in period pieces and commercials. INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In) by the T-BonesThis instrumental drew its inspiration from an Alka-Seltzer commercial and was recorded by Dave Pell and members of The Wrecking Crew.

Quizmasters Lee and Marc are joined by Tommy Scott of The Electric Mud to ask, suss and answer a general knowledge quiz with topics including 80’s Music, 90’s Movies, Cars, Movie Cameos, Islam, Academia, Tragedies, Common Phrases, Celebrity Aliases, Famous Battles, Soda Flavors, NFL Mascots, 2000’s R&B, U.S. Geography, Physics, Fashion, Celebrity Sex Tapes and more! Round One 80’s MUSIC - The Cure singer Robert Smith can be heard whispering what titular Frank Sinatra lyric during the instrumental break following the second chorus of Lovesong? 90’s MOVIES - What 1995 movie finds a character ordering pizza on the website pizza.net? CARS - Described as "dangerous" from the higher-ups from the automaker, what kind of car was actor Paul Walker riding in during a fiery fatal 2013 accident? MOVIE CAMEOS - In a blink and you'll miss it moment, who was cast as author-turned-political candidate Upton Sinclair in 2020’s Mank for their “reputation for factual presentations”? ISLAM - Ramadan is what number month in the Islamic calendar? ACADEMIA - Established in 1903, the Rhodes scholarship is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world and is a postgraduate award for students to study at what school? Missed Corrections Tommy’s Pete & Pete theme beef, a call from Aaron, notes on cheating from Manu, and more. Round Two TRAGEDIES - In what decade did the plane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper crash? COMMON PHRASES - What actor, stand-up comedian and former MTV VJ is credited with coining the phrase "booty call"? CELEBRITY ALIASES - After the 2014 Sony email leaks, it was discovered the aliases Johnny Madrid and Harry Lauder were used by which A-list celebrities when booking hotels and making reservations? FAMOUS BATTLES - The Mayaguez Incident was the final battle of which war? SODA FLAVORS - The original Faygo flavors Fruit Punch, Strawberry and Grape were based on Feigenson family recipes of what foodstuff? NFL MASCOTS - Gumbo the Dog is the name of one of two mascots for which NFL team? Factoid Alert 2000’s R&B - What production duo is said to be responsible for 43% of the songs played on US radio & 20% on British radio? Final Questions U.S. GEOGRAPHY - St. Paul is the capital of which U.S. state? PHYSICS - Laser, as used in laser beam or laser pointer, is an acronym for what expression? CELEBRITY SEX TAPES - Which member of Motley Crue made a sex tape with Janine Lindemulder? FASHION - What thin cotton fabric used in summer suits takes its name from the Persian words for milk and sugar? Upcoming LIVE Know Nonsense Trivia Challenges April 19th, 2021 - Know Nonsense Trivia on Twitch - 8 pm EST April 21st, 2021 - Know Nonsense Trivia Challenge - Point Ybel Brewing Co. - 7:30 pm EST You can find out more information about that and all of our live events online at KnowNonsenseTrivia.com All of the Know Nonsense events are free to play and you can win prizes after every round. Thank you Thanks to our supporters on Patreon. Thank you, Quizdaddies – Kyle, Tommy (The Electric Mud) and Tim (Pat's Garden Service) Thank you, Team Captains – Dylan, Shaun, Lydia, Gil, David, Aaron, Kristen & Fletcher Thank you, Proverbial Lightkeepers – Jon, Adam, Ryan, Mollie, Lisa, Alex, Spencer, Kaitlynn, Manu, Mo, Matthew, Luc, Hank, Justin, Cooper, Elyse, Sarah, Karly, Kristopher, Josh, Lucas Thank you, Rumplesnailtskins – Alex, Doug, Kevin and Sara, Tiffany, Allison, Paige, We Do Stuff, Mike S., Kenya, Jeff, Eric, Steven, Efren, Mike J., Mike C. If you'd like to support the podcast and gain access to bonus content, please visit http://theknowno.com and click "Support." Special Guest: Tommy Scott.

Chet Atkins - "Wheels" - Travelin' [0:00:00] Music behind DJ: Duane Eddy - "Because They're Young" - Duane Eddy's 16 Greatest Hits [0:02:40] Hank Snow - "Ninety Miles An Hour (Down A Dead End Street)" [0:05:02] Tommy Scott's Country Music Circus - "Don't Blame The Car (Blame The Devil At The Wheel)" - Out Of This World [0:07:20] Carl Perkins - "Pop, Let Me Have the Car" [0:10:19] Ferlin Husky - "Slow Down, Brother" - Early Country Favorites [0:12:24] Curtis Leach - "Wheelin' And Dealin'" [0:14:47] Music behind DJ: Chet Atkins - "Wheels" - Travelin' [0:20:02] Jim Nesbitt - "Tiger In My Tank" - Truck Drivin' Cat with Nine Wives [0:20:26] Lowell Varney & Jim Horn - "The Silver Bridge" [0:22:44] C.B. Kelton - "Hitchin' A Ride" - Town And Country [0:25:18] Bob Arlin and his Band - "East L.A." [0:27:45] Ernest Tubb - "Beyond The Last Mile" - Just Call Me Lonesome [0:30:30] Music behind DJ: Duane Eddy - "Because They're Young" - Duane Eddy's 16 Greatest Hits [0:34:27] Glen Campbell - "Long Black Limousine" - A Satisfied Mind [0:36:37] Bobby Bare - "Long Black Limousine" - The Travelin' Bare [0:39:21] Tex Rubinowitz - "Hot Rod Man" [0:42:13] Ronald Parker - "What I Need With A Car?" [0:44:27] Matty Moroz and the Merry Men - "Lost Highway" - Country Style [0:46:50] Music behind DJ: Duane Eddy - "Because They're Young" - Duane Eddy's 16 Greatest Hits [0:49:23] Charlie Ryan and The Timberline Riders - "Hot Rod Lincoln" [0:51:52] Red Simpson - "The Rules Of The Road" - The Man Behind The Badge [0:54:21] Joe Prater - "Highway "41"" [0:57:02] Music behind DJ: Duane Eddy - "Theme from C&W Jeopardy!" [0:59:21] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/96891

Quizmasters Lee and Marc are joined by Peter Kolter and Tommy Scott of Southwest Florida rock band The Electric Mud to ask, suss and answer a general knowledge quiz with topics including Geometry, Cult Leaders, Music, World History, Literature, Topography, Movies, U.S. Census, Concert Records, Minerals, Television, Movie Soundtracks, Fast Cars, Video Games, Inventions and more! Round One GEOMETRY - How many equal sides are there on a scalene triangle? CULT LEADERS - "Do what thou wilt" is the core edict of THEL-ema, a religion founded by what British occultist in 1920? MUSIC - Musica Norteña a musical genre originating in Northern Mexico in the 19th century, was heavily influenced by what European style of music? WORLD HISTORY - The RMS Titanic sank in the early morning of April 15th in the North Atlantic Ocean, four days into the ship's maiden voyage from Southampton to 1912; in what year did this disaster occur? LITERATURE - The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe was inspired by a talking raven in the novel Barnaby Rudge, A Tale of the Riots of 80? TOPOGRAPHY - A yeti or rakshasa is said to roam the foothills of what Himalayan mountain, the third tallest in the world, and whose name means ‘the five treasures of the high snow’? KnowNotes “In the last episode Lee made a comment during the Vincent Fernier question suss that Michael Buble was a fake name. Not sure if it was a joke from a previous episode but Michael Buble is in fact his birth name.” - submitted by Myles Jenny writes in to tell us we’re her first supported Patreon project. Thanks Jenny! Round Two MOVIES - What 2007 film features props said to be designed by Francois Voltaire, but were actually co-designed by Marc Jacobs and Eric Chase Anderson? U.S. CENSUS - What state has the highest percentage of Black people in the United States? CONCERT RECORDS - What rock and roll band set the record for the highest-priced general admission concert tickets of all time, priced at $624? CRIME STATISTICS - In what year did the United States of America experience it’s highest rate of violent crime? MINERALS - What ornamental mineral was a mark of high-status (and shares its name with a character first introduced in 1993’s Mortal Kombat II) which roughly translates to “loin stone” in French and Spanish? TELEVISION - The television show Garfield and Friends (1988-1994) also contained what other short cartoon? Rate My Question MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS - The band Rascal Flatts covered Tom Cochrane's country hit "Life is a Highway" for the soundtrack of what 2007 film? Final Questions CHESS - The queen was not always the name of the piece; what was the original name? FAST CARS - What limited production electric sports car, manufactured by a British automobile manufacturer, holds the current record for the most horsepower? VIDEO GAMES - Selling 200m copies, including mobile game downloads, what is the highest-selling video game of all time? INVENTIONS - Arthur Fry invented what office staple in 1974? MUSIC - What Oscar- and Grammy-winning film composer plays background keyboards on and appears in the music video for the 1980 classic new wave hit “Video Killed The Radio Star” by The Buggles? Upcoming LIVE Know Nonsense Trivia Challenges August 6th, 2020 - Know Nonsense Trivia Challenge - Live on Twitch 8pm - 9pm EDT You can find out more information about that and all of our live events online at KnowNonsenseTrivia.com All of the Know Nonsense events are free to play and you can win prizes after every round. Thank you Thanks to our supporters on Patreon. Thank you, Quizdaddies – Dylan, Tommy (The Electric Mud) and Tim (Pat's Garden Service) Thank you, Team Captains – Gil, David, Rachael, Aaron, Kristen & Fletcher Thank you, Proverbial Lightkeepers – Jenny, Logan, Spencer, Kaitlynn, Manu, Mo, Matthew, Nicole, Luc, Hank, Justin, Cooper, Elyse, Sarah, Karly, Kristopher, Josh, Shaun, Lucas and Max Thank you, Rumplesnailtskins – Tiffany, Allison, Paige, We Do Stuff, Mike S. ,Kenya, Jeff, Eric, Steven, Efren, Mike J., Mike C. If you'd like to support the podcast and gain access to bonus content, please visit http://theknowno.com and click "Support." Special Guests: Peter Kolter and Tommy Scott.

Welcome to episode #161! It's time for part two of Tommy's Western Caribbean cruise on the Sky Princess.  This time we discuss the live entertainment and shows onboard this beautiful ship.   Princess Cruises develop unique, one of a kind shows, exclusively for the Sky Princess! Combined with the beautiful Princess Theater, equipped with state of the art audio, video and lighting technology, each show is a feast for the eyes and ears.   With superior performers, stunning costuming, and staging as well, puts on a show like no other. We were so impressed, we would rebook a cruise on the Sky Princess to see Rock Opera, 5SKIES and Inspired Silliness again. They were all fantastic!   Do you like BBQ? We also got to try Planks BBQ for the first time. What a fantastic treat! Huge portions, tasty flavors and desserts to die for. Such a great value and excellent service too.    This and more thoughts about the Sky Princess we share on this new episode...we hope you enjoy the show!   Keep On Cruising!   Tommy & Scott

Welcome to episode #160!   We are so happy to have on our show another great interview for you.   YouTube Video Cruise Personality, Emma from "Cruising Isn't Just For Old People" shares with us her interesting research findings about how cruising might be changing due to COVID-19. In fact, she has a few extra things she shared on our show that was not in her video.    See Emma's video below!     We all know that the cruise industry is now in uncharted territory and we can expect lots of new requirements to cruises, ongoing health testings, cleaning procedures, social distancing  practices, seating arrangements, food handling and more.      As we navigate our way through these new practices, we wonder if this our "new normal" or are these going to be temporary? Will a vaccine revert us back to the times we loved and enjoyed?    What are your thoughts? What kind of changes do you expect? Let us know!    Be sure to follow Emma here:   Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Website     We hope you enjoy the show!   Keep On Cruising!   Tommy & Scott  

Welcome to episode #159! We have a very special interview today with Jason Beukema, founder of Whet Travel and the Groove Cruise, the premier electronic dance music chartered cruise vacation event! Starting with an idea, a passion for music and a personal financial risk, Jason launched the first Groove Cruise over 15 years ago and has built a community and a loyal family of electronic dance music fans. From his humble beginnings of his first event to now, chartering entire cruise ships, Jason shares with us his inspirational stories of entrepreneurism, the planning and logistics of a successful chartered cruise event, to volunteerism and much more.  Jason's company, Whet Travel, has grown tremendously and also produces Groove Island, Salsa Cruise, Shiprocked Cruise, Motörhead Motorboat Cruise, Dice Tower Cruise and more.  We hope that this interview will inspire you to do something new and exciting. Also, make plans to join Jason and his Groove Cruise Family on the biggest cruise ship on the west coast, the Norwegian Bliss, Oct. 15th - 18th, 2020! Groove Cruise Cali -2020!     Please follow Jason and  bookmark these links, let him know you heard him on The Cruise Dudes Podcast!  Groove Cruise Home Page Groove Cruise Cali 2020 - The Ascension Whet Travel Whet Foundation Groove Cruise YouTube Channel Groove Cruise Instagram Jason's Instagram Keep On Cruising! Tommy & Scott  

Welcome to episode #158! On this new episode, we welcome back our very special friend Matt Hochberg from the Royal Caribbean blog. He is one of the most informed cruisers who lives and breathes Royal Caribbean cruise ships.    We have brought him back on to the show to give us the inside scoop on what Royal Caribbean is doing during this time of pause from cruising. Matt also shares about his very last cruise to Coco Cay's new private beach and cabana resort that just recently opened. It sounds amazing. I think we need to book a Royal Caribbean cruise very soon!   If you love cruising on Royal Caribbean, we highly recommend you visit his blog that has timely updates, forum boards, videos, podcasts and more.  Please follow Matt and let him know you heard him on The Cruise Dudes Podcast: www.royalcaribbeanblog.com www.instagram.com/royalcaribbeanblog/ twitter.com/therclblog #HopeFloats Keep On Cruising!   Tommy & Scott

My first guest on the Tami Jackson Show* tonight be Captain Roger Hill. Captain Roger Hill is a West Point graduate, combat veteran and Bronze Star recipient who had dreamed of being a soldier since he was six years old. In 2007, Hill takes command of Dog Company, an 89-man unit of the famed 101st Airborne. The unit is full of rough-and-tumble men who are brilliant in combat but undisciplined at home. Through tough love, Hill and his First Sergeant, an old-school former drill instructor named Tommy Scott, turn the company into the top performers in the battalion. In 2008, Hill and Scott lead Dog Company into combat in Wardak, the most violent province in eastern Afghanistan. For six months, the unit faces off against the Taliban. They survive ambushes, rocket fire and IEDs almost daily, and the number of wounded cuts into Hill's unit by a third. Meanwhile, Hill himself battles his own battalion commander, a charismatic but archly political man who threatens to relieve Hill at every turn. After two Dog Company soldiers die in combat, Hill, Scott and a counterintelligence team learn the reason for the mounting casualties: A dozen Taliban spies posing as local national workers have infiltrated their base. After he captures the spies, Hill is abandoned by his higher command, setting off a ticking clock: he has just 96 hours to either release the spies and expose Dog Company to further casualties — or defy the Army's rules on prisoner treatment. In a true story that weaves the combat action of Band of Brothers with the military courtroom drama of A Few Good Men, Hill and Scott must ultimately choose: Sacrifice their careers or sacrifice their men. Capt. Hill and Lynn Vincent detail the true story in a new book, sure to be a best seller, Dog Company: A True Story of American Soldiers Abandoned by Their High Command. Listen as Capt. Hill and I discuss how current Rules of Engagement (ROE) are politically motivated and represent a grave danger to troops on the ground. This segment is guaranteed to make every patriot steaming mad! ******************* In the second 1/2 hour I will be joined by Christiana Holcomb. Christiana Holcomb, Esq., serves as legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, where she is an invaluable member of the Center for Christian Ministries. Since joining ADF in 2012, Holcomb has worked to protect the freedom of churches, Christian schools, and Christian ministries to freely exercise their faith without government interference. She also advocates for these issues as an Alliance Defending Freedom Regional Legal Academy faculty member and as a conference speaker throughout the country. Holcomb earned her J.D. at Oak Brook College, graduating summa cum laude in 2010. She also completed the Alliance Defending Freedom leadership development program to become a Blackstone Fellow in 2010. She is admitted to the bar in California and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Christiana will be Erik Stanley's Deputy on the “The Playground Case,” the biggest case left on the SCOTUS docket, which will be heard on Wednesday, April 19. Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Pauley, dubbed “The Playground Case.” ABC called it “the most anticipated case in the April sitting.” Fox further described it as “arguably the biggest church-state case in recent memory.” Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Pauley involves a Lutheran preschool in Columbia, Missouri that was denied state funds to improve its public playground due to a law prohibiting government aid to religious schools. This case needs to be watched particularly closely because it will be the barometer for years worth of rulings striking at the heart of America's culture and political war. In fact, on Monday, April 17, just two days before "The Playground Case," the Supreme Court "DISTRIBUTED for Conference" the extremely controversial Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission for possible hearing later this fall. Behind the case representing Trinity Lutheran (and Masterpiece Cakeshop) is Erik Stanley of Alliance Defending Freedom. This will be such a timely discussion: Eric Stanley, Christiana Holcomb, and the rest of the ADF legal team have been working tirelessly on this case, scheduled on the SCOTUS docket for tomorrow morning, Wednesday, April 19. And now that the High Court is at full complement with newly sworn in Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, Americans will eagerly await the court's opinion. Follow Capt. Roger Hill on Twitter at @CPTRogerHill, Dog Company Book at @DogCompanyBook, Christiana Holcomb at @ChristianaADF, and me at @tamij AND tweet your questions/comments during the show using hashtag #tjrs. *Sponsored by Rentacomputer, your premier source for Server Rentals , by ROBAR® Guns, a True Custom firearms and firearms finishing shop located in Phoenix, AZ, and found online at RobarGuns.com, and by Dispatches, your site for the BEST conservative resources to fight and win the information war.